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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Two-stage repository development at Yucca Mountain: an engineering feasibility study

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:59552
The preliminary concepts for a repository for high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain specify construction of a 70,000-MTU-capacity repository by January 31, 1998, as mandated in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982. Current schedules for constructing the repository indicate that the 1998 deadline established by the Act cannot be met if the repository is constructed in one stage. Therefore, the Department of Energy has requested the preparation of this engineering study to determine the feasibility of constructing the repository in two stages. The two-stage approach examined in this study involves concurrent construction of two waste-handling buildings. The first would be completed in time to accept the equivalent of 400 MTU/yr of waste by January 31, 1998. It would operate for 5 years, during which time construction of a full-capcity, 3000-MTU/yr waste-handling building would be completed. The design includes six accesses to the underground facility: four vertical shafts and two ramps. Four alternative concepts have been explored to determine whether savings in costs could be accomplished. All four alternatives appear technically feasible and are potentially more cost effective than the reference approach. The principal conclusion derived from this study is that two-stage repository construction can allow receipt and disposal of the 400 MTU/yr of waste by January 1, 1998.
Research Organization:
Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Bechtel National, Inc., San Francisco, CA (United States); Los Alamos Technical Associates, Inc., NM (United States); Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade and Douglas, Inc., San Francisco, CA (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-76DP00789
OSTI ID:
59552
Report Number(s):
SAND--84-1351; ON: DE85006673
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English