Nuclear Technology and Waste Immobilization at the Savannah River Site

Reception at 3:30 p.m. in the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute Atrium

Abstract:

The Savannah River Site in Aiken, SC was constructed in the 1950’s to produce the basic materials necessary in the fabrication of nuclear weapons, primarily tritium and plutonium-239. Five reactors were also built in an effort to produce these materials for our nation’s defense programs.  In support of these efforts, the Savannah River Laboratory was created. In 2004, the lab became Savannah River National Laboratory and has three main focus areas: National Security, Environmental Stewardship, and Clean Energy. This presentation will discuss the history of the Savannah River Site, the role of the Savannah River National Laboratory in the safety and security of the nation, the immobilization of legacy nuclear waste, and some of the materials failures that occurred during nuclear waste processing.  

Biography:

Biographical Information: Marissa Reigel Burnett joined Savannah River National Laboratory in 2009 after receiving her doctorate in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. Currently, she the manager for the Materials Applications and Process Technology (MA&PT) Group which specializes in metallurgy and materials science, nuclear material management, aging materials, and nuclear radiation modeling. Prior to becoming a manger, her research focused on the processing and immobilization of legacy nuclear waste, including the formulation and properties of radioactive waste forms, erosion/corrosion design basis, material compatibility analyses and project management. In 2015, Marissa was selected as a recipient of the SRNL Laboratory Director’s Award for Early Career Exceptional Achievement for her work on erosion-corrosion issues at the Hanford Site in Washington State. She is an active member of the American Ceramics Society and ASM International.

Marissa Reigel's LinkedIn page.