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Research Opportunities for Deactivating and Decommissioning Department of Energy Facilities (2001) / Chapter Skim
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Executive Summary
Pages 1-8

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From page 1...
... of surplus nuclear facilities at DOE sites. DOE constructed over 20,000 such facilities throughout the country to support nuclear weapons production and other activities.
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From page 2...
... It also received presentations from the Savannah River Site and the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. The committee found that the DOE facilities that are likely to pose the greatest challenges for future D&D are those formerly used for radiochemical processing of irradiated nuclear fuel and target assemblies (for production of plutonium, tritium, and other nuclear materials)
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From page 3...
... Substantial cost savings may result from basic research toward developing the means, preferably real-time, minimally invasive, and field usable, to locate, identify, and quantify contaminants difficult to measure in construction materials such as concrete and stainless stee l on eq u i pment, and i n packaged wastes. The com m ittee made three recommendations in the area of characterization.
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From page 4...
... that can substitute for human workers in hazardous areas. The committee recommends basic research toward creating intelligent remote systems that can adapt to a variety of tasks and be readily assembled from standardized modules, with special emphasis on actuators, universal operational software, and virtual presence.
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From page 5...
... Programmatic Recommendations The statement of task asked the committee to take into account, where possible, the agendas of other D&D-related research programs in recommending areas for research. It also suggested that the committee consider and make recommendations on identifying science needs and applying successful research results to DOE's D&D problems.
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From page 6...
... Most lists were too narrow, short term, or site specific to help determine where basic research could be helpful. Presentations made to the committee indicated that most attention and funding are aimed at short-term, site-specific D&D problems.
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From page 7...
... The OST should increase efforts to transition basic research to a deployable product by improving communications and cooperation among the researchers, DOE laboratories, and contractors performing D&D. Incentives for deployment of newly developed technologies that promise advantages over older technologies should be included in D&D contracts.
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Key Terms

  • doe sites
  • construction materials
  • worker safety
  • labor intensive
  • radiochemical processing

  • stainless steel
  • time consuming
  • shared goals
  • minimally invasive
  • industrial hazards

  • intelligent remote
  • dramatic improvements
  • environmental management
  • promising research
  • doe facilities

  • research targeted
  • true breakthrough
  • machines roadmap
  • toxic chemicals
  • recommends basic

  • concrete shielding
  • intelligent machines
  • ambitious goals
  • river site
  • propose relevant

  • irradiated nuclear
  • sustained basis
  • surplus doe
  • nor intended
  • biotechnological means


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