Planning, developing, and organizing in situ tests for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)
The US Department of Energy is developing the WIPP project in southeastern New Mexico as a research and development (R and D) facility to demonstrate the safe disposal of radioactive wastes in bedded (layered) salt. This project provides for an in situ testing facility to address the technical issues of repository development, waste package performance assessment, and waste handling demonstrations. In situ tests are a part of the R and D program and were designed to verify laboratory data and theoretical analysis. This report documents planning and development activities associated with the WIPP In Situ Testing Program. It describes the procedures followed during design, construction, and installation of the following tests: underground thermal/structural interactions, plugging and sealing, waste package performance, and operational demonstration tests. Successfully achieving this in situ test installation program required continuous coordination of Sandia's R and D testing requirements with the technical supporting activities of the other WIPP participants. Many fielding tasks were identified and assigned for accomplishment by Sandia and technical support personnel, including monitoring construction, emplacing instruments, and installing a data acquisition system. Test installation proceeded simultaneously with the excavation and with the instrument borehole drilling sequence. 13 refs., 16 figs.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 6164842
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-84-1390; ON: DE86006318
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ALPHA-BEARING WASTES
CONSTRUCTION
DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEMS
DESIGN
FEDERAL REGION VI
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
INSTALLATION
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MONITORING
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NEW MEXICO
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
PILOT PLANTS
PLANNING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SALT DEPOSITS
TESTING
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WIPP