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

1.6 PREDISPOSAL SYSTEMS(a)
1.22
After the wastes are generated and before they are disposed of, several predisposal
operations are required. The combination of these operations is referred to as a predispo-
sal system. System operations include treatment and packaging to prepare the waste for the
specific requirements of a disposal option, interim storage if the treated waste cannot be
shipped immediately to a disposal site, shipment to interim storage and/or to a disposal
site, and decommissioning of the waste treatment and storage facilities. In considering
various alternatives for disposal of wastes, different operations for predisposal treatment
required by each alternative must also be compared.
All of the alternatives that utilize a dissolution process would also generate con-
siderable quantities of miscellaneous TRU waste. It is assumed here that these materials
are always sent to a mined geologic repository regardless of the disposal option selected
for high-level waste.
1.6.1 Predisposal System for the Once-Through Cycle
Following discharge from the reactor, spent fuel is stored for a period of time at
reactor storage basins. The fuel is then shipped to a treatment and/or packaging facility
if a disposal facility is available. If a disposal facility is not available at the end of
the reactor storage period, the fuel is assumed to be shipped to an away-from-reactor (AFR)
storage facility and subsequently shipped to available repositories. When a disposal facil-
ity is available at the end of the reactor storage period, the fuel is shipped to a treat-
ment and/or packaging facility. If the disposal site is separate from the treatment and/or
packaging facility, the fuel is then shipped to the disposal site.
Initial storage and shipment operations are identical for all of the disposal alterna-
tives. The differences imposed on the predisposal systems by the disposal alternatives are
in the treatment and/or packaging and final shipment to disposal.
1.6.2 Predisposal System for the Reprocessing Cycle
In the reprocessing cycle, wastes requiring disposal are produced at the fuel repro-
cessing plant (FRP) and at the mixed-oxide fuel fabrication plant (MOX-FFP). Both high-
level waste and TRU waste are produced at the FRP but only TRU wastes are produced at the
MOX-FFP. These wastes are assumed to be treated and packaged at the site where they are
produced, either the FRP or MOX-FFP. They are then shipped to interim storage if a disposal
facility is not available; finally, they are shipped to a disposal facility.
1.6.3 Accident Impact Summary for Predisposal Operations
Table 1.6.1 summarizes the results of the predisposal-system accident analyses. This
table shows that transportation is the waste management step with the potential for the
(a) Although this section is very brief, predisposal systems involve many facilities,
operations, and processes and for those interested, details are given in Chapter 4.