Repurposing the Casing Cavity of Deep Idle Oil and Gas Wells for Storing Radioactive Waste

Abstract While some idle wells may be brought back into production, many will be plugged in and abandoned. This paper is about repurposing certain idle oil and gas wells by using the empty steel casing of these wells for the disposal of nuclear waste. Much credit goes to the pioneers at various US National labs who considered nuclear waste disposal by drilling new wells in metamorphic or volcanic rocks [1,2]. The novelty of this paper is to show that the casing cavity of certain oil and gas idle wells can be repurposed for nuclear waste disposal. The effect of heat conduction in the sedimentary rock surrounding the casing caused by the decay heat of disposed spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is investigated. The screening criteria for wells are suggested to meet the geological and mechanical requirements for certain idle wells to be repurposed for potential radioactive waste disposal. These evaluations show that heat flow from the steel casing to the surrounding deep sedimentary rock is not problematic.