Sandia National Laboratories published a report in 2016 authored by Kris Kuhlman and Jörg Mönig of Sandia and GRS respectively. The report discusses percolation as a potential safety issue for a high-level waste repository in salt formations. It aims to address whether percolation could occur under repository conditions considering depths, pressures, and temperatures, and if so, what permeability may result. It also examines differences between bedded and domal salt and whether existing experiments are sufficient to resolve these issues.

1. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-mission laboratory managed and operated by Sandia
Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department
of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.
SAND2016-8441C
Is percolation a safety issue for a
HLW repository?
Kris Kuhlman
Sandia National Laboratories
Jörg Mönig
Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS)
7th US/German Workshop on Salt Repository Research,
Design, and Operation
Washington, DC
September 7-9, 2016

2. Questions to address
 Does percolation occur under repository conditions?
 depths/pressure
 temperature
 What level of permeability results from percolation?
 Are there differences between bedded and domal salt?
 Are existing experimental results sufficient to resolve the
issue?
 What types of experiments are required?
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