Geological repositories for

Grenthe, I. Ferri, D. Proc. OECD/NEA Workshop on Near-field Phenomena In Geologic Repositories for Radioactive Waste OECD/NEA Paris 1981. 

This is not to say that all is doom and gloom. Although many of these tasks are formidable, the earth-science community believes them to be tractable and that a successful geologic repository for radioactive waste can be constructed. We only plead that our ignorance of earth s processes be considered in the development of a repository and that any repository constructed prior to the acquisition of the needed fundamental knowledge contain many independent natural and manmade barriers to radionuclide transport to compensate for our lack of knowledge. 

Defense transuranic waste sent to the WIPP facility is emplaced in a bedded-salt formation located far below ground. Thus, the WIPP facility is similar to a geologic repository for spent fuel and high-level waste in its expected waste-isolation capabilities. 

Finally, if high-level waste is considered to be hazardous waste under RCRA, requirements on construction, operation, and closure of a disposal facility, including the provision of a liner system, leachate collection and removal system, and leak detection system (see Section 4.2.2), would need to be addressed. Such requirements are impractical at a geologic repository for disposal of high-level waste... 

Goodwin, B. W. Johnson, L. H. Wuschke, D. M. Proc. NEA Workshop, OECD, Near Field Phenomena in Geologic Repositories for Radioactive Waste, 1981, 33. 

J. L. and Lynch, R. W. "Development of Reference Conditions for Geologic Repositories for Nuclear Waste in the USA", in Proceedings of the Third International Symposium on the Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management, v. 3, Moore,... 

Before the geological disposal concept was chosen there was a systematic analysis of potential options like sea dumping, sub-seabed disposal, in thick ice sheet, into space, transmutation etc. That analysis has shown that geological disposal is the most suitable solution for Sweden. There is also an international consensus on the acceptability in principle of deep geological repositories for disposal of SNF and high level waste. 

The political decision to build and take into use a deep geological repository for long term storage of spent nuclear fuel will largely depend on the outcome of thorough scientifically-based safety assessments. Given the very long operational time span for the repository, the... 

Among aqueous species, the most important corrections are for stabilities of the complexes U02(0H)2 and U(OH)4, which are apparently less stable than proposed by Grenthe et al. (1992) by about 2.4 and 10.6 kcal/mol, respectively. At near neutral pH s, stabilities of these complexes define the minimal respective solubilities of U(VI) and U(IV) minerals in groundwater. These errors have important implications to nuclear waste disposal, where the solubilities of U(IV) and U(VI) minerals are being used to define maximum possible uranium concentrations that might be released from a geological repository for nuclear waste (cf. McKinley and Savage 1994). 

Discuss some of the important similarities and differences in radionuclide behavior in uranium ore deposits and in geologic repositories for high level nuclear waste, as discussed in this chapter. 

CuRi IS, D, B, J. Faubvka-Martin, R. Aguilar, M. Attrbp, and F. Roensch. 1992. Plutonium in uranium deposits Natural analogues of geologic repositories for plutoniumbearing nuclear wastes. Froc. 3d annual inti. conf. Am. Nuci. Soc. I, pp. 338-94. 

The performance of a geological repository for nuclear waste is influenced by many processes. Determination of whether the total system will comply with regulatory requirements necessitates consideration of all components of the systems and the effects of linking all the components together. This linkage is important because it allows each component to be viewed in the context of the behavior of the entire system. Hence, the concept and methodology of Total System Performance Assessment (TSPA) is widely used in nuclear waste disposal (Figure 2.2). 

A buffer of compacted bentonite is planned to be used to prevent the movement of groundwater and the consequential escape of material from a geological repository for spent nuclear fuel. Fluid flow, phase changes, mechanical behaviour of the buffer, rock, and the waste canisters, and the heat produced by the waste constitute a coupled thermohydromechanical system. The aim of the study is to derive a general thermodynamically consistent THM model for an arbitrary mixture. The general theory is applied to the thermohydraulic modelling of a mixture of compacted bentonite, liquid water, vapour, and air. 

ENRESA. 2000. FEBEX Project. Full-scale engineered barriers experiment for a deep geological repository for high level radioactive waste in crystalline host rock. Final Report. Pub. Tec. 1/2000. 354 pp. 

From todays operating nuclear power plants in 30 countries, over 10,000 metric tons of heavy metal (tHM) are unloaded each year, with annual discharges projected to increase to --11,500 tHM by 2010. Since less than one third is reprocessed, an additional 8,000 tHM/year, on average, will need to be placed in storage facilities. No geological repository for spent fuel or... 

Natural systems that may be analogous in certain respects to a geologic repository for nuclear wastes provide a useful basis for testing assumptions, models and concepts used in repository performance assessments. The present study demonstrates that maximum U concentrations in groundwaters of the Tono Uranium Deposit appear to be limited by the solubility of the amorphous, hydrous oxide, U02(am). This conclusion, drawn from observations of a geologic system that has evolved over long periods of time, supports the... 

For countries with spent fuel arising from nuclear power plants, the same deep geological repository is highly likely to be used for the relatively small amount of processed RRSF to be disposed. However, it must be underlined that the IAEA increasingly sees the need for multinational solutions for countries with small nuclear power programmes or one or more research reactors and no nuclear power programme, since individual geological repositories for these countries seems prohibitively expensive. 

The design, construction and operation of a disposal facility for radioactive wastes, in particular of a deep geologic repository for long-lived wastes, is a major undertaking presenting challenges in various fields. Important tasks include ... 

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