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Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy
The mission of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy Division (NNPD) is to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology while simultaneously preventing the diversion and misuse of nuclear material and technology through appropriate safeguards and security, and promotion of nuclear nonproliferation policies. To achieve this mission, the objectives of the NNPD are to: Promote policy that discourages the proliferation of nuclear technology and material to inappropriate entities. Provide information to ANS members, the technical community at large, opinion leaders, and decision makers to improve their understanding of nuclear nonproliferation issues. Become a recognized technical resource on nuclear nonproliferation, safeguards, and security issues. Serve as the integration and coordination body for nuclear nonproliferation activities for the ANS. Work cooperatively with other ANS divisions to achieve these objective nonproliferation policies.
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Fusion Science and Technology
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Glass strategy: Hanford’s enhanced waste glass program
The mission of the Department of Energy’s Office of River Protection (ORP) is to complete the safe cleanup of waste resulting from decades of nuclear weapons development. One of the most technologically challenging responsibilities is the safe disposition of approximately 56 million gallons of radioactive waste historically stored in 177 tanks at the Hanford Site in Washington state.
ORP has a clear incentive to reduce the overall mission duration and cost. One pathway is to develop and deploy innovative technical solutions that can advance baseline flow sheets toward higher efficiency operations while reducing identified risks without compromising safety. Vitrification is the baseline process that will convert both high-level and low-level radioactive waste at Hanford into a stable glass waste form for long-term storage and disposal.
Although vitrification is a mature technology, there are key areas where technology can further reduce operational risks, advance baseline processes to maximize waste throughput, and provide the underpinning to enhance operational flexibility; all steps in reducing mission duration and cost.
J. Phillip Sharpe, W. Jon Carmack, David A. Petti
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 39 | Number 2 | March 2001 | Pages 1066-1070
Safety and Environment | doi.org/10.13182/FST01-A11963385
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Dust and debris were collected from the Nova laser facility in April 1999 to provide evidence of particulate generation and transport mechanisms relevant to fusion power safety analyses. Samples were obtained at specified locations within the Nova chamber with a vacuum filter system, cascade impactors, and metallurgical replicating tape (acetate tape). Average surface mass density of material collected from locations with measured surface area ranges from 3.13 μg/cm2 on the mid-plane vertical surface to 3250 μg/cm2 on the vessel bottom. Estimated total dust inventory is 44 grams. Specific surface area of dust collected from several locations is nearly uniform with an average value of 0.435 m2/g. Particle size distributions of the collected material show a range of count median diameters (CMD) between 0.67 and 1.19 μm with geometric standard deviations (GSD) between 1.63 and 2.76. Mass median diameters for dust collected with the two cascade impactors are 5.26 μm and 8.85 μm. The shape of the volumetric size distribution indicates dust particles of various shapes. Composition analysis performed by energy dispersive X-ray analysis indicated the presence of O, Al, Cu, along with trace quantities of Fe, Au, and Be. Atomic emission ICP analysis also indicated the presence of Si, O, and Cu in dust samples.