Waste package conceptual designs for a nuclear repository in basalt
The scope of conceptual waste package design activities reported was limited to include only waste packages for the disposal of the reference forms of Defense High Level Waste (DHLW) and Commercial High Level Waste (CHLW) and a form of spent fuel which consists of canisterized circular bundles of fuel rods from 3 Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) assemblies or 7 Boiling Water Reactor assemblies. The reference waste packages in this report utilize low carbon steel for the containment. The steel is sufficiently thick to provide corrosion resistance for 1,000 years and to resist in situ crushing loads during this time period. These packages are designed to be emplaced in long horizontal boreholes. A pneumatically emplaced bentonite-basalt backfill is included to assist the waste form in satisfying the current long-term radionuclide release criterion becauce of lack of sufficient data at this time to conclude that the waste form itself can satisfy this requirement. In the event that delayed pneumatic backfill emplacement is not desirable or feasible with the reference design, an alternate borehole type design is included. This alternate utilizes a carbon steel containment barrier with the backfill placed inside this overpack to facilitate emplacement in the long horizontal holes. A second alternate design, which has certain potential repository and overall system advantages, utilizes cast ferrous material to provide containment. Material thicknesses are such that the overpack provides shielding to keep radiation levels low enough to permit limited hands-on operations. Preliminary performance evaluations, based on available data, indicate that the designs presented in this report meet applicable requiremaents.
- Research Organization:
- Westinghouse Electric Corp., Pittsburgh, PA (USA). Advanced Energy Systems Div.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-77RL01030
- OSTI ID:
- 6793873
- Report Number(s):
- RHO-BW-CR-136-P; AESD-TME-3142; ON: DE83006520
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
WIPP waste package performance testing on simulated DHLW: early data
Retrieval and analysis of simulated defense HLW (high-level waste) package experiments at the WIPP (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant)
Related Subjects
Handling
& Storage
052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360105 -- Metals & Alloys-- Corrosion & Erosion
ALLOYS
BACKFILLING
BASALT
BRINES
BWR TYPE REACTORS
CARBIDES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON STEELS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CAST IRON
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL
CORROSION
CORROSIVE EFFECTS
DATA
DESIGN
EMPLACEMENT
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FABRICATION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IGNEOUS ROCKS
INFORMATION
IRON ALLOYS
IRON BASE ALLOYS
IRON CARBIDES
IRON COMPOUNDS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUMERICAL DATA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PACKAGING
PERFORMANCE
PWR TYPE REACTORS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTORS
ROCKS
SEAWATER
SPENT FUEL ELEMENTS
STEELS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
VOLCANIC ROCKS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS