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The Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses (CNWRA) is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to support technical and regulatory activities related to siting and licensing a geologic repository for high level nuclear waste. The CNWRA is a division of Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) with main offices in San Antonio, Texas.
 

The Peña Blanca Natural Analog Project

The Nopal I uranium deposit in the Sierra Peña Blanca of northern Mexico provides an exceptional natural analog to the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Uraninite, analogous chemically to spent nuclear fuel, has been oxidized at Nopal I, where present geological, geochemical, and hydrological conditions closely resemble those at Yucca Mountain. Issues of contaminant source and transport over periods of time and under conditions relevant to geologic isolation of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain can be addressed at Peña Blanca.

View of the Sierra Peña Blanca

Research activities conducted by the CNWRA at the Nopal I uranium deposit include evaluation of the mechanisms of uraninite alteration, controls on groundwater and mineral compositions, and processes affecting elemental migration. Insights gained from these investigations, such as solid phase evolution and rates and mechanisms of radionuclide transport, provide support for performance assessment modeling of nuclear waste geologic repositories.

View of the Nopal I deposit

Mapping, sampling, and analyses of U-rich opal and caliche deposits at Nopal I are currently being conducted by CNWRA scientists. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the most recent radionuclide release and transport because of their particular relevance to potential processes in the proposed repository.
 

View of the excavated exposure of the Nopal I deposit. Excavation has been cleared of loose rock, soil, and debris.

Radiometric surveying at Nopal I

Photo of the Nopal I mining camp (May 1992). The camp served as a base of operations for studies conducted at Peña Blanca.

The CNWRA maintains this web site as a vehicle to distribute information and promote natural analog studies related to nuclear waste management in the Sierra Peña Blanca. Information in this website documents work performed by the CNWRA for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) under contract NRC-02-97-009. It is an independent product of the CNWRA and does not necessarily reflect the views or regulatory position of the NRC.

Groups or individuals interested in natural analog studies in the Sierra Peña Blanca or further details about CNWRA research at Nopal I can contact any of the researchers listed below. Comments, corrections, or contributions to the web page are welcome.

For more information about the Peña Blanca Natural Analog Project at SwRI or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact James D. Prikryl, jprikryl@swri.org, or call (210) 522-5667.
 

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Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a multidisciplinary, independent, nonprofit, applied engineering and physical sciences research and development organization with 11 technical divisions.

October 03, 2008