A hazardous waste repository includes a substantially vertical drillhole portion that extends toward a subterranean rock formation from a terranean surface, the drillhole including an entry at least proximate the terranean surface; and a hazardous material storage drillhole portion formed in or under the subterranean rock formation and coupled to the substantially vertical drillhole portion, the hazardous material storage drillhole portion configured to store one or more hazardous material canisters that encloses nuclear waste. The substantially vertical drillhole portion includes an aspect ratio of surface area of the substantially vertical drillhole portion to a cross-sectional area of the substantially vertical drillhole portion that impedes movement of a hazardous component of a nuclear waste material from a first end of the substantially vertical drillhole portion to a second end of the substantially vertical drillhole portion through at least one of advective isolation or diffusive isolation.

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).

Techniques for determining the suitability of a subterranean formation as a hazardous waste repository include determining a concentration of at least one noble gas isotope of a plurality of noble gas isotopes in fluid sample from a subterranean formation below a terranean surface; determining a produced amount of the at least one noble gas isotope in the subterranean formation based on a production rate of the at least one noble gas isotope and a minimum residence time; calculating a ratio of the determined concentration of the at least one noble gas isotope in the fluid sample to the determined produced amount of the at least one noble gas isotope; and based on the calculated ratio being at or near a threshold value, determining that the subterranean formation is suitable as a hazardous waste repository.

Self-loading systems and methods for disposal of waste materials in a deep underground formation may include at least one wellbore that runs from the Earth's surface to the deep underground formations, wellbore viscous fluid within that at least one wellbore, and at least one waste capsule, wherein the at least one waste capsules houses some waste and is configured to fall within both the at least one wellbore and the wellbore viscous fluid. The systems and methods may also include at least one human-made cavern located in the deep underground formation and connected to the at least one wellbore, wherein the at least one human-made cavern may be configured to receive the at least one waste capsule. The systems and methods may also include a counter for counting waste capsules and/or a robot for dropping waste capsules into a wellhead leading to the at least one wellbore.

Techniques for forming a directional drillhole for hazardous waste storage include identifying a subterranean formation suitable to store hazardous waste; determining one or more faults that extend through the subterranean formation; forming a vertical drillhole from a terranean surface toward the subterranean formation; and forming a directional drillhole from the vertical drillhole that extends in or under the subterranean formation and parallel to at least one of the one or more faults. The directional drillhole includes a hazardous waste repository configured to store the hazardous waste.

Techniques for storing nuclear waste include placing a plurality of nuclear waste portions into an inner volume of a housing of a nuclear waste canister configured to store the nuclear waste portions in a hazardous waste repository of a directional drillhole formed in a subterranean formation; substantially filling voids within the inner volume and between the plurality of nuclear waste portions with a solid or semi-solid granular material; and sealing the inner volume of the nuclear waste canister to enclose the plurality of nuclear waste portions and the solid or semi-solid granular material.

In-situ vitrification of hazardous waste occurs within human-made caverns. The human-made caverns may be located at distal (terminal) ends of substantially vertical wellbores and the human-made caverns may be located within deep geological rock formations, that are located at least two thousand feet below the Earth's surface. The hazardous waste that is vitrified into glass within such human-made caverns may be radioactive. The vitrification within a given human-made cavern is accomplished by at least one heater that operates according to a predetermined heating and cooling profile. During vitrification the heater may be reciprocated up and down to introduce currents into the waste liquid for uniform temperature dispersion. The heater may be removable, reusable, single use, and/or disposable. Cold caps and/or insulating blankets may be used over a given layer of vitrified waste product within the given human-made cavern. Heater weights, mixing vanes, and/or downhole sealing packer may also be used.

Techniques for forming a directional drillhole for hazardous waste storage include identifying a subterranean formation suitable to store hazardous waste; determining one or more faults that extend through the subterranean formation; forming a vertical drillhole from a terranean surface toward the subterranean formation; and forming a directional drillhole from the vertical drillhole that extends in or under the subterranean formation and parallel to at least one of the one or more faults. The directional drillhole includes a hazardous waste repository configured to store the hazardous waste.

A pressing-pulling device, a polymer anti-seepage wall static pressure vibration composite slotting equipment and a using method include: a pressing-pulling bracket, wherein slotting oil cylinders are symmetrically and vertically mounted on the pressing-pulling bracket, and a piston rod of each of the slotting oil cylinders faces downwardly, a bottom end of the piston rod is connected to a connecting plate, and a through-hole is provided in a middle of the connecting plate; a continuous lifting mechanism is installed in a middle of the pressing-pulling bracket, and a slotting rod is vertically inserted into the continuous lifting mechanism; a lifting ring is installed at a top end of the slotting rod; a bottom end of the slotting rod extends downwardly through the through-hole to connect to a slotting cutter; a locking device is fixed on the connecting plate near the through-hole for fixing the slotting rod.

A pressing-pulling device, a polymer anti-seepage wall static pressure vibration composite slotting equipment and a using method include: a pressing-pulling bracket, wherein slotting oil cylinders are symmetrically and vertically mounted on the pressing-pulling bracket, and a piston rod of each of the slotting oil cylinders faces downwardly; a bottom end of the piston rod is connected to a connecting plate, and a through-hole is provided in a middle of the connecting plate; a continuous lifting mechanism is installed in a middle of the pressing-pulling bracket, and a slotting rod is vertically inserted into the continuous lifting mechanism; a lifting ring is installed at a top end of the slotting rod; a bottom end of the slotting rod extends downwardly through the through-hole to connect to a slotting cutter; a locking device is fixed on the connecting plate near the through-hole for fixing the slotting rod.