WIPP: THE SOLUTION TO LONG-STANDING NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEEDS

摘要

Safe disposal of long-lived radioactive wastes/ materials (LLRMs) has been studied around the world for more than 40 years. For the past 20 years, the preferred and most frequently pursued disposal solution is a deep geological vault (repository). One global lesson learned is that the siting and development of LLRM repositories is a time-consuming and costly process.rnThe Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) repository in New Mexico (Fig. 1) is the world's only operating deep geological repository for safe deep geological disposal of LLRMs. It opened in March 1999 and, when filled to capacity in 2034, will contain up to 175,584 cubic meters (m3) (6.2 million cubic feet [ft3]) of transuranic radioactive waste (TRUW), and its incremental increase to the prevailing natural background radiation during 10,000-year regulatory period is less than 10 percent of the applicable regulatory limits.