Uranium

DOE-HDBK-1188-2006

well as under the normal conditions of transport. The current NRC testing criteria for Type B package

designs (10 CFR Part 71) are intended to simulate severe accident conditions, including impact,

puncture, fire, and immersion in water. The most widely recognized Type B packages are the massive

casks used for transporting spent nuclear fuel. Large-capacity cranes and mechanical lifting equipment

are usually needed to handle Type B packages. (See Type A packaging.)

Note: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission calls this "Type B packaging" and defines a "Type

B package" as "a Type B packaging together with its radioactiv e contents." Draft DOE M

435.1 defines "packaging" similarly to the NRC, as "A receptacle and any other components

or materials necessary for the receptacle to perform its required containment function," and

defines "package" as "Any packaging plus its contents."

[Derived from 10 CFR 71, 49 CFR 173 Subpart I]

174. URANIUM. A radioactive, metallic element with the atomic number 92; the heaviest naturally

occurring element. Uranium has 14 known isotopes, of which uranium-238 is the most abundant in

nature. Uranium-235 is commonly used as a fuel for nuclear fission. (See natural uranium, enriched

uranium, and depleted uranium.) [Derived from AHD, UI, NRC Glossary]

175. WASTE CHARACTERIZATION. The identification of waste composition and properties by

reviewing process knowledge, nondestructive examination, nondestructive assay, or sampling and

analysis. Characterization provides the basis for determining appropriate storage, treatment, handling,

transportation, and disposal requirements. [Derived from DOE Glossary]

176. WASTE ISOLATION PILOT PLANT (WIPP). A U.S. Department of Energy facility designed and

authorized to permanently dispose of transuranic radioactive waste in a mined underground facility in

deep geologic salt beds. It is located in southeastern New Mexico, 26 miles (42 km) east of the city

of Carlsbad.[Derived from DOE CAO]

177. WASTE MINIMIZATION. Actions that economically avoid or decrease waste production by

reducing waste generation at the source, reducing the toxicity of hazardous waste, improving efficiency

of energy usage, or recycling wastes. [Derived from DOE P4]

178. WEIGHTING FACTOR. Generally, a method of attaching different importance values to different

items or characteristics. In the context of radiation protection, the proportion of the risk of effects

resulting from irradiation of a particular organ or tissue to the total risk of effects when the whole body

is irradiated uniformly (e.g., the organ dose weighting factor for the lung is 0.12, compared to 1.0 for

the whole body). Weighting factors are used for calculating the effective dose equivalent. [Derived

from 10 CFR 20.1003]

179. WETLANDS. Those areas that are inundated by surface or groundwater with a frequency sufficient

to support, and under normal circumstances do or would support, a prevalence of vegetative or

aquatic life that requires saturated or seasonally saturated soil conditions for growth and reproduction.

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