Modeling solute transport through saturated zone ground water at 10km scale: Example from the Yucca Mountain license application

Kelkar, Sharad; Ding, Mei; Chu, Shaoping; Robinson, Bruce A.; Arnold, Bill Walter; Meijer, Arend; Eddebbarh, A.

doi:10.1016/j.jconhyd.2010.05.003

Cited by 9 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Confidence in the flow and transport model was strengthened by comparison to geochemical field data: the flow paths and travel times were found to agree with the regional geochemistry data, and the travel times deduced from 14 C data ranged from about 226 to 3750 years, which compared well with the model predictions. 8 of Kelkar et al 2010). 8 of Kelkar et al 2010).…”

Section: Flow and Transport Model For The Yucca Mountain Szmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…The flow field downstream of the proposed repository site at the Yucca Mountain has a converging nature (Kelkar et al 2010), implying that plumes may not exhibit as much lateral spreading as the three sites reviewed above. However, to cover the possibility that larger transverse dispersivity values may influence the plume transport at the Yucca Mountain site, we conducted a modeling study evaluating the effects of large transverse horizontal and vertical dispersivities on the BTCs used to represent SZ radionuclide transport.…”

Section: Relevance Of Inl Ornl and Hanford Studies To Yucca Mountainmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The values of input parameters of importance to the transport model were developed on the basis of available data from site-specific field experiments, laboratory measurements, relevant data from other sites, and expert Elicitation (Kelkar et al 2010). Confidence in the flow and transport model was strengthened by comparison to geochemical field data: the flow paths and travel times were found to agree with the regional geochemistry data, and the travel times deduced from 14 C data ranged from about 226 to 3750 years, which compared well with the model predictions.…”

Section: Flow and Transport Model For The Yucca Mountain Szmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Breakthrough of contaminant plumes in saturated volcanic rock: implications from the Yucca Mountain site

et al. 2013

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This manuscript addresses the topic of transverse dispersion and its impact on the behavior of the saturated zone below Yucca Mountain, a site that had been proposed for a US nuclear waste repository. Guided by a review of relevant observations of dispersion in similar formations, this study evaluates the importance of uncertainty in dispersion, particularly dispersion transverse to the mean transport direction, on metrics of interest to the Yucca Mountain risk assessment. Although as expected, larger values of transverse dispersivity lead to greater spreading of the plume in directions orthogonal to the mean flow direction, a corresponding sensitivity is not observed to the travel time statistics of the breakthrough curve at the compliance boundary. Thus, when a risk assessment is based on contaminant mass flux at compliance well or ‘fence line’ downstream from the source, as in the Yucca Mountain case, transverse dispersion may be of secondary importance to other parameters that more directly impact travel times. This result is in contrast to systems in which reactive transport processes are important to the attenuation of the plume, in which case transverse dispersion and mixing may be expected to play a dominant role in controlling the reaction rates and contaminant concentrations in the plume.

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Section: Flow and Transport Model For The Yucca Mountain Szmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Relevance Of Inl Ornl and Hanford Studies To Yucca Mountainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Flow and Transport Model For The Yucca Mountain Szmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Breakthrough of contaminant plumes in saturated volcanic rock: implications from the Yucca Mountain site

et al. 2013

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“…Later on, thermo-hydro-chemical simulations of radionuclide transport involving multicomponent reactions from proposed geologic repositories were conducted [24]. The simulator has since been applied to a variety of problems including unconventional oil extraction [25], environmental management [26], geothermal energy [27], nuclear waste isolation [28] and methane hydrates [29]. Recently, FEHM has been used to solve multi-phase flow problems concerning CO 2 sequestration [30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A simulator for modeling coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes in subsurface geological media

Kelkar

Lewis

Karra

et al. 2014

International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences

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a b s t r a c tWe present the description of a fully coupled simulator FEHM for modeling coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) processes in geomedia. The coupled equations for fluid flow and energy transport are implemented using finite volume whereas Galerkin finite element method is used for mechanical force balance. The simulator is designed to address spatial scales on the order of tens of centimeters to tens of kilometers, and time scales on the order of hours to tens of years. The governing coupled nonlinear equations are solved using a Newton-Rapshon scheme with analytically or numerically computed Jacobians. A suite of models is available for coupling flow and mechanical deformation via permeability-deformation relationships. The coupled simulator is verified by comparing with several analytical solutions developed for this purpose. A subset of the simulator capabilities is benchmarked against commercially available simulators. We also demonstrate a good match with data from Desert Peak geothermal field in Nevada, USA. This validation required the use of a shear failure model with non-linear permeability-stress relationship. In addition, we present another application involving fluid injection into an inclined fault zone using a non-orthogonal grid with stress-dependent Young's modulus and permeability.Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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“…For assessing that overall process, there are conducted both field observations and experimental simulations in laboratory. The in situ investigation and the modeling of the role played by the colloidal matter and by the suspended particulate matter are mainly concerned with the saturated region of the water-bearing structures (e.g., Baik et al, 2010;Grambow, 2008;Kelkar et al, 2010;Laverov et al, 2010;Mal'kovskii, 2011;Malkovsky, 2011;Mazurek et al, 2011;Pourret et al, 2010;Severino et al, 2007;Utsunomiya et al, 2009). The modeling of the radionuclides migration in the unsaturated zone is addressed, as a general rule, by laboratory experiments (e.g., Ku et al, 2009;Massoudieh & Ginn, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Particulate Phases Possibly Conveyed from Nuclear Waste Repositories by Groundwater

Marin¹

2012

Radioactive Waste

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Modeling solute transport through saturated zone ground water at 10km scale: Example from the Yucca Mountain license application

Cited by 9 publications

References 28 publications

Breakthrough of contaminant plumes in saturated volcanic rock: implications from the Yucca Mountain site

Breakthrough of contaminant plumes in saturated volcanic rock: implications from the Yucca Mountain site

A simulator for modeling coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes in subsurface geological media

Particulate Phases Possibly Conveyed from Nuclear Waste Repositories by Groundwater

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