Mathematical model for evaluating the suitability of a low-level radioactive waste site

Conference · Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6494498

Gureghian, A B; Sedlet, J

A mathematical model intended to study the one-dimensional transport of radionuclides in a non-homogeneous soil system under saturated-unsaturated and isothermal conditions is presented. The model is composed of two modules: the first to calculate the pressure distribution enabling one to compute velocities and soil moisture; the second to calculate the migration of species by considering the major processes associated with the transport phenomena of a dissolved substance in porous media, i.e., advection, mechanical dispersion, molecular diffusion, radioactive decay, and sorption, assuming a linear equilibrium isotherm. The numerical method of solving both flow and solute equations used here is the finite-element method based on the weighted residual technique. The flow equation is solved by the Bubnov-Galerkin method. The solute equation is solved by a Petrov-Galerkin type method. The model allows for a variety of boundary conditions; e.g., infiltration, drainage and/or evaporation. A test case involving the movement of a non-reacting ionic species is used to validate the model. Use of the model is illustrated by the analysis of the movement Sr-90 and Cs-137 and H-3 (as water) from a low-level solid-waste disposal trench subject to a steady rate of rainfall.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31-109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 6494498
• Report Number(s): CONF-820303-44; ON: DE83008659
• Resource Relation: Conference: Waste management conference, Tucson, AZ, USA, 8 Mar 1982
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
GROUND WATER
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
SITE SELECTION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SOILS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
053000 - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects
520301 - Environment
Aquatic- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- Water- (1987)