Identifiction of a Preferred Site for the Exploratory Shaft within the Reference Repository Location: Hanford Site

摘要

The Basalt Waste Isolation Project is a multifaceted research and development project designed to provide technology for long-term geologic isolation of commercial nuclear waste. The objective of the BWIP is to identify potential geologic repository sites in basalt, associated facilities, and technology required for the permanent isolation of radioactive wastes in basalt formations. One of the efforts of the project is to choose a reference repository location and, specifically, a location for an exploratory shaft. This report identifies a specific location for the exploratory shaft within the reference repository location, which is itself within the Hanford boundary. The reference repository location has been previously identfied through a series of siting and screening studies. The screening study reduced the area within the Pasco Basin to five site localities. Ten candidate sites were identified within the site localities. The ranking of the ten candidate sites resulted in the identification of the reference repository location and an alternate site that optimized siting criteria within the Hanford Site boundary. By applying a series of surface- and subsurface-engineering considerations, an optimum location for the exploratory shaft within the reference repository location was established. Although the entire reference repository location is considered geologically and hydrologically acceptable for the repository, it was necessary to optimize the location of the repository shaft-pillar area and, subsequently, the exploratory shaft, which is located within the shaft-pillar area, to maximize design flexibility. In addition, a deep borehole location was identified and will supply additional geotechnical data for site-specific information. (ERA citation 08:014117)