A first survey of disruption scenarios for a high-level-waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada: Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations Project
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, dissolution of the spent fuel itself, and movement of released contaminants in 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 examined. Eighty-four different sequences were identified by which these processes and events could lead to failure of one or more barriers. Sequences that had similar consequences were grouped into 17 categories: direct release, repository flooding, colloid formation, increased water flux through the repository, accelerated fracture flow, water diverted toward the waste package, accelerated dissolution mechanisms, accelerated cladding corrosion mechanisms, accelerated canister corrosion mechanisms, canister breakage, fracture flow in the Topopah Spring welded unit without increased moisture flux, reduced sorption in the Topopah Spring welded unit, water table rise above the Calico Hills nonwelded unit, fracture flow in the Calico Hills nonwelded unit, new discharge points, and faster flow in the saturated zone. 52 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.
- Research Organization:
- Disposal Safety, Inc., Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 60399
- Report Number(s):
- SAND--85-7117; ON: DE88004144
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Disruption scenarios for a high level waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
FORECASTING
GROUND WATER
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
INTRUSION
MULTI-PARAMETER ANALYSIS
NEVADA
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RESPONSE MODIFYING FACTORS
RISK ASSESSMENT
SAFETY
SEISMIC EVENTS
SURFACE WATERS
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
VARIATIONS
YUCCA MOUNTAIN
Yucca Mountain Project