Deep Geologic Disposal of Nuclear Waste: A Small Dose of Science and Politics

The disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste in a deep geologic repository is a challenge which has stymied the United States and many other nations since the dawn of the commercial nuclear power industry a half-century ago.   The scientific community has consistently endorsed deep geologic repositories ever since the first study by the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Waste Disposal in 1957, though sociopolitical disputes have typically been at the heart of delays and failures to achieve actual disposal.   Regardless, it can be a substantial technical challenge (often decades long) to characterize a specific site and repository concept, to account for the numerous features, events and processes acting upon them, and the uncertainties therein.  This is especially so when considering the very-long timeframes (commonly 1M years) for assessing repository performance.   Many of these challenges are a reflection of the traditional mined-repository concepts of several hundred meters depth.   Deep borehole disposal concepts of several kilometers depth would appear to provide 'faster, cheaper, better' opportunities for implementing safe disposal while involving potentially different sociopolitical dynamics.   The recent Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future and other events compel us to consider new options in nuclear waste management.  This discussion will review the present state of affairs regarding U.S. nuclear waste management as well as the technical options and issues for achieving nuclear waste disposal.

Speaker: Andrew Orrel, Sandia National Labs