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Functions of the Materials Review Board

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2011

M. J. Steindler  and
W. B. Seefeldt
M. J. Steindler
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439
W. B. Seefeldt
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439
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Extract

Some nuclear waste is destined for disposal in deep geological formations. The disposal system for wastes from commercial nuclear activities, and perhaps also for high-level wastes from defense-related activities, is to be designed and operated by the Department of Energy (DOE) and licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The Nuclear Waste Policy Act [1] outlines some of the procedures and schedules that are to be followed by DOE in carrying out its assignment in the disposal of high-level nuclear waste (HLW). The regulations of the NRC that deal with HLW [2] are only partly in place, and amendments (e.g., related to the unsaturated zone) are yet to be approved and issued. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued only draft versions of the regulations pertaining to HLW disposal [3], but key features of these drafts are at present in adequate agreement with NRC documents. On the basis of the trends that have become evident in the last few years, the DOE will be required to substantiate performance predictions for all pertinent aspects of a repository, especially the performance of the engineered waste package. The basis for demonstrating that the waste package performance in the repository will be in concert with the requirements is data on the waste package materials. These key materials data must clearly be highly reliable, and DOE will be required to assure this reliability. This paper addresses the organization and functions that have been assembled to aid in establishing the quality of materials data that are important in the licensing of a waste repository.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 44: Symposium N – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management VIII , 1984 , 717
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1985

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References

1. Public Law 97–425, “Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982,” 97th Congress.Google Scholar
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