Preliminary sensitivity studies of fast-path flow on a cross-section of Yucca Mountain, Nevada
- Sandia National Lab., Albuquerque, NM (United States); and others
One criterion of 10CFR960 used to determine suitability of Yucca Mountain, NV as a potential nuclear waste repository site is that the groundwater travel time (GWTT) from the repository to the accessible environment must exceed 1,000 years along the fastest path of likely and significant radionuclide travel. Sandia National Laboratories has developed modeling tools in order to evaluate fast-path flow and the time it takes a particle to travel from the repository to the saturated zone. The analyses reported to date represent only a portion of a complete GWTT evaluation, since they only consider potential fast-path flow through the unsaturated zone. In addition to the above mentioned work, sensitivity analyses on a numerical flow model assist in evaluating GWTT. This study focuses on understanding the importance of intra-formation heterogeneities and the effects of the geostatistically versus deterministically determined unit thickness on an unsaturated flow system. Preliminary sensitivity analyses were conducted on a cross-section of Yucca Mountain. Results show that the system with intra-unit heterogeneities may serve as a conservative estimator of fast-path flow GWTT because of the higher saturations which lead to greater fluxes than the system with homogeneous units.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- OSTI ID:
- 127141
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9504179-; TRN: 96:004782
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 6. annual international conference on high level radioactive waste management, Las Vegas, NV (United States), 30 Apr - 5 May 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of High level radioactive waste management: Proceedings; PB: 811 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
YUCCA MOUNTAIN
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
FLUID FLOW
FLOW MODELS
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
TIME DEPENDENCE
GROUND WATER
Yucca Mountain Project