Calculation of Heat Capacities for Tuffaceous Units from the Unsaturated Zone at Yucca Mountain, Nevada
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
In the absence of experimentally determined heat capacity data, bulk-chemical analyses of 20 samples of tuffs from Yucca Mountain have been used to calculate heat capacities of the solid components of the tuffs as a function of temperature. These calculated values, which should be validated by experiments as soon as practicable, have been combined with data on grain density, matrix porosity, lithophysal-cavity abundance, mineral abundance, in situ saturation, and the properties of water to estimate rock-mass thermal capacitances. In general, thermal capacitance is higher for tuffs with higher porosity for the same pore fluid; saturated tuffs have higher thermal capacitances than partially saturated or dry tuffs. The heat capacity of the solid components provides a secondary contribution.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 138097
- Report Number(s):
- SAND--88-3050; ON: DE91012366
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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