What are some of the greatest environmental problems facing the 21st century

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What are some of the greatest environmental
problems facing the 21st century?
Picture from http//image06.webshots.com/6/2/86/74
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Permanent Nuclear Waste Management
and the

• Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

Nathan Fuller EPD 397
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WHAT IS WIPP?
The WIPP project is authorized for the disposal
of 175,000 m3 of defense-related radioactive
waste over a 10,000 year period.
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WHERE IS WIPP?
The site chosen was a 610 meter thick, Permian
Age (250 million year old) bed of salt in
southeastern New Mexico.
Left. From SNL, 2004 Right. From
www.tatchemicals.com
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GEOLOGY OF AREA
Left. From SNL, 2004 Right. Adapted from SNL,
2004
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THE DISTURBED ROCK ZONE (DRZ)
Mining has disturbed a state of lithostatic
stress (s1 s2 s3) and replaced it by a state
of deviatoric stress (s1 ? s2 ? s3).
Left. From SNL, 2003 Right. From www.wipp.ws
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VISCOPLASTIC FLOW
In salt, deviatoric states of stress activate two
primary deformation processes (1) elastic and
(2) inelastic viscoplastic flow.
Left. From SNL, 2003 Right. From
www.gly.uga.edu
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POTENTIAL FOR FAILURE
There is little historical or geological evidence
of significant tectonic activity in the vicinity,
and the level of stress in the region is low.
Left. From SNL, 2004 Right. From SNL, 2004
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CONCLUSION
WIPP will offer a safe and economical means of
disposing of nuclear waste.
Photo from www.wipp.ws
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ANY QUESTIONS?
Anonymous. (2004). WIPP Into Action. Nuclear
Engineering International. 14-17. Biedscheid, J.
Devarakonda, M. (2005). Waste Isolation Pilot
Plant as a Case Study for the Deployment of a
National Repository Program. Practice Periodical
of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Management. 45-58. Curry, D. (Editor
Producer). (2001). A Walk Through Time Sandias
Role on the WIPP Project Video. Retrieved
October 13, 2005, from personal correspondence
with Courtney Herrick. Brodsky, N.S. (1990).
Crack Closure and Healing Studies in WIPP Salt
Using Compressional Wave Velocity and Attenuation
Measurements Test Methods and Results.
SAND90-7076. Albuquerque, NM Sandia National
Laboratories. Hansen, F. D., Callahan, G. D.,
Park, B. Y. (2005). Rock Mechanics and Compliance
Certification Update Waste Isolation Pilot
Plant. Rock Mechanics Symposium 2005. Munson,
D.E., and P.R. Dawson. (1984). Salt Constitutive
Modeling Using Mechanism Maps. The Mechanical
Behavior of Salt, Proceedings of the First
Conference, Pennsylvania State University,
University Park, PA, November 9-11, 1981.
717-737. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL).
(1997). Summary of EPA-Mandated Performance
Assessment Verification Test (Replicate 1) and
Comparison with the Compliance Certification
Application Calculations. Albuquerque, NM Sandia
National Laboratories. Sandia National
Laboratories (SNL). (2003). The Disturbed Rock
Zone at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.
(SAND2003-3407). Albuquerque, NM Sandia National
Laboratories. Sandia National Laboratories
(SNL). (2004). Title 40 CFR Part 191 Subparts B
and C Compliance Recertification Application
2004 Chapters 1 and 2. (DOE/WIPP 2004-3231).
Albuquerque, NM Sandia National
Laboratories. WIPP. (2005). Retrieved October 9,
2005, from http//www.wipp.ws