A Vadose Zone Injection Experiment for Testing Flow and Transport Models
From the mid-1940s to the mid-1980s, the U.S. government constructed and operated facilities at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington to produce nuclear material for defense purposes. During that 40-year period, large quantities of radioactive and chemical wastes were produced. Some waste entered and contaminated the environment; the remainder is stored in various containers across the Hanford Site. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5820.2A (DOE 1988) mandated that site-specific radiological performance assessments be conducted before placing waste in disposal facilities. These performance assessments must provide a reasonable assurance that the disposal activities will protect long-term human health and safety before DOE approves the facilities. This case study describes a 1980 vadose zone injection experiment and subsequent modeling study intended to demonstrate that model results can provide a reasonable assurance of protection.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 896783
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-31722; 820201000
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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