Results from One- and Two- Phase Fluid Flow Calculations within the Preliminary Safety Analysis of the Gorleben Site - 13310
- Department of Final Disposal, GRS mbH, Schwertnergasse 1, 50667 Cologne (Germany)
Rock salt is one of the possible host rock formations for the disposal of high-level radioactive wastes in Germany. The Preliminary Safety Analysis of the Gorleben Site (Vorlaeufige Sicherheitsanalyse Gorleben, VSG) evaluates the long-term safety of a hypothetical repository in the salt dome of Gorleben, Germany. A mature repository concept and detailed knowledge of the site allowed a detailed process analysis within the project by numerical modeling of single-phase and two-phase flow. The possibility of liquid transport from the shafts to the emplacement drifts is one objective of the present study. Also, the implications of brine inflow on radionuclide transport and gas generation are investigated. Pressure build-up due to rock convergence and gas generation, release of volatile radionuclides from the waste and pressure-driven contaminant transport were considered, too. The study confirms that the compaction behavior of salt grit backfill is one of the most relevant factors for the hydrodynamic evolution of the repository and the transport of contaminants. Due to the interaction between compaction, saturation and pore pressure, complex flow patterns evolve. Emplacement drifts serve as gas sinks or sources at different times. In most calculation cases, the backfill reaches its final porosity after a few hundred years. The repository is then sealed and radionuclides can only be transported by diffusion in the liquid phase. Estimates for the final porosity of compacted backfill range between 0 % and 2 %. The exact properties of the backfill regarding single- and two-phase flow are not well known for this porosity range. The study highlights that this uncertainty has a profound impact on flow and transport processes over long time-scales. Therefore, more research is needed to characterize the properties of crushed salt grit at low porosities or to reduce the adverse effects of possible higher porosities by repository optimization. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- WM Symposia, 1628 E. Southern Avenue, Suite 9-332, Tempe, AZ 85282 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 22225042
- Report Number(s):
- INIS-US-13-WM-13310; TRN: US14V0496045997
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: WM2013: Waste Management Conference: International collaboration and continuous improvement, Phoenix, AZ (United States), 24-28 Feb 2013; Other Information: Country of input: France; 22 refs.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Preliminary Safety Analysis of the Gorleben Site: Safety Concept and Application to Scenario Development Based on a Site-Specific Features, Events and Processes (FEP) Database - 13304
A Salt Repository Concept for CSNF in 21-PWR Size Canisters