Exploratory Shaft Facility

This paper is an overview of engineering and concept development for the Exploratory Shaft Facility (ESF) of the Yucca Mountain Project. The paper presents a general description of the overall ESF design effort, the site geology, and the general arrangement of the ESF, including its major facilities. A review of the environmental, safety, and health aspects is included. At the present time the ESF design is on hold while the project evaluates some of the basic assumptions that are required to formulate the basis for design of the ESF. Some of the alternatives being studied include methods and physical parameters of subsurface access involving conventional drilling and blasting, and mechanical excavation techniques.