Challenges and Scientific Issues for the Department of Energy Weapons Complex Cleanup: High-Level Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel

This paper provides a perspective of challenges and scientific issues associated with the U.S. Department of Energy's mission to remediate tanks containing high-level waste and facilities containing stored spent fuel. The topic is too broad to discuss comprehensively in this paper; instead, illustrative examples are provided. The diversity of scientific issues and the difficulty of infusing innovative technologies or ideas into "baseline" projects through which waste or spent fuel are treated and disposed are discussed at some length