Effects of Exploratory Studies Facility construction water on radionuclide release

ESF is a planned underground laboratory to conduct subsurface explortion and testing in support of site suitability determination and license application for a potential high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. ESF design includes a 7.6 m dia, 7.8 km long tunnel loop of two main access ramps from the surface down to a main drift along the conceptual repository horizon in a fractured, welded tuff (Topopah Spring member of Paintbrush Tuff). The use of water during excavation of the ESF is expected to have negligible effects on radionuclide release from waste packages, provided the volume of water lost to the geologic environment is limited to 7.4 m{sup 3}/m of linear excavation

Investigations of Near-Field Thermal-Hydrologic-Mechanical-Chemical Models for Radioactive Waste Disposal in Clay/Shale Rock

Clay/shale has been considered as potential host rock for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste throughout the world, because of its low permeability, low diffusion coefficient, high retention capacity for radionuclides, and capability to self-seal fractures. 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 the Mol site, Belgium (Barnichon and Volckaert, 2003) have all been under intensive scientific investigation (at both field and laboratory scales) for understanding a variety of rock properties and their relationships to flow and transport processes associated with geological disposal of radioactive waste. Figure 1-1 presents the distribution of clay/shale formations within the USA

Leakage Risk Assessment for a Potential CO2 Storage Project in Saskatchewan, Canada

A CO{sub 2} sequestration project is being considered to (1) capture CO{sub 2} emissions from the Consumers Cooperative Refineries Limited at Regina, Saskatchewan and (2) geologically sequester the captured CO{sub 2} locally in a deep saline aquifer. This project is a collaboration of several industrial and governmental organizations, including the Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC), Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), SaskEnvironment Go Green Fund, SaskPower, CCRL, Schlumberger Carbon Services, and Enbridge. The project objective is to sequester 600 tonnes CO{sub 2}/day. Injection is planned to start in 2012 or 2013 for a period of 25 years for a total storage of approximately 5.5 million tonnes CO{sub 2}. This report presents an assessment of the leakage risk of the proposed project using a methodology known as the Certification Framework (CF). The CF is used for evaluating CO{sub 2} leakage risk associated with geologic carbon sequestration (GCS), as well as brine leakage risk owing to displacement and pressurization of brine by the injected CO{sub 2}. We follow the CF methodology by defining the entities (so-called Compartments) that could be impacted by CO{sub 2} leakage, the CO{sub 2} storage region, the potential for leakage along well and fault pathways, and the consequences of such leakage. An understanding of the likelihood and consequences of leakage forms the basis for understanding CO{sub 2} leakage risk, and forms the basis for recommendations of additional data collection and analysis to increase confidence in the risk assessment

Features, Events, and Processes in UZ Flow and Transport

Unsaturated zone (UZ) flow and radionuclide transport is a component of the natural barriers that affects potential repository performance. The total system performance assessment (TSPA) model, and underlying process models, of this natural barrier component capture some, but not all, of the associated features, events, and processes (FEPs) as identified in the FEPs Database (Freeze, et al. 2001 [154365]). This analysis and model report (AMR) discusses all FEPs identified as associated with UZ flow and radionuclide transport. The purpose of this analysis is to give a comprehensive summary of all UZ flow and radionuclide transport FEPs and their treatment in, or exclusion from, TSPA models. The scope of this analysis is to provide a summary of the FEPs associated with the UZ flow and radionuclide transport and to provide a reference roadmap to other documentation where detailed discussions of these FEPs, treated explicitly in TSPA models, are offered. Other FEPs may be screened out from treatment in TSPA by direct regulatory exclusion or through arguments concerning low probability and/or low consequence of the FEPs on potential repository performance. Arguments for exclusion of FEPs are presented in this analysis. Exclusion of specific FEPs from the UZ flow and transport models does not necessarily imply that the FEP is excluded from the TSPA. Similarly, in the treatment of included FEPs, only the way in which the FEPs are included in the UZ flow and transport models is discussed in this document. This report has been prepared in accordance with the technical work plan for the unsaturated zone subproduct element (CRWMS M&O 2000 [153447]). The purpose of this report is to document that all FEPs are either included in UZ flow and transport models for TSPA, or can be excluded from UZ flow and transport models for TSPA on the basis of low probability or low consequence. Arguments for exclusion are presented in this analysis. Exclusion of specific FEPs from UZ flow and transport models does not necessarily imply that the FEP is excluded from the TSPA. Similarly, in the treatment of included FEPs, only the way in which FEPs are included in UZ flow and transport models is discussed in this document

An Analytical Model for Solute Transport in Unsaturated Flow through a Single Fracture and Porous Rock Matrix

Exact analytical solutions are presented for solute transport in an unsaturated fracture and porous rock matrix. The problem includes advective transport in the fracture and rock matrix as well as advective and diffusive fracture-matrix exchange. Linear sorption in the fracture and matrix and radioactive decay are also treated. The solution is for steady, uniform transport velocities within the fracture and matrix, but allows for independent specification of each of the velocities. The problem is first solved in terms of the solute concentrations that result from an instantaneous point source. Superposition integrals are then used to derive the solute mass flux at a fixed downstream position from an instantaneous point source and for the solute concentrations that result from a continuous point source. Solutions are derived for cases with the solute source in the fracture and the solute source in the matrix. The analytical solutions are closed-form and are expressed in terms of algebraic functions, exponentials, and error functions. Comparisons between the analytical solutions and numerical simulations, as well as sensitivity studies, are presented. Increased sensitivity to cross-flow and solute source location is found for increasing Peclet number. The numerical solutions are found to compare well with the analytical solutions at lower Peclet numbers, but show greater deviation at higher Peclet numbers