Upscaling of U(VI) Desorption and Transport Using Decimeter-Scale Tanks
- Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)
Two decimeter-scale 2D experiments were conducted in the proposed research. To the extent possible, the first experiment (2.44 m x 0.61 m x 10 cm) was be packed to reproduce the observed distributions of sediment size fractions in the subsurface at the tracer test site. Four size fractions of sediment (<125m, 125-250m, 250m to 2 mm, >2mm) were packed in the tank and the size fractions were placed in a sediment structure imitating pattern rather than the block pattern used in the previous experiments conducted with Naturita sediment. The second tank used the same total amount of sediment and proportions of the three size fractions used in the first experiment but was packed at larger geostatistical correlation lengths to evaluate how the scale of heterogeneity affects the upscaling results. This experiment was conducted with the goal of trying to determine how the upscaling would be affected by the diffusion path length associated with low permeability zones. The initial conditions in the tanks were based on observed field conditions. The influent was a synthetic groundwater that mimicked uncontaminated groundwater observed at the Naturita site. Samples were collected from side and end ports of the tank and were analyzed for U(VI), alkalinity, pH and major ions as was done in previous experiments. Each decimeter scale experiment was run for approximately 6 months and the experiments were run in parallel. Extensive premodeling occurred for both tanks and lasted the first year of the project.
- Research Organization:
- Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
- DOE Contract Number:
- SC0004934
- OSTI ID:
- 1168756
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-CSM-1112
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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