Document: NUREG-0800
Document ID: d72c5a84-b363-4a7d-9df3-5570a5eceb2c
Document Type: srp
Title: SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Source: NUREG-0800
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0523/ML052350108.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 11
Section ID: 11.4
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
rags, paper and clothing normally undergo a compaction process to reduce the volume of waste shipped offsite. Special provisions are needed to assure that contaminated airborne dusts are not released to the process area during compaction. Liquid wet wastes such as evaporator and reverse osmosis concentrates are solidified (i.e., combined with a suitable binder) prior to shipping, to render the waste immobile and thereby mitigate the consequences of potential ruptures to shipping containers. Other wet wastes such as spent bead and powdered resins, and filter sludges, are either solidified or dewatered prior to shipping. Spent cartridge filter elements are packaged with suitable absorbers in shielded containers, or solidified, prior to shipping. Although there are a number of processes available which are capable of solidi- fying wet wastes under controlled conditions, there is a potential for free' liquids to remain in containers following solidification with the widely. varying chemical species encountered during power plant operations. Based on the NRC staff's judgment, it is necessary that vendors and operators implement certain measures to (1) establish process parameters within which systems must be operated to obtain complete solidification, (2) assure proper waste form properties are achieved, and (3) assure systems are operated within the estab- lished process parameters, or (4) have provisions to detect free liquid in containers prior to shipment offsite. Similar restrictions apply to dewatered products to provide greater assurance that these products meet the receiving burial site free liquid restrictions at the time of receipt at the burial site. Following packaging, wastes are normally stored for decay of short-lived radionuclides and to accumulate sufficient wastes for a shipment offsite. Insofar as the continuous operation of the solid waste system is contingent upon storage space being available for the interim period between waste pack- aging and