Radionuclide and colloid transport in the Culebra Dolomite and associated complementary cumulative distribution functions in the 1996 performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

Journal Article · Mon May 22 00:00:00 EDT 2000 · Reliability Engineering and System Safety (Special Journal Issue)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0951-8320(00)00040-5· OSTI ID:755491

RAMSEY, JAMES L; BLAINE, R; GARNER, J W; HELTON, JON CRAIG; JOHNSON, J D; SMITH, L N; WALLACE, M

The following topics related to radionuclide and colloid transport in the Culebra Dolomite in the 1996 performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) are presented: (1) mathematical description of models, (2) uncertainty and sensitivity analysis results arising from subjective (i.e., epistemic) uncertainty for individual releases, and (3) construction of complementary cumulative distribution functions (CCDFs) arising from stochastic (i.e., aleatory) uncertainty. The presented results indicate that radionuclide and colloid transport in the Culebra Dolomite does not constitute a serious threat to the effectiveness of the WIPP as a disposal facility for transuranic waste. Even when the effects of uncertain analysis inputs are taken into account, no radionuclide transport to the boundary with the accessible environment was observed; thus the associated CCDFs for comparison with the boundary line specified in the US Environmental Protection Agency's standard for the geologic disposal of radioactive waste (40 CFR 191, 40 CFR 194) are degenerate in the sense of having a probability of zero of exceeding a release of zero.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Energy (US)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• OSTI ID: 755491
• Report Number(s): SAND99-1888J; TRN: US0003611
• Journal Information: Reliability Engineering and System Safety (Special Journal Issue), Other Information: Submitted to Reliability Engineering and System Safety (Special Journal Issue); PBD: 22 May 2000
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES, AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
WIPP
PERFORMANCE
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
COLLOIDS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
DOLOMITE
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS
DATA COVARIANCES
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
PROBABILISTIC ESTIMATION
ALEATORY UNCERTAINTY
COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATION APPLICATION
CULEBRA DOLOMITE
EPISTEMIC UNCERTAINTY
LATIN HYPERCUBE SAMPLING
MONTE CARLO
PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
RISK
RADIOACTIVE WASTE
RADIONUCLIDE TRANSPORT
STOCHASTIC UNCERTAINTY
SUBJECTIVE UNCERTAINTY
TRANSURANIC WASTE
WASTE ISOLATION PILOT PLANT
40 CFR 191
40 CFR 194