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Lesson 1 Plan

The Scientific Studies at Yucca Mountain

Purpose:

This lesson will familiarize students with some of the scientific investigations performed at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The studies at Yucca Mountain have involved a multitude of scientific disciplines, some of which include geology, hydrology, seismology, volcanology, climatology, mineralogy, chemistry, physics, biology, archaeology, engineering, health physics, and computer science. Students will learn how different scientific disciplines are applied to solving the real-world problem of safely disposing of nuclear waste.

Concepts:

  1. The safe disposal of nuclear waste is a daunting problem that requires thorough scientific investigation.

  2. The international scientific community, including the United States, has determined that the safest, most feasible solution to the nuclear waste problem is to place it deep underground in a geologic repository.

  3. Scientists in numerous disciplines have performed thousands of laboratory and field studies at Yucca Mountain to determine its suitability for a repository and its capability to keep nuclear waste isolated from people and the environment.

  4. Scientists from many countries have performed studies at analogue sites throughout the world to study features and processes that compare to those that might occur in a geologic repository.

  5. Based on years of scientific study, engineers designed a repository that would work in concert with Yucca Mountain’s natural environment.

  6. Scientists use computer modeling and other sophisticated analysis methods to evaluate the repository’s ability to protect people and the environment for thousands of years in the future.

  7. The Department of Energy plans to continue scientific studies at Yucca Mountain for many decades in the future.

  8. More than 25 years of scientific study at Yucca Mountain have produced many new innovations and insights that contribute to the advancement of science and to society as a whole.

Duration of Lesson:

One to two 50-minute class periods

Objectives:

As a result of participation in this lesson, the student will be able to

  1. Identify the technical issues involved in developing a safe repository for nuclear waste.

  2. Explain the importance of science in addressing technical issues.

  3. Identify the different scientific disciplines involved in the Yucca Mountain Project and describe how each applies to determining how Yucca Mountain may contain and isolate radioactive material.

  4. Describe some of the scientific studies performed at Yucca Mountain.

Skills:

Listing, describing, defining scientific terms, discussing, explaining, reading, summarizing

Vocabulary:

alcove, analogue, archaeology, biology, borehole, botany, chemistry, climate, computer model, conductivity, corrosion, earthquake, ecology, engineer, fault, fauna, flora, fracture, geology, groundwater, health physics, hydrology, infiltration, invertebrate, meteorology, mineralogy, permeability, process model, radioactive, radionuclide, seepage, seismology, stratigraphy, thermal, topography, vertebrate, volcanology, water table

Materials:

Reading Lesson: "The Scientific Studies at Yucca Mountain"

Activity Sheet:" The Sciences at Yucca Mountain"

DVD: “Yucca Mountain: The Making of an Underground Laboratory” This DVD may be ordered free of charge by calling the Yucca Mountain Information Center at 1-800-225-6972 or it may be viewed online at: www.ocrwm.doe.gov

Background Notes:

The fact sheets listed below may be ordered from the Yucca Mountain Information Center or viewed online at: www.ocrwm.doe.gov

A Study of How Fluid Moves through Rock (fact sheet)

Augmenting Field and Laboratory Science with Advanced Computer Technology (fact sheet)

The Exploratory Studies Facility (fact sheet)

Heating Tests Help Scientists Predict Rock’s Behavior (fact sheet)

How the Sample Management Facility Works (fact sheet)

Managing Heat in a Repository at Yucca Mountain (fact sheet)

Managing Nuclear Waste: Options Considered (fact sheet)

Nature and Engineering Working Together for a Safe Repository (fact sheet)

Oklo: Natural Nuclear Reactors (fact sheet)

Scientists Look to Nature for Insight into How a Repository Would Perform (fact sheet)

Studying the Movement of Rock and Earthquakes (fact sheet)

TBM and Its Role in Creating an Underground Laboratory (fact sheet)

Understanding the Potential for Volcanoes at Yucca Mountain (fact sheet)

Suggested Procedure:

  1. Allow 15 to 20 minutes for reading the lesson entitled, “The Scientific Studies at Yucca Mountain.”

    Note: If students have access to the Internet, you may supplement the reading lesson by having students browse through the pages in the “Advanced Science Studies” section on the Yucca Mountain Project web site at: http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/ym_repository/studies/index.shtml

    In addition, extensive information about the science at Yucca Mountain is available on a CD-ROM entitled, “The Future Safety of a Repository at Yucca Mountain.” This CD is oriented for the general public and includes hundreds of interactive pages that describe the different aspects of the Yucca Mountain Project. It can be ordered free of charge by calling the Yucca Mountain Information Center at 1-800-225-6972.

  2. Go over the instructions for the activity sheet titled: “The Sciences at Yucca Mountain” and give students about 10 minutes to complete the exercise.

  3. Show the DVD entitled, “Yucca Mountain: The Making of an Underground Laboratory.”

  4. Engage students in a discussion about the reading lesson, the activity sheet, and the DVD.

  5. For a homework assignment, you may wish to have each student write a report describing a scientific test conducted at Yucca Mountain and how it applies to isolating nuclear waste. Possibly set aside a class period for students to present their reports to the rest of the class.

    Subject categories for the scientific tests include:
    • Underground tests conducted in the Exploratory Studies Facility
    • Climate studies
    • Surface infiltration studies
    • Unsaturated zone flow
    • Effects of heat given off from the radioactive waste
    • Tunnel environment where waste will be placed
    • Engineered feature performance
    • Waste degradation and transport
    • Unsaturated zone transport
    • Saturated zone flow and transport
    • Effects on people and the environment (biosphere)
    • Disruptive events (volcanoes, earthquakes, etc.)
    • Analogue studies
    • Total System Performance Assessment

    Extensive information about individual studies can be found from the “Yucca Mountain Studies” section on the Yucca Mountain Project web site at: http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/ym_repository/studies/index.shtml

    Another significant source for technical information is the Yucca Mountain Science and Engineering Report, which can be found at: http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/documents/ser_b/index.htm

    If you do not have access to the Internet or would like further information on a particular study, contact the Yucca Mountain Information Center at 1-800-225-6972.

For class discussion:

  1. What is the primary safety concern with an underground repository for nuclear waste?

    (Water getting to the waste, dissolving it, and moving it away from the repository are the primary concerns. Over thousands of years, water can corrode containers, then the solid nuclear waste and eventually carry radionuclides into the environment.)

  2. What are some scientific studies for determining how much water could get into the repository?

    (Climate studies, measuring how much water evaporates or is taken up by plants, measuring runoff, measuring surface infiltration, studying water movement in the different layers of rock, studying water movement in fractures in the rock)

  3. Why is it important to study the rock at Yucca Mountain?

    (By analyzing the rock, scientists can tell how it was formed, which provides clues on what the region will be like many tens of thousands of years from now. Also, by analyzing the rock’s hydrologic and geochemical properties, mineral content, and other attributes, scientists can get an idea of how [and how much] water moves through the rock, how radionuclides could be transported, etc.)

  4. Why is it important to study the heat produced by nuclear waste?

    (Because scientists need to find out how the heat could affect the repository’s environment, such as the humidity in the air, the movement of water in the rock, the chemistry of the water, etc. This, in turn, can affect how long the waste packages and the waste will remain intact.)

  5. What is an analogue?

    (An analogue is a process found in nature that represents specific scientific phenomena that may be relevant to a scientific study.)

    Note: For further information and examples of analogue studies, see the fact sheet entitled, “Scientists Look to Nature for Insight into How a Repository Would Perform”. The fact sheet can be found at: http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/factsheets/doeymp0205.shtml

  6. Are there any studies that have been done at Yucca Mountain that surprised you? Please explain.

Teacher Evaluation of Student Performance:

Completion of activity sheet and participation in class discussion will indicate understanding.
The Waste Management System
The Waste Management System