Preconceptual design for a Monitored Retrievable Storage (MRS) transfer facility

The study reported here was undertaken as part of the site screening and evaluation activities for the Monitored Retrievable Storage (MRS) Program of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM), Department of Energy (DOE). Its primary purpose was to determine: the location and shape of a preferred geographic region within which locating an MRS facility would minimize total shipment miles for spent fuel transported through the MRS facility to a repository, and the sensitivity of the location and shape of this region and the reduction in total shipment miles to possible variations in waste management system logistics. As a result of this analysis, a geographic region has been identified which is preferred for siting an MRS facility. This region will be referred to as the preferred region in this study. Siting an MRS facility in the preferred region will limit total shipment miles (i.e., the total miles traveled for all shipments of spent fuel) to and from the MRS facility to within 20% of the lowest achievable. The region is preferred for a mixed truck/rail system of transport from reactors to the MRS facility. It is assumed that rail will be used to ship spent fuel from the MRS facility to a geologic repository for disposal. Siting an MRS facility in the preferred region will reduce total shipment miles for all currently considered system logistics options which include an MRS facility in the system. These options include: any first repository location, the possible range of spent fuel consolidation at the MRS, use of multi-cask or single-cask train shipments, use of current or future spent fuel transport casks, servicing only the first or both the first and second repositories, and shipment of fuel from western reactors either through the MRS facility or to a western facility (a second, smaller MRS facility or the first repository).

The estimated long-term impact of the costs and fees associated with disposal of defense high-level wastes (DHLW) in the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) repository system is assessed. It is assumed that the DHLW disposal fees paid will provide funds equivalent to the OCRWM costs for disposing of this waste, including interest on costs incurred before the payment of the fee(s) to cover these costs, and the appropriate share of the common costs of the OCRWM waste disposal system. The DHLW disposal fee payments into the Nuclear Waste Fund will be subject to Congressional appropriations. This report is based on the assumptions that the first repository will open in 2003 and the second repository in 2023. In addition, this analysis features an Improved Performance System (IPS), a major component of which is a proposed (but currently unauthorized) Monitored Retrievable Storage (MRS) facility that is assumed to open in 1998. The possibility of adverse developments in inflation and real interest rates should be considered in assessing the findings of this analysis which are based on a cash flow analysis that utilized methods very similar to those employed in previous fee adequacy studies. Revisions were made in the areas of system logistics, repository schedules, real interest rates, inflation rates, and the estimation of costs for design and evaluation work, transportation, and repositories in differing host rocks. The principal recommendation is that the ongoing disposal fee should remain at 1.0 mill per (net) kilowatt-hour (kWh) for 1987 based on the assumption that defense waste fees will be adequate to cover the defense share of the program costs.

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) has sponsored system studies to support the evaluation of alternative configurations and operations for the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System (CRWMS) and the development of system requirements and design specifications. These studies are generally directed toward evaluating the impacts of alternatives to the monitored retrievable storage (MRS) and fuel rod consolidation, waste form and characteristics sequences, cask and canister concepts, allocation of waste acceptance rights, and system throughput rates. The objectives of this document are: To present major system issues and related system element issues in a structured manner; to discuss key results of major system studies and explain the basis for certain current system assumptions; to summarize the scope and results of completed system studies that are still relevant at the time this document is published; and to provide the background needed for identifying and prioritizing system issues to be resolved. Consistent with the objectives, the document does not include low-level subsystem studies addressing system element issues that do not interact with overall system issues. The document is expected to be updated as major new system studies are completed and significant new results are available.

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended, authorizes the siting, construction and operation of a Monitored Retrievable Storage (MRS) facility. The MRS is intended to be used for the temporary storage of spent nuclear fuel from the nation`s nuclear power plants beginning as early as 1998. Pursuant to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, the Office of the Nuclear Waste Negotiator was created. On October 7, 1991, the Nuclear Waste Negotiator invited the governors of states and the Presidents of Indian tribes to apply for government grants in order to conduct a study to assess under what conditions, if any, they might consider hosting an MRS facility. Pursuant to this invitation, on October 11, 1991 the Mescalero Apache Indian Tribe of Mescalero, NM applied for a grant to conduct a phased, preliminary study of the safety, technical, political, environmental, social and economic feasibility of hosting an MRS. The preliminary study included: (1) An investigative education process to facilitate the Tribe`s comprehensive understanding of the safety, environmental, technical, social, political, and economic aspects of hosting an MRS, and; (2) The development of an extensive program that is enabling the Tribe, in collaboration with the Negotiator, to reach an informed and carefully researched decision regarding the conditions, (if any), under which further pursuit of the MRS would be considered. The Phase 1 grant application enabled the Tribe to begin the initial activities necessary to determine whether further consideration is warranted for hosting the MRS facility. The Tribe intends to pursue continued study of the MRS in order to meet the following objectives: (1) Continuing the education process towards a comprehensive understanding of the safety, environmental, technical, social and economic aspects of the MRS; (2) Conducting an effective public participation and information program; (3) Participating in MRS meetings.

The MONITOR model is a FORTRAN 77 based computer code that provides parametric life-cycle cost estimates for a monitored retrievable storage (MRS) facility. MONITOR is very flexible in that it can estimate the costs of an MRS facility operating under almost any conceivable nuclear waste logistics scenario. The model can also accommodate input data of varying degrees of complexity and detail (ranging from very simple to more complex) which makes it ideal for use in the MRS program, where new designs and new cost data are frequently offered for consideration. MONITOR can be run as an independent program, or it can be interfaced with the Waste System Transportation and Economic Simulation (WASTES) model, a program that simulates the movement of waste through a complete nuclear waste disposal system. The WASTES model drives the MONITOR model by providing it with the annual quantities of waste that are received, stored, and shipped at the MRS facility. Three runs of MONITOR are documented in this report. Two of the runs are for Version 1 of the MONITOR code. A simulation which uses the costs developed by the Ralph M. Parsons Company in the 2A (backup) version of the MRS cost estimate. In one of these runs MONITOR was run as an independent model, and in the other run MONITOR was run using an input file generated by the WASTES model. The two runs correspond to identical cases, and the fact that they gave identical results verified that the code performed the same calculations in both modes of operation. The third run was made for Version 2 of the MONITOR code. A simulation which uses the costs developed by the Ralph M. Parsons Company in the 2B (integral) version of the MRS cost estimate. This run was made with MONITOR being run as an independent model. The results of several cases have been verified by hand calculations.

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 authorized the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to evaluate monitored retrievable storage (MRS) as an option to manage spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste. In 1987, the DOE sought Congressional approval for construction of an MRS at a site identified in Tennessee, despite adamant opposition from the State. An amendment in late 1987 nullified DOE's proposal, and established the MRS Commission and the High-Level Nuclear Waste Negotiator, institutions created as a result of the DOE/Tennessee dispute. This article analyzes DOE's siting attempt in Tennessee, the actions of the Commission and Negotiator, and examines the prospects for implementation of nuclear waste policy.

The Department of Energy`s Office Civilian Radioactive Waste Management has prepared this document to report plans for the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program, whose mission is to manage and dispose of the nation`s spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste in a manner that protects the health and safety of the public and of workers and the quality of the environment. The Congress established this program through the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982. Specifically, the Congress directed us to isolate these wastes in geologic repositories constructed in suitable rock formations deep beneath the surface of the earth. In the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987, the Congress mandated that only one repository was to be developed at present and that only the Yucca Mountain candidate site in Nevada was to be characterized at this time. The Amendments Act also authorized the construction of a facility for monitored retrievable storage (MRS) and established the Office of the Nuclear Waste Negotiator and the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board. After a reassessment in 1989, the Secretary of Energy restructured the program, focusing the repository effort scientific evaluations of the Yucca Mountain candidate site, deciding to proceed with the development of an MRS facility, and strengthening the management of the program. 48 refs., 32 figs.

Congress passed the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA) and its amendments establishing the National policy for safely storing, transporting and disposing of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in a geologic repository. This legislation created the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) within the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop an integrated system for the safe and efficient disposal of high-level radioactive waste. The NWPA, as amended, directs DOE to study in detail the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada as the only candidate site for the Nation`s geologic repository. In Nevada, the DOE/OCRWM Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project Office (YMPO) manages scientific investigations to determine the suitability of Yucca Mountain for effectively isolating radioactive waste from the public and the environment. This Information Services Directory is intended to facilitate dissemination of information. The Directory is produced by the Education and Information Division of OCRWM`s Office of External Relations and will be updated periodically. This is the third such update since its issuance in August 1986. It is a reference document that lists the sources of program information available to States, Indian Tribes and the public.

The US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM), has initiated a waste management system study to identify the impacts of the presence or absence of a monitored retrievable storage facility (hereinafter referred to as ``MRS``) on system costs and program schedules. To support this study, life-cycle cost estimates and construction schedules have been prepared for the surface and underground facilities and operations geologic nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada. Nine different operating scenarios (cases) have been identified by OCRWM for inclusion in this study. For each case, the following items are determined: the repository design and construction costs, operating costs, closure and decommissioning costs, required staffing, construction schedules, uncertainties associated with the costs and schedules, and shipping cask and disposal container throughputs. This document contains A-D.

The Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) is responsible for developing the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System (CRWMS) to accept spent nuclear fuel from the commercial facilities. In support of the development of the CRWMS, OCRWM sponsored the Facility Interface Capability Assessment (FICA) project. The objective of this project was to assess the capability of each commercial facility to handle various spent nuclear fuel shipping casks. The purpose of this report is to summarize the results of the facility assessments completed within the FICA project. The project was conducted in two phases. During Phase I, the data items required to complete the facility assessments were identified and the data base for the project was created. During Phase II, visits were made to 122 facilities on 76 sites to collect data and information, the data base was updated, and assessments of the cask-handling capabilities at each facility were performed.

The Fuel Retrieval System (FRS) Process Validation Procedure (Shen 1999) requires that a specified quantity of fuel processed through the Primary Cleaning Machine (PCM) be inspected for cleanliness during initial operational and process validation testing. Specifically, these inspections are performed to confirm that the PCM adequately cleans the fuel elements of canister sludge. The results of these inspections will be used to demonstrate that residual quantities of canister particulate on fuel elements loaded into Multi-Canister Overpacks (MCOs) are within projected levels used to establish safety basis limits (Sloughter 1998). The fuel inspections performed as part of the validation process will be conducted during the Hot Operations portion of the Phased Startup Initiative (PSI) of the Fuel Retrieval and Integrated Water Treatment Systems (Pajunen 1999). Hot Operations testing constitutes Phases 3 and 4 of the PSI. The fuel assemblies in all candidate canisters will be thoroughly inspected during these test phases (highly degraded fuel assemblies are exempt from inspection). During subsequent production operation of the FRS, only periodic (every tenth canister) inspections for cleanliness will be performed and documented. This document describes the specific processes and techniques that will be applied in performing the cleanliness inspections, and the methodology used to verify that the documented inspection results conform to Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) requirements. The procedures and processes presented here are in conformance with the Quality Assurance Program Plan for Implementation of the OCRWM Quality Assurance Requirements and Description (QARD) for the Spent Nuclear Fuel Project (QAPP-OCRWM-001).

As part of the EIA program to provide energy information, this analysis report presents the current status and projections through 2010 of nuclear capacity, generation, and fuel cycle requirements for all countries in the world using nuclear power to generate electricity for commercial use. It also contains information and forecasts of developments in the uranium market. Long-term projections of US nuclear capacity, generation, and spent fuel discharges for three different scenarios through 2040 are developed for the Department of Energy`s Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM). In turn, the OCRWM provides partial funding for preparation of this report. The projections of uranium requirements are provided to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for preparation of the Nuclear Energy Agency/OECD report, Summary of Nuclear Power and Fuel Cycle Data in OECD Member Countries.

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) created the Office of National Transportation in 2003 recognizing the need to revitalize and accelerate development of the transportation system. The Department has made a commitment to work through a collaborative planning process before developing specific policies and procedures and making transportation decisions. OCRWM has begun to build the institutional framework to support development of this transportation system. Interactions with stakeholders have been initiated. The authors describe the key stakeholders, identified issues, regional and national planning activities, and mechanisms for interaction.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) is currently developing the technical bases to support the submittal of a license application for construction of a geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Office of Repository Development (ORD) is responsible for developing the design of the repository surface facilities for the handling of spent nuclear fuel and high level nuclear waste. Preliminary design activities are underway to sufficiently develop the repository surface facilities design for inclusion in the license application. The design continues to evolve to meet mission needs and to satisfy both regulatory and program requirements.A system engineering approach is being used in the design process since the repository facilities are dynamically linked by a series of sub‐systems and complex operations. In addition, the repository facility is a major system element of the overall waste management process being developed by the OCRWM. Such an approach includes iterative probabilistic dynamic simulation as an integral part of the design evolution process. A dynamic simulation tool helps to determine if: the mission and design requirements are complete, robust, and well integrated; the design solutions under development meets the design requirements and mission goals; opportunities exist where the system can be improved and/or optimized; proposed changes to the mission and design requirements have a positive or negative impact on overall system performance and if the design changes may be necessary to satisfy these changes. This paper will discuss the type of simulation employed to model the waste handling operations. It will then discuss the process being used to develop the Yucca Mountain surface facilities model. The latest simulation model and the results of the simulation and how the data was used in the design evolution process will also be discussed. Since the use of dynamic simulation is iterative and integral to the design effort, future activities will also be summarized. The paper will close discussing lessons learned from applying dynamic simulation to designing complex systems, and will discuss what pitfalls to avoid and recommendations for developing flexibility in system model development.

Characteristics of potential repository wastes: Oak Ridge National Laboratory. U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Springfield, VA. 22161; 1992. Vols. 1–4, (DOE/RW-0184-R1) softcover