Development of geological disposal concepts

McKinley, Ian G.; Alexander, W. Russell; Blaser, Petra

doi:10.1016/s1569-4860(06)09003-6

“…Drawing from McKinley et al (2007), key characteristics to consider in siting a mined geologic repository in granite include:…”

Section: Sitingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forecasting stability of well bore zones holding radioactive waste containers

Morozov¹,

Kagan²

2015

gzh

0

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This report evaluates the feasibility of disposing U.S. high-level radioactive waste in granite several hundred meters below the surface of the earth. The U.S. has many granite formations with positive attributes for permanent disposal. Similar crystalline formations have been extensively studied by international programs, two of which, in Sweden and Finland, are the host rocks of submitted or imminent repository license applications. This report is enabled by the advanced work of the international community to establish functional and operational requirements for disposal of a range of waste forms in granite media. In this report we develop scoping performance analyses, based on the applicable features, events, and processes (FEPs) identified by international investigators, to support generic conclusions regarding post-closure safety.Unlike the safety analyses for disposal in salt, shale/clay, or deep boreholes, the safety analysis for a mined granite repository depends largely on waste package preservation. In crystalline rock, waste packages are preserved by the high mechanical stability of the excavations, the diffusive barrier of the buffer, and favorable chemical conditions. The buffer is preserved by low groundwater fluxes, favorable chemical conditions, backfill, and the rigid confines of the host rock. An added advantage of a mined granite repository is that waste packages would be fairly easy to retrieve, should retrievability be an important objective.The results of the safety analyses performed in this study are consistent with the results of comprehensive safety assessments performed for sites in Sweden, Finland, and Canada. They indicate that a granite repository would satisfy established safety criteria and suggest that a small number of FEPs would largely control the release and transport of radionuclides. In the event the U.S. decides to pursue a potential repository in granite, a detailed evaluation of these FEPs would be needed to inform site selection and safety assessment.

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“…Compared to CCS, radioactive waste disposal is a relatively mature science with a fifty year history (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), 1997; McKinley et al 2007). During this time significant advances have been made in understanding and assessing the long-term performance of a repository.…”

Section: Gaps In Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Issues in the Geological Disposal of Carbon Dioxide and Radioactive Waste

West

¹

,

Shaw

²

,

Pearce

³

2011

Advances in Global Change Research

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A comparative assessment of the post-closure environmental issues for the geological disposal of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and radioactive waste is made in this chapter.Several criteria are used: the characteristics of radioactive waste and CO 2 ; their potential environmental impacts; an assessment of the hazards arising from radioactive waste and CO 2 ; and monitoring of their environmental impacts. There are several differences in the way that the long term safety of the disposal of radioactive waste and CO 2 is regulated and evaluated. While the regulatory procedures relating to the development of a facility for the disposal of radioactive waste in many countries with nuclear power programmes are well defined having evolved over several decades, those relating to CO 2 disposal are less well developed. The results of this assessment show that, despite key differences, many of the approaches addressing environmental issues are similar. Additionally, much can be learnt from the radioactive waste disposal experience which will be particularly relevant to the assessments of site performance for CO 2 within a regulatory framework, particularly in the methods and approaches to long term site performance assessment.

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“…The properties of granite formations vary broadly across the U.S. (Section 1.3) and may also vary broadly across granite provinces. Drawing from McKinley et al (2007), key characteristics to consider in siting a mined geologic repository in granite include:  Depth -The specific isolation zone should be determined based on site specific conditions. Geologic isolation is attained by ensuring significant separation between the repository and the biosphere, which would provide extensive sub-zones for robust seal systems.…”

Section: Sitingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Granite disposal of U.S. high-level radioactive waste.

Freeze¹,

Mariner²,

Lee³

et al. 2011

7

0

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This report evaluates the feasibility of disposing U.S. high-level radioactive waste in granite several hundred meters below the surface of the earth. The U.S. has many granite formations with positive attributes for permanent disposal. Similar crystalline formations have been extensively studied by international programs, two of which, in Sweden and Finland, are the host rocks of submitted or imminent repository license applications. This report is enabled by the advanced work of the international community to establish functional and operational requirements for disposal of a range of waste forms in granite media. In this report we develop scoping performance analyses, based on the applicable features, events, and processes (FEPs) identified by international investigators, to support generic conclusions regarding post-closure safety.Unlike the safety analyses for disposal in salt, shale/clay, or deep boreholes, the safety analysis for a mined granite repository depends largely on waste package preservation. In crystalline rock, waste packages are preserved by the high mechanical stability of the excavations, the diffusive barrier of the buffer, and favorable chemical conditions. The buffer is preserved by low groundwater fluxes, favorable chemical conditions, backfill, and the rigid confines of the host rock. An added advantage of a mined granite repository is that waste packages would be fairly easy to retrieve, should retrievability be an important objective.The results of the safety analyses performed in this study are consistent with the results of comprehensive safety assessments performed for sites in Sweden, Finland, and Canada. They indicate that a granite repository would satisfy established safety criteria and suggest that a small number of FEPs would largely control the release and transport of radionuclides. In the event the U.S. decides to pursue a potential repository in granite, a detailed evaluation of these FEPs would be needed to inform site selection and safety assessment.

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Development of geological disposal concepts

Cited by 28 publications

References 9 publications

Forecasting stability of well bore zones holding radioactive waste containers

Forecasting stability of well bore zones holding radioactive waste containers

Environmental Issues in the Geological Disposal of Carbon Dioxide and Radioactive Waste

Granite disposal of U.S. high-level radioactive waste.

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