A Washington-based company has successfully validated its borehole technology for safe disposal of high-level radioactive waste from advanced reactor fuel recycling.
Deep Isolation’s analysis confirmed that nuclear waste streams partitioned through the Argonne-baseline electrorefining process are compatible with deep borehole disposal.
The method demonstrates a safe and practical pathway for permanent isolation.
High-level waste disposal
Physics-based modeling showed that high-level waste, when disposed of in Deep Isolation’s deep borehole system within generic shale and granitic host rocks, achieved long-term safety levels surpassing targets set in developing the model and achieving exposure levels that were several orders of magnitude below a stringent radiological exposure dose standard, according to Deep Isolation Nuclear.
Deep Isolation was joined by Oklo Inc and the Argonne and Idaho national laboratories to enhance key technologies supporting the recycling of used nuclear fuel through electrorefining.
The results of this comprehensive initiative provide confidence that borehole disposal could serve as a viable option for high-level radioactive waste from advanced reactor fuel recycling, highlighting a potential pathway for closing the metal fuel cycle if U.S. law is changed to authorize borehole repositories for high-level waste, according to a press release.
Deep borehole disposal solution
“This collaboration with Oklo represents an important step forward for the advanced reactor ecosystem and our deep borehole disposal solutions for nuclear waste,” said Jesse Sloane, Executive Vice President of Engineering, Deep Isolation.
“By pairing innovation in fuel recycling with advanced deep geologic disposal technology, we are helping build the technical foundation for a fully integrated, sustainable nuclear future.”
Deep Isolation also claimed that it’s the first company to undertake development of technologies for nuclear waste disposal in deep boreholes. When commercialized Deep Isolation’s solution will offer a uniquely tailored solution to help countries identify, plan for and complete the necessary steps to dispose of their nuclear waste inventories.
With 99 patents issued to date, the company’s technology is being designed to leverage proven drilling practices to allow safe isolation of waste deep underground in horizontal, vertical, or slanted borehole repositories, according to Deep Isolation.
The company’s Universal Canister System was developed through a three-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency.
On January 16, 2019, a first-of-its-kind demonstration of Deep Isolation’s patented technology was conducted using standard drilling techniques at a commercial drilling test facility. With over 40 observers from multiple countries, attendees included representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy, nuclear and oil & gas industry professionals, investors, environmentalists, and local citizens, according to Deep Isolation.
The company also claimed that this first-of-its-kind demonstration represents a significant milestone for the nuclear waste industry. A prototype disposal canister (containing no waste) was successfully placed and retrieved from a deep horizontal drillhole. This event also underscored the entrepreneurial potential of a private-public partnership approach for solving this global problem.