Disruption scenarios for a high level waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada
A high-level waste repository located in unsaturated welded tuff at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, would rely on six different, although not entirely independent, barriers to prevent escape of radioactivity. These barriers are the waste canister, fuel cladding, slow dissolution of the spent fuel itself, and slow movement of released contaminants in three different hydrogeologic units: the unsaturated Topopah Spring welded tuff unit, the unsaturated Calico Hills nonwelded tuff unit, and the saturated tuff aquifer. Fifty-eight processes and events that might affect such a repository were reviewed. Eighty-three different sequences were identified by which these processes and events could lead to failure of one or more barriers. Sequences which had similar consequences were grouped, yielding 17 categories. The repository system has considerable redundancy; most of the more likely disruptions affect only one or a few barriers. Occurrence of more than one disruption is needed before such disruptions would cause release of radioactivity. Future studies of repository performance must assess the likelihood and consequences of multiple-disruption scenarios to evaluate how well the repository meets performance standards. 14 refs., 1 fig.
- Research Organization:
- Disposal Safety, Inc., Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 59814
- Report Number(s):
- SAND--86-7002C; CONF-860317--35; ON: DE86007830
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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A first survey of disruption scenarios for a high-level-waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada: Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations Project
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