The impact of thermal loading on repository performance at Yucca Mountain

Conference · Sun Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:140845

Buscheck, T A; Nitao, J J ^[1]

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1. Earth Sciences Dept., Livermore National Lab., Livermore, CA (US)

This paper reports that in the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain, liquid flow along preferential fracture pathways is the only credible mechanism capable of bringing water to waste packages and transporting radionuclides to the water table. Three categories of features or mechanisms will mitigate the impact of flow along preferential fracture pathways: discontinuity in fracture pathways, liquid-phase dispersion in fracture networks, and fracture-matrix interaction. For repository areal power densities (APDs) that are too low to result in significant boiling or rock dry-out effects, the primary mode of fracture-matrix interaction is matrix imbibition. For high APDs, boiling and enhanced matrix imbibition due to rock dry-out significantly add to the capacity of the unsaturated zone to retard fracture-dominated flow.

• OSTI ID: 140845
• Report Number(s): CONF-920430--; ISBN 0-87262-891-4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
DISPERSIONS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
HYDROTHERMAL STAGE
LIQUIDS
MATRIX MATERIALS
PHASE STUDIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
THERMAL STRESSES
VAPORS
WATER TABLES
YUCCA MOUNTAIN
Yucca Mountain Project