316 ; 



by water, is the area we are now considering. The subseabed dis- 

 posal program addresses two major questions. The first question for 

 the program is: Is the subseabed disposal of high-level wastes or 

 spent fuel feasible? This is a feasibility study rather than a study 

 which takes an advocacy position. The second question is: Are the 

 ocean disposal programs of other nations acceptable? We figure 

 that we must assess the other nations' programs as well as ours to 

 know whether the research that they are doing is adequate. 



The concept for the subseabed disposal in cross section is repre- 

 sented in the next slide. (Figure 2 from written testimony.) These 

 topics, or areas of research, will be addressed later, so I would like 

 to identify them here. The canister, the heated sediments, and 

 waste form is in what we call the near field heated zone. The area 

 outside of the heated zone is called the far field zone. The depth of 

 burial is likely to be somewhere between 30 and 100 meters from 

 the surface of the sediment and will be determined by ion trans- 

 port studies to be discussed later. Next comes the physical and 

 biological oceanographic programs followed by an emplacement 

 program, a human uptake program, and a sea transport program. 



Next slide. (Figure 7.) 



The research approach within the program starts with making 

 postulations of kinds of response developing mathematical models 

 to predict what would happen; acquiring properties from the labo- 

 ratory and from the field; making predictions of response and 

 finally checking the predictions against field verification test. If 

 one finds that that section of the model is predicting correctly then 

 it is coupled with others and to make a total systems model to give 

 predictions of the response of the geologic formation. If the model 

 is found to be incorrect, then it is necessary to improve the proper- 

 ties and the postulations — physics, chemistry, et cetera. 



The main sections of the systems model are the thermal input, 

 the waste form, and canister in the near field, the far field ion 

 transport, the benthic boundary layer, the biology and physical 

 oceanographic studies, the dose effects to the biota, and finally dose 

 effects to man, this is the procedure for assessing the technical and 

 environmental feasibility. 



Next slide. (Figure 6.) 



I would like to point out that we have developed go and no-go 

 gates within the program where we stop and assess the program 

 using both scientists from within the program and external to it to 

 see if the concept is still feasible. If feasibility is shown then the 

 program proceeds to the next gate. 



We have gone through gate No. 1. We are in the process of 

 addressing those functions in gate No. 2, which will allow an 

 assessment of the technical and environmental feasibility. 



For the next moment I would like to concentrate on what is 

 required to pass this gate. All of the units of the system's model, £is 

 I discussed earlier, must be operational. The properties that are 

 needed to feed those models are bracketed, but not necessarily 

 validified. Verification tests of as many of the systems sections as 

 possible are completed, and at least one site in each of the north- 

 ern oceans — Atlantic and Pacific — identified. 



