|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Updates from the SRSCRO
|
January 2017
|
| Follow us on Twitter! |
Rick McLeod @atomicasset  |
Mindy Mets @nuclearstem |
|
|
|
|
|
|
First Annual Report on the State of the DOE National Laboratories
 The Department of Energy's (DOE) scientific and technical capabilities are rooted in its system of National Laboratories - 17 world-class institutions that constitute the most comprehensive research and development network of its kind. This first
Annual Report on the State of the DOE National Laboratories describes the DOE National Laboratory System, its role in advancing the frontiers of science and technology, and efforts to ensure it continues as a national resource for the Department's near and long-term missions. The Department committed to prepare this report in response to recommendations from the Congressionally-mandated Commission to Review the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories (CRENEL) that the Department should better communicate the value that the Laboratories provide to the Nation. It is anticipated that future annual reports will be much more compact, building on the extensive description of the Laboratories and of the governance structures that are part of this first report.
DOE manages 16 of the National Laboratories that are Federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) through management and operating (M&O) contracts with industrial, academic, or nonprofit institutions. Under the government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) model, DOE is responsible for establishing strategic and program direction, while the Labs apply their expertise to determine precisely how to meet technical and scientific challenges and carry out programs, all in the public interest. Rather than merely working as contractors that execute tasks established by DOE, the unique and adaptable M&O model enables the labs and DOE to work in partnership, ensuring that the system remains agile in addressing changing national needs.
The 17th National Laboratory, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), is government-owned and government-operated (GOGO), similar to RD&D laboratories in other Federal Government agencies. In the GOGO model, the DOE both establishes strategic and program direction and conducts research and development activities, in support of its applied energy mission.
In the report, the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) is identified as a multipurpose Lab dedicated to environmental remediation and to understanding the behavior of elements as they flow through the environment. This specific role lends itself to security aspects such as nuclear detection and gas processing. As the National Laboratory for DOE's Environmental Management program, SRNL applies its expertise across the DOE complex.
Recently, DOE-EM has requested SRNL develop and begin implementation of a plan that will establish SRNL as a separate, independent business unit within the existing SRNS M&O contract. The goal is to enhance SRNL's ability to (1) provide technical leadership for the EM programs at SRS and at sites across the DOE Complex; (2) lead the research and development programs essential to the completion of the DOE-EM mission; (3) provide the full range of tritium processing and gas transfer R&D, technical support, and supply chain stewardship necessary to maintain the Nation's tritium stockpile; and (4) advance SRNL's status as a world-class, multi-program DOE National Laboratory.
|
Defense Waste Only Repository
 The Department of Energy is evaluating the development of a repository for disposal of high-level radioactive waste resulting from atomic energy defense activities, as well as research and development activities. On December 16, 2016, DOE released a
Draft Plan for a Defense Waste Repository for public comment. The comment period will remain open until March 20, 2017.
The plan estimates it will take about 11 years just to select a site for the repository and evaluate the location. The estimated cost is roughly $3 billion and that is separate from the full cost of actually building the repository. DOE estimates waste disposal would begin about 20 years from the day the agency actually starts the dialogue with possible host communities. The draft plan included no cost estimate for building, operating, or closing the facility. DOE did not indicate when it might start searching for a host site.
If you would like to provide feedback or comments on the draft plan, please email
[email protected].
|
Sensible Nuclear Waste Disposition Act
On January 11, 2017, U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., introduced legislation that intends to block any new defense nuclear waste disposal facility (which is discussed in the article above) while the fate of Yucca Mountain in Nevada remains uncertain. The legislation is called the
Sensible Nuclear Waste Disposition Act.
Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-02) issued the following statement after introducing the new legislation: "The federal government has dedicated enormous resources to completing the nuclear storage facility at Yucca Mountain. However, the Obama Administration has tried to do everything in its power to stall the completion of the facility, holding up construction under political red tape - the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's own safety evaluation has found that Yucca Mountain far exceeds the regulatory standards and would not be a threat to the local population of Nevada."
"Now, in the twilight of the Obama presidency, the Administration is trying to abandon Yucca Mountain and find a new repository for nuclear waste - leaving communities across the United States, including the Aiken-Barnwell community in the Second District, to bear the burden of storing nuclear waste that the federal government has promised to remove, while perpetuating a possible threat to communities nationwide."
"American taxpayers have put over $3.7 billion into Yucca Mountain - they deserve to see it completed. This legislation will prevent a new facility from being constructed until the Nuclear Regulatory Commission makes a decision regarding the license for Yucca Mountain."
"This legislation is especially important to the residents of South Carolina. South Carolina ratepayers have invested over $1.3 billion into Yucca over the last 30 years - that's in addition to the billions other taxpayers have put into Yucca. Starting over with another project would cost billions from taxpayers and South Carolina ratepayers and would take decades to complete. Meanwhile, South Carolina would remain a de facto repository for nuclear waste. The federal government should finish what they started - or, at the very least - should make an official decision on Yucca before wasting billions of dollars on a duplicative facility."
|
Draft Consent-Based Siting Process
The Department of Energy is designing a consent-based siting process to establish an integrated waste management system to transport, store, and dispose of commercial spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. In a consent-based siting approach, DOE will work with communities, tribal governments and states across the country that express interest in hosting federal consolidated interim storage facilities and disposal facilities for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste as part of an integrated waste management system. The Department is seeking input on the
Draft Consent-Based Siting Process for Consolidated Storage and Disposal Facilities for Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste.
The draft consent-based siting process is currently available for public comment. The comment period will remain open until April 14, 2017. If you would like to provide feedback or comments on the draft process, please email:
[email protected].
Some in Congress believe the draft document undermines Congress' selection of Yucca Mountain. According to a statement from Rep. Shimkus, "Today's consent-based siting report directly disregards the Nuclear Waste Policy Act and the federal government's selection of Yucca Mountain as the sole site for a repository in 1987," "Under the Obama Administration the Department of Energy has wasted taxpayer dollars on distractions like this report and precious time by delaying the Yucca Mountain project."
All of this leads to speculation regarding how the report will be viewed under the new Administration, including the likelihood of the report being finalized.
|
|
|
|
Spotlight
Technical Scholars Day
On January 19, about twenty students and teachers from Aiken High School took part in Technical Scholars Day. Participants toured the Bridgestone Aiken County Off-Road Radial Tire Plant and talked with plant officials about the jobs required to run the plant. Next, the students toured Aiken Technical College and learned about its
Technical Scholars Program - a program that enables qualified students to earn an associate degree while working for local industry. Bridgestone is one of several companies that participate in the Technical Scholars Program.
Dr. Gemma Frock, Vice President for Education and Training, explained how the program helps students develop mechanical, electrical and welding skills that are in demand across the region. Instructors from Welding Technology, Manufacturing and Engineering met with the high school students and talked about their own career paths and courses they teach.
Technical Scholars Day is one example of how local high schools are teaming up with industry and college programs to connect high school students with real career opportunities. In this way, students and their teachers are learning first-hand about today's workforce skills for a highly computerized manufacturing industry.
|
|
Categories of Spent Nuclear Fuel & High-Level Waste in the US
The two main types of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) stored in the United States are commercial SNF and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-managed SNF. High-level radioactive waste (HLW), which is the product of chemically reprocessing SNF, can be processed or unprocessed. The processing is used to produce a more stable HLW form that can be transported and eventually disposed of in a geologic repository. The three main types of processed HLW, all managed by DOE, are vitrified (immobilized in borosilicate glass) HLW, calcined waste, and cesium and strontium capsules. A great portion of HLW remains unprocessed and stored in underground tanks, but will be processed in the future.
Commercial SNF, resulting from commercial nuclear power production, is composed of ceramic pellets of uranium dioxide sealed inside mainly zirconium alloy metal cladding. SNF removed from nuclear power plants is stored on-site in water-filled spent fuel pools, as well as in dry storage systems at Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installations (ISFSIs). The majority of reactor sites have ISFSIs.
DOE-managed SNF comprises a broad range of fuels, mostly from defense-related nuclear activities (primarily, weapons plutonium production reactors and naval propulsion reactors). DOE-managed SNF has a variety of geometries, fuel matrices, cladding types, fissile materials, enrichments, and burnups; thus, it is much more heterogeneous than commercial SNF.
Vitrified HLW has been solidified in borosilicate glass inside stainless steel canisters. DOE plans to vitrify much of the unprocessed HLW that remains stored in underground tanks.
Calcined HLW is a fine, granular material that results from drying and thermally decomposing HLW at high temperatures. Liquid HLW was calcined at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), near Idaho Falls, Idaho, as an alternative to vitrification and is currently stored on-site in stainless steel silos referred to as "storage bins" in a custom-built facility at INL.
Cesium and strontium capsules, another type of HLW, were fabricated and stored at the Hanford Site, near Hanford, Washington, to reduce the heat load of the HLW stored in underground tanks at the site. The capsules contain highly radioactive, but relatively short-lived, cesium-137 and strontium-90. The capsules are stored underwater in pools lined with stainless steel to cool the capsules and to shield personnel and equipment from the radiation emitted by the capsules.
|
|
|
Closing Thoughts
|
|
"I usually take a two hour nap from one to four."
-- Yogi Berra
"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."
-- Japanese Proverb
"Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see."
-- Arthur Schopenhauer
"Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light."
-- Joseph Pulitzer
"To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing."
-- Elbert Hubbard
"It is much easier to be critical than correct."
-- Benjamin Disraeli
"Men are simple things. They can survive a whole weekend with only three things: beer, boxer shorts and batteries for the remote control."
-- Diana Jordan
|
| Contact Information |
SRSCRO, PO Box 696, Aiken, SC 20802
Staff:
Rick McLeod - Executive Director - 803-508-7402
Mindy Mets - NWI® Program Manager - 803-508-7403
Amy Merry - Administrative & Business Manager - 803-508-7401
Kim Saxon - Assistant Coordinator - 803-508-7656
|
|
| |
|
