Waste Stream Generated and Waste Disposal Plans for Molten Salt Reactor Experiment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) site is located in Tennessee, on the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR), south of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) main plant across Haw Ridge in Melton Valley. The MSRE was run by ORNL to demonstrate the desirable features of the molten-salt concept in a practical reactor that could be operated safely and reliably. It introduced the idea of a homogeneous reactor using fuel salt media and graphite moderation for power and breeder reactors. The MSRE reactor and associated components are located in cells beneath the floor in the high-bay area of Building 7503 (Figure 1). The reactor was operated from June 1965 to December 1969. When the reactor was shut down, fuel salt was drained from the reactor circuit to two drain tanks. A ''clean'' salt was then circulated through the reactor as a decontamination measure and drained to a third drain tank. When operations ceased, the fuel and flush salts were allowed t o cool and solidify in the drain tanks. At shutdown, the MSRE facility complex was placed in a surveillance and maintenance program. As a result of the S&M program, it was discovered in 1994 that gaseous uranium (233U/232U) hexafluoride (UF6) had moved throughout the MSRE process systems. The UF6 was generated when radiolysis of the fluorine salts caused the individual constituents to dissociate to their component atoms, including free fluorine.Some of the free fluorine combined with uranium fluorides (UF4) in the salt to form UF6. UF6 is gaseous at slightly above ambient temperatures; thus, periodic heating of the fuel salts (which was intended to remedy the radiolysis problems) and simple diffusion had allowed the UF6 to move out of the salt and into the process systems of MSRE

ALARA Controls and the Radiological Lessons Learned During the Uranium Fuel Removal Projects at the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment

The removal of uranium-233 (233 U) from the auxiliary charcoal bed (ACB) of the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE), performed from January through May 2001, created both unique radiological challenges and widely-applicable lessons learned. In addition to the criticality concerns and alpha contamination, 233U has an associated intense gamma photon from the cocontaminant uranium-232 (232U) decaying to thallium-208 (208Tl). Therefore, rigorous contamination controls and significant shielding were implemented. Extensive, timed mock-up training was also imperative to minimize individual and collective personnel exposures. Back-up shielding and containment techniques (that had been previously developed for defense in depth) were used successfully to control significant, changed conditions. Additional controls were placed on tests and on recovery designs to assure a higher level of safety throughout the removal operations. This paper delineates the manner in which each difficulty was solved, while relating the relevance of the results and the methodology to other projects with high dose-rate, highly-contaminated ionizing radiation hazards. Because of the distinctive features of and current interest in molten salt technology, a brief overview is provided. Also presented is the detailed, practical application of radiological controls integrated into, rather than added after, each evolution of the project--thus demonstrating the broad-based benefits of radiological engineering and ALARA reviews. The resolution of the serious contamination-control problems caused by unexpected uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gaseous diffusion is also explicated. Several tables and figures document the preparations, equipment and operations. A comparison of the pre-job dose calculations for the various functions of the uranium deposit removal (UDR) and the post-job dose-rate data are included in the conclusion

In Situ NDA Conformation Measurements Performed at Auxiliary Charcoal Bed and Other Main Charcoal Beds After Uranium Removal from Molten Salt Reactor Experiment ACB at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

The Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) site is located in Tennessee, on the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR). The MSRE was run by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to demonstrate the desirable features of the molten-salt concept in a practical reactor that could be operated safely and reliably. It introduced the idea of a homogeneous reactor using fuel salt media and graphite moderation for power and breeder reactors. The MSRE reactor and associated components are located in cells beneath the floor in the high-bay area of Building 7503. The reactor was operated from June 1965 to December 1969. When the reactor was shut down, fuel salt was drained from the reactor circuit to two drain tanks. A ''clean'' salt was then circulated through the reactor as a decontamination measure and drained to a third drain tank. When operations ceased, the fuel and flush salts were allowed to cool and solidify in the drain tanks. At shutdown, the MSRE facility complex was placed in a surveillance and maintenance program. Beginning in 1987, it was discovered that gaseous uranium (U-233/U-232) hexafluoride (UF6) had moved throughout the MSRE process systems. The UF6 had been generated when radiolysis in the fluorine salts caused the individual constituents to dissociate to their component atoms, including free fluorine. Some of the free fluorine combined with uranium fluorides (UF4) in the salt to produce UF6. UF6 is gaseous at slightly above ambient temperatures; thus, periodic heating of the fuel salts (which was intended to remedy the radiolysis problems) and simple diffusion had allowed the UF6 to move out of the salt and into the process systems of MSRE. One of the systems that UF6 migrated into due to this process was the offgas system which is vented to the MSRE main charcoal beds and MSRE auxiliary charcoal bed (ACB). Recently, the majority of the uranium laden-charcoal material residing within the ACB was safely and successfully removed using the uranium deposit removal system and equipment. After removal a series of NDA measurements was performed to determine the amount of uranium material remaining in the ACB, the amount of uranium material removed from the ACB, and the amount of uranium material remaining in the uranium removal equipment due to removal activities

Grouping of nanomaterials to read-across hazard endpoints: from data collection to assessment of the grouping hypothesis by application of chemoinformatic techniques

An increasing number of manufactured nanomaterials (NMs) are being used in industrial products and need to be registered under the REACH legislation. The hazard characterisation of all these forms is not only technically challenging but resource and time demanding. The use of non-testing strategies like read-across is deemed essential to assure the assessment of all NMs in due time and at lower cost. The fact that read-across is based on the structural similarity of substances represents an additional difficulty for NMs as in general their structure is not unequivocally defined. In such a scenario, the identification of physicochemical properties affecting the hazard potential of NMs is crucial to define a grouping hypothesis and predict the toxicological hazards of similar NMs. In order to promote the read-across of NMs, ECHA has recently published “Recommendations for nanomaterials applicable to the guidance on QSARs and Grouping”, but no practical examples were provided in the document. Due to the lack of publicly available data and the inherent difficulties of reading-across NMs, only a few examples of read-across of NMs can be found in the literature. This manuscript presents the first case study of the practical process of grouping and read-across of NMs following the workflow proposed by ECHA. The workflow proposed by ECHA was used and slightly modified to present the read-across case study. The Read-Across Assessment Framework (RAAF) was used to evaluate the uncertainties of a read-across within NMs. Chemoinformatic techniques were used to support the grouping hypothesis and identify key physicochemical properties. A dataset of 6 nanoforms of TiO2 with more than 100 physicochemical properties each was collected. In vitro comet assay result was selected as the endpoint to read-across due to data availability. A correlation between the presence of coating or large amounts of impurities and negative comet assay results was observed. The workflow proposed by ECHA to read-across NMs was applied successfully. Chemoinformatic techniques were shown to provide key evidence for the assessment of the grouping hypothesis and the definition of similar NMs. The RAAF was found to be applicable to NMs

In vitro evaluation of SiC nanoparticles impact on A549 pulmonary cells: Cyto-, genotoxicity and oxidative stress

International audienceSilicon carbide (SiC) is considered a highly biocompatible material, consequently SiC nanoparticles (NPs) have been proposed for potential applications in diverse areas of technology. Since no toxicological data are available for these NPs, the aim of this study was to draw their global toxicological profile on A549 lung epithelial cells, using a battery of classical in vitro assays. Five SiC-NPs, with varying diameters and Si/C ratios were used, and we show that these SiC-NPs are internalized in cells where they cause a significant, though limited, cytotoxic effect. Cell redox status is deeply disturbed: SiC-NP exposure cause reactive oxygen species production, glutathione depletion and inactivation of some antioxidant enzymes: glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase, but not catalase. Finally, the alkaline comet assay shows that SiC-NPs are genotoxic. Taken together, these data prove that SiC-NPs biocompatibility should be revisited

Cytotoxic and Genotoxic Impact of TiO2 Nanoparticles on A549 Cells

International audienceTitania nanoparticles are produced by tons, and included in commercial products, raising concerns about their potential impact on human health. This study relates their cytotoxic and genotoxic impact on a cell line representative of human lung, namely A549 alveolar epithelial cells

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles exhibit genotoxicity and impair DNA repair activity in A549 cells

International audienceTitanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) are produced in large quantities, raising concerns about their impact for human health. The aim of this study was to deeply characterize TiO2-NPs genotoxic potential to lung cells, and to link genotoxicity to physicochemical characteristics, e.g., size, specific surface area, crystalline phase. A549 cells were exposed to a panel of TiO2-NPs with diameters ranging from 12 to 140 nm, either anatase or rutile. A set of complementary techniques (comet and micronucleus assays, gamma-H2AX immunostaining, 8-oxoGuanine analysis, H2-DCFDA, glutathione content, antioxidant enzymes activities) allowed us to demonstrate that small and spherical TiO2-NPs, both anatase and rutile, induce single-strand breaks and oxidative lesions to DNA, together with a general oxidative stress. Additionally we show that these NPs impair cell ability to repair DNA, by inactivation of both NER and BER pathways. This study thus confirms the genotoxic potential of TiO2-NPs, which may preclude their mutagenicity and carcinogenicity

Investigation of TiO2 nanoparticles translocation through a Caco-2 monolayer

International audienceNanoparticles (NPs) are introduced in a growing number of commercial products, including food and beverage but their effects on gastrointestinal tract are poorly investigated. Here we focused on the translocation of TiO2 NPs through Caco-2 monolayers exposed to anatase and rutile NPs up to 24 h. Internalization was followed by transmission electronic microscopy and μ-XRF elemental mapping, coupled to XAS analysis of Ti atoms environment. This innovative technique is among the best techniques to get insights on NP fate after internalization. The originality of this project relies on the panel of microscopy techniques implemented to investigate digestive barrier translocation, bringing together biologists, chemists and physicists in a pluridisciplinary research program