Systems and/or methods of waste disposal use human-made caverns that are constructed within deep geological formations. A given human-made cavern may be constructed by first drilling out a vertical wellbore to a deep geological formation. Then a bottom portion of the vertical wellbore is jet drilled using an abrasive jetting fluid to form a launch chamber of void volume, that is sized to fit a reaming tool in its deployed open configuration. A reaming tool, in a closed configuration, is then inserted into the vertical wellbore for landing in the launch chamber. The reaming tool is then deployed into its open configuration while in the launch chamber. Reaming operations then occur from the launch chamber directed downwards within the deep geological formation, forming a given human-made cavern. The newly formed human-made cavern may be conditioned and/or configured for receiving amounts of the waste for long-term disposal and/or storage.

Systems and/or methods of waste disposal use human-made caverns that are constructed within deep geological formations. A given human-made cavern may be constructed by first drilling out a vertical wellbore to a deep geological formation. Then a bottom portion of the vertical wellbore is jet drilled using an abrasive jetting fluid to form a launch chamber of void volume, that is sized to fit a reaming tool in its deployed open configuration. A reaming tool, in a closed configuration, is then inserted into the vertical wellbore for landing in the launch chamber. The reaming tool is then deployed into its open configuration while in the launch chamber. Reaming operations then occur from the launch chamber directed downwards within the deep geological formation, forming a given human-made cavern. The newly formed human-made cavern may be conditioned and/or configured for receiving amounts of the waste for long-term disposal and/or storage.

A waste material depositing system for depositing waste material into a sub-seabed sediment of an ocean floor. There is a penetrator including a first disposal stage and a second disposal stage. The first disposal stage having an outer shell disposed about a cavity, the cavity being shaped and sized to receive a waste disposal canister. The second disposal stage being removably coupled to a top end of the first disposal stage by an automatic disengagement device, and having: an outer cylinder, a plurality of second disposal fins disposed along a length of the outer cylinder, and an arrestor system coupled to a top portion of the outer cylinder.

A waste material depositing system for depositing waste material into a sub-seabed sediment of an ocean floor. There is a penetrator including a first disposal stage and a second disposal stage. The first disposal stage having an outer shell disposed about a cavity, the cavity being shaped and sized to receive a waste disposal canister. The second disposal stage being removably coupled to a top end of the first disposal stage by an automatic disengagement device, and having: an outer cylinder, a plurality of second disposal fins disposed along a length of the outer cylinder, and an arrestor system coupled to a top portion of the outer cylinder.

Systems and methods for long-term disposal of radioactive or nuclear waste materials, in liquid, solid, and/or other physical forms, into human-made caverns, within deep geologic rock formations, derived from a wellbore, are manufactured by use of drilling and reaming technologies. The radioactive waste may be preprocessed from original surface storage site(s), transported, temporarily surface stored, and then finally further processed at a selected well site before injection into the subterranean deep human-made caverns within the host rock (deep geologic rock formations).

Systems and methods for long-term disposal of radioactive or nuclear waste materials, in liquid, solid, and/or other physical forms, into human-made caverns, within deep geologic rock formations, derived from a wellbore, are manufactured by use of drilling and reaming technologies. The radioactive waste may be preprocessed from original surface storage site(s), transported, temporarily surface stored, and then finally further processed at a selected well site before injection into the subterranean deep human-made caverns within the host rock (deep geologic rock formations).

A process for immobilizing hazardous waste includes mixing the hazardous waste with a non-swelling clay, a cementitious binder and, optionally, water, and allowing the resulting mixture to set to an immobilized waste material. The process can also include dispersing the hazardous waste in the non-swelling clay to form a dry mixture, mixing the cementitious binder and, optionally, water with the dry mixture to produce a plastic mixture, and allowing the plastic mixture to set to the immobilized waste material.

A process for immobilizing hazardous waste includes mixing the hazardous waste with a non-swelling clay, a cementitious binder and, optionally, water, and allowing the resulting mixture to set to an immobilized waste material. The process can also include dispersing the hazardous waste in the non-swelling clay to form a dry mixture, mixing the cementitious binder and, optionally, water with the dry mixture to produce a plastic mixture, and allowing the plastic mixture to set to the immobilized waste material.

A hazardous material repository includes a drillhole formed from a terranean surface into a subterranean zone that includes a geologic formation, where the drillhole includes a vertical portion and a non-vertical portion coupled to the vertical portion by a transition portion, the non-vertical portion includes a storage volume for hazardous waste; a casing installed between the geologic formation and the drillhole, the casing including one or more metallic tubular sections; at least one canister positioned in the storage volume of the non-vertical portion of the drillhole, the at least one canister sized to enclose a portion of hazardous material and including an outer housing formed from a non-corrosive metallic material; and a backfill material inserted into the non-vertical portion of the drillhole to fill at least a portion of the storage volume between the at least one canister and the casing.

Methods and apparatus are provided for optimizing operations for a fracturing injection waste disposal well especially where the formation is damaged or tight such that pressure fall-off tests are impractical due to extended leak-off rate times. Formation closure pressure and formation stress are calculated using Instantaneous Shut-in Pressure rather than traditional methods requiring actual fracture closure.