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Division Spotlight
Radiation Protection & Shielding
The Radiation Protection and Shielding Division is developing and promoting radiation protection and shielding aspects of nuclear science and technology — including interaction of nuclear radiation with materials and biological systems, instruments and techniques for the measurement of nuclear radiation fields, and radiation shield design and evaluation.
Meeting Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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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
Alfred Chrubasik, Jürgen Hofmann, Horst Vietzke
Nuclear Technology | Volume 49 | Number 3 | August 1980 | Pages 469-473
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste | doi.org/10.13182/NT80-A17694
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
For volume reduction of organic alpha waste and plutonium recovery, a pyrohydrolytic process has been developed in laboratory scale up to 4.16 × 10−4. kg waste/s (1.5 kg/h). In this process the organic compounds are reacted with steam in the temperature range of from 873 to 1123 K. This new process shows some remarkable benefits—good control of the temperature by its endothermic course and therefore easy plutonium recovery from the ashes; low quantities of secondary waste and high decontamination factors resulting from low gas velocities; the ability to complete the process using metal-made equipment. The technical design of a pilot plant with a throughput of from 6.94 × 10−3 to 1.38 × 10−2 kg waste/s (25 to 50 kg/h) is available.
