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WIPP: Lessons in transportation safety
As part of a future consent-based approach by the federal government to site new deep geologic repositories for nuclear waste, local communities and states that are considering hosting such facilities are sure to have many questions. Currently, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico is the only example of such a repository in operation, and it offers the opportunity for state and local officials to visit and judge for themselves the risks and benefits of hosting a similar facility. But its history can also provide lessons for these officials, particularly the political process leading up to the opening of WIPP, the safety of WIPP operations and transportation of waste from generator facilities to the site, and the economic impacts the project has had on the local area of Carlsbad, as well as the rest of the state of New Mexico.
Musharaf Rabbani, Anthony Busigin, Haiqin Mao, Nisa Halsey, Dayna La Barbera
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 80 | Number 3 | April-May 2024 | Pages 330-339
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2023.2232227
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Tritium is used as a fuel in nuclear fusion, and water detritiation is an important part of the overall fusion fuel cycle. This paper compares two competing technologies for an ITER-scale water detritiation reactor, namely, the advanced water distillation (AWD) and combined electrolysis and catalytic exchange (CECE) processes. The processes are compared in terms of equipment size and footprint, energy demand, isotope separation characteristics, safety, and technology readiness level. An important technical concern discussed is management of deuterium accumulation since deuterium is enriched along with tritium and D-T separation is inherently more difficult than H-T separation. Interfacing with a downstream isotope separation system is also discussed.