Using the Disposal Systems Evaluation Framework to Evaluate Design Tradeoffs (original) (raw)

Design tradeoffs for a clay repository were evaluated using the Disposal Systems Evaluation Framework (DSEF) being developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The goal of the design tradeoff study is to identify repository design options that enable use of large waste packages. Concepts evaluated include those with pre-closure ventilation (open mode) as well as those with backfill installed at the time of waste emplacement (enclosed mode). Open mode systems maintain an air gap between the waste package and the rock (drift or borehole) wall, across which the primary mode of heat transfer is thermal radiation. In enclosed mode systems, there are multiple layers of the Engineered Barrier System (EBS) between the waste package and the rock wall, such as buffer, envelope, backfill, and a liner. DSEF includes user-friendly options to facilitate the documentation of conceptual repository design alternatives for a wide assortment of waste forms, geologic environments, and repositor...