In-situ seal tests at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)
The first in a series of in situ tests on candidate seal performance has been conducted at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). These tests represent a phase of testing intermediate between laboratory and full-scale seal evaluations, and are significant because they will provide an in situ evaluation of the thermal, mechanical, and fluid flow performance of seal systems. The scale of the tests allowed the cost-efficient conduct of numerous tests under a wide range of conditions. The first test series is evaluating an expansive, salt-water based concrete emplaced in boreholes drilled in the floor of the WIPP facility. Emplaced seals range in size from 3-ft(91-cm)-dia by 3-ft(91-cm)-length to 6-in(15-cm)-dia by 1-ft(30-cm)-length to examine size effects. In some emplacements, the seal material and the adjacent rock was instrumented to obtain data on the temperature, stress, strain, and displacement fields. Results after 180 days indicate substantial interface pressures from creep of the surrounding rock salt. After the seals had cured about 1 month, a series of gas and brine permeability measurements, including tracers, were made. These measurements reveal that the concrete seal system is an excellent barrier to both brine and gas. These measurements will be repeated in the future to discern time-dependent effects.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 6145599
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-85-1989C; CONF-860317-33; ON: DE86007823
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Waste management '86, Tucson, AZ, USA, 2 Mar 1986; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
CONCRETES
PERMEABILITY
STRAINS
STRESSES
SEALING MATERIALS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
CLOSURES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
WIPP
BUILDING MATERIALS
DATA
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
INFORMATION
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUMERICAL DATA
PILOT PLANTS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
TESTING
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
360603* - Materials- Properties
052002 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage