Evaluation of isotope migration: land burial. Water chemistry at commercially operated low-level radioactive waste disposal sites. Quarterly progress report, April-June 1981

Abstract

This report presents the analytical results for tritium content of soil cores taken at the Barnwell, South Carolina, disposal site, field measurements at Barnwell, concentrations of free chelating agents in selected trench waters, and the analyses of water samples collected at the Maxey Flats, Kentucky, disposal site. Tritium contents in soil cores taken below the trenches show a decrease in tritium with depth to a minimum value at approximately ten meters, followed by an increase below this depth. This deeper maximum probably represents the downward movement of the previous years seasonal maxima for water infiltration into the trenches. This amount of downward migration from the trench bottom is approximately what would be expected based on the hydraulic conductivity of these sediments. Field measurements of trench waters at the Barnwell, South Carolina, disposal site indicate that the waters are chemically oxidizing regimes relative to those at Maxey Flats and West Valley. Analyses were performed to determine the amounts of free chelating agents DTPA, EDTA, and NTA in selected trenches at the Maxey Flats, West Valley, Barnwell, and Sheffield, disposal sites. Amounts of free chelating agents were generally below lj.ig/g, with one samp}e as high as 28••llg/g. No drastic changes in trench water compositions were observed relative to previous sampling at Maxey Flats. The experimental interceptor trenches contain detectable amounts of strontium and plutonium. Tritium contents vary from typical disposal trench levels (E7-E8 pCi/L) in trench IT-2E, downward four oders of magnitude in trench IT-5 in a decreasing trend along the line of experimental trenches.. .

Characterization of radionuclide-chelating agent complexes found in low-level radioactive decontamination waste. Literature review

“…Swanson (1981), Czyscinski and Weiss (1981), and Dayal et al (1984 &b), among others, show such is the case for Cs and Sr. Other nuclides that may not form strong organic complexes, that are long-lived, and that often are identified as potential human dose problems in performance assessment calculations include =' Np (in its M valence state), "Tc, and 12'I.…”

Groundwater monitoring in the Savannah River Plant Low Level Waste Burial Ground

“…This well is probably stabilizing, and it is unli~ely to show a significant increase in fission products in the near future. The alpha activity in this well is 6th highest of all burial DPs'r-8 3 -20 9 ground wells (4 pei/L) and is increasing slightly, 'it th~ nc"> of 0.24 pCi/L-y~a~.…”

Radionuclide distributions and migration mechanisms at shallow land burial sites. Annual report of research investigations on the distribution, migration and containment of radionuclides at Maxey Flats, Kentucky. [Maxey Flats]

“…Samples were taken and analyzed by radiochemical procedures to obtain radionuclide concentrations. Nonradioactive species were determined by neutron activation analysis using the PNL subcritical neutron multiplier (8). The analytical results are summarized in Table 2 and compared with similar data from waste trench 27 leachate and experimental trench water samples.…”

“…Two experimental areas have been established on the Maxey Flats shallow land burial site (see Section I, Figure 1, page [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. One has an e>perimental trench that was especially constructed for this program.…”

“…x 20m, fused silica). From an initial value of 4QOC, the column temperature is programmed at 2QOC per minute for three minutes to lOQOC, followed by soc per minute for 25 [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] minutes to 30QoC, and finally maintained isothermally at 3000C for ten minutes. Tetramethyl-EOTA is used as an internal and external standard to permit quantitative determination of the various organic constituents in the GC samples.…”