Near-Field Performance Assessment for the Saltstone Disposal Facility
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NEAR-FIELD PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT FOR THE SALTSTONE DISPOSAL FACILITY ROGER R. SEITZ*, JOHN C. WALTON**, CRAIG A. DICKE*, AND JAMES R. COOK*** *Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Subsurface & Environmental Modeling Unit, P. 0. Box 1625, MS 2110, Idaho Falls, ID 83415 "**Southwest Research Institute, Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78228 ***Westinghouse Savannah River Company, P.O. Box 616, Aiken, SC 29802. ABSTRACT
A near-field performance assessment (PA) was conducted for the Saltstone Disposal Facility (SDF) at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The analysis was conducted in four parts: general screening calculations, degradation calculations, and flow and transport through the fractured and nonfractured facility. Modeling approaches and example sensitivity analysis results from the simulations of the fractured facility are discussed. Design considerations that may not be apparent without addressing flow and transport through fractures and lessons learned during the process are also presented. INTRODUCTION
Regulations for disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) generated by commercial and Government facilities require that a performance assessment (PA) be conducted. The PA provides design guidance and demonstrates the capability of the disposal facility to isolate the wastes from the environment in accordance with applicable standards. The Saltstone Disposal Facility (SDF) is being developed at the Savannah River Site, a U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility; thus, the facility is governed by DOE disposal requirements. DOE requirements include a formal peer review of all PAs before approval.' To provide an analogy to commercial wastes, SDF wastes are also discussed in terms of the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) classification system. The objectives of the paper are to (1) provide an illustration of how the PA was conducted, (2) discuss results in terms of physical and chemical design features that have the greatest influence on
facility performance, and (3) discuss lessons learned related to the approach and facility design. This paper emphasizes the approach and results from the PA rather than provide a detailed discussion of the models used. References are provided for detailed descriptions of the PA models. FACILITY AND WASTE FORM DESCRIPTION
The Savannah River Site is located on the west-central border of South Carolina on the Atlantic Coastal Plain. The general area is characterized by forested, gently rolling hills with a humid-subtropical climate. Annual average precipitation is 125 cm/yr. The SDF is located in the Z-Area of the Savannah River Site. Z-Area covers roughly 65 ha of land with the SDF occupying roughly 32 ha. Z-Area is located on a topographic high and is roughly bounded by small streams at distances ranging from about 0.25 km to slightly greater than 1 km. Current plans call for 15 concrete vaults to be constructed. The first vault will be approximately 30 m wide x 180 m long x 7.5 m high and the remaining v
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