Effects of Exploratory Studies Facility construction water on radionuclide release

摘要

ESF is a planned underground laboratory to conduct subsurface explortion and testing in support of site suitability determination and license application for a potential high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. ESF design includes a 7.6 m dia, 7.8 km long tunnel loop of two main access ramps from the surface down to a main drift along the conceptual repository horizon in a fractured, welded tuff (Topopah Spring member of Paintbrush Tuff). The use of water during excavation of the ESF is expected to have negligible effects on radionuclide release from waste packages, provided the volume of water lost to the geologic environment is limited to 7.4 m(sup 3)/m of linear excavation.