Publications

Modifications implemented for the 2014 wipp compliance recertification application and their impacts on regulatory compliance

Camphouse, R.C.; Zeitler, Todd Z.; Kim, Sungtae K.; Herrick, Courtney G.; Kicker, Dwayne C.

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), located in southeastern New Mexico of the United States (U.S.), has been developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the geologic disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste. The DOE demonstrates compliance with the WIPP containment requirements by means of performance assessment (PA) calculations. WIPP PA calculations estimate the probability and consequence of potential radionuclide releases from the repository to the accessible environment for a regulatory period of 10,000 years after facility closure. WIPP PA models are used (in part) to support the repository recertification process that occurs at five-year intervals following the receipt of the first waste shipment at the site in 1999. The PA executed in support of the 2014 Compliance Recertification Application (CRA-2014) for WIPP includes a number of parameter, implementation, and repository feature changes. Among these changes are the incorporation of a new panel closure system design, additional mined volume in the north end of the repository, a refinement to the PA representation of WIPP waste shear strength, and a gas generation rate refinement. These changes are briefly discussed, as is their cumulative impact on regulatory compliance for the facility. The federal recertification status of the WIPP is also discussed.