A Systems Analysis Approach to Nuclear Waste Management Problems

Cohen, J.J. (1975). A Systems Analysis Approach to Nuclear Waste Management Problems. IIASA Research Memorandum. IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria: RM-75-020

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Abstract

I am fortunate to have the opportunity of working in Vienna this year, and to participate in a joint research project of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. The primary task of this project is to study risk assessment principles and their application in judging the acceptability of technological developments. The primary focus has been on energy production systems, particularly nuclear energy.

Applied systems analysis is basically a means of providing a rational approach to problem solving by identifying and modeling interactions between the system under study and all other systems. This leads to a more thorough understanding of the system being studied and all its ramifications, thereby optimizing the decision-making process. Stated more simply, systems analysis is a way of thinking. It requires a clear statement of the elements of the problem, the objectives to be achieved, and the constraints under which one must operate. Having established these parameters, they are then modeled and by use of computers and other analytical tools, sensitivities of all factors are evaluated, effects of constraints are assessed, and optimal solutions derived within the framework of the stated objective functions.

This paper will discuss the application of systems analysis to the problem of nuclear waste management in general, and to off-gas treatment in particular. It will not deal with the details of modeling methods or calculations, but will concentrate on a discussion of the objectives and constraints which provide the framework for the analysis.

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