Data Base for Radioactive Waste Management, Waste Source Options Report
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NUREG/CR-1759 Vol. 2 Data Base for Data Base for, Radioactive Waste Management Waste Source Options Report Manuscript Completed: August 1981 Date Published: November 1981 Prepared by R. E. Wild, 0. I. Oztunali, J. J. Clancy, C. J. Pitt, E. D. Picazo Dames and Moore, Inc. 20 Haarlem Avenue White Plains, NY 10603 Prepared for Division of Waste Management Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, D.C. 20556 NRC FIN B6420 Availability of Reference Materials Cited in NRC Publications Most documents cited in NRC publications will be available from one of the following sources: 1. The NRC Public Document Room, 1717 H Street., N.W. Washington, DC 20555 2. The NRC/GPO Sales Program, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555 3. The National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161 Although the listing that follows represents the majority of documents cited in NRC publications, it is not intended to be exhaustive. Referenced documents available for inspection and copying for a fee from the NRC Public Document Room include NRC correspondence and internal NRC memoranda; NRC Office of Inspection and Enforce- ment bulletins, circulars, information notices, inspection and investigation notices; Licensee Event Reports; vendor reports and correspondence; Commission papers; and applicant and licensee documents and correspondence. The following documents in the NUREG series are available for purchase from the NRC/GPO Sales Pro- gram: formal NRC staff and contractor reports, NRC-sponsored conference proceedings, and NRC booklets and brochures. Also available are Regulatory Guides, NRC regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission Issuances. Documents available from the National Technical Information Service include NUREG series reports and technical reports prepared by other federal agencies and reports prepared by the Atomic Energy Commis- sion, forerunner agency to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Documents available from public and special technical libraries include all open literature items, such as books, journal and periodical articles, transactions, and codes and standards. Federal Register notices, federal and state legislation, and congressional reports can usually be obtained from these libraries. Documents such as theses, dissertations, foreign reports and translations, and non-NRC conference pro- ceedings are available for purchase from the organization sponsoring the publication cited. Single copies of NRC draft reports are available free upon written request to the Division of Technical Infor- mation and Document Control, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555. TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page 1.0 INTRODUCTION . ... ............. ... 1-1 2.0 WASTE STREAM DESCRIPTIONS 2.1 Overview of Waste Generators . ...... ........ 2-1 2.1.1 Nuclear Fuel Cycle . ............ 2-3 2.1.2 Non-Fuel Cycle Waste Generators . ...... .. 2-10 2.2 Central Station Nuclear Power Plants ....... ..... ... 2-10 2.2.1 Overview of Liquid Radwaste Processing Systems . 2-11 2.2.1.1 BWR Systems . ........... ...... 2-11 2.2.1.2 PWR Systems .. ..... ........... 2-15 2.2.2 Spent Ion Exchange Resins . ......... 2-19 2.2.3 Concentrated Liquids . ....... ...... .. 2-22 2.2.4 Filter Sludge . ............ ...... 2-25 2.2.5 Cartridge Filters . ............ .... 2-27 2.2.6 Trash............... ... ....... ... 2-28 2.2.7 Other LWR Waste Streams . ....... ...... 2-28 2.3 Other Fuel Cycle Facilities . .... ....... .. 2-31 2.3.1 Uranium Hexafluoride Conversion Wastes . .... .. 2-31 2.3.2 Fuel Fabrication Wastes . .. ....... .... 2-33 2.4 Institutional Facilities . .. ....... ...... 2-36 2.4.1 Liquid Scintillation Wastes .. ....... ... 2-36 2.4.2 Absorbed Liquids ................... 2-38 2.4.3 Biological Wastes .... ............... 2-39 2.4.4 Trash . .. .. ... .. .. .. 2-40 2.5 Industrial Faciiities .................. 2-40 2.5.1 Medical Isotope Production Wastes . .. ...... 2-40 2.5.2 High-Specific Activity Wastes . ... ..... 2-41 2.5.3 Tritium Production Wastes . ........ .... 2-41 2.5.4 Sealed Sources .... ... .......... 2-42 2.5.5 Accelerator Targets . .... 2-42 2.5.6 Source and Special Nuclear Material Wastes . .... 2-42 2.5.7 Low Specific Activity Wastes . ... .. .... .. 2-44 2.6 Toxicity . .. .. .. .. .. .. 2-44 3.0 WASTE CHARACTERISTICS 3.1 Volume Projections . .. .... ............ 3-3 3.1.1 Nuclear Fuel Cycle Wastes .............. 3-4 3.1.2 Non-Fuel Cycle Wastes . : : ... .... .... 3-11 3.1.3 Volume Projections to the Year 2000 . .. .. 3-14 3.2 Radionuclide Concentrations . ...... ... .... 3-17 3.2.1 Central Station Nuclear Power Plant Wastes . .. ... 3-21 3.2.2 Other Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities. ...... 3-30 3.2.3 Institutional Wastes . ...... .. ........ 3-31 3.2.4 Industrial Facilities . .... ... ....... 3-33 i TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page 4.0 WASTE PROCESSING OPTIONS 4.1 Volume Reduction .. .. 0.. 0. .. 0.. 0. .. .o4-1 4.1.1 Compaction . .... .. .. *. .. 4-2 4.1.2 Evaporation . .. ........ .. .. .. o 4-3 .. .. 0. .. 4-5 4.1.3 Incineration . .. .. .. .. .. ... 4-7 4.2 Volume Increase .. 0.. 4.2.1 Solidification . ... .. 4-8 -4.2.2 Absorbent Materials *.... 0.. *.. 0.. .. 4-9 4.2.3 Packaging . .. 4-1 2 4.3 High Integrity Containers O 4-1 2 5.0 ALTERNATIVE WASTE SPECTRA 5.1 Waste Spectra Descriptions 5-1 5.1.1 Waste Spectrum 1 . 5-2 5.1.2 Waste Spectrum 2 . 5-2 5.1.3 Waste Spectrum 3 . 5-3 q I A LI.1e*nfl3I Qrp-v,n +.* UITA * • ct. 5-4 5.1.5 Decayed Waste Concentrations . 5-4 5.2 Waste Spectrum Data File Components 5-5 5.2.1 Volume Reduction and Volume Increase Factors 5-10 5.2.2 Waste Form Behavior Indices .... 5-10 5.2.3 Processing Indices ...... 5-16 5.3 Treated Waste Volumes ...... 5-16 6.0 OTHER POTENTIAL WASTE STREAMS 6.1 Decommissioning of Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities ..... 6-1 6.1.1 Decommissioning of Light Water Reactors . .. 6-2 6.1.2 Decommissioning of Uranium Fuel Fabrication Plants .. 6-6 6.1.3 Decommissioning Uranium Fuel Recycle Facilities . .. 6-9 6.2 U.S. Government Operations .. .. .. 6-10 6.3 Three Mile Island Unit 2 Decontamination . .. .. 6-11 6.4 Generation of Transuranic Contaminated Waste ...... 6-13 6.5 Independent Spent Fuel Storage Facilities . a a . a . 6-19 6.6 Low-Level Waste From West Valley Demonstration Project .. 6-21 APPENDIX A . Projections of Routinely Generated Low Level Radioactive Waste Through the Year 2000 APPENDIX B . Radionuclide Concentration Projections APPENDIX C . Volume Reduction Processes APPENDIX D , Waste Form and Waste Binder Characteristics ii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 2-1 Waste Sources and Streams . .. .. .. .. 2-2 2-2 Current LWR Fuel Fabrication Industry ..... .. 2-6 2-3 Application of Ion Exchange Resins in LWR.'s . ... 2-20 2-4 Sources of Liquids Concentrated by Evaporation in LWR's . ..... ..... .. .. 2-23 2-5 Chemical Species Found in LWR Concentrated Liquids . 0 . 2-24 2-6 Application of Pre-Coat Filters and Cartridge Filters in LWR,'s ............ .. 2-26 2-7 Material Shipped as LWR Trash . ... ..... ... 2-29 2-8 Common Constituents of Liquid Scintillation Fluids ........... .* . ... 2-37 2-9 Estimated Constituents of Wastes Containing Source and Special Nuclear Material . .. .... S. .. 2-43 2-10 Waste Streams Containing Significant Quantities of Toxic Chemicals . .. ..... .. .. 2-45 3-1 Waste Groups and Streams .. ..... ... .. 3-2 3-2 Summary of Sources of Volumes and Activities Incorporated in Waste Source Options Data Base .. .. 3-5 3-3 Projected LWR Capacity by the Year 2000, in MW(e) .. 3-7 3-4 Summary of Principal LWR Waste Streams . .. .. 3-9 3-5 Estimated Current and ProjectedFuture Volumes and Activities of Industrial Waste Streams .... .. * 3-13 3-6 Untreated Waste Volumes . ........ .... * .. 3-15 3-7 Estimated 1980 Untreated Waste Volume Generation Rates . ..... .. ... 3-16 3-8 Radionuclides Considered in Waste Source Options . .. 3-19 3-9 Group 1 Isotopic Concentrations .. .*. 3-22 3-10 Group 2 Isotopic Concentrations .. .. 3-23 3-11 Group 3 Isotopic Concentrations . 3-24 3-12 Group 4 Isotopic Concentrations S. .. 3-25 3-13 Basic and Scaled Radionuclides for LWR Process Waste Streams ... .. 3-27 3-14 Radionuclide Distribution in Institutional Wastes in 1977 ... .. .. .. 3-32 4-1 Compaction Techniques and Impacts * 4-4 4-2 Incineration Techniques and Impacts 0 * 4-6 4-3 Solidification Techniques and Impacts . 4-10 4-4 State of South Carolina Criteria for High Integrity Containers . * ... ...... 4-15 iii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 5-1 Decay Corrected Group 1 Isotopic Concentrations 5-6 5-2 Decay Corrected Group 2 Isotopic Concentrations 5-7 5-3 Decay Corrected Group 3 Isotopic Concentrations 5-8 5-4 Decay Corrected Group 4 Isotopic Concentrations . 5-9 5-5 Volume Reduction and Increase Factors . 5-11 5-6 Description of Waste Form Behavior Indices 5-13 5-7 Waste Form Behavior Indices . ......... 5-15 5-8 Waste Processing Indices .... ... 5-17 5-9 Waste Processing Indices . ... ..... 5-18 5-10 Cumulative Volumes ... .... ..... 5-19 5-11 Normalized Volumes ....... ... 5-20 6-1 Summary of Wastes from Decommissioning A Reference PWR and A Reference BWR ..... ............ .. 6-4 6-2 Volumes and Activities of Decommissioned LWR Activated Metals ..... .... .. ....... 6-5 6-3 Waste Volumes Generated from Decommissioning A Model 1000 MT/yr UO Fuel Fabrication Plant . .. .. 6-8 6-4 Volumes of TMI-2 Packaged Solid Waste to Be Disposed of At A Commercial Low-Level Waste Disposal Site ... 6-12 6-5 Grams of Plutonium Delivered to NECO-Richland Disposal Facility Between 1/1/76 and 5/24/79 .... ...... 6-16 6-6 Estimated Annual Waste Volumes Generated From Assumed Operation of A 3000 MTHM Spent Fuel Storage Facility ... 6-22 6-7 Low-Level Waste Packages From West Valley Demonstration Project . .. ... .. 6-24 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1-1 Low-Level Waste Generation Regions .. ... 1-3 2-1 Once-Through Uranium Fuel Cycle . .... 0 0 0 2-4 2-2 Uranium and Plutonium Recycle Fuel Cycle 2-8 2-3 Typical BWR Radwaste Processing System with Deep Bed Condensate Polishing .