Alternative High-Level Waste Treatments at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (1999) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix B: Trip Reports of Technical Experts
Appendix B: Trip Reports of Technical Experts
Pages 141-166
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From page 141... ...
The Cs and Sr will be mixed with an appropriate borosilicate glass frit, v~trified, and made ready for eventual geologic disposal.
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From page 142... ...
. In this option the liquid SBW and solid calcine will be mixed with an appropriate borosilicate glass frit, vitrified, and prepared for eventual disposal in a geologic repository.
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From page 143... ...
If the early vitrification option is selected as one of the two, I would encourage the INEEL staff to develop strong interactions with the Savannah River Site and West Valley plants (and the French Cogema and Marcoule facilities) in order to take advantage of their "development" and "operations" expertise.
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From page 144... ...
The cost estimates of the different options are probably no better than + 100 percent for the processing portion of the options and should not be a detenninant for the final option. Disposal costs are not likely meaningfid numbers.
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From page 145... ...
As per He above comments, I think Hat the process assumptions and costing portions of the analysis can be improved. Append ix B: Trip Reports of Technical Experts 145
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From page 146... ...
146 Alternative High-I~evel Waste Treatments at INEEL
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From page 147... ...
of 1982 by the U.S. Congress, there were extensive examinations of waste forms for the stabilization and geologic disposal of liquid HLW from spent fuel reprocessing.
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From page 148... ...
It should also be recognize that the waste forms created at INEEL as a result of reprocessing the calcines may not be accepted (or acceptable) at the WIPP or the Yucca Mountain facility, if and when they become operational.
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From page 149... ...
Ider~ific~ion and definition of the initial conditions. In the case of nuclear waste processing this will consist primarily of iden~ing and understanding the chemical and physical properties of the waste material, but should also included clear identification of any social, cultural, economic, and regulatory issues or conditions that may impact Be processing scenarios.
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From page 150... ...
Expenditures of large slims of resources for lithe, if any, risk reductions are not wormy endeavors when less costly alternatives with acceptable environmental risks are available.
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From page 151... ...
contractor issue needs to be me and a consistent set of planning assumptions issued and utilized in the alternative selection process. [Note: A detailed discussion of the application of He systems engineering methodology to a nuclear waste c isposal program can be found in the National Research Council (NRC)
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From page 152... ...
Quality of the presentations and tours associated with the HLW disposal situation at INEEL was uniformly high and assisted the technical experts significantly in assessing the technology and situation. In general, the problems at the site, though not simple, are in many ways more straightforward than at many other DOE sites: clear liquid wastes, sound tanks that do not leak, and · calcine that is an excellent, handleable waste form for the interim.
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From page 153... ...
The waste form is most similar to "conventional." Direct Cementitious Option Direct grouting is attractive, except for the extreme volume downside attributed to it. The process cost appears very high, with the reasons not obvious.
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From page 154... ...
Separabom This approach is based upon a 1995 programmatic decision with its assumptions of for-cost and waste volume reduction based on Yucca Mountain National Nuclear Waste Repository, even though the waste from this project is designated to go to the second national repository. From the data present to this review committee, it appears that the desire to reduce the volume of HLW from 5,000+ m3 to 210 m3, irrespective of the consequences of this action, has driven the decision to justify this course of action.
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From page 155... ...
In the intervening year, West Valley and Savannah River have come on line with the production of full-scale radioactive glass waste forms. Scale-up and melter designs that have proven reliable can be implemented from the experience of these other sites.
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From page 156... ...
Cementitious Waste Form The data presented with respect to a cementitious waste form represent a minimal level of activity over the past 5 years. The cementitious waste form alternative that was presented to us in this review is not a conventional Portland cement-based waste form.
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From page 157... ...
In 1981, another committee with much broader representation, chaired by Roy Post, evaluated 31 different waste forms and independently ranked them (Post, 1981~. Again in the raw numerical ranking, a cementitious waste form, FUETAP developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the mid- to late-1970s, was selected as the most desirable waste form.
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From page 158... ...
For example, we heard that the costs of modification of the calciner to meet clean air standards was a rate-limiting step and would cost perhaps a $100 million; while at the same time, a complete proposal for an entirely new calciner, specifically designed for handling SBW, including all of the emissions controls to met EPA requirements and at the total cost of $45 million, is available. 158 Alternative High-Leve!
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From page 159... ...
I provide suggestions for approaches that are consistent with sound economics, and also adapted to highlight and address specific aspects of this waste management decision. D~un~g The various cost estimates reviewed take different approaches to presenting treatment costs that occur over long periods of time.
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From page 160... ...
Private corporations use "hurdle rates" that require that investments under consideration be assessed using discount rates from 10 to 25 percent per year. These hurdle rates include adders for private-entity concerns with risk, etc., and are not a good model for use in social investment decisions.
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From page 161... ...
To exclude them from a cost estimate is to create an incomplete cost estimate. Disposal costs are definitely part of the project costs that should be included in compar~son of INEEL waste management options.
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From page 162... ...
Even with a fairly low discount rate of about 3 percent, disposal costs would be discounted by a factor of 3 to 6, relative to the waste treatment costs. Second, the cost-per-ton assumption for c isposal of the final waste form might be overstated.
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From page 163... ...
For example, in the August meetings, it became apparent that there are really two basic options, and that focusing too heavily on detailed comparisons among all of the waste treatment options may be missing a more important aspect of this decision, which is whether or not to treat and remove the calcined wastes at all. Figure B-1 illustrates the nature of the INEEL decisions in terms of a cost and risk trade-off.
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From page 164... ...
The differences among the treatment alternatives described in August may start to seem relatively minor compared to the basic questions of whether the attendant incremental risk reduction is worth the incremental cost, and whether there might be intermediate solutions providing more reasonable trade-offs. Role of P~vatizabon in Costs A few times during the August meeting, the discussion came around to the possibility of this waste treatment activity being privatized.
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From page 165... ...
Append ix B: Trip Reports of Technical Experts 165
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From page 166... ...
No Action Environmental Risks Few R2. Ill~ve Example of Nature of Cost-Tolal Risk Hideous for INEEL High Level Wasle Management DO cision 1 1 Various 166 Alternatives Discusssed For Treatment & Disposal Store Calcines In Bins Permanently ,~2 ~ I .~ at.
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