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Title: Physical, Hydraulic, and Transport Properties of Sediments and Engineered Materials Associated with Hanford Immobilized Low-Activity Waste

Abstract

Current plans for treatment and disposal of immobilized low-activity waste (ILAW) from Hanford’s underground waste storage tanks include vitrification and storage of the glass waste form in a nearsurface disposal facility. This Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF) is located in the 200 East Area of the Hanford Central Plateau. Performance assessment (PA) of the IDF requires numerical modeling of subsurface flow and reactive transport processes over very long periods (thousands of years). The models used to predict facility performance require parameters describing various physical, hydraulic, and transport properties. This report provides updated estimates of physical, hydraulic, and transport properties and parameters for both near- and far-field materials, intended for use in future IDF PA modeling efforts. Previous work on physical and hydraulic property characterization for earlier IDF PA analyses is reviewed and summarized. For near-field materials, portions of this document and parameter estimates are taken from an earlier data package. For far-field materials, a critical review is provided of methodologies used in previous data packages. Alternative methods are described and associated parameters are provided.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1290409
Report Number(s):
PNNL-23711
830403000; TRN: US1601699
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
58 GEOSCIENCES; 12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; METAMATERIALS; HANFORD RESERVATION; LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES; WASTE FORMS; PERFORMANCE; SEDIMENTS; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; EVALUATION; GLASS; GROUND DISPOSAL; HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY; RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION; POROSITY; SOIL MECHANICS; Low-activity waste; hydraulic property characterization; Integrated Disposal Facility

Citation Formats

Rockhold, Mark L., Zhang, Z. F., Meyer, Philip D., and Thomle, Jonathan N. Physical, Hydraulic, and Transport Properties of Sediments and Engineered Materials Associated with Hanford Immobilized Low-Activity Waste. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.2172/1290409.
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Rockhold, Mark L., Zhang, Z. F., Meyer, Philip D., & Thomle, Jonathan N. Physical, Hydraulic, and Transport Properties of Sediments and Engineered Materials Associated with Hanford Immobilized Low-Activity Waste. United States. doi:10.2172/1290409.
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Rockhold, Mark L., Zhang, Z. F., Meyer, Philip D., and Thomle, Jonathan N. Sat . "Physical, Hydraulic, and Transport Properties of Sediments and Engineered Materials Associated with Hanford Immobilized Low-Activity Waste". United States. doi:10.2172/1290409. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1290409.
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@article{osti_1290409,
title = {Physical, Hydraulic, and Transport Properties of Sediments and Engineered Materials Associated with Hanford Immobilized Low-Activity Waste},
author = {Rockhold, Mark L. and Zhang, Z. F. and Meyer, Philip D. and Thomle, Jonathan N.},
abstractNote = {Current plans for treatment and disposal of immobilized low-activity waste (ILAW) from Hanford’s underground waste storage tanks include vitrification and storage of the glass waste form in a nearsurface disposal facility. This Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF) is located in the 200 East Area of the Hanford Central Plateau. Performance assessment (PA) of the IDF requires numerical modeling of subsurface flow and reactive transport processes over very long periods (thousands of years). The models used to predict facility performance require parameters describing various physical, hydraulic, and transport properties. This report provides updated estimates of physical, hydraulic, and transport properties and parameters for both near- and far-field materials, intended for use in future IDF PA modeling efforts. Previous work on physical and hydraulic property characterization for earlier IDF PA analyses is reviewed and summarized. For near-field materials, portions of this document and parameter estimates are taken from an earlier data package. For far-field materials, a critical review is provided of methodologies used in previous data packages. Alternative methods are described and associated parameters are provided.},
doi = {10.2172/1290409},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Feb 28 00:00:00 EST 2015},
month = {Sat Feb 28 00:00:00 EST 2015}
}
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DOI:  10.2172/1290409
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  • ; ;
    Numerical models are used to predict the fate of contaminants in the environment for durations of 10,000 years and more. At the Hanford Site, these models are being used to evaluate the potential health effects and environmental impacts associated with the disposal of double-shell tank waste in grouted vaults. These models require information on the properties of the earthen and manufactured materials that compose the vault system and its surroundings. This report documents the physical and hydraulic properties of the materials associated with burial of grouted double-shell tank waste at the Hanford Site.

  • 'The Hanford Site has been used to produce nuclear materials for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessors. A large inventory of radioactive and mixed waste, largely generated during Pu production, exists in 177 underground single- and double-shell tanks. These wastes are to be retrieved and separated into low-activity waste (LAW) and high-level waste (HLW) fractions. The DOE is proceeding with an approach to privatize the treatment and immobilization of Handord''s LAW and HLW.'

  • ;
    Lockheed Martin Hanford Company (LMHC) is designing and assessing the performance of disposal facilities to receive radioactive wastes that are stored in single- and double-shell tanks at the Hanford Site. The preferred method of disposing of the portion that is classified as low-activity waste is to vitrify the liquid/slurry and place the solid product in near-surface, shallow-land burial facilities. The LMHC project to assess the performance of these disposal facilities is the Hanford Immobilized Low-Activity Tank Waste (ILAW) Performance Assessment (PA) activity. The goal of this project is to provide a reasonable expectation that the disposal of the waste ismore » protective of the general public, groundwater resources, air resources, surface-water resources, and inadvertent intruders. Achieving this goal will require prediction of contaminant migration from the facilities. This migration is expected to occur primarily via the movement of water through the facilities, and the consequent transport of dissolved contaminants in the porewater of the vadose zone. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory assists LMHC in their performance assessment activities. One of the PNNL tasks is to provide estimates of the geochemical properties of the materials comprising the disposal facility, the disturbed region around the facility, and the physically undisturbed sediments below the facility (including the vadose zone sediments and the aquifer sediments in the upper unconfined aquifer). The geochemical properties are expressed as parameters that quantify the adsorption of contaminants and the solubility constraints that might apply for those contaminants that may exceed solubility constraints. The common parameters used to quantify adsorption and solubility are the distribution coefficient (K{sub d}) and the thermodynamic solubility product (K{sub sp}), respectively. In this data package, the authors approximate the solubility of contaminants using a more simplified construct, called the solution concentration limit, a constant value. In future geochemical data packages, they will determine whether a more rigorous measure of solubility is necessary or warranted based on the dose predictions emanating from the ILAW 2001 PA and reviewers' comments. The K{sub d}s and solution concentration limits for each contaminant are direct inputs to subsurface flow and transport codes used to predict the performance of the ILAW system. In addition to the best-estimate K{sub d}s, a reasonable conservative value and a range are provided. They assume that K{sub d} values are log normally distributed over the cited ranges. Currently, they do not give estimates for the range in solubility limits or their uncertainty. However, they supply different values for both the K{sub d}s and solution concentration limits for different spatial zones in the ILAW system and supply time-varying K{sub d}s for the concrete zone, should the final repository design include concrete vaults or cement amendments to buffer the system pH.« less

  • A peer review process was conducted by a team of national and international experts on a proposed strategy for predicting performance of low-activity waste glass recommended for disposal at the Hanford site. This report presents the consensus findings and recommendations from the international experts.

  • ;
    Lockheed Martin Hanford Company (LMHC) is designing and assessing the performance of disposal facilities to receive radioactive wastes that are stored in single- and double-shell tanks at the Hanford Site. The preferred method of disposing of the portion that is classified as low-activity waste is to vitrify the liquid/slurry and place the solid product in near-surface, shallow-land burial facilities. The LMHC project to assess the performance of these disposal facilities is the Hanford Immobilized Low-Activity Tank Waste (ILAW) Performance Assessment (PA) activity. The goal of this project is to provide a reasonable expectation that the disposal of the waste ismore » protective of the general public, groundwater resources, air resources, surface-water resources, and inadvertent intruders. Achieving this goal will require prediction of contaminant migration from the facilities. This migration is expected to occur primarily via the movement of water through the facilities, and the consequent transport of dissolved contaminants in the porewater of the vadose zone. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) assists LMHC in their performance assessment activities. One of the PNNL tasks is to provide estimates of the geochemical properties of the materials comprising the disposal facility, the disturbed region around the facility, and the physically undisturbed sediments below the facility (including the vadose zone sediments and the aquifer sediments in the upper unconfined aquifer). The geochemical properties are expressed as parameters that quantify the adsorption of contaminants and the solubility constraints that might apply for those contaminants that may exceed solubility constraints. The common parameters used to quantify adsorption and solubility are the distribution coefficient (K{sub d}) and the thermodynamic solubility product (K{sub sp}), respectively. In this data package, we approximate the solubility of contaminants using a more simplified construct, called the solution concentration limit, a constant value. In future geochemical data packages, we will determine whether a more rigorous measure of solubility is necessary or warranted based on the dose predictions emanating from the ILAW 2001 PA and reviewers' comments. The K{sub d}s and solution concentration limits for each contaminant are direct inputs to subsurface flow and transport codes used to predict the performance of the ILAW system. In addition to the best-estimate K{sub d}s, a reasonable conservative value and a range are provided. We assume that K{sub d} values are log normally distributed over the cited ranges. Currently, we do not give estimates for the range in solubility limits or their uncertainty. However, we supply different values for both the K{sub d}s and solution concentration limits for different spatial zones in the ILAW system and supply time-varying K{sub d}s for the concrete zone, should the final repository design include concrete vaults or cement amendments to buffer the system pH. If warranted, more technically rigorous information on uncertainty in the geochemical parameter values and estimates of the changes in parameter values over time will be supplied in future data packages.« less