Topics

Radioactive waste that is not high-level radioactive waste, spent nuclear fuel, transuranic waste, byproduct material (as defined in section 11e.(2) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended), or naturally occurring radioactive material.

Correspondence, reports and recommendations related to facilities and sites that process, manage or store low-level waste, including laboratories, waste storage and waste processing facilities as well as reviews of DOE programs and safety related directives addressing low-level waste operations.

Maintenance programs define the systematic approach to ensure structures, systems, and components can reliably perform their intended function. DOE’s maintenance program for nuclear facilities is defined in DOE Order 433.1B, Maintenance Management Program for DOE Nuclear Facilities.

Correspondence, reports and recommendations related to review of DOE maintenance requirements and specific maintenance reviews at DOE sites and facilities.

The process by which fissionable materials are produced, processed, stored, transferred, disposed, or handled in such a manner that the probability of a release of energy as a result of accidentally producing a self-sustaining or divergent neutron chain reaction is acceptably low, and to the extent practical, Government and private personnel and public and private property are protected from damaging effects and undue hazards that may arise from such an incident. Fissionable materials on DOE facilities include nuclides capable of sustaining a neutron-induced fission chain reaction, including uranium-233, uranium-235, plutonium-239, plutonium-238, plutonium-241, neptunium-237, americium-241, and curium- 244)

Correspondence, reports, and recommendations related to the way facilities and sites processes, manage or store fissionable materials, including laboratories storage and processing facilities as well as reviews of DOE programs and safety related directives addressing nuclear criticality.

An explosive device whose destructive potential derives from the release of energy that accompanies the splitting or combining of atomic nuclei.

Correspondence, reports and recommendations related to the way facilities and sites processes, manage or store nuclear weapons and weapon parts consisting of fissionable materials designated as defense nuclear material, including laboratories storage and processing facilities as well as reviews of DOE programs and safety related directives addressing nuclear weapon activities.

A man-made element 94 on the periodic table used in the production of nuclear weapons and nuclear heat sources. Isotopes Pu-239 and Pu-238 are most often found on DOE sites.

Correspondence, reports and recommendations related to facilities and sites that process, manage, or store plutonium, including laboratories, nuclear weapon and weapon component facilities, plutonium waste storage and waste processing facilities as well as reviews of DOE safety related directives addressing plutonium operations.

A qualitative and quantitative assessment of the risk associated with plant or facility operation and maintenance that is measured in terms of frequency of occurrence of risk metrics, such as release category frequency and its effects on the health of the public.

[also referred to as a probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) or quantitative risk assessment (QRA)].

Correspondence, reports and recommendations related to the implementation of probabilistic risk analysis at facilities and sites, review of specific documents as well as reviews of DOE safety related directives addressing probabilistic risk analysis.