65. 



DR. LIEBERMAN: I don't believe that question can be answered 

 categorically. For example: if you have an aqueous type of reactor 

 and process it at the spot you would have high level waste right at the 

 reactor site. On the other hand, with the heterogenous reactors, fuel 

 elements can be shipped to the chemical processing plant. The answer 

 differs with the type of reactor decided upon. 



DR. LOOFBOUROW: Are we limited in the consideration of the 

 immediate problem to one or the other of these situations? 



CHAIRMAN HESS: No. The committee debated whether to limit 

 discussion to the possibility of establishing two disposal areas in the 

 United States, or whether the disposal should be around every reactor. 

 So many variables had to be considered that it was decided each com- 

 mittee should be allowed to work out its own course. 



DR. CULLER: The processing of the homogeneous waste does 

 occur right at the site, in the sense that the fission products are the 

 fuel. But the plant that separates thorium from uranium does not have 

 to be there. In fact, the economics of the processing and of the con- 

 struction of processing plants indicates it would be desirable to operate 

 at maximum capacity. It appears at the moment most economical to 

 have 5 to 15 reactors served by one processing plant. 



DR. H. C. THOMAS: Is it possible to remove the aluminum 

 from waste solutions? 



DR. CULLER: Yes, depending on the type of fuel element. It 

 is impossible to get rid of the aluminum in an aluminum -uranium alloy. 

 Aluminum may be dissolved in caustic, but the uranium is not soluble, 

 so a caustic separation process may be developed. The alloys for high 

 temperature elements are difficult to separate and are highly salted 

 in some cases . 



DR. KOHMAN; I would like to ask a question about the ratio of 

 ten reactors to one processing plant. Isn't it possible that all these 

 reactors might be in one area for a central power station? 



DR. CULLER: Yes. 



DR. KOHMAN: So you wouldn't necessarily need transportation. 



DR. CULLER: There would be some transport, and that means 

 building a carrier and getting equipment. If you transport two miles, 



