Drillhole Waste Repository Monitoring for Casing Distortion Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for storing hazardous waste, particularly nuclear waste, face challenges in ensuring long-term containment and retrievability, with a need for effective monitoring systems to prevent leakage and ensure safety.
Innovation Solution
A system for monitoring hazardous waste repositories in deep drillholes using measurement instruments such as calipers, radiation sensors, temperature sensors, and acoustic probes to detect casing distortions, allowing for early warning of potential leaks or structural changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If hazardous waste is stored in deep drillholes for long-term containment, then storage duration and safety are improved, but difficulty of monitoring and detection of structural changes worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces measurement instruments (calipers, acoustic probes, temperature sensors, radiation sensors) as intermediaries between the casing and the monitoring system. These instruments are lowered into the drillhole to directly measure casing distortion, acoustic emissions, temperature, and radiation levels, enabling remote monitoring of the deep-buried waste repository without requiring human access to the storage zone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct mechanical inspection methods with remote sensing and measurement technologies. Instead of physically accessing the deep drillhole for visual inspection, the system uses acoustic probes to detect emissions from the casing, calipers to measure dimensional changes, and electronic sensors to monitor temperature and radiation, substituting mechanical presence with field-based detection.
2Measurement precision
If measurement instruments are deployed to detect casing distortions, then detection precision is improved, but device complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the monitoring system into multiple specialized measurement instruments, each designed to detect specific parameters: calipers for dimensional distortion, acoustic probes for emission detection, temperature sensors for thermal monitoring, and radiation sensors for radioactivity detection. This segmentation allows each instrument to be optimized for its specific measurement function while being deployed independently into the drillhole.
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement instruments are designed to be multi-functional and adaptable. The same basic platform can accommodate different types of sensors and measurement tools, allowing a single deployment system to perform multiple monitoring functions (dimensional measurement, acoustic detection, temperature sensing, radiation detection) without requiring separate complex systems for each parameter.
3Reliability
If deep drillholes are used for hazardous waste storage, then containment safety is improved, but ease of operation for monitoring and retrieval worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system is designed to be self-deploying and self-measuring. Measurement instruments are lowered into the drillhole on cables or conveyors, automatically navigate to the storage zone, and perform measurements without requiring human operators to physically access the deep environment. The instruments transmit data automatically to surface equipment, enabling the system to monitor itself remotely.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses intermediaries (measurement instruments and data transmission systems) to bridge the gap between the deep-buried waste repository and surface-level operators. These intermediaries enable remote operation by converting physical conditions in the drillhole (casing distortion, acoustic emissions, temperature, radiation) into measurable signals that can be analyzed and responded to from the surface.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables reliable long-term storage and retrievability of hazardous waste by providing early detection of casing distortions, reducing the risk of leakage and ensuring safety over extended periods.
Implementation Method 1
an acoustic probe configured to record seismic waves scattered off the casing to detect the distortion of the casing
Implementation Method 2
the measurement instrument includes at least one of a radiation sensor, a temperature sensor, or a salinity sensor
Implementation Method 3
the measurement instrument includes at least one of a radiation sensor, a temperature sensor, or a salinity sensor
Data Source
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AI summary
A hazardous waste repository includes a directional drillhole formed from a terranean surface into at least one subterranean formation suitable for storing hazardous waste. The directional drillhole includes a storage region configured to store one or more hazardous waste canisters that is configured to enclose hazardous waste. The repository further includes a casing that extends to at or near the terranean surface, through the directional drillhole, and into the storage region of the substantially horizontal drillhole portion. The repository further includes a monitor borehole formed from the terranean surface into the at least one subterranean formation adjacent the storage region. The monitor borehole is sized to receive a measurement instrument run from the terranean surface to a portion of the monitor borehole adjacent the storage region. The measurement instrument is configured to detect a distortion of the casing.