Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (New Mexico) Candidate Site Geology

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Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (New Mexico)
Candidate Site Geology
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (New Mexico)
Candidate Site Geology

• Dennis W. Powers
• Consulting Geologist

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Location

• Access
• Stable
• Delaware Basin
• Thick sedimentary sequence

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Stratigraphy

• 1000 m halite and some anhydrite
• Thick beds in Castile
• Thinner beds in Salado
• Low natural gamma in Castile

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Castile Halite

• Low natural gamma
• Large density contrast
• Thick units
• Varying depth

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Salado Halite

• Variable bed thickness
• Variable density
• Clay, K-minerals provide gamma
• Variable depth

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General Geohydrology

• Oil, gas, and water (brine) below evaporites
• Local pressurized brine in Castile
• Small brine/gas pockets in Salado
• Limited permeability in saturated zones above
  Salado

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Ultra-Low Permeability

• Salado halite has been tested
• Location provides test bed for techniques
• Integrate geological, geochemical, and geophysics
  data for assessing long-term properties
• Modeling to examine applicability of Darcys law

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Salado Hydraulic Tests
QPP12
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QPP12 Hydraulic Test
899 Days
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Room Q
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Viable Ancient Bacteria

• Viable Permian-age bacteria reported from Salado
  halite
• Conditions for preservation and isolation are
  excellent
• Possibility of other halotolerant species
• Possible test bed for off-Earth techniques

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Ancient(?) Bacteria in Dissolution Pipes

• Synsedimentary
• Depth controlled by water (brine) table of the
  day
• Coarse halite, large fluid inclusions
• Different species?
• Evolving upward?

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Spatial Relationships of Dissolution Pipes
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Properties of Viscoelastic Materials

• History of experimental techniques to develop
  models
• Develop general principles and fundamental
  properties
• Useful in variety of applications
• Mining
• storage

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Room G Geometry
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Evaporite Characteristics

• Ultra-low permeability is a useful property
• WIPP rocks have some testing and can serve as
  general development/testing medium
• Ancient(?) bacteria are preserved
• Methodology for testing can be developed
• Spatial and temporal sampling
• Visco-elastic materials at varying depths
• Test bed for methodologies
• Coupled processes with hydrology, geochemistry

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