Salt Disposal of Heat-Generating Nuclear Waste

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Issued by Sandia National Laboratories, operated for the United States Department of Energy by Sandia Corporation. NOTICE: This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government, nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, nor any of their contractors, subcontractors, or their employees, make any warranty, express or implied, or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represent that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government, any agency thereof, or any of their contractors or subcontractors. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government, any agency thereof, or any of their contractors. Printed in the United States of America. This report has been reproduced directly from the best available copy. Available to DOE and DOE contractors from U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information P.O. Box 62 Oak Ridge, TN 37831 Telephone: (865) 576-8401 Facsimile: (865) 576-5728 E-Mail: reports@adonis.osti.gov Online ordering: http://www.osti.gov/bridge Available to the public from U.S. Department of Commerce National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Rd. Springfield, VA 22161 Telephone: (800) 553-6847 Facsimile: (703) 605-6900 E-Mail: orders@ntis.fedworld.gov Online order: http://www.ntis.gov/help/ordermethods.asp?loc=7-4-0#online
SAND2011-0161 Unlimited Release Printed January 2011 Salt Disposal of Heat-Generating Nuclear Waste Frank D. Hansen and Christi D. Leigh Frank D. Hansen Christi D. Leigh MS 0751 Org 6914 MS 1395 Org 6212 Sandia National Laboratories Sandia National Laboratories P.O. Box 5800 4100 National Parks Highway Albuquerque, NM 87185-0778 Carlsbad, NM 88220 ABSTRACT This report summarizes the state of salt repository science, reviews many of the technical issues pertaining to disposal of heat-generating nuclear waste in salt, and proposes several avenues for future science-based activities to further the technical basis for disposal in salt. There are extensive salt formations in the forty-eight contiguous states, and many of them may be worthy of consideration for nuclear waste disposal. The United States has extensive experience in salt repository sciences, including an operating facility for disposal of transuranic wastes. The scientific background for salt disposal including laboratory and field tests at ambient and elevated temperature, principles of salt behavior, potential for fracture damage and its mitigation, seal systems, chemical conditions, advanced modeling capabilities and near-future developments, performance assessment processes, and international collaboration are all discussed. The discussion of salt disposal issues is brought current, including a summary of recent international workshops dedicated to high-level waste disposal in salt. Lessons learned from Sandia National Laboratories’ experience on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and the Yucca Mountain Project as well as related salt experience with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve are applied in this assessment. Disposal of heat-generating nuclear waste in a suitable salt formation is attractive because the material is essentially impermeable, self-sealing, and thermally conductive. Conditions are chemically beneficial, and a significant experience base exists in understanding this environment. Within the period of institutional control, overburden pressure will seal fractures and provide a repository setting that limits radionuclide movement. A salt repository could potentially achieve total containment, with no releases to the environment in undisturbed scenarios for as long as the region is geologically stable. Much of the experience gained from United States repository development, such as seal system design, coupled process simulation, and application of performance assessment methodology, helps define a clear strategy for a heat-generating nuclear waste repository in salt. iii
Page 1: SANDIA REPORT SAND2011-0161 Unlimit
Page 5 and 6: CONTENTS 1 Introduction ...........
Page 7 and 8: NOMENCLATURE CFR DOE DRZ EPA FEP HL
Page 9 and 10: 1 INTRODUCTION While the need for i
Page 11 and 12: that deep geologic disposal in salt
Page 13 and 14: To the extent that regulatory guida
Page 15 and 16: Table 1. Salt and potash mines in t
Page 17 and 18: steel canisters and horizontal plac
Page 19 and 20: Considerable qualitative support fo
Page 21: Table 2. Qualitative comparison of
Page 24 and 25: Source: Sandia National Laboratorie
Page 26 and 27: 2.2 Salt Repository Design A mine l
Page 28 and 29: placed over the waste canisters for
Page 30 and 31: other possible modes of interferenc
Page 32 and 33: provides frame of reference for sha
Page 34 and 35: Healing conditions are created once
Page 36 and 37: permeability tests on Salado salt s
Page 38 and 39: terms of principal stresses. Stress
Page 40 and 41: Cross-hole and same-hole velocity m
Page 42 and 43: Figure 4. DRZ development and heali
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Page 48 and 49: The thermal properties of the crush
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educing conditions is the reaction
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materials would also have an impact
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coefficient models exist (e.g., the
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and international researchers toget
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a very high level for the purpose o
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epresented in the FEP list, undersc
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• Response of the modified system
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analysis and performance assessment
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4.4 Availability and Movement of Br
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Recent developments in Germany and
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6. Damage Induced Permeability. Mec
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5 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS Deep
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7. A HLW repository in salt is expe
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This analysis only addresses genera
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enchmarking program would continue
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Brodsky, N.S. 1990. Crack Closure a
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Grauer, R., B. Knecht, P. Kreis, an
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Knipping, B. 1989. Basalt Intrusion
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Plummer, L.N., D.L. Parkhurst, G.W.
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Wawersik, W.R., and D.W. Hannum. 19
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In the FEPs numbering scheme for WI
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WIPP FEP ID — FEP Name — Descri
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1 Jack Moody Director, State Minera
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Salt Disposal of Heat-Generating Nuclear Waste

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