Progress in Waste Package and Engineered Barrier System Performance Assessment and Design
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PROGRESS IN WASTE PACKAGE AND ENGINEERED BARRIER SYSTEM PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT AND DESIGN
ABRAHAM VAN LUIK,* DAVID STAHL,* AND DIANE HARRISONCRWMS M&O/lntera, Inc., 101 Convention Center Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89109 **CRWMS M&O/B&W Fuels Corp., 101 Convention Center Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89109 ***U.S. Department of Energy, 101 Convention Center Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89109
ABSTRACT As part of the U.S. Department of Energy's evaluation of site suitability for a potential high-level radioactive waste repository, long-term interactions between the engineered barrier system and the site must be determined. This requires a waste-package/engineered-system design, a description of the environment around the emplacement zone, and models that simulate operative processes describing these engineered/natural system interactions. Candidate designs are being evaluated, including a more robust, multi-barrier waste package, and a drift emplacement mode. Tools for evaluating designs and emplacement mode are the currently available waste-package/engineered-system performance assessment codes developed for the project. For assessments that support site suitability, environmental impact, or licensing decisions, more capable codes are needed. Code capability requirements are being written, and existing codes are to be evaluated against those requirements. Recommendations are being made to focus waste-package/engineered-system code-development.
INTRODUCTION The Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP) of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM), is investigating the suitability of the Yucca Mountain site in southwestern Nevada as a potential high-level radioactive waste repository. Part of the suitability evaluation involves determining the long-term effects of the engineered barrier system on the site, and vice-versa. This requires a wastepackage/engineered-system design, a description of the environment around the emplacement zone, and models that simulate operative processes and allow the evaluation of engineered and Under YMP supervision, the Civilian Radioactive Waste natural system interactions. Management System Management and Operating (M&O) Contractor is evaluating candidate designs, including a more robust, multi-barrier waste package, and drift emplacement.
ENGINEERED BARRIER SYSTEM & WASTE PACKAGE DESIGN Illustrative Design Concepts The Reference Design for the waste package/engineered barrier system that was documented in the Site Characterization Plan (SCP) [1] described waste packages that would have consisted of a relatively thin-walled stainless steel container with spent nuclear fuel assemblies or a high-level waste glass canister inside. The engineered barrier system would have consisted of these packages inserted into vertical boreholes at the bottom of each drift. A pedestal would separate the bottom of the container from the bottom of the borehole, and an air gap would separate the container wall from the borehole wall. A shielding cap would be placed over
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