Hazardous material repository systems and methods
AssigneeDeep Isolation, Inc.
InventorRichard A. Muller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Techniques for storing nuclear waste include placing a plurality of nuclear waste portions into an inner volume of a housing of a nuclear waste canister configured to store the nuclear waste portions in a hazardous waste repository of a directional drillhole formed in a subterranean formation; substantially filling voids within the inner volume and between the plurality of nuclear waste portions with a solid or semi-solid granular material; and sealing the inner volume of the nuclear waste canister to enclose the plurality of nuclear waste portions and the solid or semi-solid granular material.
Claims28
A nuclear waste canister, comprising:
- a housing that at least partially defines an inner volume sized to enclose a plurality of nuclear waste portions and configured to store the nuclear waste portions in a hazardous waste repository of a directional drillhole formed in a subterranean formation;
- a solid or semi-solid granular material enclosed in the inner volume of the housing that at least substantially fills voids within the inner volume and between the plurality of nuclear waste portions;
- and
- a friction brake mounted to an end of the housing.
A method for storing nuclear waste, comprising:
- placing a plurality of nuclear waste portions into an inner volume of a housing of a nuclear waste canister configured to store the nuclear waste portions in a hazardous waste repository of a directional drillhole formed in a subterranean formation, wherein the nuclear waste canister comprises a friction brake mounted to an end of the housing;
- substantially filling voids within the inner volume and between the plurality of nuclear waste portions with a solid or semi-solid granular material;
- and
- sealing the inner volume of the nuclear waste canister to enclose the plurality of nuclear waste portions and the solid or semi-solid granular material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.