DOE Reports
Department of Energy reports on the status, milestones, and progress of the WIPP project
People
Profiles of key individuals instrumental to Los Alamos-based salt repository research
About This Project
The US Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) is actively engaged in planning for the future of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level nuclear waste (HLW) through the Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition (SFWD) Campaign. The SFWD campaign
includes aspects of processing, storage, transportation, and ultimately waste disposal. Within the SFWD, the Spent Fuel and Waste Science and Technology (SFWST) office is tasked with conducting research and development (R&D) related
to the geological disposal of SNF and HLW. A primary objective of the R&D is to develop a range of geological disposal options that will inform decision-makers on how to best manage SNF and HLW.
To this end, LANL has been working with DOE-NE, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) since 2011 to:
To this end, LANL has been working with DOE-NE, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) since 2011 to:
- Develop a roadmap for generic salt repository R&D,
- Conduct experiments and simulations to better quantify processes and ranges of parameters,
- Develop international collaborations to leverage ongoing salt repository research around the world,
- Provide input to a generic salt repository GDSA reference case.
Project Overview
- Numerical modeling & underground research
- Introduction of salt functions in FEHM
- Improvement of numerical modeling capabilities
- Cutting edge repository research and development
- Assuring sustainable nuclear fuel cycles