Determination of earthquake design loads for a high level nuclear waste repository facility

In this paper the authors summarize a proposed method of determining earthquake vibratory ground motions for seismic design of a high level nuclear waste (HLNW) repository facility. The repository is assumed to consist of waste handling facilities located on the ground surface and waste storage facilities located at depth. Design loads are considered primarily for the pre-closure period (<100 years), but also apply for the post-closure period (10,000 years). The method discussed in this paper is developed in detail in a proposed ASCE guideline and complete guidelines are given for its implementation (ASCE, in draft)