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Members are devoted to applying nuclear science and engineering technologies involving isotopes, radiation applications, and associated equipment in scientific research, development, and industrial processes. Their interests lie primarily in education, industrial uses, biology, medicine, and health physics. Division committees include Analytical Applications of Isotopes and Radiation, Biology and Medicine, Radiation Applications, Radiation Sources and Detection, and Thermal Power Sources.
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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.
G. L. Morgan, K. R. Alrick, D. W. Bowman, F. C. Cverna, N. S. P. King, P. E. Littleton, G. A. Greene, A. L. Hanson, C. L. Snead, Jr., J. M. Hall, J. Frehaut, X. Ledoux, S. Leray, E. Petibon, R. T. Thompson, P. D. Ferguson, E. A. Henry, T. E. Ward
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 151 | Number 3 | November 2005 | Pages 293-304
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE05-A2548
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Integral neutron production was measured by the manganese-activation technique, on targets semiprototypic of spallation-neutron-driven transmutation systems, after irradiation by 400-MeV to 2.0-GeV protons. The purpose of these experiments was to provide data to benchmark nuclear transport codes for targets irradiated by protons in this energy range, as well as to evaluate design options to maximize the production of spallation neutrons in various targets under consideration. These computer codes are used to design accelerator systems that will utilize spallation neutrons for the generation of tritium, transmutation of nuclear waste, production of radioisotopes, and other scientific investigations. Some of the targets used in this investigation were semiprototypic of the proposed Accelerator Production of Tritium target. Other targets were included to provide data to test the computational models in the codes. Total neutron production is the main factor that determines the economics of transmutation for a particular accelerator design. Comparisons of the data reported here with calculations from computer simulations show agreement to within 15% over the entire energy region for most of the targets.