The Disposal Of Radioactive Waste On Flowvella

The radioactive waste processing room located in 319A Mugar has available plastic containers to collect aqueous waste unsuitable for a sink disposal and can be decayed. Designate the plastic container by labeling it with a radioactive waste receipt tag, indicating the specific radionuclide to be collected. Disposal of radioactive waste. — Vienna: International Atomic Energy Agency. — (IAEA safety standards series, ISSN 1020–525X; no.

Nuclear Waste Disposal Methods Nuclear Waste Disposal Methods Subhan AliMarch 9, 2011 Submitted as coursework for,Stanford University, Winter 2011The United States currently has 104 operationalnuclear power plants. 1 As part of the nuclear fuel cycle process,radioactive waste is produced that needs to be safely dealt with inorder to avoid permanent damage to the surrounding environment. Nuclearwaste can be temporarily treated on-site at the production facilityusing a number of methods, such as vitrification, ion exchange orsynroc. Although this initial treatment prepares the waste for transportand inhibits damage in the short-term, long-term management solutionsfor nuclear waste lie at the crux of finding a viable solution towardsmore widespread adoption of nuclear power. Specific long-term managementmethods include geological disposal, transmutation, waste re-use, andspace disposal. It is also worth noting that the half-life of certainradioactive wastes can be in the range of 500,000 years or more.

2 Geological DisposalThe process of geological disposal centers onburrowing nuclear waste into the ground to the point where it is out ofhuman reach. There are a number of issues that can arise as a result ofplacing waste in the ground. The waste needs to be properly protected tostop any material from leaking out. Seepage from the waste couldcontaminate the water table if the burial location is above or below thewater level. Furthermore, the waste needs to be properly fastened to theburial site and also structurally supported in the event of a majorseismic event, which could result in immediate contamination. Also,given the half-life noted above, a huge concern centers around howfeasible it would be to even assume that nuclear waste could simply liein repository that far below the ground. Concerns regarding terrorismalso arise.

3A noted geological disposal project that was recentlypursued and could possible still be pursued in the future by the UnitedStates government is the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. Thefederal government has voted to develop the site for future nuclearstorage. Although the Obama administration has been adamant in statingthat Yucca Mountain is 'off the table,' Congress voted by a margin of 10to 1 in 2009 to keep funding the project as part of the federal budget.A number of concerns surround this project and the ultimate long-termviability of it are yet to be seen given the political uncertaintysurrounding it. 4 ReprocessingReprocessing has also emerged as a viable long termmethod for dealing with waste. As the name implies, the process involvestaking waste and separating the useful components from those that aren’tas useful.

Specifically, it involves taking the fissionable material outfrom the irradiated nuclear fuel. Concerns regarding re-processing havelargely focused around nuclear proliferation and how much easierre-processing would allow fissionable material to spread. 5 TransmutationTransmutation also poses a solution for long termdisposal. It specifically involves converting a chemical element intoanother less harmful one. Common conversions include going from Chlorineto Argon or from Potassium to Argon. The driving force behindtransmutation is chemical reactions that are caused from an outsidestimulus, such as a proton hitting the reaction materials. Naturaltransmutation can also occur over a long period of time.

Naturaltransmutation also serves as the principle force behind geologicalstorage on the assumption that giving the waste enough isolated timewill allow it to become a non-fissionable material that poses little orno risk. 6 Space DisposalSpace disposal has emerged as an option, but not as avery viable one. Specifically, space disposal centers around puttingnuclear waste on a space shuttle and launching the shuttle into space.This becomes a problem from both a practicality and economic standpointas the amount of nuclear waste that could be shipped on a single shuttlewould be extremely small compared to the total amount of waste thatwould need to be dealt with. Furthermore, the possibility of the shuttleexploding en route to space could only make the matter worse as such anexplosion would only cause the nuclear waste to spread out far beyondany reasonable measure of control.

The upside would center around thefact that launching the material into space would subvert any of theother issues associated with the other disposal methods as the decay ofthe material would occur outside of our atmosphere regardless of thehalf-life. 7 ConclusionVarious methods exist for the disposal of nuclearwaste. A combination of factors must be taken into account whenassessing any one particular method. First, the volume of nuclear wasteis large and needs to be accounted for. Second, the half-life of nuclearwaste results in the necessity for any policymaker to view the timehorizon as effectively being infinite as it is best to find a solutionthat will require the least intervention once a long-term plan has beenadapted.

Last, the sustainability of any plan needs to be understood.Reducing the fissionability of the material and dealing with adverseeffects it can have on the environment and living beings needs to befully incorporated. Ultimately, nuclear waste is a reality with nuclearpower and needs to be properly addressed in order to accurately assessthe long-term viability of this power source.© Subhan Ali. The author grants permission tocopy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, withattribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All otherrights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.

References1 ',' U.S. Energy Information Agency.2 R. Ewing, 'Nuclear Waste Forms for Actinides,'Proc.

96, 3432 (1999).3 R. Murray and K. Manke, UnderstandingRadioactive Waste (Battelle Press, 2003).4 A. Macfarlane, 'Underlying Yucca Mountain: TheInterplay of Geology and Policy in Nuclear Waste Disposal,' SocialStudies of Science 33, 783 (2003).5 A. Andrews, 'Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing:U.S. Policy Development,' CRS Report for Congress, 27 Mar 08.6 S.

Maybe group people by ability.' A more level playing field is needed. ,776000000,45,null,null,'9','Russ Davignon',null,null,2,null,null,null,'Cluck',null,2,null,null,null,': the 4 star review is a lie.Enemies can attack you then hide behind a shield right after, making it impossible to have a fair fight. Maybe a seperate battlefield for big spenders who have the best weapons. The graphics and premise are good but needs to adress the problem of big spenders bullying people who arent big spenders in the game.

Charalambus, 'Nuclear Transmutation byNegative Stopped Muons and the Activity Induced by the Cosmic-RayMuons,' Nucl. A 166 145 (1971).7 J. Coopersmith, 'Nuclear Waste Disposalin Space: BEP's Best Hope?' AIP Conference Proceedings 830, 600(2005).

On this page:.About Radioactive WasteAs defined in the United States, there are five general categories of radioactive waste:. High-level waste: High-level waste includes used nuclear fuel from nuclear reactors and waste generated from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. Although defense-related activities generate most of the United States’ liquid high-level waste, the majority of spent nuclear fuel is from commercial nuclear power plant reactors. Currently, most high-level waste is stored at the site where the waste was generated. Transuranic waste: Transuranic wastes refer to man-made radioactive elements that have an atomic number of 92 or higher. Most of the transuranic waste in the United States is from nuclear weapons production facilities. This waste includes common items such as rags, tools, and laboratory equipment contaminated during the early age of nuclear weapons research and development.

Transuranic waste is currently being stored at several federal facilities across the country. Transuranic waste created as part of a defense program will ultimately be disposed of at the in New Mexico, which began accepting waste in 1999. Uranium or thorium mill tailings: Mill tailings are radioactive wastes that remain after the mining and milling of uranium or ore. Mill tailings are stored at the production-sites in specially designed ponds called impoundments. Low-level waste: Low-level waste is radioactively contaminated industrial or research waste that is not high-level waste or uranium or thorium mill tailings.

Much of this waste looks like common items such as paper, rags, plastic bags, protective clothing, cardboard, and packaging material. These items are considered waste once they come into contact with radioactive materials. Low-level waste can be generated by any industry using radioactive material, including government, utility, manufacture, medical and research facilities. There are disposal facilities that specialize in the near-surface disposal of low-level waste.

Technologically enhanced naturally-occurring radioactive material (TENORM): Some radiological material can exist naturally in the environment. In some cases, naturally-occurring radiological material (NORM) can become concentrated through human activity, such as mining or natural resource extraction.

NORM that has been concentrated or relocated is known as Technologically Enhanced NORM, or TENORM. Many industries and processes can produce TENORM, including mining, oil and gas drilling and production and water treatment. TENORM wastes must be disposed or managed according to state regulations.Like all radioactive material, radioactive wastes will naturally decay over time. Once the radioactive material has decayed sufficiently, the waste is no longer hazardous. However, the time it will take for the radioactive material to decay will range from a few hours to hundreds of thousands of years. Some radioactive elements, such as plutonium, are highly radioactive and remain so for thousands of years.What You Can Do.

Be aware. It is highly unlikely that you would unknowingly encounter radioactive waste. However, if you are near a facility that manages radioactive waste, follow safety instructions. Stay away. Keeping distance between you and radioactive waste will help keep you from being exposed. Never touch, inhale or ingest radioactive waste. Radioactive materials and other contaminants from waste can be very dangerous inside the body.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)The EPA is responsible under the Atomic Energy Act for developing general environmental standards that apply to both the Department of Energy (DOE)-operated and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)-licensed facilities that use radioactive material. Other statutes provide the EPA with authority to establish standards for specific wastes or facilities. These include the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Land Withdrawal Act and the Energy Policy Act of 1992, that affect development and implementation standards for the management and disposal of waste at certain disposal facilities; the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act (UMTRCA) that enables the EPA to set limits on radiation from mill tailings; and the Clean Air Act that limits radon emissions from mill tailing impoundments.The EPA has developed safety training for workers who could come into contact with radioactive material and radioactive wastes.