WIPP Overview. Betsy Forinash. Director, National Transuranic Waste (TRU) Program-HQ Office of Environmental Management, DOE

Transcription

1 WIPP Overview Betsy Forinash Director, National Transuranic Waste (TRU) Program-HQ Office of Environmental Management, DOE Presentation to the National Academy of Sciences November 28,

2 Outline WIPP History WIPP Current Status Surplus Plutonium at WIPP The Committee s charge: Key Issues Operations Waste Acceptance Criteria Safety and Security Transportation WIPP Performance and Regulatory Compliance Repository Capacity 2

3 The History of WIPP The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) mission is disposal of defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste from nuclear weapons research and testing, and clean-up of associated facilities and sites WIPP was authorized by Congress in 1979, constructed in the 1980 s, and began operations in 1999 Occupies 16 square miles in southeast New Mexico, approximately 26 miles east of Carlsbad, New Mexico Authorized capacity of 6.2 million ft3 (175,600 m3) of TRU waste 3

4 WIPP Surface and Underground Facilities 4

5 Types of Waste Accepted at WIPP RH WASTE CH WASTE Remote-handled (RH) Surface radiation dose rates require shielding and special handling About 4 percent of waste to be disposed at WIPP Disposed in pre-drilled boreholes in disposal room walls, sealed with a concrete shield plug Disposal began in January 2007 Contact-handled (CH) About 96 percent of waste to be disposed at WIPP Multiple configurations of drums and waste boxes Disposed in columns, stacked on the disposal room floor Disposal began in March

6 Recap of Incidents: Layout of the Underground 6

7 Recovery Completion WIPP resumed waste emplacement in January 2017, first shipments arrived in April

8 WIPP Current Status Current emplacement rates allow 5-6 shipments per week Emplacements continue to ramp up: o Operational efficiencies o Additional ventilation Sites currently shipping (shipments April through November 17, 2017) o Idaho National Laboratory (74) o Savannah River Site (9) o Waste Control Specialists (15) o Oak Ridge National Laboratory (13) o Los Alamos National Laboratory (1) 8

9 Surplus Plutonium at WIPP We have shipped and disposed of surplus Pu waste at WIPP in the past. Surplus plutonium (Pu) scraps and residues from Hanford and Rocky Flats were disposed at WIPP (about 4.8 MT). A Record of Decision has designated WIPP as the disposition pathway for 6MT of surplus non-pit Pu. This material is included in the WIPP-Bound inventory. Similar waste has already been sent. Plutonium downblending operations began in 2012 at SRS. 670 pipe overpack containers (POCs), totaling about 150 m 3, have been shipped from SRS for disposal at WIPP over the last decade. 9

10 Key Issues: Operations Bolting stops emplacement Contamination in Panel 7 Waste Handling Systems Ground Control RADCON Some waste must go on top of other containers Maintenance Toppers Must mix other waste with high VOC waste Shipping limits on weight, vent times, etc. VOCs DOT Resource Levels Determined by Funding Budget WIPP Emplacement Rate Security May limit receipt of other waste 10

11 Key Issues: Waste Acceptance Criteria Waste characterization confirms the physical, chemical and radiological contents of TRU waste containers to ensure that waste is acceptable for disposal at WIPP Acceptable Knowledge Real Time Radiography Nondestructive assay Waste Stream Use documented waste stream knowledge to identify waste contents Look for prohibited items, such as aerosol cans or liquids Determine radiological contents

12 Key Issues: Waste Acceptance Criteria (cont) 12

13 Key Issues: Safety and Security Above ground: Perimeter and access controls are standard at the WIPP site The WIPP Documented Safety Analysis imposes some limits on the material at risk on site (as nuclear safety requirements do at all DOE sites). Permit requirements limit the time waste may be above ground at the site. Planning will be required to ensure that surplus Pu shipments are appropriately staged to comply with safety and security requirements. Packaging geometry addresses criticality issues. 13

14 Key Issues: Safety and Security (cont) Underground: Inherent security based on panel closure system ~ 100 feet Run-of-mine salt Towards access drift. Steel bulkhead is substantial barrier to disposed waste Planned Panel Closure Areas 14

15 Key Issues: Transportation NRC approved Type B containers TRUPACT II HalfPACT TRUPACT III RH-72B RH-72B TRUPACT-II & HalfPACT TRUPACT-III RH-72B for RH-TRU waste loaded onto a trailer TRUPACT II & HalfPACT loaded onto specially designed flatbed trailers TRUPACT-III used to transport TRU Waste in a Standard Large Box

16 Key Issues: Transportation (cont) WIPP Transportation System 16

17 Key Issues: Transportation (cont) TRANSCOM For safety and security reasons, shipments are tracked throughout their journey using a satellite system (TRANSCOM) 17

18 Key Issues: WIPP Performance and Regulatory Compliance U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Repository certification, radionuclide regulation, PCBs New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) RCRA hazardous constituents, water discharge, groundwater, air U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Transportation Type B packages for nuclear materials U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Highway transportation, Type A containers Mine Safety and Health Administration (U.S. Department of Labor) has an advisory role

19 Key Issues: WIPP Performance and Regulatory Compliance (cont) Long-term performance: both radiological characteristics and waste components may be relevant Under EPA waste disposal standards, release limits (to the accessible environment) are proportional to the radioactivity disposed. For compliance purposes, the inventory is scaled to a full repository. The composition of the downblending material could affect chemical conditions in the repository, including solubility. 19

20 Key Issues: Repository Capacity In terms of physical space demands: The down blending campaign will generate ~20,000 CCOs and is expected to occupy approximately two rooms at WIPP. Land area and appropriate geology are available to potentially expand repository footprint. Construction of a CCO Inside a CCO 20

21 Key Issues: Repository Capacity (cont) WIPP Surface and Underground Facilities New Filter Building Waste Shaft Air Intake Shaft New Ventilation/Access Shaft Salt Shaft Exhaust Shaft Current waste emplacement: Panel 7 Room 5; key operational issues are ventilation, contamination control and ground control 2014 Salt haul truck fire Future waste panels: could be mined west of current repository footprint; requires completion of capital asset projects 8 Panel 8 to be mined: 7 6 requires supplemental ventilation system 2014 LANL drum breach (fall 2017) (Panel 7, Room 7) Filled waste panels (Panels 1-6) South end to be closed

22 10-drum overpack Key Issues: Repository Capacity (cont) Standard Waste Box 7-Pack The physical size of the outer container determines the need for additional panels 22

23 Key Issues: Repository Capacity (cont) Pipe Over-pack Component Primarily used for shipping larger amounts of fissile material (<200g) Outer volume: 208-liter Inner volume : 50-liter ID - 15 cm 23

24 Summary WIPP continues to receive TRU waste shipments and remains the nation s only geologically repository for permanent disposal of nuclear waste known transuranic waste. In the upcoming years, new systems and equipment and safety first mindset will help support a prolonged life of the WIPP to 2050 or beyond. Sufficient capacity exist for WIPP-bound transuranic waste including the disposal of 6MT of surplus plutonium. 24

25 Thank you Questions? Betsy Forinash Director, National Transuranic Waste (TRU) Program-HQ Department of Energy 1000 Independence Ave. S.W. Washington, D.C

26 BACK-UP SLIDES 26

27 WIPP Geology Facility mined in salt: 2,150 feet deep in ancient salt formation that closes in and entombs waste permanently LONG TERM: Inherent security based on encapsulation

28 Disposal of TRU Waste at WIPP Materials contaminated with manmade radioactive elements heavier than uranium (mostly Plutonium) Clothing, tools, rags, containers, etc. Soils and debris Homogeneous solids, residues > 100 nci/g (~1ppm): alpha emitting isotopes t½ > 20 years Two types of TRU waste Contact-Handled (<200 mrem/hr) Remote-Handled (>200 mrem/hr) Legacy inventory ~700,000 drum equivalents 28

29 Standard Waste Box Primarily used for overpacking 208-liter drums Outer volume: 1.8 m 3 Inner volume : 0.8 m 3 (four 208-liter drums) 29

30 WIPP Underground Map 30

31 Ground Control 31

32 Rock Fall Predicted 32

33 Radiological Conditions