SCIENTIFIC ISSUES RELATED TO GEOLOGIC STORAGE OF CARBON SEQUESTRATION: LEARNING FROM NUCLEAR WASTE AND YUCCA MOUNTAIN R&D

This presentation starts with a comparative assessment of geological storage of CO₂ and nuclear waste. Similarities and differences between these two fields are discussed, focusing mainly on the scientific and technological achievements and remaining challenges. Since research and technological development on geological storage of nuclear waste has a longer history than the fast evolving area of CO₂ sequestration, we evaluate to which extent technological advancements from the former field has been transferred to the other. We will conduct this evaluation for these two fields in general, but will also zoom in on the specific advancements made in the Yucca Mountain project, and how these have been and may continue to be useful for nascent CO₂ sequestration science. Topics to be covered in our comparative assessment include: importance of flow and transport processes; relevance of thermal, chemical, and/or hydrological coupling; modeling concepts and developments; site characterization methods; field experiments; monitoring approaches; and risk assessments.