Expected environments in high-level nuclear waste and spent fuel repositories in salt

Claiborne, H C

doi:10.2172/5211660

Title: Expected environments in high-level nuclear waste and spent fuel repositories in salt

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Abstract

The purpose of this report is to describe the expected environments associated with high-level waste (HLW) and spent fuel (SF) repositories in salt formations. These environments include the thermal, fluid, pressure, brine chemistry, and radiation fields predicted for the repository conceptual designs. In this study, it is assumed that the repository will be a room and pillar mine in a rock-salt formation, with the disposal horizon located approx. 2000 ft (610 m) below the surface of the earth. Canistered waste packages containing HLW in a solid matrix or SF elements are emplaced in vertical holes in the floor of the rooms. The emplacement holes are backfilled with crushed salt or other material and sealed at some later time. Sensitivity studies are presented to show the effect of changing the areal heat load, the canister heat load, the barrier material and thickness, ventilation of the storage room, and adding a second row to the emplacement configuration. The calculated thermal environment is used as input for brine migration calculations. The vapor and gas pressure will gradually attain the lithostatic pressure in a sealed repository. In the unlikely event that an emplacement hole will become sealed in relatively early years, the vapor spacemore »« less

Authors:: Claiborne, H C

Publication Date:: Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1980

Research Org.:: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

OSTI Identifier:: 5211660

Report Number(s):: ORNL/TM-7201
TRN: 80-015160

DOE Contract Number:: W-7405-ENG-26

Resource Type:: Technical Report

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; 58 GEOSCIENCES; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; BRINES; CHEMICAL COMPOSITION; FLUID MECHANICS; RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL; UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL; SALT DEPOSITS; RADIATION EFFECTS; TEMPERATURE EFFECTS; BACKFILLING; CHEMISTRY; CLOSURES; CONTAINERS; CORROSION; DIAGRAMS; HEAT FLUX; HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES; M CODES; R CODES; SURFACES; TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE; THEORETICAL DATA; THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY; TIME DEPENDENCE; CHEMICAL REACTIONS; COMPUTER CODES; DATA; GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS; INFORMATION; MANAGEMENT; MECHANICS; NUMERICAL DATA; PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS; RADIOACTIVE WASTES; THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES; WASTE DISPOSAL; WASTE MANAGEMENT; WASTES; 052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage; 580300 - Mineralogy, Petrology, & Rock Mechanics- (-1989); 510500 - Environment, Terrestrial- Site Resource & Use Studies- (-1989)

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                    Claiborne, H C, and Rickertsen, L.D., Graham, R.F. Expected environments in high-level nuclear waste and spent fuel repositories in salt.  United States: N. p., 1980. 
        Web.  doi:10.2172/5211660.

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                    Claiborne, H C, & Rickertsen, L.D., Graham, R.F. Expected environments in high-level nuclear waste and spent fuel repositories in salt.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.2172/5211660

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                    Claiborne, H C, and Rickertsen, L.D., Graham, R.F. 1980.  
        "Expected environments in high-level nuclear waste and spent fuel repositories in salt".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.2172/5211660.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/5211660.

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@article{osti_5211660,

  title        = {Expected environments in high-level nuclear waste and spent fuel repositories in salt},

  author       = {Claiborne, H C and Rickertsen, L.D., Graham, R.F.},

  abstractNote = {The purpose of this report is to describe the expected environments associated with high-level waste (HLW) and spent fuel (SF) repositories in salt formations. These environments include the thermal, fluid, pressure, brine chemistry, and radiation fields predicted for the repository conceptual designs. In this study, it is assumed that the repository will be a room and pillar mine in a rock-salt formation, with the disposal horizon located approx. 2000 ft (610 m) below the surface of the earth. Canistered waste packages containing HLW in a solid matrix or SF elements are emplaced in vertical holes in the floor of the rooms. The emplacement holes are backfilled with crushed salt or other material and sealed at some later time. Sensitivity studies are presented to show the effect of changing the areal heat load, the canister heat load, the barrier material and thickness, ventilation of the storage room, and adding a second row to the emplacement configuration. The calculated thermal environment is used as input for brine migration calculations. The vapor and gas pressure will gradually attain the lithostatic pressure in a sealed repository. In the unlikely event that an emplacement hole will become sealed in relatively early years, the vapor space pressure was calculated for three scenarios (i.e., no hole closure - no backfill, no hole closure - backfill, and hole closure - no backfill). It was assumed that the gas in the system consisted of air and water vapor in equilibrium with brine. A computer code (REPRESS) was developed assuming that these changes occur slowly (equilibrium conditions). The brine chemical environment is outlined in terms of brine chemistry, corrosion, and compositions. The nuclear radiation environment emphasized in this report is the stored energy that can be released as a result of radiation damage or crystal dislocations within crystal lattices.},

  doi          = {10.2172/5211660},

  url          = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5211660},
  journal      = {},
number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1980},

  month        = {Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1980}

}

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