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Technical Challenges Facing Regulators–Assessment of Long-Term Materials Performance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2011

Kenneth W. Stephens
Kenneth W. Stephens*
Affiliation:
Stephens & Associates, 10424 Windfall Court, Damascus, MD 20872
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Abstract

For a number of years, nuclear regulators have grappled with difficult questions such as: “How safe is safe enough?” Such issues take on new dimensions in the long time-frame of high-level waste disposal.

Many of the challenges facing regulators involve assessment of long-term materials performance. Because real-time experiments cannot be conducted, it is necessary to rely extensively on modeling. This raises issues regarding the extent to which long-term extrapolations of short-term data are justified, the question of how closely models must represent reality to be trusted, and practical matters such as methods for validating unique computer codes.

Issues such as these illustrate how regulators must make decisions in a climate of uncertainty. Methods used by non-technical disciplines to make decisions under uncertainty have been examined and offer solutions for regulators and licensees alike.

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References

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