Report of the geotechnical panel on the effective life of rooms in Panel 1

Technical Report · Sat Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991

OSTI ID:6601766

An evaluation of the effective life of underground rooms in Panel I of the waste storage area of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) was performed during April 1991 by a panel of geotechnical experts. The evaluation addressed concerns regarding WIPP's ability to complete a test program proposed for Panel 1. This program currently requires bins containing controlled quantities of contact-handled (CH) transuranic (TRU) radioactive waste to be placed in rooms in the panel. The bins will be monitored to obtain data on the potential generation of gases from the degradation of wastes emplaced in the WIPP underground facility. The purpose of the evaluation was (1) to provide an estimate of the life expectancy of the rooms in Panel 1; and (2) if necessary, to recommend additional remedial actions that would improve the longevity of Panel 1 rooms to allow the testing to be successfully completed. Panel 1, the first panel to be mined in the waste storage area, was developed to receive waste for a demonstration phase that was scheduled to start in October 1988. Mining of the panel began during the second half of 1986 and was completed to final dimensions in June 1988. The original plan was to store drums of CH TRU waste in rooms for a period of 5 years. The demonstration phase was changed to an experimental program that will use CH TRU waste in bin scale tests which will be located in Panel 1. For the purposes of this report, a nine-year test period beginning July, 1991, was assumed to be necessary to complete these bin scale tests.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Electric Corp., Carlsbad, NM (United States). Waste Isolation Div.
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-86AL31950
• OSTI ID: 6601766
• Report Number(s): DOE/WIPP-91-023; ON: DE93011041; TRN: 93-009639
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ALPHA-BEARING WASTES
UNDERGROUND STORAGE
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
EVALUATION
PILOT PLANTS
ROOF BOLTS
STABILITY
TESTING
WIPP
EQUIPMENT
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
MATERIALS
MINING EQUIPMENT
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
STORAGE
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTES
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage