Geological problems in radioactive waste isolation - A world wide review
- Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States)
The problem of isolating radioactive wastes from the biosphere presents specialists in the earth sciences with some of the most complicated problems they have ever encountered. This is especially true for high-level waste (HLW), which must be isolated in the underground and away from the biosphere for thousands of years. The most widely accepted method of doing this is to seal the radioactive materials in metal canisters that are enclosed by a protective sheath and placed underground in a repository that has been carefully constructed in an appropriate rock formation. Much new technology is being developed to solve the problems that have been raised, and there is a continuing need to publish the results of new developments for the benefit of all concerned. Table 1 presents a summary of the various formations under investigation according to the reports submitted for this world wide review. It can be seen that in those countries that are searching for repository sites, granitic and metamorphic rocks are the prevalent rock type under investigation. Six countries have developed underground research facilities that are currently in use. All of these investigations are in saturated systems below the water table, except the United States project, which is in the unsaturated zone of a fractured tuff.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 138336
- Report Number(s):
- LBL-29700; ON: DE92000647; TRN: JT9212%%568
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Jun 1991; Related Information: Is Part Of Earth Sciences Division annual report 1990; PB: 197 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
29 ENERGY PLANNING AND POLICY
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
ARGENTINA
BELGIUM
CANADA
CHINA
CLAYS
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY
FINLAND
FRANCE
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
GLOBAL ASPECTS
GRANITES
INDIA
ITALY
JAPAN
METAMORPHIC ROCKS
NETHERLANDS
PROGRESS REPORT
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SALT DEPOSITS
SPAIN
SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND
TAIWAN
TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION
TIME DEPENDENCE
TUFF
UNDERGROUND STORAGE
UNITED KINGDOM
USA
YUGOSLAVIA
Yucca Mountain Project