Thermal Testing Spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste generate a great deal of heat as they decay over time. Depending on how the disposal tunnels and waste containers were laid out, temperatures within the repository could surpass the boiling point. Project researchers needed to learn how the rocks and minerals at Yucca Mountain would respond to prolonged heat. Conceivably, very high temperatures could result in significant mechanical and chemical changes in the rock. These changes could, in turn, affect the long-term performance of the repository. Scientists therefore launched a series of comprehensive thermal tests by subjecting portions of the rock at the repository level to different levels of heat for varying amounts of time. |