Management of Commercially Generated Radioactive Waste - U.S. ...

5.3.2.2 Facility Description
5.39
The conceptual repositories consist of surface and subsurface facilities. The surface
facilities provide for waste receiving and handling, mining and general operations support.
The subsurface facilities provide for waste handling and storage and mined rock removal.
The surface facilities and the mined rock storage pile constitute the visible evidence of
the repository and occupy an area of about 180 ha at the salt and shale repositories and
220 ha at the granite and basalt repositories. These quantities vary slightly from the
spent fuel case because of different repository configurations and mining extraction ratios.
Additional details of repository surface facilities are given in DOE/ET-0028.
The conceptual geologic repositories for the fuel reprocessing wastes require the
shafts described in Section 5.3.2.2 for the once-through fuel cycle repositories and an
additional CH-TRU waste shaft to transfer the waste from the CH-TRU waste building to the
subsurface emplacement area.
The repository underground layout is a conventional room and pillar arrangement that
serves the need for repository ventilation, opening stability, thermal effects and efficient
use of excavated space. Of the 800-ha total area, actual waste emplacement areas occupy
650 to 730 ha, with the remaining 80 to 160 ha occupied by shafts, general service areas,
main corridors and unmined areas within the repository.
5.3.2.3 Construction
As for the once-through fuel cycle repository, all mined rock is brought to the sur-
face during repository excavation. Mining and rock handling requirements for the concep-
tual repositories in the four media are compared in Table 5.3.6. The larger amounts of
mined rock in granite and basalt are the result of increased mining extraction ratios in
these geologies. As in the once-through cycle there is the possibility of selling the
excess salt for commercial use in the case of a salt formation repository.
TABLE 5.3.6. Mining and Rock Handling Requirements at the Reference Reprocessing
Waste Repository
Mined Room Total Permanent Surface
Quantity Backfill Backfill Surface Storage
(MT x 106) (MT x 106) (MT x 106) (MT x 106) (m 3 x 106)
Salt 35 15 20 15 7.1
Granite 53 17 24 29 11
Shale 30 12 17 13 5.1
Basalt 59 17 27 32 11
5.3.2.4 Operations
Canisters of HLW, and RH-TRU wastes are received and handled at the repository in a
similar manner to that previously described for spent fuel in the once-through fuel cycle
repository. Canisters found to be damaged or leaking are taken to an overpack cell and