Construction of the exploratory studies facility at Yucca Mountain - North Ramp
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Office of the US Department of Energy is constructing an Exploratory Studies Facility, approximately 160 km (100 miles) northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. This facility will be used to gather geological, hydrological, geomechanical, thermomechanical, and geochemical information to characterize Yucca Mountain as a potential site to isolate High-Level Radioactive Waste from the accessible environment. The Exploratory Studies Facility, when completed shall consist of two ramps from the surface, a connecting drift, underground test areas and below ground operational support facilities. The ramps and connecting drift are being mined by a 7.62 m (25 ft) diameter Tunnel Boring Machine. This machine was fabricated for the Department of Energy by Construction Tunneling Services, Inc; of Kent, Washington. This paper describes the current status of the concentration of the North Ramp at Yucca Mountain. At the time of this writing, the North Ramp had advanced to a distance of about 517 m (1700 ft). With the exception of some minor problems through Bow Ridge fault, the excavation has progressed as expected.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 64198
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR--95-1286; CONF-9504148--1; ON: DE95010890
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Pre-construction geologic section along the cross drift through the potential high-level radioactive waste repository, Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada
Integrated geology and preliminary cross section along the north ramp of the exploratory studies facility, Yucca Mountain