Deep Borehole Disposal Safety Case
Abstract
The safety case for deep borehole disposal of nuclear wastes contains a safety strategy, an assessment basis, and a safety assessment. The safety strategy includes strategies for management, siting and design, and assessment. The assessment basis considers site selection, pre-closure, and post-closure, which includes waste and engineered barriers, the geosphere/natural barriers, and the biosphere and surface environment. The safety assessment entails a pre-closure safety analysis, a post-closure performance assessment, and confidence enhancement analyses. This work outlines the assessment basis and safety assessment aspects of a deep borehole disposal safety case. The safety case presented here is specific to deep borehole disposal of Cs and Sr capsules, but is generally applicable to other waste forms, such as spent nuclear fuel. The safety assessments for pre-closure and post-closure are briefly summarized from other sources; key issues for confidence enhancement are described in greater detail. These confidence enhancement analyses require building the technical basis for geologically old, reducing, highly saline brines at the depth of waste emplacement, and using reactive-transport codes to predict their movement in post-closure. The development and emplacement of borehole seals above the waste emplacement zone is also important to confidence enhancement.
- Authors:
-
[2];
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Univ. of Sheffield (United Kingdom)
- Marriott Drilling Group, Chesterfield (United Kingdom)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1526232
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-2019-4378J
Journal ID: ISSN 1996-1073; ENERGA; 674823
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Energies
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 12; Journal Issue: 11; Journal ID: ISSN 1996-1073
- Publisher:
- MDPI AG
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; boreholes; safety case; performance assessment
Citation Formats
Freeze, Geoff A., Stein, Emily, Brady, Patrick V., Lopez, Carlos, Sassani, David, Travis, Karl, Gibb, Fergus, and Beswick, John. Deep Borehole Disposal Safety Case. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.3390/en12112141.
Freeze, Geoff A., Stein, Emily, Brady, Patrick V., Lopez, Carlos, Sassani, David, Travis, Karl, Gibb, Fergus, & Beswick, John. Deep Borehole Disposal Safety Case. United States. https://doi.org/10.3390/en12112141
Freeze, Geoff A., Stein, Emily, Brady, Patrick V., Lopez, Carlos, Sassani, David, Travis, Karl, Gibb, Fergus, and Beswick, John. Tue .
"Deep Borehole Disposal Safety Case". United States. https://doi.org/10.3390/en12112141. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1526232.
@article{osti_1526232,
title = {Deep Borehole Disposal Safety Case},
author = {Freeze, Geoff A. and Stein, Emily and Brady, Patrick V. and Lopez, Carlos and Sassani, David and Travis, Karl and Gibb, Fergus and Beswick, John},
abstractNote = {The safety case for deep borehole disposal of nuclear wastes contains a safety strategy, an assessment basis, and a safety assessment. The safety strategy includes strategies for management, siting and design, and assessment. The assessment basis considers site selection, pre-closure, and post-closure, which includes waste and engineered barriers, the geosphere/natural barriers, and the biosphere and surface environment. The safety assessment entails a pre-closure safety analysis, a post-closure performance assessment, and confidence enhancement analyses. This work outlines the assessment basis and safety assessment aspects of a deep borehole disposal safety case. The safety case presented here is specific to deep borehole disposal of Cs and Sr capsules, but is generally applicable to other waste forms, such as spent nuclear fuel. The safety assessments for pre-closure and post-closure are briefly summarized from other sources; key issues for confidence enhancement are described in greater detail. These confidence enhancement analyses require building the technical basis for geologically old, reducing, highly saline brines at the depth of waste emplacement, and using reactive-transport codes to predict their movement in post-closure. The development and emplacement of borehole seals above the waste emplacement zone is also important to confidence enhancement.},
doi = {10.3390/en12112141},
journal = {Energies},
number = 11,
volume = 12,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jun 04 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Tue Jun 04 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}
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Cited by: 6 works
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Figures / Tables:
Figure 0: Key Elements of a Safety Case (FEP = features, events, and processes)
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Works referenced in this record:
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Figures/Tables have been extracted from DOE-funded journal article accepted manuscripts.