Impacts of the proposed program approach on waste stream characteristics

摘要

The evolution of DOE's Civilian Radioactive Waste management System (CRWMS) over the past few years has led to significant changes in key system scenario assumptions. This paper describes the effects of two recent changes on waste stream characteristics focusing primarily on repository impacts. First, the multi-purpose canister (MPC) concept has been included in the Program baseline. The change from a bare fuel system to one including an MPC-based system forces the fuel assemblies initially loaded together in MPCs to remain together throughout the system. Second, current system analyses also assume a system without an MRS, with the understanding that an MRS would be reincorporated if a site becomes avilable. Together these two changes have significant impacts on waste stream characteristics. Those two changes create a class of scenarios referred to generally as Program Approach (PA) scenarios. Scenarios based on the previously assumed system bare fuel with an MRS, are referred to here as the Previous Reference (PR) system scenarios. The analysis compares scenarios with otherwise consistent assumptions and presents summary comparisons.