Estimating porosity and dispersivity of a fissured dolomitic aquifer with a two-well, recirculating tracer test using simultaneous tritium and bromide labels
A two-well, recirculating tracer test, using tritiated water and ammonium bromide simultaneously was performed at the US Geological Survey's Amargosa Tracer Site just south of the Nevada Test Site in order to determine (1) the comparability of bromide to tritium for possible use as a tritium surrogate on the Nevada Test Site where tritium tracers are forbidden, and (2) the porosity and dispersivity of the fissured dolomitic aquifer within the Cambrian, Bonanza King Formation which drains part of the Nevada Test Site. These data were needed to estimate the solute-transport characteristics of the aquifer through which tritiated water might migrate from either nuclear-event cavities or possible nuclear-waste repositories on the Nevada Test Site. Both the tritium and bromide tracers were injected simultaneously as rectangular-wave pulses for the same length of time. Breakthrough curves of both tracers sampled at the pumping well 400 feet from the injection well were identical. The breakthrough curves of both tracers were compared to several theoretical curves generated by a code by Grove (1971) for various combinations of porosity and dispersivity, yielding a best-fit estimate of 100 feet for dispersivity and 10 percent for effective porosity.
- Research Organization:
- Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6329010
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8510489-
- Journal Information:
- Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States), Journal Name: Geol. Soc. Am., Abstr. Programs; (United States) Vol. 17; ISSN GAAPB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
520200 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
520300 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport-- (1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
580100 -- Geology & Hydrology-- (-1989)
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
AQUIFERS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BROMIDES
BROMINE COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM CARBONATES
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CAMBRIAN PERIOD
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATE MINERALS
CARBONATE ROCKS
CARBONATES
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
DOLOMITE
FEDERAL REGION IX
FLUID FLOW
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC FISSURES
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GROUND WATER
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MAGNESIUM CARBONATES
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
MINERALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NEVADA
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PALEOZOIC ERA
POROSITY
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOISOTOPES
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
TRACER TECHNIQUES
TRITIUM
US DOI
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
USES
WATER
WATER WELLS
WELLS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES