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

WIPP waste package performance testing on simulated DHLW: early data

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6355393

Several waste package performance experiments are currently being conducted at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) facility. These experiments involve 18 full-size, simulated (nonradioactive) defense high-level waste (DHLW) containers of several waste package designs. These DHLW packages are emplaced in vertical boreholes in bedded rock salt, under both (thermal) near-reference and accelerated-aging repository conditions. A major purpose of these experiments is to evaluate the in situ materials performance (i.e., degradation and alteration) of the various waste package barriers: metallic waste canisters and overpacks, backfill materials, and high-level glass waste form (nonradioactive). The waste package test emplacements are heavily instrumented, providing remote readouts of in situ temperatures, pressures, moisture inflow, and container tilt. No materials samples have been removed for laboratory analyses to date, but about five months of instrumentation data have been acquired. This paper describes the current technical status of these WIPP tests and discusses the available, early results. 14 refs., 3 figs.

Research Organization:
Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-76DP00789
OSTI ID:
6355393
Report Number(s):
SAND-85-0559C; CONF-850918-8; ON: DE86003242
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English