1. Rail Transportation Casks

2. Testing of Transportation Casks
To be certified, transportation casks must demonstrate that they must remain airtight following
A 30-foot drop onto an unyielding surface
A 40-inch drop onto a 6-inch diameter steel rod
Exposure to a 1000 ºC fire for 30 minutes
Immersion in 3 feet of water
Additional, more severe, testing has been done
Crash of a flatbed truck loaded with a cask into a 700-ton concrete wall at 80 mph
Broadside crash of a 120-ton locomotive traveling at 80 mph
Crash of a locomotive at 100 mph (U.K.)
Drop onto hard soil (similar to concrete) from a height of 2,000 feet
Fire and explosion involving fuel tanks (Germany)

3. Fire and Explosion Testing

4. Repository Design Concept

5. Yucca Mountain Surface Facility Portals
North Portal
South Portal

6. Surface (Preclosure) Facility Design
Surface facility design provides maximum flexibility in the development of a simple, clean, safe, primarily canister-based repository
Based on the use of modular waste handling facilities and processes – expansion as needed
Incorporates commercial waste handling experience
Can receive by truck and standard rail
Can handle multiple forms of wastes
Can accommodate multiple sizes of transportation, aging and disposal (TAD) canisters
TAD canisters containing the spent fuel are loaded into the transportation casks
TAD canisters would require less handling than individual spent nuclear fuel assemblies at the repository

7. Aboveground Preclosure Facilities

8. Preparing Waste for Emplacement
Cask enters the facility, impact limiters and lid are removed, and the cask is raised upright by crane
Cask loaded onto a cask transfer trolley and moved to the shielded transfer cell
Another crane lifts the TAD canister out and raises it into a shielded bell
Shielded bell moves to the canister to another transfer cell
Canister is lowered by crane into the waste package
Waste package is what the canister is stored in when emplaced in the mountain
Waste package is transferred to the Transport and Emplacement Vehicle (TEV)

9. Transfer of Canister to Waste Package
casktransfer.wmv

10. Transfer of the Waste Package to the TEV
WPtransfertoTEV.wmv

11. Emplacement Operations
TEV moves waste package from the surface facility into the mountain
Emplacement tunnel is selected beforehand to limit the total decay heat generated in the tunnel
Tunnel decay heat loading is tracked continuously
TEV deposits the waste package once it has arrived at its final destination
TEV returns to the surface

12. Emplacement Operations

13. Safety of Preclosure Operations
Preclosure operations include all preparation and emplacement activities
Expected to last 50 years (until all tunnels are filled)
Safety features
Robust construction (3 to 4-foot thick reinforced concrete walls) can withstand the most severe postulated earthquake
Filtered ventilation system to prevent release to environment in the event of an accident
Automatic fire suppression system
Remote operations to limit need for human action
Extensive shielding provided when human involvement is anticipated
Safety analyses show that potential public and worker radiation exposure from preclosure operations is well below NRC safety limits

14. Postclosure
Postclosure begins when the repository has been fully loaded and sealed for long-term storage
Storage is in 42-miles of 18-foot diameter tunnels
Parallel tunnels located 250 feet apart
Tunnels are 1,000 feet below the surface and 1,000 feet above the water table
Natural and manmade features ensure safety and environmental protection during storage

15. Underground Storage of Waste

16. Natural and Manmade Safety Features

17. Total System Performance Assessment
TSPA is a computer tool that analyzes performance of the repository following closure
Includes computer models for all phenomena that could lead to a release of radionuclides
Based on accepted chemical and physical principles
Benchmarked against data collected during site assessment
TSPA is used to evaluate repository performance over hundreds of thousands of years
Because the period of interest is so long, extremely rare events must be analyzed
Severe earthquakes, volcanic activity, meteor strikes, etc.
TSPA results show human exposures or ground water contamination at least a factor of 10 smaller than safety standards

18. Concept for a Warning Monument and Information Center

19. Status and Future of the Project
License application for the Yucca Mountain repository submitted to the NRC on June 2nd
NRC has 3 years to complete their evaluation and decide whether to issue a construction permit
Government funding levels will be an important factor in determining when the repository opens
Most optimistic estimate is 2017 for receipt of first waste
Politics will play a key role

20. Politics of the Yucca Mountain Project
NIMBY – Not in my backyard
States with stored nuclear waste want it disposed of
Nevada objects to being the nuclear “dump”
Some have concerns over waste transport
People are reluctant to believe the government regardless of the scientific support
Politicians tend to play on these emotions
Nowhere is this more evident than in Nevada
A “battleground” state

21. Cartoons Illustrating Political and Legal Obstacles

22. Cartoons Illustrating Safety Concerns
Cartoonists play on emotions
No need to be scientifically accurate
Probably very effective with the average person

23. Where do the candidates stand?
Obama expressed his opinion in a letter to Senators Reid and Boxer
Nuclear power remains an important source of energy
Objected to Congress abandoning scientific consideration of alternatives and selecting Yucca Mountain
Indicated that Yucca Mountain is not a good choice
Nevadans oppose Yucca Mountain
Won’t be operated for at least 10 more years
Uncertain safety of transport and long-term storage
Time to abandon Yucca Mountain and pursue alternatives
Selection based on sound science and respect for state’s sovereignty

24. Where do the candidates stand?
McCain’s opinion has been expressed in interviews over the years
Nuclear power is an important source of energy for our future and more reactors are needed
Supports Yucca Mountain as the best alternative for long-term storage
Yucca Mountain should be built if it meets all Federal requirements for protecting human health and the environment
Not a problem of technology but political will

25. Questions?