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Experimental and Theoretical Analyses of Small-Scale Radionuclide Migration Field Experiments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

K. L. Erickson
Affiliation:
Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87185, U.S.A.
D. R. Fortney
Affiliation:
Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87185, U.S.A.
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Abstract

Analyses have been completed which provide guidance for conducting radionuclide migration field experiments. Characterization of nonwelded tuffs and laboratory experiments defining dominant chemical phenomena were used to develop a model for describing migration in fractured porous rock. Criteria for obtaining optimum experimental conditions were developed in terms of the key variables dominating migration in a given rock type, namely the fracture aperture, distribution coefficient, and average fluid velocity. For simple dissolved species, which are reversibly sorbed, variations in fracture aperture and fluid velocity affect experiment results much more than variations in distribution coefficient. Therefore, the experiment should be designed to optimize hydrogeologic conditions rather than sorption properties.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1982

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References

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