The surface water model for assessing Canada's nuclear fuel waste disposal concept

Journal Article · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Waste Management; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0956-053X(93)90007-J· OSTI ID:6366112

Bird, G A; Stephenson, M ^[1]; Cornett, R J ^[2]

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1. AECL Research, Pinawa, Manitoba (Canada). Whiteshell Labs.
2. AECL Research, Chalk River, Ontario (Canada). Chalk River Labs.

Canada's Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program (NFWMP) is investigating the concept of disposal of nuclear fuel waste in a vault excavated deep in crystalline rock on the Canadian Shield. Probabilistic vault, geosphere, and biosphere models are implemented using Monte Carlo simulation techniques to trace nuclides transported in groundwater to the surface environment and humans far into the future. This paper describes the surface water submodel and its parameter values, sensitivity analysis, and validation. The surface water model is a simple, time-dependent, mass balance model of a lake that calculates radioactive and stable isotope contaminant concentrations in lake water and sediment. These concentrations are input to the other submodels and used to predict the radiological dose to humans and other biota. Parameter values in the model are based on the literature and the author's own data, and are generic to Canadian Shield lakes. Most parameters are represented by log normally distributed probability density functions. Sensitivity analysis indicates that nuclide concentrations in lake water and sediment are governed primarily by hydrological flushing with catchment area being the most important parameter. When catchment area is held constant lake area and nuclide transfer rate from water to sediment strongly influence concentrations in both water and sediment. For volatile nuclides, gaseous evasion also has a marked influence on concentrations in both water and sediment, whereas sedimentation rate strongly influences sediment nuclide concentrations. Validation tests demonstrate that the models predictions for [sup 60]Co, [sup 134]Cs, [sup 3]H, P, Cd and Ca are consistent with empirical data when uncertainties are taken into account.

• OSTI ID: 6366112
• Journal Information: Waste Management; (United States), Vol. 13:2; ISSN 0956-053X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CADMIUM
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
CALCIUM
CANADA
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
CESIUM 134
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
COBALT 60
LAKES
CONTAMINATION
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
PHOSPHORUS
SEDIMENTS
TRITIUM
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MONTE CARLO METHOD
NUCLEAR FUELS
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS
TIME DEPENDENCE
VALIDATION
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CALCULATION METHODS
CESIUM ISOTOPES
COBALT ISOTOPES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FUELS
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
ISOMERIC TRANSI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
METALS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
NONMETALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOISOTOPES
REACTOR MATERIALS
SURFACE WATERS
TESTING
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOT
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
540320 - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
540330 - Environment
Aquatic- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)