Prediction of water seepage into a geologic repository for high-level radioactive waste
Predicting the amount of water that may seep into waste emplacement drifts is important for assessing the performance of the proposed geologic repository for high-level radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The repository would be located in thick, partially saturated fractured tuff that will be heated to above-boiling temperatures as a result of heat generation from the decay of nuclear waste. Since infiltrating water will be subject to vigorous boiling for a significant time period, the superheated rock zone (i.e., rock temperature above the boiling point of water) can form an effective vaporization barrier that reduces the possibility of water arrival at emplacement drifts. In this paper, we analyze the behavior of episodic preferential flow events that penetrate the hot fractured rock, evaluate the impact of such flow behavior on the effectiveness of the vaporization barrier, and discuss the implications for the performance assessment of the repository. A semi-analytical solution is utilized to determine the complex flow processes in the hot rock environment. The solution is applied at several discrete times after emplacement, covering the time period of strongly elevated temperatures at Yucca Mountain.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management. Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Office. Office of Licensing and Regulatory Compliance (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC03-76SF00098
- OSTI ID:
- 836671
- Report Number(s):
- LBNL-53893; R&D Project: 81BC7H; TRN: US0500774
- Journal Information:
- Nuclear Technology Journal, Vol. 148; Other Information: Submitted to Nuclear Technology Journal: Volume 148; Journal Publication Date: 2004; PBD: 7 Jul 2003
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Analysis of the vaporization barrier above waste emplacement drifts
DRIFT-SCALE COUPLED PROCESSES (DST AND TH SEEPAGE) MODELS
Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
BOILING
BOILING POINTS
DECAY
EVAPORATION
FORECASTING
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
PERFORMANCE
POSITIONING
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
TUFF
WASTES
WATER
YUCCA MOUNTAIN
FRACTURED ROCK THERMAL PROCESSES FINGER FLOW