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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.
Jintae Hong, Kwang-Jae Son, Jong-Bum Kim, Jin-Joo Kim
Nuclear Technology | Volume 207 | Number 6 | June 2021 | Pages 790-800
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2020.1832417
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
According to the development plan for the Korea Space Launch Vehicle, a performance verification satellite will be installed in the launch vehicle in 2021. In addition, three payloads, including a small electrically heated thermoelectric generator (ETG), will be developed and installed in the satellite. In particular, a small ETG has been developed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute for the purpose of evaluating the characteristics of the ETG in the space environment prior to the development of a radioisotope thermoelectric generator for lunar missions. In this study, shock and vibration tests were carried out to check whether the ETG can endure the launch environment of the spacecraft. In addition, a thermal cycle test and a thermal vacuum test were conducted to check whether the ETG maintains its performance, even at drastic temperature changes, which can be applied to the ETG in space. Finally, a periodic performance test was carried out to measure the degradation level of the small ETG.