Validation of a Nuclear Waste Repository Performance Assessment Model:Comparison of Theory With Experiment

Abstract

Laboratory tests were conducted to validate a radionuclide mass transfer model. During the experiments, cesium and uranium releases from a simulated waste form embedded in an isotropic medium of quartz sand were measured. A 0.01 M NaH2PO4 buffer solution flowed past the waste form. Downstream concentrations obtained from computer simulations were compared with experimentally measured concentrations of cesium and uranium. Uranium release was found to be controlled by solubility-limited mass transfer, while cesium release was controlled by waste form dissolution kinetics. It was also found that the effects of dissolution on groundwater chemistry must be coupled with solubility-limited mass transfer models to defensibly predict radionuclide release rates under realistic repository conditions.