Perspective of waste isolation research issues and assessment of consequences for radionuclide release [electronic resource]
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| Online Access: |
Online Access |
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| Corporate Authors: | , |
| Format: | Government Document Electronic eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Albuquerque, N.M. : Oak Ridge, Tenn. :
Sandia National Laboratories. ; distributed by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, U.S. Dept. of Energy,
1979.
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| Abstract: | The finiteness of research resources to address technical issues for nuclear waste management requires a realistic assessment of their importance. The most appropriate method for making this assessment is the combination of system studies, which include consideration of the role of all protective barrier, and consequence assessment models that can estimate the potential hazard imposed upon man for assumed violations of these barriers. Sensitivity analyses on certain issues can then be performed to determine the impact of various descriptive parameters. Work commensurate with this strategy has been initiated at Sandia. Some conclusions drawn from these studies specifically applicable to WIPP for the scenarios considered are that: Waste form and protective canisters are not essential as barriers. Assumed radionuclide dissolutioning is far in excess of that possible with developmental waste forms. Brine migration plays no significant role in long-term isolation; complications to retrievability can be avoided with numerous technical alternaives. Radionuclide sorption in geomedia near repositories plays an important role in reducing consequences, but sites with favorable geologic and hydrologic settings such as WIPP can tolerate essentially no reliance on sorption and still achieve inconsequential predicted doses. Plutonium sorption with K/sub d/ greater than 10 are sufficient to eliminate direct doses from plutonium. Borehole plugs are not required for primary protection. Continued scientific resolution of both real and perceived issues can, however, provide additional assurance and public confidence that consequences can be reduced beyond those predicted in bounding scenarios. In addition, such investigation will assure that appropriate limits are instituted for defining parameters and that all assumptions in predictive models are technically sound. |
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| Item Description: | Published through the Information Bridge: DOE Scientific and Technical Information. 01/01/1979. "sand-79-1076c" " conf-791112-29" Symposium on the scientific basis for nuclear waste management, Boston, MA, USA, 26 Nov 1979. Hunter, T.O. |
| Physical Description: | Pages: 9 : digital, PDF file. |