Natural repository analogue program. Progress report, October 1-December 31, 1980

Technical Report · Sun Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1981

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6480889· OSTI ID:6480889

Curtis, D B ^[1]

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1. comp.

One fission product, molybdenum, has been found in rocks which were taken at distances between 1 and 40 meters from reactor zones. We conclude that this molybdenum was mobilized in the nearby zones of criticality, transported over distances up to a few tens of meters and redeposited in these rocks. In contrast, the same samples contain undetectable quantities of both fissiogenic ruthenium or of the /sup 235/U depleted reactor fuel. The redistribution processes enriched molybdenum by several orders of magnitude relative to ruthenium and uranium. Analyses of the source region will determine whether fractionation of these elements is due to selective mobilization at the source or preferential deposition at the repository. Ores peripheral to reactor zones are, on the average, deficient in one half of the radiogenic lead (approx. 7000 ppM). Rocks from the conglomerate underlying the mineralized stratum contain, on the average, 6000 ppM of excess lead. One sample contains a remarkable 34,000 ppM of unsupported radiogenic lead. This basal conglomerate must have been a major transport path and repository for lead lost from the ores. Additional samples from this stratum have been taken over distances up to 300 meters from the ore zones and are being analyzed to determine the extent of lead transport over these distances. The development of methods to prepare and characterize low oxygen fugacity waters has been delayed by problems in the installation of controlled atmosphere boxes.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos Scientific Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6480889
• Report Number(s): LA-8743-PR
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
DATA
DATA COMPILATION
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FISSION PRODUCTS
FRACTIONATION
HEAVY NUCLEI
INFORMATION
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LEAD
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
METALS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
MOLYBDENUM
NATURAL NUCLEAR REACTORS
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
OKLO PHENOMENON
PLATINUM METALS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
REFRACTORY METALS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
RUTHENIUM
SEPARATION PROCESSES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
URANIUM 235
URANIUM ISOTOPES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES