Download or read book Coupled Processes Associated with Nuclear Waste Repositories written by Chin-Fu Tsang and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-12-02 with total page 816 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coupled Processes Associated with Nuclear Waste Repositories covers the proceedings of the 1985 International Symposium on Coupled Processes Associated with Nuclear Waste Repositories. The study of the behavior of geologic waste repositories is based on the coupled thermal, hydrologic, chemical, and mechanical processes that may occur in these systems. The symposium is sponsored by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Department of Energy, in collaboration with the Nuclear Energy Authority in Paris and the Commission of the European Communities in Brussels. This book is organized into five parts encompassing 58 chapters. The introductory parts survey the concerns and interests from American and European agencies that have responsibilities in nuclear waste isolation research. These parts also provide overviews of coupled processes, with a particular emphasis on hydrology, geomechanics, and geochemistry. These topics are followed by summaries of major field projects on nuclear waste repositories in the U.S.A., France, Sweden, Canada, Belgium, and Switzerland. The fourth part covers considerable research results from topical studies of particular coupled processes. The concluding part provides the comments and discussion of various international researchers on the subject. This work will be of value to geology, hydrology, chemistry, thermodynamics, and rock mechanics students and researchers.
Download or read book A Literature Review of Coupled Thermal hydrologic mechanical chemical Processes Pertinent to the Proposed High level Nuclear Waste Repository at Yucca Mountain written by and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A literature review has been conducted to determine the state of knowledge available in the modeling of coupled thermal (T), hydrologic (H), mechanical (M), and chemical (C) processes relevant to the design and/or performance of the proposed high-level waste (HLW) repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The review focuses on identifying coupling mechanisms between individual processes and assessing their importance (i.e., if the coupling is either important, potentially important, or negligible). The significance of considering THMC-coupled processes lies in whether or not the processes impact the design and/or performance objectives of the repository. A review, such as reported here, is useful in identifying which coupled effects will be important, hence which coupled effects will need to be investigated by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission in order to assess the assumptions, data, analyses, and conclusions in the design and performance assessment of a geologic reposit''. Although this work stems from regulatory interest in the design of the geologic repository, it should be emphasized that the repository design implicitly considers all of the repository performance objectives, including those associated with the time after permanent closure. The scope of this review is considered beyond previous assessments in that it attempts with the current state-of-knowledge) to determine which couplings are important, and identify which computer codes are currently available to model coupled processes.
Download or read book Proceedings of the International Symposium on Coupledprocessesaffecting the Performance of a Nuclear Waste Repository written by Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, CA. and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book A Natural Analogue for Thermal Hydrological Chemical Coupled Processes at the Proposed Nuclear Waste Repository at Yucca Mountain Nevada written by and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dike and sill complexes that intruded tuffaceous host rocks above the water table are suggested as natural analogues for thermal-hydrologic-chemical (THC) processes at the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Scoping thermal-hydrologic calculations of temperature and saturation profiles surrounding a 30-50 m wide intrusion suggest that boiling conditions could be sustained at distances of tens of meters from the intrusion for several thousand years. This time scale for persistence of boiling is similar to that expected for the Yucca Mountain repository with moderate heat loading. By studying the hydrothermal alteration of the tuff host rocks surrounding the intrusions, insight and relevant data can be obtained that apply directly to the Yucca Mountain repository and can shed light on the extent and type of alteration that should be expected. Such data are needed to bound and constrain model parameters used in THC simulations of the effect of heat produced by the waste on the host rock and to provide a firm foundation for assessing overall repository performance. One example of a possible natural analogue for the repository is the Paiute Ridge intrusive complex located on the northeastern boundary of the Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada. The complex consists of dikes and sills intruded into a partially saturated tuffaceous host rock that has stratigraphic sequences that correlate with those found at Yucca Mountain. The intrusions were emplaced at a depth of several hundred meters below the surface, similar to the depth of the proposed repository. The tuffaceous host rock surrounding the intrusions is hydrothermally altered to varying extents depending on the distance from the intrusions. The Paiute Ridge intrusive complex thus appears to be an ideal natural analogue of THC coupled processes associated with the Yucca Mountain repository. It could provide much needed physical and chemical data for understanding the influence of heat released from the repository on the tuff host rock and for THC modeling studies of the repository. Many other such intrusive complexes exist at the Nevada Test Site and in other parts of the world that could provide an extensive data set for understanding and predicting the behavior of the Yucca Mountain repository, for which the Paiute Ridge complex is just one example.
Download or read book Disposition of High Level Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2001-07-05 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focused attention by world leaders is needed to address the substantial challenges posed by disposal of spent nuclear fuel from reactors and high-level radioactive waste from processing such fuel. The biggest challenges in achieving safe and secure storage and permanent waste disposal are societal, although technical challenges remain. Disposition of radioactive wastes in a deep geological repository is a sound approach as long as it progresses through a stepwise decision-making process that takes advantage of technical advances, public participation, and international cooperation. Written for concerned citizens as well as policymakers, this book was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and waste management organizations in eight other countries.
Download or read book Panel Report on Coupled Thermo mechanical hydro chemical Processes Associated with a Nuclear Waste Repository written by and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 89 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Four basic physical processes, thermal, hydrological, mechanical and chemical, are likely to occur in 11 different types of coupling during the service life of an underground nuclear waste repository. A great number of coupled processes with various degrees of importance for geological repositories were identified and arranged into these 11 types. A qualitative description of these processes and a tentative evaluation of their significance and the degree of uncertainty in prediction is given. Suggestions for methods of investigation generally include, besides theoretical work, laboratory and large scale field testing. Great efforts of a multidisciplinary nature are needed to elucidate details of several coupled processes under different temperature conditions in different geological formations. It was suggested that by limiting the maximum temperature to 100°C in the backfill and in the host rock during the whole service life of the repository the uncertainties in prediction of long-term repository behavior might be considerably reduced.
Download or read book DECOVALEX written by and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Modeling Coupled Processes in Clay Formations for Radioactive Waste Disposal written by and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As a result of the termination of the Yucca Mountain Project, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) has started to explore various alternative avenues for the disposition of used nuclear fuel and nuclear waste. The overall scope of the investigation includes temporary storage, transportation issues, permanent disposal, various nuclear fuel types, processing alternatives, and resulting waste streams. Although geologic disposal is not the only alternative, it is still the leading candidate for permanent disposal. The realm of geologic disposal also offers a range of geologic environments that may be considered, among those clay shale formations. Figure 1-1 presents the distribution of clay/shale formations within the USA. Clay rock/shale has been considered as potential host rock for geological disposal of high-level nuclear waste throughout the world, because of its low permeability, low diffusion coefficient, high retention capacity for radionuclides, and capability to self-seal fractures induced by tunnel excavation. For example, Callovo-Oxfordian argillites at the Bure site, France (Fouche et al., 2004), Toarcian argillites at the Tournemire site, France (Patriarche et al., 2004), Opalinus clay at the Mont Terri site, Switzerland (Meier et al., 2000), and Boom clay at Mol site, Belgium (Barnichon et al., 2005) have all been under intensive scientific investigations (at both field and laboratory scales) for understanding a variety of rock properties and their relations with flow and transport processes associated with geological disposal of nuclear waste. Clay/shale formations may be generally classified as indurated and plastic clays (Tsang et al., 2005). The latter (including Boom clay) is a softer material without high cohesion; its deformation is dominantly plastic. For both clay rocks, coupled thermal, hydrological, mechanical and chemical (THMC) processes are expected to have a significant impact on the long-term safety of a clay repository. For example, the excavation-damaged zone (EDZ) near repository tunnels can modify local permeability (resulting from induced fractures), potentially leading to less confinement capability (Tsang et al., 2005). Because of clay's swelling and shrinkage behavior (depending on whether the clay is in imbibition or drainage processes), fracture properties in the EDZ are quite dynamic and evolve over time as hydromechanical conditions change. To understand and model the coupled processes and their impact on repository performance is critical for the defensible performance assessment of a clay repository. Within the Natural Barrier System (NBS) group of the Used Fuel Disposition (UFD) Campaign at DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy, LBNL's research activities have focused on understanding and modeling such coupled processes. LBNL provided a report in this April on literature survey of studies on coupled processes in clay repositories and identification of technical issues and knowledge gaps (Tsang et al., 2010). This report will document other LBNL research activities within the natural system work package, including the development of constitutive relationships for elastic deformation of clay rock (Section 2), a THM modeling study (Section 3) and a THC modeling study (Section 4). The purpose of the THM and THC modeling studies is to demonstrate the current modeling capabilities in dealing with coupled processes in a potential clay repository. In Section 5, we discuss potential future R & D work based on the identified knowledge gaps. The linkage between these activities and related FEPs is presented in Section 6.
Download or read book Generic study of coupled t h m processes of nuclear waste repositories as near field initial boundary value problems bmt2 written by T. Chan and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Waste Forms Technology and Performance written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2011-09-05 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) is responsible for cleaning up radioactive waste and environmental contamination resulting from five decades of nuclear weapons production and testing. A major focus of this program involves the retrieval, processing, and immobilization of waste into stable, solid waste forms for disposal. Waste Forms Technology and Performance, a report requested by DOE-EM, examines requirements for waste form technology and performance in the cleanup program. The report provides information to DOE-EM to support improvements in methods for processing waste and selecting and fabricating waste forms. Waste Forms Technology and Performance places particular emphasis on processing technologies for high-level radioactive waste, DOE's most expensive and arguably most difficult cleanup challenge. The report's key messages are presented in ten findings and one recommendation.
Download or read book DECOVALEX written by L. Jing and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book DECOVALEX written by and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Report on Laboratory Scale Thermally coupled Processes Experiments written by and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 21 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP) is studying Yucca Mountain, Nevada as a potential repository for high-level nuclear wastes. The studies include predictions of the quantity and composition of water in the repository near-field environment that will affect the release rate of radioactive nuclides from waste packages, and the transport of the nuclides through the rock mass adjacent to these packages. The radioactive decay heat from the high- level nuclear waste may increase the temperature in the rock mass to the extent that coupled thermal-mechanical-hydrological-chemical (TMHC) processes may exist in the originally -partially-saturated Topopah Spring tuff-the host rock for the potential repository in Yucca Mountain. Modeling the coupled TMHC processes is necessary to predict the quantity and quality of water in the near-field environment for the entire life span of a repository (tens of thousands of years). In situ thermal tests are required to build up the confidence level of the coupled TMHC models. The purposes of conducting the laboratory studies of the coupled TMHC processes are to enhance our understanding of those processes, and to assist the interpretation of the field test results. Laboratory experiments deal with controlled experimental and boundary conditions, smaller sample sizes, and simpler geometrical configurations (e.g., regular shape and single fracture). These characteristics make the laboratory results suitable for understanding the processes. This in turn will make incorporation of these processes in model calculations more manageable. However, it should be noted that small sample size and simple geometrical configuration make the results of the laboratory tests unsuitable for direct use in predicting behaviors of in situ rock mass. The laboratory tests included in this reporting period are summarized below, along with projection of future work. This report fulfills the level 4 Milestone ID: SPL7A5M4.
Download or read book Underground Disposal of Radioactive Wastes written by International Atomic Energy Agency and published by . This book was released on 1981 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Performance Prediction for Large Scale Nuclear Waste Repositories written by and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 47 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The goal of this project was development of a software package capable of utilizing terascale computational platforms for solving subsurface flow and transport problems important for disposal of high level nuclear waste materials, as well as for DOE-complex clean-up and stewardship efforts. We sought to develop a tool that would diminish reliance on abstracted models, and realistically represent the coupling between subsurface fluid flow, thermal effects and chemical reactions that both modify the physical framework of the rock materials and which change the rock mineralogy and chemistry of the migrating fluid. Providing such a capability would enhance realism in models and increase confidence in long-term predictions of performance. Achieving this goal also allows more cost-effective design and execution of monitoring programs needed to evaluate model results. This goal was successfully accomplished through the development of a new simulation tool (NUFT-C). This capability allows high resolution modeling of complex coupled thermal-hydrological-geochemical processes in the saturated and unsaturated zones of the Earth's crust. The code allows consideration of virtually an unlimited number of chemical species and minerals in a multi-phase, non-isothermal environment. Because the code is constructed to utilize the computational power of the tera-scale IBM ASCI computers, simulations that encompass large rock volumes and complex chemical systems can now be done without sacrificing spatial or temporal resolution. The code is capable of doing one-, two-, and three-dimensional simulations, allowing unprecedented evaluation of the evolution of rock properties and mineralogical and chemical change as a function of time. The code has been validated by comparing results of simulations to laboratory-scale experiments, other benchmark codes, field scale experiments, and observations in natural systems. The results of these exercises demonstrate that the physics and chemistry embodied in the code accurately represents the state-of-the-art in modeling these processes, and that the conceptualization of the models used in the simulations honors the primary processes that are controlling these systems. Application of the code to a wide range of important and strategic problems has been undertaken. Particularly significant are results obtained concerning the evolution of a potential high level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. In these simulations, the results suggest that fluid movement and chemical changes will be such as to encourage solute transport around the sides of the waste emplacement tunnels, thus minimizing the potential for seepage of water and dissolved salts into the tunnels. The results also indicate that the short term response of the geological system to waste emplacement will be complex and rapid, and will be most readily detected below waste emplacement tunnels. A successful monitoring program of repository performance during the early stages of the operational period would thus benefit by coordinating design and execution of sampling strategies with a simulation tool such as NUFT-C. Such an approach would allow efficient and cost-effective sampling strategies, and would facilitate interpretation of what will surely be complex and massive data sets.
Download or read book Scientific and Technical Basis for the Geological Disposal of Radioactive Wastes written by and published by Technical Reports Series. This book was released on 2003 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report focuses on the different functions of a repository within its life cycle and describes the processes relevant to the containment of long lived radioactive waste and other criteria influencing the long term integrity of the repository. It emphasizes the central role of safety and the importance of safety/performance assessments in the decision making process during repository development.
Download or read book Nuclear Wastes written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1996-02-23 with total page 590 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Disposal of radioactive waste from nuclear weapons production and power generation has caused public outcry and political consternation. Nuclear Wastes presents a critical review of some waste management and disposal alternatives to the current national policy of direct disposal of light water reactor spent fuel. The book offers clearcut conclusions for what the nation should do today and what solutions should be explored for tomorrow. The committee examines the currently used "once-through" fuel cycle versus different alternatives of separations and transmutation technology systems, by which hazardous radionuclides are converted to nuclides that are either stable or radioactive with short half-lives. The volume provides detailed findings and conclusions about the status and feasibility of plutonium extraction and more advanced separations technologies, as well as three principal transmutation concepts for commercial reactor spent fuel. The book discusses nuclear proliferation; the U.S. nuclear regulatory structure; issues of health, safety and transportation; the proposed sale of electrical energy as a means of paying for the transmutation system; and other key issues.
