ENERGY 303 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, Tunnel Boring Machine, High-Level Waste
Document Summary
Stored in storage that were never meant to see long term storage . Waste isolation pilot plant near carlsbad, nm. Stores military nuclear waste (from weapons production) in salt deposits in southern new mexico (most low radioactivity) One of the few permanent nuclear waste storage sites in use. 2014: incident of leaks from a storage drum. These accidents illustrate how difficult it is to predict potential failures of such a disposal system over millennia. We cannot be certain that future inhabitants of the area will even know wipp is there. Plans for handling civilian high-level waste (from nuclear reactors) Optimal storage strategy for high level waste: multiple barriers. Store above ground for at least 50 years to allow decrease in heat production. Convert to solid (glass?) that does not migrate. Bury in geological repository that is try and surrounded with fine-grained (impermeable) material. Proposed civilian waste repository location at yucca mountain.
