Experiments and Modeling to Support Field Test Design

Salt repositories continue to be a primary concept for disposal of heat-generating nuclear waste (HGNW). For the past several years, efforts have focused on the in-drift disposal concept (e.g. Hansen and Leigh 2011; Stauffer et al. 2013; Jordan et al. 2015a,b,c; Bourret et al. 2016; Hansen et al. 2016; Bourret et al. 2017; Johnson et al. 2017a,b; Kuhlman et al. 2017). Ongoing research efforts aim to improve understanding of the behavior of the salt backfill surrounding HGNW sources, the responses of drift walls to heat sources, and the chemistry and chemical evolution of brine in such environments.