Transuranic (TRU) waste leaving the Plutonium Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is packaged using LANL’s waste acceptance criteria for onsite storage. Before shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southeastern New Mexico, each payload container is subject to rigorous characterization to ensure compliance with WIPP waste acceptance criteria and Department of Transportation regulations. Techniques used for waste characterization include nondestructive examination by WIPP-certified real-time radiography (RTR) and nondestructive assay (NDA) of containers, as well as headspace gas sampling to ensure that hydrogen and other flammable gases remain at safe levels during transport. These techniques are performed under a rigorous quality assurance program to confirm that results are accurate and reproducible. If containers are deemed problematic, corrective action is implemented before they are shipped to WIPP. A defensive approach was used for many years to minimize the number of problematic drums. However, based on review of data associated with headspace gas sampling, NDA and RTR results, and enhanced coordination with the entities responsible for waste certification, many changes have been implemented to facilitate packaging of TRU waste drums with higher isotopic loading at the Plutonium Facility at an unprecedented rate while ensuring compliance with waste acceptance criteria. This paper summarizes the details of technical changes and related administrative coordination activities, such as information sharing among the certification entities, generators, waste packagers, and shippers. It discusses the results of all such cumulative changes that have been implemented at the Plutonium Facility and gives readers a preview of what LANL has accomplished to expeditiously certify and dispose of newly generated TRU waste.
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ASME 2009 12th International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management
October 11–15, 2009
Liverpool, UK
Conference Sponsors:
- Nuclear Engineering Division and Environmental Engineering Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-4407-6
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Improved Practices for Packaging Transuranic Waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LA-UR-09-03293)
Kapil K. Goyal,
Kapil K. Goyal
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
Search for other works by this author on:
Peter H. Carson
Peter H. Carson
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
Search for other works by this author on:
Kapil K. Goyal
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
Peter H. Carson
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
Paper No:
ICEM2009-16280, pp. 107-111; 5 pages
Published Online:
December 12, 2010
Citation
Goyal, KK, & Carson, PH. "Improved Practices for Packaging Transuranic Waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LA-UR-09-03293)." Proceedings of the ASME 2009 12th International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management. ASME 2009 12th International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management, Volume 1. Liverpool, UK. October 11–15, 2009. pp. 107-111. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/ICEM2009-16280
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