Interaction between two adjacent panels at WIPP

摘要

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a Department of Energy (DOE) facility located in southeastern New Mexico near Carlsbad, is the first nuclear waste repository certified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The first waste disposal panel, Panel 1, was completed in 1988, and Panel 2 was completed in 2000. Although the geometry of Panel 2 is identical to that of Panel 1, the pattern of creep behavior of Panel 2 is anticipated to differ from that of Panel 1 because of its proximity to the first panel. Early in situ monitoring results appear to match a conceptual model of excavation performance. Two three-dimensional numerical models are being used to assess the interaction between Panel 1 and Panel 2 and have produced initial results.