Spent Fuel Test-Climax: An evaluation of the technical feasibility of geologic storage of spent nuclear fuel in granite: Final report

Abstract

From the development of the test concept in lanuarv 1978 to the writing of this final report, the Spent Fuel Test-Climax (SFT-C) has spanned 8 years and invoked hundreds of scientists, engineers, and craftsmen in many organizations. During that time, those of us associated with the project had the plea sure i f witnessing the successful achievement of all the engineering and scientific objectives of the test. Perha ns more importantly, we saw an increased public awareness of the need for nuclear energy and for a means of safely and reliably disposing of the associated wastes. Some 10,000 people from all walks of life throughout the U.S. and 22 foreign countries visited the test facility. Most went a way with a more objective view of nuclear waste disposal than when thev arrived.Because the SFT-C was officially completed in FY 1985 and only very limited funding remains to fin ish up the remaining reports, it was not possible to assemble a complete team to write this report. Instead, it was assembled and edited by one person, but builds heavily on the FY 19S3 project interim report in several technical areas. Although the responsibility for the material presented here rests with the author, Most of the scientists and engineers who worked on the SFT-C have published formal reports and journal articles, providing a lasting record of their efforts. However, many others filled roles vital to the success of the project, but that did not lend themselves to public documentation. Although it is not possi ble to properly acknowledge the contributions of each of these participants, those individuals and organi zations whose efforts were keys to the success of the project are recognized here.The Facility engineering and construction were the responsibility of Holmes and Narver (general architect and engineering), Fenix and Scisson (architect and engineering services for mining and drilling), and Rey nolds Electrical and Engineering Company (REECo) (construccion). Special acknowledgment is extended to the late G.W. Adair, who served as superintendent throughout the construction and during the early storage phase, and to the REECo crew who provided continuous subsurface access and experimental sup port far beyond the normal requirements. Members of this crew included (at various times): L. Ala, J. Campbell, L. Cheney, D. Daffer, G. Frye, C. Halstead, and G. Medina. Appreciation is also extended to H. Allen, T. Clapp, D. Hansen, R. Murphy, and W. Smyth who provided special drilling support for stress measurements and geological characterization.Spent fuel encapsulation was accomplished at the engine maintenance, assembly, and disassembly (EMAD) facility with a highly skilled Westinghouse team managed by D.C. Durrill. T. Cross was the project engineer with key responsibility for all hardware provided by Westinghouse. The accomplishments of his team were essential in preparing nuclear waste for emplacement less than two years from the date of au thorization of the SFT-C. C. Balmgren coordinated and was the principal contributor t...

Modeling of Groundwater Flow and Radionuclide Transport at the Climax Mine sub-CAU, Nevada Test Site

“…Tiny Tot was detonated in a drift within a much smaller set of underground workings located in another area of the Climax stock. In the early 1980s, additional workings were constructed from shaft U15.01 about 420 m below ground surface for the Spent Fuel Test -Climax (SFT-C) to evaluate the feasibility of retrievable, deep geologic storage of commercial nuclear reactor wastes (Patrick, 1986). Detailed mapping of fractures and faults as part of the SFT-C studies greatly expanded the earlier descriptions conducted in the tunnels and provided invaluable information for subsequent modeling studies at Climax.…”

“…In the late 1970s, the Climax stock was chosen as the site for experiments to demonstrate the feasibility of handling and short-term storage of spent nuclear reactor fuel assemblies in granite host rock at a depth representative of a permanent repository as part of a DOE program to evaluate the feasibility of retrievable, deep geologic storage of commercial nuclear reactor wastes (Patrick, 1986). The Spent Fuel Test-Climax facility was constructed in newly mined drifts extending northwest off the existing Pile Driver workings between 1978 and 1980 at a depth of 420 m below ground surface.…”

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

“…Investigations at the NTS included granite and argillite in addition to the volcanic tuff at Yucca Mountain. A full-scale demonstration of emplacement and recovery in granite was accomplished at the Climax stock, which confirmed the general suitability of granite disposal (Patrick 1986). Limited characterization of argillite was completed in the Eleana argillite, also on the NTS (Lappin et al 1981).…”

Strategy for experimental validation of waste package performance assessment

“…There have been several in-situ experiments including those conducted at Stripa, Sweden [54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64]; the WIPP site [65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72]; Chalk River [73]; Mol, Belgium [74][75][76]; Ballidon, United Kingdom [77][78]; the Nevada Test Site [79]; Oak Ridge; and ASSE [80]. However, most of these in-situ experiments have focused mainly on the performance of the waste package, and thus provide only a partial assessment of repository performance.…”

“…The major tests include those at Stripa [54-641 and the Nevada Test Site [79] in granite, WIPP [65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72] and ASSE in salt [80], MOL in clay [74][75][76], Chalk River in sand [73], and Oak Ridge in shale.…”