U.S. R&D PROGRAM ON DEEP GEOLOGIC DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE

All options for generating power from nuclear energy generate radioactive waste products that will require permanent isolation from the biosphere. Currently there is no operating deep geologic repository in the United States of America (U.S.) for the permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from commercial energy generation. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is conducting research and development (R&D) on generic concepts for disposing of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in multiple lithologies, including salt, crystalline rock, and argillaceous rock. These investigations in the Spent Fuel and Waste Science and Technology (SFWST) Campaign Disposal Research (DR) R&D program include active international integration with other disposal programs in many countries around the world. Recently, we produced the SFWST DR R&D 5-year plan detailing the FY20 priorities and program structure. This DR R&D 5-year plan represents a strategic guide to the work within the SFWST DR program with focus on the highest priority technical thrusts over the short-term (~2 yrs) and longer-term (~5 yrs). This DR R&D 5-year plan is to be updated periodically to provide review of program accomplishments and reprioritization based on that mission progress, as well as on external technical advancement and changes in DOE SFWST Campaign Program Direction. Detailed assessments of the long-term performance of different disposal concepts indicate the primary factors contributing to robust isolation differ depending on site-specific geology and the engineered barrier system (including waste forms and packaging) designed for the site-specific subsurface environment. Overall, decades of research and development in the U.S. and other nations support a conclusion that robust isolation is achievable for various repository concepts in many host lithologies by relying on diverse combinations of natural and engineered barriers.

Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc. for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525. This abstract is Sandia publication SAND2021-8746 A.