Modeling Single Well Injection-Withdrawal (SWIW) Tests for Characterization of Complex Fracture-Matrix Systems

Technical Report · Sun Oct 31 20:00:00 EDT 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1048281· OSTI ID:1048281

Cotte, François P. ^[1]; Doughty, Christine ^[1]; Birkholzer, Jens ^[1]

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1. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

The ability to reliably predict flow and transport in fractured porous rock is an essential condition for performance evaluation of geologic (underground) nuclear waste repositories. In this report, a suite of programs (TRIPOLY code) for calculating and analyzing flow and transport in two-dimensional fracture-matrix systems is used to model single-well injection-withdrawal (SWIW) tracer tests. The SWIW test, a tracer test using one well, is proposed as a useful means of collecting data for site characterization, as well as estimating parameters relevant to tracer diffusion and sorption. After some specific code adaptations, we numerically generated a complex fracture-matrix system for computation of steady-state flow and tracer advection and dispersion in the fracture network, along with solute exchange processes between the fractures and the porous matrix.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 1048281
• Report Number(s): LBNL--4937E
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
ADVECTION
APERTURES
DESIGN
DIFFUSION
FRACTURES
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
HYDRAULICS
MASS BALANCE
POROSITY
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
SENSITIVITY
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
SOLUTES
SORPTION
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
TESTING