Analysis on the use of engineered barriers for geologic isolation of spent fuel in a reference salt site repository
A perspective on the potential durability and effectiveness requirements for the waste form, container and other engineered barriers for geologic disposal of spent nuclear fuel has been developed. This perspective is based on calculated potential doses to individuals who may be exposed to radioactivity released from a repository via a groundwater transport pathway. These potential dose commitments were calculated with an integrated geosphere transport and bioshpere transport model. A sensitivity analysis was accomplished by varying four important system parameters, namely the waste radionuclide release rate from the repository, the delay prior to groundwater contact with the waste (leach initiation), aquifer flow velocity and flow path length. The nuclide retarding capacity of the geologic media, a major determinant of the isolation effectiveness, was not varied as a parameter but was held constant for a particular reference site. This analysis is limited to looking only at engineered barriers whose net effect is either to delay groundwater contact with the waste form or to limit the rate of release of radionuclides into the groundwater once contact has occurred. The analysis considers only leach incident scenarios, including a water well intrusion into the groundwater near a repository, but does not consider other human intrusion events or catastrophic events. The analysis has so far been applied to a reference salt site repository system and conclusions are presented.Basically, in nearly all cases, the regional geology is the most effective barrier to release of radionuclides to the biosphere; however, for long-lived isotopes of carbon, technetium and iodine, which were poorly sorbed on the geologic media, the geology is not very effective once a leach incident is initiated.
- Research Organization:
- Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 6410861
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-3356; ON: DE81027620; TRN: 81-013803
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
ENGINEERED SAFETY SYSTEMS
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
SALT DEPOSITS
SPENT FUELS
GROUND WATER
LEACHING
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
DISSOLUTION
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR FUELS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
REACTOR MATERIALS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WATER
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
054000 - Nuclear Fuels- Health & Safety
050900 - Nuclear Fuels- Transport
Handling
& Storage