DOE 2000. - Waste Isolation Pilot Plant - U.S. Department of Energy

WIPP RH PSAR DOE/WIPP-03-3174 CHAPTER 4
FACILITY DESIGN AND OPERATION
This Chapter provides an overview of (1) the design of the WIPP facility and associated principal
structures, systems, and components (SSCs), and (2) the RH waste handling/emplacement process.
Sufficient detail is provided to facilitate hazard identification and principal design and safety criteria
selection.
As discussed in the General Plant Design Description 1 (GPDD), no Design Class I SSC exists at the
WIPP. Design information is provided in this chapter only for those SSCs listed in Table 4.1-1 that have
been designated as Design Class II, and IIIA in the GPDD. Design Class IIIB SSCs are briefly described
only to the extent necessary to complete the overview of the facility design and operation. Detailed
design information on each SSC may be found in the respective System Design Description (SDD). The
methodology for establishing the design class and the basis for classification determination for SSCs can
be found in Appendix C of the GPDD.
4.1 Summary Description
The WIPP facility is located in Eddy County about 26 miles east of Carlsbad, New Mexico,
encompassing 10,240 acres (16 sections) within the site boundary (Figure 4.1-1).
The controlled zones and associated fenced-in areas are described in Chapter 2. The facility is divided
into three basic groups: surface structures, shafts, and subsurface structures, shown on Figures
4.1-2a, 4.1-2b, and 4.1-3.
The WIPP facility surface structures accommodate the personnel, equipment, and support services
required for the receipt, preparation, and transfer of waste from the surface to the underground. The
surface structures are located in an area (approximately 35 acres) within a perimeter security fence
(Figure 4.1-2a). RH TRU waste surface traffic flow is shown in Figure 4.1-2a.
The vertical shafts extending from the surface to the underground horizon are the waste shaft, the salt
handling (SH) shaft, the exhaust shaft, and the air intake shaft (AIS). These shafts are lined from the
shaft collar to the top of the salt formation (about 850 ft [259 m] below the surface), and are unlined
through the salt formation. The shaft lining is designed to withstand the full piezometric water pressure
associated with any water-bearing formation encountered.
The subsurface structures consist of the waste disposal area, the support area, and the north
(experimental) area (Figure 4.1-3). The experimental area was deactivated in September 1996 (Portions
of this area were re-entered for the permanent disposal of salt mined from Panel 2 and are being
maintained open.
4.1-1 January 28, 2003