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The Application of Positron Emission Tomography to the Study of Mass Transfer in Fractured Rocks

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2011

D. Gilling ,
N. L. Jefferies ,
P. Fowles ,
M. R. Hawkesworth  and
D. J. Parker
D. Gilling
Affiliation:
AEA Decommissioning & Radwaste, Harwell Laboratory, UK.
N. L. Jefferies
Affiliation:
AEA Decommissioning & Radwaste, Harwell Laboratory, UK. Correspondence to be addressed to this author.
P. Fowles
Affiliation:
School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham, UK.
M. R. Hawkesworth
Affiliation:
School of Physics and Space Research, University of Birmingham, UK.
D. J. Parker
Affiliation:
School of Physics and Space Research, University of Birmingham, UK.
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Abstract

Water flow in hard rocks takes place dominantly in fractures. In order to predict the transport of dissolved radioelements through a fractured rock it is necessary to take into account both the geometry of the fracture network and the hydraulic properties of the individual fractures. This paper describes a technique for studying mass transfer in a single fracture. The technique is positron emission tomography (PET) and it offers the potential for visualising quantitatively the migration of dissolved tracers. Preliminary experiments have been undertaken involving the flow of Na-22 and F-18 labelled solutions through artificial fractures. The results demonstrate that PET is well suited to this application.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 212: Symposium P – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XIV , 1990 , 551
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1991

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References

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