Direct releases to the surface and associated complementary cumulative distribution functions in the 1996 performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: cuttings, cavings and spallings

The following topics related to the treatment of cuttings, cavings and spal lings releases to the surface environment in thr 1996 performance assessmen t for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) are presented: (i) mathematica l description of models; (ii) uncertainty and sensitivity analysis results arising from subjective (i.e. epistemic) uncertainty for individual release s; (iii) construction of complementary cumulative distribution functions (C CDFs) arising from stochastic (i.e, aleatory) uncertainty; and (iv) uncerta inty and sensitivity analysis results fur CCDFs. The presented results indi cate that direct releases due to cuttings, cavings and spallings do not con stitute a serious threat to the effectiveness of the WIPP as a disposal fac ility for transuranic waste. Even when the effects of uncertain analysis in puts are taken into account, the CCDFs for cuttings, cavings and spellings releases fall substantially to the left of the boundary line specified in t he US Environmental Protection Agency's standard for the geologic disposal of radioactive waste (40 CFR 191, 40 CFR 194). Published by Elsevier Scienc e Ltd.