Hydrological properties of Topopah Spring tuff: Laboratory measurements
The purpose of this work is to study the transport of water (both the liquid and vapor phases) in tuff from the Topopah Spring welded unit under conditions expected in the near-field environment of a high-level nuclear waste container. A naturally fractured sample of Topopah Spring tuff (approximately 8 cm in diameter and 10 cm long) from Yucca Mountain at the Nevada Test Site, Nevada, was studied using, as a pore fluid, natural groundwater recovered from a well in which the principal producing horizon is the Topopah Spring Member. Confining pressure, sample temperature, and pore pressure were held at values that simulate expected in situ near-field conditions shortly after emplacement of the container. Results of this work are comparable with results from previous similar experiments on 2.54-cm-diameter samples of Topopah Spring tuff. During the more than 6-month experiment duration, water permeability decreased about 3 orders of magnitude. The most rapid measured permeability change (between about 600 and 100 {mu}darcy) occurred when the sample temperature was increased from room temperature to 89{sup 0} C.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 60136
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 92, Issue B8; Other Information: PBD: 10 Jul 1987
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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