New direction in US waste management

Problems of control and organization of works on radioctive waste storage are considered using the materials of the conferences which took place in the USA in 1982. It is noted that 76500 m3 of low-level radioactive wastes have been produced in the USA in 1980, more than half of them have been produced at NPPs. It is forecasted that the rate of waste production will be increased twice by 1986 and it will approach 141500 m3, at that the contribution being also increased. Storage of 40 000 fuel assemblies unloaded from NPP reactors is expected. It would be impossible to place this quantity of wastes in present storages. That is why technologies and methods, permitting to reduce volume of unloaded spent fuel or to increase storage capacity, are studied