This document summarizes laboratory testing in support of planned field thermal tests at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). It describes: 1) Testing of a 1000W heater cartridge and assembly, including temperature profiles measured at different distances from salt samples. 2) Plans to emplace the heater and a packer assembly into a borehole at WIPP to induce temperature gradients and allow brine and tracer sampling. 3) A schedule for underground testing at WIPP at ambient temperatures and up to 100°C to measure temperature profiles, collect brine/air samples, and inform simulations.

1. LA-UR-17-24114
Hakim Boukhalfa, Philip Stauffer, Florie Caporuscio, Michelle
Bourret, Doug Weaver, Shawn Otto, Brian Dozier
May 23, 2017
SFWST Campaign 2017 Working Group Meeting
Milestone: M4SF-17LA010303022
Preliminary (FY17) dry-run tests
Experiments and Modeling to Support Field Test Design
LA-UR-17-24114

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LA-UR-17-24114
Laboratory Testing in Support of the
Field Thermal Testing
 Task Objectives
1. Support the planning and design of field thermal tests
2. Laboratory testing of equipment and methods that will be
deployed in the field thermal test
3. Select instruments and methods in support of field thermal
tests
4. Manufacture, test and deploy a heater and instruments
needed for initial research to support the thermal field testing
5. Summary of results of the initial underground testing of the
heater assembly at WIPP

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LA-UR-17-24114
Heater cartridge and heater assembly
Diameter [in] (B) .746" +/- .002"
Overall Length [in] (A) 5.500
Length Tolerance + /- 2%
Voltage [V] 120
Power [W] 1,000
Wattage Tolerance [%] + 5%,- 10%
Terminations LA Options
End Seal No Seal
Lead Type Fiberglass (GGS)
Lead Length [in] (E) 76
LA Style Option E = Swaged In Leads
Ground Lead Length [in] (E) 74
Sheath Materials Incoloy 800
Lead End No Heat [in] 'NOM' (D) 0.500
Disk End No Heat [in] 'NOM' (C) 0.25
Watt Density [w/in2] nom 87

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LA-UR-17-24114
Heater assembly
Heater block material: stainless steel 360
Length [in] 6
Diameter 4.5 inches

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LA-UR-17-24114
Heater assembly testing
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
0 2 4
TemperatureinoC
Time in hours
Temperature at 3
inches from
heater
Temperature at 2
inches from
heater
temperature at 1
inch from heater
Temperature in
contact with salt
contacting heater
Heater
temperature
Low coupling between heater and salt

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LA-UR-17-24114
Borehole mesh in support of small
diameter borehole field test
 With the 1000 W heater assembly built, direct contact with rock salt might be
necessary to induce the desired temperature gradient in the salt
280
oC
180 oC
80 oC
30 oC
3 inches
Temperature profiles in run of mine salt
Temperature profiles from simulations

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LA-UR-17-24114
Bore Holes Available for Testing
Borehole id
approximate
diameter,
Centimeters
approximate
depth,
meters
approximate
distance between
boreholes in cm comments
SNLCH111 12 4.4
large amount of pooled brine at
end of borehole
SNLCH112 12 3.96
48.76 cm between
SNLCH112 and
SNLCH111
large amount of pooled brine at
end of borehole
SNLCH113 12 19.8
32 cm between
SNLCH113 and
SNLCH112
large amount of pooled brine at
end of borehole
SNLCH114 12 6
30 cm between
SNLCH114 and
SNLCH113
large amount of pooled brine at
end of borehole
no id/ little
borehole 3.35 3.96
23 cm between
SNLCH112 and
small borehole
large amount of pooled brine at
end of borehole
• Planned test will use SNLCH 13 to emplace heater and packer
assembly
• SNLCH 14 will be used to introduce D2O tracer
• All bore holes will be monitored for temperature and brine

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LA-UR-17-24114
Packer Assembly and Brine and
Tracer Testing
packer
Gas sampling bag
Brine and tracer sampling ports Heating cartridge
Current packer assembly
A better option for the field
thermal test

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LA-UR-17-24114
WIPP Brine Dehydration Profile
Evaporation
Clay dehydration Gypsum, magnesium chloride
and other mineral dehydration
• Temperature regimes
can have significant
impact on brine
composition, mineral
transformation and
instrument performance
• In the 160 oC to 200 oC
magnesium dehydration
produces HCl gas.

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LA-UR-17-24114
Underground Testing Plan and
Schedule
Heating
conditions
Duration Measured parameters When Follow-up
Lab analysis
Schedule
Ambient 24 hours Temperature of rock salt
Brine samples
Air samples
Continuous
Initial
Initial before
heating
July 10th-
14th
50 oC 4 hours Temperature Continuous July 10th-
14th
100 oC 1 week Temperature of rock salt in
test bore hole and
surrounding bore holes
Brine samples
Air samples
Continuous
Efflorescence
after heater
removal
daily
daily
Temperature
profiles
simulations
Brine
Composition
Composition
July 10th-
14th

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LA-UR-17-24114
Future Work
Supporting field thermal testing in salt in the field and in the laboratory:
• Continue to test equipment and methods
• Use gas analyzer/D2O analysis to provide support for tracer work
• Petrographic analysis/SEM to support mineral alteration work