EES Focus AreasEES Group PagesCONTACTS
|
CapabilitiesAssessing Yucca Mountain requires the skill and knowledge base of a multidisciplinary team of physical scientists. Physicists, chemists, geologists, engineers, technicians, and general staff from Los Alamos National Laboratory apply their knowledge and tools, supported by the parallel work of scientists representing other national laboratories, universities, and the US Geological Survey. At Yucca Mountain, we are applying our geotechnical engineering capabilities, which include:
For any repository, the foremost concern is the potential of transport of the gradually disintegrating wastes to the accessible environment. Normally, the transporting agent would be groundwater. At Yucca Mountain, however, because of the region's volcanic nature, concerns are compounded by the possibility of a future reoccurrence of tectonic activity. In the southern Nevada desert near the California state line, an earthquake or volcanic eruption could conceivably generate a radionuclide transport mechanism. The major tests and facilities at the repository site are Exploratory Studies Facility. Excavation of the tunnel, which is approximately 8 km long and 7.5 m in diameter, required four years of drilling and used a tunnel-boring machine. During the construction and testing phases, Laboratory responsibilities include coordinating design, construction, and testing, so that staff can conduct complex testing activities in a construction environment. |
Related Sites |