Adsorption of sulfur hexafluoride onto crushed tuffs from the Yucca Mountain area, NYE County, Nevada
A laboratory batch-type testing procedure was developed that provides a simple, rapid, and reproducible method to investigate the adsorptive capabilities of crushed materials for gaseous compounds. Several batch tests were conducted to test crushed samples of tuff, clinoptilolite, and gypsum cement for their retention of sulfur hexafluoride. For each sample tested, the surface area, distribution coefficient, and retention equation were determined. The surface areas of the samples decreased in the following order: Topopah Spring Tuff, UE-25 UZ No. 5; bedded tuff, clinoptilolite; Yucca Mountain Tuff; Topopah Spring Tuff, UE-25 UZ No. 4; Pah Canyon Tuff; gypsum cement; and Tiva Canyon Tuff. The distribution coefficients show that sulfur hexafluoride is readily adsorbed onto clinoptilolite, bedded tuff, and Topopah Spring Tuff, but that it does not appreciably adsorb onto gypsum cement, Tiva Canyon Tuff, or Pah Canyon Tuff. Retention equations, which were calculated as a function of the surface area of the tuffs, were similar for all but one (Tiva Canyon Tuff) of the tuffs. The similarity of the retention equations demonstrates that the surface area of a tuff is a good indicator of the sorptive capability of the tuff. The distribution coefficients and the surface areas of the tuffs show a correlation with the amount of zeolite in the tuff, providing evidence that zeolites are the principal mineral controlling the adsorption of sulfur hexafluoride.
- Research Organization:
- Geological Survey, Denver, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States); Geological Survey, Reston, VA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AI08-92NV10874
- OSTI ID:
- 236241
- Report Number(s):
- USGS-WRI--95-4057; ON: DE96010339
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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