Geotechnical Instrumentation for Repository Shafts

Lentell, Randall Lynn; Byrne, John; ,

Geotechnical Instrumentation for Repository Shafts

by Randall Lynn Lentell, AWD Technologies, Inc, Boise, United States,
John Byrne, AWD Technologies, Inc, Boise, United States,

Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Dynamic Analysis and Design Considerations for High-Level Nuclear Waste Repositories

Abstract:

The United States Congress passed the Nuclear Waste Policy Act in 1980, which required that three distinctly different geologic media be investigated as potential candidate sites for the permanent disposal of high-level nuclear waste. The three media that were selected for study were basalt (WA), salt (TX, LA, MS, UT), and tuff (NV). Preliminary ESF designs were prepared for seven candidate salt sites, including bedded and domal salt environments. A bedded-salt site was selected in Deaf Smith County, TX for detailed site characterization studies and ESF Final Design. Although Congress terminated the Salt Repository Program in 1988, Final Design for the Deaf Smith ESF was completed, and much of the design rationale can be applied to subsequent deep repository shafts. This paper presents the rationale for the geotechnical instrumentation that was designed for construction and operational performance monitoring of the deep shafts of the in-situ test facility. The instrumentation design described can be used as a general framework in designing subsequent instrumentation programs for future high-level nuclear waste repository shafts.

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