Exploratory shaft readiness review process
The Basalt Waste Isolation Project (BWIP), operated by Rockwell Hanford Operations (Rockwell), under contract to the US Department of Energy (DOE) is investigating the suitability of siting a deep geologic repository for high-level radioactive waste at the Hanford Site in south-central Washington State. Part of this investigation includes the drilling of two shafts through many layers of dense basalt to enable testing and obtaining in situ geologic, hydrologic, rock mechanics, chemistry, and constructibility data from geologic strata to a depth of approximately 3400 feet. The shafts and underground facilities make up the Exploratory Shaft (ES) facility. The ES facility must accommodate an array of geotechnical tests including the taking of data during the construction process. The DOE has requested that Rockwell develop and implement a Readiness Review Program to determine whether the more critical stages of the ES program are, in fact, ready to proceed. This presentation is an overview of the Exploratory Shaft (ES) Readiness Review process, which Rockwell is implementing to satisfy the requirements of the DOE. The ES Readiness Review process has been developed and is identified as the ES Construction/Operations Prerequisites Plan. Rockwell has explored new pathways in extending current operational readiness review procedures and is close to completing the initial planning and organization. The scope of the presentation includes a description of the ES Readiness Review process, what the constraints are, how the Startup Team and Readiness Review Board are structured and how they interrelate, how the Startup Team plans to function, and what conclusions can be based on the work already accomplished. The ES Readiness Review process shows that a readiness review task is the culmination of the Prerequisites Plan, which is a management oversight tool that covers design, construction, operations, testing, and potentially decommissioning activities.
- Research Organization:
- Rockwell International Corp., Richland, WA (USA). Rockwell Hanford Operations
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-77RL01030
- OSTI ID:
- 5262335
- Report Number(s):
- RHO-BW-SA-550-P; CONF-860187-1; ON: DE86015779
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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