Publications Details
Thermal performance of a generic high-level waste salt repository
Thermal analyses of disposal strategies in a generic salt repository with high-level nuclear waste (HLW) have been completed. These studies were undertaken primarily to examine details of temperature distribution as a function of time for disposal concepts of wastes resulting from the recycling of spent nuclear fuel from a light water reactor. These analyses confirm that a conceptual salt repository for HLW appears feasible and worthy of more detailed evaluation. The analyses examined the temporal temperature distribution near a HLW package, as well as the far-field thermal response due to its transient heat pulse. The sensitivity of temperature distribution to several variations of primary features (e.g. the waste emplacement rate, waste configuration, etc.) was also determined. The principal observations of the study include the following. The temperatures involved ensure sufficient time for waste emplacement within a panel and adequate time to mine adjacent panels without adverse consequences. The modeled concept of a single level repository is workable. Thermal loading is the primary driver of repository-wide (far-field relative to the waste canister) heat effects. Decay storage, decreasing the loading of the waste package and changing the waste configuration are viable methods for reducing the peak waste and salt temperatures. The results of the thermal analyses show that with application of informed heat management strategies, thermal front migration rates are slow enough that a feasible design of the repository can be implemented. Peak temperatures within the waste package can be controlled with modest engineering considerations.