Laboratory studies of radionuclide transport in fractured Climax granite

Technical Report · Tue Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1982

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/59253· OSTI ID:59253

Failor, R; Isherwood, D; Raber, E; Vandergraaf, T

This report documents our laboratory studies of radionuclide transport in fractured granite cores. To simulate natural conditions, our laboratory studies used naturally fractured cores and natural ground water from the Climax Granite Stock at the Nevada Test Site. For comparison, additional tests used artificially fractured granite cores or distilled water. Relative to the flow of tritiated water, {sup 85}Sr and /sup 95m/Tc showed little or no retardation, whereas {sup 137}Cs was retarded. After the transport runs the cores retained varying amounts of the injected radionuclides along the fracture. Autoradiography revealed some correlation between sorption and the fracture fill material. Strontium and cesium retention increased when the change was made from natural ground water to distilled water. Artificial fractures retained less {sup 137}Cs than most natural fractures. Estimated fracture apertures from 18 to 60 {mu}m and hydraulic conductivities from 1.7 to 26 x 10{sup -3} m/s were calculated from the core measurements.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 59253
• Report Number(s): UCRL--53308; ON: DE83001709
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CESIUM 137
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FRACTURES
GRANITES
GROUND WATER
ISOMERIC NUCLEI
NEVADA TEST SITE
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SORPTION
SORPTIVE PROPERTIES
STRONTIUM 85
TECHNETIUM 95
TRITIUM OXIDES
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
WATER CHEMISTRY
Yucca Mountain Project