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Joint NEA-IAEA International Peer Review of the Yucca Mountain Site Characterisation Project's Total System Performance Assessment Supporting the Site Recommendation Process, Final Report
December 2001


Front Matter

Title Page

CONTENTS

Summary
 Objectives
 International perspective
 Recommendations for future assessments

1 Introduction
 1.1 Background to the Yucca Mountain Project
 1.2 Terms of reference, objectives and scope of the review
 1.3 Conduct of the review
 1.4 Organisation of this report

2 General Considerations
 2.1 Regulatory perspective
 2.2 Performance assessment rationale
 2.3 General approach to performance assessment
 2.4 Documentation

3 Sub-system methodology
 3.1 Repository design
 3.2 Engineered barrier materials
 3.3 Waste form
 3.4 Transport within the engineered barrier system
 3.5 Unsaturated zone
 3.6 Saturated zone
 3.7 Biosphere
 3.8 Disruptive events
 3.9 Human intrusion
 3.10 Natural analogues

4 Integrated Total System Methodology
 4.1 Features, events and processes
 4.2 Uncertainty
 4.3 Probabilistic methodology
 4.4 Sensitivity analysis
 4.5 Safety case
 4.6 System understanding

5 Conclusions and Recommendations
 5.1 International perspective
 5.2 Statement by the International Review Team
 5.3 Recommendations for future assessments

Appendix 1: Terms of Reference

Appendix 2: Members of the International Review Team

Appendix 3: Saturated Zone Hydrogeology

Appendix 4: USDOE Fact Checking


FIGURES

Figure 1: Schematic design of the drip shield and waste package (CRWMS, 2000a).
Figure 2: General engineered barrier design features, initial water movement, and rockfall (CRWMS, 2000a).
Figure 3: Conceptual drawing of mountain-scale flow processes (CRWMS, 2000a).
Figure 4: Conceptualisation of features and processes important to saturated zone transport (CRWMS, 2000a).
Figure 5: Groundwater basins in the Yucca Mountain vicinity (DOE, 1999).
[Appendix 2] Members of the International Review Team. From left to right: Phil Metcalf, Yasuhisa Yusa, Claudio Pescatore, Tönis Papp, Ghislain de Marsily, Mel Gascoyne, Des Levins, Emmanuel Smailos, Jesús Alonso, David Hodgkinson.