Review and selection of unsaturated flow models

Technical Report · Mon Apr 04 04:00:00 EDT 1994

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/145325· OSTI ID:145325

Reeves, M; Baker, N A; Duguid, J O ^[1]

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1. INTERA, Inc., Las Vegas, NV (United States)

Since the 1960`s, ground-water flow models have been used for analysis of water resources problems. In the 1970`s, emphasis began to shift to analysis of waste management problems. This shift in emphasis was largely brought about by site selection activities for geologic repositories for disposal of high-level radioactive wastes. Model development during the 1970`s and well into the 1980`s focused primarily on saturated ground-water flow because geologic repositories in salt, basalt, granite, shale, and tuff were envisioned to be below the water table. Selection of the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for potential disposal of waste began to shift model development toward unsaturated flow models. Under the US Department of Energy (DOE), the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System Management and Operating Contractor (CRWMS M&O) has the responsibility to review, evaluate, and document existing computer models; to conduct performance assessments; and to develop performance assessment models, where necessary. This document describes the CRWMS M&O approach to model review and evaluation (Chapter 2), and the requirements for unsaturated flow models which are the bases for selection from among the current models (Chapter 3). Chapter 4 identifies existing models, and their characteristics. Through a detailed examination of characteristics, Chapter 5 presents the selection of models for testing. Chapter 6 discusses the testing and verification of selected models. Chapters 7 and 8 give conclusions and make recommendations, respectively. Chapter 9 records the major references for each of the models reviewed. Appendix A, a collection of technical reviews for each model, contains a more complete list of references. Finally, Appendix B characterizes the problems used for model testing.

• Research Organization: TRW Environmental Safety Systems, Inc., Las Vegas, NV (United States); INTERA, Inc., Las Vegas, NV (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC01-91RW00134
• OSTI ID: 145325
• Report Number(s): DOE/RW/00134--T11; ON: DE94015954
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
EVALUATION
FLOW MODELS
GROUND WATER
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
SITE SELECTION
YUCCA MOUNTAIN
Yucca Mountain Project