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Latest News
Take steps on SNF and HLW disposal
Matt Bowen
With a new administration and Congress, it is time once again to ponder what will happen—if anything—on U.S. spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste management policy over the next few years. One element of the forthcoming discussion seems clear: The executive and legislative branches are eager to talk about recycling commercial SNF. Whatever the merits of doing so, it does not obviate the need for one or more facilities for disposal of remaining long-lived radionuclides. For that reason, making progress on U.S. disposal capabilities remains urgent, lest the associated radionuclide inventories simply be left for future generations to deal with.
In March, Rick Perry, who was secretary of energy during President Trump’s first administration, observed that during his tenure at the Department of Energy it became clear to him that any plan to move SNF “required some practical consent of the receiving state and local community.”1
R. A. Anderl, J. D. Baker, G. L. Bourne, R. J. Pawelko
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 28 | Number 3 | October 1995 | Pages 1114-1119
Tritium Properties and Interaction with Material | Proceedings of the Fifth Topical Meeting on Tritium Technology In Fission, Fusion, and Isotopic Applications Belgirate, Italy May 28-June 3, 1995 | doi.org/10.13182/FST95-A30556
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Tritium and helium release behavior have been measured for Be specimens irradiated at 75°C in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) to a fast neutron fluence of 5×1022 n/cm2. Stepped-isothermal anneal experiments were conducted from room temperature to above the melting point of Be, with the temperature steps varied from one experiment to the other. In-line ion chambers and quadrupole mass spectrometers were used to measure the gases released to an Ar process gas stream flowing across a heated specimen. Gases released from the specimens included H2, 3He, 4He, and tritium as HT and T2. Release of the hydrogenic and tritium gases were observed to be concurrent with the release of helium, providing direct evidence of these gases in microscopic helium bubbles in the irradiated Be. Tritium and helium release kinetics were dependent on the magnitude of the temperature steps between 600°C and 800°C.
