Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-jr42d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-20T01:25:52.841Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Nuclear Waste Repositories in Crystalline Rock- an Overview of Flow and Nuclide Transport Mechanisms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

Ivars Neretnieks
Ivars Neretnieks*
Affiliation:
Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology, S-100 44 Stockholm, SWEDEN
Get access

Abstract

Nuclides eventually escaping from nuclear waste repositories in crystalline rock will move with the seeping water in the fracture network. Most important nuclides interact physically or chemically with the rock and are expected to be considerably retarded allowing them to decay to insignificant concentrations. Velocity variations may allow some portions of the nuclides to move faster. Matrix diffusion and sorption on the surfaces of the rock are by far the most powerful retardation mechanisms and depend, in addition to the sorption and diffusion properties, directly on the magnitude of the “flow wetted surface”which is the contact surface between the mobile water carrying the nuclides and the fracture surfaces over which the nuclides diffuse into the matrix.

A number of field experiments have been performed over the last 15 years to help validate the concepts and models and to obtain data. A number of such experiments are described and discussed in relation to the above issues.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 353: Symposium – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XVIII , 1994 , 7
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1 KBS-3, Final storage of spent nuclear fuel. Report by Swedish Nuclear Fuel Supply Co, SKBF, Stockholm, Sweden, May 1983.Google Scholar
2 NAGRA projekt Gewähr 1985, Endlager für Hochaktive Abfälle: Das System der Sicherheitsbarrieren, Jan 1985.Google Scholar
3 Neretnieks, I., The Swedish repository for low and intermediate level reactor waste - SFR. Radioactivity release and transport calculations, Symposium on scientific basis for nuclear waste management, Berlin Oct 10–13, Proceedings, p 537–544, 1988.Google Scholar
4 SKB 91 Final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. Importance of the bedrock for safety. SKB Technical Report, TR 92–20, Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co., Stockholm 1992.Google Scholar
5 Neretnieks, I., A note on fracture flow mechanisms in the ground, Water Resources Res. 19, p. 364–370, 1983.Google Scholar
6 Neretnieks, I., Abelin, H., Birgersson, L., Moreno, L., Rasmuson, A., and Skagius, K., Chemical transport in fractured media. Proceedings of the “Fundamentals of transport phenomena in porous media”, NATO/ASI Symposium, Delaware, July 14–23, p 475–550, 1985.Google Scholar
7 Gelhar, L. W., Stochastic subsurface hydrology, Prentice Hall, 1993.Google Scholar
8 Chesnut, D., Dispersivity in heterogeneous permeable media, International high level waste management conference, Las Vegas NV, May 22–26, 5, Proceedings.Google Scholar
9 Moreno, L., Neretnieks, I., Fluid flow and solute transport in a network of fractures. J. Contaminant Hydrology, 14, p 163–192, 1993.Google Scholar
10 Neretnieks, I., Diffusion in the rock matrix: An important factor in radionuclide retardation? J. Geophys. Res. 85, p 4379–4397, 1980.Google Scholar
11 Neretnieks, I., Solute transport in fractured rock - Applications to radioactive waste repositories. Chapter 2 Flow and solute transport in fractured rock, Ed Bear, J., de Marsily, G., Tsang, C-F., Academic Press, p 39–127, 1993.Google Scholar
12 Moreno, L., Neretnieks, I., Flow and nuclide transport in fractured media: The importance of the flow-wetted surface for radionuclide migration. J. Contaminant Hydrology 13, 49–71, 1993.Google Scholar
13 Lallemand-Barres, A., Peaudecerf, P., Recherche des relations entre la valeur de la dispersivité macroscopique d’un milieu aquifere, ses autres caracteristiques et les conditions de mesure, Bull. BRGM (2) III, 4, 277, 1978.Google Scholar
14 Neretnieks, I, Matrix diffusion - How confident are we? Paper presented at the CEC Natural analog working group meeting, Santa Fe NM, Sept 1994b, Proceedings.Google Scholar
15 Abelin, H., Neretnieks, I., Tunbrant, S., Moreno, L., Final report of the migration in a single fracture - Experimental results and evaluation, Stripa Project report 85–03, OECD/NEA, SKB 1985.Google Scholar
16 Abelin, H., Migration in a single fracture. An in situ experiment in a natural fracture, Ph. D. Thesis, Dep. Chemical Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden 1986.Google Scholar
17 Abelin, H., Birgersson, L., Gidlund, J., Moreno, L. and Neretnieks, I., A large-scale flow and tracer experiment in granite 1. Experimental design and flow distribution, Water Resources Res., 27, p 3107–3117, 1991a.Google Scholar
18 Abelin, H., Birgersson, L., Moreno, L., Widén, H., Ågren, T. and Neretnieks, I.., A largescale flow and tracer experiment in granite 2. Results and interpretation, Water Resources Res., 27, p 3119–3135, 1991b.Google Scholar
19 Tsang, C.F., Tsang, Y.W. and Hale, F.V., Tracer transport in fractures: Analysis of field data based on a variable-aperture channel model, Water Resources Research, 27, p 3095–3106, 1991.Google Scholar
20 Abelin, H., Birgersson, L., Widén, H., Ågren, T., Moreno, L., Neretnieks, I., Channeling experiments in crystalline fractured rocks. J. Contaminant Hydrology. 15, p 129–158, 1994.Google Scholar
21 Birgersson, L., Widén, H., Ågren, T., Neretnieks, I. and Moreno, L.. Site characteriztion and validation - Tracer experiment in the validation drift, report 2, Part 1: Performed experiments, results and evaluation, Stripa Project Report 92–03, Stockholm 1992.Google Scholar
22 Cacas, M.C., de Marsily, G., Tillie, B., Barbreau, A., Durand, E., Feuga, B., Peaudecerf, P., Modelling fracture flow with a stochastic discrete fracture network: calibration and validation - 1 The flow model, Water Resources Research, 26, p 479–489, 1990a.Google Scholar
23 Cacas M.C., , Ledoux E., , de Marsily G., , Barbreau A., , Calmels P., , Gaillard B., , Margritta R., , Modelling fracture flow with a stochastic discrete fracture network: calibration and validation - 2 The transport model, Water Resources Res., 26, p 491–500, 1990b.Google Scholar
24. Wikberg, P. (ed.), Gustafson, G., Rhén, I., Stanfors, R., Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory: Evaluation of the conceptual modelling based on the pre-investigations 1986–1990, SKB Technical Report 19–22, 1991.Google Scholar
25 Hadermann, J., Heer, W., The Grimsel migration experiment: Integrating field experiments, laboratory investigations and modelling. J. Cont. Hydrology. In print 1994.Google Scholar
26 Skagius, K., Neretnieks, I., Diffusivity measurements and electrical resistivity measurements in rock samples under mechanical stress, Water Resources Research 22, p 570, 1986b.Google Scholar
27 Birgersson, L. and Neretnieks, I., Diffusion in the matrix of granitic rock: Field test in the Stripa mine, Water Resources Res., 26, p 2833–2842, 1990.Google Scholar
28 Schweich, D., Transport of linearly reacting solutes in porous media. Basic models and Concepts. In Migration and fate of pollutants in soils and subsoils. Ed. Petruzzelli Domenico and Friedrich Helfferich, NATO ASI series, Springer, p 221–245, 1993.Google Scholar
29 Miller, W., Alexander, R., Chapman, N., McKinley, I., Smellie, J., Natural analogue studies in the geologic disposal of radioactive wastes. Elsevier Science BV, 1994.Google Scholar
30 Brandberg, F., Grundfelt, B., Höglund, L-O., Karlsson, F., Skagius, K., Smellie, J. Studies of natural analogues and geologic systems. Their importance to performance assessment. SKB Technical Report 93–05, Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co., April 1993.Google Scholar
31 Valkiainen, M., Diffusion in the rock matrix - A review of laboratory tests and field studies. Report YJT-92-04, Nuclear Waste Commission of Finnish Power Companies, Helsinki, 1992.Google Scholar