Transport in unsaturated flow systems using centrifuge techniques
Conference
·
OSTI ID:139665
- Washington State Univ., Richland (United States)
This report is a compilation of results from investigations on unsaturated flow and diffusion using the Unsaturated Flow Apparatus (UFA) in combination with other techniques at the Washington State University Tri-Cities Earth and Environmental Sciences Laboratory. These results bear directly on the goals of the Radionuclide Adsorption Workshop concerning experimental determination of unsaturated transport properties as stated in the First Report to the US congress and the US Department of Energy from the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board. Transport parameters (diffusion coefficients, D({theta}), hydraulic conductivities, K({theta}), and retardation factors, R{sub f}) have been experimentally determined in unsaturated gravel, soil, bentonite and whole rock over a wide range of water contents in order to construct relationships of water content to each parameter for use in modeling of flow and transport in the near-field, far-field, and backfill environments. Once the water content was fixed at the target value and the system had achieved hydraulic steady-state, transport parameters were determined from associated methods, e.g., (1) the electrical conductivity of the sample was measured using a 1 kHz conductivity bridge and the diffusion coefficient calculated from the electrical conductivity using the Nernst-Einstein equation; (2) hydraulic conductivity was determined from the driving force and flux density; (3) the effluent was monitored/collected/analyzed for chemical interactions and retardation effects. These parameters have been investigated on different samples over the past two years since construction of the UFA. Project goals and specific milestones have resulted in diffusion coefficients of unsaturated gravel and soil being the most extensively studied parameter, but the UFA was originally designed to determine retardation factors and transient chemical interactions in unsaturated tuff. 35 refs., 20 figs.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 139665
- Report Number(s):
- LA--12325-C; CONF-9009350--; ON: DE92041241
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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