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Title: Total-system performance assessment for Yucca Mountain - SNL second iteration (TSPA-1993); Volume 1

Abstract

Sandia National Laboratories has completed the second iteration of the periodic total-system performance assessments (TSPA-93) for the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP). These analyses estimate the future behavior of a potential repository for high-level nuclear waste at the Yucca Mountain, Nevada, site under consideration by the Department of Energy. TSPA-93 builds upon previous efforts by emphasizing YMP concerns relating to site characterization, design, and regulatory compliance. Scenarios describing expected conditions (aqueous and gaseous transport of contaminants) and low-probability events (human-intrusion drilling and volcanic intrusion) are modeled. The hydrologic processes modeled include estimates of the perturbations to ambient conditions caused by heating of the repository resulting from radioactive decay of the waste. Hydrologic parameters and parameter probability distributions have been derived from available site data. Possible future climate changes are modeled by considering two separate groundwater infiltration conditions: {open_quotes}wet{close_quotes} with a mean flux of 10 mm/yr, and {open_quotes}dry{close_quotes} with a mean flux of 0.5 mm/yr. Two alternative waste-package designs and two alternative repository areal thermal power densities are investigated. One waste package is a thin-wall container emplaced in a vertical borehole, and the second is a container designed with corrosion-resistant and corrosion-allowance walls emplaced horizontally in the drift. Thermal powermore » loadings of 57 kW/acre (the loading specified in the original repository conceptual design) and 114 kW/acre (a loading chosen to investigate effects of a {open_quotes}hot repository{close_quotes}) are considered. TSPA-93 incorporates significant new detailed process modeling, including two- and three-dimensional modeling of thermal effects, groundwater flow in the saturated-zone aquifers, and gas flow in the unsaturated zone.« less

Authors:
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. and others
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
145217
Report Number(s):
SAND-93-2675-Vol.1
ON: DE94013818; TRN: 94:012276
DOE Contract Number:  
AC04-94AL85000
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: Apr 1994
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
05 NUCLEAR FUELS; 58 GEOSCIENCES; 99 MATHEMATICS, COMPUTERS, INFORMATION SCIENCE, MANAGEMENT, LAW, MISCELLANEOUS; AQUIFERS; HYDRODYNAMICS; YUCCA MOUNTAIN; SITE CHARACTERIZATION; SECURITY; HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES; STABILITY; HUMAN INTRUSION; RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE; ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION; Yucca Mountain Project

Citation Formats

Wilson, M. L., Gauthier, J. H., Barnard, R. W., Barr, G. E., Dockery, H. A., Dunn, E., Eaton, R. R., Guerin, D. C., Lu, N., and Martinez, M. J. Total-system performance assessment for Yucca Mountain - SNL second iteration (TSPA-1993); Volume 1. United States: N. p., 1994. Web. doi:10.2172/145217.
Wilson, M. L., Gauthier, J. H., Barnard, R. W., Barr, G. E., Dockery, H. A., Dunn, E., Eaton, R. R., Guerin, D. C., Lu, N., & Martinez, M. J. Total-system performance assessment for Yucca Mountain - SNL second iteration (TSPA-1993); Volume 1. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/145217
Wilson, M. L., Gauthier, J. H., Barnard, R. W., Barr, G. E., Dockery, H. A., Dunn, E., Eaton, R. R., Guerin, D. C., Lu, N., and Martinez, M. J. 1994. "Total-system performance assessment for Yucca Mountain - SNL second iteration (TSPA-1993); Volume 1". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/145217. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/145217.
@article{osti_145217,
title = {Total-system performance assessment for Yucca Mountain - SNL second iteration (TSPA-1993); Volume 1},
author = {Wilson, M. L. and Gauthier, J. H. and Barnard, R. W. and Barr, G. E. and Dockery, H. A. and Dunn, E. and Eaton, R. R. and Guerin, D. C. and Lu, N. and Martinez, M. J.},
abstractNote = {Sandia National Laboratories has completed the second iteration of the periodic total-system performance assessments (TSPA-93) for the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP). These analyses estimate the future behavior of a potential repository for high-level nuclear waste at the Yucca Mountain, Nevada, site under consideration by the Department of Energy. TSPA-93 builds upon previous efforts by emphasizing YMP concerns relating to site characterization, design, and regulatory compliance. Scenarios describing expected conditions (aqueous and gaseous transport of contaminants) and low-probability events (human-intrusion drilling and volcanic intrusion) are modeled. The hydrologic processes modeled include estimates of the perturbations to ambient conditions caused by heating of the repository resulting from radioactive decay of the waste. Hydrologic parameters and parameter probability distributions have been derived from available site data. Possible future climate changes are modeled by considering two separate groundwater infiltration conditions: {open_quotes}wet{close_quotes} with a mean flux of 10 mm/yr, and {open_quotes}dry{close_quotes} with a mean flux of 0.5 mm/yr. Two alternative waste-package designs and two alternative repository areal thermal power densities are investigated. One waste package is a thin-wall container emplaced in a vertical borehole, and the second is a container designed with corrosion-resistant and corrosion-allowance walls emplaced horizontally in the drift. Thermal power loadings of 57 kW/acre (the loading specified in the original repository conceptual design) and 114 kW/acre (a loading chosen to investigate effects of a {open_quotes}hot repository{close_quotes}) are considered. TSPA-93 incorporates significant new detailed process modeling, including two- and three-dimensional modeling of thermal effects, groundwater flow in the saturated-zone aquifers, and gas flow in the unsaturated zone.},
doi = {10.2172/145217},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/145217}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1994},
month = {Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1994}
}