An Acceptable Knowledge (AK)-based radiological characterization methodology is being developed forRH TRU waste generated from ANL-E hot cell operations performed on fuel elements irradiated in theEBR-II reactor. The methodology relies on AK for composition of the fresh fuel elements, theirirradiation history, and the waste generation and collection processes. Radiological characterization of thewaste involves the estimates of the quantities of significant fission products and transuranic isotopes inthe waste. Methods based on reactor and physics principles are used to achieve these estimates. Becauseof the availability of AK and the robustness of the calculation methods, the AK-based characterizationmethodology offers a superior alternative to traditional waste assay techniques. Using this methodology,it is shown that the radiological parameters of a test batch of ANL-E waste is well within the proposedWIPP Waste Acceptance Criteria limits.
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