Reports

This report reviews available public literature on storage and handling of used nuclear fuel related to the safety of extended-term dry storage and subsequent transportation of U.S. commercial used nuclear fuel after long storage periods.

This report describes 30 technical and institutional attributes of nuclear waste programs in 13 countries. It does not make judgments, rather the report provides factual information for the U.S. Congress and the Secretary of Energy that can be used for evaluating waste management options.

This letter report updates the U.S. Congress and the Secretary of Energy on the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board’s mission, continuing role, and refocused goals as the U.S. approach to managing spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste is evolving.

Between March 1, 2006, and December 31, 2007, the period covered by this report, the Board focused its evaluation on five critical technical issues dealing with pre-closure operations of the waste management system and on six critical technical issues dealing with post-closure performance of the proposed Yucca Mountain repository. The Board also explored in depth the crosscutting issue of thermal management. The Board’s views on these issues are explained in greater detail in the body of this report.

In this report, the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board presents its evaluation of revised DOE estimates of water infiltration at Yucca Mountain. The infiltration estimates were revised because violations of quality assurance procedures were alleged to have been committed by U.S. Geological Survey employees involved in gathering and analyzing infiltration data at Yucca Mountain in the 1990's.

This report, which is the Board's second report of 2006, contains summaries of Board findings and recommendations contained in the following: letters to the Director of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) following Board meetings held in February, May, and September 2006, a letter and enclosures sent to the Director of OCRWM following a Board workshop on deliquescence-induced localized corrosion in September 2006, and testimony presented in May 2006 by the Board's Chairman before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

In this report, the Board summarizes its major activities from January 1, 2005, through February 28, 2006. During that period, the Board focused its attention on the Project's efforts to develop post-closure performance estimates for the repository it proposes to construct at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Correspondence and related materials are included in the appendices to the report along with the Board's strategic plan for fiscal years 2004-2009, its performance plans for fiscal years 2005-2006, and its performance evaluation for 2005.

In this letter report to the U.S. Congress and the Secretary of Energy, the Board presents its views on the status of some important issues related to the technical basis for the U.S. Department of Energy's activities related to the waste management system, the engineered system, the natural system, the repository system, and the assessment of the performance of the systems. The Board also outlines issues that it expects may continue to be of interest in the future.

In this report, the Board summarizes its major activities from January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2004. During that period, the Board focused on the Department of Energy's efforts to develop a system for accepting, transporting, and handling high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel before disposal in the repository proposed for Yucca Mountain. Correspondence and related materials are included in the appendices to the report along with the Board's strategic plan for fiscal years 2004-2009, its performance plans for 2005, and its performance evaluation for 2004.

This letter is the Board's second report to the U.S. Congress and the Secretary of Energy for calendar year 2004. The letter briefly summarizes areas where the Board believes the DOE has made progress, areas requiring attention, and the Board's priorities for the coming year.

In this report, the Board summarizes its major activities from January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2003. During that period, the Board continued its evaluation and held meetings on a range of technical and scientific issues, including seismicity, the U.S. Department of Energy's plans for transporting spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, the design and operation of facilities at the proposed repository site, performance-confirmation activities, and the potential for localized corrosion. Correspondence and related materials are included in the appendices to the report along with the Board's strategic plan for fiscal years 2004-2009, its performance plans for 2004 and 2005, and its performance evaluation for 2003.

This letter report to Congress and the Secretary consists of two elements: (1) a copy of the Board’s October 21, 2003, letter to the DOE that includes concerns related to the potential for localized corrosion of the waste packages during the period of above-boiling temperatures in the DOE’s high-temperature repository design; and (2) a copy of the Board’s November 25, 2003, technical report that contains a more detailed evaluation and explanation of the technical basis for the Board’s concerns related to localized corrosion.

Technical report supporting Board conclusions in October 21, 2003 letter to the DOE related to the potential for localized corrosion of waste packages during the thermal pulse.

This report summarizes the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board's (Board) major activities between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2002. During this period, the Board focused on evaluating the technical basis of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) work related to analyzing a planned repository site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Included in an appendix to the report are letters to the DOE related to technical issues identified by the Board as part of its ongoing review in 2002.

This report summarizes the Board's major activities between February 1, 2001, and January 31, 2002. During this period, the Board focused on evaluating the technical basis of the DOE's work related to a site recommendation, including the DOE's characterization of the Yucca Mountain site, the DOE's design of the repository and waste package, and the DOE's estimates of how a repository system developed at the site might perform. The report includes a description of activities undertaken by the Board in developing its assessment of the technical basis for the DOE's current performance estimates.

This letter report summarizes the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board's evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energy's technical and scientific investigation of the Yucca Mountain site.

The U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (Board) conducted a workshop on issues related to predicting corrosion behavior for periods of unprecedented duration. The workshop was held on July 19 and 20, 2001, in Arlington, Virginia. The workshop consisted of a panel of 3 Board members and 14 internationally recognized corrosion scientists, 8 of whom were from outside the United States. Following the workshop, most panelists submitted brief papers giving their views on issues related to predicting very long term corrosion. This publication is a compilation of those submissions.

In this report, the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (Board) summarizes its major activities in calendar year 2000. During 2000, the Board identified four priority areas for evaluating the potential repository at Yucca Mountain. The areas are the following: (1) meaningful quantification of conservatisms and uncertainties in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) performance assessments; (2) progress in understanding the underlying fundamental processes involved in predicting the rate of waste package corrosion; (3) an evaluation and a comparison of the base-case repository design with a low-temperature design; (4) development of multiple lines of evidence to support the safety case of the proposed repository, the lines of evidence being derived independently of performance assessment and thus not being subject to the limitations of performance assessment. Finally, the report summarizes the Board's views on each priority area.

This report, in the form of a letter, presents a brief update of the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board's (Board) views on the status of the U.S. Department of Energy's nuclear waste management program.

In this report, the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (Board) summarizes its major activities in calendar year 1999. Among the activities discussed in the report is the Board’s 1999 review of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) viability assessment (VA) of the Yucca Mountain site. The Board’s evaluation of the VA concludes that Yucca Mountain continues to warrant study as the candidate site for a permanent geologic repository and that work should proceed to support a decision on whether to recommend the site for repository development. The Board suggests that the 2001 date for a decision is very ambitious, and focused study should continue on natural and engineered barriers. The Board states that a credible technical basis does not currently exist for the above-boiling repository design included in the VA. The Board recommends evaluation of alternative repository designs, including lower-temperature designs, as a potential way to help reduce the significance of uncertainties related to predictions of repository performance.