An expert system for greater-than-class-C waste classification

Nuclear waste disposal programs in the United States are generally divided into two major categories, high-level waste and low-level waste, each with its own methods, problems, solutions, and legislation. There is, however, a third category, which falls between these two major groups, for each very little work has been completed. The waste in this category is not, however, insignificant and is beginning to become a concern in the waste disposal community. This category is greater-than-class-C (GTCC) low-level waste, and its main constituents are spent-fuel disassembly (SFD) hardware (e.g., grid spacers, guide tubes, and end fittings) and nonfuel assembly (NFA) hardware (e.g., control rods, in-core instrumentation, and neutron sources). The hardware waste expert system has been designed for use by the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management and its civilian contractors who are interested in the generation and disposal of GTCC hardware wastes. The user is able to generate estimates for any U.S. reactor site, and options are available for examination of the larger picture; i.e., hardware inventories can also be generated by utility, by state, or for the industry as a whole. The hardware waste expert system is also helpful to any utility planning to conduct a rod consolidation campaign, as the system will help estimate the quantities of hardware waste generated and the spent-fuel pool space made available by the campaign