Remote-handled transuranic system assessment. Volume 1

This document identifies the necessary actions for addressing current questions concerning the safe and efficient disposal of remote-handled transuranic wastes that have been generated through Department of Energy activities. In addition, this document presents summaries of existing information and analyses regarding the potential alternatives for disposing of remote-handled (RH) transuranic (TRU) waste at the Department of Energy (DOE) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). A further discussion of DOE`s approach for addressing RH-TRU issues is contained in the document, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Remote-Handled Transuranic Waste Disposal Strategy, DOE/WIPP-95-1090 (DOE, 1995a). Of this stored and projected inventory, approximately 30% can be characterized with current technology and subsequently certified to meet the waste acceptance criteria for disposal at WIPP; characterization of the remaining 70% will require the use of alternative techniques. At most of the generator sites, characterization equipment and facilities need to be procured in order for the sites to certify waste for shipment either to WIPP or to an interim site. If surface dose rates are too high, the use of non-invasive techniques such as non-destructive examination (NDE) and non-destructive assay (NDA) may be precluded. Characterization methods using NDA can be effectively used on RH-TRU wastes with surface dose rates of less than 1.0 rem/hr (neutron); NDE methods are effective on waste with surface dose rates of less than 10 rem/hr (gamma). The ability to use current NDE technology on waste with surface dose rates above 10 rem/hr will need to be demonstrated. Alternate characterization techniques, such as examination within a hot cell, could be used for the remaining waste; however, such techniques are labor intensive and would require additional effort to gather assay data. Improvements in characterization capabilities are being pursued through future technology development initiatives