Basalt Waste Isolation Project borehole plugging studies: an overview

The objective of the Basalt Waste Isolation Project (BWIP) is to establish the feasibility of constructing a geologic repository for commercial high-level nuclear waste in the basalt flows within the Columbia Plateau and to provide the technology needed for design and construction of such a facility. The success of a repository located in basalt is dependent upon the ability to seal the facility at the end of the operational period. Therefore, a borehole plugging study is being conducted by the engineered barriers group of the BWIP in order to develop,test, and demonstrate materials, equipment, and techniques for plugging the various man-made openings (boreholes, shafts, and tunnels) in and around the repository. These plugs are intended to severely restrict groundwater transport of toxic materials by both chemical and physical retardation. Verification of engineered plug system designs is accomplished through a proposed series of field tests and demonstrations