Ashot A. Sarkisov - Böcker

The U.S. National Academies (NAS) and the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), building on a foundation of years of interacademy cooperation, conducted a joint project to identify U.S. and Russian views on what the international nuclear security environment will be in 2015, what challenges may arise from that environment, and what options the U.S. and Russia have in partnering to address those challenges. The project's discussions were developed and expanded upon during a two-day public workshop held at the International Atomic Energy Agency in November 2007. A key aspect of that partnership may be cooperation in third countries where both the U.S. and Russia can draw on their experiences over the last decade of non-proliferation cooperation. More broadly, the following issues analyzed over the course of this RAS-NAS project included: safety and security culture, materials protection, control and accounting (MPC&A) best practices, sustainability, nuclear forensics, public-private partnerships, and the expansion of nuclear energy.

The end of the Cold War has led to an acceleration in the decommissioning of the world's nuclear submarine fleet. Russian vessels, in particular, are being taken rapidly out of service and this surge of vessels has in many cases far exceeded the capacity of the available decommissioning facilities in Russia. Severe problems exist in areas such as the storage of submarines awaiting defuelling, storage and transport of spent nuclear fuel, the handling of radioactive wastes, and the dismantling and disposal of major submarine components. The magnitude and complexity of such problems, many of them revealed here to the public for the first time, are laid bare in some detail, with a discussion of the associated environmental impact, especially in the Arctic and the western Pacific. Solutions to these problems are proposed.

A great number of nuclear submarines are due to be decommissioned before the year 2000. The political decisions surrounding the disposal of nuclear compartments, radioactive wastes and spent fuel differ appreciably between the countries that own the boats. The decision makers involved thus need help in comparing and assessing alternative options for the decommissioning of their nuclear submarine fleets. The present volume offers such assistance, with its discussions of the risks associated with long-term water storage of the boats, radioactive and chemical contamination, spent fuel and waste management, and handling and recycling reactor compartments.

A great number of nuclear submarines are due to be decommissioned before the year 2000. The political decisions surrounding the disposal of nuclear compartments, radioactive wastes and spent fuel differ appreciably between the countries that own the boats. The decision makers involved thus need help in comparing and assessing alternative options for the decommissioning of their nuclear submarine fleets. The present volume offers such assistance, with its discussions of the risks associated with long-term water storage of the boats, radioactive and chemical contamination, spent fuel and waste management, and handling and recycling reactor compartments.

This collection of articles, together with the two previous companion publications of 1995 and 1997, represent a complete set of materials on the issues relating to nuclear submarine utilisation and safety when managing spent nuclear fuel and radioactive wastes. The book should be of interest to scientists, engineers, shipyard technicians and decision makers in the fields of radioecology and the management of decommissioned hazardous radiation facilities that were constructed for other than their present purposes.

This collection of articles, together with the two previous companion publications of 1995 and 1997, represent a complete set of materials on the issues relating to nuclear submarine utilisation and safety when managing spent nuclear fuel and radioactive wastes. The book should be of interest to scientists, engineers, shipyard technicians and decision makers in the fields of radioecology and the management of decommissioned hazardous radiation facilities that were constructed for other than their present purposes.

The Advanced Research Workshop on "Nuclear Submarine Decommissioning and Related Problems" was held at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow, Russia on June 19-22, 1995. On June 17 and 18, 1995 some of the workshop participants visited the Zwezdochka Shipyard at Severodvinsk which is a repair and dismantlement facility for Russian nuclear submarines. Attendance at the workshop was approximately 115 with participants from Russia, United States, France, Norway, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, and Germany. The workshop was sponsored by the Disarmament Panel of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Science Committee. The sponsorship and the financial support of NATO is gratefully acknowledged. The workshop was organized in Russia by the Nuclear Safety Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IBRAE). The efforts of many individuals from IBRAE in producing both a technically challenging workshop and an almost flawless one are also gratefully acknowledged. In addition, the support of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the State Committee of the Russian Federation on Defense Technologies, the Ministry of the Russian Federation on Atomic Energy, the Navy of the Russian Federation, and the United States Department of Energy is acknowledged. xi CURRENT STATUS OF NUCLEAR SUBMARINE DECOMMISSIONING PROBLEMS OF NUCLEAR SUBMARINE DECOMMISSIONING AND RECYCLING N. I. SHUMKOV State Committee for Defense Industry (Goseomoboronprom) Moscow, Russia 1. General Description of the Problem Undoubtedly, the problem of nuclear submarine decommissioning and recycling has been worrying Russian civil and military specialists involved in development, building and operation of submarines for many years.