§ 60.133 Additional design criteria for the underground facility.

(a) General criteria for the underground facility. (1) The orientation, geometry, layout, and depth of the underground facility, and the design of any engineered barriers that are part of the underground facility shall contribute to the containment and isolation of radionuclides.

(2) The underground facility shall be designed so that the effects of credible disruptive events during the period of operations, such as flooding, fires and explosions, will not spread through the facility.

(b) Flexibility of design. The underground facility shall be designed with sufficient flexibility to allow adjustments where necessary to accommodate specific site conditions identified through in situ monitoring, testing, or excavation.

(c) Retrieval of waste. The underground facility shall be designed to permit retrieval of waste in accordance with the performance objectives of § 60.111.

(d) Control of water and gas. The design of the underground facility shall provide for control of water or gas intrusion.

(e) Underground openings. (1) Openings in the underground facility shall be designed so that operations can be carried out safely and the retrievability option maintained.

(2) Openings in the underground facility shall be designed to reduce the potential for deleterious rock movement or fracturing of overlying or surrounding rock.

(f) Rock excavation. The design of the underground facility shall incorporate excavation methods that will limit the potential for creating a preferential pathway for groundwater to contact the waste packages or radionuclide migration to the accessible environment.

(g) Underground facility ventilation. The ventilation system shall be designed to:

(1) Control the transport of radioactive particulates and gases within and releases from the underground facility in accordance with the performance objectives of § 60.111(a),

(2) Assure the ability to perform essential safety functions assuming occurrence of design basis events.

(3) Separate the ventilation of excavation and waste emplacement areas.

(h) Engineered barriers. Engineered barriers shall be designed to assist the geologic setting in meeting the performance objectives for the period following permanent closure.

(i) Thermal loads. The underground facility shall be designed so that the performance objectives will be met taking into account the predicted thermal and thermomechanical response of the host rock, and surrounding strata, groundwater system.

[48 FR 28222, June 21, 1983, as amended at 50 FR 29648, July 22, 1985; 61 FR 64270, Dec. 4, 1996]