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

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6.43<br />

TABLE 6.1.8. Occupational Dose Estimate During Normal Operation<br />

At a Single Rock Melting Cavity<br />

Whole-Body Dose,<br />

Process Unit man-rem/yr<br />

Valve Gallery 120<br />

Offgas Recovery 110<br />

Maintenance 50<br />

Decommissioning 30<br />

Support/Overhead 40<br />

Total 350<br />

Impacts from surface construction would be typical <strong>of</strong> those associated with the con-<br />

struction <strong>of</strong> any chemical processing plant. Also, impacts similar to those for the mined<br />

geologic repository and discussed in Section 5.4 would be expected for this option.<br />

Natural System Impacts<br />

The effects <strong>of</strong> rock melting on ground-water migration and transport <strong>of</strong> radioactivity in<br />

the surrounding rock and the possible modeling <strong>of</strong> these effects are discussed in Section<br />

6.1.2.3. This analysis suggests that heat from the wastes should not affect the thermal re-<br />

gime near the surface.<br />

The principal impacts on natural systems associated with HLW disposal are considered to<br />

be those normally encountered in underground drilling and construction activities. Construc-<br />

tion impacts could be estimated relative to those from conventional repositories on the<br />

basis <strong>of</strong> the amount <strong>of</strong> excavation required.<br />

Such topics as disposal <strong>of</strong> mined spoil, emissions from machinery used in construction,<br />

and prevention <strong>of</strong> water pollution from mud pit overflow could best be analyzed for a speci-<br />

fic site. General impacts, however, would be similar to those discussed in Section 5.4.<br />

Because <strong>of</strong> the lack <strong>of</strong> formal studies, the effects <strong>of</strong> the melting cycle on the integrity<br />

<strong>of</strong> the geologic formation would need to be thoroughly studied. Effects such as thermal ex-<br />

pansion and contraction, phase change, and hydrologic change during pre- and postemplacement<br />

environments would have to be assessed. These effects could be significant, but present data<br />

are insufficient to draw meaningful conclusions.<br />

Socioeconomic Effects<br />

Overall, the potential socioeconomic impact <strong>of</strong> a rock melt repository is rated as minor<br />

(Bechtel 1979a). This conclusion is reached, in part, because only a moderate sized work<br />

force (between 2,000 and 3,000 people) would be required for successful operation. Land re-<br />

quirements would be less than for any <strong>of</strong> the other disposal alternatives studied (Bechtel

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