Management of Commercially Generated Radioactive Waste - U.S. ...

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4.10 SAFEGUARDS INCLUDING PHYSICAL PROTECTION FOR PREDISPOSAL OPERATIONS
Regulations similar to those already in place to protect the public from theft of
nuclear material and from sabotage at licensed nuclear facilities are expected to apply to
operations at waste management facilities. The probable safeguard requirements for predis-
posal waste management facilities are described in this section.
4.10.1 Safeguards Requirements for the Once-Through Cycle
Safeguards measures, including physical protection, required for currently licensed
nuclear facilities are expected to be adequate for safeguards and physical protection for
the once-through cycle. Spent fuel and the facilities designed to manage this material are
not expected to require additional safeguards.
4.10.1.1 Spent Fuel Treatment and Packaging Safeguards Requirements
The susceptibility of the spent fuel handling operation to theft and sabotage of the
fuel elements is reduced as packaging and treatment operations of the fuel elements proceed.
The spent-fuel elements and all treatment and packaging facilities handling this material
will be physically protected as required by Federal regulations for vital areas (see Sec-
tion 3.2.9 or 10 CFR 70, 73). All of the auxiliary systems for spent fuel handling will be
similarly protected because they are part of the same facility.
If the spent fuel is simply encapsulated for disposal as in the example process for
this Statement, the spent fuel elements become less attractive and less accessible targets
for sabotage. In addition, operating safety features inherent in the design of facilities
licensed to process spent fuel elements contribute significantly to safeguarding this
material.
If the spent fuel is chopped and encapsulated, none of the additional steps required
in this process significantly increase the susceptibility of the facility, equipment or
target material to theft or sabotage.
If the spent fuel is dissolved and converted to glass, the physical protection require-
ments and the relative unattractiveness and inaccessibility of the material make it an
unlikely target for theft or sabotage. The same protective environmental and control mea-
sures identified above are iresent in this facility to provide required safeguards features.
4.10.1.2 Safeguards Requirements for Spent Fuel Storage
Spent fuel is neither easily accessible nor an attractive enough source of fissile
material to encourage theft.. The plutonium concentration is low and the fuel elements are
very radioactive; massive shielding of steel, lead, concrete or several feet of water is
required at all times. Separation of the plutonium requires complex chemical processes car-
ried out in remotely operated, shielded processing equipment. In addition, spent fuel is
not in a form suitable for easily dispersing radioactive material, and thus, is not an
attractive target for this threat because only intact spent fuel rods are considered to be
an acceptable form for extended storage.