On the development of a three-dimensional finite-element groundwater flow model of the saturated zone, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Conference · Tue Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:442533

Czarnecki, J B; Faunt, C C ^[1]; Gable, C W; Zyvoloski, G A ^[2]

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1. Geological Survey, Lakewood, CO (United States)
2. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)

Development of a preliminary three-dimensional model of the saturated zone at Yucca Mountain, the potential location for a high-level nuclear waste repository, is presented. The development of the model advances the technology of interfacing: (1)complex three-dimensional hydrogeologic framework modeling; (2) fully three-dimensional, unstructured, finite-element mesh generation; and (3) groundwater flow, heat, and transport simulation. The three-dimensional hydrogeologic framework model is developed using maps, cross sections, and well data. The framework model data are used to feed an automated mesh generator, designed to discretize irregular three-dimensional solids,a nd to assign materials properties from the hydrogeologic framework model to the tetrahedral elements. The mesh generator facilitated the addition of nodes to the finite-element mesh which correspond to the exact three-dimensional position of the potentiometric surface based on water-levels from wells. A ground water flow and heat simulator is run with the resulting finite- element mesh, within a parameter-estimation program. The application of the parameter-estimation program is designed to provide optimal values of permeability and specified fluxes over the model domain to minimize the residual between observed and simulated water levels.

• Research Organization: Geological Survey, Lakewood, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AI08-92NV10874
• OSTI ID: 442533
• Report Number(s): CONF-9609146-1; ON: DE97001704; TRN: 97:005008
• Resource Relation: Conference: 2. International conference on calibration and reliability in groundwater modelling, Golden, CO (United States), 24-26 Sep 1996; Other Information: PBD: [1996]
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
99 MATHEMATICS
COMPUTERS
INFORMATION SCIENCE
MANAGEMENT
LAW
MISCELLANEOUS
YUCCA MOUNTAIN
HYDROLOGY
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
UNDERGROUND STORAGE
CONTAINMENT
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
DESIGN
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
GROUND WATER
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
PERMEABILITY
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
GEOLOGY