Hydrologic modeling of the Columbia Plateau basalts

Conference · Wed Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1982

OSTI ID:6748991

Dove, F H; Cole, C R; Bond, F W; Zimmerman, D A

The Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation (ONWI) directed the Assessment of Effectiveness of Geologic Isolation Systems (AEGIS) Program to conduct a technology demonstration of current performance assessment techniques for the Department of Energy (DOE) as applied to a nuclear waste repository in the Columbia Plateau Basalts. Hypothetical repository coordinates were selected for an actual geographical setting on the Hanford Reservation in the state of Washington. Published hydrologic and geologic data used in the analyses were gathered in 1979 or earlier. The hydrologic simulation was divided into three major parts: (1) aquifer recharge calculations, (2) a regional hydrologic model, and (3) a local hydrologic model of the Pasco Basin. The presentation discusses the regional model. An estimate of the amount of water transmitted through the groundwater system was required to bound the transmissivity values and to estimate the transmissivity distributions for the deeper basalts. The multiple layer two-dimensional Variable Thickness Transient (VTT) code was selected as appropriate for the amount of data available and for the conditions existing in the regional systems. This model uses a finite difference formulation to represent the partial differential flow equation. The regional study area as defined for the VTT model was divided into 55 by 55 square pattern with each grid 5 kilometers on a side. The regional system was modeled as a held potential surface layer and two underlying basalt layers. The regional model established the boundary conditions for the hydrologic model the Pasco Basin.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 6748991
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-10599; CONF-820964-3; ON: DE83002045
• 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
58 GEOSCIENCES
580100 -- Geology & Hydrology-- (-1989)
BASALT
FINITE DIFFERENCE METHOD
FLUID MECHANICS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GROUND WATER
HANFORD RESERVATION
HYDRAULICS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROLOGY
IGNEOUS ROCKS
ITERATIVE METHODS
MANAGEMENT
MECHANICS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
ROCKS
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
VOLCANIC ROCKS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WATER