EVALUATION OF PROPOSED PANEL CLOSURE MODIFICATIONS AT THE WASTE ISOLATION PILOT PLANT

摘要

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a geologic repository fordisposal of transuranic waste and is operated by the U.S. Departmentof Energy (DOE). The repository is located at a depth of 655 m in thePermian age salt beds of the Salado Formation, 40 km east ofCarlsbad, NM.A key component in the design of the WIPP repository is theinstallation of concrete structures as panel seals in the intake andexhaust drifts after a panel has been filled with waste containers. TheDOE has proposed several panel closure design modifications to theEPA. EPA approval of the changes is required since the details of thedesigns are specified in EPA’s final rule as a condition for WIPPcertification.The Environmental Evaluation Group, in its role of providingtechnical oversight on the WIPP project, has evaluated the proposedmodifications. An analysis of this evaluation is discussed.