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Numerical study of unsaturated flows and seepage of contaminants from subgrade mill tailings disposal areas equipped with bottom-clay liners

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5625616
; ; ;
A computer code (MIGRAT) is developed to quantify the migration of moisture and multiple decaying and retarded contaminants in the unsaturated zone. MIGRAT was specifically conceived to assess the impacts of open mine to allow its use in many problems related to shallow, subsurface waste disposal. The model is applied to a generic uranium-mill-tailings pit constructed with a clay-lined bottom and steep unlined sidewalls. The contaminant decays and only one contaminant is retarded. This study shows the anticipated result that moisture and contamination migrate slowly through the bottom clay liner and that, in this migration, concentrations of the retarded contaminant significantly lag the unretarded contaminant. More importantly, this study reveals that the major pathway from the pit to the groundwater is through the sidewall. The time scales for this pathway are much shorter than those associated with the clay liner, and retardation has little effect on the rate of contaminant migration.
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-26
OSTI ID:
5625616
Report Number(s):
NUREG/CR-3398; ORNL/TM-8822; ON: DE83016430
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
510301 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- Soil-- (-1987)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CLAYS
COMPUTER CODES
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DISSOLUTION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
LEACHING
LINERS
M CODES
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MILL TAILINGS
MOISTURE
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
ROCKS
SANDSTONES
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SIMULATION
SOLID WASTES
TAILINGS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES