Predicting flow through low-permeability, partially saturated, fractured rock: A review of modeling and experimental efforts at Yucca Mountain
Current interest in storing high-level nuclear waste in underground repositories has resulted in an increased effort to understand the physics of water flow through low-permeability rock. The US Department of Energy is investigating a prospective repository site located in volcanic ash (tuff) hundreds of meters above the water table at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Consequently, mathematical models and experimental procedures are being developed to provide a better understanding of the hydrology of this low-permeability, partially saturated, fractured rock. Modeling water flow in the vadose zone in soils and in relatively permeable rocks such as sandstone has received considerable attention for many years. The treatment of flow (including nonisothermal conditions) through materials such as the Yucca Mountain tuffs, however, has not received the same level of attention, primarily because it is outside the domain of agricultural and petroleum technology. This paper reviews the status of modeling and experimentation currently being used to understand and predict water flow at the proposed repository site. Several areas of research needs emphasized by the review are outlined. The extremely nonlinear hydraulic properties of these tuffs in combination with their heterogeneous nature makes it a challenging and unique problem from a computational and experimental view point. 101 refs., 14 figs., 1 tab.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 137554
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-88-2626C; CONF-890702-4; ON: DE90002884; TRN: 89:031497
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 28. international geological congress, Washington, DC (United States), 9-19 Jul 1989; Other Information: PBD: [1989]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
99 MATHEMATICS
COMPUTERS
INFORMATION SCIENCE
MANAGEMENT
LAW
MISCELLANEOUS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
GROUND WATER
FLOW RATE
HYDROLOGY
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
TUFF
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
YUCCA MOUNTAIN
ROCK MECHANICS
PERMEABILITY
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
LICENSING
REGULATORY GUIDES
PERFORMANCE
RISK ASSESSMENT
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
FRACTURE MECHANICS
TOPOGRAPHY
HEAT TRANSFER
DATA ANALYSIS
Yucca Mountain Project