Yucca Mountain Project Passive Seismic Monitoring (YMP PSM)

UNLV Engineering Geophysics Laboratory

Cross-Disciplinary Research Project:

Yucca Mountain Project Passive Seismic Monitoring (YMP PSM)

Description: In this research project we study the feasibility of passive seismic arrays for remote monitoring of excavation integrity. Objective and Goals: We will deploy, calibrate and test a passive seismic sub-array on the ground surface, above the existing underground openings of the Exploratory Studies Facility at Yucca Mountain, as a precursor to a long-lived system designed to monitor stability of the underground openings of a geologic repository for high-level nuclear waste. The primary goal is to identify and localize rock falls that could compromise drift access, hinder waste retrievability, and potentially reduce the effective life of waste canisters. This capacity for remote monitoring is needed because (1) the design life of the facility is extremely long and (2) traditional underground techniques for monitoring stability will subject workers to unnecessary risk and be costly to implement. Methods: UNLV teams in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and in Computer Science, are performing field tests using calibrated seismic sources underground to simulate rock fall, while monitoring seismic energy using deliberately-arranged sub-arrays on the surface. Results are interpreted using matched-field processing techniques with the intent to (a) identify and (b) locate events. Duration:

April , 2002 through June, 2003

Personnel:

Principal Investigators:
        Barbara Luke, Ph.D., P.E., Civil and Environmental Engineering
        Angelo Yfantis, Ph.D., Computer Science
Team Leaders:
        Helena Murvosh, Branagan and Associates, consultant
        Jin Cheng, Ph.D., Seismology; Postdoctorate Research Scholar
Students:
        Civil and Environmental Engineering, Engineering Geophysics Laboratory:
                Kristi Twilley, M. S. candidate
                Bagathbabu Dumpala, M.S. Candidate (Electrical Engineering)
                Adam McCracken, Senior (Mechanical Engineering)
        Computer Science, Computer Graphics and Image Processing Laboratory:
                John Istle, Senior
                Leonel Acoba, Senior
                Jin Choe, Senior