ML19224D686
| ML19224D686 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 06/27/1979 |
| From: | Hendrie J NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | Mitchell D HOUSE OF REP., ARMED SERVICES |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 7907160096 | |
| Download: ML19224D686 (2) | |
Text
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' i, UM T E D ST/,TE s NUCLE AR f;bCUL ATORY CE.J.i!SS!ON e
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June 27, 19/9 L
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H)norable Donald J. Nitche:1 9.co littee on Military Installations l
nj Facilitias D3.aitte or, nraed Services i
United States House of Representatives U2shington, D.C.
20515
[
D tr Congre',smn Mitchell.
i e
I-thu hearing on the civil defense aspects of the Three Mile Island nuclear a._ v >nt, held by the Subcomittee on Military Installations an:i Facilities I
on May 16, 1979, we discussed the volume of nuclear uastes--the physical l
s,,xe that nuclear wastes would take up.
I proaised to supply for the record sG.a I'asure of nuclear waste Volume.
}
4 It has seemed to ne that the main interest hcro is in the hir,h level waste 3
f ro.
spent nuclear fuel.
There is, to be sucu, a large volcae of lou lt.el.;aste from nuclear fuel cycle operations, but this is are easily l
disposed of.
There are three operating iou level uaste disposal facilities c; ' ating in the U.S., whareus ue have no disposal f acilities for high level u
te--and that is the oajor problem that concerns people today.
1 Turning to the high level uaste volume, then, I have asked the stafr to estinate
)
ti
'olute from the annual production of 350 billion kilowatt-hours of j
e!ectricity. This is a rouch estimate of the averaoe nuclear electricity i
~
~
production per year for the early 1930's (the 1977 production was 250 billion i
kila.iatt-hours, for com?arison).
I also askea that the high level uaste j
volu.= be calculated on the basis of processing the spent fuel 1.0 vittified i
solid form, rcroving the uranium but leaving plutonium in the waste, since i
this gives e r. ore compact caste product than the spent fuel i tself.
The results I
may b stated as follous:
}
b If the spent fuel from the production of 350 billion kilo.;att-hours of electricity (estimated to be an average yearly prouuction for nuclear plants in the early 1930's) was processed for recovery of uranium only, the resultinc vitrified solid high level.aste volume would be about 146 cubic yards.
Based upon ten ymrs decay and a repository in salt, thc vitrified ' aste would be in th' form of 520 cylinders, each abut one foot in dia ter and 10 feet long, and each generatirg about 3?03 u1t ts of heat.
for a repository in salt, it is projec'ed thal abuut 60,003 uitts i_
- re of repository land.
- Thua, can bo edcquately handled for each 4
tho O high level u tste containers r< s d ting frca en annual nucloir electricil, predaction of 350 billion ' il: 'att-hoor:
- uld bo l,ct,au c'r'
,s 7907160
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P, n :12 i' m ' '! J.
/ itch /}l
,;tly int: 'ced un..r abo ;t P8 acre, o f re,ra,i tory vn l a _.!
par:
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-t 1 im this es ti:^u tt i s o f us-? Lo cou.
1.;o u l ci r cc,: _ c rj :t i n th at Liie c ii i., for high le.cl.'.tc Cnly, in th ccrc,J ac t f o r, : tin! resul ts f r em
- '< < v; i,
sy nt fuel.
Pla se let ne kno'.-
it further e_,Lt !tt.: o t' t h i :, k i n ci 3.;d 1. > ' el pru l.
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Sincerely, s
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?-b Q)\\\\-t~A u e r.
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'U6seph
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