Tank Wastes Planned for On-Site Disposal at Three Department of Energy Sites The Savannah River Site: Interim Report (2005) / Chapter Skim
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According to the Defense Authorization Act, the interim report =shall address any additional actions the Department should consider to ensure that the Department's plans for the Savannah River Site, including plans for grouting the tanks, will comply with the performance objectives [of 10 CFR 614] in a more effective manner" (Section 3146 (e)
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. ~ Reprocessing operations at the Savannah River Site started in 1953 and continue on a reduced scale to this day.
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a low-activity waste stream, which is to be disposed on-site. At the Savannah River Site, DOE already retrieves sludge and then processes and immobilizes it in glass at its Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF)
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A high-capacity chemical processing facility, called the Salt Waste Processing Facility, is scheduled to be available in 2009 and could be supplemented by the ARP, if needed. DOE indicated to the committee that the Savannah River Site is facing a =tank space crisis because of net waste inputs from current waste processing and waste removal operations.
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The tank heels that remain after bulk removal contain a smaller quantity of waste that is less mobile and constitutes a much lower near-term probability of release. Finding 1b: The Savannah River Site Federal Facility Agreement has schedules for waste removal from and closure of the noncompliant tanks.
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As DOE considers delaying closure for some tanks, it has to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages from both a risk and a cost perspective. If DOE can relax other constraints on tank waste removal, such as the tank space problem, delaying tank closure could free up funds planned for closure activities, and those funds could be devoted to enhancing waste removal, waste processing, and confidence in the near- and long-term performance of the waste immobilization and tank fill materials.
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actions that free up usable volume in compliant tanks, such as using noncompliant tanks not known to have leaked for emergency storage volume. Waste retrieval, processing, and tank cleaning operations continuously add secondary wastes to the tanks; in addition, space in compliant tanks is needed to prepare feeds for the high-level and salt waste processing facilities.
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Research and Development Needs Finding 4: Focused research and development could help DOE reduce the amount, improve the immobilization, and test some of the assumptions used in performance assessment of tank waste to be disposed of at the Savannah River Site. These actions could reduce the risks to humans and the environment and improve confidence in DOE's risk estimates.
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FUTURE PLANS FOR THE STUDY The committee's full task is to review and evaluate DOE's plans to manage radioactive waste streams from reprocessed spent fuel that exceed the Class C concentration limits and are planned for on-site disposal at the Savannah River Site, the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, and the Hanford Reservation. Congress requested assessments of the following: DOE's knowledge of the characteristics of the wastes; additional actions DOE should take in managing these wastes to comply with the performance objectives; monitoring plans; existing technologies and technology gaps for waste management; and any other matters that the committee considers appropriate and directly relevant.
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the roles of the Class C limits and the performance objectives in determining whether on-site disposal is acceptable; and (4) research and development needs, particularly in-tank and downstream consequences of chemical cleaning options, technologies to assist in tank waste removal, including robotic devices, and studies of the projected near- and long-term performance of tank fill materials, such as grout.
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