ANL/EAD/TM-106 Engineering Analysis for Disposal of Depleted Uranium Tetrafluoride (UF4) Environmental Assessment Division Argonne National Laboratory Operated by The University of Chicago, under Contract W-31-109-Eng-38, for the United States Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory Argonne National Laboratory, with facilities in the states of Illinois and Idaho, is owned by the United States Government and operated by The University of Chicago under the provisions of a contract with the Department of Energy. This technical memorandum is a product of Argonne’s Environmental Assessment Division (EAD). For information on the division's scientific and engineering activities, contact: Director, Environmental Assessment Division Argonne National Laboratory Argonne, Illinois 60439-4832 Telephone (630) 252-3107 Presented in this technical memorandum are preliminary results of ongoing work or work that is more limited in scope and depth than that described in formal reports issued by the EAD. Publishing support services were provided by Argonne’s Information and Publishing Division (for more information, see IPD’s home page: http://www.ipd.anl.gov/). Disclaimer This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor The University of Chicago, nor any of their employees or officers, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of document authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof, Argonne National Laboratory, or The University of Chicago. Available electronically at http://www.doe.gov/bridge Available for a processing fee to U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors, in paper, from: U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information P.O. Box 62 Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0062 phone: (865) 576-8401 fax: (865) 576-5728 email: [email protected] ANL/EAD/TM-106 Engineering Analysis for Disposal of Depleted Uranium Tetrafluoride (UF4) by S.M. Folga and P.H. Kier* Environmental Assessment Division Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439 Completed: June 2000 Published: June 2001 Work sponsored by U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management, and Office of Site Closure−Oak Ridge Office * Folga and Kier are affiliated with Argonne’s Decision and Information Sciences Division. This report is printed on recycled paper. CONTENTS NOTATION .......................................................................................................................... xvii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..................................................................................................... xix ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................... 1-1 1 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 Background on the Disposal of Depleted UF4....................................................... 1-2 1.2 Depleted Uranium Waste Form for Disposal......................................................... 1-8 1.3 Disposal in an Engineered Trench ......................................................................... 1-8 1.4 Disposal in a Vault ................................................................................................. 1-9 1.5 Disposal in a Mined Cavity.................................................................................... 1-9 2 DESCRIPTION OF THE FACILITY............................................................................. 2-1 2.1 General Design and Safety Criteria........................................................................ 2-1 2.2 Engineered Trench Disposal Facility ..................................................................... 2-2 2.3 Vault Disposal Facility........................................................................................... 2-3 2.4 Mined-Cavity Disposal Facility ............................................................................. 2-4 2.5 Wasteform Facility................................................................................................. 2-5 3 DISPOSAL SITE LAND USE REQUIREMENTS........................................................ 3-1 3.1 Engineered Trench Disposal Facility ..................................................................... 3-1 3.2 Vault Disposal Facility........................................................................................... 3-2 3.3 Mined-Cavity Disposal Facility ............................................................................. 3-3 3.4 Wasteform Facility................................................................................................. 3-3 4 RESOURCE NEEDS ...................................................................................................... 4-1 4.1 Engineered Trench Disposal Facility ..................................................................... 4-1 4.2 Vault Disposal Facility........................................................................................... 4-2 4.3 Mined-Cavity Disposal Facility ............................................................................. 4-2 4.4 Wasteform Facility................................................................................................. 4-3 5 PERSONNEL STAFFING ESTIMATES....................................................................... 5-1 5.1 Construction Labor Force ...................................................................................... 5-1 5.2 Operations Labor Force.......................................................................................... 5-2 iii CONTENTS (Cont.) 6 FACILITY EMISSIONS AND WASTES...................................................................... 6-1 6.1 Estimates of Emissions and Wastes Generated during Construction..................... 6-1 6.2 Estimates of Emissions and Wastes Generated during Operations........................ 6-2 7 DESCRIPTION OF POTENTIAL ACCIDENTS .......................................................... 7-1 7.1 Handling Accident.................................................................................................. 7-1 7.2 Fire or Explosion.................................................................................................... 7-2 7.3 Earthquake.............................................................................................................. 7-3 7.4 Tornado .................................................................................................................. 7-3 8 TRANSPORTATION ..................................................................................................... 8-1 9 PERMITTING AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE................................................ 9-1 9.1 Commercial Disposal Facilities ............................................................................. 9-1 9.2 DOE Disposal Facilities......................................................................................... 9-6 10 PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE ESTIMATES................................................................. 10-1 10.1 Wasteform Facility................................................................................................. 10-2 10.2 Vault Disposal Facility........................................................................................... 10-2 10.3 Engineered Trench Disposal Facility ..................................................................... 10-3 10.4 Mined-Cavity Disposal Facility ............................................................................. 10-3 11 PARAMETRIC DATA FOR DISPOSAL IN A MINED CAVITY............................... 11-1 12 REFERENCES................................................................................................................ 12-1 APPENDIX A: Preliminary Equipment List ..................................................................... A-1 APPENDIX B: Radiation Exposure and Manpower Distribution Estimating Data, Original and New Inventories ...................................... B-1 APPENDIX C: Radiation Exposure and Manpower Distribution Estimating Data, 25% and 50% Cases ..................................................... C-1 iv TABLES 1.1 Physical Properties of Uranium Tetrafluoride ......................................................... 1-11 1.2 Characteristics of Drum Disposal Containers.......................................................... 1-11 1.3 Content and Number of UF4 Disposal Containers................................................... 1-11 1.4a Area Required for Trench and Underground Mined-Cavity Disposal, Original Inventory.................................................................................... 1-12 1.4b Area Required for Trench and Underground Mined-Cavity Disposal, New Inventory.........................................................................................................