Disposal of radioactive wastes by hydraulic fracturing: Part I. General concept and first field experiments

Abstract

Editorial note. This is the first of a series of articles on the development of radioactive waste disposal by hydraulic fracturing at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Five papers, including this one, are planned to describe fully the advance from the initial concept to a practical method for radioactive waste disposal: • Part I, General concept and first field experiments; • Part II, Mechanics of fracture formation and design of observation and monitoring wells; • Part III, Chemical development waste-cement mixes; • Part IV, Design of ORNL's shale-fracturing plant; • Part V, First injections of actual wastes. The series will provide a detailed account of all aspects associated with the development of this unique and promising method of waste disposal. Readers will recognize, at the end of the series, that the individual articles are not reports of discrete investigations, separated from each other and conducted in logical sequence, but rather are parts of the whole picture emerging as the investigation continues. Although the work relates specifically to the natural conditions at Oak Ridge and to the disposal needs of ORNL, the results of this investigation will suggest possible adaptations of the method at other sites, as well as to other types of wastes. The feasibility of radioactive waste disposal by hydraulic fracturing has been demonstrated at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This disposal method is an adaptation of hydraulic fracturing techniques used in the petroleum industry and is aimed at replacing current methods of shallow ground disposal. A number of problems had to be solved in the development of this method. First, it had to be shown that the fractures formed in shales at Oak Ridge would follow the bedding planes, and not break up vertically toward the surface. This has been done, as is described in this paper.