MEETING THE WASTE ISOLATION PILOT PLANT PROJECT
DATA REQUIREMENTS: THE WASTE ISOLATION PILOT
PLANT WASTE INFORMATION SYSTEM
K. R. Mikus
Westinghouse Electric Corporation
Waste Isolation Division Management and Operating Contractor
for the U. S. Department of Energy Carlsbad Area Office
P. O. Box 2078
Carlsbad, NM 88221
ABSTRACT
The U. S. Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Waste Information System (WWIS) was first developed in 1988 to meet the data requirements of the WIPP Transuranic Waste Acceptance Criteria. At that time, the data requirements consisted only of those necessary for the safe handling and disposal of transuranic waste. Project data requirements have changed drastically since that time.
Regulatory requirements detail the characterization of waste to identify and report hazardous co-contaminants; repository compliance requirements added data entry and tracking information; and transportation of the waste added additional certification requirements. All of the information necessitated by these requirements has been added to the WWIS.
The original WWIS was developed and resided on an IBM 3090 computer at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory because WIPP did not have the necessary computing capabilities in 1988. The WWIS has since been redeveloped to run under the UNIX ®
operating system on a Digital Equipment Corporation alpha server residing in the WIPP computer room. The new WWIS development took advantage of the tools of the information age, using the more advanced graphic interfaces provided by Windows 95 and data transmissions on networks using the same protocols as the Internet. WWIS programming made maximum use of Computer Aided Software Engineering tools to generate the various modules, screens, and functions of the database.
The new WWIS plays a vital role in the screening of data supplied by transuranic waste shippers/generators by performing initial edit and limit checks on data supplied. The system also provides reports and on-line information to WIPP personnel responsible for making decisions on the acceptability of waste streams and individual waste containers bound for disposal at the WIPP.
INTRODUCTION
The transuranic Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) of the U. S. Department of1 Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) defines the criteria that must be met for each container of waste to be shipped to the facility for disposal. The acceptance criteria include requirements for data that must be transmitted electronically to the WIPP Waste Information System (WWIS) for approval. The WWIS checks the data against a set of edit and limit values that were predetermined and published in the WAC. Data for each container of transuranic waste must be accepted by the WWIS before the generator can ship the waste to WIPP.
The original WWIS was developed in 1988 when the WIPP did not have central computing capabilities. The WWIS was developed on an IBM mainframe computer at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Supercomputing Facility using the NOMAD database development system. WIPP and the generator sites had access to this database using the Tymnet network. The original WWIS contained the data required by the WAC at that time, which included data essential to the safe handling and disposal of the waste at the WIPP.
But the times, and the project, have changed. The Federal Facilities Compliance Act now requires each federal facility to comply with environmental regulations and be accountable to the various federal and state organizations that regulate the environmental laws. The WWIS was completely redesigned and redeveloped to reside on WWIP network and to include the additional information required to comply with these regulations, and to determine if the waste is acceptable for disposal at the WIPP.
REGULATORY DATA REQUIREMENTS
The WIPP has applied for a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Permit2 from the New Mexico Environment Department. The RCRA Permit Application includes a plan to characterize transuranic waste and determine its hazardous co-contaminants. Hazardous waste codes established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must now be reported to the WWIS. The waste generators are using a combination of acceptable process knowledge and analysis to determine and report the hazardous components of the waste. The Transuranic Waste Characterization Quality Assurance Program Plan defines the characterization methods and provides the quality3 assurance objectives that generator sites must meet in order to properly characterize the various waste streams. The data to be reported to the WWIS includes waste container headspace gas analysis results. The data also includes a totals analysis of a number of containers with waste forms from which a representative sample may be2 taken.
The WIPP has also submitted a Compliance Certification Application to the EPA as4 required by Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 191/194, which describes the predicted disposal inventory. Regulations require the WIPP to have the capability to track the nuclides and the waste material parameters important to the performance of the repository. The WWIS will maintain an inventory of the nuclides present in the waste. The nuclide information will be supplied by the generator sites from assay information. Each waste container must be assayed by the generator site. Mass and activity information must be submitted to the WWIS for the identified nuclides. The type and quantity of waste matrix material must also be supplied by the generator sites for each waste container. The WWIS will track the material that is important to the performance evaluation of the WIPP repository. Currently, the WWIS will accumulate the number of kilograms of three waste material parameters, cellulosics, plastics, and rubber. This number will be compared against the upper limit value for these materials that is included in the Compliance Certification Application.
The shipment of transuranic waste to the WIPP is regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Transuranic Package Transporter Model-II (TRUPACT-II) is currently approved for the shipment of contact-handled waste. Transuranic waste containers must meet the requirements of the TRUPACT-II Authorized Methods For Payload Control . The WWIS requires the input of shipment and payload information5 and verifies the various approved shipment configurations.
THE NEW WWIS
The new WWIS was developed to include the expanded data requirements of the project. It was developed using the Oracle Corporation database development system ® to run in a client/server architecture. The WWIS server is housed in the WIPP computer room. A backup server was installed in Carlsbad (approximately 30 miles away) should the primary system at the WIPP site be unavailable. The backup server will be used as an off-line development system to develop and test new features and enhancements prior to installation in the primary system. WWIS users will have their computers configured to run the various WWIS input forms and reports. WWIS users will be controlled and their access limited by requirements to input or view data. Unique user identification and passwords will be issued to identify authorized users at the generator sites and at the WIPP.3
THE WWIS MODULES
The WWIS consists of various modules for the input of data from the transuranic waste characterization and certification programs. The modules also provide on-line access to the WWIS data and hardcopy reports to authorized personnel. Authorized users will enter data into various modules for review by WIPP personnel during the various approval stages. The WWIS modules are:
The Characterization Module
The Characterization Module requires the input of data about the various analyses performed on specific containers of the waste stream. This information is driven by regulations that require characterization of the transuranic waste streams prior to acceptance of those streams for disposal at the WIPP. The transuranic waste generators must characterize their waste according to project data quality objectives stated in the Quality Assurance Program Plan. The Quality Assurance Program Plan requires transuranic waste generators to perform the following characterization activities:
When the generator sites are convinced they have met the characterization requirements and the analyses support available process knowledge, results of the characterization are summarized on a Waste Stream Profile Form (WSPF) and the detailed data is submitted to the WWIS. The WWIS performs edit and limit checks on the data supplied. The Waste Container Characterization Data Reports from the WWIS will be submitted to the WIPP reviewers of the WSPF for containers in the waste stream under review. After WIPP personnel review the WSPF and the WWIS data, the waste stream is approved for disposal at the project. The WWIS data administrator will4 then enter the approval date of the WSPF in the WWIS WSPF Reference Table. Data for additional containers in the approved waste stream can then be entered into the Certification Module so that each container can be checked for the additional data required to ship the waste to WIPP.
The Certification Module
WAC certification data requirements must be met before a container can be considered for disposal at the project. The Certification Module contains all of the specific data required to approve individual waste containers. It also contains the data required in the Characterization Module and container-specific information required to handle, ship, and dispose of transuranic waste at WIPP. Waste containers whose characterization data was previously entered into the WWIS need only additional certification information such as surface dose rate, surface contamination, shipping category, plutonium equivalent activity, filter vent installation data, and gross container weight. Subsequent containers from an approved waste stream can have the required data entered directly into the Certification Module for approval.
The Shipping Module
When the WWIS data administrator approves the container certification data, the container will be available for assembly into a shipment. The shipper/generator site will assemble the approved transuranic waste containers from the Certification Module into a shipment that includes the shipping packaging (TRUPACT-II for contact-handled waste); the waste containers and/or container assemblies in each of the packagings; and information specific to the shipment itself such as the shipment/manifest number, the shipment date, and the results of the radiation surveys performed on the exterior of each shipping packaging. When the information has been completed by the shipper/generator, the shipment can be reviewed and approved by the WWIS data administrator. Only then can the shipper/generator arrange the actual shipment of the approved waste to the WIPP. WIPP personnel receiving the waste will compare shipping information on the manifest and/or shipping papers, the actual containers received, and the information on the Shipment Summary Report provided by the WWIS. If the information agrees, WIPP personnel will process the waste and emplace it in the WIPP repository.
The Inventory Module
The Inventory Module provides the WIPP waste handling technicians with a barcode reader interface to automate the identification and verification of received waste containers on the surface, and the final emplacement of the containers underground in the repository. The Inventory Module then provides reporting and tracking of selected information about the emplaced waste containers. Container emplacement locations (by panel and room) and emplacement dates are provided on an Emplacement Report5 that becomes a part of the operating record. In addition, the WWIS will track waste information on a repository level. Reports of information such as the total emplaced volume of contact-handled and remote-handled waste, total nuclide inventory, and total amount of selected material parameters are provided by this module of the WWIS.
The Query Module
The Query Module allows read only access to waste container and shipment information in the WWIS. The module allows WIPP personnel to view the data and the status of each container and shipment in the WWIS. Shipper/generator site users can view the status of container and shipment data for their site only. The query screens provide quick access to the data in the WWIS and the module allows the printing of the Waste Container Data Report and the Shipment Summary Report without having to go back to prior modules to obtain the printouts.
The Administration Module
The Administration Module contains the Reference and Limit Tables that the WWIS uses to compare and evaluate the data supplied by the shippers/generators. Various tables provide the numerical limit values established in the WIPP WAC for comparison with the data supplied by the shippers/generators. Additional tables will compare information supplied by the shipper/generator with information specific to the particular site supplying the information. For example, only characterization methods, assay methods, and hazardous codes information approved by DOE/CAO for the specific sites will be accepted by the WWIS.
The Administration Module provides reports of the Reference Table information entered into the WWIS by the data administrator. The data administrator will enter data into the Reference Tables from information included in WIPP-approved documents such as the WAC, Quality Assurance Program Plan, and Department of Energy-approved Quality Assurance Project Plans from each of the shipper/generator sites. Changes to the6 Administration Module reference and limit values are tracked by the WWIS database. The WWIS requires that a reason for the change be entered by the data administrator prior to accepting the change. The change information, including the user identification of the data administrator making the change is recorded by the WWIS in a Change Log. A record of deletions of waste containers (the only change that WIPP personnel can make to shipper/generator supplied information) is also maintained in the WWIS Change Log. Reports of the changes to the reference information and of container data deletions is maintained to provide an auditable trail of WWIS data integrity.6
THE WWIS INTERFACE
Access to the WWIS
The access to the WWIS is controlled by the data administrator so that only authorized personnel at WIPP and the various transuranic waste shipper/generator sites have access to the database. Authorized users at the shipper/generator sites will be given access to enter data into the Characterization, Certification, and Shipping Modules. They will be given read only access to the Reference Table data information in the Administrative Module, but will not be authorized to change any data in this module. WIPP personnel will have access to the Characterization, Certification, and Shipping Modules, but will not be able to change any of the data input by the shippers/generators. WIPP personnel will input data about the receipt and emplacement of the waste in the Shipping and Inventory Modules. The WWIS data administrator will maintain data in the Administrative Module Reference and Limit Tables. The data administrator will approve (or reject, for a specified reason) data input by the shipper/generator in the Characterization, Certification, and Shipping Modules. Other users will have read only access to various modules according to their need for WWIS information.
Client Computer Requirements and Setup
Client computer recommendations include a 100 MHZ 586 CPU, 32 meg of RAM, 2.5 GIG hard drive (with at least 100 Meg of free space), SVGA monitor (17-inch highly recommended), and local printer (laser printers perform nicely) to print reports. User's computers will be set up with the runtime versions of the WWIS input forms and report generators. Each client's computer will be configured to provide the user with the set of screens and reports required for their approved WWIS access level. WIPP will provide the client software and installation assistance to the users, including the proper computer and network setups. WIPP will provide orientation in the use of the WWIS and the data entry options to designated shipper/generator site personnel. WIPP will conduct first-time data transfer test exercises with each new shipper/generator, including on-site assistance.
Transfer of Data to the WWIS Users at the shipper/generator sites will log on to the WWIS using the DOE Business Network if it is available at their site. If not, special provisions must be made on an individual site basis to provide a secure connection to the WWIS. The Characterization, Certification, and Shipping Modules have options for manual or electronic transfer of the waste container and shipping data to the WWIS. Sites with larger inventories of transuranic waste will opt for the electronic transfer option. Sites with small inventories may elect to transfer the data manually, using the interactive data7 input screens provided by the WWIS.
The manual interface allows the user to input the data using a system of interactive data entry screens. During manual entry of the Characterization and Certification data, the WWIS performs edit/limit checks on each field as it is entered, and provides immediate error message feedback to the user if the data did not pass the edit/limit check. Container data for these modules must be complete or the WWIS will reject the container record. Shipment data can be entered and saved as it becomes available, and will not be rejected if incomplete until the user attempts to submit it to the WWIS for approval.
Electronic data transfer is another option for input of transuranic waste data into the WWIS. To perform electronic data transfers, the shipper/generator site must populate temporary data tables provided by WIPP from their database. When the temporary data tables have been loaded, the site can log onto the WWIS and select the electronic data transfer option. The user is then requested to log onto their own data system to establish the database link and complete the electronic transfer. During the transfer, the user will get information on the success or failure of the data to transfer. If a container was rejected by the WWIS, the transfer screen will indicate the rejection. Clicking on the rejected container will bring up a pop-up screen with the reason that the container failed the WWIS edit/limit checks. A transaction report that provides the reason the container data failed is available after the electronic transfer session is complete.
Data Review and Approval/Rejection
Waste Operations personnel at the WIPP will review and approve (or reject for specific reasons) the data input by the shipper/generators. The shipper/generator user will receive an e-mail message indicating the approval rejection status of each container as it is evaluated by the data administrator.
DATA CHANGE CONTROL
The integrity of the data in the WWIS is maintained by a combination of internal and administrative controls. The WWIS will not permit WIPP personnel to change data submitted by the shipper/generator sites. Shipper/generator site users cannot change data that has been accepted by the WWIS. When data is approved by WIPP, it can only be changed if the data administrator deletes the existing container or shipment record. The shipper/generator can then correct the data and retransmit it to the WWIS. If the shipper/generator needs to revise data that has been approved by WIPP, they must submit the reason for the deletion in writing to the WWIS data administrator. Upon approval of the written request, the WWIS data administrator will delete the entire container record from the WWIS. The generator site can then make the necessary corrections in their own database, and subsequently re-transmit the corrected data.8
The data administrator must supply the reason for the deletion provided by the shipper/generator to the data Change Log prior to deleting the record from the active portion of the database. The deleted data, along with the reason and the user identification of the WWIS data administrator, is then preserved in the Change Log. The WWIS data administrator maintains the Reference Table data in the database from information published in approved project documents. When these documents change, the data administrator must provide a reason to the database prior to implementing an edit/limit check change. The change information and the reason for the change are recorded in the WWIS Change Log. The Administration Module provides reports of the Data Change Log and the Reference Change Log to provide an auditable record of approved data changes in the WWIS.
WWIS QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM
The WWIS has been determined to be mission essential for the WIPP. The WWIS Software Quality Assurance Program (SQAP) must meet the applicable requirements of NQA-1, Subpart 2.7 . These requirements specify the programs that need to be in7 place from the software specification through the implementation phases of the software life cycle. The WWIS SQAP includes the development of a Software8 Requirements Specification , a Software Design Description , a Software 9,10 Configuration Management Plan , a Software Verification and Validation Plan , and 11,12 software testing plans and procedures.13
Because of it's importance to the WIPP, the development and implementation of the WWIS has been, and continues to be, a high visibility task.9
REFERENCES