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Deep Borehole Disposal Research: Demonstration Site Selection Guidelines, Borehole Seals Design, and RD&D Needs

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Deep Borehole Disposal Research: Demonstration Site Selection Guidelines, Borehole Seals Design, and RD&D Needs Deep Borehole Disposal Research: Demonstration Site Selection Guidelines, Borehole Seals Design, and RD&D Needs Prepared for U.S. Department of Energy Used Fuel Disposition Campaign Bill W. Arnold, Patrick Brady, Susan Altman, Palmer Vaughn, Dennis Nielson, Joon Lee, Fergus Gibb, Paul Mariner, Karl Travis, William Halsey, John Beswick, and Jack Tillman Sandia National Laboratories October 25, 2013 FCRD-USED-2013-000409 SAND2013-9490P DISCLAIMER This information was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the U.S. Government. Neither the U.S. Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness, of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. References herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trade mark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the U.S. Government or any agency thereof. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000. Deep Borehole Disposal Research October 25, 2013 iii Revision 2 12/20/2012 APPENDIX E FCT DOCUMENT COVER SHEET1 Deep Borehole Disposal Research: Demonstration Site Selection Guidelines, Borehole Seals Design, and RD&D Name/Title of Needs Deliverable/Milestone/Revision No. M2FT-13SN0817051 Work Package Title and Number DR Deep Borehole Disposal – SNL, FT-13SN081705 Work Package WBS Number 1.02.08.17 Robert J. MacKinnon Responsible Work Package Manager (Name/Signature) Date Submitted October 25, 2013 Quality Rigor Level for QRL-3 QRL-2 QRL-1 N/A* Deliverable/Milestone2 Nuclear Data This deliverable was prepared in accordance with Sandia National Laboratories (Participant/National Laboratory Name) QA program which meets the requirements of DOE Order 414.1 NQA-1-2000 Other This Deliverable was subjected to: Technical Review Peer Review Technical Review (TR) Peer Review (PR) Review Documentation Provided Review Documentation Provided Signed TR Report or, Signed PR Report or, Signed TR Concurrence Sheet or, Signed PR Concurrence Sheet or, Signature of TR Reviewer(s) below Signature of PR Reviewer(s) below Name and Signature of Reviewers S. David Sevougian NOTE 1: Appendix E should be filled out and submitted with the deliverable. Or, if the PICS:NE system permits, completely enter all applicable information in the PICS:NE Deliverable Form. The requirement is to ensure that all applicable information is entered either in the PICS:NE system or by using the FCT Document Cover Sheet NOTE 2: In some cases there may be a milestone where an item is being fabricated, maintenance is being performed on a facility, or a document is being issued through a formal document control process where it specifically calls out a formal review of the document. In these cases, documentation (e.g., inspection report, maintenance request, work planning package documentation or the documented review of the issued document through the document control process) of the completion of the activity, along with the Document Cover Sheet, is sufficient to demonstrate achieving the milestone. If QRL 1, 2, or 3 is not assigned, then the Lab / Participant QA Program (no additional FCT QA requirements) box must be checked, and the work is understood to be performed and any deliverable developed in conformance with the respective National Laboratory / Participant, DOE or NNSA-approved QA Program. Deep Borehole Disposal Research iv October 25, 2013 This page intentionally left blank. Deep Borehole Disposal Research October 25, 2013 v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The U.S. Department of Energy has been investigating deep borehole disposal as one alternative for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive waste forms, along with research and development for mined repositories in salt, granite, and clay, as part of the used fuel disposition (UFD) campaign. The deep borehole disposal concept is straightforward and consists of drilling a borehole on the order of 5,000 m deep, emplacing waste canisters in the lower part of the borehole, and sealing the upper part of the borehole with bentonite and concrete seals. A reference design of the disposal system (Arnold et al. 2011a) includes emplacement of 400 waste canisters in the lower 2,000 m of the borehole, seals and plugs in the uncased borehole for 1,500 m above the disposal zone, and standard borehole plugging in the cased upper 1,500 m of the borehole. Safety of the disposal concept relies primarily on the great depth of burial, the isolation provided by the deep natural geological environment, and the integrity of the borehole seals. The DOE developed a research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) roadmap for deep borehole disposal in FY12 (DOE 2012) that emphasized a full-scale demonstration project around which research and development activities would be organized. The overarching goal of deep borehole disposal research for FY13 is to advance the deep borehole disposal technical basis needed to site and implement a full-scale demonstration project. Given that identifying a demonstration project site is one of the first steps in a demonstration project, a specific objective of the research is to establish technical and logistical guidelines to be used in the evaluation of potential demonstration sites. An additional objective is planning the experimental research program for investigation of alternative sealing methods, including the time-dependent properties of candidate seal materials under a range of environmental conditions. This objective is motivated by the recognition that the borehole seals constitute the primary component of the engineered barrier system in the deep borehole disposal concept. A final objective is to further establish the preliminary safety framework for this disposal concept and for a deep borehole disposal demonstration project. Selection of a site for a deep borehole disposal demonstration project would be informed by numerous factors that fall into several categories, including technical factors, logistical/practical factors, and sociopolitical factors. Numerous technical factors are potentially important to drilling and construction of a deep borehole, successful completion of a deep borehole disposal demonstration project, and the post-closure safety of the disposal system. Logistical factors for a deep borehole disposal demonstration project are related to drilling activity in the petroleum industry, geothermal industry, and, to a lesser extent, deep scientific drilling activity. Analysis of social and political factors related to site selection is generally beyond the scope of this report, but early engagement with local and regional stakeholders at any potential location, particularly in the scientific and academic communities, would likely improve the chances of implementing a demonstration project. Overall, the site selection strategy for the demonstration project aims to maximize the probability of successfully completing the borehole, at a site with favorable geological, hydrogeological, and geochemical conditions, within budgetary and schedule constraints. Deep Borehole Disposal Research vi October 25, 2013 A number of geological, hydrogeological, and geophysical factors have been evaluated that are potentially relevant to successfully completing a deep borehole demonstration project and demonstrating post-closure safety for a deep borehole disposal system: Depth to crystalline basement – (less than 2,000 m favorable) Crystalline basement lithology – (felsic intrusive rocks preferred) Basement structural complexity – (faults, shear zones, and tectonic complexes unfavorable) Horizontal stress – (small differential in horizontal stress favorable) Tectonic uplift – (low uplift rate favorable) Geothermal heat flux – (low heat flux favorable) Topographic relief and hydraulic gradient – (low regional topographic relief favorable) Quaternary faults and volcanism – (Quaternary-age faulting and volcanism unfavorable) Mineral resources potential – (Higher potential for mineral resources in crystalline basement generally unfavorable) Regarding logistical considerations for a demonstration project, deep drilling is now common within the petroleum industry, but there are few examples where large-diameter wells (greater than about 12 inches diameter) have been drilled in crystalline bedrock to depths of 4,000 to 5,000 meters (Beswick 2008). Although rigs large enough to drill a reference design borehole are not common, there are at least seven drilling contractors in the US that have this capability. These rigs are located in the western and southwestern US. Drilling support services, such as completion and logging services, are available through companies that work with the petroleum drilling sector. The supply chain within the U.S. is robust and it is expected that services and supplies can be procured by competitive bid for each type of equipment or service. The details of the legal and regulatory requirements for permitting a deep borehole
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