Engineered barrier environment, Yucca Mountain
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
The suitability of Yucca Mountain (YM) as a potential nuclear waste repository site will ultimately depend on how well it provides for isolation of the waste. Analysis of isolation capabilities of YM must consider interactions between natural and engineered systems. In addition, environmental conditions are important to EBS design, materials testing, selection, design criteria, and waste-form characterization. Studies of environmental interactions with the EBS, have emphasized processes and changed (not ambient) conditions resulting from interaction with waste, since these are the pertinent conditions for the EBS. The results of these studies indicate that the radioactive heat-of-decay from spent nuclear fuel will play a dominant role in the performance of a potential repository at Yucca Mountain. In addition, coupled hydrothermal-geochemical phenomena may significantly affect the performance of natural barriers surrounding the repository. Depending on the thermal-loading management strategy, as well as site conditions, repository heat may either substantially increase the likelihood of water contacting waste packages, with an associated potential increased magnitude of release and transport of radionuclides, or preclude, or at least minimize, these effects for extended periods of time, perhaps as much as hundreds of thousand years.
- Research Organization:
- American Society of Civil Engineers, New York, NY (United States); American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 60753
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940553--Vol.3
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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