DOE OSTI2019
The 10th US/German Workshop on Salt Repository Research, Design, and Operation was hosted by RESPEC and South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, both located in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Over 60 registered participants representing Germany, United States, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom availed themselves to excellent facilities on the School of Mines campus. As the 10th annual workshop, this occasion is a milestone of the modern era of collaboration between the US and Germany, which has extended to other countries with potential for radioactive waste disposal in salt. Thrust areas covered in the annual workshops are selected by participants and typically include elements of continuity from year to year. This year's themes included siting, modeling challenges, seal systems and materials, operational safety, and special topics. Two major breakout sessions addressed test sample conditioning and natural closure of salt openings. When the new-generation US/German workshops were conceived, one goal was to identify challenging issues related to salt repository sciences and then conduct open discussions in special breakout sessions. These timely sessions achieve the workshop paradigm and provide in-depth dialogue on important salt repository considerations. In many respects, general themes of these salt repository workshops reflect advances in the scientific basis for nuclear-waste disposal in salt formations and develop naturally as a consequence of unremitting attention largely as a result of the workshop commitment. Technical capabilities in the laboratory and field continue to improve in concert with accumulating experience. Because we are working together, mechanical deformation at the micro-scale can be interpreted at a large scale, which is fundamental to predictive modeling of salt repository evolution. This document records the Proceedings of the 2019 gathering of salt repository nations and has been compiled by RESPEC, demonstrating an adopted protocol in which the host organization creates that year's Proceedings. To assist with organization and compilation, individual chapters are summarized by volunteer subject-matter experts from the participatory audience; these contributors are recognized in the Acknowledgements. All formal presentations are included in this document, thus providing a resource for referencing and many excellent photographic images. Appendices include the agenda, list of participants, abstracts, and presentations. A primary purpose for recording workshop activities is to create and sustain an accessible record of salt repository research. These archives also illustrate transparent development of research areas each year.
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗