Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
4/10/2015
Department of Energy’s Idaho Operations Office released a draft Request for Proposal this week for its Deep Borehole (DBH) Field Test procurement. DOE is hoping to expand its research and development efforts for deep boreholes after the disposal method has been recommended multiple times for some smaller packages of DOE-managed defense waste. The draft RFP calls for a contractor to identify a suitable location for the test as well as drilling “two deep boreholes (a smaller-diameter Characterization Borehole and a larger-diameter, full-scale Field Test Borehole) into crystalline basement rock in a geologically stable continental location,” the draft RFP Scope of Work said. The dollar amount is still to be determined, and responses are due by May 5.
The contractor would also be responsible for collecting data from the drilling to study the suitability of deep boreholes. “Unlike most resource exploration drilling operations, the value in this DBFT research effort will be the data collected,” the draft RFP said. “Therefore, it is imperative that testing, data quality, and configuration controls are implemented throughout the contract to ensure data quality is not compromised and no information is lost. Data acquisition will focus on those characteristics of the subsurface that are most relevant to the viability and safety of the DBD concept.” Sandia National Laboratory will serve as the technical lead for the project.
Several Potential Host Communities Have Responded
DOE had issued a Request for Information for the project earlier this year in hopes of identifying potential host communities for the project. While the effort resulted in responses, DOE says it cannot release the host communities’ names, according to DOE-Idaho spokesman Tim Jackson, “DOE received several responses to its Request for Information issued earlier this year and is using these responses to inform the procurement process,” Jackson said. “In accordance with federal acquisition regulations and DOE procurement guidelines, DOE is not releasing names or numbers of responders, or locations suggested for a deep borehole field test. The characteristics of a desired location for the field test are described in section C.4 of the draft RFP.” Those requirements include: Less than 2 km (1.2 miles) depth to crystalline basement; not at or proximate to a strategic petroleum reserve site; not near an urban area; lack of known existing surface or subsurface anthropogenic radioactive contamination; less than 2 percent probability within 50 years of peak ground acceleration greater than 0.16 g from a seismic event (generally indicative of area of tectonic stability); and a site area greater than 1 square km (about half square mile so that there is ample area for drilling operations).
FY’16 Budget Includes $18 Million for Borehole Work
DOE has proposed creating a new Used Fuel Disposition subprogram that would explore alternative disposal options for DOE-managed high-level waste and spent nuclear fuel in its Fiscal Year 2016 budget request. As part of the new program, DOE has requested $18 million in FY’16 for research and development work on deep borehole disposal. This demonstration project would not use any actual waste material, but instead would likely use a heater to simulate high level waste. The boreholes proposed would be about 5 kilometers deep with a diameter of about 17 inches at the bottom. Officials have said in the past that Hanford’s cesium-strontium capsules could be a match for disposal in boreholes. After putting casing in the hole and a waste package around the waste form, that would allow for a 12-inch waste form—too small for spent nuclear fuel or existing vitrified waste canisters but the right size for small packages such as the cesium-strontium capsules.
