A deterministic-probabilistic model for contaminant transport. User manual

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schwartz, F W; Crowe, A

1980-08-01

This manual describes a deterministic-probabilistic contaminant transport (DPCT) computer model designed to simulate mass transfer by ground-water movement in a vertical section of the earth's crust. The model can account for convection, dispersion, radioactive decay, and cation exchange for a single component. A velocity is calculated from the convective transport of the ground water for each reference particle in the modeled region; dispersion is accounted for in the particle motion by adding a readorn component to the deterministic motion. The model is sufficiently general to enable the user to specify virtually any type of water table or geologic configuration, and a variety of boundary conditions. A major emphasis in the model development has been placed on making the model simple to use, and information provided in the User Manual will permit changes to the computer code to be made relatively easily for those that might be required for specific applications. (author)

Characterization of Contaminant Transport using Naturally-Occurring U-Series Disequilibria - Final Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murrell, Michael T.; Ku, Teh-Lung

2001-01-01

The interactions of mixed wastes containing radionuclides with solid rock surface and the mobility of the radionuclides in aquifer systems depend not only on the chemistry of the nuclides and the physico-chemical effects of radioactive decay, but also on the site-specific hydrogeology. Thus, to characterize contaminant transport, it is best to cross-check figures derived from any small-scale laboratory experiments over limited times with that obtained from field-oriented, natural analog studies. We propose such a study using the naturally-occurring U and Th decay-series disequilibria. The work of ours and other researchers have shown that the parent/daughter disequilibrium patterns existing in groundwater systems can be modeled in terms of local nuclide mass balance to arrive at such information as the rock-water contact time (fluid flow) and rates of contaminant transport, taking into account the retardation effect due to nuclide/rock interaction contaminants at INEL by grouping them into three categories, represented by isotopes of (1) Th and Pa, (2) U and (3) Ra. Mass spectrometric measurements of these elements will be emphasized in order to minimize sample size requirements and to maximize precision. Results will form the data base for a model code for computing: (1) Fluid residence time (transport rates) in the basalt aquifers at various locations, (2) The in-situ adsorption and desorption rate constants, as well as the retardation factors, of various radionuclide wastes, and (3) Rock dissolution rate and its relation to preferential flow and contamination transport in the fractured rock

Transportation cask contamination weeping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, P.C.; Doughty, D.H.; Chambers, W.B.

1993-01-01

This paper describes the problem of cask contamination weeping, and efforts to understand the phenomenon and to eliminate its occurrence during spent nuclear fuel transport. The paper summarizes analyses of field experience and scoping experiments, and concentrates on current modelling and experimental validation efforts. (J.P.N.)

Characterization of contaminant transport by gravity, capilliarity and barometric pumping in heterogeneous vadose regimes. 1997 annual progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carrigan, C.R.

1997-01-01

'Vadose regimes can be the sites of complex interactions between the atmosphere and groundwater. When a volatile contaminant exists as free product or in dissolved form in the vadose environment, upward transport can occur with the contaminant ultimately being vented as a vapor into the atmosphere. This transport happens naturally and can be enhanced by anisotropy resulting from heterogenities in the vadose regime. Several stages in the transport process are involved in going from a volatile, liquid state contaminant to a contaminant vapor vented at the surface. In a three-year effort, called the Vadose Zone Transport Study, the authors are investigating, with the aid of existing data, new field studies involving dissolved tracer gases and 3-D diagnostic computer simulations that provide a framework to interpret the observations, the detailed nature of each of these stages of transport in several different kinds of vadose regimes. They are emphasizing the impact of features specific to a site, that is, the local geology and hydrology, on each stage of the transport process. In particular they want to better understand how the time scales for (1) partitioning contaminants from the liquid to the vapor states and then (2) transporting the vapor out of the vadose regime are dependent on the specific character of a site. Such time-scale information will be important for evaluating the potential of contaminant sources as well as remediation strategies including natural remediation approaches.'

BLT-EC (Breach, Leach and Transport-Equilibrium Chemistry) data input guide. A computer model for simulating release and coupled geochemical transport of contaminants from a subsurface disposal facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacKinnon, R.J.; Sullivan, T.M.; Kinsey, R.R.

1997-05-01

The BLT-EC computer code has been developed, implemented, and tested. BLT-EC is a two-dimensional finite element computer code capable of simulating the time-dependent release and reactive transport of aqueous phase species in a subsurface soil system. BLT-EC contains models to simulate the processes (container degradation, waste-form performance, transport, chemical reactions, and radioactive production and decay) most relevant to estimating the release and transport of contaminants from a subsurface disposal system. Water flow is provided through tabular input or auxiliary files. Container degradation considers localized failure due to pitting corrosion and general failure due to uniform surface degradation processes. Waste-form performance considers release to be limited by one of four mechanisms: rinse with partitioning, diffusion, uniform surface degradation, and solubility. Transport considers the processes of advection, dispersion, diffusion, chemical reaction, radioactive production and decay, and sources (waste form releases). Chemical reactions accounted for include complexation, sorption, dissolution-precipitation, oxidation-reduction, and ion exchange. Radioactive production and decay in the waste form is simulated. To improve the usefulness of BLT-EC, a pre-processor, ECIN, which assists in the creation of chemistry input files, and a post-processor, BLTPLOT, which provides a visual display of the data have been developed. BLT-EC also includes an extensive database of thermodynamic data that is also accessible to ECIN. This document reviews the models implemented in BLT-EC and serves as a guide to creating input files and applying BLT-EC

Contaminant transport in Massachusetts Bay

Science.gov (United States)

Butman, Bradford

Construction of a new treatment plant and outfall to clean up Boston Harbor is currently one of the world's largest public works projects, costing about $4 billion. There is concern about the long-term impact of contaminants on Massachusetts Bay and adjacent Gulf of Maine because these areas are used extensively for transportation, recreation, fishing, and tourism, as well as waste disposal. Public concern also focuses on Stellwagen Bank, located on the eastern side of Massachusetts Bay, which is an important habitat for endangered whales. Contaminants reach Massachusetts Bay not only from Boston Harbor, but from other coastal communities on the Gulf of Maine, as well as from the atmosphere. Knowledge of the pathways, mechanisms, and rates at which pollutants are transported throughout these coastal environments is needed to address a wide range of management questions.

Flow and contaminant transport in an airliner cabin induced by a moving body: Model experiments and CFD predictions

Science.gov (United States)

Poussou, Stephane B.; Mazumdar, Sagnik; Plesniak, Michael W.; Sojka, Paul E.; Chen, Qingyan

2010-08-01

The effects of a moving human body on flow and contaminant transport inside an aircraft cabin were investigated. Experiments were performed in a one-tenth scale, water-based model. The flow field and contaminant transport were measured using the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) techniques, respectively. Measurements were obtained with (ventilation case) and without (baseline case) the cabin environmental control system (ECS). The PIV measurements show strong intermittency in the instantaneous near-wake flow. A symmetric downwash flow was observed along the vertical centerline of the moving body in the baseline case. The evolution of this flow pattern is profoundly perturbed by the flow from the ECS. Furthermore, a contaminant originating from the moving body is observed to convect to higher vertical locations in the presence of ventilation. These experimental data were used to validate a Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) model. The CFD model can effectively capture the characteristic flow features and contaminant transport observed in the small-scale model.

Simulation of windblown dust transport from a mine tailings impoundment using a computational fluid dynamics model

Science.gov (United States)

Stovern, Michael; Felix, Omar; Csavina, Janae; Rine, Kyle P.; Russell, MacKenzie R.; Jones, Robert M.; King, Matt; Betterton, Eric A.; Sáez, A. Eduardo

2014-01-01

Mining operations are potential sources of airborne particulate metal and metalloid contaminants through both direct smelter emissions and wind erosion of mine tailings. The warmer, drier conditions predicted for the Southwestern US by climate models may make contaminated atmospheric dust and aerosols increasingly important, due to potential deleterious effects on human health and ecology. Dust emissions and dispersion of dust and aerosol from the Iron King Mine tailings in Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona, a Superfund site, are currently being investigated through in situ field measurements and computational fluid dynamics modeling. These tailings are heavily contaminated with lead and arsenic. Using a computational fluid dynamics model, we model dust transport from the mine tailings to the surrounding region. The model includes gaseous plume dispersion to simulate the transport of the fine aerosols, while individual particle transport is used to track the trajectories of larger particles and to monitor their deposition locations. In order to improve the accuracy of the dust transport simulations, both regional topographical features and local weather patterns have been incorporated into the model simulations. Results show that local topography and wind velocity profiles are the major factors that control deposition. PMID:25621085

Simulation of windblown dust transport from a mine tailings impoundment using a computational fluid dynamics model.

Science.gov (United States)

Stovern, Michael; Felix, Omar; Csavina, Janae; Rine, Kyle P; Russell, MacKenzie R; Jones, Robert M; King, Matt; Betterton, Eric A; Sáez, A Eduardo

2014-09-01

Mining operations are potential sources of airborne particulate metal and metalloid contaminants through both direct smelter emissions and wind erosion of mine tailings. The warmer, drier conditions predicted for the Southwestern US by climate models may make contaminated atmospheric dust and aerosols increasingly important, due to potential deleterious effects on human health and ecology. Dust emissions and dispersion of dust and aerosol from the Iron King Mine tailings in Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona, a Superfund site, are currently being investigated through in situ field measurements and computational fluid dynamics modeling. These tailings are heavily contaminated with lead and arsenic. Using a computational fluid dynamics model, we model dust transport from the mine tailings to the surrounding region. The model includes gaseous plume dispersion to simulate the transport of the fine aerosols, while individual particle transport is used to track the trajectories of larger particles and to monitor their deposition locations. In order to improve the accuracy of the dust transport simulations, both regional topographical features and local weather patterns have been incorporated into the model simulations. Results show that local topography and wind velocity profiles are the major factors that control deposition.

Analytical methods for predicting contaminant transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pigford, T.H.

1989-09-01

This paper summarizes some of the previous and recent work at the University of California on analytical solutions for predicting contaminate transport in porous and fractured geologic media. Emphasis is given here to the theories for predicting near-field transport, needed to derive the time-dependent source term for predicting far-field transport and overall repository performance. New theories summarized include solubility-limited release rate with flow backfill in rock, near-field transport of radioactive decay chains, interactive transport of colloid and solute, transport of carbon-14 as carbon dioxide in unsaturated rock, and flow of gases out of and a waste container through cracks and penetrations. 28 refs., 4 figs

One-dimensional contaminant transport model for the design of soil-bentonite slurry walls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khandelwal, A.; Rabideau, A.; Su, J.

1997-01-01

A user oriented computer model (TRANS1D) was developed for application to the analysis and design of vertical soil-bentonite barriers. TRANS1D is a collection of analytical and numerical solutions to the one dimensional advective-dispersive-reactive (ADR) equation. The primary objective in developing TRANS1D was to enable the designer of a barrier system to evaluate the potential system performance with respect to contaminant transport, without performing difficult and time consuming field or laboratory experiments. Several issues related to model application are discussed, including identification of governing transport processes, specification of boundary conditions, and parameter estimation. Model predictions are compared with the results of laboratory column experiments conducted with soil bentonite barrier material under diffusion-dominated conditions. Good agreement between model calibrations and experimental results was noted, with calibrated diffusion coefficients for organic contaminants consistent with literature values

Semianalytical solutions for contaminant transport under variable velocity field in a coastal aquifer

Science.gov (United States)

Koohbor, Behshad; Fahs, Marwan; Ataie-Ashtiani, Behzad; Simmons, Craig T.; Younes, Anis

2018-05-01

Existing closed-form solutions of contaminant transport problems are limited by the mathematically convenient assumption of uniform flow. These solutions cannot be used to investigate contaminant transport in coastal aquifers where seawater intrusion induces a variable velocity field. An adaptation of the Fourier-Galerkin method is introduced to obtain semi-analytical solutions for contaminant transport in a confined coastal aquifer in which the saltwater wedge is in equilibrium with a freshwater discharge flow. Two scenarios dealing with contaminant leakage from the aquifer top surface and contaminant migration from a source at the landward boundary are considered. Robust implementation of the Fourier-Galerkin method is developed to efficiently solve the coupled flow, salt and contaminant transport equations. Various illustrative examples are generated and the semi-analytical solutions are compared against an in-house numerical code. The Fourier series are used to evaluate relevant metrics characterizing contaminant transport such as the discharge flux to the sea, amount of contaminant persisting in the groundwater and solute flux from the source. These metrics represent quantitative data for numerical code validation and are relevant to understand the effect of seawater intrusion on contaminant transport. It is observed that, for the surface contamination scenario, seawater intrusion limits the spread of the contaminant but intensifies the contaminant discharge to the sea. For the landward contamination scenario, moderate seawater intrusion affects only the spatial distribution of the contaminant plume while extreme seawater intrusion can increase the contaminant discharge to the sea. The developed semi-analytical solution presents an efficient tool for the verification of numerical models. It provides a clear interpretation of the contaminant transport processes in coastal aquifers subject to seawater intrusion. For practical usage in further studies, the full

Sediment and toxic contaminant transport modeling in coastal waters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onishi, Y.; Mayer, D.W.; Argo, R.S.

1982-02-01

A hydrodynamic model, CAFE-I, a wave refraction model, LO3D, and a sediment and contaminant transport model, FETRA, were selected as tools for evaluating exposure levels of radionuclides, heavy metals, and other toxic chemicals in coastal waters. Prior to the application of these models to the Irish Sea and other coastal waters, the finite element model, FETRA, was tested to demonstrate its ability to simulate sediment and contaminant interactions (e.g., adsorption and desorption), and the mechanisms governing the transport, deposition, and resuspension of contaminated sediments

Low-rank Kalman filtering for efficient state estimation of subsurface advective contaminant transport models

KAUST Repository

El Gharamti, Mohamad

2012-04-01

Accurate knowledge of the movement of contaminants in porous media is essential to track their trajectory and later extract them from the aquifer. A two-dimensional flow model is implemented and then applied on a linear contaminant transport model in the same porous medium. Because of different sources of uncertainties, this coupled model might not be able to accurately track the contaminant state. Incorporating observations through the process of data assimilation can guide the model toward the true trajectory of the system. The Kalman filter (KF), or its nonlinear invariants, can be used to tackle this problem. To overcome the prohibitive computational cost of the KF, the singular evolutive Kalman filter (SEKF) and the singular fixed Kalman filter (SFKF) are used, which are variants of the KF operating with low-rank covariance matrices. Experimental results suggest that under perfect and imperfect model setups, the low-rank filters can provide estimates as accurate as the full KF but at much lower computational effort. Low-rank filters are demonstrated to significantly reduce the computational effort of the KF to almost 3%. © 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Contaminant transport at a waste residue deposit

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Engesgaard, Peter Knudegaard; Traberg, Rikke

1996-01-01

Contaminant transport in an aquifer at an incinerator waste residue deposit in Denmark is simulated. A two-dimensional, geochemical transport code is developed for this purpose and tested by comparison to results from another code, The code is applied to a column experiment and to the field site...

Methane Bubbles Transport Particles From Contaminated Sediment to a Lake Surface

Science.gov (United States)

Delwiche, K.; Hemond, H.

2017-12-01

Methane bubbling from aquatic sediments has long been known to transport carbon to the atmosphere, but new evidence presented here suggests that methane bubbles also transport particulate matter to a lake surface. This transport pathway is of particular importance in lakes with contaminated sediments, as bubble transport could increase human exposure to toxic metals. The Upper Mystic Lake in Arlington, MA has a documented history of methane bubbling and sediment contamination by arsenic and other heavy metals, and we have conducted laboratory and field studies demonstrating that methane bubbles are capable of transporting sediment particles over depths as great as 15 m in Upper Mystic Lake. Methane bubble traps were used in-situ to capture particles adhered to bubble interfaces, and to relate particle mass transport to bubble flux. Laboratory studies were conducted in a custom-made 15 m tall water column to quantify the relationship between water column height and the mass of particulate transport. We then couple this particle transport data with historical estimates of ebullition from Upper Mystic Lake to quantify the significance of bubble-mediated particle transport to heavy metal cycling within the lake. Results suggest that methane bubbles can represent a significant pathway for contaminated sediment to reach surface waters even in relatively deep water bodies. Given the frequent co-occurrence of contaminated sediments and high bubble flux rates, and the potential for human exposure to heavy metals, it will be critical to study the significance of this transport pathway for a range of sediment and contaminant types.

Performance testing of the sediment-contaminant transport model, SERATRA, at different rivers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onishi, Y.; Yabusaki, S.B.; Kincaid, C.T.

1982-04-01

Mathematical models of sediment-contaminant migration in surface water must account for transport, intermedia transfer, decay and degradation, and transformation processes. The unsteady, two dimensional, sediment-contaminant transport code, SERATRA (Onishi, Schreiber and Codell 1980) includes these mechanisms. To assess the accuracy of SERATRA to simulate the sediment-contaminant transport and fate processes, the code was tested against one-dimensional analytical solutions, checked for its mass balance, and applied to field sites. The field application cases ranged from relatively simple, steady conditions to unsteady, nonuniform conditions for large, intermediate, and small rivers. It was found that SERATRA is capable of simulating sediment-contaminant transport under a wide range of conditions

Sediment and contaminant transport in a marine environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onishi, Y.; Thompson, F.L.

1986-01-01

The finite-element model FETRA is an unsteady, verically averaged two-dimensional model to simulate the transport of sediment and contaminants (radionuclides, heavy metals, pesticides, etc.) in coastal and estuarine water. The model, together with the hydrodynamic model CAFE-I, was applied to the Irish Sea to predict the migration and accumulation of sediment (both cohesive and noncohesive) and of a radionuclide (dissolved and sediment-sorbed) in a tide- and wind-driven system. The study demonstrated that FETRA is a useful tool for assessing sediment and toxic contaminant transport in a marine environment

Contaminant Attenuation and Transport Characterization of 200-UP-1 Operable Unit Sediment Samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Brady D. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Szecsody, James E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Qafoku, Nikolla [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); McElroy, Erin M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Baum, Steven R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Snyder, Michelle MV [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Lawter, Amanda R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Resch, Charles T. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Gartman, Brandy N. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Zhong, Lirong [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Saunders, Danielle L. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Williams, Benjamin D. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Horner, Jacob A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Leavy, Ian I. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Christiansen, Beren B. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Clayton, Ray E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Johnson, Kayla C. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2017-09-27

Contaminants disposed of at the land surface migrate through the vadose zone, forming plumes in groundwater. Processes that occur in the groundwater can attenuate contaminant concentrations during transport through the aquifer. For this reason, quantifying contaminant attenuation and contaminant transport processes in the aquifer, in support of the conceptual site model (CSM) and fate and transport modeling, are important for assessing the need for, and type of, remediation in the groundwater, including monitored natural attenuation (MNA). The framework to characterize attenuation and transport processes provided in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidance documents was used to guide the laboratory effort reported herein.

Intermediate-field transport of contaminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahn, J.; Kim, C.L.; Chambre, P.L.; Pigford, T.H.; Lee, W.W.L.

1989-06-01

This report is about ''intermediate-field'' transport or the migration of contaminants from arrays of discrete waste packages or sources. In constructing nuclear waste repositories in rock, it may be necessary to place a waste package across a rock fracture, or a rock fracture may develop some time after waste packages have been emplaced. To predict the spatial and temporal distribution of contaminant species from a line of waste packages facing a rock fracture may be important, because such fractures may now be considered a preferential pathway for released radionuclides to re-enter the biosphere. In land disposal of hazardous wastes, individual barrels may contain especially toxic material whose dispersion special attention. We have published analytic solutions for the multidimensional advective transport of contaminants from arrays of waste packages and multiple areal sources into a planar fracture. The results show a near region in which the concentrations vary greatly in the direction transverse to ground-water flow, an intermediate region in which the array can be treated as an infinite plane source of dissolving species, and a far-field region in which the array can be treated as a plane source of finite extent. The array equations have been developed for both porous and fractured media. In this paper we summarize and compare the work with multiple areal sources facing a planar fracture and an array of point sources in porous media. 5 refs., 5 figs

Microbial behaviour and cross contamination between cargoes in containerized transportation of food

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abban, Stephen

Transportation is central to the global food and feed supply chain. Thus issues of safety, especially cross contamination with pathogens during food transit should be important in food handling operations. A large proportion of the worlds’ food cargo is moved using intermodal cargo containers...... chain, its role in food safety cannot be ignored. Unfortunately not much effort has been put, scientifically, into understanding the role of the various features of the transportation links in food cross contamination (compared to studies for homes, processing factories and farm yards). The PhD project...... has attempted to shed light on containerized food transport and some of its important attributes as regards hygiene and cross contamination. The overall aim of the study was to ‘identify possible microbial hazards and ways of cross contamination during containerized transportation of foods...

Contaminant Attenuation and Transport Characterization of 200-DV-1 Operable Unit Sediment Samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Truex, Michael J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Szecsody, James E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Qafoku, Nikolla [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Strickland, Christopher E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Moran, James J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Lee, Brady D. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Snyder, Michelle M.V. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Lawter, Amanda R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Resch, Charles T. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Gartman, Brandy N. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Zhong, Lirong [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Nims, Megan K. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Saunders, Danielle L. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Williams, Benjamin D. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Horner, Jacob A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Leavy, Ian I. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Baum, Steven R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Christiansen, Beren B. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Clayton, Ray E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); McElroy, Erin M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Appriou, Delphine [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Tyrrell, Kimberly J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Striluk, Miranda L. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2017-05-15

A laboratory study was conducted to quantify contaminant attenuation processes and associated contaminant transport parameters that are needed to evaluate transport of contaminants through the vadose zone to the groundwater. The laboratory study information, in conjunction with transport analyses, can be used as input to evaluate the feasibility of Monitored Natural Attenuation and other remedies for the 200-DV-1 Operable Unit at the Hanford Site.

Modeling electrokinetic transport in phenol contaminated soils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zorn, R.; Haus, R.; Czurda, K. [Dept. of Applied Geology, Univ. Karlsruhe (Germany)

2001-07-01

Numerical simulations are compared to laboratory experiments of electroremediation in soils contaminated by phenolic pollutants. The developing pH affects the electrokinetic transport behaviour of phenol. It is found that a water chemistry model must be included in an electrokinetic mass transport model to describe the process of electroremediation more accurately, if no buffering system is used at the electrodes. In the case of controlling the pH at the electrode compartments only a simplified chemical reaction model must be included in the numerical code to match the experimental phenolic transport. (orig.)

A transportable system for radioactivity contaminated water treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

Contaminated water treatment system called SARRY for retrieval and recovery of water in operation at the site of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant since August 2011 has been modified by compacting the system size to develop a mobile system SARRY-Aqua that can process Cs-contaminated water (one ton/hour) to the level of 10 Bq/kg. Installing the system in a small container with dimensions conforming to the international standards facilitates transportation by truck and enables the contaminated water treatment occurring in a variety of locations. (S. Ohno)

Chemical Contaminants in the Wadden Sea: sources, transport, fate and effects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laane, R.W.P.M.; Vethaak, A.D.; Gandrass, J.; Vorkamp, K.; Köhler, A.; Larsen, M.M.; Strand, J.

2013-01-01

The Wadden Sea receives contaminants from various sources and via various transport routes. The contaminants described in this overview are various metals (Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn) and various organic contaminants (polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and lindane

BLT-MS (Breach, Leach, and Transport -- Multiple Species) data input guide. A computer model for simulating release of contaminants from a subsurface low-level waste disposal facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sullivan, T.M.; Kinsey, R.R.; Aronson, A.; Divadeenam, M.; MacKinnon, R.J.

1996-11-01

The BLT-MS computer code has been developed, implemented, and tested. BLT-MS is a two-dimensional finite element computer code capable of simulating the time evolution of concentration resulting from the time-dependent release and transport of aqueous phase species in a subsurface soil system. BLT-MS contains models to simulate the processes (water flow, container degradation, waste form performance, transport, and radioactive production and decay) most relevant to estimating the release and transport of contaminants from a subsurface disposal system. Water flow is simulated through tabular input or auxiliary files. Container degradation considers localized failure due to pitting corrosion and general failure due to uniform surface degradation processes. Waste form performance considers release to be limited by one of four mechanisms: rinse with partitioning, diffusion, uniform surface degradation, or solubility. Radioactive production and decay in the waste form are simulated. Transport considers the processes of advection, dispersion, diffusion, radioactive production and decay, reversible linear sorption, and sources (waste forms releases). To improve the usefulness of BLT-MS a preprocessor, BLTMSIN, which assists in the creation of input files, and a post-processor, BLTPLOT, which provides a visual display of the data have been developed. This document reviews the models implemented in BLT-MS and serves as a guide to creating input files for BLT-MS

BLT-MS (Breach, Leach, and Transport -- Multiple Species) data input guide. A computer model for simulating release of contaminants from a subsurface low-level waste disposal facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sullivan, T.M.; Kinsey, R.R.; Aronson, A.; Divadeenam, M. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States); MacKinnon, R.J. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States)]|[Ecodynamics Research Associates, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1996-11-01

The BLT-MS computer code has been developed, implemented, and tested. BLT-MS is a two-dimensional finite element computer code capable of simulating the time evolution of concentration resulting from the time-dependent release and transport of aqueous phase species in a subsurface soil system. BLT-MS contains models to simulate the processes (water flow, container degradation, waste form performance, transport, and radioactive production and decay) most relevant to estimating the release and transport of contaminants from a subsurface disposal system. Water flow is simulated through tabular input or auxiliary files. Container degradation considers localized failure due to pitting corrosion and general failure due to uniform surface degradation processes. Waste form performance considers release to be limited by one of four mechanisms: rinse with partitioning, diffusion, uniform surface degradation, or solubility. Radioactive production and decay in the waste form are simulated. Transport considers the processes of advection, dispersion, diffusion, radioactive production and decay, reversible linear sorption, and sources (waste forms releases). To improve the usefulness of BLT-MS a preprocessor, BLTMSIN, which assists in the creation of input files, and a post-processor, BLTPLOT, which provides a visual display of the data have been developed. This document reviews the models implemented in BLT-MS and serves as a guide to creating input files for BLT-MS.

Time-lapse electrical resistivity anomalies due to contaminant transport around landfills

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Yang

2007-06-01

Full Text Available The extent of landfill leachate can be delineated by geo-electrical imaging as a response to the varying electrical resistivity in the contaminated area. This research was based on a combination of hydrogeological numerical simulation followed by geophysical forward and inversion modeling performed to evaluate the migration of a contaminant plume from a landfill. As a first step, groundwater flow and contaminant transport was simulated using the finite elements numerical modeling software FEFLOW. The extent of the contaminant plume was acquired through a hydrogeological model depicting the distributions of leachate concentration in the system. Next, based on the empirical relationship between the concentration and electrical conductivity of the leachate in the porous media, the corresponding geo-electrical structure was derived from the hydrogeological model. Finally, forward and inversion computations of geo-electrical anomalies were performed using the finite difference numerical modeling software DCIP2D/DCIP3D. The image obtained by geophysical inversion of the electric data was expected to be consistent with the initial hydrogeological model, as described by the distribution of leachate concentration. Numerical case studies were conducted for various geological conditions, hydraulic parameters and electrode arrays, from which conclusions were drawn regarding the suitability of the methodology to assess simple to more complex geo-electrical models. Thus, optimal mapping and monitoring configurations were determined.

Neural Networks Simulation of the Transport of Contaminants in Groundwater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Enrico Zio

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The performance assessment of an engineered solution for the disposal of radioactive wastes is based on mathematical models of the disposal system response to predefined accidental scenarios, within a probabilistic approach to account for the involved uncertainties. As the most significant potential pathway for the return of radionuclides to the biosphere is groundwater flow, intensive computational efforts are devoted to simulating the behaviour of the groundwater system surrounding the waste deposit, for different values of its hydrogeological parameters and for different evolution scenarios. In this paper, multilayered neural networks are trained to simulate the transport of contaminants in monodimensional and bidimensional aquifers. The results obtained in two case studies indicate that the approximation errors are within the uncertainties which characterize the input data.

An Iterative Ensemble Kalman Filter with One-Step-Ahead Smoothing for State-Parameters Estimation of Contaminant Transport Models

KAUST Repository

Gharamti, M. E.; Ait-El-Fquih, Boujemaa; Hoteit, Ibrahim

2015-01-01

Numerical experiments are conducted with a two-dimensional synthetic subsurface transport model simulating the migration of a contaminant plume in a heterogenous aquifer domain. Contaminant concentration data are assimilated to estimate both the contaminant state and the hydraulic conductivity field. Assimilation runs are performed under imperfect modeling conditions and various observational scenarios. Simulation results suggest that the proposed scheme efficiently recovers both the contaminant state and the aquifer conductivity, providing more accurate estimates than the standard Joint and Dual EnKFs in all tested scenarios. Iterating on the update step of the new scheme further enhances the proposed filter’s behavior. In term of computational cost, the new Joint-EnKF is almost equivalent to that of the Dual-EnKF, but requires twice more model integrations than the standard Joint-EnKF.

An adaptive hybrid EnKF-OI scheme for efficient state-parameter estimation of reactive contaminant transport models

KAUST Repository

El Gharamti, Mohamad; Valstar, Johan R.; Hoteit, Ibrahim

2014-01-01

Reactive contaminant transport models are used by hydrologists to simulate and study the migration and fate of industrial waste in subsurface aquifers. Accurate transport modeling of such waste requires clear understanding of the system's parameters, such as sorption and biodegradation. In this study, we present an efficient sequential data assimilation scheme that computes accurate estimates of aquifer contamination and spatially variable sorption coefficients. This assimilation scheme is based on a hybrid formulation of the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and optimal interpolation (OI) in which solute concentration measurements are assimilated via a recursive dual estimation of sorption coefficients and contaminant state variables. This hybrid EnKF-OI scheme is used to mitigate background covariance limitations due to ensemble under-sampling and neglected model errors. Numerical experiments are conducted with a two-dimensional synthetic aquifer in which cobalt-60, a radioactive contaminant, is leached in a saturated heterogeneous clayey sandstone zone. Assimilation experiments are investigated under different settings and sources of model and observational errors. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed hybrid EnKF-OI scheme successfully recovers both the contaminant and the sorption rate and reduces their uncertainties. Sensitivity analyses also suggest that the adaptive hybrid scheme remains effective with small ensembles, allowing to reduce the ensemble size by up to 80% with respect to the standard EnKF scheme. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

An adaptive hybrid EnKF-OI scheme for efficient state-parameter estimation of reactive contaminant transport models

KAUST Repository

El Gharamti, Mohamad

2014-09-01

Reactive contaminant transport models are used by hydrologists to simulate and study the migration and fate of industrial waste in subsurface aquifers. Accurate transport modeling of such waste requires clear understanding of the system\\'s parameters, such as sorption and biodegradation. In this study, we present an efficient sequential data assimilation scheme that computes accurate estimates of aquifer contamination and spatially variable sorption coefficients. This assimilation scheme is based on a hybrid formulation of the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and optimal interpolation (OI) in which solute concentration measurements are assimilated via a recursive dual estimation of sorption coefficients and contaminant state variables. This hybrid EnKF-OI scheme is used to mitigate background covariance limitations due to ensemble under-sampling and neglected model errors. Numerical experiments are conducted with a two-dimensional synthetic aquifer in which cobalt-60, a radioactive contaminant, is leached in a saturated heterogeneous clayey sandstone zone. Assimilation experiments are investigated under different settings and sources of model and observational errors. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed hybrid EnKF-OI scheme successfully recovers both the contaminant and the sorption rate and reduces their uncertainties. Sensitivity analyses also suggest that the adaptive hybrid scheme remains effective with small ensembles, allowing to reduce the ensemble size by up to 80% with respect to the standard EnKF scheme. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Evaluation of Triple Containment Method for Air Transport of Contaminated Human

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Neville, J

2003-01-01

A triple containment system intended for transport of biologically contaminated human remains was tested for its ability to maintain integrity during exposure to altitude changes representative of air transport...

Monitoring Potential Transport of Radioactive Contaminants in Shallow Ephemeral Channels: FY2015 and FY2016

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mizell, Steve A [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States); Miller, Julianne J [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States); McCurdy, Greg [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States); Campbell, Scott A [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States)

2017-10-01

The Desert Research Institute (DRI) is conducting a field assessment of the potential for contaminated soil to be transported from the Smoky Contamination Area (CA) as a result of storm runoff. This activity supports Nevada Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) efforts to complete regulatory closure of the Soils Corrective Action Unit (CAU) contamination areas. The work is intended to confirm the likely mechanism of transport and determine the meteorological conditions that might cause movement of contaminated soils, as well as determine the particle size fraction that is most closely associated with transported radionuclide-contaminated soils. These data will facilitate the appropriate closure design and post-closure monitoring program.

Simulations of groundwater flow, transport, and age in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for a study of transport of anthropogenic and natural contaminants (TANC) to public-supply wells

Science.gov (United States)

Heywood, Charles E.

2013-01-01

Vulnerability to contamination from manmade and natural sources can be characterized by the groundwater-age distribution measured in a supply well and the associated implications for the source depths of the withdrawn water. Coupled groundwater flow and transport models were developed to simulate the transport of the geochemical age-tracers carbon-14, tritium, and three chlorofluorocarbon species to public-supply wells in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A separate, regional-scale simulation of transport of carbon-14 that used the flow-field computed by a previously documented regional groundwater flow model was calibrated and used to specify the initial concentrations of carbon-14 in the local-scale transport model. Observations of the concentrations of each of the five chemical species, in addition to water-level observations and measurements of intra-borehole flow within a public-supply well, were used to calibrate parameters of the local-scale groundwater flow and transport models. The calibrated groundwater flow model simulates the mixing of “young” groundwater, which entered the groundwater flow system after 1950 as recharge at the water table, with older resident groundwater that is more likely associated with natural contaminants. Complexity of the aquifer system in the zone of transport between the water table and public-supply well screens was simulated with a geostatistically generated stratigraphic realization based upon observed lithologic transitions at borehole control locations. Because effective porosity was simulated as spatially uniform, the simulated age tracers are more efficiently transported through the portions of the simulated aquifer with relatively higher simulated hydraulic conductivity. Non-pumping groundwater wells with long screens that connect aquifer intervals having different hydraulic heads can provide alternate pathways for contaminant transport that are faster than the advective transport through the aquifer material. Simulation of

Sensitivity analyses of a colloid-facilitated contaminant transport model for unsaturated heterogeneous soil conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Périard, Yann; José Gumiere, Silvio; Rousseau, Alain N.; Caron, Jean

2013-04-01

Certain contaminants may travel faster through soils when they are sorbed to subsurface colloidal particles. Indeed, subsurface colloids may act as carriers of some contaminants accelerating their translocation through the soil into the water table. This phenomenon is known as colloid-facilitated contaminant transport. It plays a significant role in contaminant transport in soils and has been recognized as a source of groundwater contamination. From a mechanistic point of view, the attachment/detachment of the colloidal particles from the soil matrix or from the air-water interface and the straining process may modify the hydraulic properties of the porous media. Šimůnek et al. (2006) developed a model that can simulate the colloid-facilitated contaminant transport in variably saturated porous media. The model is based on the solution of a modified advection-dispersion equation that accounts for several processes, namely: straining, exclusion and attachement/detachement kinetics of colloids through the soil matrix. The solutions of these governing, partial differential equations are obtained using a standard Galerkin-type, linear finite element scheme, implemented in the HYDRUS-2D/3D software (Šimůnek et al., 2012). Modeling colloid transport through the soil and the interaction of colloids with the soil matrix and other contaminants is complex and requires the characterization of many model parameters. In practice, it is very difficult to assess actual transport parameter values, so they are often calibrated. However, before calibration, one needs to know which parameters have the greatest impact on output variables. This kind of information can be obtained through a sensitivity analysis of the model. The main objective of this work is to perform local and global sensitivity analyses of the colloid-facilitated contaminant transport module of HYDRUS. Sensitivity analysis was performed in two steps: (i) we applied a screening method based on Morris' elementary

A model for the derivation of new transport limits for non-fixed contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thierfeldt, S.; Lorenz, B.; Hesse, J.

2004-01-01

The IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material contain requirements for contamination limits on packages and conveyances used for the transport of radioactive material. Current contamination limits for packages and conveyances under routine transport conditions have been derived from a model proposed by Fairbairn more than 40 years ago. This model has proven effective if used with pragmatism, but is based on very conservative as well as extremely simple assumptions which is in no way appropriate any more and which is not compatible with ICRP recommendations regarding radiation protection standards. Therefore, a new model has now been developed which reflects all steps of the transport process. The derivation of this model has been fostered by the IAEA by initiating a Co-ordinated Research Project. The results of the calculations using this model could be directly applied as new nuclide specific transport limits for the non-fixed contamination

A model for the derivation of new transport limits for non-fixed contamination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thierfeldt, S. [Brenk Systemplanung GmbH, Aachen (Germany); Lorenz, B. [GNS Gesellschaft fuer Nuklearservice, Essen (Germany); Hesse, J. [RWE Power AG, Essen (Germany)

2004-07-01

The IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material contain requirements for contamination limits on packages and conveyances used for the transport of radioactive material. Current contamination limits for packages and conveyances under routine transport conditions have been derived from a model proposed by Fairbairn more than 40 years ago. This model has proven effective if used with pragmatism, but is based on very conservative as well as extremely simple assumptions which is in no way appropriate any more and which is not compatible with ICRP recommendations regarding radiation protection standards. Therefore, a new model has now been developed which reflects all steps of the transport process. The derivation of this model has been fostered by the IAEA by initiating a Co-ordinated Research Project. The results of the calculations using this model could be directly applied as new nuclide specific transport limits for the non-fixed contamination.

Simulation of contaminated sediment transport in White Oak Creek basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bao, Y.; Clapp, R.B.; Brenkert, A.L.; Moore, T.D.; Fontaine, T.A.

1995-01-01

This paper presents a systematic approach to management of the contaminated sediments in the White Oak Creek watershed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The primary contaminant of concern is radioactive cesium-137 ( 137 Cs), which binds to soil and sediment particles. The key components in the approach include an intensive sampling and monitoring system for flood events; modeling of hydrological processes, sediment transport, and contaminant flux movement; and a decision framework with a detailed human health risk analysis. Emphasis is placed on modeling of watershed rainfall-runoff and contaminated sediment transport during flooding periods using the Hydrologic Simulation Program- Fortran (HSPF) model. Because a large number of parameters are required in HSPF modeling, the major effort in the modeling process is the calibration of model parameters to make simulation results and measured values agree as closely as possible. An optimization model incorporating the concepts of an expert system was developed to improve calibration results and efficiency. Over a five-year simulation period, the simulated flows match the observed values well. Simulated total amount of sediment loads at various locations during storms match with the observed values within a factor of 1.5. Simulated annual releases of 137 Cs off-site locations match the data within a factor of 2 for the five-year period. The comprehensive modeling approach can provide a valuable tool for decision makers to quantitatively analyze sediment erosion, deposition, and transport; exposure risk related to radionuclides in contaminated sediment; and various management strategies

EVALUATION OF THE STATE-OF-THE-ART CONTAMINATED SEDIMENT TRANSPORT AND FATE MODELING SYSTEM

Science.gov (United States)

Modeling approaches for evaluating the transport and fate of sediment and associated contaminants are briefly reviewed. The main emphasis is on: 1) the application of EFDC (Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code), the state-of-the-art contaminated sediment transport and fate public do...

User Instructions for the Systems Assessment Capability, Rev. 0, Computer Codes Volume 1: Inventory, Release, and Transport Modules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eslinger, Paul W.; Engel, David W.; Gerhardstein, Lawrence H.; Lopresti, Charles A.; Nichols, William E.; Strenge, Dennis L.

2001-12-01

One activity of the Department of Energy's Groundwater/Vadose Zone Integration Project is an assessment of cumulative impacts from Hanford Site wastes on the subsurface environment and the Columbia River. Through the application of a system assessment capability (SAC), decisions for each cleanup and disposal action will be able to take into account the composite effect of other cleanup and disposal actions. The SAC has developed a suite of computer programs to simulate the migration of contaminants (analytes) present on the Hanford Site and to assess the potential impacts of the analytes, including dose to humans, socio-cultural impacts, economic impacts, and ecological impacts. The general approach to handling uncertainty in the SAC computer codes is a Monte Carlo approach. Conceptually, one generates a value for every stochastic parameter in the code (the entire sequence of modules from inventory through transport and impacts) and then executes the simulation, obtaining an output value, or result. This document provides user instructions for the SAC codes that handle inventory tracking, release of contaminants to the environment, and transport of contaminants through the unsaturated zone, saturated zone, and the Columbia River

The effect of precipitation on contaminant dissolution and transport: Analytic solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Light, W.B.; Chambre, P.L.; Pigford, T.H.; Lee, W.W.L.

1988-09-01

We analysed the effect of precipitation on the dissolution and transport rates of a nondecaying contaminant. Precipitation near the waste surface can have a profound effect on dissolution and transport rates. The mass-transfer rate at the waste surface is controlled by the solid-liquid reaction rate to an extent determined by the modified reaction-rate modulus, α. At later times extending to steady state, the mass-transfer rate depends on the location of the precipitation front r/sub p/ and on the solubility ratio C/sub o//C/sub p/. A precipitation front very near the waste surface can change the dissolution mechanism from solubility-diffusion-controlled to chemical-reaction-rate controlled. Precipitation limits the concentration of the contaminant at r > r/sub p/ to C/sub p/, steepening the concentration gradient for dissolution on the waste package side of the front and flattening the gradient for transport in the region outside the front. This increases the rate of contaminant transport from the waste to the front while decreasing the rate of transport away from the front, when compared to the situation without precipitation. The difference in the transport rates at the front is the rate of precipitation. For large changes in solubility, most of the contaminant is immobilized by precipitation, as was observed in a parallel study. The effect of a precipitation front located nearby in surrounding rock is to increase the release rate at the waste surface/rock interface. The increase in release rate at the waste surface is greater the closer the precipitation and the larger the ratio C/sub o//C/sub p/, also observed by others. The release rates of other waste constituents that dissolve congruently with the solubility-controlling matrix can be increased by a local high-solubility region between the waste surface and the precipitation front. 10 refs., 5 figs

Experimental and AI-based numerical modeling of contaminant transport in porous media

Science.gov (United States)

Nourani, Vahid; Mousavi, Shahram; Sadikoglu, Fahreddin; Singh, Vijay P.

2017-10-01

This study developed a new hybrid artificial intelligence (AI)-meshless approach for modeling contaminant transport in porous media. The key innovation of the proposed approach is that both black box and physically-based models are combined for modeling contaminant transport. The effectiveness of the approach was evaluated using experimental and real world data. Artificial neural network (ANN) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) were calibrated to predict temporal contaminant concentrations (CCs), and the effect of noisy and de-noised data on the model performance was evaluated. Then, considering the predicted CCs at test points (TPs, in experimental study) and piezometers (in Myandoab plain) as interior conditions, the multiquadric radial basis function (MQ-RBF), as a meshless approach which solves partial differential equation (PDE) of contaminant transport in porous media, was employed to estimate the CC values at any point within the study area where there was no TP or piezometer. Optimal values of the dispersion coefficient in the advection-dispersion PDE and shape coefficient of MQ-RBF were determined using the imperialist competitive algorithm. In temporal contaminant transport modeling, de-noised data enhanced the performance of ANN and ANFIS methods in terms of the determination coefficient, up to 6 and 5%, respectively, in the experimental study and up to 39 and 18%, respectively, in the field study. Results showed that the efficiency of ANFIS-meshless model was more than ANN-meshless model up to 2 and 13% in the experimental and field studies, respectively.

Software for modelling groundwater transport and contaminant migration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gishkelyuk, I.A.

2008-01-01

Facilities of modern software for modeling of groundwater transport and process of contaminant distribution are considered. Advantages of their application are discussed. The comparative analysis of mathematical modeling software of 'Groundwater modeling system' and 'Earth Science Module' from 'COMSOL Multiphysics' is carried out. (authors)

OSPW contamination transport through peat soils : laboratory and greenhouse study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rezanezhad, F.; Price, J.S. [Waterloo Univ., ON (Canada). Dept. of Geography; Rochefort, L.; Pouliot, R. [Laval Univ., Quebec City, PQ (Canada). Dept. of Phytology; Andersen, R. [Laval Univ., Quebec City, PQ (Canada). Dept. of Phytology; Macaulay Land Use Research Inst., Aberdeen (United Kingdom); Daly, C. [Suncor Energy, Fort McMurray, AB (Canada)

2010-07-01

Large portions of northern Canada are covered by peatlands, and the majority of post-mined landscapes have increased salinity, heavy metals and naphthenic acids (NA). This PowerPoint presentation discussed laboratory and greenhouse studies conducted to determine oil sands process water (OSPW) contamination transport through peat soils. Peat is a highly complex porous media. The presence of sodium and NA has a toxic effect on aquatic life. Greenhouse studies were conducted to determine the changes caused by OSPW in the microbial community of a peat matrix over 2 growing seasons. The study showed that peat has an exceptional ability to absorb the contaminants in OSPW water. NA and sodium transport through peat was significantly delayed by sorption, and by diffusion into immobile water contained in the peat matrix. The vegetation in the study was healthy and tolerant to the contaminants in the OSPW. tabs., figs.

Reactive dispersive contaminant transport in coastal aquifers: Numerical simulation of a reactive Henry problem

KAUST Repository

Nick, H.M.

2013-02-01

The reactive mixing between seawater and terrestrial water in coastal aquifers influences the water quality of submarine groundwater discharge. While these waters come into contact at the seawater groundwater interface by density driven flow, their chemical components dilute and react through dispersion. A larger interface and wider mixing zone may provide favorable conditions for the natural attenuation of contaminant plumes. It has been claimed that the extent of this mixing is controlled by both, porous media properties and flow conditions. In this study, the interplay between dispersion and reactive processes in coastal aquifers is investigated by means of numerical experiments. Particularly, the impact of dispersion coefficients, the velocity field induced by density driven flow and chemical component reactivities on reactive transport in such aquifers is studied. To do this, a hybrid finite-element finite-volume method and a reactive simulator are coupled, and model accuracy and applicability are assessed. A simple redox reaction is considered to describe the degradation of a contaminant which requires mixing of the contaminated groundwater and the seawater containing the terminal electron acceptor. The resulting degradation is observed for different scenarios considering different magnitudes of dispersion and chemical reactivity. Three reactive transport regimes are found: reaction controlled, reaction-dispersion controlled and dispersion controlled. Computational results suggest that the chemical components\\' reactivity as well as dispersion coefficients play a significant role on controlling reactive mixing zones and extent of contaminant removal in coastal aquifers. Further, our results confirm that the dilution index is a better alternative to the second central spatial moment of a plume to describe the mixing of reactive solutes in coastal aquifers. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Monitoring Potential Transport of Radioactive Contaminants in Shallow Ephemeral Channels: FY2013 and FY2014 (revised)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mizell, Steve A. [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States); Miller, Julianne J. [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States); McCurdy, Greg D. [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Reno, NV (United States); Campbell, Scott A. [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States)

2017-06-01

The Desert Research Institute (DRI) is conducting a field assessment of the potential for contaminated soil to be transported from the Smoky Contamination Area (CA) as a result of storm runoff, which supports National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) efforts to complete regulatory closure of the Soils Corrective Action Unit (CAU) contamination areas. The work is intended to confirm the likely mechanism of transport and determine the meteorological conditions that might cause movement of contaminated soils, as well as determine the particle size fraction that is most closely associated with transported radionuclide-contaminated soils. These data will facilitate the appropriate closure design and post-closure monitoring program.

Radioactive contamination level of vehicles resulted from transporting fine rare-earth minerals by rail

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Kaichun; Yu Boyong; Gao Shengwei

1997-01-01

This paper presents monitoring results of radioactive contamination level of steel open wagon surface resulted from transporting fine rare-earth minerals. Under promising transport conditions (the packaging consists of two layers of plastic bags and two layers of plastic net sacks, each package contains 50 kg of minerals, each vehicle carries 60 t), the surface radioactivity (total α and total β) of 16 vehicles on two lines from Baotou to Wujiachuan (924 km) and from Baotou to Sankeshu (2236 km) was measured before loading, after unloading and washing, using α and β surface contamination detector. The results showed that the radioactive contamination level of the vehicle surface after unloading appeared significantly different. The contamination level of vehicle bases was higher than that of both sides, long distance vehicles was higher than that of short distance vehicles. The radioactive contamination level of vehicles surface after washing was below the standard limits, these vehicles can be used for ordinary goods transport

Code-To-Code Benchmarking Of The Porflow And GoldSim Contaminant Transport Models Using A Simple 1-D Domain - 11191

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hiergesell, R.; Taylor, G.

2010-01-01

An investigation was conducted to compare and evaluate contaminant transport results of two model codes, GoldSim and Porflow, using a simple 1-D string of elements in each code. Model domains were constructed to be identical with respect to cell numbers and dimensions, matrix material, flow boundary and saturation conditions. One of the codes, GoldSim, does not simulate advective movement of water; therefore the water flux term was specified as a boundary condition. In the other code, Porflow, a steady-state flow field was computed and contaminant transport was simulated within that flow-field. The comparisons were made solely in terms of the ability of each code to perform contaminant transport. The purpose of the investigation was to establish a basis for, and to validate follow-on work that was conducted in which a 1-D GoldSim model developed by abstracting information from Porflow 2-D and 3-D unsaturated and saturated zone models and then benchmarked to produce equivalent contaminant transport results. A handful of contaminants were selected for the code-to-code comparison simulations, including a non-sorbing tracer and several long- and short-lived radionuclides exhibiting both non-sorbing to strongly-sorbing characteristics with respect to the matrix material, including several requiring the simulation of in-growth of daughter radionuclides. The same diffusion and partitioning coefficients associated with each contaminant and the half-lives associated with each radionuclide were incorporated into each model. A string of 10-elements, having identical spatial dimensions and properties, were constructed within each code. GoldSim's basic contaminant transport elements, Mixing cells, were utilized in this construction. Sand was established as the matrix material and was assigned identical properties (e.g. bulk density, porosity, saturated hydraulic conductivity) in both codes. Boundary conditions applied included an influx of water at the rate of 40 cm/yr at one

Progress in multidimensional neutron transport computation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, E.E.

1977-01-01

The methods available for solution of the time-independent neutron transport problems arising in the analysis of nuclear systems are examined. The merits of deterministic and Monte Carlo methods are briefly compared. The capabilities of deterministic computational methods derived from the first-order form of the transport equation, from the second-order even-parity form of this equation, and from integral transport formulations are discussed in some detail. Emphasis is placed on the approaches for dealing with the related problems of computer memory requirements, computational cost, and achievable accuracy. Attention is directed to some areas where problems exist currently and where the need for further work appears to be particularly warranted

Modeling Groundwater-Surface Water Interaction and Contaminant Transport of Chlorinated Solvent Contaminated Site

Science.gov (United States)

Yimer Ebrahim, Girma; Jonoski, Andreja; van Griensven, Ann; Dujardin, Juliette; Baetelaan, Okke; Bronders, Jan

2010-05-01

Chlorinated-solvent form one of the largest groups of environmental chemicals. Their use and misuse in industry have lead to a large entry of these chemicals into the environment, resulting in widespread dissemination and oftentimes environmental contamination. Chlorinated solvent contamination of groundwater resources has been widely reported. For instance, there has been much interest in the assessment of these contaminant levels and their evolutions with time in the groundwater body below the Vilvoorde-Machelen industrial area (Belgium). The long industrial history of the area has lead to complex patterns of pollution from multiple sources and the site has been polluted to the extent that individual plumes are not definable any more. Understanding of groundwater/surface water interaction is a critical component for determining the fate of contaminant both in streams and ground water due to the fact that groundwater and surface water are in continuous dynamic interaction in the hydrologic cycle. The interaction has practical consequences in the quantity and quality of water in either system in the sense that depletion and/or contamination of one of the system will eventually affect the other one. The transition zone between a stream and its adjacent aquifer referred to as the hyporheic zone plays a critical role in governing contaminant exchange and transformation during water exchange between the two water bodies. The hyporheic zone of Zenne River ( the main receptor ) is further complicated due to the fact that the river banks are artificially trained with sheet piles along its reach extending some 12 m below the surface. This study demonstrates the use of MODFLOW, a widely used modular three-dimensional block-centred finite difference, saturated flow model for simulating the flow and direction of movement of groundwater through aquifer and stream-aquifer interaction and the use of transport model RT3D, a three-dimensional multi-species reactive transport model

The numerical parallel computing of photon transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Qingnan; Liang Xiaoguang; Zhang Lifa

1998-12-01

The parallel computing of photon transport is investigated, the parallel algorithm and the parallelization of programs on parallel computers both with shared memory and with distributed memory are discussed. By analyzing the inherent law of the mathematics and physics model of photon transport according to the structure feature of parallel computers, using the strategy of 'to divide and conquer', adjusting the algorithm structure of the program, dissolving the data relationship, finding parallel liable ingredients and creating large grain parallel subtasks, the sequential computing of photon transport into is efficiently transformed into parallel and vector computing. The program was run on various HP parallel computers such as the HY-1 (PVP), the Challenge (SMP) and the YH-3 (MPP) and very good parallel speedup has been gotten

Finite element modeling of contaminant transport in soils including the effect of chemical reactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Javadi, A A; Al-Najjar, M M

2007-05-17

The movement of chemicals through soils to the groundwater is a major cause of degradation of water resources. In many cases, serious human and stock health implications are associated with this form of pollution. Recent studies have shown that the current models and methods are not able to adequately describe the leaching of nutrients through soils, often underestimating the risk of groundwater contamination by surface-applied chemicals, and overestimating the concentration of resident solutes. Furthermore, the effect of chemical reactions on the fate and transport of contaminants is not included in many of the existing numerical models for contaminant transport. In this paper a numerical model is presented for simulation of the flow of water and air and contaminant transport through unsaturated soils with the main focus being on the effects of chemical reactions. The governing equations of miscible contaminant transport including advection, dispersion-diffusion and adsorption effects together with the effect of chemical reactions are presented. The mathematical framework and the numerical implementation of the model are described in detail. The model is validated by application to a number of test cases from the literature and is then applied to the simulation of a physical model test involving transport of contaminants in a block of soil with particular reference to the effects of chemical reactions. Comparison of the results of the numerical model with the experimental results shows that the model is capable of predicting the effects of chemical reactions with very high accuracy. The importance of consideration of the effects of chemical reactions is highlighted.

Simplified model for radioactive contaminant transport: the TRANSS code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simmons, C.S.; Kincaid, C.T.; Reisenauer, A.E.

1986-09-01

A simplified ground-water transport model called TRANSS was devised to estimate the rate of migration of a decaying radionuclide that is subject to sorption governed by a linear isotherm. Transport is modeled as a contaminant mass transmitted along a collection of streamlines constituting a streamtube, which connects a source release zone with an environmental arrival zone. The probability-weighted contaminant arrival distribution along each streamline is represented by an analytical solution of the one-dimensional advection-dispersion equation with constant velocity and dispersion coefficient. The appropriate effective constant velocity for each streamline is based on the exact travel time required to traverse a streamline with a known length. An assumption used in the model to facilitate the mathematical simplification is that transverse dispersion within a streamtube is negligible. Release of contaminant from a source is described in terms of a fraction-remaining curve provided as input information. However, an option included in the code is the calculation of a fraction-remaining curve based on four specialized release models: (1) constant release rate, (2) solubility-controlled release, (3) adsorption-controlled release, and (4) diffusion-controlled release from beneath an infiltration barrier. To apply the code, a user supplies only a certain minimal number of parameters: a probability-weighted list of travel times for streamlines, a local-scale dispersion coefficient, a sorption distribution coefficient, total initial radionuclide inventory, radioactive half-life, a release model choice, and size dimensions of the source. The code is intended to provide scoping estimates of contaminant transport and does not predict the evolution of a concentration distribution in a ground-water flow field. Moreover, the required travel times along streamlines must be obtained from a prior ground-water flow simulation

Computational transport phenomena for engineering analyses

CERN Document Server

Farmer, Richard C; Cheng, Gary C; Chen, Yen-Sen

2009-01-01

Computational Transport PhenomenaOverviewTransport PhenomenaAnalyzing Transport PhenomenaA Computational Tool: The CTP CodeVerification, Validation, and GeneralizationSummaryNomenclatureReferencesThe Equations of ChangeIntroductionDerivation of The Continuity EquationDerivation of The Species Continuity EquationDerivation of The Equation Of MotionDerivation of The General Energy EquationNon-Newtonian FluidsGeneral Property BalanceAnalytical and Approximate Solutions for the Equations of ChangeSummaryNomenclatureReferencesPhysical PropertiesOverviewReal-Fluid ThermodynamicsChemical Equilibrium

Flow and contaminant transport in fractured rocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bear, J.; Tsang, C.F.; Marsily, G. de

1993-01-01

This book is a compilation of nine articles dealing with various aspect of flow in fractured media. Articles range from radionuclide waste to multiphase flow in petroleum reservoirs to practical field test methods. Each chapter contains copious figures to aid the reader, but is also a detailed in-depth analysis of some major flow problem. The subjects covered are as follows: an introduction to flow and transport models; solute transport in fractured rock with application to radioactive waste repositories; solute transport models through fractured networks; theoretical view of stochastic models of fracture systems; numerical models of tracers; multiphase flow models in fractured systems and petroleum reservoirs; unsaturated flow modeling; comparative analysis of various flow modeling techniques in fractured media; and, a summary of field methods for measuring transfers of mass, heat, contaminant, momentum, and electrical charge in fractured media

Contaminant flow and transport simulation in cracked porous media using locally conservative schemes

KAUST Repository

Song, Pu

2012-10-25

The purpose of this paper is to analyze some features of contaminant flow passing through cracked porous medium, such as the influence of fracture network on the advection and diffusion of contaminant species, the impact of adsorption on the overall transport of contaminant wastes. In order to precisely describe the whole process, we firstly build the mathematical model to simulate this problem numerically. Taking into consideration of the characteristics of contaminant flow, we employ two partial differential equations to formulate the whole problem. One is flow equation; the other is reactive transport equation. The first equation is used to describe the total flow of contaminant wastes, which is based on Darcy law. The second one will characterize the adsorption, diffusion and convection behavior of contaminant species, which describes most features of contaminant flow we are interested in. After the construction of numerical model, we apply locally conservative and compatible algorithms to solve this mathematical model. Specifically, we apply Mixed Finite Element (MFE) method to the flow equation and Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method for the transport equation. MFE has a good convergence rate and numerical accuracy for Darcy velocity. DG is more flexible and can be used to deal with irregular meshes, as well as little numerical diffusion. With these two numerical means, we investigate the sensitivity analysis of different features of contaminant flow in our model, such as diffusion, permeability and fracture density. In particular, we study K d values which represent the distribution of contaminant wastes between the solid and liquid phases. We also make omparisons of two different schemes and discuss the advantages of both methods. © 2012 Global Science Press.

Contaminant transport at a waste residue deposit: 1. Inverse flow and non-reactive transport modelling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sonnenborg, Torben Obel; Engesgaard, Peter Knudegaard; Rosbjerg, Dan

1996-01-01

An application of an inverse flow and transport model to a contaminated aquifer is presented. The objective of the study is to identify physical and nonreactive flow and transport parameters through an optimization approach. The approach can be classified as a statistical procedure, where a flow...... to steady state versus transient flow conditions and to the amount of hydraulic and solute data used is investigated. The flow parameters, transmissivity and leakage factor, are estimated simultaneously with the transport parameters: source strength, porosity, and longitudinal dispersivity. This paper...

Computer modelling of contaminant migration in natural disperse media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kundas, S.P.; Gishkelyuk, I.A.; Khil'ko, O.S.

2012-01-01

The theoretical foundations for modeling of the contaminants migration in natural disperses media taking into account interconnected heat and moisture transport are developed. The calculation of mass transfer parameters based on adsorption isotherms of water and thermodynamic equations in the developed mathematical models. The artificial neural networks use to predict migration of contaminants in natural disperse media is proposed. The developed software package is presented and results of practical application of models and software are discussed. (authors)

Contaminant transport, revegetation, and trace element studies at inactive uranium mill tailings piles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dreesen, D.R.; Marple, M.L.; Kelley, N.E.

1978-01-01

The stabilization of inactive uranium mill tailings piles is presently under study. These studies have included investigations of stabilizing tailings by attempting to establish native vegetation without applying irrigation. Examination of processes which transport tailings or associated contaminants into the environment has been undertaken to better understand the containment provided by various stabilization methods. The uptake of toxic trace elements and radionuclides by vegetation has been examined as a mechanism of contaminant transport. The source terms of 222 Rn from inactive piles have been determined as well as the attenuation of radon flux provided by shallow soil covers. The possibility of shallow ground water contamination around an inactive pile has been examined to determine the significance of ground water transport as a mode of contaminant migration. The rationale in support of trace element studies related to uranium milling activities is presented including the enrichment, migration, and toxicities of trace elements often associated with uranium deposits. Some concepts for the stabilization of inactive piles are presented to extrapolate from research findings to practical applications. 25 references, 8 tables

In-stream contaminant interaction and transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whelan, G.

1983-07-01

In order to assess contaminant exposure levels in biotic and abiotic pathways from waste-disposal sites, a comprehensive Multimedia Contaminant Environmental Exposure Assessment (MCEA) methodology using several mathematical models is being developed. Prior to a full development of the proposed methodology, a scaled-down version involving terrestrial plants, overland, and in-stream compartments was applied to an actual shallow land waste-disposal site. The purpose was to evaluate and demonstrate the attributes of the methodology. The in-stream component of the abbreviated methodology as it relates to Mortandad Canyon in Los Alamos, New Mexico is discussed herein. A two-year period was simulated consisting of six major runoff events which possessed a variety of distributions and magnitudes. The in-stream component of the methodology was composed of two models integrated to simulate the migration of radionuclides: DKWAV and TODAM. DKWAV is an unsteady, one-dimensional, second-order, explicit, finite difference, channel flow code which simulates the hydrodynamics in dendritric river systems and includes point and/or continuous lateral inflow and channel seepage. TODAM is an unsteady, one-dimensional, finite element, sediment-contaminant transport code which simulates the migration and fate of sediment and radionuclides in their dissolved and particulate phases by solving the general advection/diffusion equation with sink and source terms

Recent developments on surface contamination limits for packages and conveyances in transport regulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thierfeldt, S.; Woerlen, S.; Lorenz, B.; Schwarz, W.

2009-01-01

The IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material [1] contain requirements for contamination limits on packages and conveyances used for the transport of radioactive material. Current contamination limits for packages and conveyances under routine transport conditions have been derived from a model proposed by Fairbairn nearly 50 years ago [3]. This model has proven effective if used with pragmatism, but is based on very conservative as well as extremely simple assumptions which is in no way appropriate any more and which is not compatible with ICRP recommendations regarding radiation protection standards. Therefore, a new model has been developed over the last 8 years which reflects all steps of the transport process. The derivation of this model has been fostered by the IAEA by initiating a Co-ordinated Research Project (see section 2). The results of the calculations using this model could be directly applied as new nuclide specific transport limits for the non-fixed contamination. A corresponding regulatory text has been drafted by an IAEA technical meeting TM-36514, which was held in Tokyo November 10-14, 2008 (see section 4). (orig.)

Recent developments on surface contamination limits for packages and conveyances in transport regulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thierfeldt, S.; Woerlen, S. [Brenk Systemplanung GmbH, Aachen (Germany); Lorenz, B. [GNS Gesellschaft fuer Nuklear-Service mbH, Essen (Germany); Schwarz, W. [VGB PowerTech e.V., Essen (Germany)

2009-07-01

The IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material [1] contain requirements for contamination limits on packages and conveyances used for the transport of radioactive material. Current contamination limits for packages and conveyances under routine transport conditions have been derived from a model proposed by Fairbairn nearly 50 years ago [3]. This model has proven effective if used with pragmatism, but is based on very conservative as well as extremely simple assumptions which is in no way appropriate any more and which is not compatible with ICRP recommendations regarding radiation protection standards. Therefore, a new model has been developed over the last 8 years which reflects all steps of the transport process. The derivation of this model has been fostered by the IAEA by initiating a Co-ordinated Research Project (see section 2). The results of the calculations using this model could be directly applied as new nuclide specific transport limits for the non-fixed contamination. A corresponding regulatory text has been drafted by an IAEA technical meeting TM-36514, which was held in Tokyo November 10-14, 2008 (see section 4). (orig.)

DNA-labeled micro- and nanoparticles: a new approach to study contaminant transport in the subsurface

Science.gov (United States)

McNew, C.; Wang, C.; Kocis, T. N.; Murphy, N. P.; Dahlke, H. E.

2017-12-01

Though our understanding of contaminant behavior in the subsurface has improved, our ability to measure and predict complex contaminant transport pathways at hillslope to watershed scales is still lacking. By utilizing bio-molecular nanotechnology developed for nano-medicines and drug delivery, we are able to produce DNA-labeled micro- and nanoparticles for use in a myriad of environmental systems. Control of the fabrication procedure allows us to produce particles of custom size, charge, and surface functionality to mimic the transport properties of the particulate contaminant or colloid of interest. The use of custom sequenced DNA allows for the fabrication of an enormous number of unique particle labels (approximately 1.61 x 1060 unique sequences) and the ability to discern between varied spatial and temporal applications, or the transport effect of varied particle size, charge, or surface properties. To date, this technology has been utilized to study contaminant transport from lab to field scales, including surface and open channel flow applications, transport in porous media, soil retention, and even subglacial flow pathways. Here, we present the technology for production and detection of the DNA-labeled particles along with the results from a current hillslope study at the Sierra Foothills Research and Extension Center (SFREC). This field study utilizes spatial and temporal variations in DNA-labeled particle applications to identify subsurface pollutant transport pathways through the four distinct soil horizons present at the SFREC site. Results from this and previous studies highlight the tremendous potential of the DNA-labeled particle technology for studying contaminant transport through the subsurface.

Verification of the network flow and transport/distributed velocity (NWFT/DVM) computer code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duda, L.E.

1984-05-01

The Network Flow and Transport/Distributed Velocity Method (NWFT/DVM) computer code was developed primarily to fulfill a need for a computationally efficient ground-water flow and contaminant transport capability for use in risk analyses where, quite frequently, large numbers of calculations are required. It is a semi-analytic, quasi-two-dimensional network code that simulates ground-water flow and the transport of dissolved species (radionuclides) in a saturated porous medium. The development of this code was carried out under a program funded by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to develop a methodology for assessing the risk from disposal of radioactive wastes in deep geologic formations (FIN: A-1192 and A-1266). In support to the methodology development program, the NRC has funded a separate Maintenance of Computer Programs Project (FIN: A-1166) to ensure that the codes developed under A-1192 or A-1266 remain consistent with current operating systems, are as error-free as possible, and have up-to-date documentations for reference by the NRC staff. Part of this effort would include verification and validation tests to assure that a code correctly performs the operations specified and/or is representing the processes or system for which it is intended. This document contains four verification problems for the NWFT/DVM computer code. Two of these problems are analytical verifications of NWFT/DVM where results are compared to analytical solutions. The other two are code-to-code verifications where results from NWFT/DVM are compared to those of another computer code. In all cases NWFT/DVM showed good agreement with both the analytical solutions and the results from the other code

Analysis of contamination in liquids hydrocarbons transport for pipes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eddy Ricardo Zárate Neira

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Pipeline contamination is usually understood to mean both the mixing effect produced when two different products transported by the same pipeline come into contact qith each other and often product of such mixing as well. This product os often referred to as "contamination" or as "interface" Cleary such intermixing is generally less serious in crude carrying, pipelines where each batch can become somewhat polluted by the batches inmediately preceding and immediately following without significant damage. However, the situation is different in a finished products pipeline, which may carry products as different as aircraft gasoline and light fuel oils. This article presents a brief description of the main factors influencing contamination with the objective of optimize conditions operating and to drive the more important respects about them.

Contaminant geochemistry. Interactions and transport in the subsurface environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berkowitz, Brian; Dror, Ishai; Yaron, Bruno [Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot (Israel). Dept. of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research

2008-07-01

This book combines earth science, subsurface hydrology and environmental geochemistry, providing a comprehensive background for specialists interested in the protection and sustainable management of the subsurface environment. The reader is introduced to the chemistry of contaminants, which usually disturb the natural equilibrium in the subsurface as a result of human activity. The major focus of the book is on contaminant reactions in soil solutions, groundwater and porous media solid phases, accounting for their persistence and transformation in the subsurface, as they are transported from the land surface into groundwater. Discussions on selected case studies are provided. (orig.)

Auxiliary analyses in support of performance assessment of a hypothetical low-level waste facility: Two-phase flow and contaminant transport in unsaturated soils with application to low-level radioactive waste disposal. Volume 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Binning, P.; Celia, M.A.; Johnson, J.C.

1995-05-01

A numerical model of multiphase air-water flow and contaminant transport in the unsaturated zone is presented. The multiphase flow equations are solved using the two-pressure, mixed form of the equations with a modified Picard linearization of the equations and a finite element spatial approximation. A volatile contaminant is assumed to be transported in either phase, or in both phases simultaneously. The contaminant partitions between phases with an equilibrium distribution given by Henry's Law or via kinetic mass transfer. The transport equations are solved using a Galerkin finite element method with reduced integration to lump the resultant matrices. The numerical model is applied to published experimental studies to examine the behavior of the air phase and associated contaminant movement under water infiltration. The model is also used to evaluate a hypothetical design for a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility. The model has been developed in both one and two dimensions; documentation and computer codes are available for the one-dimensional flow and transport model

Monitoring Potential Transport of Radioactive Contaminants in Shallow Ephemeral Channels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller Julianne J.; Mizell Steve A.; Nikolich George; Campbell Scott A.

2012-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nevada Site Office (NSO), Environmental Restoration Soils Activity has authorized the Desert Research Institute (DRI) to conduct field assessments of potential sediment transport of contaminated soil from Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 550, Area 8 Smoky Contamination Area (CA), during precipitation runoff events. CAU 550 includes Corrective Action Sites (CASs) 08-23-03, 08-23-04, 08-23-06, and 08-23-07; these CASs are associated with tests designated Ceres, Smoky, Oberon, and Titania, respectively.

Organic contaminant transport and fate in the subsurface: evolution of knowledge and understanding

Science.gov (United States)

Essaid, Hedeff I.; Bekins, Barbara A.; Cozzarelli, Isabelle M.

2015-01-01

Toxic organic contaminants may enter the subsurface as slightly soluble and volatile nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) or as dissolved solutes resulting in contaminant plumes emanating from the source zone. A large body of research published in Water Resources Research has been devoted to characterizing and understanding processes controlling the transport and fate of these organic contaminants and the effectiveness of natural attenuation, bioremediation, and other remedial technologies. These contributions include studies of NAPL flow, entrapment, and interphase mass transfer that have advanced from the analysis of simple systems with uniform properties and equilibrium contaminant phase partitioning to complex systems with pore-scale and macroscale heterogeneity and rate-limited interphase mass transfer. Understanding of the fate of dissolved organic plumes has advanced from when biodegradation was thought to require oxygen to recognition of the importance of anaerobic biodegradation, multiple redox zones, microbial enzyme kinetics, and mixing of organic contaminants and electron acceptors at plume fringes. Challenges remain in understanding the impacts of physical, chemical, biological, and hydrogeological heterogeneity, pore-scale interactions, and mixing on the fate of organic contaminants. Further effort is needed to successfully incorporate these processes into field-scale predictions of transport and fate. Regulations have greatly reduced the frequency of new point-source contamination problems; however, remediation at many legacy plumes remains challenging. A number of fields of current relevance are benefiting from research advances from point-source contaminant research. These include geologic carbon sequestration, nonpoint-source contamination, aquifer storage and recovery, the fate of contaminants from oil and gas development, and enhanced bioremediation.

Deterministic sensitivity analysis for the numerical simulation of contaminants transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marchand, E.

2007-12-01

The questions of safety and uncertainty are central to feasibility studies for an underground nuclear waste storage site, in particular the evaluation of uncertainties about safety indicators which are due to uncertainties concerning properties of the subsoil or of the contaminants. The global approach through probabilistic Monte Carlo methods gives good results, but it requires a large number of simulations. The deterministic method investigated here is complementary. Based on the Singular Value Decomposition of the derivative of the model, it gives only local information, but it is much less demanding in computing time. The flow model follows Darcy's law and the transport of radionuclides around the storage site follows a linear convection-diffusion equation. Manual and automatic differentiation are compared for these models using direct and adjoint modes. A comparative study of both probabilistic and deterministic approaches for the sensitivity analysis of fluxes of contaminants through outlet channels with respect to variations of input parameters is carried out with realistic data provided by ANDRA. Generic tools for sensitivity analysis and code coupling are developed in the Caml language. The user of these generic platforms has only to provide the specific part of the application in any language of his choice. We also present a study about two-phase air/water partially saturated flows in hydrogeology concerning the limitations of the Richards approximation and of the global pressure formulation used in petroleum engineering. (author)

How historical copper contamination affects soil structure and mobilization and transport of colloids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paradelo, Marcos; Møldrup, Per; Holmstrup, Martin

between 0.01 to 0.43 pore volumes, with longer times for the most contaminated point, likely related with its higher soil density and lower air permeability. The copper pollution affected colloid and tracer transport in the soil columns. The release of colloids especially in the most contaminated points...

Benchmarking of a Markov multizone model of contaminant transport.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Rachael M; Nicas, Mark

2014-10-01

A Markov chain model previously applied to the simulation of advection and diffusion process of gaseous contaminants is extended to three-dimensional transport of particulates in indoor environments. The model framework and assumptions are described. The performance of the Markov model is benchmarked against simple conventional models of contaminant transport. The Markov model is able to replicate elutriation predictions of particle deposition with distance from a point source, and the stirred settling of respirable particles. Comparisons with turbulent eddy diffusion models indicate that the Markov model exhibits numerical diffusion in the first seconds after release, but over time accurately predicts mean lateral dispersion. The Markov model exhibits some instability with grid length aspect when turbulence is incorporated by way of the turbulent diffusion coefficient, and advection is present. However, the magnitude of prediction error may be tolerable for some applications and can be avoided by incorporating turbulence by way of fluctuating velocity (e.g. turbulence intensity). © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.

Using Contaminant Transport Modeling to Determine Historical Discharges at the Surface

Science.gov (United States)

Fogwell, T. W.

2013-12-01

When it is determined that a contaminated site needs to be remediated, the issue of who is going to pay for that remediation is an immediate concern. This means that there needs to be a determination of who the responsible parties are for the existing contamination. Seldom is it the case that records have been made and kept of the surface contaminant discharges. In many cases it is possible to determine the relative amount of contaminant discharge at the surface of the various responsible parties by employing a careful analysis of the history of contaminant transport through the surface, through the vadose zone, and within the saturated zone. The process begins with the development of a dynamic conceptual site model that takes into account the important features of the transport of the contaminants through the vadose zone and in the groundwater. The parameters for this model can be derived from flow data available for the site. The resulting contaminant transport model is a composite of the vadose zone transport model, together with the saturated zone (groundwater) flow model. Any calibration of the model should be carefully employed in order to avoid using information about the conclusions of the relative discharge amounts of the responsible parties in determining the calibrated parameters. Determination of the leading edge of the plume is an important first step. It is associated with the first discharges from the surface of the site. If there were several discharging parties at the same time, then it is important to establish a chemical or isotopic signature of the chemicals that were discharged. The time duration of the first discharger needs to be determined as accurately as possible in order to establish the appropriate characterization of the leading portion of the resulting plume in the groundwater. The information about the first discharger and the resulting part of the plume associated with this discharger serves as a basis for the determination of the

Low-rank Kalman filtering for efficient state estimation of subsurface advective contaminant transport models

KAUST Repository

El Gharamti, Mohamad; Hoteit, Ibrahim; Sun, Shuyu

2012-01-01

Accurate knowledge of the movement of contaminants in porous media is essential to track their trajectory and later extract them from the aquifer. A two-dimensional flow model is implemented and then applied on a linear contaminant transport model

Monte Carlo simulation of the turbulent transport of airborne contaminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watson, C.W.; Barr, S.

1975-09-01

A generalized, three-dimensional Monte Carlo model and computer code (SPOOR) are described for simulating atmospheric transport and dispersal of small pollutant clouds. A cloud is represented by a large number of particles that we track by statistically sampling simulated wind and turbulence fields. These fields are based on generalized wind data for large-scale flow and turbulent energy spectra for the micro- and mesoscales. The large-scale field can be input from a climatological data base, or by means of real-time analyses, or from a separate, subjectively defined data base. We introduce the micro- and mesoscale wind fluctuations through a power spectral density, to include effects from a broad spectrum of turbulent-energy scales. The role of turbulence is simulated in both meander and dispersal. Complex flow fields and time-dependent diffusion rates are accounted for naturally, and shear effects are simulated automatically in the ensemble of particle trajectories. An important adjunct has been the development of computer-graphics displays. These include two- and three-dimensional (perspective) snapshots and color motion pictures of particle ensembles, plus running displays of differential and integral cloud characteristics. The model's versatility makes it a valuable atmospheric research tool that we can adapt easily into broader, multicomponent systems-analysis codes. Removal, transformation, dry or wet deposition, and resuspension of contaminant particles can be readily included

A generalized model for transport of contaminants in soil by electric fields.

Science.gov (United States)

Paz-Garcia, Juan Manuel; Baek, Kitae; Alshawabkeh, Iyad D; Alshawabkeh, Akram N

2012-01-01

A generalized model applicable to soils contaminated with multiple species under enhanced boundary conditions during treatment by electric fields is presented. The partial differential equations describing species transport are developed by applying the law of mass conservation to their fluxes. Transport, due to migration, advection and diffusion, of each aqueous component and complex species are combined to produce one partial differential equation that describes transport of the total analytical concentrations of component species which are the primary dependent variables. This transport couples with geochemical reactions such as aqueous equilibrium, sorption, precipitation and dissolution. The enhanced model is used to simulate electrokinetic cleanup of lead and copper contaminants at an Army Firing Range. Acid enhancement is achieved by the use of adipic acid to neutralize the basic front produced for the cathode electrochemical reaction. The model is able to simulate enhanced application of the process by modifying the boundary conditions. The model showed that kinetics of geochemical reactions, such as metals dissolution/leaching and redox reactions, may be significant for realistic prediction of enhanced electrokinetic extraction of metals in real-world applications.

Mechanisms of hydrologic transport of soil contaminants in Mortandad Canyon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hakonson, T.E.; White, G.C.

1981-01-01

The initial focus of this research will be on the selective sorting and transport of soil particles as they relate to altering the distribution of contaminants in soils and sediments. Several field experiments employing radionuclide-labeled soil particle size fractions are planned to accomplish research objectives

Trace contaminant control simulation computer program, version 8.1

Science.gov (United States)

Perry, J. L.

1994-01-01

The Trace Contaminant Control Simulation computer program is a tool for assessing the performance of various process technologies for removing trace chemical contamination from a spacecraft cabin atmosphere. Included in the simulation are chemical and physical adsorption by activated charcoal, chemical adsorption by lithium hydroxide, absorption by humidity condensate, and low- and high-temperature catalytic oxidation. Means are provided for simulating regenerable as well as nonregenerable systems. The program provides an overall mass balance of chemical contaminants in a spacecraft cabin given specified generation rates. Removal rates are based on device flow rates specified by the user and calculated removal efficiencies based on cabin concentration and removal technology experimental data. Versions 1.0 through 8.0 are documented in NASA TM-108409. TM-108409 also contains a source file listing for version 8.0. Changes to version 8.0 are documented in this technical memorandum and a source file listing for the modified version, version 8.1, is provided. Detailed descriptions for the computer program subprograms are extracted from TM-108409 and modified as necessary to reflect version 8.1. Version 8.1 supersedes version 8.0. Information on a separate user's guide is available from the author.

Chaotic-Dynamical Conceptual Model to Describe Fluid Flow and Contaminant Transport in a Fractured Vadose Zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faybishenko, Boris; Doughty, Christine; Geller, Jil T.

1999-01-01

DOE faces the remediation of numerous contaminated sites, such as those at Hanford, INEEL, LLNL, and LBNL, where organic and/or radioactive wastes were intentionally or accidentally released to the vadose zone from surface spills, underground tanks, cribs, shallow ponds, and deep wells. Migration of these contaminants through the vadose zone has led to the contamination of (or threatens to contaminate) underlying groundwater. A key issue in choosing a corrective action plan to clean up contaminated sites is the determination of the location, total mass, mobility and travel time to receptors for contaminants moving in the vadose zone. These problems are difficult to solve in a technically defensible and accurate manner because contaminants travel downward intermittently, through narrow pathways, driven by variations in environmental conditions. These preferential flow pathways can be difficult to find and predict. The primary objective of this project is to determine if and when dynamical chaos theory can be used to investigate infiltration of fluid and contaminant transport in heterogeneous soils and fractured rocks. The objective of this project is being achieved through the following activities: Development of multi scale conceptual models and mathematical and numerical algorithms for flow and transport, which incorporate both (a) the spatial variability of heterogeneous porous and fractured media and (b) the temporal dynamics of flow and transport; Development of appropriate experimental field and laboratory techniques needed to detect diagnostic parameters for chaotic behavior of flow; Evaluation of chaotic behavior of flow in laboratory and field experiments using methods from non-linear dynamics; Evaluation of the impact these dynamics may have on contaminant transport through heterogeneous fractured rocks and soils and remediation efforts. This approach is based on the consideration of multi scale spatial heterogeneity and flow phenomena that are affected by

Surfactant-enhanced flushing enhances colloid transport and alters macroporosity in diesel-contaminated soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Zhuo; Tang, Xiang-Yu; Nishimura, Taku; Katou, Hidetaka; Liu, Hui-Yun; Qing, Jing

2018-02-01

Soil contamination by diesel has been often reported as a result of accidental spillage, leakage and inappropriate use. Surfactant-enhanced soil flushing is a common remediation technique for soils contaminated by hydrophobic organic chemicals. In this study, soil flushing with linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS, an anionic surfactant) was conducted for intact columns (15cm in diameter and 12cm in length) of diesel-contaminated farmland purple soil aged for one year in the field. Dynamics of colloid concentration in column outflow during flushing, diesel removal rate and resulting soil macroporosity change by flushing were analyzed. Removal rate of n-alkanes (representing the diesel) varied with the depth of the topsoil in the range of 14%-96% while the n-alkanes present at low concentrations in the subsoil were completely removed by LAS-enhanced flushing. Much higher colloid concentrations and larger colloid sizes were observed during LAS flushing in column outflow compared to water flushing. The X-ray micro-computed tomography analysis of flushed and unflushed soil cores showed that the proportion of fine macropores (30-250μm in diameter) was reduced significantly by LAS flushing treatment. This phenomenon can be attributed to enhanced clogging of fine macropores by colloids which exhibited higher concentration due to better dispersion by LAS. It can be inferred from this study that the application of LAS-enhanced flushing technique in the purple soil region should be cautious regarding the possibility of rapid colloid-associated contaminant transport via preferential pathways in the subsurface and the clogging of water-conducting soil pores. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Testing of a benchscale Reverse Osmosis/Coupled Transport system for treating contaminated groundwater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hodgson, K.M.; Lunsford, T.R.; Panjabi, G.

1994-01-01

The Reverse Osmosis/Coupled Transport process is a innovative means of removing radionuclides from contaminated groundwater at the Hanford Site. Specifically, groundwater in the 200 West Area of the Hanford Site has been contaminated with uranium, technetium, and nitrate. Investigations are proceeding to determine the most cost effective method to remove these contaminants. The process described in this paper combines three different membrane technologies (reverse osmosis, coupled transport, and nanofiltration to purify the groundwater while extracting and concentrating uranium, technetium, and nitrate into separate solutions. This separation allows for the future use of the radionuclides, if needed, and reduces the amount of waste that will need to be disposed of. This process has the potential to concentrate the contaminants into solutions with volumes in a ratio of 1/10,000 of the feed volume. This compares to traditional volume reductions of 10 to 100 for ion exchange and stand-alone reverse osmosis. The successful demonstration of this technology could result in significant savings in the overall cost of decontaminating the groundwater

Contaminant transport in soils and its significance in the design of waste management facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbour, S.L.; Krahn, J.

1984-01-01

Transport of contaminants in soils is governed by advection, dispersion, geochemical mass transfer and decay in the case of radioactive materials. Advection is the process whereby the contaminant is being carried along by moving water. Dispersion arises from mechanical mixing due to velocity distributions between soil particles and molecular diffusion. Geochemical mass transfer retards the migration because of adsorption and/or precipitation. Decay results in a decrease of contaminant concentrations for radioactive materials. Studies on the effectiveness of a cutoff wall in granular soils beneath a tailings dyke show that the most important parameter is the groundwater flow velocity. It not only controls the advective transport but also directly affects the dispersive component and the attenuation that may be obtained through adsorption and decay

Packaging, Transportation, and Disposal Logistics for Large Radioactively Contaminated Reactor Decommissioning Components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, Mark S.

2008-01-01

The packaging, transportation and disposal of large, retired reactor components from operating or decommissioning nuclear plants pose unique challenges from a technical as well as regulatory compliance standpoint. In addition to the routine considerations associated with any radioactive waste disposition activity, such as characterization, ALARA, and manifesting, the technical challenges for large radioactively contaminated components, such as access, segmentation, removal, packaging, rigging, lifting, mode of transportation, conveyance compatibility, and load securing require significant planning and execution. In addition, the current regulatory framework, domestically in Titles 49 and 10 and internationally in TS-R-1, does not lend itself to the transport of these large radioactively contaminated components, such as reactor vessels, steam generators, reactor pressure vessel heads, and pressurizers, without application for a special permit or arrangement. This paper addresses the methods of overcoming the technical and regulatory challenges. The challenges and disposition decisions do differ during decommissioning versus component replacement during an outage at an operating plant. During decommissioning, there is less concern about critical path for restart and more concern about volume reduction and waste minimization. Segmentation on-site is an available option during decommissioning, since labor and equipment will be readily available and decontamination activities are routine. The reactor building removal path is also of less concern and there are more rigging/lifting options available. Radionuclide assessment is necessary for transportation and disposal characterization. Characterization will dictate the packaging methodology, transportation mode, need for intermediate processing, and the disposal location or availability. Characterization will also assist in determining if the large component can be transported in full compliance with the transportation

Packaging and transportation of radioactively contaminated lead

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gleason, Eugene; Holden, Gerard

2007-01-01

Under the management of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) the government of the United Kingdom has launched an ambitious program to remediate the nation's nuclear waste legacy. Over a twenty-five year period NDA plans to decommission several first generation nuclear power plants and other radioactive facilities. The use innovative, safe 'fit for purpose' technologies will be a major part of this complex program. This paper will present a case study of a recently completed project undertaken in support of the nuclear decommissioning activities at the Sellafield site in the United Kingdom. The focus is on an innovative application of new packaging technology developed for the safe transportation of radioactively contaminated lead objects. Several companies collaborated on the project and contributed to its safe and successful conclusion. These companies include British Nuclear Group, Gravatom Engineering, W. F. Bowker Transport, Atlantic Container Lines, MHF Logistical Solutions and Energy Solutions. New containers and a new innovative inter-modal packaging system to transport the radioactive lead were developed and demonstrated during the project. The project also demonstrated the potential contribution of international nuclear recycling activities as a safe, economic and feasible technical option for nuclear decommissioning in the United Kingdom. (authors)

Configuration Management Plan for Long Length Contaminated Equipment Receiver and Transport Trailers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DALE, R.N.

2000-01-01

Long Length Contaminated Equipment Removal System Receiver Trailer and Transport Trailer require a configuration management plan for design, requirements and operations baseline documents. This report serves as the plan for the Trailers

Evaluation of Different Modeling Approaches to Simulate Contaminant Transport in a Fractured Limestone Aquifer

Science.gov (United States)

Mosthaf, K.; Rosenberg, L.; Balbarini, N.; Broholm, M. M.; Bjerg, P. L.; Binning, P. J.

2014-12-01

It is important to understand the fate and transport of contaminants in limestone aquifers because they are a major drinking water resource. This is challenging because they are highly heterogeneous; with micro-porous grains, flint inclusions, and being heavily fractured. Several modeling approaches have been developed to describe contaminant transport in fractured media, such as the discrete fracture (with various fracture geometries), equivalent porous media (with and without anisotropy), and dual porosity models. However, these modeling concepts are not well tested for limestone geologies. Given available field data and model purpose, this paper therefore aims to develop, examine and compare modeling approaches for transport of contaminants in fractured limestone aquifers. The model comparison was conducted for a contaminated site in Denmark, where a plume of a dissolved contaminant (PCE) has migrated through a fractured limestone aquifer. Multilevel monitoring wells have been installed at the site and available data includes information on spill history, extent of contamination, geology and hydrogeology. To describe the geology and fracture network, data from borehole logs was combined with an analysis of heterogeneities and fractures from a nearby excavation (analog site). Methods for translating the geological information and fracture mapping into each of the model concepts were examined. Each model was compared with available field data, considering both model fit and measures of model suitability. An analysis of model parameter identifiability and sensitivity is presented. Results show that there is considerable difference between modeling approaches, and that it is important to identify the right one for the actual scale and model purpose. A challenge in the use of field data is the determination of relevant hydraulic properties and interpretation of aqueous and solid phase contaminant concentration sampling data. Traditional water sampling has a bias

Sensitivity Analysis of Unsaturated Flow and Contaminant Transport with Correlated Parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Relative contributions from uncertainties in input parameters to the predictive uncertainties in unsaturated flow and contaminant transport are investigated in this study. The objectives are to: (1) examine the effects of input parameter correlations on the sensitivity of unsaturated flow and conta...

A chromate-contaminated site in southern Switzerland – Part 2: Reactive transport modeling to optimize remediation options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wanner, Christoph; Eggenberger, Urs; Mäder, Urs

2012-01-01

A 2D horizontal reactive transport model of a chromate-contaminated site near Rivera, Switzerland, was developed using the computer code CrunchFlow to evaluate site remediation strategies. Transport processes were defined according to the results of an existing hydrological model, and the definition of geochemical (reactive) processes is based on the results of a detailed mineralogical and geochemical site characterization leading to a comprehensive conceptual site model. Kinetics of naturally occurring Cr(VI) reduction by Fe(II) and natural solid organic matter is quantified by fitting measured Cr isotope ratios to a modeled 1D section along the best constrained flow line. The simulation of Cr isotope fractionation was also incorporated into the 2D model. Simulation of the measured present day Cr(VI) plume and δ 53 Cr value distribution was used for the 2D model calibration and corresponds to a situation where only monitored natural attenuation (MNA) is occurring. Other 2D model runs simulate alternate excavation scenarios. The simulations show that with an excavation of the top 2–4 m the groundwater Cr(VI) plume can be minimized, and that a deeper excavation depth only diminishes the plume if all the contaminants can be removed. A combination of an excavation of the top 2–4 m and monitoring of the ongoing natural Cr(VI) reduction is suggested as the most ecological and economical remediation strategy, even though a remaining time period with ongoing subsoil Cr(VI) contamination in the order of 1 ka is predicted.

Transport Limits for Non-Fixed Contamination: A Hazard to Optimization in Radioprotection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Theis, S.; Lorenz, B.; Schwarz, W.

2004-01-01

Current contamination limits for packages and conveyances under routine transport conditions have been derived from the Fairbairn model more than 40 years ago. This model has proved to be effective if used with pragmatism, but conservative. In some countries the limits are handled as action levels. Actions are taken if contamination levels are exceeded, but instant reporting to authorities is only necessary if the excess is higher than a certain factor of e.g. 10. In countries like Germany the limits are regarded as strictly binding. As could be seen after contamination incidents with transport casks for spent fuel assembly, the reporting by the media and perception by the public was not in accordance with the real radiation risk, which could in any case be neglected. However, exceeding the limits by only one percent lead in some cases immediately to legal actions. To avoid such actions, any practice with relevance for possible contamination or decontamination must consider an additional safety margin which is usually a factor of 10. This results -by the definition of TS-R1 recommendations- in a complete removal of non fixed contamination. For two examples the tremendous amount of decontamination work as well as measurements, which are necessary to reach this aim, is quantified. The first example focuses on the clearance measurements of 20' standard ISO-containers, (which are used exclusively for the transport of radioactive materials,) as conveyances for shipment of radioactive packages. In the second example (a loaded cask awaiting shipment) such actions lead to a real operational exposure which -according to good health physics practice- should otherwise be subject to minimization. These information is compared with the results of an IAEA working group, which was set up in 2000 with the aim of remodeling the exposure conditions for all persons involved in the transport of radioactive material, even members of the public. This international group combined members

Transport Limits for Non-Fixed Contamination: A Hazard to Optimization in Radioprotection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Theis, S.; Lorenz, B.; Schwarz, W.

2004-07-01

Current contamination limits for packages and conveyances under routine transport conditions have been derived from the Fairbairn model more than 40 years ago. This model has proved to be effective if used with pragmatism, but conservative. In some countries the limits are handled as action levels. Actions are taken if contamination levels are exceeded, but instant reporting to authorities is only necessary if the excess is higher than a certain factor of e.g. 10. In countries like Germany the limits are regarded as strictly binding. As could be seen after contamination incidents with transport casks for spent fuel assembly, the reporting by the media and perception by the public was not in accordance with the real radiation risk, which could in any case be neglected. However, exceeding the limits by only one percent lead in some cases immediately to legal actions. To avoid such actions, any practice with relevance for possible contamination or decontamination must consider an additional safety margin which is usually a factor of 10. This results -by the definition of TS-R1 recommendations- in a complete removal of non fixed contamination. For two examples the tremendous amount of decontamination work as well as measurements, which are necessary to reach this aim, is quantified. The first example focuses on the clearance measurements of 20' standard ISO-containers, (which are used exclusively for the transport of radioactive materials,) as conveyances for shipment of radioactive packages. In the second example (a loaded cask awaiting shipment) such actions lead to a real operational exposure which -according to good health physics practice- should otherwise be subject to minimization. These information is compared with the results of an IAEA working group, which was set up in 2000 with the aim of remodeling the exposure conditions for all persons involved in the transport of radioactive material, even members of the public. This international group combined

Metal Contamination of the Natural Environment in Norway from Long Range Atmospheric Transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinnes, E.

2001-01-01

Long range atmospheric transport is the most important source of contamination to the natural environment in Norway with many heavy metals. Investigations based on aerosol studies, bulk deposition measurements and moss analysis show that airborne transport from other parts of Europe is the major mode for supply of vanadium, zinc, arsenic, selenium, molybdenum, cadmium, tin,antimony, tellurium, thallium, lead, and bismuth, whereas metals such as chromium, nickel, and copper are mainly derived from point sources within Norway and in northwestern Russia close to the Norwegian border. Elements associated with long range transport show substantial enrichment in the humus horizon of natural soils in southern Norway, sometimes to levels suspected to cause effects on soil microbial processes. E.g. lead concentration values of 150-200 ppm are observed in the most contaminated areas in the south as compared to about 5 ppm in the far north. Elements such as lead and cadmium also show enrichment in some terrestrial food chains. These elements also show considerably elevated levels over background concentrations in the water and sediment of small lakes in the southern part of the country. Retrospective studies based on ombrogenous peatcores indicate that long range transport has been a significant source of heavy metal contamination in southern Norway for the last couple of centuries. The deposition of most heavy metals in Norway has been considerably reduced over the last 20 yr, with the exception of contributions in the north from Russian smelters

Mathematical simulation of sediment and contaminant transport in surface waters. Annual report, October 1977--September 1978

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onishi, Y.; Arnold, E.M.; Serne, R.J.; Cowan, C.E.; Thompson, F.L.; Mayer, D.W.

1979-01-01

Various pathways exist for exposure of humans and biota to radioactive materials released from nuclear facilities. Hydrologic transport (liquid pathway) is one element in the evaluation of the total radiation dose to man. Mathematical models supported by well-planned field data collection programs can be useful tools in assessing the hydrologic transport and ultimate fate of radionuclides. Radionuclides with high distribution coefficients or radionuclides in surface waters with high suspended sediment concentrations are, to a great extent, adsorbed by river and marine sediments. Thus, otherwise dilute contaminants are concentrated. Contaminated sediments may be deposited on the river and ocean beds creating a significant pathway to man. Contaminated bed sediment in turn may become a long-term source of pollution through desorption and resuspension. In order to assess migration and accumulation of radionuclides in surface waters, mathematical models must correctly simulate essential mechanisms of radionuclide transport. The objectives of this study were: (1) to conduct a critical review of (a) radionuclide transport models as well as sediment transport and representative water quality models in rivers, estuaries, oceans, lakes, and reservoirs, and (b) adsorption and desorption mechanisms of radionuclides with sediments in surface waters; (2) to synthesize a mathematical model capable of predicting short- and long-term transport and accumulation of radionuclides in marine environments

Characterization of contaminant transport by gravity, capillarity and barometric pumping in heterogeneous vadose regimes. 1998 annual progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carrigan, C.R.; Hudson, G.B.

1998-01-01

'The intent of this research program is to obtain an improved understanding of vadose zone transport processes and to develop field and modeling techniques required to characterize contaminant transport in the unsaturated zone at DOE sites. For surface spills and near-surface leaks of chemicals, the vadose zone may well become a long-term source of contamination for the underlying water table. Transport of contaminants can occur in both the liquid and gas phases of the unsaturated zone. This transport occurs naturally as a result of diffusion, buoyancy forces (gravity), capillarity and barometric pressure variations. In some cases transport can be enhanced by anisotropies present in hydrologic regimes. This is particularly true for gas-phase transport which may be subject to vertical pumping resulting from atmospheric pressure changes. For liquid-phase flows, heterogeneity may enhance the downward transport of contaminants to the water table depending on soil properties and the scale of the surface spill or near-surface leak. Characterization techniques based upon the dynamics of transport processes are likely to yield a better understanding of the potential for contaminant transport at a specific site than methods depending solely on hydrologic properties derived from a borehole. Such dynamic-characterization techniques can be useful for evaluating sites where contamination presently exists as well as for providing an objective basis to evaluate the efficacy of proposed as well as implemented clean-up technologies. The real-time monitoring of processes that may occur during clean-up of tank waste and the mobility of contaminants beneath the Hanford storage tanks during sluicing operations is one example of how techniques developed in this effort can be applied to current remediation problems. In the future, such dynamic-characterization methods might also be used as part of the site-characterization process for determining suitable locations of new DOE facilities

Synopsis of some preliminary computational studies related to unsaturated zone transport at Area G

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vold, E.

1998-03-01

Computational transport models are described with applications in three problem areas related to unsaturated zone moisture movement beneath Area G. These studies may be used to support the ongoing maintenance of the site Performance Assessment. The three areas include: a 1-D transient analysis with average tuff hydraulic properties in the near surface region with computed results compared to field data; the influence on near surface transient moisture percolation due to realistic distributions in hydraulic properties derived statistically from the observed variance in the field data; and the west to east moisture flow in a 2-D steady geometry approximation of the Pajarito Plateau. Results indicate that a simple transient model for transport of moisture volume fraction fits field data well compared to a moisture pulse observed in the active disposal unit, pit 37. Using realistic infiltration boundary conditions for summer showers and for spring snow melt conditions, the computed moisture pulses show significant propagation to less than 10-ft depth. Next, the hydraulic properties were varied on a 2-D grid using statistical distributions based on the field data means and variances for the hydraulic parameters. Near surface transient percolation in these conditions shows a qualitatively realistic percolation with a spatially variable wave front moving into the tuff; however, the flow does not channel into preferred paths and suggests there is no formation of fast paths which could enhance transportation of contaminants. Finally, moisture transport is modeled through an unsaturated 2-D slice representing the upper stratigraphic layers beneath Area G and a west-to-east cut of several miles to examine possible lateral movement from the west where percolation is assumed to be greater than at Area G. Results show some west-to-east moisture flux consistent with the assumed profile for the percolation boundary conditions

Characterizing, for packaging and transport, large objects contaminated by radioactive material having a limited A2 value

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pope, R.B.; Shappert, L.B.; Michelhaugh, R.D.; Cash, J.M.; Best, R.E.

1998-02-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Regulations for the safe packaging and transportation of radioactive materials follow a graded approach to the requirements for both packaging and controls during transport. The concept is that, the lower the risk posed to the people and the environment by the contents, (1) the less demanding are the packaging requirements and (2) the smaller in number are the controls imposed on the transport of the material. There are likely to be a great number of situations arising in coming years when large objects, contaminated with radioactive material having unlimited A 2 values will result from various decommissioning and decontamination (D and D) activities and will then require shipment from the D and D site to a disposal site. Such situations may arise relatively frequently during the cleanup of operations involving mining, milling, feedstock, and uranium enrichment processing facilities. Because these objects are contaminated with materials having an unlimited A 2 value they present a low radiological risk to worker and public safety and to the environment during transport. However, when these radioactive materials reside on the surfaces of equipment and other large objects, where the equipment and objects themselves are not radioactive, the radioactive materials appear as surface contamination and, if the contaminated object is categorized as a surface contaminated object, it would need to be packaged for shipment according to the requirements of the Regulations for SCO. Despite this categorization, alternatives may be available which will allow these contaminants, when considered by themselves for packaging and transport, to be categorized as either (1) a limited quantity of radioactive material to be shipped in an excepted package or (2) low specific activity (LSA) materials to be shipped in an IP-1 package or possibly even shipped unpackaged. These options are discussed in this paper

Study on Contaminant Transportation of a Typical Chemical Industry Park Based on GMS Software

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, LinXian; Liu, GuoZhen; Xing, LiTing; Liu, BenHua; Xu, ZhengHe; Yang, LiZhi; Zhu, HebgHua

2018-03-01

The groundwater solute transport model can effectively simulated the transport path, the transport scope, and the concentration of contaminant which can provide quantitative data for groundwater pollution repair and groundwater resource management. In this study, we selected biological modern technology research base of Shandong province as research objective and simulated the pollution characteristic of typicalcontaminant cis-1, 3-dichloropropene under different operating conditions by using GMS software.

Third-order TRANSPORT: A computer program for designing charged particle beam transport systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carey, D.C.; Brown, K.L.; Rothacker, F.

1995-05-01

TRANSPORT has been in existence in various evolutionary versions since 1963. The present version of TRANSPORT is a first-, second-, and third-order matrix multiplication computer program intended for the design of static-magnetic beam transport systems. This report discusses the following topics on TRANSPORT: Mathematical formulation of TRANSPORT; input format for TRANSPORT; summaries of TRANSPORT elements; preliminary specifications; description of the beam; physical elements; other transformations; assembling beam lines; operations; variation of parameters for fitting; and available constraints -- the FIT command

Effects of lag and maximum growth in contaminant transport and biodegradation modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wood, B.D.; Dawson, C.N.

1992-06-01

The effects of time lag and maximum microbial growth on biodegradation in contaminant transport are discussed. A mathematical model is formulated that accounts for these effects, and a numerical case study is presented that demonstrates how lag influences biodegradation

Transport modeling of sorbing tracers in artificial fractures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keum, Dong Kwon; Baik, Min Hoon; Park, Chung Kyun; Cho, Young Hwan; Hahn, Phil Soo.

1998-02-01

This study was performed as part of a fifty-man year attachment program between AECL (Atomic Energy Canada Limited) and KAERI. Three kinds of computer code, HDD, POMKAP and VAMKAP, were developed to predict transport of contaminants in fractured rock. MDDM was to calculate the mass transport of contaminants in a single fracture using a simple hydrodynamic dispersion diffusion model. POMKAP was to predict the mass transport of contaminants by a two-dimensional variable aperture model. In parallel with modeling, the validation of models was also performed through the analysis of the migration experimental data obtained in acrylic plastic and granite artificial fracture system at the Whiteshell laboratories, AECL, Canada. (author). 34 refs., 11 tabs., 76 figs

Transport modeling of sorbing tracers in artificial fractures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keum, Dong Kwon; Baik, Min Hoon; Park, Chung Kyun; Cho, Young Hwan; Hahn, Phil Soo

1998-02-01

This study was performed as part of a fifty-man year attachment program between AECL (Atomic Energy Canada Limited) and KAERI. Three kinds of computer code, HDD, POMKAP and VAMKAP, were developed to predict transport of contaminants in fractured rock. MDDM was to calculate the mass transport of contaminants in a single fracture using a simple hydrodynamic dispersion diffusion model. POMKAP was to predict the mass transport of contaminants by a two-dimensional variable aperture model. In parallel with modeling, the validation of models was also performed through the analysis of the migration experimental data obtained in acrylic plastic and granite artificial fracture system at the Whiteshell laboratories, AECL, Canada. (author). 34 refs., 11 tabs., 76 figs.

Contamination transfers during fuel transport cask loading. A concrete situation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fournel, B.; Turchet, J.P.; Faure, S.; Allinei, P.G.; Briquet, L.; Baubet, D.

2002-01-01

In 1998, a number of contamination cases detected during fuel shipments have been pointed out by the french nuclear safety authority. Wagon and casks external surfaces were partly contaminated upon arrival in Valognes railway terminal. Since then, measures taken by nuclear power plants operators in France and abroad solved the problem. In Germany, a report analyzing the situation in depth has been published in which correctives actions have been listed. In France, EDF launched a large cleanliness program (projet proprete radiologique) in order to better understand contamination transfers mechanisms during power plants exploitation and to list remediation actions to avoid further problems. In this context, CEA Department for Wastes Studies at Cadarache (CEA/DEN/DED) was in charge of a study about contamination transfers during fuel elements loading operations. It was decided to lead experiments for a concrete case. The loading of a transport cask at Tricastin-PWR-1 was followed in november 2000 and different analysis comprising water analysis and smear tests analysis were carried out and are detailed in this paper. Results are discussed and qualitatively compared to those obtained in Philippsburg-BWR, Germany for a similar set of tests. (authors)

Transport of contaminants by Arctic sea ice and surface ocean currents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pfirman, S.

1995-01-01

Sea ice and ocean currents transport contaminants in the Arctic from source areas on the shelves, to biologically active regions often more than a thousand kilometers away. Coastal regions along the Siberian margin are polluted by discharges of agricultural, industrial and military wastes in river runoff, from atmospheric deposition and ocean dumping. The Kara Sea is of particular concern because of deliberate dumping of radioactive waste, as well as the large input of polluted river water. Contaminants are incorporated in ice during suspension freezing on the shelves, and by atmospheric deposition during drift. Ice releases its contaminant load through brine drainage, surface runoff of snow and meltwater, and when the floe disintegrates. The marginal ice zone, a region of intense biological activity, may also be the site of major contaminant release. Potentially contaminated ice from the Kara Sea is likely to influence the marginal ice zones of the Barents and Greenland seas. From studies conducted to date it appears that sea ice from the Kara Sea does not typically enter the Beaufort Gyre, and thus is unlikely to affect the northern Canadian and Alaskan margins

A risk-informed basis for establishing non-fixed surface contamination limits for spent fuel transportation casks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rawl, R.R.; Eckerman, K.F.; Bogard, J.S.; Cook, J.R.

2004-01-01

The current limits for non-fixed contamination on packages used to transport radioactive materials were introduced in the 1961 edition of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) transport regulations and were based on radiation protection guidance and practices in use at that time. The limits were based on exposure scenarios leading to intakes of radionuclides by inhalation and external irradiation of the hands. These considerations are collectively referred to as the Fairbairn model. Although formulated over 40 years ago, the model remains unchanged and is still the basis of current regulatory-derived limits on package non-fixed surface contamination. There can also be doses that while not resulting directly from the contamination, are strongly influenced by and attributable to transport regulatory requirements for contamination control. For example, actions necessary to comply with the current derived limits for light-water-reactor (LWR) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) casks can result in significant external doses to workers. This is due to the relatively high radiation levels around the loaded casks, where workers must function during the measurement of contamination levels and while decontaminating the cask. In order to optimize the total dose received due to compliance with cask contamination levels, it is necessary to take into account all the doses that vary as a result of the regulatory limit. Limits for non-fixed surface contamination on spent fuel casks should be established by using a model that considers and optimizes the appropriate exposure scenarios both in the workplace and in the public environment. A risk-informed approach is needed to ensure optimal use of personnel and material resources for SNF-based packaging operations. This paper is a summary of a study sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and performed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory that examined the dose implications for removable surface contamination limits on spent fuel

Generalizing Source Geometry of Site Contamination by Simulating and Analyzing Analytical Solution of Three-Dimensional Solute Transport Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xingwei Wang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Due to the uneven distribution of pollutions and blur edge of pollutant area, there will exist uncertainty of source term shape in advective-diffusion equation model of contaminant transport. How to generalize those irregular source terms and deal with those uncertainties is very critical but rarely studied in previous research. In this study, the fate and transport of contaminant from rectangular and elliptic source geometry were simulated based on a three-dimensional analytical solute transport model, and the source geometry generalization guideline was developed by comparing the migration of contaminant. The result indicated that the variation of source area size had no effect on pollution plume migration when the plume migrated as far as five times of source side length. The migration of pollution plume became slower with the increase of aquifer thickness. The contaminant concentration was decreasing with scale factor rising, and the differences among various scale factors became smaller with the distance to field increasing.

Development of RWHet to Simulate Contaminant Transport in Fractured Porous Media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Yong; LaBolle, Eric; Reeves, Donald M; Russell, Charles

2012-07-01

Accurate simulation of matrix diffusion in regional-scale dual-porosity and dual-permeability media is a critical issue for the DOE Underground Test Area (UGTA) program, given the prevalence of fractured geologic media on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). Contaminant transport through regional-scale fractured media is typically quantified by particle-tracking based Lagrangian solvers through the inclusion of dual-domain mass transfer algorithms that probabilistically determine particle transfer between fractures and unfractured matrix blocks. UGTA applications include a wide variety of fracture aperture and spacing, effective diffusion coefficients ranging four orders of magnitude, and extreme end member retardation values. This report incorporates the current dual-domain mass transfer algorithms into the well-known particle tracking code RWHet [LaBolle, 2006], and then tests and evaluates the updated code. We also develop and test a direct numerical simulation (DNS) approach to replace the classical transfer probability method in characterizing particle dynamics across the fracture/matrix interface. The final goal of this work is to implement the algorithm identified as most efficient and effective into RWHet, so that an accurate and computationally efficient software suite can be built for dual-porosity/dual-permeability applications. RWHet is a mature Lagrangian transport simulator with a substantial user-base that has undergone significant development and model validation. In this report, we also substantially tested the capability of RWHet in simulating passive and reactive tracer transport through regional-scale, heterogeneous media. Four dual-domain mass transfer methodologies were considered in this work. We first developed the empirical transfer probability approach proposed by Liu et al. [2000], and coded it into RWHet. The particle transfer probability from one continuum to the other is proportional to the ratio of the mass entering the other

FACT (Version 2.0) - Subsurface Flow and Contaminant Transport Documentation and User's Guide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aleman, S.E.

2000-05-05

This report documents a finite element code designed to model subsurface flow and contaminant transport, named FACT. FACT is a transient three-dimensional, finite element code designed to simulate isothermal groundwater flow, moisture movement, and solute transport in variably saturated and fully saturated subsurface porous media.

Experimental investigation of airborne contaminant transport by a human wake moving in a ventilated aircraft cabin

Science.gov (United States)

Poussou, Stephane B.

The air ventilation system in jetliners provides a comfortable and healthy environment for passengers. Unfortunately, the increase in global air traffic has amplified the risks presented by infectious aerosols or noxious material released during flight. Inside the cabin, air typically flows continuously from overhead outlets into sidewall exhausts in a circular pattern that minimizes secondary flow between adjacent seat rows. However, disturbances frequently introduced by individuals walking along an aisle may alter air distribution, and contribute to spreading of contaminants. Numerical simulation of these convoluted transient flow phenomena is difficult and complex, and experimental assessment of contaminant distribution in real cabins often impractical. A fundamental experimental study was undertaken to examine the transport phenomena, to validate computations and to improve air monitoring systems. A finite moving body was modeled in a 10:1 scale simplified aircraft cabin equipped with ventilation, at a Reynolds number (based on body diameter) of the order of 10,000. An experimental facility was designed and constructed to permit measurements of the ventilation and wake velocity fields using particle image velocimetry (PIV). Contaminant migration was imaged using the planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique. The effect of ventilation was estimated by comparison with a companion baseline study. Results indicate that the evolution of a downwash predominant behind finite bodies of small aspect ratio is profoundly perturbed by the ventilation flow. The reorganization of vortical structures in the near-wake leads to a shorter longitudinal recirculation region. Furthermore, mixing in the wake is modified and contaminant is observed to convect to higher vertical locations corresponding to seated passenger breathing level.

Comparison of different modeling approaches to simulate contaminant transport in a fractured limestone aquifer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mosthaf, Klaus; Rosenberg, L.; Balbarini, Nicola

. Given available field data and model purpose, this paper therefore aims to develop, examine and compare modeling approaches for transport of contaminants in fractured limestone aquifers. The model comparison was conducted for a contaminated site in Denmark, where a plume of a dissolved contaminant (PCE...... was combined with an analysis of heterogeneities and fractures from a nearby excavation (analog site). Methods for translating the geological information and fracture mapping into each of the model concepts were examined. Each model was compared with available field data, considering both model fit...... of field data is the determination of relevant hydraulic properties and interpretation of aqueous and solid phase contaminant concentration sampling data. Traditional water sampling has a bias towards fracture sampling, however concentrations in the limestone matrix are needed for assessing contaminant...

Release of Aged Contaminants from weathered sediments: Effects of sorbate speciation on scaling of reactive transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chorover, Jon [Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States); Perdrial, Nico [Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States); Mueller, Karl [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States); Strepka, Caleb [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States); O' Day, Peggy [Univ. of California, Merced, CA (United States); Rivera, Nelson [Univ. of California, Merced, CA (United States); Um, Wooyong [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Chang, Hyun-Shik [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Steefel, Carl [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Thompson, Aaron [Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States)

2012-08-14

Hanford sediments impacted by hyperalkaline high level radioactive waste have undergone incongruent silicate mineral weathering concurrent with contaminant uptake (Chorover et al., 2008). In this project, we studied the impact of background pore water (BPW) on strontium, cesium and iodine desorption and transport in Hanford sediments that were experimentally weathered by contact with simulated hyperalkaline tank waste leachate (STWL) solutions. Using those lab-weathered Hanford sediments (HS) and model precipitates formed during nucleation from homogeneous STWL solutions (HN), we (i) provided thorough characterization of reaction products over a matrix of field-relevant gradients in contaminant concentration, P_CO2, and reaction time; (ii) improved molecular-scale understanding of how sorbate speciation controls contaminant desorption from weathered sediments upon removal of caustic sources; and (iii) developed a mechanistic, predictive model of meso- to field-scale contaminant reactive transport under these conditions. Below, we provide some detailed descriptions of our results from this three year study, recently completed following a one-year no cost extension.

Release of aged contaminants from weathered sediments: Effects of sorbate speciation on scaling of reactive transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chorover, Jon; Perdrial, Nico; Mueller, Karl; Strepka, Caleb; O’Day, Peggy; Rivera, Nelson; Um, Wooyong; Chang, Hyun-Shik; Steefel, Carl; Thompson, Aaron

2012-11-05

Hanford sediments impacted by hyperalkaline high level radioactive waste have undergone incongruent silicate mineral weathering concurrent with contaminant uptake. In this project, we studied the impact of background pore water (BPW) on strontium, cesium and iodine desorption and transport in Hanford sediments that were experimentally weathered by contact with simulated hyperalkaline tank waste leachate (STWL) solutions. Using those lab-weathered Hanford sediments (HS) and model precipitates formed during nucleation from homogeneous STWL solutions (HN), we (i) provided thorough characterization of reaction products over a matrix of field-relevant gradients in contaminant concentration, partial pressure of carbon dioxide, and reaction time; (ii) improved molecular-scale understanding of how sorbate speciation controls contaminant desorption from weathered sediments upon removal of caustic sources; and (iii) developed a mechanistic, predictive model of meso- to field-scale contaminant reactive transport under these conditions. In this final report, we provide detailed descriptions of our results from this three-year study, completed in 2012 following a one-year no cost extension.

Evaluation of wastewater contaminant transport in surface waters using verified Lagrangian sampling

Science.gov (United States)

Antweiler, Ronald C.; Writer, Jeffrey H.; Murphy, Sheila F.

2014-01-01

Contaminants released from wastewater treatment plants can persist in surface waters for substantial distances. Much research has gone into evaluating the fate and transport of these contaminants, but this work has often assumed constant flow from wastewater treatment plants. However, effluent discharge commonly varies widely over a 24-hour period, and this variation controls contaminant loading and can profoundly influence interpretations of environmental data. We show that methodologies relying on the normalization of downstream data to conservative elements can give spurious results, and should not be used unless it can be verified that the same parcel of water was sampled. Lagrangian sampling, which in theory samples the same water parcel as it moves downstream (the Lagrangian parcel), links hydrologic and chemical transformation processes so that the in-stream fate of wastewater contaminants can be quantitatively evaluated. However, precise Lagrangian sampling is difficult, and small deviations – such as missing the Lagrangian parcel by less than 1 h – can cause large differences in measured concentrations of all dissolved compounds at downstream sites, leading to erroneous conclusions regarding in-stream processes controlling the fate and transport of wastewater contaminants. Therefore, we have developed a method termed “verified Lagrangian” sampling, which can be used to determine if the Lagrangian parcel was actually sampled, and if it was not, a means for correcting the data to reflect the concentrations which would have been obtained had the Lagrangian parcel been sampled. To apply the method, it is necessary to have concentration data for a number of conservative constituents from the upstream, effluent, and downstream sites, along with upstream and effluent concentrations that are constant over the short-term (typically 2–4 h). These corrections can subsequently be applied to all data, including non-conservative constituents. Finally, we

Evaluation of wastewater contaminant transport in surface waters using verified Lagrangian sampling.

Science.gov (United States)

Antweiler, Ronald C; Writer, Jeffrey H; Murphy, Sheila F

2014-02-01

Contaminants released from wastewater treatment plants can persist in surface waters for substantial distances. Much research has gone into evaluating the fate and transport of these contaminants, but this work has often assumed constant flow from wastewater treatment plants. However, effluent discharge commonly varies widely over a 24-hour period, and this variation controls contaminant loading and can profoundly influence interpretations of environmental data. We show that methodologies relying on the normalization of downstream data to conservative elements can give spurious results, and should not be used unless it can be verified that the same parcel of water was sampled. Lagrangian sampling, which in theory samples the same water parcel as it moves downstream (the Lagrangian parcel), links hydrologic and chemical transformation processes so that the in-stream fate of wastewater contaminants can be quantitatively evaluated. However, precise Lagrangian sampling is difficult, and small deviations - such as missing the Lagrangian parcel by less than 1h - can cause large differences in measured concentrations of all dissolved compounds at downstream sites, leading to erroneous conclusions regarding in-stream processes controlling the fate and transport of wastewater contaminants. Therefore, we have developed a method termed "verified Lagrangian" sampling, which can be used to determine if the Lagrangian parcel was actually sampled, and if it was not, a means for correcting the data to reflect the concentrations which would have been obtained had the Lagrangian parcel been sampled. To apply the method, it is necessary to have concentration data for a number of conservative constituents from the upstream, effluent, and downstream sites, along with upstream and effluent concentrations that are constant over the short-term (typically 2-4h). These corrections can subsequently be applied to all data, including non-conservative constituents. Finally, we show how data

Application of multiple tracers (SF6 and chloride) to identify the transport by characteristics of contaminant at two separate contaminated sites

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, K. K.; Lee, S. S.; Kim, H. H.; Koh, E. H.; Kim, M. O.; Lee, K.; Kim, H. J.

2016-12-01

Multiple tracers were applied for source and pathway detection at two different sites. CO2 gas injected in the subsurface for a shallow-depth CO2 injection and leak test can be regarded as a potential contaminant source. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the migration pattern of CO2 gas. Also, at a DNAPL contaminated site, it is important to figure out the characteristics of plume evolution from the source zone. In this study, multiple tracers (SF6 and chloride) were used to evaluate the applicability of volatile and non-volatile tracers and to identify the characteristics of contaminant transport at each CO2 injection and leak test site and DNAPL contaminated site. Firstly, at the CO2 test site, multiple tracers were used to perform the single well push-drift-pull tracer test at total 3 specific depth zones. As results of tests, volatile and non-volatile tracers showed different mass recovery percentage. Most of chloride mass was recovered but less than half of SF6 mass was recovered due to volatile property. This means that only gaseous SF6 leak out to unsaturated zone. However, breakthrough curves of both tracers indicated similar peak time, effective porosity, and regional groundwater velocity. Also, at both contaminated sites, natural gradient tracer tests were performed with multiple tracers. With the results of natural gradient tracer test, it was possible to confirm the applicability of multiple tracers and to understand the contaminant transport in highly heterogeneous aquifer systems through the long-term monitoring of tracers. Acknowledgement: financial support was provided by the R&D Project on Environmental Management of Geologic CO2 Storage)" from the KEITI (Project Number: 2014001810003) and Korea Ministry of Environment as "The GAIA project (2014000540010)".

Wind-induced contaminant transport in near-surface soils with application to radon entry into buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riley, W.J.

1996-05-01

Indoor air exposures to gaseous contaminants originating in soil can cause large human health risks. To predict and control these exposures, the mechanisms that affect vapor transport in near-surface soils need to be understood. In particular, radon exposure is a concern since average indoor radon concentrations lead to much higher risks than are generally accepted for exposure to other environmental contaminants. This dissertation examines an important component of the indoor radon problem: the impacts of wind on soil-gas and radon transport and entry into buildings. The research includes experimental and modeling studies of wind's interactions with a building's superstructure and the resulting soil-gas and radon flows in the surrounding soil. In addition to exploring the effects of steady winds, a novel modeling technique is developed to examine the impacts of fluctuating winds on soil-gas and radon transport

Wind-induced contaminant transport in near-surface soils with application to radon entry into buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Riley, William Jowett [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

1996-05-01

Indoor air exposures to gaseous contaminants originating in soil can cause large human health risks. To predict and control these exposures, the mechanisms that affect vapor transport in near-surface soils need to be understood. In particular, radon exposure is a concern since average indoor radon concentrations lead to much higher risks than are generally accepted for exposure to other environmental contaminants. This dissertation examines an important component of the indoor radon problem: the impacts of wind on soil-gas and radon transport and entry into buildings. The research includes experimental and modeling studies of wind`s interactions with a building`s superstructure and the resulting soil-gas and radon flows in the surrounding soil. In addition to exploring the effects of steady winds, a novel modeling technique is developed to examine the impacts of fluctuating winds on soil-gas and radon transport.

Three-dimensional analysis of future groundwater flow conditions and contaminant plume transport in the Hanford Site unconfined aquifer system: FY 1996 and 1997 status report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cole, C.R.; Wurstner, S.K.; Williams, M.D.; Thorne, P.D.; Bergeron, M.P.

1997-12-01

A three-dimensional numerical model of groundwater flow and transport, based on the Coupled Fluid Energy, and Solute Transport (CFEST) code, was developed for the Hanford Site to support the Hanford Groundwater Project (HGWP), managed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The model was developed to increase the understanding and better forecast the migration of several contaminant plumes being monitored by the HGWP, and to support the Hanford Site Composite Analysis for low-level waste disposal in the 200-Area Plateau. Recent modeling efforts have focused on continued refinement of an initial version of the three-dimensional model developed in 1995 and its application to simulate future transport of selected contaminant plumes in the aquifer system. This version of the model was updated using a more current version of the CFEST code called CFEST96. Prior to conducting simulations of contaminant transport with the three-dimensional model, a previous steady-state, two-dimensional model of the unconfined aquifer system was recalibrated to 1979 water-table conditions with a statistical inverse method implemented in the CFEST-INV computer code. The results of the recalibration were used to refine the three-dimensional conceptual model and to calibrate it with a conceptualization that preserves the two-dimensional hydraulic properties and knowledge of the aquifer`s three-dimensional properties for the same 1979 water-table conditions. The transient behavior of the three-dimensional flow model was also calibrated by adjusting model storage properties (specific yield) until transient water-table predictions approximated observed water-table elevations between 1979 and 1996.

Three-dimensional analysis of future groundwater flow conditions and contaminant plume transport in the Hanford Site unconfined aquifer system: FY 1996 and 1997 status report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cole, C.R.; Wurstner, S.K.; Williams, M.D.; Thorne, P.D.; Bergeron, M.P.

1997-12-01

A three-dimensional numerical model of groundwater flow and transport, based on the Coupled Fluid Energy, and Solute Transport (CFEST) code, was developed for the Hanford Site to support the Hanford Groundwater Project (HGWP), managed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The model was developed to increase the understanding and better forecast the migration of several contaminant plumes being monitored by the HGWP, and to support the Hanford Site Composite Analysis for low-level waste disposal in the 200-Area Plateau. Recent modeling efforts have focused on continued refinement of an initial version of the three-dimensional model developed in 1995 and its application to simulate future transport of selected contaminant plumes in the aquifer system. This version of the model was updated using a more current version of the CFEST code called CFEST96. Prior to conducting simulations of contaminant transport with the three-dimensional model, a previous steady-state, two-dimensional model of the unconfined aquifer system was recalibrated to 1979 water-table conditions with a statistical inverse method implemented in the CFEST-INV computer code. The results of the recalibration were used to refine the three-dimensional conceptual model and to calibrate it with a conceptualization that preserves the two-dimensional hydraulic properties and knowledge of the aquifer's three-dimensional properties for the same 1979 water-table conditions. The transient behavior of the three-dimensional flow model was also calibrated by adjusting model storage properties (specific yield) until transient water-table predictions approximated observed water-table elevations between 1979 and 1996

Contaminant transport and accumulation in Massachusetts Bay and Boston Harbor; a summary of U.S. Geological Survey studies

Science.gov (United States)

Butman, Bradford; Bothner, Michael H.; Hathaway, J.C.; Jenter, H.L.; Knebel, H.J.; Manheim, F.T.; Signell, R.P.

1992-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting studies in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay, and Cape Cod Bay designed to define the geologic framework of the region and to understand the transport and accumulation of contaminated sediments. The region is being studied because of environmental problems caused by the introduction of wastes for a long time, because a new ocean outfall (to begin operation in 1995) will change the location for disposal of treated Boston sewage from Boston Harbor into Massachusetts Bay, and because of the need to understand the transport of sediments and associated contaminants in order to address a wide range of management questions. The USGS effort complements and is closely coordinated with the research and monitoring studies supported by the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, the Massachusetts Bays Program, and by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. The USGS study includes (1) geologic mapping, (2) circulation studies, (3) long-term current and sediment transport observations, (4) measurements of contaminant inventories and rates of sediment mixing and accumulation, (5) circulation modeling, (6) development of a contaminated sediments data base, and (7) information exchange. A long-term objective of the program is to develop a predictive capability for sediment transport and accumulation.

Computer vision and imaging in intelligent transportation systems

CERN Document Server

Bala, Raja; Trivedi, Mohan

2017-01-01

Acts as a single source reference providing readers with an overview of how computer vision can contribute to the different applications in the field of road transportation. This book presents a survey of computer vision techniques related to three key broad problems in the roadway transportation domain: safety, efficiency, and law enforcement. The individual chapters present significant applications within these problem domains, each presented in a tutorial manner, describing the motivation for and benefits of the application, and a description of the state of the art.

Impacts of Spatio-Variability of Source Morphology on Field-Scale Predictions of Subsurface Contaminant Transport

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hatfield, Kirk

1998-01-01

... (organic immiscible liquids distribution and composition) and aquifer properties on predicting solute transport in saturated groundwater systems contaminated with residual Organic Immiscible Liquids (OIL's...

3-dimensional self-calibrating coastal oil spill trajectory tracking and contaminant transport using HF radar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ojo, T.O.; Bonner, J.S.

2002-01-01

A study was conducted to demonstrate the dynamic behaviour of the turbulent mixing process in coastal environments for both advection and dispersion transport. The spatial variability of the coefficients that characterize the process was also examined. Every transport model should be calibrated to include specific information regarding geomorphology and climatic conditions. HF-radar equipment eliminates the need for model-recalibration and validation for transport models of coefficients which have spatial-temporal variations. The HF-radar has a grid resolution of 1000 m, providing real-time velocity coefficients by measuring surface currents. Dispersion coefficients can be derived from velocity time-series using the principle of Autocorrelation Functions (ACF) for time series. This concept was applied to two Gulf of Mexico bays in Texas, Corpus Christi and Matagorda. It was determined that the within-bay spatial variability of dispersion coefficients were many orders of magnitude higher than between-bay variability. The proposed model effectively reduced model complexity. The results of a 3-D dimensional contaminant transport model was presented. It was successfully used in the simulation of a contaminant spill scenario in the two bays using spatially distributed time-dependent transport coefficients. 5 refs., 8 figs

Contamination of an arctic terrestrial food web with marine-derived persistent organic pollutants transported by breeding seabirds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choy, Emily S.; Kimpe, Linda E.; Mallory, Mark L.; Smol, John P.; Blais, Jules M.

2010-01-01

At Cape Vera, Devon Island (Nunavut, Canada), a colony of northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) concentrates and releases contaminants through their guano to the environment. We determined whether persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from seabirds were transferred to coastal food webs. Snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) were the most contaminated species, with ΣPCB and ΣDDT (mean: 168, 106 ng/g ww) concentrations surpassing environmental guidelines for protecting wildlife. When examined collectively, PCB congeners and DDT in jewel lichen (Xanthoria elegans) were lower in samples taken farther from the seabird colony, and increased with increasing δ 15 N values. However, only concentrations of p'p-DDE:ΣDDT and PCB-95 were significantly correlated inversely with distance from the seabird cliffs. Linkages between marine-derived POPs and their concentrations in terrestrial mammals were less clear. Our study provides novel contaminant data for these species and supports biovector transport as a source of organic contaminants to certain components of the terrestrial food web. - This study provides evidence of contaminant transport by seabirds to a coastal Arctic food web.

Contamination of an arctic terrestrial food web with marine-derived persistent organic pollutants transported by breeding seabirds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choy, Emily S., E-mail: echoy087@uottawa.c [Program for Chemical and Environmental Toxicology, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5 (Canada); Kimpe, Linda E., E-mail: linda.kimpe@uottawa.c [Program for Chemical and Environmental Toxicology, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5 (Canada); Mallory, Mark L., E-mail: mark.mallory@ec.gc.c [Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, Iqaluit, NU, X0A 0H0 (Canada); Smol, John P., E-mail: smolj@queensu.c [Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Lab (PEARL), Department of Biology, Queen' s University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6 (Canada); Blais, Jules M., E-mail: jules.blais@uottawa.c [Program for Chemical and Environmental Toxicology, Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5 (Canada)

2010-11-15

At Cape Vera, Devon Island (Nunavut, Canada), a colony of northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) concentrates and releases contaminants through their guano to the environment. We determined whether persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from seabirds were transferred to coastal food webs. Snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) were the most contaminated species, with {Sigma}PCB and {Sigma}DDT (mean: 168, 106 ng/g ww) concentrations surpassing environmental guidelines for protecting wildlife. When examined collectively, PCB congeners and DDT in jewel lichen (Xanthoria elegans) were lower in samples taken farther from the seabird colony, and increased with increasing {delta}{sup 15}N values. However, only concentrations of p'p-DDE:{Sigma}DDT and PCB-95 were significantly correlated inversely with distance from the seabird cliffs. Linkages between marine-derived POPs and their concentrations in terrestrial mammals were less clear. Our study provides novel contaminant data for these species and supports biovector transport as a source of organic contaminants to certain components of the terrestrial food web. - This study provides evidence of contaminant transport by seabirds to a coastal Arctic food web.

Modelling contaminant transport using site specific data from Vaalputs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Botha, J.F.

1986-01-01

The transport of a contaminant through the upper layers of the earth's surface is a complex phenomenon. To develop a model for this, requires a good understanding of the physical nature of the phenomenon. This paper discusses two difficulties frequently encountered in developing such a model - the nature of the subsurface and the mathematical representation of the unsaturated hydraulic parameters. It is proposed that information obtained from pump- and packer tests be used to circumvent the first difficulty, and that the unsaturated flow parameters be approximated by C -∞ continuous function

Zero-tension lysimeters: An improved design to monitor colloid-facilitated contaminant transport in the vadose zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, M.L.; Scharf, R.L.; Shang, C.

1995-01-01

There is increasing evidence that mobile colloids facilitate the long-distance transport of contaminants. The mobility of fine particles and macromolecules has been linked to the movement of actinides, organic contaminants, and heavy metals through soil. Direct evidence for colloid mobility includes the presence of humic materials in deep aquifers as well as coatings of accumulated clay, organic matter, or sesquioxides on particle or aggregate surfaces in subsoil horizons of many soils. The potential for colloid-facilitated transport of contaminants from hazardous-waste sites requires adequate monitoring before, during, and after in-situ remediation treatments. Zero-tension lysimeters (ZTLs) are especially appropriate for sampling water as it moves through saturated soil, although some unsaturated flow events may be sampled as well. Because no ceramic barrier or fiberglass wick is involved to maintain tension on the water (as is the case with other lysimeters), particles suspended in the water as well as dissolved species may be sampled with ZTLs. In this report, a ZTL design is proposed that is more suitable for monitoring colloid-facilitated contaminant migration. The improved design consists of a cylinder made of polycarbonate or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) that is placed below undisturbed soil material. In many soils, a hydraulically powered tube may be used to extract an undisturbed core of soil before placement of the lysimeter. In those cases, the design has significant advantages over conventional designs with respect to simplicity and speed of installation. Therefore, it will allow colloid-facilitated transport of contaminants to be monitored at more locations at a given site

Long Length Contaminated Equipment Retrieval System Receiver Trailer and Transport Trailer Operations and Maintenance Manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DALE, R.N.

2000-01-01

A system to accommodate the removal of long-length contaminated equipment (LLCE) from Hanford underground radioactive waste storage tanks was designed, procured, and demonstrated, via a project activity during the 1990s. The system is the Long Length Contaminated Equipment Removal System (LLCERS). LLCERS will be maintained and operated by Tank Farms Engineering and Operations organizations and other varied projects having a need for the system. The responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the LLCERS Receiver Trailer (RT) and Transport Trailer (TT) resides with the RPP Characterization Project Operations organization. The purpose of this document is to provide vendor supplied operating and maintenance (O and M) information for the RT and TT in a readily retrievable form. This information is provided this way instead of in a vendor information (VI) file to maintain configuration control of the operations baseline as described in RPP-6085, ''Configuration Management Plan for Long Length Contaminated Equipment Receiver and Transport Trailers''. Additional Operations Baseline documents are identified in RPP-6085

Anthropogenic contamination of a phreatic drinking water winning: 3-dimensional reactive transport modelling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Griffioen, J.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/091129265; van der Grift, B.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/373433484; Maas, D.; van den Brink, C.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/187443416; Zaadnoordijk, J. W.

2003-01-01

Groundwater is contaminated at the regional scale by agricultural activities and atmospheric deposition. A 3-D transport model was set-up for a phreatic drinking water winning, where the groundwater composition was monitored accurately. The winning is situated at an area with unconsolidated

An Iterative Ensemble Kalman Filter with One-Step-Ahead Smoothing for State-Parameters Estimation of Contaminant Transport Models

KAUST Repository

Gharamti, M. E.

2015-05-11

The ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is a popular method for state-parameters estimation of subsurface flow and transport models based on field measurements. The common filtering procedure is to directly update the state and parameters as one single vector, which is known as the Joint-EnKF. In this study, we follow the one-step-ahead smoothing formulation of the filtering problem, to derive a new joint-based EnKF which involves a smoothing step of the state between two successive analysis steps. The new state-parameters estimation scheme is derived in a consistent Bayesian filtering framework and results in separate update steps for the state and the parameters. This new algorithm bears strong resemblance with the Dual-EnKF, but unlike the latter which first propagates the state with the model then updates it with the new observation, the proposed scheme starts by an update step, followed by a model integration step. We exploit this new formulation of the joint filtering problem and propose an efficient model-integration-free iterative procedure on the update step of the parameters only for further improved performances. Numerical experiments are conducted with a two-dimensional synthetic subsurface transport model simulating the migration of a contaminant plume in a heterogenous aquifer domain. Contaminant concentration data are assimilated to estimate both the contaminant state and the hydraulic conductivity field. Assimilation runs are performed under imperfect modeling conditions and various observational scenarios. Simulation results suggest that the proposed scheme efficiently recovers both the contaminant state and the aquifer conductivity, providing more accurate estimates than the standard Joint and Dual EnKFs in all tested scenarios. Iterating on the update step of the new scheme further enhances the proposed filter’s behavior. In term of computational cost, the new Joint-EnKF is almost equivalent to that of the Dual-EnKF, but requires twice more model

Risk assessment through drinking water pathway via uncertainty modeling of contaminant transport using soft computing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Datta, D.; Ranade, A.K.; Pandey, M.; Sathyabama, N.; Kumar, Brij

2012-01-01

The basic objective of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) is to build guidelines to reduce the associated risk or mitigate the consequences of the reactor accident at its source to prevent deterministic health effects, to reduce the risk of stochastic health effects (eg. cancer and severe hereditary effects) as much as reasonable achievable by implementing protective actions in accordance with IAEA guidance (IAEA Safety Series No. 115, 1996). The measure of exposure being the basic tool to take any appropriate decisions related to risk reduction, EIA is traditionally expressed in terms of radiation exposure to the member of the public. However, models used to estimate the exposure received by the member of the public are governed by parameters some of which are deterministic with relative uncertainty and some of which are stochastic as well as imprecise (insufficient knowledge). In an admixture environment of this type, it is essential to assess the uncertainty of a model to estimate the bounds of the exposure to the public to invoke a decision during an event of nuclear or radiological emergency. With a view to this soft computing technique such as evidence theory based assessment of model parameters is addressed to compute the risk or exposure to the member of the public. The possible pathway of exposure to the member of the public in the aquatic food stream is the drinking of water. Accordingly, this paper presents the uncertainty analysis of exposure via uncertainty analysis of the contaminated water. Evidence theory finally addresses the uncertainty in terms of lower bound as belief measure and upper bound of exposure as plausibility measure. In this work EIA is presented using evidence theory. Data fusion technique is used to aggregate the knowledge on the uncertain information. Uncertainty of concentration and exposure is expressed as an interval of belief, plausibility

Computer vision in roadway transportation systems: a survey

Science.gov (United States)

Loce, Robert P.; Bernal, Edgar A.; Wu, Wencheng; Bala, Raja

2013-10-01

There is a worldwide effort to apply 21st century intelligence to evolving our transportation networks. The goals of smart transportation networks are quite noble and manifold, including safety, efficiency, law enforcement, energy conservation, and emission reduction. Computer vision is playing a key role in this transportation evolution. Video imaging scientists are providing intelligent sensing and processing technologies for a wide variety of applications and services. There are many interesting technical challenges including imaging under a variety of environmental and illumination conditions, data overload, recognition and tracking of objects at high speed, distributed network sensing and processing, energy sources, as well as legal concerns. This paper presents a survey of computer vision techniques related to three key problems in the transportation domain: safety, efficiency, and security and law enforcement. A broad review of the literature is complemented by detailed treatment of a few selected algorithms and systems that the authors believe represent the state-of-the-art.

THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN GEOCHEMICAL REACTIONS AND ADVECTION-DISPERSION IN CONTAMINANT TRANSPORT AT A URANIUM MILL TAILINGS SITE

Science.gov (United States)

It is well known that the fate and transport of contaminants in the subsurface are controlled by complex processes including advection, dispersion-diffusion, and chemical reactions. However, the interplay between the physical transport processes and chemical reactions, and their...

Sources of Salmonella on broiler carcasses during transportation and processing: modes of contamination and methods of control.

Science.gov (United States)

Corry, Janet E L; Allen, V M; Hudson, W R; Breslin, M F; Davies, R H

2002-01-01

The prevalence and types of salmonella in broiler chickens during transportation and during slaughter and dressing were studied. This was part of a comprehensive investigation of salmonellas in two UK poultry companies, which aimed to find the origins and mechanisms of salmonella contamination. Salmonellas were isolated using cultural methods. Serovars of Salmonella detected during rearing were usually also found in a small proportion of birds on the day of slaughter and on the carcasses at various points during processing. There was little evidence of salmonellas spreading to large numbers of carcasses during processing. Many serovars found in the feedmills or hatcheries were also detected in the birds during rearing and/or slaughter. Transport crates were contaminated with salmonellas after washing and disinfection. Prevalence of salmonellas fell in the two companies during this survey. A small number of serovars predominated in the processing plants of each company. These serovars originated from the feed mills. Reasons for transport crate contamination were: (1) inadequate cleaning, resulting in residual faecal soiling; (2) disinfectant concentration and temperature of disinfectant too low; (3) contaminated recycled flume water used to soak the crates. Efforts to control salmonella infection in broilers need to concentrate on crate cleaning and disinfection and hygiene in the feed mills.

A Krylov Subspace Method for Unstructured Mesh SN Transport Computation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoo, Han Jong; Cho, Nam Zin; Kim, Jong Woon; Hong, Ser Gi; Lee, Young Ouk

2010-01-01

Hong, et al., have developed a computer code MUST (Multi-group Unstructured geometry S N Transport) for the neutral particle transport calculations in three-dimensional unstructured geometry. In this code, the discrete ordinates transport equation is solved by using the discontinuous finite element method (DFEM) or the subcell balance methods with linear discontinuous expansion. In this paper, the conventional source iteration in the MUST code is replaced by the Krylov subspace method to reduce computing time and the numerical test results are given

High performance stream computing for particle beam transport simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Appleby, R; Bailey, D; Higham, J; Salt, M

2008-01-01

Understanding modern particle accelerators requires simulating charged particle transport through the machine elements. These simulations can be very time consuming due to the large number of particles and the need to consider many turns of a circular machine. Stream computing offers an attractive way to dramatically improve the performance of such simulations by calculating the simultaneous transport of many particles using dedicated hardware. Modern Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) are powerful and affordable stream computing devices. The results of simulations of particle transport through the booster-to-storage-ring transfer line of the DIAMOND synchrotron light source using an NVidia GeForce 7900 GPU are compared to the standard transport code MAD. It is found that particle transport calculations are suitable for stream processing and large performance increases are possible. The accuracy and potential speed gains are compared and the prospects for future work in the area are discussed

Third-Order Transport with MAD Input: A Computer Program for Designing Charged Particle Beam Transport Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, Karl

1998-10-28

TRANSPORT has been in existence in various evolutionary versions since 1963. The present version of TRANSPORT is a first-, second-, and third-order matrix multiplication computer program intended for the design of static-magnetic beam transport systems.

Modeling hydrology and reactive transport in roads: The effect of cracks, the edge, and contaminant properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Apul, Defne S.; Gardner, Kevin H.; Eighmy, T. Taylor

2007-01-01

The goal of this research was to provide a tool for regulators to evaluate the groundwater contamination from the use of virgin and secondary materials in road construction. A finite element model, HYDRUS2D, was used to evaluate generic scenarios for secondary material use in base layers. Use of generic model results for particular applications was demonstrated through a steel slag example. The hydrology and reactive transport of contaminants were modeled in a two-dimensional cross section of a road. Model simulations showed that in an intact pavement, lateral velocities from the edge towards the centerline may transport contaminants in the base layer. The dominant transport mechanisms are advection closer to the edge and diffusion closer to the centerline. A shoulder joint in the pavement allows 0.03 to 0.45 m 3 /day of infiltration per meter of joint length as a function of the base and subgrade hydrology and the rain intensity. Scenario simulations showed that salts in the base layer of pavements are depleted by 99% in the first 20 years, whereas the metals may not reach the groundwater in 20 years at any significant concentrations if the pavement is built on adsorbing soils

Available computer codes and data for radiation transport analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trubey, D.K.; Maskewitz, B.F.; Roussin, R.W.

1975-01-01

The Radiation Shielding Information Center (RSIC), sponsored and supported by the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) and the Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA), is a technical institute serving the radiation transport and shielding community. It acquires, selects, stores, retrieves, evaluates, analyzes, synthesizes, and disseminates information on shielding and ionizing radiation transport. The major activities include: (1) operating a computer-based information system and answering inquiries on radiation analysis, (2) collecting, checking out, packaging, and distributing large computer codes, and evaluated and processed data libraries. The data packages include multigroup coupled neutron-gamma-ray cross sections and kerma coefficients, other nuclear data, and radiation transport benchmark problem results

Chaotic-dynamical conceptual model to describe fluid flow and contaminant transport in a fractured vadose zone. 1998 annual progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doughty, C.; Dragila, M.I.; Faybishenko, B.; Podgorney, R.K.; Stoops, T.M.; Wheatcraft, S.W.; Wood, T.R.

1998-01-01

'DOE faces the remediation of numerous contaminated sites, such as those at Hanford, INEEL, LLNL, and LBNL, where organic and/or radioactive wastes were intentionally or accidentally released to the vadose zone from surface spills, underground tanks, cribs, shallow ponds, and deep wells. Migration of these contaminants through the vadose zone has lead to the contamination of or threatens to contaminate underlying groundwater. A key issue in choosing a corrective action plan to clean up contaminated sites is to determine the location, total mass, mobility and travel time to receptors for contaminants moving in the vadose zone. These problems are difficult to solve in a technically defensible and accurate manner because contaminants travel downward intermittently through narrow pathways driven by variations in environmental conditions. These preferential pathways can be difficult to find and predict. The primary objective of this project is to determine if and when dynamical chaos theory can be used to investigate infiltration of fluid and contaminant transport in heterogeneous soils and fractured rocks. The objective of this project is being achieved through the following Activities (1) Evaluation of chaotic behavior of flow in laboratory and field experiments using methods from non-linear dynamics; (2) Evaluation of the impact these dynamics may have on contaminant transport through heterogeneous fractured rocks and soils, and how it can be used to guide remediation efforts; (3) Development of a conceptual model and mathematical and numerical algorithms for flow and transport, which incorporate both: (a) the spatial variability of heterogeneous porous and fractured media, and (b) the description of the temporal dynamics of flow and transport, which may be chaotic; and (4) Development of appropriate experimental field and laboratory techniques needed to detect diagnostic parameters for chaotic behavior of flow. This approach is based on the assumption that spatial

Contaminant fate and transport in the Venice Lagoon: results from a multi-segment multimedia model.

Science.gov (United States)

Sommerfreund, J K; Gandhi, N; Diamond, M L; Mugnai, C; Frignani, M; Capodaglio, G; Gerino, M; Bellucci, L G; Giuliani, S

2010-03-01

Contaminant loadings to the Venice Lagoon peaked from 1950s-1980s and although they have since declined, contaminant concentrations remain elevated in sediment and seafood. In order to identify the relative importance of contaminant sources, inter-media exchange and removal pathways, a modified 10-segment fugacity/aquivalence-based model was developed for octachlorodibenzodioxin/furan (OCDD/F), PCB-180, Pb and Cu in the Venice Lagoon. Results showed that in-place pollution nearby the industrial area, current industrial discharges, and tributary loadings were the main sources of contaminants to the lagoon, with negligible contributions from the atmosphere. The fate of these contaminants was governed by sediment-water exchange with simultaneous advective transport by water circulation. Contaminants circulated amongst the northern and central basins with a small fraction reaching the far southern basin and the Chioggia inlet. As a consequence, we estimated limited contaminant transfer to the Adriatic Sea, trapping the majority of contaminants in the sediment in this "average" circulation scenario which does not account for periodic flooding events. (c) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Computer codes in particle transport physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pesic, M.

2004-01-01

Simulation of transport and interaction of various particles in complex media and wide energy range (from 1 MeV up to 1 TeV) is very complicated problem that requires valid model of a real process in nature and appropriate solving tool - computer code and data library. A brief overview of computer codes based on Monte Carlo techniques for simulation of transport and interaction of hadrons and ions in wide energy range in three dimensional (3D) geometry is shown. Firstly, a short attention is paid to underline the approach to the solution of the problem - process in nature - by selection of the appropriate 3D model and corresponding tools - computer codes and cross sections data libraries. Process of data collection and evaluation from experimental measurements and theoretical approach to establishing reliable libraries of evaluated cross sections data is Ion g, difficult and not straightforward activity. For this reason, world reference data centers and specialized ones are acknowledged, together with the currently available, state of art evaluated nuclear data libraries, as the ENDF/B-VI, JEF, JENDL, CENDL, BROND, etc. Codes for experimental and theoretical data evaluations (e.g., SAMMY and GNASH) together with the codes for data processing (e.g., NJOY, PREPRO and GRUCON) are briefly described. Examples of data evaluation and data processing to generate computer usable data libraries are shown. Among numerous and various computer codes developed in transport physics of particles, the most general ones are described only: MCNPX, FLUKA and SHIELD. A short overview of basic application of these codes, physical models implemented with their limitations, energy ranges of particles and types of interactions, is given. General information about the codes covers also programming language, operation system, calculation speed and the code availability. An example of increasing computation speed of running MCNPX code using a MPI cluster compared to the code sequential option

Importance of hydrological parameters in contaminant transport modeling in a terrestrial environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuduki, Katsunori; Matsunaga, Takeshi

2007-01-01

A grid type multi-layered distributed parameter model for calculating discharge in a watershed was described. Model verification with our field observation resulted in different sets of hydrological parameter values, all of which reproduced the observed discharge. The effect of those varied hydrological parameters on contaminant transport calculation was examined and discussed by simulation of event water transfer. (author)

Subsurface Flow and Contaminant Transport Documentation and User's Guide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aleman, S.E.

1999-07-28

This report documents a finite element code designed to model subsurface flow and contaminant transport, named FACT. FACT is a transient three-dimensional, finite element code designed to simulate isothermal groundwater flow, moisture movement, and solute transport in variably saturated and fully saturated subsurface porous media. The code is designed specifically to handle complex multi-layer and/or heterogeneous aquifer systems in an efficient manner and accommodates a wide range of boundary conditions. Additionally, 1-D and 2-D (in Cartesian coordinates) problems are handled in FACT by simply limiting the number of elements in a particular direction(s) to one. The governing equations in FACT are formulated only in Cartesian coordinates.

Real time simulation of the release and transport of radioactive contaminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popa, F.; Weber, M.

1991-01-01

Calculating the responses of the radiation monitoring system (RMS) remains one of the most difficult aspects of nuclear power plant simulation to bring into the post-TMI, first principles simulator era. This task requires the simulation of the transport of radioactive contaminants, the transport of the radiation itself, and the instrument channel including the detector. The complex physics and lack of knowledge of input parameters have made these models lag the general simulator trend away from logical/heuristic modeling of physical systems. This paper describes a series of advances to the modeling methodology to change this situation. The objective in the design of this real time simulation model was to always calculate qualitatively reasonable radiation detector readings

Final Project Report: Release of aged contaminants from weathered sediments: Effects of sorbate speciation on scaling of reactive transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jon Chorover, University of Arizona; Peggy O' €™Day, University of California, Merced; Karl Mueller, Penn State University; Wooyong Um, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Carl Steefel, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

2012-10-01

Hanford sediments impacted by hyperalkaline high level radioactive waste have undergone incongruent silicate mineral weathering concurrent with contaminant uptake. In this project, we studied the impact of background pore water (BPW) on strontium, cesium and iodine desorption and transport in Hanford sediments that were experimentally weathered by contact with simulated hyperalkaline tank waste leachate (STWL) solutions. Using those lab-weathered Hanford sediments (HS) and model precipitates formed during nucleation from homogeneous STWL solutions (HN), we (i) provided detailed characterization of reaction products over a matrix of field-relevant gradients in contaminant concentration, PCO2, and reaction time; (ii) improved molecular-scale understanding of how sorbate speciation controls contaminant desorption from weathered sediments upon removal of caustic sources; and (iii) developed a mechanistic, predictive model of meso- to field-scale contaminant reactive transport under these conditions.

Solving wood chip transport problems with computer simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Dennis P. Bradley; Sharon A. Winsauer

1976-01-01

Efficient chip transport operations are difficult to achieve due to frequent and often unpredictable changes in distance to market, chipping rate, time spent at the mill, and equipment costs. This paper describes a computer simulation model that allows a logger to design an efficient transport system in response to these changing factors.

Deterministic sensitivity analysis for the numerical simulation of contaminants transport; Analyse de sensibilite deterministe pour la simulation numerique du transfert de contaminants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marchand, E

2007-12-15

The questions of safety and uncertainty are central to feasibility studies for an underground nuclear waste storage site, in particular the evaluation of uncertainties about safety indicators which are due to uncertainties concerning properties of the subsoil or of the contaminants. The global approach through probabilistic Monte Carlo methods gives good results, but it requires a large number of simulations. The deterministic method investigated here is complementary. Based on the Singular Value Decomposition of the derivative of the model, it gives only local information, but it is much less demanding in computing time. The flow model follows Darcy's law and the transport of radionuclides around the storage site follows a linear convection-diffusion equation. Manual and automatic differentiation are compared for these models using direct and adjoint modes. A comparative study of both probabilistic and deterministic approaches for the sensitivity analysis of fluxes of contaminants through outlet channels with respect to variations of input parameters is carried out with realistic data provided by ANDRA. Generic tools for sensitivity analysis and code coupling are developed in the Caml language. The user of these generic platforms has only to provide the specific part of the application in any language of his choice. We also present a study about two-phase air/water partially saturated flows in hydrogeology concerning the limitations of the Richards approximation and of the global pressure formulation used in petroleum engineering. (author)

Integration of computational modeling with membrane transport studies reveals new insights into amino acid exchange transport mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Widdows, Kate L.; Panitchob, Nuttanont; Crocker, Ian P.; Please, Colin P.; Hanson, Mark A.; Sibley, Colin P.; Johnstone, Edward D.; Sengers, Bram G.; Lewis, Rohan M.; Glazier, Jocelyn D.

2015-01-01

Uptake of system L amino acid substrates into isolated placental plasma membrane vesicles in the absence of opposing side amino acid (zero-trans uptake) is incompatible with the concept of obligatory exchange, where influx of amino acid is coupled to efflux. We therefore hypothesized that system L amino acid exchange transporters are not fully obligatory and/or that amino acids are initially present inside the vesicles. To address this, we combined computational modeling with vesicle transport assays and transporter localization studies to investigate the mechanisms mediating [14C]l-serine (a system L substrate) transport into human placental microvillous plasma membrane (MVM) vesicles. The carrier model provided a quantitative framework to test the 2 hypotheses that l-serine transport occurs by either obligate exchange or nonobligate exchange coupled with facilitated transport (mixed transport model). The computational model could only account for experimental [14C]l-serine uptake data when the transporter was not exclusively in exchange mode, best described by the mixed transport model. MVM vesicle isolates contained endogenous amino acids allowing for potential contribution to zero-trans uptake. Both L-type amino acid transporter (LAT)1 and LAT2 subtypes of system L were distributed to MVM, with l-serine transport attributed to LAT2. These findings suggest that exchange transporters do not function exclusively as obligate exchangers.—Widdows, K. L., Panitchob, N., Crocker, I. P., Please, C. P., Hanson, M. A., Sibley, C. P., Johnstone, E. D., Sengers, B. G., Lewis, R. M., Glazier, J. D. Integration of computational modeling with membrane transport studies reveals new insights into amino acid exchange transport mechanisms. PMID:25761365

Long Length Contaminated Equipment Retrieval System Receiver Trailer and Transport Trailer Operations and Maintenance Manual

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DALE, R.N.

2000-05-01

A system to accommodate the removal of long-length contaminated equipment (LLCE) from Hanford underground radioactive waste storage tanks was designed, procured, and demonstrated, via a project activity during the 1990s. The system is the Long Length Contaminated Equipment Removal System (LLCERS). LLCERS will be maintained and operated by Tank Farms Engineering and Operations organizations and other varied projects having a need for the system. The responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the LLCERS Receiver Trailer (RT) and Transport Trailer (TT) resides with the RPP Characterization Project Operations organization. The purpose of this document is to provide vendor supplied operating and maintenance (O & M) information for the RT and TT in a readily retrievable form. This information is provided this way instead of in a vendor information (VI) file to maintain configuration control of the operations baseline as described in RPP-6085, ''Configuration Management Plan for Long Length Contaminated Equipment Receiver and Transport Trailers''. Additional Operations Baseline documents are identified in RPP-6085.

Approach to uncertainty assessment for fluid flow and contaminant transport modeling in heterogeneous groundwater systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, R.W.; Jacobson, E.A.; Conbere, W.

1985-06-01

There is a growing awareness of the need to quantify uncertainty in groundwater flow and transport model results. Regulatory organizations are beginning to request the statistical distributions of predicted contaminant arrival to the biosphere, so that realistic confidence intervals can be obtained for the modeling results. To meet these needs, methods are being developed to quantify uncertainty in the subsurface flow and transport analysis sequence. A method for evaluating this uncertainty, described in this paper, considers uncertainty in material properties and was applied to an example field problem. Our analysis begins by using field measurements of transmissivity and hydraulic head in a regional, parameter estimation method to obtain a calibrated fluid flow model and a covariance matrix of the parameter estimation errors. The calibrated model and the covariance matrix are next used in a conditional simulation mode to generate a large number of 'head realizations.' The specific pore water velocity distribution for each realization is calculated from the effective porosity, the aquifer parameter realization, and the associated head values. Each velocity distribution is used to obtain a transport solution for a contaminant originating from the same source for all realizations. The results are the statistical distributions for the outflow arrival times. The confidence intervals for contamination reaching the biosphere are obtained from the outflow statistical distributions. 20 refs., 12 figs

BETR global - A geographically-explicit global-scale multimedia contaminant fate model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacLeod, Matthew; Waldow, Harald von; Tay, Pascal; Armitage, James M.; Woehrnschimmel, Henry; Riley, William J.; McKone, Thomas E.; Hungerbuhler, Konrad

2011-01-01

We present two new software implementations of the BETR Global multimedia contaminant fate model. The model uses steady-state or non-steady-state mass-balance calculations to describe the fate and transport of persistent organic pollutants using a desktop computer. The global environment is described using a database of long-term average monthly conditions on a 15 o x 15 o grid. We demonstrate BETR Global by modeling the global sources, transport, and removal of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5). - Two new software implementations of the Berkeley-Trent Global Contaminant Fate Model are available. The new model software is illustrated using a case study of the global fate of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5).

Phase I Contaminant Transport Parameters for the Groundwater Flow and Contaminant Transport Model of Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine, Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada, Revision 0

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

John McCord

2007-01-01

This report documents transport data and data analyses for Yucca Flat/Climax Mine CAU 97. The purpose of the data compilation and related analyses is to provide the primary reference to support parameterization of the Yucca Flat/Climax Mine CAU transport model. Specific task objectives were as follows: (1) Identify and compile currently available transport parameter data and supporting information that may be relevant to the Yucca Flat/Climax Mine CAU. (2) Assess the level of quality of the data and associated documentation. (3) Analyze the data to derive expected values and estimates of the associated uncertainty and variability. The scope of this document includes the compilation and assessment of data and information relevant to transport parameters for the Yucca Flat/Climax Mine CAU subsurface within the context of unclassified source-term contamination. Data types of interest include mineralogy, aqueous chemistry, matrix and effective porosity, dispersivity, matrix diffusion, matrix and fracture sorption, and colloid-facilitated transport parameters

Phase I Contaminant Transport Parameters for the Groundwater Flow and Contaminant Transport Model of Corrective Action Unit 97: Yucca Flat/Climax Mine, Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada, Revision 0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

John McCord

2007-09-01

This report documents transport data and data analyses for Yucca Flat/Climax Mine CAU 97. The purpose of the data compilation and related analyses is to provide the primary reference to support parameterization of the Yucca Flat/Climax Mine CAU transport model. Specific task objectives were as follows: • Identify and compile currently available transport parameter data and supporting information that may be relevant to the Yucca Flat/Climax Mine CAU. • Assess the level of quality of the data and associated documentation. • Analyze the data to derive expected values and estimates of the associated uncertainty and variability. The scope of this document includes the compilation and assessment of data and information relevant to transport parameters for the Yucca Flat/Climax Mine CAU subsurface within the context of unclassified source-term contamination. Data types of interest include mineralogy, aqueous chemistry, matrix and effective porosity, dispersivity, matrix diffusion, matrix and fracture sorption, and colloid-facilitated transport parameters.

Transport and deposition of plutonium-contaminated sediments by fluvial processes, Los Alamos Canyon, New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graf, W.L.

1996-01-01

Between 1945 and 1952 the development of nuclear weapons at Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, resulted in the disposal of plutonium into the alluvium of nearby Acid and (to a lesser degree) DP Canyons. The purpose of this paper is to explore the connection between the disposal sites and the main river, a 20 km link formed by the fluvial system of Acid, Pueblo, DP, and Los Alamos Canyons. Empirical data from 15 yr of annual sediment sampling throughout the canyon system has produced 458 observations of plutonium concentration in fluvial sediments. These data show that, overall, mean plutonium concentrations in fluvial sediment decline from 10,000 fCi/g near the disposal area to 100 fCi/g at the confluence of the canyon system and the Rio Grande. Simulations using a computer model for water, sediment, and plutonium routing in the canyon system show that discharges as large as the 25 yr event would fail to develop enough transport capacity to completely remove the contaminated sediments from Pueblo Canyon. Lesser flows would move some materials to the Rio Grande by remobilization of stored sediments. The simulations also show that the deposits and their contaminants have a predictable geography because they occur where stream power is low, hydraulic resistance is high, and the geologic and/or geomorphic conditions provide enough space for storage. 38 refs., 13 figs., 1 tab

Techniques to better understand complex epikarst hydrogeology and contaminant transport in telogenetic karst settings

Science.gov (United States)

The movement of autogenic recharge through the shallow epikarstic zone in soil-mantled karst aquifers is important in understanding recharge areas and rates, groundwater storage, and contaminant transport processes. The groundwater flow in agricultural karst areas, such as Kentucky’s Pennyroyal Plat...

Application of SPARROW modeling to understanding contaminant fate and transport from uplands to streams

Science.gov (United States)

Ator, Scott; Garcia, Ana Maria.

2016-01-01

Understanding spatial variability in contaminant fate and transport is critical to efficient regional water-quality restoration. An approach to capitalize on previously calibrated spatially referenced regression (SPARROW) models to improve the understanding of contaminant fate and transport was developed and applied to the case of nitrogen in the 166,000 km2 Chesapeake Bay watershed. A continuous function of four hydrogeologic, soil, and other landscape properties significant (α = 0.10) to nitrogen transport from uplands to streams was evaluated and compared among each of the more than 80,000 individual catchments (mean area, 2.1 km2) in the watershed. Budgets (including inputs, losses or net change in storage in uplands and stream corridors, and delivery to tidal waters) were also estimated for nitrogen applied to these catchments from selected upland sources. Most (81%) of such inputs are removed, retained, or otherwise processed in uplands rather than transported to surface waters. Combining SPARROW results with previous budget estimates suggests 55% of this processing is attributable to denitrification, 23% to crop or timber harvest, and 6% to volatilization. Remaining upland inputs represent a net annual increase in landscape storage in soils or biomass exceeding 10 kg per hectare in some areas. Such insights are important for planning watershed restoration and for improving future watershed models.

Experience with contamination protection of spent fuel transport packages in Germany since 2000/2001

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krinninger, H.; Bach, R.; Seidel, J.; Jung, P.

2004-01-01

On April 30, 1998 just a few days before the PATRAM 1998 conference at Paris, the French Nuclear Installations Safety Directorate (DSIN now DGSNR) published a press release, that during the year before some 35% of the spent fuel transports to the reprocessing plant of COGEMA at La Hague have non-fixed surface contamination in excess of the regulatory standard. A few day in advance DSIN informed in French Ministries and the competent foreign authorities of the customer countries of COGEMA. The consequences of this publication were multi-fold and perceived by the public as an act negligence of the nuclear industry. Because of concerns about additional radiation exposure to the railway workers by the unions the French Railway company SNCF suspended all transports by May 6, 1998 until implementation of corrective measures. This decision of SNF interupted also the spent fuel transports from continental Europe to the reprocessing plant of BNFL at Sellafield all performed across France to the port of Dunkirk. Furthermore on May 25, 1998 the German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Nuclear Safety (BMU) imposed a transport ban for shipment of spent fuel from commercial power plants and for high active waste returned from La Hague to the Gorleben site. The conditions for resumption of these transports were outlined by NMU in a 10-point programme. In response to these publications on contamination findings competent German State and Federal Authorities commissioned investigations by independent experts dealing with the identification of the causes, the proposal of counter measures, the investigation of shortcomings in the transport system in general and recommendations for retification of it

Efficient Bayesian experimental design for contaminant source identification

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jiangjiang; Zeng, Lingzao; Chen, Cheng; Chen, Dingjiang; Wu, Laosheng

2015-01-01

In this study, an efficient full Bayesian approach is developed for the optimal sampling well location design and source parameters identification of groundwater contaminants. An information measure, i.e., the relative entropy, is employed to quantify the information gain from concentration measurements in identifying unknown parameters. In this approach, the sampling locations that give the maximum expected relative entropy are selected as the optimal design. After the sampling locations are determined, a Bayesian approach based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) is used to estimate unknown parameters. In both the design and estimation, the contaminant transport equation is required to be solved many times to evaluate the likelihood. To reduce the computational burden, an interpolation method based on the adaptive sparse grid is utilized to construct a surrogate for the contaminant transport equation. The approximated likelihood can be evaluated directly from the surrogate, which greatly accelerates the design and estimation process. The accuracy and efficiency of our approach are demonstrated through numerical case studies. It is shown that the methods can be used to assist in both single sampling location and monitoring network design for contaminant source identifications in groundwater.

Coliform contamination of a coastal embayment: Sources and transport pathways

Science.gov (United States)

Weiskel, P.K.; Howes, B.L.; Heufelder, G.R.

1996-01-01

Fecal bacterial contamination of nearshore waters has direct economic impacts to coastal communities through the loss of shellfisheries and restrictions of recreational uses. We conducted seasonal measurements of fecal coliform (FC) sources and transport pathways contributing to FC contamination of Buttermilk Bay, a shallow embayment adjacent to Buzzards Bay, MA. Typical of most coastal embayments, there were no direct sewage discharges (i.e., outfalls), and fecal bacteria from human, domestic animal, and wildlife pools entered open waters primarily through direct deposition or after transport through surface waters or groundwaters. Direct fecal coliform inputs to bay waters occurred primarily in winter (December-March) from waterfowl, ~33 x 1012 FC yr-1 or ~67% of the total annual loading. Effects of waterfowl inputs on bay FC densities were mitigated by their seasonality, wide distribution across the bay surface, and the apparent limited dispersal from fecal pellets. On-site disposal of sewage by septic systems was the single largest FC source in the watershed-embayment system, 460 x 1012 FC yr-1, but due to attenuation during subsurface transport only a minute fraction, rain events with discharge concentrated in nearshore zones, wet-weather flows were found to have a disproportionately high impact on nearshore FC levels. Elution of FC from shoreline deposits of decaying vegetation (wrack) comprised an additional coliform source. Both laboratory and field experiments suggest significant elution of bacteria from wrack, ~3 x 1012 FC yr-1 on a bay-wide basis (6% of annual input), primarily by periodic tidal flooding and possibly by major rain events. Release of coliforms during resuspension of subtidal sediments was estimated to be a minor source in this system (<1.5 x 1012 FC yr-1 or < 3% of annual input), primarily associated with large storm events in the fall and winter. Based upon the relative source strengths and the spatial and temporal patterns of FC input

A Review of Removable Surface Contamination on Radioactive Materials Transportation Containers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kennedy, Jr, W. E.; Watson, E. C.; Murphy, D. W.; Harrer, B. J.; Harty, R.; Aldrich, J. M.

1981-05-01

This report contains the results of a study sponsored by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of removable surface contamination on radioactive materials transportation containers. The purpose of the study is to provide information to the NRC during their review of existing regulations. Data was obtained from both industry and literature on three major topics: 1) radiation doses, 2) economic costs, and 3) contamination frequencies. Containers for four categories of radioactive materials are considered including radiopharmaceuticals, industrial sources, nuclear fuel cycle materials, and low-level radioactive waste. Assumptions made in this study use current information to obtain realistic yet conservative estimates of radiation dose and economic costs. Collective and individual radiation doses are presented for each container category on a per container basis. Total doses, to workers and the public, are also presented for spent fuel cask and low-level waste drum decontamination. Estimates of the additional economic costs incurred by lowering current limits by factors of 10 and 100 are presented. Current contamination levels for each category of container are estimated from the data collected. The information contained in this report is designed to be useful to the NRC in preparing their recommendations for new regulations.

Monitoring Potential Transport of Radioactive Contaminants in Shallow Ephemeral Channels: FY2017

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mizell, Steve A. [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States); Campbell, Scott A. [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States); McCurdy, Greg [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States); Miller, Julianne J. [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Las Vegas, NV (United States)

2018-04-01

The Desert Research Institute (DRI) is conducting a field assessment of the potential for contaminated soil to be transported from the Smoky Site Contamination Area (CA) as a result of storm runoff. This activity supports U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management Nevada Program (EM-NV) efforts to establish post-closure monitoring plans for the Smoky Site Soils Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 550. The work is intended to confirm the likely mechanism of transport and determine the meteorological conditions that might cause the movement of contaminated soils, as well as determine the particle size fraction that is most closely associated with transported radionuclide-contaminated soils. These data will facilitate the design of the appropriate post-closure monitoring program. In 2011, DRI installed a meteorological monitoring station on the west side of the Smoky Site CA and a hydrologic (runoff) monitoring station within the CA, near the east side. Air temperature, wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, precipitation, solar radiation, barometric pressure, soil temperature, and soil water content are collected at the meteorological station. The maximum, minimum, and average or total values (as appropriate) for each of these parameters are recorded for each 10-minute interval. The maximum, minimum, and average water depth in the flume installed at the hydrology station are also recorded for every 10-minute interval. This report presents data collected from these stations during fiscal year (FY) 2017. During the FY2017 reporting period, the warmest months were June, July, and August and the coldest were December and January. Solar radiation showed the same seasonal trend, although the months with the most solar radiation were May and June. Monthly mean wind speeds were highest in the spring (April and May). Winds were generally from the southwest during the summer and from the northwest throughout the remainder of the year. The monthly average

Safety analysis report for packaging onsite long-length contaminated equipment transport system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCormick, W.A.

1997-01-01

This safety analysis report for packaging describes the components of the long-length contaminated equipment (LLCE) transport system (TS) and provides the analyses, evaluations, and associated operational controls necessary for the safe use of the LLCE TS on the Hanford Site. The LLCE TS will provide a standardized, comprehensive approach for the disposal of approximately 98% of LLCE scheduled to be removed from the 200 Area waste tanks

Safety analysis report for packaging, onsite, long-length contaminated equipment transport system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCormick, W.A.

1997-05-09

This safety analysis report for packaging describes the components of the long-length contaminated equipment (LLCE) transport system (TS) and provides the analyses, evaluations, and associated operational controls necessary for the safe use of the LLCE TS on the Hanford Site. The LLCE TS will provide a standardized, comprehensive approach for the disposal of approximately 98% of LLCE scheduled to be removed from the 200 Area waste tanks.

Computational methods for two-phase flow and particle transport

CERN Document Server

Lee, Wen Ho

2013-01-01

This book describes mathematical formulations and computational methods for solving two-phase flow problems with a computer code that calculates thermal hydraulic problems related to light water and fast breeder reactors. The physical model also handles the particle and gas flow problems that arise from coal gasification and fluidized beds. The second part of this book deals with the computational methods for particle transport.

RADTRAN: a computer code to analyze transportation of radioactive material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, J.M.; Daniel, S.L.

1977-04-01

A computer code is presented which predicts the environmental impact of any specific scheme of radioactive material transportation. Results are presented in terms of annual latent cancer fatalities and annual early fatility probability resulting from exposure, during normal transportation or transport accidents. The code is developed in a generalized format to permit wide application including normal transportation analysis; consideration of alternatives; and detailed consideration of specific sectors of industry

Contaminant transport in the sub-surface soil of an uncontrolled landfill site in China: site investigation and two-dimensional numerical analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Haijian; Chen, Yunmin; Thomas, Hywel R; Sedighi, Majid; Masum, Shakil A; Ran, Qihua

2016-02-01

A field investigation of contaminant transport beneath and around an uncontrolled landfill site in Huainan in China is presented in this paper. The research aimed at studying the migration of some chemicals present in the landfill leachate into the surrounding clayey soils after 17 years of landfill operation. The concentrations of chloride and sodium ions in the pore water of soil samples collected at depths up to 15 m were obtained through an extensive site investigation. The contents of organic matter in the soil samples were also determined. A two-dimensional numerical study of the reactive transport of sodium and chloride ion in the soil strata beneath and outside the landfill is also presented. The numerical modelling approach adopted is based on finite element/finite difference techniques. The domain size of approximately 300 × 30 m has been analysed and major chemical transport parameters/mechanisms are established via a series of calibration exercises. Numerical simulations were then performed to predict the long-term behaviour of the landfill in relation to the chemicals studied. The lateral migration distance of the chloride ions was more than 40 m which indicates that the advection and mechanical dispersion are the dominant mechanism controlling the contaminant transport at this site. The results obtained from the analysis of chloride and sodium migration also indicated a non-uniform advective flow regime of ions with depth, which were localised in the first few metres of the soil beneath the disposal site. The results of long-term simulations of contaminant transport indicated that the concentrations of ions can be 10 to 30 times larger than that related to the allowable limit of concentration values. The results of this study may be of application and interest in the assessment of potential groundwater and soil contamination at this site with a late Pleistocene clayey soil. The obtained transport properties of the soils and the contaminant transport

Notification determining details of technical standards concerning transport of radioisotopes or goods contaminated by radioisotopes in works or enterprises

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

This rule is established under the provisions of the regulation for the execution of the law on the prevention of radiation injuries by radioisotopes. Terms are used in this rule for the same meanings as in the regulation. The limit of the concentration of radioisotopes in the goods contaminated by these isotopes which are not required to be sealed in containers defined by the Director General of the Science and Technology Agency is 1/10,000 of the value A 2 under the notification determining the details of technical standards concerning the transport of radioisotopes or the goods contaminated by radioisotopes outside works or enterprises. The application for the permission of transporting the goods which are highly difficult to be sealed in containers shall list names and addresses, the kinds, quantities, shapes and properties of the transported goods contaminated by radioisotopes, etc. The radiation dose rate of transported goods and vehicles under the regulation is 200 milli-rem an hour on the surfaces of these goods, vehicles and containers, and 10 milli-rem an hour at the distance of 1 meter from their surfaces. The permissible exposure dose of the persons engaging in transport is 1.5 rem a year. Dangerous goods, signs, and the application for the approval of special measures are specified, respectively. (Okada, K.)

Discriminative Random Field Models for Subsurface Contamination Uncertainty Quantification

Science.gov (United States)

Arshadi, M.; Abriola, L. M.; Miller, E. L.; De Paolis Kaluza, C.

2017-12-01

Application of flow and transport simulators for prediction of the release, entrapment, and persistence of dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) and associated contaminant plumes is a computationally intensive process that requires specification of a large number of material properties and hydrologic/chemical parameters. Given its computational burden, this direct simulation approach is particularly ill-suited for quantifying both the expected performance and uncertainty associated with candidate remediation strategies under real field conditions. Prediction uncertainties primarily arise from limited information about contaminant mass distributions, as well as the spatial distribution of subsurface hydrologic properties. Application of direct simulation to quantify uncertainty would, thus, typically require simulating multiphase flow and transport for a large number of permeability and release scenarios to collect statistics associated with remedial effectiveness, a computationally prohibitive process. The primary objective of this work is to develop and demonstrate a methodology that employs measured field data to produce equi-probable stochastic representations of a subsurface source zone that capture the spatial distribution and uncertainty associated with key features that control remediation performance (i.e., permeability and contamination mass). Here we employ probabilistic models known as discriminative random fields (DRFs) to synthesize stochastic realizations of initial mass distributions consistent with known, and typically limited, site characterization data. Using a limited number of full scale simulations as training data, a statistical model is developed for predicting the distribution of contaminant mass (e.g., DNAPL saturation and aqueous concentration) across a heterogeneous domain. Monte-Carlo sampling methods are then employed, in conjunction with the trained statistical model, to generate realizations conditioned on measured borehole data

Evaluating the hydraulic and transport properties of peat soil using pore network modeling and X-ray micro computed tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Gharedaghloo, Behrad; Price, Jonathan S.; Rezanezhad, Fereidoun; Quinton, William L.

2018-06-01

Micro-scale properties of peat pore space and their influence on hydraulic and transport properties of peat soils have been given little attention so far. Characterizing the variation of these properties in a peat profile can increase our knowledge on the processes controlling contaminant transport through peatlands. As opposed to the common macro-scale (or bulk) representation of groundwater flow and transport processes, a pore network model (PNM) simulates flow and transport processes within individual pores. Here, a pore network modeling code capable of simulating advective and diffusive transport processes through a 3D unstructured pore network was developed; its predictive performance was evaluated by comparing its results to empirical values and to the results of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. This is the first time that peat pore networks have been extracted from X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT) images of peat deposits and peat pore characteristics evaluated in a 3D approach. Water flow and solute transport were modeled in the unstructured pore networks mapped directly from μCT images. The modeling results were processed to determine the bulk properties of peat deposits. Results portray the commonly observed decrease in hydraulic conductivity with depth, which was attributed to the reduction of pore radius and increase in pore tortuosity. The increase in pore tortuosity with depth was associated with more decomposed peat soil and decreasing pore coordination number with depth, which extended the flow path of fluid particles. Results also revealed that hydraulic conductivity is isotropic locally, but becomes anisotropic after upscaling to core-scale; this suggests the anisotropy of peat hydraulic conductivity observed in core-scale and field-scale is due to the strong heterogeneity in the vertical dimension that is imposed by the layered structure of peat soils. Transport simulations revealed that for a given solute, the effective

TRANSPORT: a computer program for designing charged particle beam transport systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, K.L.; Rothacker, F.; Carey, D.C.; Iselin, C.

1977-05-01

TRANSPORT is a first- and second-order matrix multiplication computer program intended for the design of static-magnetic beam transport systems. It has been in existence in various evolutionary versions since 1963. The present version, described in the manual given, includes both first- and second-order fitting capabilities. TRANSPORT will step through the beam line, element by element, calculating the properties of the beam or other quantities, described below, where requested. Therefore one of the first elements is a specification of the phase space region occupied by the beam entering the system. Magnets and intervening spaces and other elements then follow in the sequence in which they occur in the beam line. Specifications of calculations to be done or of configurations other than normal are placed in the same sequence, at the point where their effect is to be made

Computer-based modelling and optimization in transportation

CERN Document Server

Rossi, Riccardo

2014-01-01

This volume brings together works resulting from research carried out by members of the EURO Working Group on Transportation (EWGT) and presented during meetings and workshops organized by the Group under the patronage of the Association of European Operational Research Societies in 2012 and 2013. The main targets of the EWGT include providing a forum to share research information and experience, encouraging joint research and the development of both theoretical methods and applications, and promoting cooperation among the many institutions and organizations which are leaders at national level in the field of transportation and logistics. The primary fields of interest concern operational research methods, mathematical models and computation algorithms, to solve and sustain solutions to problems mainly faced by public administrations, city authorities, public transport companies, service providers and logistic operators. Related areas of interest are: land use and transportation planning, traffic control and ...

Computational transport phenomena of fluid-particle systems

CERN Document Server

Arastoopour, Hamid; Abbasi, Emad

2017-01-01

This book concerns the most up-to-date advances in computational transport phenomena (CTP), an emerging tool for the design of gas-solid processes such as fluidized bed systems. The authors examine recent work in kinetic theory and CTP and illustrate gas-solid processes’ many applications in the energy, chemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries. They also discuss the kinetic theory approach in developing constitutive equations for gas-solid flow systems and how it has advanced over the last decade as well as the possibility of obtaining innovative designs for multiphase reactors, such as those needed to capture CO2 from flue gases. Suitable as a concise reference and a textbook supplement for graduate courses, Computational Transport Phenomena of Gas-Solid Systems is ideal for practitioners in industries involved with the design and operation of processes based on fluid/particle mixtures, such as the energy, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food processing. Explains how to couple the population balance e...

Method of processing dismantled products of radiation-contaminated equipments and transportation container therefor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komura, Shiro; Heki, Hideaki.

1991-01-01

In a method of decontaminating dismantled products of radiation-contaminated equipments removed at nuclear power facilities and classifying the dismantled products depending on their remaining radioactivity levels measured at a processing facility, the dismantled products are contained in a transportation container, to which decontamination liquids are injected and they are transferred to the processing facility. The decontaminated liquid wastes are drained from the transportation container, the dismantled products are washed while being contained in the transportation container as they are. Then, they are transferred to a step for measuring their remaining radioactivity level. This can shorten the time from the containment of the dismantled products to the transportation container to the completion of the decontamination, to improve the efficiency for the decontamination processing. Further, by separately containing the dismantled products on every kind of materials to respective containers, the processing time can be appropriately controlled respectively even if the dissolving efficiency to the decontamination liquids is different depending on the materials. (T.M.)

A combined PHREEQC-2/parallel fracture model for the simulation of laminar/non-laminar flow and contaminant transport with reactions

Science.gov (United States)

Masciopinto, Costantino; Volpe, Angela; Palmiotta, Domenico; Cherubini, Claudia

2010-09-01

A combination of a parallel fracture model with the PHREEQC-2 geochemical model was developed to simulate sequential flow and chemical transport with reactions in fractured media where both laminar and turbulent flows occur. The integration of non-laminar flow resistances in one model produced relevant effects on water flow velocities, thus improving model prediction capabilities on contaminant transport. The proposed conceptual model consists of 3D rock-blocks, separated by horizontal bedding plane fractures with variable apertures. Particle tracking solved the transport equations for conservative compounds and provided input for PHREEQC-2. For each cluster of contaminant pathways, PHREEQC-2 determined the concentration for mass-transfer, sorption/desorption, ion exchange, mineral dissolution/precipitation and biodegradation, under kinetically controlled reactive processes of equilibrated chemical species. Field tests have been performed for the code verification. As an example, the combined model has been applied to a contaminated fractured aquifer of southern Italy in order to simulate the phenol transport. The code correctly fitted the field available data and also predicted a possible rapid depletion of phenols as a result of an increased biodegradation rate induced by a simulated artificial injection of nitrates, upgradient to the sources.

Transport from diffuse sources of contamination and its application to a coupled unsaturated - saturated system

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ommen, van H.C.

1988-01-01

A simple theory to predict groundwater quality upon contamination from diffuse sources was developed. It appeared that an analogy exists between the predominant transport phenomena and the reaction of a reservoir, in which perfect mixing takes place. Such an analogy enables a simple

Computational methods of electron/photon transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mack, J.M.

1983-01-01

A review of computational methods simulating the non-plasma transport of electrons and their attendant cascades is presented. Remarks are mainly restricted to linearized formalisms at electron energies above 1 keV. The effectiveness of various metods is discussed including moments, point-kernel, invariant imbedding, discrete-ordinates, and Monte Carlo. Future research directions and the potential impact on various aspects of science and engineering are indicated

Computer program for calculating thermodynamic and transport properties of fluids

Science.gov (United States)

Hendricks, R. C.; Braon, A. K.; Peller, I. C.

1975-01-01

Computer code has been developed to provide thermodynamic and transport properties of liquid argon, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, fluorine, helium, methane, neon, nitrogen, oxygen, and parahydrogen. Equation of state and transport coefficients are updated and other fluids added as new material becomes available.

Long-term environmental and health implications of morphological change and sediment transport with respect to contaminants

Science.gov (United States)

Sneddon, Christopher; Copplestone, David; Tyler, Andrew; Hunter, Peter; Smith, Nick

2014-05-01

The EPSRC-funded Adaptation and Resilience of Coastal Energy Supply (ARCoES) project encompasses four research strands, involving 14 institutions and six PhD studentships. ARCoES aims to determine the threats posed to future energy generation and the distribution network by flooding and erosion, changing patterns of coastal sedimentation, water temperature and the distribution of plants and animals in the coastal zone. Whilst this research has direct benefits for the operation of coastal power stations, ARCoES aims to have a wider stakeholder engagement through assessing how the resilience of coastal communities may be altered by five hundred years of coastal evolution. Coastal evolution will have substantial implications for the energy sector of the North West of England as former waste storage sites are eroded and remobilised within the intertidal environment. The current intertidal environmental stores of radioactivity will also experience reworking as ocean chemistry changes and saltmarsh chronologies are reworked in response to rising sea levels. There is a duel requirement to understand mass sediment movement along the North West coast of England as understanding the sediment transport dynamics is key to modelling long term coastal change and understanding how the environmental store of radioactivity will be reworked. The University of Stirling is researching the long-term environmental and health implications of remobilisation and transport of contaminated sediments around the UK coastline. Using a synergy of hyperspectral and topographic information the mobilisation of sediment bound contaminants within the coastal environment will be investigated. Potential hazards posed by contaminants are determined by a set of environmental impact test criteria which evaluate the bio-accessibility and ionising dose of contaminants. These test criteria will be used to comment on the likely environmental impact of modelled sediment transport and anticipated changes in

Monte Carlo simulation of nonlinear reactive contaminant transport in unsaturated porous media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giacobbo, F.; Patelli, E.

2007-01-01

In the current proposed solutions of radioactive waste repositories, the protective function against the radionuclide water-driven transport back to the biosphere is to be provided by an integrated system of engineered and natural geologic barriers. The occurrence of several nonlinear interactions during the radionuclide migration process may render burdensome the classical analytical-numerical approaches. Moreover, the heterogeneity of the barriers' media forces approximations to the classical analytical-numerical models, thus reducing their fidelity to reality. In an attempt to overcome these difficulties, in the present paper we adopt a Monte Carlo simulation approach, previously developed on the basis of the Kolmogorov-Dmitriev theory of branching stochastic processes. The approach is here extended for describing transport through unsaturated porous media under transient flow conditions and in presence of nonlinear interchange phenomena between the liquid and solid phases. This generalization entails the determination of the functional dependence of the parameters of the proposed transport model from the water content and from the contaminant concentration, which change in space and time during the water infiltration process. The corresponding Monte Carlo simulation approach is verified with respect to a case of nonreactive transport under transient unsaturated flow and to a case of nonlinear reactive transport under stationary saturated flow. Numerical applications regarding linear and nonlinear reactive transport under transient unsaturated flow are reported

Transport of Aquatic Contaminant and Assessment of Radioecological Exposure with Spatial and Temporal Effects

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Ying

1995-01-01

A comprehensive study of the radioecological exposure assessment for a contaminated aquatic ecosystem has been performed in this dissertation. The primary objectives of this research were to advance the understanding of radiation exposure in nature and to increase current capabilities for estimating aquatic radiation exposure with the consideration of spatial and temporal effect in nature. This was accomplished through the development of a two-dimensional aquatic exposure assessment framework and by applying the framework to the contaminated Chernobyl cooling lake (pond). This framework integrated spatial and temporal heterogeneity effects of contaminant concentration, abundance and distribution of ecosystem populations, spatial- and temporal-dependent (or density-dependent) radionuclide ingestion, and alternative food web structures. The exposure model was built on the population level to allow for the integration of density dependent population regulation into the exposure assessment. Plankton population dynamics have been integrated into the hydrodynamic-transport model to determine plankton biomass density changes and distributions. The distribution of contaminant in water was also calculated using a hydrodynamic-transport model. The significance of adding spatial and temporal effects, spatial and temporal related ecological functions, and hydrodynamics in the exposure assessment was illustrated through a series of case studies. The results suggested that the spatial and temporal heterogeneity effects of radioactive environments were substantial. Among the ecological functions considered, the food web structure was the most important contributor to the variations of fish exposure. The results obtained using a multiple prey food web structure differed by a factor of 20 from the equilibrium concentration, and by a factor of 2.5 from the concentration obtained using a single-prey food web. Impacts of changes in abundance and distribution of biomass on contaminant

A reactive transport model for mercury fate in contaminated soil--sensitivity analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Leterme, Bertrand; Jacques, Diederik

2015-11-01

We present a sensitivity analysis of a reactive transport model of mercury (Hg) fate in contaminated soil systems. The one-dimensional model, presented in Leterme et al. (2014), couples water flow in variably saturated conditions with Hg physico-chemical reactions. The sensitivity of Hg leaching and volatilisation to parameter uncertainty is examined using the elementary effect method. A test case is built using a hypothetical 1-m depth sandy soil and a 50-year time series of daily precipitation and evapotranspiration. Hg anthropogenic contamination is simulated in the topsoil by separately considering three different sources: cinnabar, non-aqueous phase liquid and aqueous mercuric chloride. The model sensitivity to a set of 13 input parameters is assessed, using three different model outputs (volatilized Hg, leached Hg, Hg still present in the contaminated soil horizon). Results show that dissolved organic matter (DOM) concentration in soil solution and the binding constant to DOM thiol groups are critical parameters, as well as parameters related to Hg sorption to humic and fulvic acids in solid organic matter. Initial Hg concentration is also identified as a sensitive parameter. The sensitivity analysis also brings out non-monotonic model behaviour for certain parameters.

Characterization of Uranium Contamination, Transport, and Remediation at Rocky Flats - Across Remediation into Post-Closure

Science.gov (United States)

Janecky, D. R.; Boylan, J.; Murrell, M. T.

2009-12-01

The Rocky Flats Site is a former nuclear weapons production facility approximately 16 miles northwest of Denver, Colorado. Built in 1952 and operated by the Atomic Energy Commission and then Department of Energy, the Site was remediated and closed in 2005, and is currently undergoing long-term surveillance and monitoring by the DOE Office of Legacy Management. Areas of contamination resulted from roughly fifty years of operation. Of greatest interest, surface soils were contaminated with plutonium, americium, and uranium; groundwater was contaminated with chlorinated solvents, uranium, and nitrates; and surface waters, as recipients of runoff and shallow groundwater discharge, have been contaminated by transport from both regimes. A region of economic mineralization that has been referred to as the Colorado Mineral Belt is nearby, and the Schwartzwalder uranium mine is approximately five miles upgradient of the Site. Background uranium concentrations are therefore elevated in many areas. Weapons-related activities included work with enriched and depleted uranium, contributing anthropogenic content to the environment. Using high-resolution isotopic analyses, Site-related contamination can be distinguished from natural uranium in water samples. This has been instrumental in defining remedy components, and long-term monitoring and surveillance strategies. Rocky Flats hydrology interlinks surface waters and shallow groundwater (which is very limited in volume and vertical and horizontal extent). Surface water transport pathways include several streams, constructed ponds, and facility surfaces. Shallow groundwater has no demonstrated connection to deep aquifers, and includes natural preferential pathways resulting primarily from porosity in the Rocky Flats alluvium, weathered bedrock, and discontinuous sandstones. In addition, building footings, drains, trenches, and remedial systems provide pathways for transport at the site. Removal of impermeable surfaces (buildings

Effects of past copper contamination and soil structure on copper leaching from soil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paradelo, M; Møldrup, Per; Arthur, Emmanuel

2013-01-01

Copper contamination affects biological, chemical, and physical soil properties and associated ecological functions. Changes in soil pore organization as a result of Cu contamination can dramatically affect flow and contaminant transport in polluted soils. This study assessed the influence of soil...... structure on the movement of water and Cu in a long-term polluted soil. Undisturbed soil cores collected along a Cu gradient (from about 20 to about 3800 mg Cu kg−1 soil) were scanned using X-ray computed tomography (CT). Leaching experiments were performed to analyze tracer transport, colloid leaching......, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and Cu losses. The 5% arrival time (t0.05) and apparent dispersivity (λapp) for tracer breakthrough were calculated by fitting the experimental data to a nonparametric, double-lognormal probability density function. Soil bulk density, which did not follow the Cu gradient...

Understanding transport pathways in a river system - Monitoring sediments contaminated by an incident

Science.gov (United States)

Dietrich, S.; Kleisinger, C.; Hillebrand, G.; Claus, E.; Schwartz, R.; Carls, I.; Winterscheid, A.; Schubert, B.

2016-12-01

Experiments to trace transport of sediments and suspended particulate matter on a river scale are an expensive and difficult venture, since it causes a lot of official requirements. In spring 2015, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were released during restoration works at a bridge in the upper part of the Elbe River, near the Czech-German border. In this study, the particle-bound PCB-transport is applied as a tracer for monitoring transport pathways of suspended solids (SS) along a whole river stretch over 700 km length. The incident was monitored by concentration measurements of seven indicator PCB congeners along the inland part of the Elbe River as well as in the Elbe estuary. Data from 15 monitoring stations (settling tanks) as well as from two longitudinal campaigns (grab samples) along the river in July and August 2015 are considered. The total PCB load is calculated for all stations on the basis of monthly contaminant concentrations and daily suspended sediment concentrations. Monte-Carlo simulations assess the uncertainties of the calculated load. 1D water levels and GIS analysis were used to locate temporal storage areas for the SS. It is shown that the ratio of high versus low chlorinated PCB congeners is a suitable tracer to distinguish the PCB load of the incident from the long-term background signal. Furthermore, the reduction of total PCB load within the upper Elbe indicates that roughly 24% of the SS were transported with the water by wash load. Approximately 600 km downstream of the incident site, the PCB-marked wash load was first identified in July 2015. PCB load transported intermittently in suspension was detected roughly 400 km downstream of the incident site by August 2015. In the Elbe Estuary, PCB-marked SS were only found upstream of the steep slope of water depth (approx. 4 to 15 m) within Hamburg harbor that acts as a major sediment sink. Here, SS from the inland Elbe are mixed with lowly contaminated marine material, which may mask the

Ammonia gas transport and reactions in unsaturated sediments: Implications for use as an amendment to immobilize inorganic contaminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhong, L.; Szecsody, J.E.; Truex, M.J.; Williams, M.D.; Liu, Y.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Ammonia transport can be predicted from gas movement and equilibrium partitioning. • Ammonia diffusion rate in unsaturated sediment is a function of water contents. • High pH induced by ammonia causes mineral dissolution and sequential precipitation. • Ammonia treatment effectively immobilized uranium from contaminated sediments. - Abstract: Use of gas-phase amendments for in situ remediation of inorganic contaminants in unsaturated sediments of the vadose zone may be advantageous, but there has been limited development and testing of gas remediation technologies. Treatment with ammonia gas has a potential for use in treating inorganic contaminants (such as uranium) because it induces a high pore-water pH, causing mineral dissolution and subsequent formation of stable precipitates that decrease the mobility of some contaminants. For field application of this treatment, further knowledge of ammonia transport in porous media and the geochemical reactions induced by ammonia treatment is needed. Laboratory studies were conducted to support calculations needed for field treatment design, to quantify advective and diffusive ammonia transport in unsaturated sediments, to evaluate inter-phase (gas/sediment/pore water) reactions, and to study reaction-induced pore-water chemistry changes as a function of ammonia delivery conditions, such as flow rate, gas concentration, and water content. Uranium-contaminated sediment was treated with ammonia gas to demonstrate U immobilization. Ammonia gas quickly partitions into sediment pore water and increases the pH up to 13.2. Injected ammonia gas advection front movement can be reasonably predicted by gas flow rate and equilibrium partitioning. The ammonia gas diffusion rate is a function of the water content in the sediment. Sodium, aluminum, and silica pore-water concentrations increase upon exposure to ammonia and then decline as aluminosilicates precipitate when the pH declines due to buffering. Up to 85% of

COMPUTATIONAL EFFICIENCY OF A MODIFIED SCATTERING KERNEL FOR FULL-COUPLED PHOTON-ELECTRON TRANSPORT PARALLEL COMPUTING WITH UNSTRUCTURED TETRAHEDRAL MESHES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JONG WOON KIM

2014-04-01

In this paper, we introduce a modified scattering kernel approach to avoid the unnecessarily repeated calculations involved with the scattering source calculation, and used it with parallel computing to effectively reduce the computation time. Its computational efficiency was tested for three-dimensional full-coupled photon-electron transport problems using our computer program which solves the multi-group discrete ordinates transport equation by using the discontinuous finite element method with unstructured tetrahedral meshes for complicated geometrical problems. The numerical tests show that we can improve speed up to 17∼42 times for the elapsed time per iteration using the modified scattering kernel, not only in the single CPU calculation but also in the parallel computing with several CPUs.

BETR Global - A geographically explicit global-scale multimedia contaminant fate model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Macleod, M.; Waldow, H. von; Tay, P.; Armitage, J. M.; Wohrnschimmel, H.; Riley, W.; McKone, T. E.; Hungerbuhler, K.

2011-04-01

We present two new software implementations of the BETR Global multimedia contaminant fate model. The model uses steady-state or non-steady-state mass-balance calculations to describe the fate and transport of persistent organic pollutants using a desktop computer. The global environment is described using a database of long-term average monthly conditions on a 15{sup o} x 15{sup o} grid. We demonstrate BETR Global by modeling the global sources, transport, and removal of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5).

The Effects of Subsurface Bioremediation on Soil Structure, Colloid Formation, and Contaminant Transport

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Y.; Liang, X.; Zhuang, J.; Radosevich, M.

2016-12-01

Anaerobic bioremediation is widely applied to create anaerobic subsurface conditions designed to stimulate microorganisms that degrade organic contaminants and immobilize toxic metals in situ. Anaerobic conditions that accompany such techniques also promotes microbially mediated Fe(III)-oxide mineral reduction. The reduction of Fe(III) could potentially cause soil structure breakdown, formation of clay colloids, and alternation of soil surface chemical properties. These processes could then affect bioremediation and the migration of contaminants. Column experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of anaerobic bioreduction on soil structure, hydraulic properties, colloid formation, and transport of three tracers (bromide, DFBA, and silica shelled silver nanoparticles). Columns packed with inoculated water stable soil aggregates were placed in anaerobic glovebox, and artificial groundwater media was pumped into the columns to simulate anaerobic bioreduction process for four weeks. Decent amount of soluble Fe(II) accompanied by colloids were detected in the effluent from bioreduction columns a week after initiation of bioreduction treatment, which demonstrated bioreduction of Fe(III) and formation of colloids. Transport experiments were performed in the columns before and after bioreduction process to assess the changes of hydraulic and surface chemical properties through bioreduction treatment. Earlier breakthrough of bromide and DFBA after treatment indicated alterations in flow paths (formation of preferential flow paths). Less dispersion of bromide and DFBA, and less tailing of DFBA after treatment implied breakdown of soil aggregates. Dramatically enhanced transport and early breakthrough of silica shelled silver nanoparticles after treatment supported the above conclusion of alterations in flow paths, and indicated changes of soil surface chemical properties.

Space Transportation and the Computer Industry: Learning from the Past

Science.gov (United States)

Merriam, M. L.; Rasky, D.

2002-01-01

Since the space shuttle began flying in 1981, NASA has made a number of attempts to advance the state of the art in space transportation. In spite of billions of dollars invested, and several concerted attempts, no replacement for the shuttle is expected before 2010. Furthermore, the cost of access to space has dropped very slowly over the last two decades. On the other hand, the same two decades have seen dramatic progress in the computer industry. Computational speeds have increased by about a factor of 1000 and available memory, disk space, and network bandwidth has seen similar increases. At the same time, the cost of computing has dropped by about a factor of 10000. Is the space transportation problem simply harder? Or is there something to be learned from the computer industry? In looking for the answers, this paper reviews the early history of NASA's experience with supercomputers and NASA's visionary course change in supercomputer procurement strategy.

Assessment of Contaminated Brine Fate and Transport in MB139 at WIPP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuhlman, Kristopher L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Applied Systems Analysis and Research Dept.; Malama, Bwalya [Sandia National Lab., Carlsbad, NM (United States). Performance Assessment Dept.

2014-07-01

Following the radionuclide release event of February 14, 2014 at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), actinide contamination has been found on the walls and floor in Panel 7 as a result of a release in Room 7 of Panel 7. It has been proposed to decontaminate Panel 7 at the WIPP by washing contaminated surfaces in the underground with fresh water. A cost-effective cleanup of this contamination would allow for a timely return to waste disposal operations at WIPP. It is expected that the fresh water used to decontaminate Panel 7 will flow as contaminated brine down into the porosity of the materials under the floor – the run-of-mine (ROM) salt above Marker Bed 139 (MB139) and MB139 itself – where its fate will be controlled by the hydraulic and transport properties of MB139. Due to the structural dip of MB139, it is unlikely that this brine would migrate northward towards the Waste-Handling Shaft sump. A few strategically placed shallow small-diameter observation boreholes straddling MB139 would allow for monitoring the flow and fate of this brine after decontamination. Additionally, given that flow through the compacted ROM salt floor and in MB139 would occur under unsaturated (or two-phase) conditions, there is a need to measure the unsaturated flow properties of crushed WIPP salt and salt from the disturbed rock zone (DRZ).

Understanding Contaminant Transport Pathways at Rocky Flats - A Basis for the Remediation Strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paton, Ian

2008-01-01

The Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS) is a Department of Energy facility located approximately 16 miles northwest of Denver, Colorado. Processing and fabrication of nuclear weapons components occurred at Rocky Flats from 1952 through 1989. Operations at the Site included the use of several radionuclides, including plutonium-239/240 (Pu), americium-241 (Am), and various uranium (U) isotopes, as well as several types of chlorinated solvents. The historic operations resulted in legacy contamination, including contaminated facilities, process waste lines, buried wastes and surface soil contamination. Decontamination and removal of buildings at the site was completed in late 2005, culminating more than ten years of active environmental remediation work. The Corrective Action Decision/Record of Decision was subsequently approved in 2006, signifying regulatory approval and closure of the site. The use of RFETS as a National Wildlife Refuge is scheduled to be in full operation by 2012. To develop a plan for remediating different types of radionuclide contaminants present in the RFETS environment required understanding the different environmental transport pathways for the various actinides. Developing this understanding was the primary objective of the Actinide Migration Evaluation (AME) project. Findings from the AME studies were used in the development of RFETS remediation strategies. The AME project focused on issues of actinide behavior and mobility in surface water, groundwater, air, soil and biota at RFETS. For the purposes of the AME studies, actinide elements addressed included Pu, Am, and U. The AME program, funded by DOE, brought together personnel with a broad range of relevant expertise in technical investigations. The AME advisory panel identified research investigations and approaches that could be used to solve issues related to actinide migration at the Site. An initial step of the AME was to develop a conceptual model to provide a

Computer-Supported Modelling of Multi modal Transportation Networks Rationalization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ratko Zelenika

2007-09-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with issues of shaping and functioning ofcomputer programs in the modelling and solving of multimoda Itransportation network problems. A methodology of an integrateduse of a programming language for mathematical modellingis defined, as well as spreadsheets for the solving of complexmultimodal transportation network problems. The papercontains a comparison of the partial and integral methods ofsolving multimodal transportation networks. The basic hypothesisset forth in this paper is that the integral method results inbetter multimodal transportation network rationalization effects,whereas a multimodal transportation network modelbased on the integral method, once built, can be used as the basisfor all kinds of transportation problems within multimodaltransport. As opposed to linear transport problems, multimodaltransport network can assume very complex shapes. This papercontains a comparison of the partial and integral approach totransp01tation network solving. In the partial approach, astraightforward model of a transp01tation network, which canbe solved through the use of the Solver computer tool within theExcel spreadsheet inteiface, is quite sufficient. In the solving ofa multimodal transportation problem through the integralmethod, it is necessmy to apply sophisticated mathematicalmodelling programming languages which supp01t the use ofcomplex matrix functions and the processing of a vast amountof variables and limitations. The LINGO programming languageis more abstract than the Excel spreadsheet, and it requiresa certain programming knowledge. The definition andpresentation of a problem logic within Excel, in a manner whichis acceptable to computer software, is an ideal basis for modellingin the LINGO programming language, as well as a fasterand more effective implementation of the mathematical model.This paper provides proof for the fact that it is more rational tosolve the problem of multimodal transportation networks by

A 3D FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF INCOMPRESSIBLE FLUID FLOW AND CONTAMINANT TRANSPORT THROUGH A POROUS LANDFILL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ADEGUN, I. K.

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The paper investigated the flow of incompressible fluid and contaminant transport through a Porous Landfill using a numerical technique. A threedimensional finite element analysis technique was adopted for the solution. The problem was based on the Darcy’s Law and the Advection-Dispersion equation. The solutions of the Darcy’s and Advection-Dispersion equations were generated using Finite Element Analysis Software known as COMSOL Multiphysics. This simulation tool tracked the contaminant transport in the Landfill for 360 days at 10 days interval. It first modeled steady-state fluid flow by employing the Darcy’s Law Application Mode and then followed up with a transient solute-transport simulation by employing the Solute-Transport Application Mode from the Earth Science Module of COMSOL. The solution results obtained from this model were found to be in close agreement with reallife data obtained at the 130- million ton Bukit Tagar Mega Sanitary Landfill site, Selangor near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This showed that the model can effectively predict the trends in the distributions of pollutants from a Municipal Solid Waste Landfill into nearby land and water sources. The model is thus applicable to the issues of environmental protection and safety of groundwater.

Estimation of transport parameters of phenolic compounds and inorganic contaminants through composite landfill liners using one-dimensional mass transport model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varank, Gamze; Demir, Ahmet; Yetilmezsoy, Kaan; Bilgili, M. Sinan; Top, Selin; Sekman, Elif

2011-01-01

Highlights: → We conduct 1D advection-dispersion modeling to estimate transport parameters. → We examine fourteen phenolic compounds and three inorganic contaminants. → 2-MP, 2,4-DCP, 2,6-DCP, 2,4,5-TCP, 2,3,4,6-TeCP have the highest coefficients. → Dispersion coefficients of Cu are determined to be higher than Zn and Fe. → Transport of phenolics can be prevented by zeolite and bentonite in landfill liners. - Abstract: One-dimensional (1D) advection-dispersion transport modeling was conducted as a conceptual approach for the estimation of the transport parameters of fourteen different phenolic compounds (phenol, 2-CP, 2-MP, 3-MP, 4-MP, 2-NP, 4-NP, 2,4-DNP, 2,4-DCP, 2,6-DCP, 2,4,5-TCP, 2,4,6-TCP, 2,3,4,6-TeCP, PCP) and three different inorganic contaminants (Cu, Zn, Fe) migrating downward through the several liner systems. Four identical pilot-scale landfill reactors (0.25 m 3 ) with different composite liners (R1: 0.10 + 0.10 m of compacted clay liner (CCL), L e = 0.20 m, k e = 1 x 10 -8 m/s, R2: 0.002-m-thick damaged high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane overlying 0.10 + 0.10 m of CCL, L e = 0.20 m, k e = 1 x 10 -8 m/s, R3: 0.002-m-thick damaged HDPE geomembrane overlying a 0.02-m-thick bentonite layer encapsulated between 0.10 + 0.10 m CCL, L e = 0.22 m, k e = 1 x 10 -8 m/s, R4: 0.002-m-thick damaged HDPE geomembrane overlying a 0.02-m-thick zeolite layer encapsulated between 0.10 + 0.10 m CCL, L e = 0.22 m, k e = 4.24 x 10 -7 m/s) were simultaneously run for a period of about 540 days to investigate the nature of diffusive and advective transport of the selected organic and inorganic contaminants. The results of 1D transport model showed that the highest molecular diffusion coefficients, ranging from 4.77 x 10 -10 to 10.67 x 10 -10 m 2 /s, were estimated for phenol (R4), 2-MP (R1), 2,4-DNP (R2), 2,4-DCP (R1), 2,6-DCP (R2), 2,4,5-TCP (R2) and 2,3,4,6-TeCP (R1). For all reactors, dispersion coefficients of Cu, ranging from 3.47 x 10 -6 m 2 /s to 5

A computer code package for electron transport Monte Carlo simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popescu, Lucretiu M.

1999-01-01

A computer code package was developed for solving various electron transport problems by Monte Carlo simulation. It is based on condensed history Monte Carlo algorithm. In order to get reliable results over wide ranges of electron energies and target atomic numbers, specific techniques of electron transport were implemented such as: Moliere multiscatter angular distributions, Blunck-Leisegang multiscatter energy distribution, sampling of electron-electron and Bremsstrahlung individual interactions. Path-length and lateral displacement corrections algorithms and the module for computing collision, radiative and total restricted stopping powers and ranges of electrons are also included. Comparisons of simulation results with experimental measurements are finally presented. (author)

The shielding properties of the newly developed container for transport of samples contaminated with CBRN substances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fisera, O.; Kares, J.

2014-01-01

A container for transport of environmental samples to the analytical laboratory is being developed as part of the development of system for collection and transport of samples contaminated with chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear (CBRN) substances after CBRN incidents. The proposed system corresponds with current requirements of NATO publication AEP-66. The proposed container will meet the requirements of mechanical stability and tightness for the packaging of the chemical, biological and radioactive substances. Verification of shielding properties and satisfaction of requirements of radiation protection during transport of potentially relatively high active samples was the aim of this part of research. The results, together with a wall thickness of the inner steel container, the inner lining and the outer transport package, give excellent assumption that the radiation protection requirements for the proposed container and transport package will be satisfied. (authors)

Biogeochemical Attributes That Affect the Fate and Transport of Military Relevant Contaminants Under Freeze-thaw Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

LeMonte, J.; Price, C. L.; Seiter, J.; Crocker, F. H.; Douglas, T.; Chappell, M. A.

2017-12-01

The roles and missions that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) undertakes in the Arctic are being reshaped by significant changes in the operational environment as a result of rising global temperatures and increased development of the vast training ranges available in Alaska. The Arctic is warming faster than any other region on Earth resulting in changing seasonality and precipitation patterns that, in turn, are leading to alterations in above ground vegetation, permafrost stability and summer sea ice extent. Collectively, these poorly defined ecosystem changes play critical roles in affecting the transport and eventual fate of persistent military relevant contaminants through unique Arctic and Subarctic terrestrial environments. As a result, management of military contaminants in a changing Arctic represents a unique and potentially significant liability to the Army and the DoD. The United States footprint in the Arctic region falls within the state of Alaska and U.S. Army Alaska manages 10% of all active Army training lands worldwide, which cover nearly 2,500 square miles in total land area. Primary recalcitrant contaminants of concern at active training ranges and at legacy sites include energetics (i.e. RDX and 2,4-dinitrotoluene) and heavy metals (i.e. antimony and lead). Through a series of field sampling and laboratory experiments, the objectives of this work are to: 1) quantify soil biogeochemical attributes that effect the physical fate and transport of military relevant contaminants in Arctic and subarctic soils under freeze-thaw conditions with a focus on near surface processes, and 2) quantify microbial diversity in Arctic and subarctic soils and the environmental constraints on community activity while exploring the effects of amendments on community function as they relate to contaminant transformation.

Source water assessment and nonpoint sources of acutely toxic contaminants: A review of research related to survival and transport of Cryptosporidium parvum

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Mark J.; Montemagno, Carlo D.; Jenkins, Michael B.

1998-12-01

Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (PL-930123) in 1996 required that public water supply managers identify potential sources of contamination within contributing areas. Nonpoint sources of acutely toxic microbial contaminants, such as Cryptosporidium parvum, challenge current approaches to source identification and management as a first step toward developing management plans for public water supply protection. Little may be known about survival and transport in the field environment, prescribed practices may not be designed to manage such substances, and infective stages may be present in vast numbers and may resist water treatment and disinfection processes. This review summarizes research related to survival and transport of C. parvum oocysts, as an example of an acutely toxic contaminant with nonpoint sources in animal agriculture. It discusses ∥1) significance of infected domesticated animals as potential sources of C. parvum, (2) laboratory and field studies of survival and transport, and (3) approaches to source control in the context of public health protection.

A novel modeling tool with multi-stressor functionality for organic contaminant transport and fate in the Baltic Sea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Undeman, E., E-mail: emma.undeman@itm.su.se [Baltic Nest Institute, Baltic Sea Centre, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm (Sweden); Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University, 11418 Stockholm (Sweden); Gustafsson, E., E-mail: erik.gustafsson@su.se [Baltic Nest Institute, Baltic Sea Centre, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm (Sweden); Gustafsson, B.G., E-mail: bo.gustafsson@su.se [Baltic Nest Institute, Baltic Sea Centre, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm (Sweden)

2014-11-01

The coupled physical–biogeochemical model BALTSEM, previously used to assess nutrient/carbon cycles and eutrophication in the Baltic Sea, has been expanded to include algorithms for calculations of organic contaminant environmental transport and fate. This novel model version (BALTSEM-POP) is evaluated for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in Baltic Sea surface water and sediment. Modeled dissolved concentrations are usually within a factor of 2–4 of observed concentrations, however with larger deviations for furans. Calculated concentrations in particulate organic matter are less accurate (within factors of 1–700), likely due to errors in estimated pelagic biomass, particulate matter–water partitioning, and large natural variability in field data. Concentrations in sediments are usually predicted within a factor of 6. The good performance of the model illustrates its usefulness for exploration of contaminant fate in response to variations in nutrient input and climatic conditions in the Baltic Sea marine environment. - Highlights: • A new model for organic chemical transport and fate in the Baltic Sea is presented. • Physical and biogeochemical processes are linked to organic contaminant transport. • The model is evaluated for PCBs, HCB and PCDD/Fs. • The model can predict dissolved concentrations within a factor of ca 2–4. • Predictions for concentrations in particulate matter and sediment are less accurate.

Characterization of calculation of in-situ retardation factors of contaminant transport using naturally-radionuclides and rock/water interaction occurring U-Series disequilibria timescales. 1997 annual progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldstein, S.; Ku, T.L.; Luo, S.; Murrel, M.; Roback, R.

1997-01-01

'The research is directed toward a quantitative assessment of contaminant transport rates in fracture-rock systems using uranium-series radionuclides. Naturally occurring uranium-and thorium-series radioactive disequilibria will provide information on the rates of adsorption-desorption and transport of radioactive contaminants as well as on fluid transport and rock dissolution in a natural setting. This study will also provide an improved characterization of preferential flow and contaminant transport at the Idaho Environmental and Engineering Lab. (INEEL) site. To a lesser extent, the study will include rocks in the unsaturated zone. The authors will produce a realistic model of radionuclide migration under unsaturated and saturated field conditions at the INEEL site, taking into account the retardation processes involved in the rock/water interaction. The major tasks are to (1) determine the natural distribution of U, Th, Pa and Ra isotopes in rock minerals. sorbed phases on the rocks, and in fluids from both saturated and unsaturated zones at the site, and (2) study rock/water interaction processes using U/Th series disequilibrium and a statistical analysis-based model for the Geologic heterogeneity plays an important role in transporting contaminants in fractured rocks. Preferential flow paths in the fractured rocks act as a major pathway for transport of radioactive contaminants in groundwaters. The weathering/dissolution of rock by groundwater also influences contaminant mobility. Thus, it is important to understand the hydrogeologic features of the site and their impact on the migration of radioactive contaminants. In this regard, quantification of the rock weathering/dissolution rate and fluid residence time from the observed decay-series disequilibria will be valuable. By mapping the spatial distribution of the residence time of groundwater in fractured rocks, the subsurface preferential flow paths (with high rock permeability and short fluid residence

Modeling contaminant plumes in fractured limestone aquifers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mosthaf, Klaus; Brauns, Bentje; Fjordbøge, Annika Sidelmann

Determining the fate and transport of contaminant plumes from contaminated sites in limestone aquifers is important because they are a major drinking water resource. This is challenging because they are often heavily fractured and contain chert layers and nodules, resulting in a complex transport...... model. The paper concludes with recommendations on how to identify and employ suitable models to advance the conceptual understanding and as decision support tools for risk assessment and the planning of remedial actions....... behavior. Improved conceptual models are needed for this type of site. Here conceptual models are developed by combining numerical models with field data. Several types of fracture flow and transport models are available for the modeling of contaminant transport in fractured media. These include...... the established approaches of the equivalent porous medium, discrete fracture and dual continuum models. However, these modeling concepts are not well tested for contaminant plume migration in limestone geologies. Our goal was to develop and evaluate approaches for modeling the transport of dissolved contaminant...

Grand challenge problems in environmental modeling and remediation: Groundwater contaminant transport. Final project report 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-04-01

The over-reaching goal of the Groundwater Grand Challenge component of the Partnership in Computational Science (PICS) was to develop and establish the massively parallel approach for the description of groundwater flow and transport and to address the problem of uncertainties in the data and its interpretation. This necessitated the development of innovative algorithms and the implementation of massively parallel computational tools to provide a suite of simulators for groundwater flow and transport in heterogeneous media. This report summarizes the activities and deliverables of the Groundwater Grand Challenge project funded through the High Performance Computing grand challenge program of the Department of Energy from 1995 through 1997

The transport of contaminants during storms in the White Oak Creek and Melton Branch Watersheds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solomon, D.K.; Marsh, J.D.; Wickliff, D.S.; Larsen, I.L.; Clapp, R.B.

1989-03-01

This report documents are transport of contaminants from SWSA 5 along two principle pathways: the saturated groundwater system and the intermittently saturated stormflow system. The results of a baseflow sampling effort and a dye tracer study, indicated that much of the transport through the saturated groundwater system occurs along discrete geologic features. These features appear to be related to the contact between the Maryville and Nolichucky members of the Conasauga shale. Three discrete sources of tritium to Melton Branch Stream (MBS) were identified and traced to SWSA 5 by measuring soil moisture and evapotranspiration along transects between MBS and SWSA 5

Contaminant transport modeling studies of Russian sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsang, Chin-Fu

1993-01-01

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL) established mechanisms that promoted cooperation between U.S. and Russian scientists in scientific research as well as environmental technology transfer. Using Russian experience and U.S technology, LBL developed approaches for field investigations, site evaluation, waste disposal, and remediation at Russian contaminated sites. LBL assessed a comprehensive database as well as an actual, large-scale contaminated site to evaluate existing knowledge of and test mathematical models used for the assessment of U.S. contaminated sites

Mathematical simulation of sediment and radionuclide transport in estuaries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onishi, Y.; Trent, D.S.

1982-11-01

The finite element model LFESCOT (Flow, Energy, Salinity, Sediment and Contaminant Transport Model) was synthesized under this study to simulate radionuclide transport in estuaries to obtain accurate radionuclide distributions which are affected by these factors: time variance, three-dimensional flow, temperature, salinity, and sediments. Because sediment transport and radionuclide adsorption/desorption depend strongly on sizes or types of sediments, FLESCOT simulates sediment and a sediment-sorbed radionuclide for the total of three sediment-size fractions (or sediment types) of both cohesive and noncohesive sediments. It also calculates changes of estuarine bed conditions, including bed elevation changes due to sediment erosion/deposition, and three-dimensional distributions of three bed sediment sizes and sediment-sorbed radionuclides within the bed. Although the model was synthesized for radionuclide transport, it is general enough to also handle other contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides, or toxic chemicals. The model was checked for its capability for flow, water surface elevation change, salinity, sediment and radionuclide transport under various simple conditions first, confirming the general validity of the model's computational schemes. These tests also revealed that FLESCOT can use large aspect ratios of computational cells, which are necessary in handling long estuarine study areas. After these simple tests, FLESCOT was applied to the Hudson River estuary between Chelsea and the mouth of the river to examine how well the model can predict radionuclide transport through simulating tidally influenced three-dimensional flow, salinity, sediment and radionuclide movements with their interactions

Campylobacter genotypes from poultry transportation crates indicate a source of contamination and transmission.

Science.gov (United States)

Hastings, R; Colles, F M; McCarthy, N D; Maiden, M C J; Sheppard, S K

2011-01-01

Crates used to transport live poultry can be contaminated with Campylobacter, despite periodic sanitization, and are potential vectors for transmission between flocks. We investigated the microbial contamination of standard and silver ion containing crates in normal use and the genetic structure of associated Campylobacter populations. Bacteria from crates were enumerated by appropriate culture techniques, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was used to determine the genetic structure of Campylobacters isolated from standard and silver ion containing crates. Compared to standard crates, counts of bacteria, including Campylobacter, were consistently lower on silver ion containing crates throughout the decontamination process. In total, 16 different sequence types were identified from 89 Campylobacter jejuni isolates from crates. These were attributed to putative source population (chicken, cattle, sheep, the environment, wild bird) using the population genetic model, structure. Most (89%) were attributed to chicken, with 22% attribution to live chicken and 78% to retail poultry meat. MLST revealed a progressive shift in allele frequencies through the crate decontamination process. Campylobacter on crates survived for at least 3 h after sanitization, a period of time equivalent to the journey from the processing plant to the majority of farms in the catchment, showing the potential for involvement of crates in transmission. Inclusion of a silver ion biocide in poultry transportation crates to levels demonstrating acceptable antibacterial activity in vitro reduces the level of bacterial contamination during normal crate use compared to standard crates. Molecular analysis of Campylobacter isolates indicated a change in genetic structure of the population with respect to the poultry-processing plant sanitization practice. The application of a sustainable antimicrobial to components of poultry processing may contribute to reducing the levels of Campylobacter

Micro computer aided beam transport for the SF cyclotron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Honma, Toshihiro; Yamazaki, Tsutomu.

1984-01-01

An improvement of the beam transport system for the SF cyclotron is described. The system was designed to handle on-line alignment of the beam extracted from the SF cyclotron onto the optical axis of the transport line. It also enables to measure the beam emittance. The measurement of the emittance parameters is in particular necessary to calculate the beam optics. The calculation has been modified to become easy to handle. With the help of the computer-aided on-line beam profile measurement system, the operation of the beam transport system is very subservient to shorten the beam-tuning time and to improve the beam-transmission efficiency and the quality. (author)

Studies Related to the Role of Colloids on the Transport of Some Radio Contaminants in Groundwater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mekhemar, H.S.A.

2012-01-01

The safety of a radioactive waste repository is related to its capacity to confine radioactivity and isolate it from biosphere. The most likely process that can lead to the release of radionuclides from a repository to the geosphere is transport by groundwater. The transport and distribution of radionuclides in groundwater or through geologic media depend on the radioactive source, the physicochemical forms of radionuclides and interactions of radionuclides with other components present in the groundwater. Colloids naturally exist in groundwater aquifers and can significantly impact contaminant migration rate. The presence of colloids affects contaminant transport in aquifers either by facilitation or retardation. The effect of the presence of colloid (Al 2 O 3 ) on the sorption characteristics of Co 2+ and Cs + , as two of the most important radionuclides commonly encountered in the Egyptian waste streams, onto yellow sand and clay taken from Inshas site was studied. Based on the obtained results, the maximum sorption capacity of Cs + and Co 2+ in presence of colloid was higher than sorption in absence of colloid but the sorption capacity of clay was found to be greater than that of yellow sand for both ions in absence and presence of colloid. Sorption capacity (q) increased by increasing initial metal ion concentration. The increasing temperature from 25 to 65 degree C leads to slight decrease in the sorption of Cs ions while lead to increase in sorption of Co ions. The kinetic data could be successfully interpreted by simplified second order kinetic expression. The rate constants and the theoretical equilibrium Sorption capacities were calculated for studied cases. It was demonstrated from column experiments that colloid presence influences radionuclides transport through fixed bed yellow sand column. Al 2 O 3 and Fe 2 O 3 colloids reduce the migration of Cs + and Co 2+ ions in all studied cases. From the results of desorption experiments it can be concluded

Development of a tracer transport option for the NAPSAC fracture network computer code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herbert, A.W.

1990-06-01

The Napsac computer code predicts groundwater flow through fractured rock using a direct fracture network approach. This paper describes the development of a tracer transport algorithm for the NAPSAC code. A very efficient particle-following approach is used enabling tracer transport to be predicted through large fracture networks. The new algorithm is tested against three test examples. These demonstrations confirm the accuracy of the code for simple networks, where there is an analytical solution to the transport problem, and illustrates the use of the computer code on a more realistic problem. (author)

STOMP, Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases, theory guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, M.D.; Oostrom, M.

1996-10-01

This guide describes the simulator's governing equations, constitutive functions and numerical solution algorithms of the STOMP (Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases) simulator, a scientific tool for analyzing multiple phase subsurface flow and transport. The STOMP simulator's fundamental purpose is to produce numerical predictions of thermal and hydrologic flow and transport phenomena in variably saturated subsurface environments, which are contaminated with volatile or nonvolatile organic compounds. Auxiliary applications include numerical predictions of solute transport processes including radioactive chain decay processes. In writing these guides for the STOMP simulator, the authors have assumed that the reader comprehends concepts and theories associated with multiple-phase hydrology, heat transfer, thermodynamics, radioactive chain decay, and nonhysteretic relative permeability, saturation-capillary pressure constitutive functions. The authors further assume that the reader is familiar with the computing environment on which they plan to compile and execute the STOMP simulator. The STOMP simulator requires an ANSI FORTRAN 77 compiler to generate an executable code. The memory requirements for executing the simulator are dependent on the complexity of physical system to be modeled and the size and dimensionality of the computational domain. Likewise execution speed depends on the problem complexity, size and dimensionality of the computational domain, and computer performance. One-dimensional problems of moderate complexity can be solved on conventional desktop computers, but multidimensional problems involving complex flow and transport phenomena typically require the power and memory capabilities of workstation or mainframe type computer systems

49 CFR 177.843 - Contamination of vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Contamination of vehicles. 177.843 Section 177.843... and Unloading § 177.843 Contamination of vehicles. (a) Each motor vehicle used for transporting Class... surface contamination is not greater than the level prescribed in § 173.443(a) of this subchapter. (b...

Clean-up criteria for remediation of contaminated soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, H.D.; Wilson, J.R.; Sato, Chikashi

1997-01-01

'How clean is clean?' is a question commonly raised in the remediation of contaminated soils. To help with the answer, criteria are proposed to serve as guidelines for remedial actions and to define a clean-up level such that the remaining contaminant residuals in the soil will not violate the Drinking Water Standards (DWS). The equations for computing those criteria are developed from the principle of conservation of mass and are functions of the maximum concentration level in the water (MCL) and the sorption coefficient. A multiplier, ranging from 10 to 1000, is also factored into the soil standard equation to reflect the effectiveness of various remediation techniques. Maximum allowable concentration in the soil (MSCL) is presented for several contaminants which are being regulated at the present time. Future modifications are recommended for better estimates of the MSCLs as additional transport mechanisms are incorporated to account for other potentially dominant effects

Assessment of risks and costs associated with transportation of US Department of Energy radioactively contaminated carbon steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, S.-Y.; Arnish, J.J.; Nieves, L.A.; Folga, S.M.

1996-09-01

This report provides a preliminary assessment of potential human health risks and develops unit risks and costs for transporting radioactively contaminated carbon steel (RCCS) scrap between U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sites. The RCCS would be generated from DOE activities (current or future) and from decontamination and decommissioning of DOE facilities. The estimates of transportation system risk reflect preliminary information regarding the quantities of RCCS at some sites and the spectrum of activity in RCCS at various types of DOE facilities

Modeling for Airborne Contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

F.R. Faillace; Y. Yuan

2000-01-01

The objective of Modeling for Airborne Contamination (referred to from now on as ''this report'') is to provide a documented methodology, along with supporting information, for estimating the release, transport, and assessment of dose to workers from airborne radioactive contaminants within the Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR) subsurface during the pre-closure period. Specifically, this report provides engineers and scientists with methodologies for estimating how concentrations of contaminants might be distributed in the air and on the drift surfaces if released from waste packages inside the repository. This report also provides dose conversion factors for inhalation, air submersion, and ground exposure pathways used to derive doses to potentially exposed subsurface workers. The scope of this report is limited to radiological contaminants (particulate, volatile and gaseous) resulting from waste package leaks (if any) and surface contamination and their transport processes. Neutron activation of air, dust in the air and the rock walls of the drift during the preclosure time is not considered within the scope of this report. Any neutrons causing such activation are not themselves considered to be ''contaminants'' released from the waste package. This report: (1) Documents mathematical models and model parameters for evaluating airborne contaminant transport within the MGR subsurface; and (2) Provides tables of dose conversion factors for inhalation, air submersion, and ground exposure pathways for important radionuclides. The dose conversion factors for air submersion and ground exposure pathways are further limited to drift diameters of 7.62 m and 5.5 m, corresponding to the main and emplacement drifts, respectively. If the final repository design significantly deviates from these drift dimensions, the results in this report may require revision. The dose conversion factors are further derived by using concrete of sufficient thickness to simulate the drift

Heterogeneity effects in neutron transport computations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gelbard, E.M.

1975-01-01

A nuclear reactor is, generally, an intricate heterogeneous structure whose adjacent components may differ radically in their neutronic properties. The heterogeneities in the structure of the reactor complicate the work of the reactor analyst and tend to degrade the efficiency of the numerical methods used in reactor computations. Two types of heterogeneity effects are considered. First, certain singularities in the solution of the neutron transport equation, induced by heterogeneities, are briefly described. Second, the effect of heterogeneities on neutron leakage rates, and consequently on effective diffusion coefficients, are discussed. (5 figures) (U.S.)

The use of symbolic computation in radiative, energy, and neutron transport calculations

Science.gov (United States)

Frankel, J. I.

This investigation uses symbolic computation in developing analytical methods and general computational strategies for solving both linear and nonlinear, regular and singular, integral and integro-differential equations which appear in radiative and combined mode energy transport. This technical report summarizes the research conducted during the first nine months of the present investigation. The use of Chebyshev polynomials augmented with symbolic computation has clearly been demonstrated in problems involving radiative (or neutron) transport, and mixed-mode energy transport. Theoretical issues related to convergence, errors, and accuracy have also been pursued. Three manuscripts have resulted from the funded research. These manuscripts have been submitted to archival journals. At the present time, an investigation involving a conductive and radiative medium is underway. The mathematical formulation leads to a system of nonlinear, weakly-singular integral equations involving the unknown temperature and various Legendre moments of the radiative intensity in a participating medium. Some preliminary results are presented illustrating the direction of the proposed research.

Selection of distribution coefficients for contaminant fate and transport calculations: Strontium as a case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaplan, D.I.; Krupka, K.M.; Serne, R.J.

1997-01-01

As part of an ongoing project funded by a cooperative effort involving the Office of Radiation and Indoor Air (ORIA) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Office of Environmental Restoration (EM-40) of the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRC), distribution coefficient (K d ) values are being compiled from the literature to develop provisional tables for cadmium, cesium, chromium, lead, plutonium, strontium, thorium, and uranium. The tables are organized according to important aqueous- and solid-phase parameters affecting the sorption of these contaminants. These parameters, which vary with contaminant, include pH and redox conditions; cation exchange capacity (CEC); presence of iron-oxide, aluminum-oxide, clay, and mica minerals; organic matter content; and solution concentrations of contaminants, competing ions, and complexing ligands. Sorption information compiled for strontium is used to illustrate our approach. The strontium data show how selected geochemical parameters (i.e., CEC, pH, and clay content) affect Strontium K d values and the selection of open-quote default close-quote K d values needed for modeling contaminant transport and risks at sites for which site specific data are lacking. Results of our evaluation may be used by site management and technical staff to assess contaminant fate, migration, and risk calculations in support of site remediation and waste management decisions

Surface contamination of spent fuel convoys - resumption of transport in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pertuis, V.

2000-01-01

In France, 1998 was marked by the transport of spent fuel from EDF plants being suspended and then resumed. From the time the first inspections were carried out by the Nuclear Installations Safety Directorate (NISD), in charge of monitoring radioactive and fissile material for civil use since June 1997, surface contamination was found in a high percentage of packages and/or wagons containing spent fuel. The different expert appraisals showed that this had no consequences for the health of the public or of workers. Aiming at the resumption of transport, EDF and Cogema presented to the safety authority a plan of action including an increase in monitoring (number of points and cross-checking by SGS Qualitest), more widespread observance of good practices resulting from analyses by EDF and conclusions of its nuclear inspectorate, and an improvement in radiological cleanliness in the area where casks were loaded. During the inspections carried out at EDF plants, the NISD verified the application of this plan. Several observations were, nevertheless, made regarding maintenance of equipment, failure to apply procedures on a corporate level and the traceability of certain operations. The measures taken to sufficiently inform the public were applied. The NISD is continuing its monitoring actions to ensure that all EDF plants adopt best practices. However, the overall clean-up of EDF plants is a long-term operation. Finally, the NISD is continuing its monitoring of the different stages of spent fuel transport as well as other types of transport of radioactive materials associated with nuclear activities. (author)

Numerical modeling of the groundwater contaminant transport for the Lake Karachai Area: The methodological approach and the basic two- dimensional regional model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petrov, A.V.; Samsonova, L.M.; Vasil'kova, N.A.; Zinin, A.I.; Zinina, G.A.

1994-06-01

Methodological aspects of the numerical modeling of the groundwater contaminant transport for the Lake Karachay area are discussed. Main features of conditions of the task are the high grade of non-uniformity of the aquifer in the fractured rock massif and the high density of the waste solutions, and also the high volume of the input data: both on the part of parameters of the aquifer (number of pump tests) and on the part of observations of functions of processes (long-time observations by the monitoring well grid). The modeling process for constructing the two dimensional regional model is described, and this model is presented as the basic model for subsequent full three-dimensional modeling in sub-areas of interest. Original powerful mathematical apparatus and computer codes for finite-difference numerical modeling are used

Application of Bayesian geostatistics for evaluation of mass discharge uncertainty at contaminated sites

Science.gov (United States)

Troldborg, Mads; Nowak, Wolfgang; Lange, Ida V.; Santos, Marta C.; Binning, Philip J.; Bjerg, Poul L.

2012-09-01

Mass discharge estimates are increasingly being used when assessing risks of groundwater contamination and designing remedial systems at contaminated sites. Such estimates are, however, rather uncertain as they integrate uncertain spatial distributions of both concentration and groundwater flow. Here a geostatistical simulation method for quantifying the uncertainty of the mass discharge across a multilevel control plane is presented. The method accounts for (1) heterogeneity of both the flow field and the concentration distribution through Bayesian geostatistics, (2) measurement uncertainty, and (3) uncertain source zone and transport parameters. The method generates conditional realizations of the spatial flow and concentration distribution. An analytical macrodispersive transport solution is employed to simulate the mean concentration distribution, and a geostatistical model of the Box-Cox transformed concentration data is used to simulate observed deviations from this mean solution. By combining the flow and concentration realizations, a mass discharge probability distribution is obtained. The method has the advantage of avoiding the heavy computational burden of three-dimensional numerical flow and transport simulation coupled with geostatistical inversion. It may therefore be of practical relevance to practitioners compared to existing methods that are either too simple or computationally demanding. The method is demonstrated on a field site contaminated with chlorinated ethenes. For this site, we show that including a physically meaningful concentration trend and the cosimulation of hydraulic conductivity and hydraulic gradient across the transect helps constrain the mass discharge uncertainty. The number of sampling points required for accurate mass discharge estimation and the relative influence of different data types on mass discharge uncertainty is discussed.

Simulation of contaminant transport in fractured porous media on triangular meshes

KAUST Repository

Dong, Chen

2010-12-01

A mathematical model for contaminant species passing through fractured porous media is presented. In the numerical model, we combine two locally conservative methods, i.e. mixed finite element (MFE) and the finite volume (FV) methods. Adaptive triangle mesh is used for effective treatment of the fractures. A hybrid MFE method is employed to provide an accurate approximation of velocities field for both the fractures and matrix which are crucial to the convection part of the transport equation. The FV method and the standard MFE method are used to approximate the convection and dispersion terms respectively. Numerical examples in a medium containing fracture network illustrate the robustness and efficiency of the proposed numerical model. © 2010 IEEE.

Simulation of contaminant transport in fractured porous media on triangular meshes

KAUST Repository

Dong, Chen; Sun, Shuyu

2010-01-01

A mathematical model for contaminant species passing through fractured porous media is presented. In the numerical model, we combine two locally conservative methods, i.e. mixed finite element (MFE) and the finite volume (FV) methods. Adaptive triangle mesh is used for effective treatment of the fractures. A hybrid MFE method is employed to provide an accurate approximation of velocities field for both the fractures and matrix which are crucial to the convection part of the transport equation. The FV method and the standard MFE method are used to approximate the convection and dispersion terms respectively. Numerical examples in a medium containing fracture network illustrate the robustness and efficiency of the proposed numerical model. © 2010 IEEE.

Transport of short lived radioactive contaminants with prologed half-lives of daughters through river water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metwally, S.M.; Prohl, G.

2005-01-01

One of the main pathways for transporting contaminants to other parts in the environment, are rivers. This work is devoted for deriving and assessment the concentration of soluble radio contaminants along a river at any time after discharge, including the short-lived radionuclides in comparison with the discharge time interval, and prolonged half-life of the produced daughter nuclei. The assumed boundary conditions and deduced formulas can be applied either in case of accidental release or discharge under authority control. The formulas determining the produced daughter nuclei concentration require inequality of the parent and daughter nuclei half-lives. Because of the regional variation of river morphology, the assumed constancy of the flow velocity and dispersion coefficient requires dividing the river path into zones of similar hydrologic characteristics

Development and applications of two finite element groundwater flow and contaminant transport models: FEWA and FEMA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeh, G.T.; Wong, K.V.; Craig, P.M.; Davis, E.C.

1985-01-01

This paper presents the construction, verification, and application of two groundwater flow and contaminant transport models: A Finite Element Model of Water Flow through Aquifers (FEWA) and A Finite Element Model of Material Transport through Aquifers (FEMA). The construction is based on the finite element approximation of partial differential equations of groundwater flow (FEWA) and of solute movement (FEMA). The particular features of FEWA and FEMA are their versatility and flexibility for dealing with nearly all vertically integrated two-dimensional problems. The models were verified against both analytical solutions and widely used US Geological Survey finite difference approximations. They were then applied for calibration and validation, using data obtained in experiments at the Engineering Test Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Results indicated that the models are valid for this specific site. To demonstrate the versatility anf flexibility of the models, they were applied to two hypothetical, but realistic, complex problems and three field sites across the United States. In these applications the models yielded good agreement with the field data for all three sites. Finally, the predictive capabilities of the models were demonstrated using data obtained at the Hialeah Preston site in Florida. This case illustrates the capability of FEWA and FEMA as predictive tools and their usefulness in the management of groundwater flow and contaminant transport. 25 refs

Solid waste leach characteristics and contaminant-sediment interactions Volume 2: Contaminant transport under unsaturated moisture contents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindenmeier, C.W.; Serne, R.J.; Conca, J.L.

1995-09-01

The objectives of this report and subsequent volumes include describing progress on (1) development and optimization of experimental methods to quantify the release of contaminants from solid wastes and their subsequent interactions with unsaturated sediments and (2) the creation of empirical data that become input parameters to performance assessment (PA) analyses for future Hanford Site disposal units and baseline risk assessments for inactive and existing solid waste disposal units. For this report, efforts focused on developing methodologies to evaluate contaminant transport in Trench 8 (W-5 Burial Ground) sediments under unsaturated (vadose zone) conditions. To accomplish this task, a series of flow-through column tests were run using standard saturated column systems, Wierenga unsaturated column systems (both commercial and modified), and the Unsaturated Flow Apparatus (UFA). The reactants investigated were 85 Sr, 236 U, and 238 U as reactive tracers, and tritium as a non-reactive tracer. Results indicate that for moderately unsaturated conditions (volumetric water contents >50 % of saturation), the Wierenga system performed reasonably well such that long water residence times (50-147 h) were achieved, and reasonably good steady-state flow conditions were maintained. The major drawbacks in using this system for reactive tracer work included (1) the inability to achieve reproducible and constant moisture content below 50% of saturation, (2) the four to six month time required to complete a single test, and (3) the propensity for mechanical failure resulting from laboratory power outages during the prolonged testing period

Transport behavior of radioactive caesium from forests contaminated by the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident through river water system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iijima, K.; Funaki, H.; Ohyama, T.; Niizato, T.; Sato, H.; Yui, M. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency (Japan)

2014-07-01

Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has carried out 'the project on the Long-term Assessment of Transport of Radioactive Contaminant in the Environment of Fukushima (F-TRACE project)' since the end of 2012. Radioactive caesium (Cs) has been distributed by the fallout by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (1F-NPP) accident, and forests in mountain areas have large amount of inventory of radioactive Cs and cover relatively large part of contaminated area of Fukushima. In this project, the transport behavior of radioactive Cs from the forests to biosphere and sea is evaluated by computer simulation based on the results of field observation and laboratory experiments. The results are used to predict evolution of effective dose of the residents in the affected area due to the transport, specify the dominant pathway of Cs, and propose effective methodology to constrain the transport along the pathway. This study reports the specific transport behavior of Cs observed in the basins of five rivers by means of the field investigation and laboratory experiments during the first year of the project. Radioactive Cs located at the crown was considered to be transported to the soil surface by litter fall, stem flow and canopy drip in the Japanese cedar tree forests. Even after two years since the accident, more than 90% of radioactive Cs was still been remained within 5 cm depth from the top of the soil, indicating that the distribution coefficient of radioactive Cs onto the specific minerals such as clay was significantly high. In the river, relatively higher dose rate was observed at the flood channel where fine-grained soil particles were trapped by growing vegetation, while low dose rate was observed beside the river channel where coarse sand or gravel accumulated. The results suggested that fine-grained soil particles containing minerals adsorbing large amount of radioactive Cs were transported in high water level and trapped by the vegetation. In the dam

Vadose Zone Contaminant Fate and Transport Analysis for the 216-B-26 Trench

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ward, Andy L.; Gee, Glendon W.; Zhang, Z. F.; Keller, Jason M.

2004-10-14

The BC Cribs and Trenches, part of the 200 TW 1 OU waste sites, received about 30 Mgal of scavenged tank waste, with possibly the largest inventory of 99Tc ever disposed to the soil at Hanford and site remediation is being accelerated. The purpose of this work was to develop a conceptual model for contaminant fate and transport at the 216-B-26 Trench site to support identification and development and evaluation of remediation alternatives. Large concentrations of 99Tc high above the water table implicated stratigraphy in the control of the downward migration. The current conceptual model accounts for small-scale stratigraphy; site-specific changes soil properties; tilted layers; and lateral spreading. It assumes the layers are spatially continuous causing water and solutes to move laterally across the boundary if conditions permit. Water influx at the surface is assumed to be steady. Model parameters were generated with pedotransfer functions; these were coupled high resolution neutron moisture logs that provided information on the underlying heterogeneity on a scale of 3 inches. Two approaches were used to evaluate the impact of remedial options on transport. In the first, a 1-D convolution solution to the convective-dispersive equation was used, assuming steady flow. This model was used to predict future movement of the existing plume using the mean and depth dependent moisture content. In the second approach, the STOMP model was used to first predict the current plume distribution followed by its future migration. Redistribution of the 99Tc plume was simulated for the no-action alternative and on-site capping. Hypothetical caps limiting recharge to 1.0, 0.5, and 0.1 mm yr-1 were considered and assumed not to degrade in the long term. Results show that arrival time of the MCLs, the peak arrival time, and the arrival time of the center of mass increased with decreasing recharge rate. The 1-D convolution model is easy to apply and can easily accommodate initial

Reduction of spatial distribution of risk factors for transportation of contaminants released by coal mining activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Karan, Shivesh Kishore; Samadder, Sukha Ranjan

2016-09-15

It is reported that water-energy nexus composes two of the biggest development and human health challenges. In the present study we presented a Risk Potential Index (RPI) model which encapsulates Source, Vector (Transport), and Target risks for forecasting surface water contamination. The main aim of the model is to identify critical surface water risk zones for an open cast mining environment, taking Jharia Coalfield, India as the study area. The model also helps in feasible sampling design. Based on spatial analysis various risk zones were successfully delineated. Monthly RPI distribution revealed that the risk of surface water contamination was highest during the monsoon months. Surface water samples were analysed to validate the model. A GIS based alternative management option was proposed to reduce surface water contamination risk and observed 96% and 86% decrease in the spatial distribution of very high risk areas for the months June and July respectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fault tolerant computer control for a Maglev transportation system

Science.gov (United States)

Lala, Jaynarayan H.; Nagle, Gail A.; Anagnostopoulos, George

1994-01-01

Magnetically levitated (Maglev) vehicles operating on dedicated guideways at speeds of 500 km/hr are an emerging transportation alternative to short-haul air and high-speed rail. They have the potential to offer a service significantly more dependable than air and with less operating cost than both air and high-speed rail. Maglev transportation derives these benefits by using magnetic forces to suspend a vehicle 8 to 200 mm above the guideway. Magnetic forces are also used for propulsion and guidance. The combination of high speed, short headways, stringent ride quality requirements, and a distributed offboard propulsion system necessitates high levels of automation for the Maglev control and operation. Very high levels of safety and availability will be required for the Maglev control system. This paper describes the mission scenario, functional requirements, and dependability and performance requirements of the Maglev command, control, and communications system. A distributed hierarchical architecture consisting of vehicle on-board computers, wayside zone computers, a central computer facility, and communication links between these entities was synthesized to meet the functional and dependability requirements on the maglev. Two variations of the basic architecture are described: the Smart Vehicle Architecture (SVA) and the Zone Control Architecture (ZCA). Preliminary dependability modeling results are also presented.

Classification of bacterial contamination using image processing and distributed computing.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, W M; Bayraktar, B; Bhunia, A; Hirleman, E D; Robinson, J P; Rajwa, B

2013-01-01

Disease outbreaks due to contaminated food are a major concern not only for the food-processing industry but also for the public at large. Techniques for automated detection and classification of microorganisms can be a great help in preventing outbreaks and maintaining the safety of the nations food supply. Identification and classification of foodborne pathogens using colony scatter patterns is a promising new label-free technique that utilizes image-analysis and machine-learning tools. However, the feature-extraction tools employed for this approach are computationally complex, and choosing the right combination of scatter-related features requires extensive testing with different feature combinations. In the presented work we used computer clusters to speed up the feature-extraction process, which enables us to analyze the contribution of different scatter-based features to the overall classification accuracy. A set of 1000 scatter patterns representing ten different bacterial strains was used. Zernike and Chebyshev moments as well as Haralick texture features were computed from the available light-scatter patterns. The most promising features were first selected using Fishers discriminant analysis, and subsequently a support-vector-machine (SVM) classifier with a linear kernel was used. With extensive testing we were able to identify a small subset of features that produced the desired results in terms of classification accuracy and execution speed. The use of distributed computing for scatter-pattern analysis, feature extraction, and selection provides a feasible mechanism for large-scale deployment of a light scatter-based approach to bacterial classification.

Characterization and Remediation of Contaminated Sites:Modeling, Measurement and Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Basu, N. B.; Rao, P. C.; Poyer, I. C.; Christ, J. A.; Zhang, C. Y.; Jawitz, J. W.; Werth, C. J.; Annable, M. D.; Hatfield, K.

2008-05-01

small computation time and their inclusion of spatially integrated parameters that can be measured in the field using tracer tests. Analytical models that couple source depletion to plume transport were used for optimization of source and plume treatment. These models are being used for the development of decision and management tools (for DNAPL sites) that consider uncertainty assessments as an integral part of the decision-making process for contaminated site remediation.

The use of tracer techniques in the study of soil water flows and contaminant transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reeves, A.D.; Beven, K.J.

1990-04-01

This report reviews the use of different types of tracers in the characterisation of soil water flows and the implications of tracer studies for modelling contaminant transport. The tracers considered are a number of different anions, stable isotopes, radioactive tracers, organic dyes, fluorocarbons, gases, solid particles and water temperature. The theoretical basis for modelling the results of tracer experiments in terms of the traditional convective-dispersion equation (CDE) is outlined. A number of alternative modelling strategies are reviewed: the mobile/immobile water extension of the CDE; the Jury Transfer Function Model (TFM); the Aggregated Mixing Zone (AMZ) model and Random Particle Tracking models. The first will form the basis of the Systeme Hydrologique Europeen (SHE) contaminant transport component. The Jury and AMZ models are both linear models and are consequently limited to applications in which the flows may be considered to be quasi-steady or repeatable. Random particle tracking models have the advantage of both flexibility and applicability to transient and spatially variable flow domains. A random particle model is being implemented on a transputer workstation at Lancaster and will be used to explore the effect of sub-grid scale complexities on effective grid-scale parameter values for distributed models such as SHE. (author)

Los Alamos radiation transport code system on desktop computing platforms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Briesmeister, J.F.; Brinkley, F.W.; Clark, B.A.; West, J.T.

1990-01-01

The Los Alamos Radiation Transport Code System (LARTCS) consists of state-of-the-art Monte Carlo and discrete ordinates transport codes and data libraries. These codes were originally developed many years ago and have undergone continual improvement. With a large initial effort and continued vigilance, the codes are easily portable from one type of hardware to another. The performance of scientific work-stations (SWS) has evolved to the point that such platforms can be used routinely to perform sophisticated radiation transport calculations. As the personal computer (PC) performance approaches that of the SWS, the hardware options for desk-top radiation transport calculations expands considerably. The current status of the radiation transport codes within the LARTCS is described: MCNP, SABRINA, LAHET, ONEDANT, TWODANT, TWOHEX, and ONELD. Specifically, the authors discuss hardware systems on which the codes run and present code performance comparisons for various machines

Predicting soil, water, and air concentrations of environmental contaminants locally and regionally: Multimedia transport and transformation models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKone, T.E.; Daniels, J.I.

1991-10-01

Environmental scientists recognize that the environment functions as a complex, interconnected system. A realistic risk-management strategy for many contaminants requires a comprehensive and integrated assessment of local and regional transport and transformation processes. In response to this need, we have developed multimedia models that simulate the movement and transformation of chemicals as they spread through air, water, biota, soils, sediments, surface water, and ground water. Each component of the environment is treated as a homogeneous subsystem that can exchange water, nutrients, and chemical contaminants with other adjacent compartments. In this paper, we illustrate the use of multimedia models and measurements as tools for screening the potential risks of contaminants released to air and deposited onto soil and plants. The contaminant list includes the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE), the semi-volatile organic compound benzo(a)pyrene, and the radionuclides tritium and uranium-238. We examine how chemical properties effect both the ultimate route and quantity of human and ecosystem contact and identify sensitivities and uncertainties in the model results

New Computational Approach to Electron Transport in Irregular Graphene Nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Mason, Douglas; Heller, Eric; Prendergast, David; Neaton, Jeffrey

2009-03-01

For novel graphene devices of nanoscale-to-macroscopic scale, many aspects of their transport properties are not easily understood due to difficulties in fabricating devices with regular edges. Here we develop a framework to efficiently calculate and potentially screen electronic transport properties of arbitrary nanoscale graphene device structures. A generalization of the established recursive Green's function method is presented, providing access to arbitrary device and lead geometries with substantial computer-time savings. Using single-orbital nearest-neighbor tight-binding models and the Green's function-Landauer scattering formalism, we will explore the transmission function of irregular two-dimensional graphene-based nanostructures with arbitrary lead orientation. Prepared by LBNL under contract DE-AC02-05CH11231 and supported by the U.S. Dept. of Energy Computer Science Graduate Fellowship under grant DE-FG02-97ER25308.

Overview of research and development in subsurface fate and transport modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sullivan, T.M.; Chehata, M.

1995-05-01

The US Department of Energy is responsible for the remediation of over 450 different subsurface-contaminated sites. Contaminant plumes at these sites range in volume from several to millions of cubic yards. The concentration of contaminants also ranges over several orders of magnitude. Contaminants include hazardous wastes such as heavy metals and organic chemicals, radioactive waste including tritium, uranium, and thorium, and mixed waste, which is a combination of hazardous and radioactive wastes. The physical form of the contaminants includes solutes, nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs), and vapor phase contaminants such as volatilized organic chemicals and radon. The subject of contaminant fate and transport modeling is multi-disciplinary, involving hydrology, geology, microbiology, chemistry, applied mathematics, computer science, and other areas of expertise. It is an issue of great significance in the United States and around the world. As such, many organizations have substantial programs in this area. In gathering data to prepare this report, a survey was performed of research and development work that is funded by US government agencies to improve the understanding and mechanistic modeling of processes that control contaminant movement through subsurface systems. Government agencies which fund programs that contain fate and transport modeling components include the Environmental Protection Agency, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, United States Geological Survey, and National Institutes of Health

Program system for computation of the terrestrial gamma-radiation field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirkegaard, P.; Loevborg, L.

1979-02-01

A system of computer programs intended for solution of the plane one-dimensional photon transport equation in the case of two adjacent media is described, and user's guides for the programs are given. One medium represents a natural ground with uniformly distributed potassium, uranium, and thorium gamma-ray emitters. The other medium is usually air with no radioactive contaminants. The solution method is the double-P 1 approximation with logarithmic energy spacing. The complete data-processing system GB contains the transport-theory code GAMP1, the code GFX for computation of scalar flux and dose rate, and a number of auxiliary programs and data files. (author)

Transport from diffuse sources of contamination and its application to a coupled unsaturated - saturated system

OpenAIRE

Ommen, van, H.C.

1988-01-01

A simple theory to predict groundwater quality upon contamination from diffuse sources was developed. It appeared that an analogy exists between the predominant transport phenomena and the reaction of a reservoir, in which perfect mixing takes place. Such an analogy enables a simple incorporation of physico-chemical processes (decomposition, adsorption), as was shown by an illustrative response of the quality of groundwater to an input of a radio-active decaying solute (and its decay...

Validation of the transportation computer codes HIGHWAY, INTERLINE, RADTRAN 4, and RISKIND

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maheras, S.J.; Pippen, H.K.

1995-05-01

The computer codes HIGHWAY, INTERLINE, RADTRAN 4, and RISKIND were used to estimate radiation doses from the transportation of radioactive material in the Department of Energy Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel Management and Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Programs Environmental Impact Statement. HIGHWAY and INTERLINE were used to estimate transportation routes for truck and rail shipments, respectively. RADTRAN 4 was used to estimate collective doses from incident-free transportation and the risk (probability x consequence) from transportation accidents. RISKIND was used to estimate incident-free radiation doses for maximally exposed individuals and the consequences from reasonably foreseeable transportation accidents. The purpose of this analysis is to validate the estimates made by these computer codes; critiques of the conceptual models used in RADTRAN 4 are also discussed. Validation is defined as ''the test and evaluation of the completed software to ensure compliance with software requirements.'' In this analysis, validation means that the differences between the estimates generated by these codes and independent observations are small (i.e., within the acceptance criterion established for the validation analysis). In some cases, the independent observations used in the validation were measurements; in other cases, the independent observations used in the validation analysis were generated using hand calculations. The results of the validation analyses performed for HIGHWAY, INTERLINE, RADTRAN 4, and RISKIND show that the differences between the estimates generated using the computer codes and independent observations were small. Based on the acceptance criterion established for the validation analyses, the codes yielded acceptable results; in all cases the estimates met the requirements for successful validation

Guidelines for Computing Longitudinal Dynamic Stability Characteristics of a Subsonic Transport

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Joseph R.; Frank, Neal T.; Murphy, Patrick C.

2010-01-01

A systematic study is presented to guide the selection of a numerical solution strategy for URANS computation of a subsonic transport configuration undergoing simulated forced oscillation about its pitch axis. Forced oscillation is central to the prevalent wind tunnel methodology for quantifying aircraft dynamic stability derivatives from force and moment coefficients, which is the ultimate goal for the computational simulations. Extensive computations are performed that lead in key insights of the critical numerical parameters affecting solution convergence. A preliminary linear harmonic analysis is included to demonstrate the potential of extracting dynamic stability derivatives from computational solutions.

Contaminant bioavailability in soils, sediments, and aquatic environments

OpenAIRE

Traina, Samuel J.; Laperche, Valérie

1999-01-01

The aqueous concentrations of heavy metals in soils, sediments, and aquatic environments frequently are controlled by the dissolution and precipitation of discrete mineral phases. Contaminant uptake by organisms as well as contaminant transport in natural systems typically occurs through the solution phase. Thus, the thermodynamic solubility of contaminant-containing minerals in these environments can directly influence the chemical reactivity, transport, and ecotoxici...

Interaction of environmental contaminants with zebrafish organic anion transporting polypeptide, Oatp1d1 (Slco1d1)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Popovic, Marta; Zaja, Roko [Laboratory for Molecular Ecotoxicology, Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Bijenicka 54, 10 000 Zagreb (Croatia); Fent, Karl [University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, School of Life Sciences, Gründenstrasse 40, CH-4132 Muttenz (Switzerland); Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), Department of Environmental System Sciences, Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollution Dynamics, CH-8092 Zürich (Switzerland); Smital, Tvrtko, E-mail: smital@irb.hr [Laboratory for Molecular Ecotoxicology, Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, Bijenicka 54, 10 000 Zagreb (Croatia)

2014-10-01

Polyspecific transporters from the organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP/Oatp) superfamily mediate the uptake of a wide range of compounds. In zebrafish, Oatp1d1 transports conjugated steroid hormones and cortisol. It is predominantly expressed in the liver, brain and testes. In this study we have characterized the transport of xenobiotics by the zebrafish Oatp1d1 transporter. We developed a novel assay for assessing Oatp1d1 interactors using the fluorescent probe Lucifer yellow and transient transfection in HEK293 cells. Our data showed that numerous environmental contaminants interact with zebrafish Oatp1d1. Oatp1d1 mediated the transport of diclofenac with very high affinity, followed by high affinity towards perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), nonylphenol, gemfibrozil and 17α-ethinylestradiol; moderate affinity towards carbaryl, diazinon and caffeine; and low affinity towards metolachlor. Importantly, many environmental chemicals acted as strong inhibitors of Oatp1d1. A strong inhibition of Oatp1d1 transport activity was found by perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), chlorpyrifos-methyl, estrone (E1) and 17β-estradiol (E2), followed by moderate to low inhibition by diethyl phthalate, bisphenol A, 7-acetyl-1,1,3,4,4,6-hexamethyl-1,2,3,4 tetrahydronapthalene and clofibrate. In this study we identified Oatp1d1 as a first Solute Carrier (SLC) transporter involved in the transport of a wide range of xenobiotics in fish. Considering that Oatps in zebrafish have not been characterized before, our work on zebrafish Oatp1d1 offers important new insights on the understanding of uptake processes of environmental contaminants, and contributes to the better characterization of zebrafish as a model species. - Highlights: • We optimized a novel assay for determination of Oatp1d1 interactors • Oatp1d1 is the first SLC characterized fish xenobiotic transporter • PFOS, nonylphenol, diclofenac, EE2, caffeine are high affinity Oatp1d1substrates • PFOA, chlorpyrifos

Interaction of environmental contaminants with zebrafish organic anion transporting polypeptide, Oatp1d1 (Slco1d1)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popovic, Marta; Zaja, Roko; Fent, Karl; Smital, Tvrtko

2014-01-01

Polyspecific transporters from the organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP/Oatp) superfamily mediate the uptake of a wide range of compounds. In zebrafish, Oatp1d1 transports conjugated steroid hormones and cortisol. It is predominantly expressed in the liver, brain and testes. In this study we have characterized the transport of xenobiotics by the zebrafish Oatp1d1 transporter. We developed a novel assay for assessing Oatp1d1 interactors using the fluorescent probe Lucifer yellow and transient transfection in HEK293 cells. Our data showed that numerous environmental contaminants interact with zebrafish Oatp1d1. Oatp1d1 mediated the transport of diclofenac with very high affinity, followed by high affinity towards perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), nonylphenol, gemfibrozil and 17α-ethinylestradiol; moderate affinity towards carbaryl, diazinon and caffeine; and low affinity towards metolachlor. Importantly, many environmental chemicals acted as strong inhibitors of Oatp1d1. A strong inhibition of Oatp1d1 transport activity was found by perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), chlorpyrifos-methyl, estrone (E1) and 17β-estradiol (E2), followed by moderate to low inhibition by diethyl phthalate, bisphenol A, 7-acetyl-1,1,3,4,4,6-hexamethyl-1,2,3,4 tetrahydronapthalene and clofibrate. In this study we identified Oatp1d1 as a first Solute Carrier (SLC) transporter involved in the transport of a wide range of xenobiotics in fish. Considering that Oatps in zebrafish have not been characterized before, our work on zebrafish Oatp1d1 offers important new insights on the understanding of uptake processes of environmental contaminants, and contributes to the better characterization of zebrafish as a model species. - Highlights: • We optimized a novel assay for determination of Oatp1d1 interactors • Oatp1d1 is the first SLC characterized fish xenobiotic transporter • PFOS, nonylphenol, diclofenac, EE2, caffeine are high affinity Oatp1d1substrates • PFOA, chlorpyrifos

Relevant documents to IAEA regulations for the safe transport of radioactive materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Shinawy, R.M.K.; Sabek, M.G.; Gomma, M.

1998-01-01

IAEA regulations for the safe transport of radioactive materials provide standards for insuring a high level of safety of people, property, and environment against radiation, contamination, and criticality hazards as well as thermal effects associated with the transport of radioactive materials. IAEA routinely publishes technical reports which are relevant to radioactive material transportation such as INTERTRAN, directory of transport packaging test facilities, and others. A case study was performed to assess the impact of transporting radioactive materials through the suez canal using the two computer codes namely INTERTRAN and RADTRAN-4 which are part of IAEA technical documents. A comparison of the results of these two codes is given

Summary of Vadose -- Zone Conceptual Models for Flow and Contaminant Transport and 1999 - 2003 Progress on Resolving Deficiencies in Understanding the Vadose Zone at the INEEL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robert C. Starr; Dana L. Dettmers; Brennon R. Orr; Thomas R. Wood

2003-12-01

The thick vadose zone that underlies the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory has been recognized both as an avenue through which contaminants disposed at or near the ground surface can migrate to groundwater in the underlying Eastern Snake River Plain aquifer, and as a barrier to the movement of contaminants into the aquifer. Flow and contaminant transport in the vadose zone at the INEEL is complicated by the highly heterogeneous nature of the geologic framework and by the variations in the behavior of different contaminants in the subsurface. The state of knowledge concerning flow and contaminant transport in the vadose zone at and near the INEEL IN 1999 was summarized in Deficiencies in Vadose Zone Understanding at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (Wood et al., 2000). These authors identified deficiencies in knowledge of flow and contaminant transport processes in the vadose zone, and provided recommendations for additional work that should be conducted to address these deficiencies. In the period since (Wood et al., 2000) was prepared, research has been published that, to some degree, address these deficiencies. This document provides a bibliography of reports, journal articles, and conference proceedings published 1999 through mid-2003 that are relevant to the vadose zone at or near the INEEL and provides a brief description of each work. Publications that address specific deficiencies or recommendations are identified, and pertinent information from selected publications is presented.

Numerical computation of discrete differential scattering cross sections for Monte Carlo charged particle transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walsh, Jonathan A.; Palmer, Todd S.; Urbatsch, Todd J.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Generation of discrete differential scattering angle and energy loss cross sections. • Gauss–Radau quadrature utilizing numerically computed cross section moments. • Development of a charged particle transport capability in the Milagro IMC code. • Integration of cross section generation and charged particle transport capabilities. - Abstract: We investigate a method for numerically generating discrete scattering cross sections for use in charged particle transport simulations. We describe the cross section generation procedure and compare it to existing methods used to obtain discrete cross sections. The numerical approach presented here is generalized to allow greater flexibility in choosing a cross section model from which to derive discrete values. Cross section data computed with this method compare favorably with discrete data generated with an existing method. Additionally, a charged particle transport capability is demonstrated in the time-dependent Implicit Monte Carlo radiative transfer code, Milagro. We verify the implementation of charged particle transport in Milagro with analytic test problems and we compare calculated electron depth–dose profiles with another particle transport code that has a validated electron transport capability. Finally, we investigate the integration of the new discrete cross section generation method with the charged particle transport capability in Milagro.

Application of computational aerodynamics methods to the design and analysis of transport aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Da Costa, A. L.

1978-01-01

The application and validation of several computational aerodynamic methods in the design and analysis of transport aircraft is established. An assessment is made concerning more recently developed methods that solve three-dimensional transonic flow and boundary layers on wings. Capabilities of subsonic aerodynamic methods are demonstrated by several design and analysis efforts. Among the examples cited are the B747 Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft analysis, nacelle integration for transport aircraft, and winglet optimization. The accuracy and applicability of a new three-dimensional viscous transonic method is demonstrated by comparison of computed results to experimental data

Transport of microbial tracers in clean and organically contaminated silica sand in laboratory columns compared with their transport in the field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weaver, Louise; Sinton, Lester W.; Pang, Liping; Dann, Rod; Close, Murray

2013-01-01

Waste disposal on land and the consequent transport of bacterial and viral pathogens in soils and aquifers are of major concern worldwide. Pathogen transport can be enhanced in the presence of organic matter due to occupation of attachment sites in the aquifer materials thus preventing pathogen attachment leading to their faster transport for longer distances. Laboratory column studies were carried out to investigate the effect of organic matter, in the form of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), on the transport of Escherichia coli and MS2 phage in saturated clean silica sand. Transport rates of these microbial tracers were also studied in a contaminated field site. Laboratory column studies showed that low concentrations (0.17 mg L −1 ) of DOC had little effect on E. coli J6-2 removal and slightly reduced the attachment of MS2 phage. After progressive conditioning of the column with DOC (1.7 mg L −1 and 17 mg L −1 ), neither E. coli J6-2 nor MS2 phage showed any attachment and recovery rates increased dramatically (up to 100%). The results suggest that DOC can affect the transport rates of microbial contaminants. For E. coli J6-2 the predominant effect appeared to be an increase in the secondary energy minimum leading to an increase in E. coli attachment initially. However, after 17 mg L −1 DOC conditioning of the silica sand no attachment of E. coli was observed as the DOC took up attachment sites in the porous media. MS2 phage appeared to be affected predominantly by out-competition of binding sites in the clean silica sand and a steady reduction in attachment was observed as the DOC conditioning increased. Field study showed a high removal of both E. coli and MS2 phage, although E. coli was removed at a lower rate than MS2 phage. In the field it is likely that a combination of effects are seen as the aquifer material will be heterogeneous in its surface nanoscale properties, demonstrated by the differing removal of E. coli and MS2 phage compared to the

Transport of microbial tracers in clean and organically contaminated silica sand in laboratory columns compared with their transport in the field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weaver, Louise, E-mail: louise.weaver@esr.cri.nz; Sinton, Lester W.; Pang, Liping; Dann, Rod; Close, Murray

2013-01-15

Waste disposal on land and the consequent transport of bacterial and viral pathogens in soils and aquifers are of major concern worldwide. Pathogen transport can be enhanced in the presence of organic matter due to occupation of attachment sites in the aquifer materials thus preventing pathogen attachment leading to their faster transport for longer distances. Laboratory column studies were carried out to investigate the effect of organic matter, in the form of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), on the transport of Escherichia coli and MS2 phage in saturated clean silica sand. Transport rates of these microbial tracers were also studied in a contaminated field site. Laboratory column studies showed that low concentrations (0.17 mg L{sup −1}) of DOC had little effect on E. coli J6-2 removal and slightly reduced the attachment of MS2 phage. After progressive conditioning of the column with DOC (1.7 mg L{sup −1} and 17 mg L{sup −1}), neither E. coli J6-2 nor MS2 phage showed any attachment and recovery rates increased dramatically (up to 100%). The results suggest that DOC can affect the transport rates of microbial contaminants. For E. coli J6-2 the predominant effect appeared to be an increase in the secondary energy minimum leading to an increase in E. coli attachment initially. However, after 17 mg L{sup −1} DOC conditioning of the silica sand no attachment of E. coli was observed as the DOC took up attachment sites in the porous media. MS2 phage appeared to be affected predominantly by out-competition of binding sites in the clean silica sand and a steady reduction in attachment was observed as the DOC conditioning increased. Field study showed a high removal of both E. coli and MS2 phage, although E. coli was removed at a lower rate than MS2 phage. In the field it is likely that a combination of effects are seen as the aquifer material will be heterogeneous in its surface nanoscale properties, demonstrated by the differing removal of E. coli and MS2 phage

RADTRAN 5: A computer code for transportation risk analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neuhauser, K.S.; Kanipe, F.L.

1991-01-01

RADTRAN 5 is a computer code developed at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in Albuquerque, NM, to estimate radiological and nonradiological risks of radioactive materials transportation. RADTRAN 5 is written in ANSI Standard FORTRAN 77 and contains significant advances in the methodology for route-specific analysis first developed by SNL for RADTRAN 4 (Neuhauser and Kanipe, 1992). Like the previous RADTRAN codes, RADTRAN 5 contains two major modules for incident-free and accident risk amlysis, respectively. All commercially important transportation modes may be analyzed with RADTRAN 5: highway by combination truck; highway by light-duty vehicle; rail; barge; ocean-going ship; cargo air; and passenger air

RESRAD-BUILD: A computer model for analyzing the radiological doses resulting from the remediation and occupancy of buildings contaminated with radioactive material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, C.; LePoire, D.J.; Jones, L.G.

1994-11-01

The RESRAD-BUILD computer code is a pathway analysis model designed to evaluate the potential radiological dose incurred by an individual who works or lives in a building contaminated with radioactive material. The transport of radioactive material inside the building from one compartment to another is calculated with an indoor air quality model. The air quality model considers the transport of radioactive dust particulates and radon progeny due to air exchange, deposition and resuspension, and radioactive decay and ingrowth. A single run of the RESRAD-BUILD code can model a building with up to: three compartments, 10 distinct source geometries, and 10 receptor locations. A shielding material can be specified between each source-receptor pair for external gamma dose calculations. Six exposure pathways are considered in the RESRAD-BUILD code: (1) external exposure directly from the source; (2) external exposure to materials deposited on the floor; (3) external exposure due to air submersion; (4) inhalation of airborne radioactive particulates; (5) inhalation of aerosol indoor radon progeny; and (6) inadvertent ingestion of radioactive material, either directly from the sources or from materials deposited on the surfaces of the building compartments

Computer-Based Decision Support for Railroad Transportation Systems: an Investment Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luminita DUTA

2009-01-01

Full Text Available In the last decade the development of the economical and social life increased the complexity of transportation systems. In this context, the role of Decision Support Systems (DSS became more and more important. The paper presents the characteristics, necessity, and usage of DSS in transportation and describes a practical application in the railroad field. To compute the optimal transportation capacity and flow on a certain railroad, specialized decision-support software which is available on the market was used.

Computer assisted collimation gamma camera: A new approach to imaging contaminated tissues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quartuccio, M.; Franck, D.; Pihet, P.; Begot, S.; Jeanguillaume, C.

2000-01-01

Measurement systems with the capability of imaging tissues contaminated with radioactive materials would find relevant applications in medical physics research and possibly in health physics. The latter in particular depends critically on the performance achieved for sensitivity and spatial resolution. An original approach of computer assisted collimation gamma camera (French acronym CACAO) which could meet suitable characteristics has been proposed elsewhere. CACAO requires detectors with high spatial resolution. The present work was aimed at investigating the application of the CACAO principle on a laboratory testing bench using silicon detectors made of small pixels. (author)

Computer assisted collimation gamma camera: A new approach to imaging contaminated tissues

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quartuccio, M.; Franck, D.; Pihet, P.; Begot, S.; Jeanguillaume, C

2000-07-01

Measurement systems with the capability of imaging tissues contaminated with radioactive materials would find relevant applications in medical physics research and possibly in health physics. The latter in particular depends critically on the performance achieved for sensitivity and spatial resolution. An original approach of computer assisted collimation gamma camera (French acronym CACAO) which could meet suitable characteristics has been proposed elsewhere. CACAO requires detectors with high spatial resolution. The present work was aimed at investigating the application of the CACAO principle on a laboratory testing bench using silicon detectors made of small pixels. (author)

TRING: a computer program for calculating radionuclide transport in groundwater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maul, P.R.

1984-12-01

The computer program TRING is described which enables the transport of radionuclides in groundwater to be calculated for use in long term radiological assessments using methods described previously. Examples of the areas of application of the program are activity transport in groundwater associated with accidental spillage or leakage of activity, the shutdown of reactors subject to delayed decommissioning, shallow land burial of intermediate level waste and geologic disposal of high level waste. Some examples of the use of the program are given, together with full details to enable users to run the program. (author)

Predicting soil, water and air concentrations of environmental contaminants locally and regionally; multimedia transport and transformation models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKone, T.E.; Daniels, J.I.

1991-01-01

Environmental scientists recognize that the environment functions as a complex, interconnected system. A realistic risk-management strategy for many contaminants requires a comprehensive and integrated assessment of local and regional transport and transformation processes. In response to this need, we have developed multimedia models that simulate the movement and transformation of chemicals as they spread through air, water, biota, soils, sediments, surface water and ground water. Each component of the environment is treated as a homogeneous subsystem that can exchange water, nutrients, and chemical contaminants with other adjacent compartments. In this paper, we illustrate the use of multimedia models and measurements as tools for screening the potential risks of contaminants released to air and deposited onto soil and plants. The contaminant list includes the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE), the semi-volatile organic compound benzo(a)pyrene, and the radionuclides tritium and uranium-238. We examine how chemical properties effect both the ultimate route and quantity of human and ecosystem contact and identify sensitivities and uncertainties in the model results. We consider the advantages of multimedia models relative to environmental monitoring data. (au)

Performing three-dimensional neutral particle transport calculations on tera scale computers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woodward, C.S.; Brown, P.N.; Chang, B.; Dorr, M.R.; Hanebutte, U.R.

1999-01-01

A scalable, parallel code system to perform neutral particle transport calculations in three dimensions is presented. To utilize the hyper-cluster architecture of emerging tera scale computers, the parallel code successfully combines the MPI message passing and paradigms. The code's capabilities are demonstrated by a shielding calculation containing over 14 billion unknowns. This calculation was accomplished on the IBM SP ''ASCI-Blue-Pacific computer located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)

RADTRAN II: revised computer code to analyze transportation of radioactive material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, J.M.; Daniel, S.L.

1982-10-01

A revised and updated version of the RADTRAN computer code is presented. This code has the capability to predict the radiological impacts associated with specific schemes of radioactive material shipments and mode specific transport variables

49 CFR 175.705 - Radioactive contamination.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Radioactive contamination. 175.705 Section 175.705... Regulations Applicable According to Classification of Material § 175.705 Radioactive contamination. (a) A... (radioactive) materials that may have been released from their packagings. (b) When contamination is present or...

49 CFR 176.715 - Contamination control.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Contamination control. 176.715 Section 176.715... Requirements for Radioactive Materials § 176.715 Contamination control. Each hold, compartment, or deck area... the removable (non-fixed) radioactive surface contamination is not greater than the limits prescribed...

49 CFR 173.443 - Contamination control.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Contamination control. 173.443 Section 173.443... SHIPMENTS AND PACKAGINGS Class 7 (Radioactive) Materials § 173.443 Contamination control. (a) The level of non-fixed (removable) radioactive contamination on the external surfaces of each package offered for...

Chemical controls on subsurface radionuclide transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, K.J.; Killey, R.W.D.

1990-01-01

Chemical and biochemical processes can affect the movement of contaminants in groundwater. Materials can be almost completely removed from circulation by processes such as precipitation and coprecipitation. Organic compounds or contaminants that are hazardous may be degraded or formed during groundwater transport. Studies at the Chalk River Laboratories of AECL have focused on radionuclide transport, although other contaminants have been and are being investigated. This paper summarizes findings from research that extends back more than 30 years. Much of the work on reactive contaminant transport has centered on 90 Sr; other contaminants have also been considered, however, and features of their behaviour are also reviewed. (25 refs., 5 figs., 4 tabs.)

Classification of the Group Invariant Solutions for Contaminant Transport in Saturated Soils under Radial Uniform Water Flows

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. M. Potsane

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The transport of chemicals through soils to the groundwater or precipitation at the soils surfaces leads to degradation of these resources. Serious consequences may be suffered in the long run. In this paper, we consider macroscopic deterministic models describing contaminant transport in saturated soils under uniform radial water flow backgrounds. The arising convection-dispersion equation given in terms of the stream functions is analyzed using classical Lie point symmetries. A number of exotic Lie point symmetries are admitted. Group invariant solutions are classified according to the elements of the one-dimensional optimal systems. We analyzed the group invariant solutions which satisfy the physical boundary conditions.

Theoretical background and user's manual for the computer code on groundwater flow and radionuclide transport calculation in porous rock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirakawa, Toshihiko; Hatanaka, Koichiro

2001-11-01

In order to document a basic manual about input data, output data, execution of computer code on groundwater flow and radionuclide transport calculation in heterogeneous porous rock, we investigated the theoretical background about geostatistical computer codes and the user's manual for the computer code on groundwater flow and radionuclide transport which calculates water flow in three dimension, the path of moving radionuclide, and one dimensional radionuclide migration. In this report, based on above investigation we describe the geostatistical background about simulating heterogeneous permeability field. And we describe construction of files, input and output data, a example of calculating of the programs which simulates heterogeneous permeability field, and calculates groundwater flow and radionuclide transport. Therefore, we can document a manual by investigating the theoretical background about geostatistical computer codes and the user's manual for the computer code on groundwater flow and radionuclide transport calculation. And we can model heterogeneous porous rock and analyze groundwater flow and radionuclide transport by utilizing the information from this report. (author)

Parallel computing solution of Boltzmann neutron transport equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ansah-Narh, T.

2010-01-01

The focus of the research was on developing parallel computing algorithm for solving Eigen-values of the Boltzmam Neutron Transport Equation (BNTE) in a slab geometry using multi-grid approach. In response to the problem of slow execution of serial computing when solving large problems, such as BNTE, the study was focused on the design of parallel computing systems which was an evolution of serial computing that used multiple processing elements simultaneously to solve complex physical and mathematical problems. Finite element method (FEM) was used for the spatial discretization scheme, while angular discretization was accomplished by expanding the angular dependence in terms of Legendre polynomials. The eigenvalues representing the multiplication factors in the BNTE were determined by the power method. MATLAB Compiler Version 4.1 (R2009a) was used to compile the MATLAB codes of BNTE. The implemented parallel algorithms were enabled with matlabpool, a Parallel Computing Toolbox function. The option UseParallel was set to 'always' and the default value of the option was 'never'. When those conditions held, the solvers computed estimated gradients in parallel. The parallel computing system was used to handle all the bottlenecks in the matrix generated from the finite element scheme and each domain of the power method generated. The parallel algorithm was implemented on a Symmetric Multi Processor (SMP) cluster machine, which had Intel 32 bit quad-core x 86 processors. Convergence rates and timings for the algorithm on the SMP cluster machine were obtained. Numerical experiments indicated the designed parallel algorithm could reach perfect speedup and had good stability and scalability. (au)

Development of a Computer-Based Air Force Installation Restoration Workstation for Contaminant Modeling and Decision-Making

Science.gov (United States)

1995-03-01

IS EXPECTED. K: SITE LOCATED IN KARST TYPOGRAPHY , OR IS UNDERLAIN BY CAVERNOUS LIMESTONE. M: MOUNDING OF THE WATER TABLE BENEATH A CONTAMINATION SITE...mulatjc~rs). The developers have endeavored to design the Systemn, as i-ar as pos,’sible, to run on any brand of parson-Al computer that operates under

Sediment and radionuclide transport in rivers: radionuclide transport modeling for Cattaraugus and Buttermilk Creeks, New York

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onishi, Y.; Yabusaki, S.B.; Kincaid, C.T.; Skaggs, R.L.; Walters, W.H.

1982-12-01

SERATRA, a transient, two-dimensional (laterally-averaged) computer model of sediment-contaminant transport in rivers, satisfactorily resolved the distribution of sediment and radionuclide concentrations in the Cattaraugus Creek stream system in New York. By modeling the physical processes of advection, diffusion, erosion, deposition, and bed armoring, SERATRA routed three sediment size fractions, including cohesive soils, to simulate three dynamic flow events. In conjunction with the sediment transport, SERATRA computed radionuclide levels in dissolved, suspended sediment, and bed sediment forms for four radionuclides ( 137 Cs, 90 Sr, 239 240 Pu, and 3 H). By accounting for time-dependent sediment-radionuclide interaction in the water column and bed, SERATA is a physically explicit model of radionuclide fate and migration. Sediment and radionuclide concentrations calculated by SERATA in the Cattaraugus Creek stream system are in reasonable agreement with measured values. SERATRA is in the field performance phase of an extensive testing program designed to establish the utility of the model as a site assessment tool. The model handles not only radionuclides but other contaminants such as pesticides, heavy metals and other toxic chemicals. Now that the model has been applied to four field sites, including the latest study of the Cattaraugus Creek stream system, it is recommended that a final model be validated through comparison of predicted results with field data from a carefully controlled tracer test at a field site. It is also recommended that a detailed laboratory flume be tested to study cohesive sediment transport, deposition, and erosion characteristics. The lack of current understanding of these characteristics is one of the weakest areas hindering the accurate assessment of the migration of radionuclides sorbed by fine sediments of silt and clay

Angular interpolations and splice options for three-dimensional transport computations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abu-Shumays, I.K.; Yehnert, C.E.

1996-01-01

New, accurate and mathematically rigorous angular Interpolation strategies are presented. These strategies preserve flow and directionality separately over each octant of the unit sphere, and are based on a combination of spherical harmonics expansions and least squares algorithms. Details of a three-dimensional to three-dimensional (3-D to 3-D) splice method which utilizes the new angular interpolations are summarized. The method has been implemented in a multidimensional discrete ordinates transport computer program. Various features of the splice option are illustrated by several applications to a benchmark Dog-Legged Void Neutron (DLVN) streaming and transport experimental assembly

Factors influencing aquatic-to-terrestrial contaminant transport to terrestrial arthropod consumers in a multiuse river system.

Science.gov (United States)

Alberts, Jeremy M; Sullivan, S Mažeika P

2016-06-01

Emerging aquatic insects are important vectors of contaminant transfer from aquatic to terrestrial food webs. However, the environmental factors that regulate contaminant body burdens in nearshore terrestrial consumers remain largely unexplored. We investigated the relative influences of riparian landscape composition (i.e., land use and nearshore vegetation structure) and contaminant flux via the emergent aquatic insect subsidy on selenium (Se) and mercury (Hg) body burdens of riparian ants (Formica subsericea) and spiders of the family Tetragnathidae along 11 river reaches spanning an urban-rural land-use gradient in Ohio, USA. Model-selection results indicated that fine-scale land cover (e.g., riparian zone width, shrub cover) in the riparian zone was positively associated with reach-wide body burdens of Se and Hg in both riparian F. subsericea and tetragnathid spiders (i.e., total magnitude of Hg and Se concentrations in ant and spider populations, respectively, for each reach). River distance downstream of Columbus, Ohio - where study reaches were impounded and flow through a large urban center - was also implicated as an important factor. Although stable-isotope analysis suggested that emergent aquatic insects were likely vectors of Se and Hg to tetragnathid spiders (but not to F. subsericea), emergent insect contaminant flux did not emerge as a significant predictor for either reach-wide body burdens of spider Hg or Se. Improved understanding of the pathways and influences that control aquatic-to-terrestrial contaminant transport will be critical for effective risk management and remediation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multiple-tracer tests for contaminant transport process identification in saturated municipal solid waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woodman, N.D.; Rees-White, T.C.; Stringfellow, A.M.; Beaven, R.P.; Hudson, A.P.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Multiple tracers were applied to saturated MSW to test dual-porosity properties. • Lithium demonstrated to be non-conservative as a tracer. • 260 mm diameter column too small to test transport properties of MSW. • The classical advection-dispersion mode was rejected due to high dispersivity. • Characteristic diffusion times did not vary with the tracer. - Abstract: Two column tests were performed in conditions emulating vertical flow beneath the leachate table in a biologically active landfill to determine dominant transport mechanisms occurring in landfills. An improved understanding of contaminant transport process in wastes is required for developing better predictions about potential length of the long term aftercare of landfills, currently measured in timescales of centuries. Three tracers (lithium, bromide and deuterium) were used. Lithium did not behave conservatively. Given that lithium has been used extensively for tracing in landfill wastes, the tracer itself and the findings of previous tests which assume that it has behaved conservatively may need revisiting. The smaller column test could not be fitted with continuum models, probably because the volume of waste was below a representative elemental volume. Modelling compared advection-dispersion (AD), dual porosity (DP) and hybrid AD–DP models. Of these models, the DP model was found to be the most suitable. Although there is good evidence to suggest that diffusion is an important transport mechanism, the breakthrough curves of the different tracers did not differ from each other as would be predicted based on the free-water diffusion coefficients. This suggested that solute diffusion in wastes requires further study

Multiple-tracer tests for contaminant transport process identification in saturated municipal solid waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woodman, N.D., E-mail: n.d.woodman@soton.ac.uk; Rees-White, T.C.; Stringfellow, A.M.; Beaven, R.P.; Hudson, A.P.

2015-04-15

Highlights: • Multiple tracers were applied to saturated MSW to test dual-porosity properties. • Lithium demonstrated to be non-conservative as a tracer. • 260 mm diameter column too small to test transport properties of MSW. • The classical advection-dispersion mode was rejected due to high dispersivity. • Characteristic diffusion times did not vary with the tracer. - Abstract: Two column tests were performed in conditions emulating vertical flow beneath the leachate table in a biologically active landfill to determine dominant transport mechanisms occurring in landfills. An improved understanding of contaminant transport process in wastes is required for developing better predictions about potential length of the long term aftercare of landfills, currently measured in timescales of centuries. Three tracers (lithium, bromide and deuterium) were used. Lithium did not behave conservatively. Given that lithium has been used extensively for tracing in landfill wastes, the tracer itself and the findings of previous tests which assume that it has behaved conservatively may need revisiting. The smaller column test could not be fitted with continuum models, probably because the volume of waste was below a representative elemental volume. Modelling compared advection-dispersion (AD), dual porosity (DP) and hybrid AD–DP models. Of these models, the DP model was found to be the most suitable. Although there is good evidence to suggest that diffusion is an important transport mechanism, the breakthrough curves of the different tracers did not differ from each other as would be predicted based on the free-water diffusion coefficients. This suggested that solute diffusion in wastes requires further study.

Implications and concerns of deep-seated disposal of hydrocarbon exploration produced water using three-dimensional contaminant transport model in Bhit Area, Dadu District of Southern Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Zulfiqar; Akhter, Gulraiz; Ashraf, Arshad; Fryar, Alan

2010-11-01

A three-dimensional contaminant transport model has been developed to simulate and monitor the migration of disposal of hydrocarbon exploration produced water in Injection well at 2,100 m depth in the Upper Cretaceous Pab sandstone, Bhit area in Dadu district of Southern Pakistan. The regional stratigraphic and structural geological framework of the area, landform characteristics, meteorological parameters, and hydrogeological milieu have been used in the model to generate the initial simulation of steady-state flow condition in the underlying aquifer's layers. The geometry of the shallow and deep-seated characteristics of the geological formations was obtained from the drilling data, electrical resistivity sounding surveys, and geophysical well-logging information. The modeling process comprised of steady-state simulation and transient simulation of the prolific groundwater system of contamination transport after 1, 10, 30 years of injection. The contaminant transport was evaluated from the bottom of the injection well, and its short- and long-term effects were determined on aquifer system lying in varying hydrogeological and geological conditions.

Computational modeling of geometry dependent phonon transport in silicon nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Cheney, Drew A.

Recent experiments have demonstrated that thermal properties of semiconductor nanostructures depend on nanostructure boundary geometry. Phonons are quantized mechanical vibrations that are the dominant carrier of heat in semiconductor materials and their aggregate behavior determine a nanostructure's thermal performance. Phonon-geometry scattering processes as well as waveguiding effects which result from coherent phonon interference are responsible for the shape dependence of thermal transport in these systems. Nanoscale phonon-geometry interactions provide a mechanism by which nanostructure geometry may be used to create materials with targeted thermal properties. However, the ability to manipulate material thermal properties via controlling nanostructure geometry is contingent upon first obtaining increased theoretical understanding of fundamental geometry induced phonon scattering processes and having robust analytical and computational models capable of exploring the nanostructure design space, simulating the phonon scattering events, and linking the behavior of individual phonon modes to overall thermal behavior. The overall goal of this research is to predict and analyze the effect of nanostructure geometry on thermal transport. To this end, a harmonic lattice-dynamics based atomistic computational modeling tool was created to calculate phonon spectra and modal phonon transmission coefficients in geometrically irregular nanostructures. The computational tool is used to evaluate the accuracy and regimes of applicability of alternative computational techniques based upon continuum elastic wave theory. The model is also used to investigate phonon transmission and thermal conductance in diameter modulated silicon nanowires. Motivated by the complexity of the transmission results, a simplified model based upon long wavelength beam theory was derived and helps explain geometry induced phonon scattering of low frequency nanowire phonon modes.

A CUMULATIVE MIGRATION METHOD FOR COMPUTING RIGOROUS TRANSPORT CROSS SECTIONS AND DIFFUSION COEFFICIENTS FOR LWR LATTICES WITH MONTE CARLO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhaoyuan Liu; Kord Smith; Benoit Forget; Javier Ortensi

2016-05-01

A new method for computing homogenized assembly neutron transport cross sections and dif- fusion coefficients that is both rigorous and computationally efficient is proposed in this paper. In the limit of a homogeneous hydrogen slab, the new method is equivalent to the long-used, and only-recently-published CASMO transport method. The rigorous method is used to demonstrate the sources of inaccuracy in the commonly applied “out-scatter” transport correction. It is also demonstrated that the newly developed method is directly applicable to lattice calculations per- formed by Monte Carlo and is capable of computing rigorous homogenized transport cross sections for arbitrarily heterogeneous lattices. Comparisons of several common transport cross section ap- proximations are presented for a simple problem of infinite medium hydrogen. The new method has also been applied in computing 2-group diffusion data for an actual PWR lattice from BEAVRS benchmark.

A preliminary investigation of the applicability of surface complexation modeling to the understanding of transportation cask weeping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Granstaff, V.E.; Chambers, W.B.; Doughty, D.H.

1994-01-01

A new application for surface complexation modeling is described. These models, which describe chemical equilibria among aqueous and adsorbed species, have typically been used for predicting groundwater transport of contaminants by modeling the natural adsorbents as various metal oxides. Our experiments suggest that this type of modeling can also explain stainless steel surface contamination and decontamination mechanisms. Stainless steel transportation casks, when submerged in a spent fuel storage pool at nuclear power stations, can become contaminated with radionuclides such as 137 Cs, 134 Cs, and 60 Co. Subsequent release or desorption of these contaminants under varying environmental conditions occasionally results in the phenomenon known as open-quotes cask weeping.close quotes We have postulated that contaminants in the storage pool adsorb onto the hydrous metal oxide surface of the passivated stainless steel and are subsequently released (by conversion from a fixed to a removable form) during transportation, due to varying environmental factors, such as humidity, road salt, dirt, and acid rain. It is well known that 304 stainless steel has a chromium enriched passive surface layer; thus its adsorption behavior should be similar to that of a mixed chromium/iron oxide. To help us interpret our studies of reversible binding of dissolved metals on stainless steel surfaces, we have studied the adsorption of Co +2 on Cr 2 O 3 . The data are interpreted using electrostatic surface complexation models. The FITEQL computer program was used to obtain the model binding constants and site densities from the experimental data. The MINTEQA2 computer speciation model was used, with the fitted constants, in an attempt to validate this approach

Toward a better understanding of the complex geochemical processes governing subsurface contaminant transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Puls, R.W.

1990-01-01

Identification and understanding of the geochemical processes, including ion exchange, precipitation, organic partitioning, chemisorption, aqueous complexation, and colloidal stability and transport, controlling subsurface contamination is essential for making accurate predictions of the fate and transport of these constituents. Current approaches to quantify the effect of these processes primarily involve laboratory techniques, including the use of closed static systems (batch experiments) where small amounts of aquifer solids or minerals are contacted with an aqueous phase containing the components of interest for relatively short durations; and dynamic systems (column experiments) where a larger segment of the aquifer is investigated by analyzing the breakthrough profiles of reactive and non-reactive species. Both approaches are constrained by differences in scale, alteration of media during sample collection and use, and spatial variability. More field reactivity studies are needed to complement established laboratory approaches for the determination of retardation factors and scaling factors, corroboration of batch and column results, and validation of sampling techniques. These studies also serve to accentuate areas of geochemical process research where data deficiencies exist, such as the kinetics of adsorption-desorption, metal-organic-mineral interactions, and colloidal mobility. The advantages and disadvantages of the above approaches are discussed in the context of achieving a more completely integrated approach to geochemical transport experiments, with supportive data presented from selected studies. (Author) (16 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.)

Bacterial contamination on touch surfaces in the public transport system and in public areas of a hospital in London.

Science.gov (United States)

Otter, J A; French, G L

2009-12-01

To investigate bacterial contamination on hand-touch surfaces in the public transport system and in public areas of a hospital in central London. Dipslides were used to sample 118 hand-touch surfaces in buses, trains, stations, hotels and public areas of a hospital in central London. Total aerobic counts were determined, and Staphylococcus aureus isolates were identified and characterized. Bacteria were cultured from 112 (95%) of sites at a median concentration of 12 CFU cm(-2). Methicillin-susceptible Staph. aureus (MSSA) was cultured from nine (8%) of sites; no sites grew methicillin-resistant Staph. aureus (MRSA). Hand-touch sites in London are frequently contaminated with bacteria and can harbour MSSA, but none of the sites tested were contaminated with MRSA. Hand-touch sites can become contaminated with staphylococci and may be fomites for the transmission of bacteria between humans. Such sites could provide a reservoir for community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) in high prevalence areas but were not present in London, a geographical area with a low incidence of CA-MRSA.

Computing and the electrical transport properties of coupled quantum networks

Science.gov (United States)

Cain, Casey Andrew

In this dissertation a number of investigations were conducted on ballistic quantum networks in the mesoscopic range. In this regime, the wave nature of electron transport under the influence of transverse magnetic fields leads to interesting applications for digital logic and computing circuits. The work specifically looks at characterizing a few main areas that would be of interest to experimentalists who are working in nanostructure devices, and is organized as a series of papers. The first paper analyzes scaling relations and normal mode charge distributions for such circuits in both isolated and open (terminals attached) form. The second paper compares the flux-qubit nature of quantum networks to the well-established spintronics theory. The results found exactly contradict the conventional school of thought for what is required for quantum computation. The third paper investigates the requirements and limitations of extending the Thevenin theorem in classic electric circuits to ballistic quantum transport. The fourth paper outlines the optimal functionally complete set of quantum circuits that can completely satisfy all sixteen Boolean logic operations for two variables.

Development of three-dimensional neoclassical transport simulation code with high performance Fortran on a vector-parallel computer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satake, Shinsuke; Okamoto, Masao; Nakajima, Noriyoshi; Takamaru, Hisanori

2005-11-01

A neoclassical transport simulation code (FORTEC-3D) applicable to three-dimensional configurations has been developed using High Performance Fortran (HPF). Adoption of computing techniques for parallelization and a hybrid simulation model to the δf Monte-Carlo method transport simulation, including non-local transport effects in three-dimensional configurations, makes it possible to simulate the dynamism of global, non-local transport phenomena with a self-consistent radial electric field within a reasonable computation time. In this paper, development of the transport code using HPF is reported. Optimization techniques in order to achieve both high vectorization and parallelization efficiency, adoption of a parallel random number generator, and also benchmark results, are shown. (author)

Computing atmospheric transport and deposition of heavy metals over Europe: country budgets for 1985

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bartnicki, J.

1996-01-01

The Heavy Metal Eulerian Transport (HMET) model has been used to calculate the exchange of As, Cd, Pb and Zn between European countries in 1985. The model was run separately for each emitter country and the computed deposition field used to calculate the contribution of the emitter to each receptor country. The results of these computations are presented in the form of a country budget matrix for each metal. Accuracy of such computations depends on the size and linearity of the numerical method applied to the transport equation. Exchange of heavy metals due to atmospheric transport over Europe is significant. 30% to 90% of the heavy metals emitted from each country is deposited in other countries. The remaining mass is deposited in European seas, Atlantic Ocean and transported outside the model domain. The largest part of the emission from each country is deposited in the same country. The next largest fraction is transported to the nearest neighbours. A significant long range transport of heavy metals is to the Soviet Union. This is partly justified by the size and location of this receptor country, as well as the prevailing meteorological conditions in Europe. However, this large transport to USSR is slightly overestimated due to some artificial properties of the numerical method applied to basic model equations. Export versus import and emission versus deposition of metals were analyzed for each country. The largest positive difference between export and import was found for Poland, Germany and Yugoslavia (As, Cd and Zn), and United Kingdom, Italy and Belgium (Pb). The Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia are the countries where import of all metals is significantly larger than export. The Soviet Union has much higher emissions than deposition of all metals compared to other European countries. 38 refs., 5 figs., 13 tabs

Data Assimilation for Management of Industrial Groundwater Contamination at a Regional Scale

KAUST Repository

El Gharamti, Mohamad

2014-12-01

Groundwater is one of the main sources for drinking water and agricultural activities. Various activities of both humans and nature may lead to groundwater pollution. Very often, pollution, or contamination, of groundwater goes undetected for long periods of time until it begins to a ect human health and/or the environment. Cleanup technologies used to remediate pollution can be costly and remediation processes are often protracted. A more practical and feasible way to manage groundwater contamination is to monitor and predict contamination and act as soon as there is risk to the population and the environment. Predicting groundwater contamination requires advanced numerical models of groundwater ow and solute transport. Such numerical modeling is increasingly becoming a reference criterion for water resources assessment and environmental protection. Subsurface numerical models are, however, subject to many sources of uncertainties from unknown parameters and approximate dynamics. This dissertation considers the sequential data assimilation approach and tackles the groundwater contamination problem at the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Industrial concentration data are used to monitor and predict the fate of organic contaminants using a threedimensional coupled ow and reactive transport model. We propose a number of 5 novel assimilation techniques that address di erent challenges, including prohibitive computational burden, the nonlinearity and coupling of the subsurface dynamics, and the structural and parametric uncertainties. We also investigate the problem of optimal observational designs to optimize the location and the number of wells. The proposed new methods are based on the ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF), which provides an e cient numerical solution to the Bayesian ltering problem. The dissertation rst investigates in depth the popular joint and dual ltering formulations of the state-parameters estimation problem. New methodologies, algorithmically

H51E-1535: Biogeochemical factors influencing the transport and fate of colloids and colloid-associated contaminants in the vadose zone

Science.gov (United States)

The vadose zone exhibits large spatial and temporal variability in many physical, chemical, and biological factors that strongly influence the transport and fate of colloids (e.g., microbes, nanoparticles, clays, and dissolved organic matter) and colloid-associated contaminants (e.g., heavy metals, ...

Contaminant transport model validation: The Oak Ridge Reservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, R.R.; Ketelle, R.H.

1988-09-01

In the complex geologic setting on the Oak Ridge Reservation, hydraulic conductivity is anisotropic and flow is strongly influenced by an extensive and largely discontinuous fracture network. Difficulties in describing and modeling the aquifer system prompted a study to obtain aquifer property data to be used in a groundwater flow model validation experiment. Characterization studies included the performance of an extensive suite of aquifer test within a 600-square-meter area to obtain aquifer property values to describe the flow field in detail. Following aquifer test, a groundwater tracer test was performed under ambient conditions to verify the aquifer analysis. Tracer migration data in the near-field were used in model calibration to predict tracer arrival time and concentration in the far-field. Despite the extensive aquifer testing, initial modeling inaccurately predicted tracer migration direction. Initial tracer migration rates were consistent with those predicted by the model; however, changing environmental conditions resulted in an unanticipated decay in tracer movement. Evaluation of the predictive accuracy of groundwater flow and contaminant transport models on the Oak Ridge Reservation depends on defining the resolution required, followed by field testing and model grid definition at compatible scales. The use of tracer tests, both as a characterization method and to verify model results, provides the highest level of resolution of groundwater flow characteristics. 3 refs., 4 figs

Applicability of the Linear Sorption Isotherm Model to Represent Contaminant Transport Processes in Site Wide Performance Assessments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

FOGWELL, T.W.; LAST, G.V.

2003-01-01

The estimation of flux of contaminants through the vadose zone to the groundwater under varying geologic, hydrologic, and chemical conditions is key to making technically credible and sound decisions regarding soil site characterization and remediation, single-shell tank retrieval, and waste site closures (DOE 2000). One of the principal needs identified in the science and technology roadmap (DOE 2000) is the need to improve the conceptual and numerical models that describe the location of contaminants today, and to provide the basis for forecasting future movement of contaminants on both site-specific and site-wide scales. The State of Knowledge (DOE 1999) and Preliminary Concepts documents describe the importance of geochemical processes on the transport of contaminants through the Vadose Zone. These processes have been identified in the international list of Features, Events, and Processes (FEPs) (NEA 2000) and included in the list of FEPS currently being developed for Hanford Site assessments (Soler et al. 2001). The current vision for Hanford site-wide cumulative risk assessments as performed using the System Assessment Capability (SAC) is to represent contaminant adsorption using the linear isotherm (empirical distribution coefficient, K d ) sorption model. Integration Project Expert Panel (PEP) comments indicate that work is required to adequately justify the applicability of the linear sorption model, and to identify and defend the range of K d values that are adopted for assessments. The work plans developed for the Science and Technology (S and T) efforts, SAC, and the Core Projects must answer directly the question of ''Is there a scientific basis for the application of the linear sorption isotherm model to the complex wastes of the Hanford Site?'' This paper is intended to address these issues. The reason that well documented justification is required for using the linear sorption (K d ) model is that this approach is strictly empirical and is often

Numerical Survey of Contaminant Transport and Self-Cleansing of Water in Nador Lagoon, Morocco

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. M. Chaabelasri

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Numerical simulations are presented of the flow hydrodynamics and hypothetical contaminant dispersion patterns in Nador Lagoon, a shallow lagoon with a barrier island situated on the coast of Morocco. It is found that the natural circulation forced by the tidal flow in the lagoon is greatly affected by the development of an artificial inlet in the barrier island. The case study demonstrates the potential use of modern computational hydraulics as a tool integrated in the decision support system designed to manage a lagoon ecosystem.

Innovative alpha radioactivity monitor for clearance level inspection based on ionized air transport technology (2). CFD-simulated and experimental ion transport efficiencies for uranium-attached pipes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirata, Yosuke; Nakahara, Katsuhiko; Sano, Akira; Sato, Mitsuyoshi; Aoyama, Yoshio; Miyamoto, Yasuaki; Yamaguchi, Hiromi; Nanbu, Kenichi; Takahashi, Hiroyuki; Oda, Akinori

2007-01-01

An innovative alpha radioactivity monitor for clearance level inspection has been developed. This apparatus measures an ion current resulting from air ionization by alpha particles. Ions generated in the measurement chamber of about 1 m 3 in volume are transported by airflow to a sensor and measured. This paper presents computational estimation of ion transport efficiencies for two pipes with different lengths, the inner surfaces of which were covered with a thin layer of uranium. These ion transport efficiencies were compared with those experimentally obtained for the purpose of our model validation. Good agreement was observed between transport efficiencies from simulations and those experimentally estimated. Dependence of the transport efficiencies on the region of uranium coating was also examined, based on which anticipated errors arising from unclear positions of contamination are also discussed. (author)

Atmospheric transport of contaminants to remote arctic wilderness areas: A pilot study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crayton, W.M.; Talbot, S.

1993-01-01

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge includes the Tuxedni Wilderness Area (WA), which is required to meet the Class 1 air quality requirements of the Clean Air Act (42 CFT 7401 et seq.). The Act specifically protects such areas from significant deterioration; however, most Class 1 Wilderness monitoring focuses on visual impairment and traditional atmospheric pollutants such as NOx. This study was designed to assess the feasibility of also measuring atmospheric transport of potentially toxic elemental and organic contaminants to remote areas as a pilot for subsequent monitoring of Service lands to be undertaken through the Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program. Located on the western shore of Cook Inlet, the Tuxedni WA lies about 80 km downwind of a major petroleum complex that the City of Anchorage. Elemental contaminants emanating from the city will be studied in two species of widely distributed alpine vegetation (Cladina rangiferina, a lichen; and Hylocomium splendens, a moss) collected from elevated windward slopes on Chisik Island, a remote site in the WA. Vegetation samples will be analyzed for a suite of potentially toxic elements by inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry and atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Polycyclic aromatic compounds originating from petroleum-related and urban sources will be studied through the deployment of lipid-containing passive accumulators and analysis by gas chromatography with photoionization detection. Reference areas will also be selected and monitored

Source identification of hydrocarbon contaminants and their transportation over the Zonguldak shelf, Turkish Black Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Unlu, S.; Alpar, B.

2009-04-01

Under great anthropogenic pressure due to the substantial freshwater input from the surrounding industrial and agricultural areas, especially central and middle-Eastern Europe, the Black Sea basin is ranked among the most ecologically threatened water bodies of the world. Oil levels are unacceptable in many coastal areas perilously close to polluted harbors and many river mouths; the places presenting the highest levels of bio-diversity and having a high socio-economic importance due to human use of coastal resources. There are about sixty sources of pollution which resulted in "hot spots" having disastrous impacts on sensitive marine and coastal areas and needing immediate priorities for action. Beyond such land-based sources, trans-boundary pollution sources from Black Sea riparian countries, heavy maritime traffic, particularly involving petroleum transports and fishing boats, and the improper disposal of ballast and bilge waters and solid waste are also important marine sources of pollution. Found in fossil fuels such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons are generated by incomplete combustion of organic matter. In order to estimate their distribution in sediment and their sources, they were monitored from the bottom samples offshore the Zonguldak industry region, one of the most polluted spots in the Turkish Black Sea. There the budget of pollutants via rivers is not precisely known due to an evident lack of data on chemical and granulometric composition of the river runoff and their fluxes. Therefore the marine sediments, essential components of marine ecosystems, are very important in our estimating the degree of the damage given to the ecosystem by such inputs. Realization of the sources and transport of these contaminants will be a critical tool for future management of the Zonguldak industry region and its watershed. The sea bottom in study area is composed of mainly sand and silt mixtures with small amount of clay. Geochemical analyses have shown that oil

Computer codes for three dimensional mass transport with non-linear sorption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noy, D.J.

1985-03-01

The report describes the mathematical background and data input to finite element programs for three dimensional mass transport in a porous medium. The transport equations are developed and sorption processes are included in a general way so that non-linear equilibrium relations can be introduced. The programs are described and a guide given to the construction of the required input data sets. Concluding remarks indicate that the calculations require substantial computer resources and suggest that comprehensive preliminary analysis with lower dimensional codes would be important in the assessment of field data. (author)

Regional Atmospheric Transport Code for Hanford Emission Tracking, Version 2 (RATCHET2)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramsdell, James V.; Rishel, Jeremy P.

2006-01-01

This manual describes the atmospheric model and computer code for the Atmospheric Transport Module within SAC. The Atmospheric Transport Module, called RATCHET2, calculates the time-integrated air concentration and surface deposition of airborne contaminants to the soil. The RATCHET2 code is an adaptation of the Regional Atmospheric Transport Code for Hanford Emissions Tracking (RATCHET). The original RATCHET code was developed to perform the atmospheric transport for the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project. Fundamentally, the two sets of codes are identical; no capabilities have been deleted from the original version of RATCHET. Most modifications are generally limited to revision of the run-specification file to streamline the simulation process for SAC.

Regional Atmospheric Transport Code for Hanford Emission Tracking, Version 2(RATCHET2)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramsdell, James V.; Rishel, Jeremy P.

2006-07-01

This manual describes the atmospheric model and computer code for the Atmospheric Transport Module within SAC. The Atmospheric Transport Module, called RATCHET2, calculates the time-integrated air concentration and surface deposition of airborne contaminants to the soil. The RATCHET2 code is an adaptation of the Regional Atmospheric Transport Code for Hanford Emissions Tracking (RATCHET). The original RATCHET code was developed to perform the atmospheric transport for the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project. Fundamentally, the two sets of codes are identical; no capabilities have been deleted from the original version of RATCHET. Most modifications are generally limited to revision of the run-specification file to streamline the simulation process for SAC.

Angular neutron transport investigation in the HZETRN free-space ion and nucleon transport and shielding computer program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singleterry, R.C. Jr.; Wilson, J.W.

1997-01-01

Extension of the high charge and energy (HZE) transport computer program HZETRN for angular transport of neutrons is considered. For this paper, only light ion transport, He 4 and lighter, will be analyzed using a pure solar proton source. The angular transport calculator is the ANISN/PC program which is being controlled by the HZETRN program. The neutron flux values are compared for straight-ahead transport and angular transport in one dimension. The shield material is aluminum and the target material is water. The thickness of these materials is varied; however, only the largest model calculated is reported which is 50 gm/cm 2 of aluminum and 100 gm/cm 2 of water. The flux from the ANISN/PC calculation is about two orders of magnitude lower than the flux from HZETRN for very low energy neutrons. It is only a magnitude lower for the neutrons in the 10 to 20 MeV range in the aluminum and two orders lower in the water. The major reason for this difference is in the transport modes: straight-ahead versus angular. The angular treatment allows a longer path length than the straight-ahead approximation. Another reason is the different cross section sets used by the ANISN/PC-BUGLE-80 mode and the HZETRN mode. The next step is to investigate further the differences between the two codes and isolate the differences to just the angular versus straight-ahead transport mode. Then, create a better coupling between the angular neutron transport and the charged particle transport

Computer module for scheduling of transportation of composite beam bridge structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bożejko Wojciech

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the theoretical basis, an algorithm and a computer module system supporting scheduling of transportation and assembly of structures of the composite beam bridge implemented in a Just In Time system (JIT. Tabu search method has been used in the optimization procedure.

The deterioration during transport and storage of tomato fruits by microorganisms contaminating the surface and latent infected tissue

OpenAIRE

河野, 又四; 寺下, 隆夫

1988-01-01

[Author abstract]Deterioration during transport and storage of tomato fruits is generally thought to be caused by microorganisms contaminating the surface and latent infected tissue of apparently healthy fruit. Counts of viable airborne microorganisms showed that there were more in plastic greenhouses than in open culure of tomatoes. Altemaria, Aspergillus niger, Asp. oryzae, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Mucor, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Trichothecium, Bacillus, Erwinia and Pseudomonas were among t...

Transport of contaminated groundwater to a river

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeevaert, T.

1990-09-01

Scenario B7 deals with the discharges of Cs-137, Sr-90, Pu-239 and Np-237 with the groundwater from an aquifer into a river, through the river sediment. The contamination of agricultural soil, brought about through the dredging of top sediment from the river, was also considered. Four models participated in this exercise, providing best estimate values. Only one model supplied uncertainty estimates. Brief descriptions of the models and their aims are given. the modelling of the processes taken into account for the computation of the radionuclide concentrations in river and soil compartments are described and the input parameter values are given. The model results are discussed and the reasons for the differences between the models are explained. Important discrepancies were observed. As far as the steady-state concentrations are concerned they were due to differences in the parameter values and transfer processes considered. The time-dependent concentration values depended strongly on the approach adopted for the modelling of the migration of the nuclides through the deep sediment in the source region. The major source of uncertainty pointed out by the model which performed an uncertainty analysis, was the distribution coefficient in the deep sediment. The conclusions and recommendations for improvement of the models, given at the end of the report, accentuate the lack of understanding of the phenomena occurring at the geosphere-biosphere interface and the importance of good communications between scientists of different disciplines. (au)

Transport and degradation of contaminants in the vadose zone

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schotanus, D.

2013-01-01

Leaching of contaminants from the vadose zone to the groundwater depends on the soil properties and the infiltration rate. In this thesis, organic degradable contaminants were studied, such as de-icing chemicals (consisting of propylene glycol, PG) and pesticides. Heterogeneous soil properties

Simulations of Ground-Water Flow, Transport, Age, and Particle Tracking near York, Nebraska, for a Study of Transport of Anthropogenic and Natural Contaminants (TANC) to Public-Supply Wells

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Brian R.; Landon, Matthew K.; Kauffman, Leon J.; Hornberger, George Z.

2008-01-01

Contamination of public-supply wells has resulted in public-health threats and negative economic effects for communities that must treat contaminated water or find alternative water supplies. To investigate factors controlling vulnerability of public-supply wells to anthropogenic and natural contaminants using consistent and systematic data collected in a variety of principal aquifer settings in the United States, a study of Transport of Anthropogenic and Natural Contaminants to public-supply wells was begun in 2001 as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program. The area simulated by the ground-water flow model described in this report was selected for a study of processes influencing contaminant distribution and transport along the direction of ground-water flow towards a public-supply well in southeastern York, Nebraska. Ground-water flow is simulated for a 60-year period from September 1, 1944, to August 31, 2004. Steady-state conditions are simulated prior to September 1, 1944, and represent conditions prior to use of ground water for irrigation. Irrigation, municipal, and industrial wells were simulated using the Multi-Node Well package of the modular three-dimensional ground-water flow model code, MODFLOW-2000, which allows simulation of flow and solutes through wells that are simulated in multiple nodes or layers. Ground-water flow, age, and transport of selected tracers were simulated using the Ground-Water Transport process of MODFLOW-2000. Simulated ground-water age was compared to interpreted ground-water age in six monitoring wells in the unconfined aquifer. The tracer chlorofluorocarbon-11 was simulated directly using Ground-Water Transport for comparison with concentrations measured in six monitoring wells and one public supply well screened in the upper confined aquifer. Three alternative model simulations indicate that simulation results are highly sensitive to the distribution of multilayer well bores where leakage

Contaminant exposure in terrestrial vertebrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, Philip N.; Cobb, George P.; Godard-Codding, Celine; Hoff, Dale; McMurry, Scott T.; Rainwater, Thomas R.; Reynolds, Kevin D.

2007-01-01

Here we review mechanisms and factors influencing contaminant exposure among terrestrial vertebrate wildlife. There exists a complex mixture of biotic and abiotic factors that dictate potential for contaminant exposure among terrestrial and semi-terrestrial vertebrates. Chemical fate and transport in the environment determine contaminant bioaccessibility. Species-specific natural history characteristics and behavioral traits then play significant roles in the likelihood that exposure pathways, from source to receptor, are complete. Detailed knowledge of natural history traits of receptors considered in conjunction with the knowledge of contaminant behavior and distribution on a site are critical when assessing and quantifying exposure. We review limitations in our understanding of elements of exposure and the unique aspects of exposure associated with terrestrial and semi-terrestrial taxa. We provide insight on taxa-specific traits that contribute, or limit exposure to, transport phenomenon that influence exposure throughout terrestrial systems, novel contaminants, bioavailability, exposure data analysis, and uncertainty associated with exposure in wildlife risk assessments. Lastly, we identify areas related to exposure among terrestrial and semi-terrestrial organisms that warrant additional research. - Both biotic and abiotic factors determine chemical exposure for terrestrial vertebrates

Thermodynamic and transport properties of nitrogen fluid: Molecular theory and computer simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Eskandari Nasrabad, A.; Laghaei, R.

2018-04-01

Computer simulations and various theories are applied to compute the thermodynamic and transport properties of nitrogen fluid. To model the nitrogen interaction, an existing potential in the literature is modified to obtain a close agreement between the simulation results and experimental data for the orthobaric densities. We use the Generic van der Waals theory to calculate the mean free volume and apply the results within the modified Cohen-Turnbull relation to obtain the self-diffusion coefficient. Compared to experimental data, excellent results are obtained via computer simulations for the orthobaric densities, the vapor pressure, the equation of state, and the shear viscosity. We analyze the results of the theory and computer simulations for the various thermophysical properties.

Computing and Comparing Effective Properties for Flow and Transport in Computer-Generated Porous Media

KAUST Repository

Allen, Rebecca; Sun, Shuyu

2017-01-01

We compute effective properties (i.e., permeability, hydraulic tortuosity, and diffusive tortuosity) of three different digital porous media samples, including in-line array of uniform shapes, staggered-array of squares, and randomly distributed squares. The permeability and hydraulic tortuosity are computed by solving a set of rescaled Stokes equations obtained by homogenization, and the diffusive tortuosity is computed by solving a homogenization problem given for the effective diffusion coefficient that is inversely related to diffusive tortuosity. We find that hydraulic and diffusive tortuosity can be quantitatively different by up to a factor of ten in the same pore geometry, which indicates that these tortuosity terms cannot be used interchangeably. We also find that when a pore geometry is characterized by an anisotropic permeability, the diffusive tortuosity (and correspondingly the effective diffusion coefficient) can also be anisotropic. This finding has important implications for reservoir-scale modeling of flow and transport, as it is more realistic to account for the anisotropy of both the permeability and the effective diffusion coefficient.

Computing and Comparing Effective Properties for Flow and Transport in Computer-Generated Porous Media

KAUST Repository

Allen, Rebecca

2017-02-13

We compute effective properties (i.e., permeability, hydraulic tortuosity, and diffusive tortuosity) of three different digital porous media samples, including in-line array of uniform shapes, staggered-array of squares, and randomly distributed squares. The permeability and hydraulic tortuosity are computed by solving a set of rescaled Stokes equations obtained by homogenization, and the diffusive tortuosity is computed by solving a homogenization problem given for the effective diffusion coefficient that is inversely related to diffusive tortuosity. We find that hydraulic and diffusive tortuosity can be quantitatively different by up to a factor of ten in the same pore geometry, which indicates that these tortuosity terms cannot be used interchangeably. We also find that when a pore geometry is characterized by an anisotropic permeability, the diffusive tortuosity (and correspondingly the effective diffusion coefficient) can also be anisotropic. This finding has important implications for reservoir-scale modeling of flow and transport, as it is more realistic to account for the anisotropy of both the permeability and the effective diffusion coefficient.

Transport maps and dimension reduction for Bayesian computation

KAUST Repository

Marzouk, Youssef

2015-01-01

We introduce a new framework for efficient sampling from complex probability distributions, using a combination of optimal transport maps and the Metropolis-Hastings rule. The core idea is to use continuous transportation to transform typical Metropolis proposal mechanisms (e.g., random walks, Langevin methods) into non-Gaussian proposal distributions that can more effectively explore the target density. Our approach adaptively constructs a lower triangular transport map—an approximation of the Knothe-Rosenblatt rearrangement—using information from previous MCMC states, via the solution of an optimization problem. This optimization problem is convex regardless of the form of the target distribution. It is solved efficiently using a Newton method that requires no gradient information from the target probability distribution; the target distribution is instead represented via samples. Sequential updates enable efficient and parallelizable adaptation of the map even for large numbers of samples. We show that this approach uses inexact or truncated maps to produce an adaptive MCMC algorithm that is ergodic for the exact target distribution. Numerical demonstrations on a range of parameter inference problems show order-of-magnitude speedups over standard MCMC techniques, measured by the number of effectively independent samples produced per target density evaluation and per unit of wallclock time. We will also discuss adaptive methods for the construction of transport maps in high dimensions, where use of a non-adapted basis (e.g., a total order polynomial expansion) can become computationally prohibitive. If only samples of the target distribution, rather than density evaluations, are available, then we can construct high-dimensional transformations by composing sparsely parameterized transport maps with rotations of the parameter space. If evaluations of the target density and its gradients are available, then one can exploit the structure of the variational

Transport maps and dimension reduction for Bayesian computation

KAUST Repository

Marzouk, Youssef

2015-01-07

We introduce a new framework for efficient sampling from complex probability distributions, using a combination of optimal transport maps and the Metropolis-Hastings rule. The core idea is to use continuous transportation to transform typical Metropolis proposal mechanisms (e.g., random walks, Langevin methods) into non-Gaussian proposal distributions that can more effectively explore the target density. Our approach adaptively constructs a lower triangular transport map—an approximation of the Knothe-Rosenblatt rearrangement—using information from previous MCMC states, via the solution of an optimization problem. This optimization problem is convex regardless of the form of the target distribution. It is solved efficiently using a Newton method that requires no gradient information from the target probability distribution; the target distribution is instead represented via samples. Sequential updates enable efficient and parallelizable adaptation of the map even for large numbers of samples. We show that this approach uses inexact or truncated maps to produce an adaptive MCMC algorithm that is ergodic for the exact target distribution. Numerical demonstrations on a range of parameter inference problems show order-of-magnitude speedups over standard MCMC techniques, measured by the number of effectively independent samples produced per target density evaluation and per unit of wallclock time. We will also discuss adaptive methods for the construction of transport maps in high dimensions, where use of a non-adapted basis (e.g., a total order polynomial expansion) can become computationally prohibitive. If only samples of the target distribution, rather than density evaluations, are available, then we can construct high-dimensional transformations by composing sparsely parameterized transport maps with rotations of the parameter space. If evaluations of the target density and its gradients are available, then one can exploit the structure of the variational

Computational complexity in multidimensional neutron transport theory calculations. Progress report, September 1, 1975--August 31, 1976

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bareiss, E.H.

1976-05-01

The objectives of the work are to develop mathematically and computationally founded for the design of highly efficient and reliable multidimensional neutron transport codes to solve a variety of neutron migration and radiation problems, and to analyze existing and new methods for performance. As new analytical insights are gained, new numerical methods are developed and tested. Significant results obtained include implementation of the integer-preserving Gaussian elimination method (two-step method) in a CDC 6400 computer code, modes analysis for one-dimensional transport solutions, and a new method for solving the 1-T transport equation. Some of the work dealt with the interface and corner problem in diffusion theory

Transport of Chemotactic Bacteria in Porous Media with Structured Heterogeneity

Science.gov (United States)

Ford, R. M.; Wang, M.; Liu, J.; Long, T.

2008-12-01

Chemical contaminants that become trapped in low permeability zones (e.g. clay lenses) are difficult to remediate using conventional pump-and-treat approaches. Chemotactic bacteria that are transported by groundwater through more permeable regions may migrate toward these less permeable zones in response to chemical gradients created by contaminant diffusion from the low permeability source, thereby enhancing the remediation process by directing bacteria to the contaminants they degrade. What effect does the heterogeneity associated with coarse- and fine-grained layers that are characteristic of natural groundwater environments have on the transport of microorganisms and their chemotactic response? To address this question experiments were conducted over a range of scales from a single capillary tube to a laboratory- scale column in both static and flowing systems with and without chemoattractant gradients. In static capillary assays, motile bacteria accumulated at the interface between an aqueous solution and a suspension of agarose particulates. In microfluidic devices with an array of staggered cylinders, chemotactic bacteria migrated transverse to flow in response to a chemoattractant gradient. In sand columns packed with a coarse-grained core and surrounded by a fine-grained annulus, chemotactic bacteria migrated preferentially toward a chemoattractant source along the centerline. Mathematical models and computer simulations were developed to analyze the experimental observations in terms of transport parameters from the advection- disperson-sorption equation.

Computational dosimetry and risk assessment of radioinduced cancer: studies in mammary glands radiotherapy, radiopharmaceuticals and internal contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendes, Bruno Melo

2017-01-01

The use of Ionizing radiation (IR) in medicine has increased considerably. The benefits generated by diagnostic and therapy techniques with IR are proven. Nevertheless, the risks arising from these uses should not be underestimated. Justification, a basic radiation protection, states that the benefits from exposures must outweigh detriment. The cancer induction is one of the detriment components. Thus, the study of the benefit/detriment ratio should take into account cancer incidence and mortality estimations resulting from a given diagnosis or therapy radiological technique. The risk of cancer induction depends on the absorbed doses in the irradiated organs and tissues. Thus, IR dosimetry is essential to evaluate the benefit/detriment ratio. The present work aims to perform computational dosimetric evaluations and estimations of cancer induction risk after ionizing radiation exposure. The investigated situations cover nuclear medicine, radiological contamination and radiotherapy fields. Computational dosimetry, with MCNPx Monte Carlo Code, was used as a tool to calculate the absorbed dose in the interest organs of the voxelized human models. The simulations were also used to obtain calibration factors and optimization of in vivo monitoring systems for internal contamination dosimetry. A breast radiotherapy (RT) standard protocol was simulated using the MCNPx code. The calculation of the radiation-induced cancer risk was adapted from the BEIR VII methodology for the Brazilian population. The absorbed doses used in the risk calculations were obtained through computational simulations of different exposure scenarios. During this work, two new computational phantoms, DM B RA and VW, were generated from tomographic images. Additional twelve voxelized phantoms, including the reference phantoms, RCP A M and RCP A F, and the child, baby, and fetus models were adapted to run on MCNP. Internal Dosimetry Protocols (IDP) for radiopharmaceuticals and for internal contamination

The effects of a perturbed source on contaminant transport near the Weldon Spring quarry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomasko, D.

1989-03-01

The effects of a perturbed contamination source at the Weldon Spring quarry in St. Charles County, Missouri, on downstream solute concentrations were investigated using one-dimensional analytical solutions to an advection-dispersion equation developed for both constant-strength and multiple-stepped source functions. A sensitivity study using parameter base-case values and ranges consistent with the geologic conceptualization of the quarry area indicates that the parameters having the greatest effect on predicted concentrations are the distance from the quarry to the point of interest, the average linear groundwater velocity, the contaminant retardation coefficient, and the amplitude and duration of the source perturbation caused by response action activities. Use of base-case parameter value and realistic values for the amplitude and duration of the source perturbation produced a small effect on solute concentrations near the western extremity of the nearby municipal well field, as well as small uncertainties in the predicted results for the assumed model. The effect of simplifying assumptions made in deriving the analytic solution is unknown: use of a multidimensional flow and transport model and additional field work are needed to validate the model. 13 refs., 18 figs

Complex relationship between groundwater velocity and concentration of radioactive contaminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaszeta, F.E.; Bond, F.W.

1980-01-01

This paper uses the results from the Multi-component Mass Transport model to examine the complex interrelationship between groundwater velocity and contaminant dispersion, decay, and retardation with regard to their influence on the contaminant concentration distribution as it travels through the geosphere to the biosphere. The rate of transport of contaminants through the geosphere is governed by groundwater velocity, leach rate, and contaminant retardation. The dominant characteristics of the contaminant concentration distribution are inherited during leaching and modified during transport by dilution, dispersion and decay. For a hypothetical non-decaying, non-dispersing contaminant with no retardation properties, the shape of the source term distribution is governed by the groundwater velocity (dilution) and leach rate. This distribution remains unchanged throughout transport. Under actual conditions, however, dispersion, decay and retardation modify the concentration distribution during both leaching and transport. The amount of dispersion is determined by the distance traveled, but it does have a greater peak-reducing influence on spiked distributions than square-shaped distributions. Decay acts as an overall scaling factor on the concentration distribution. Retardation alters the contaminant travel time and therefore indirectly influences the amount of dilution, dispersion and decay. Simple relationships between individual parameters and groundwater velocity as they influence peak concentration do not exist. For those cases where the source term is not solubility-limited and flow past the waste is independent of regional hydrologic conditions, a threshold concentration occurs at a specific groundwater velocity where the effects of dilution balance those of dispersion and decay

Transport and transformation of pharmaceuticals and other contaminants of emerging concern from wastewater discharge through surface water to drinking water intake and treatment

Science.gov (United States)

The ubiquitous presence of pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in surface-water resources have necessitated research that better elucidates pathways of transport and transformation for these compounds from their discharged wastewater, thro...

Local and distant residence times of contaminants in multi-compartment models. Part II: Application to assessing environmental mobility and long-range atmospheric transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reid, Liisa; Mackay, Don

2008-01-01

In Part I, the concepts of inherent, local and distant residence times (DRTs) were reviewed as metrics of the extent to which chemical discharges or emissions in one region or box are transported to distant regions. In this second part, the concepts are applied to geographically relevant systems to illustrate their applicability to the assessment of chemicals for long-range transport potential (LRTP). It is shown that the relative ranking of chemicals as characterized by the DRT method is similar to that of the characteristic travel distance concept. A DRT source-receptor matrix is developed that can express the chemical-specific potential of source regions to contaminate a specific receptor region of concern such as the Arctic. The matrix can be modified to identify for a specific source region the likely destinations of emissions as well as to assess the relative vulnerability of regions in the global environment to contaminants of concern. - The DRT concept is applied to multi-box and geographically explicit models to assess the long-range transport potential of 10 chemicals

Biological Remediation of Petroleum Contaminants

Science.gov (United States)

Kuhad, Ramesh Chander; Gupta, Rishi

Large volumes of hazardous wastes are generated in the form of oily sludges and contaminated soils during crude oil transportation and processing. Although many physical, chemical and biological treatment technologies are available for petroleum contaminants petroleum contaminants in soil, biological methods have been considered the most cost-effective. Practical biological remediation methods typically involve direct use of the microbes naturally occurring in the contaminated environment and/or cultured indigenous or modified microorganisms. Environmental and nutritional factors, including the properties of the soil, the chemical structure of the hydrocarbon(s), oxygen, water, nutrient availability, pH, temperature, and contaminant bioavailability, can significantly affect the rate and the extent of hydrocarbon biodegradation hydrocarbon biodegradation by microorganisms in contaminated soils. This chapter concisely discusses the major aspects of bioremediation of petroleum contaminants.

Computational Approaches for Revealing the Structure of Membrane Transporters: Case Study on Bilitranslocase

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katja Venko

Full Text Available The structural and functional details of transmembrane proteins are vastly underexplored, mostly due to experimental difficulties regarding their solubility and stability. Currently, the majority of transmembrane protein structures are still unknown and this present a huge experimental and computational challenge. Nowadays, thanks to X-ray crystallography or NMR spectroscopy over 3000 structures of membrane proteins have been solved, among them only a few hundred unique ones. Due to the vast biological and pharmaceutical interest in the elucidation of the structure and the functional mechanisms of transmembrane proteins, several computational methods have been developed to overcome the experimental gap. If combined with experimental data the computational information enables rapid, low cost and successful predictions of the molecular structure of unsolved proteins. The reliability of the predictions depends on the availability and accuracy of experimental data associated with structural information. In this review, the following methods are proposed for in silico structure elucidation: sequence-dependent predictions of transmembrane regions, predictions of transmembrane helix–helix interactions, helix arrangements in membrane models, and testing their stability with molecular dynamics simulations. We also demonstrate the usage of the computational methods listed above by proposing a model for the molecular structure of the transmembrane protein bilitranslocase. Bilitranslocase is bilirubin membrane transporter, which shares similar tissue distribution and functional properties with some of the members of the Organic Anion Transporter family and is the only member classified in the Bilirubin Transporter Family. Regarding its unique properties, bilitranslocase is a potentially interesting drug target. Keywords: Membrane proteins, Bilitranslocase, 3D protein structure, Transmembrane region predictors, Helix–helix interactions

Nitrate contamination of groundwater: A conceptual management framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almasri, Mohammad N.

2007-01-01

In many countries, public concern over the deterioration of groundwater quality from nitrate contamination has grown significantly in recent years. This concern has focused increasingly on anthropogenic sources as the potential cause of the problem. Evidence indicates that the nitrate (NO 3 ) levels routinely exceed the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 mg/l NO 3 -N in many aquifer systems that underlie agriculture-dominated watersheds. Degradation of groundwater quality due to nitrate pollution along with the increasing demand for potable water has motivated the adoption of restoration actions of the contaminated aquifers. Restoration efforts have intensified the dire need for developing protection alternatives and management options such that the ultimate nitrate concentrations at the critical receptors are below the MCL. This paper presents a general conceptual framework for the management of groundwater contamination from nitrate. The management framework utilizes models of nitrate fate and transport in the unsaturated and saturated zones to simulate nitrate concentration at the critical receptors. To study the impact of different management options considering both environmental and economic aspects, the proposed framework incorporates a component of a multi-criteria decision analysis. To enhance spatiality in model development along with the management options, the utilization of a land use map is depicted for the allocation and computation of on-ground nitrogen loadings from the different sources

Bayesian based design of real-time sensor systems for high-risk indoor contaminants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sreedharan, Priya [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2007-01-01

The sudden release of toxic contaminants that reach indoor spaces can be hazardousto building occupants. To respond effectively, the contaminant release must be quicklydetected and characterized to determine unobserved parameters, such as release locationand strength. Characterizing the release requires solving an inverse problem. Designinga robust real-time sensor system that solves the inverse problem is challenging becausethe fate and transport of contaminants is complex, sensor information is limited andimperfect, and real-time estimation is computationally constrained.This dissertation uses a system-level approach, based on a Bayes Monte Carloframework, to develop sensor-system design concepts and methods. I describe threeinvestigations that explore complex relationships among sensors, network architecture,interpretation algorithms, and system performance. The investigations use data obtainedfrom tracer gas experiments conducted in a real building. The influence of individual sensor characteristics on the sensor-system performance for binary-type contaminant sensors is analyzed. Performance tradeoffs among sensor accuracy, threshold level and response time are identified; these attributes could not be inferred without a system-level analysis. For example, more accurate but slower sensors are found to outperform less accurate but faster sensors. Secondly, I investigate how the sensor-system performance can be understood in terms of contaminant transport processes and the model representation that is used to solve the inverse problem. The determination of release location and mass are shown to be related to and constrained by transport and mixing time scales. These time scales explain performance differences among different sensor networks. For example, the effect of longer sensor response times is comparably less for releases with longer mixing time scales. The third investigation explores how information fusion from heterogeneous sensors may improve the sensor

Scalable and massively parallel Monte Carlo photon transport simulations for heterogeneous computing platforms.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Leiming; Nina-Paravecino, Fanny; Kaeli, David; Fang, Qianqian

2018-01-01

We present a highly scalable Monte Carlo (MC) three-dimensional photon transport simulation platform designed for heterogeneous computing systems. Through the development of a massively parallel MC algorithm using the Open Computing Language framework, this research extends our existing graphics processing unit (GPU)-accelerated MC technique to a highly scalable vendor-independent heterogeneous computing environment, achieving significantly improved performance and software portability. A number of parallel computing techniques are investigated to achieve portable performance over a wide range of computing hardware. Furthermore, multiple thread-level and device-level load-balancing strategies are developed to obtain efficient simulations using multiple central processing units and GPUs. (2018) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

Isotope hydrology: Investigating groundwater contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dubinchuk, V.; Froehlich, K.; Gonfiantini, R.

1989-01-01

Groundwater quality has worsened in many regions, with sometimes serious consequences. Decontaminating groundwater is an extremely slow process, and sometimes impossible, because of the generally long residence time of the water in most geological formations. Major causes of contamination are poor groundwater management (often dictated by immediate social needs) and the lack of regulations and control over the use and disposal of contaminants. These types of problems have prompted an increasing demand for investigations directed at gaining insight into the behaviour of contaminants in the hydrological cycle. Major objectives are to prevent pollution and degradation of groundwater resources, or, if contamination already has occurred, to identify its origin so that remedies can be proposed. Environmental isotopes have proved to be a powerful tool for groundwater pollution studies. The IAEA has had a co-ordinated research programme since 1987 on the application of nuclear techniques to determine the transport of contaminants in groundwater. An isotope hydrology project is being launched within the framework of the IAEA's regional co-operative programme in Latin America (known as ARCAL). Main objectives are the application of environmental isotopes to problems of groundwater assessment and contamination in Latin America. In 1989, another co-ordinated research programme is planned under which isotopic and other tracers will be used for the validation of mathematical models in groundwater transport studies

Numerical simulation of seasonal heat storage in a contaminated shallow aquifer - Temperature influence on flow, transport and reaction processes

Science.gov (United States)

Popp, Steffi; Beyer, Christof; Dahmke, Andreas; Bauer, Sebastian

2015-04-01

The energy market in Germany currently faces a rapid transition from nuclear power and fossil fuels towards an increased production of energy from renewable resources like wind or solar power. In this context, seasonal heat storage in the shallow subsurface is becoming more and more important, particularly in urban regions with high population densities and thus high energy and heat demand. Besides the effects of increased or decreased groundwater and sediment temperatures on local and large-scale groundwater flow, transport, geochemistry and microbiology, an influence on subsurface contaminations, which may be present in the urban surbsurface, can be expected. Currently, concerns about negative impacts of temperature changes on groundwater quality are the main barrier for the approval of heat storage at or close to contaminated sites. The possible impacts of heat storage on subsurface contamination, however, have not been investigated in detail yet. Therefore, this work investigates the effects of a shallow seasonal heat storage on subsurface groundwater flow, transport and reaction processes in the presence of an organic contamination using numerical scenario simulations. A shallow groundwater aquifer is assumed, which consists of Pleistoscene sandy sediments typical for Northern Germany. The seasonal heat storage in these scenarios is performed through arrays of borehole heat exchangers (BHE), where different setups with 6 and 72 BHE, and temperatures during storage between 2°C and 70°C are analyzed. The developing heat plume in the aquifer interacts with a residual phase of a trichloroethene (TCE) contamination. The plume of dissolved TCE emitted from this source zone is degraded by reductive dechlorination through microbes present in the aquifer, which degrade TCE under anaerobic redox conditions to the degradation products dichloroethene, vinyl chloride and ethene. The temperature dependence of the microbial degradation activity of each degradation step is

Contamination Analysis Tools

Science.gov (United States)

Brieda, Lubos

2015-01-01

This talk presents 3 different tools developed recently for contamination analysis:HTML QCM analyzer: runs in a web browser, and allows for data analysis of QCM log filesJava RGA extractor: can load in multiple SRS.ana files and extract pressure vs. time dataC++ Contamination Simulation code: 3D particle tracing code for modeling transport of dust particulates and molecules. Uses residence time to determine if molecules stick. Particulates can be sampled from IEST-STD-1246 and be accelerated by aerodynamic forces.

Efficient method for computing the electronic transport properties of a multiterminal system

Science.gov (United States)

Lima, Leandro R. F.; Dusko, Amintor; Lewenkopf, Caio

2018-04-01

We present a multiprobe recursive Green's function method to compute the transport properties of mesoscopic systems using the Landauer-Büttiker approach. By introducing an adaptive partition scheme, we map the multiprobe problem into the standard two-probe recursive Green's function method. We apply the method to compute the longitudinal and Hall resistances of a disordered graphene sample, a system of current interest. We show that the performance and accuracy of our method compares very well with other state-of-the-art schemes.

Contaminant geochemistry. Interactions and transport in the subsurface environment. 2. ed.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berkowitz, Brian; Dror, Ishai; Yaron, Bruno [Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot (Israel). Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences

2014-07-01

In this updated and expanded second edition, new literature has been added on contaminant fate in the soil-subsurface environment. In particular, more data on the behavior of inorganic contaminants and on engineered nanomaterials were included, the latter comprising a group of ''emerging contaminants'' that may reach the soil and subsurface zones. New chapters are devoted to a new perspective of contaminant geochemistry, namely irreversible changes in pristine land and subsurface systems following chemical contamination. Two chapters were added on this topic, focusing attention on the impact of chemical contaminants on the matrix and properties of both liquid and solid phases of soil and subsurface domains. Contaminant impacts on irreversible changes occurring in groundwater are discussed and their irreversible changes on the porous medium solid phase are surveyed. In contrast to the geological time scale controlling natural changes of porous media liquid and solid phases, the time scale associated with chemical pollutant induced changes is far shorter and extends over a ''human lifetime scale''.

Precipitation of metals in produced water : influence on contaminant transport and toxicity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azetsu-Scott, K.; Wohlgeschaffen, G.; Yeats, P.; Dalziel, J.; Niven, S.; Lee, K.

2006-01-01

Produced water contains a number of compounds of environmental concern and is the largest volume waste stream from oil and gas production activities. Recent studies have shown that chemicals dissolved in waste water from oil platforms stunted the growth of North Sea cod and affected their breeding patterns. Scientific research is needed to identify the impact of produced water discharges on the environment as well as to identify acceptable disposal limits for produced water. This presentation provided details of a study to characterize produced water discharged within the Atlantic regions of Canada. The study included dose response biological effect studies; research on processes controlling the transport and transformation of contaminants associated with produced water discharges and the development of risk assessment models. The sample location for the study was a site near Sable Island off the coast of Nova Scotia. Chemical analysis of the produced water was conducted as well as toxicity tests. Other tests included a time-series particulate matter sedimentation test; time-series metal and toxicity analysis; time-series change in metal precipitates tests and a produced water/seawater layering experiment. Dissolved and particulate fractions were presented, and the relationship between toxicity and particulate concentrations was examined. Results of the study suggested that produced water contaminants are variable over spatial and temporal scales due to source variations and changes in discharge rates. Chemical changes occur within 24 hours of produced water being mixed with seawater and facilitate contaminant partitioning between the surface micro layer, water column and sediments. Changes in the toxicity of the produced water are correlated with the partitioning of chemical components. The impact zone may be influenced by chemical kinetics that control the distribution of potential toxic metals. Further research is needed to investigate the effects of low level

The Oak Ridge Field Research Center : Advancing Scientific Understanding of the Transportation, Fate, and Remediation of Subsurface Contamination Sources and Plumes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

David Watson

2005-01-01

Historical research, development, and testing of nuclear materials across this country resulted in subsurface contamination that has been identified at over 7,000 discrete sites across the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) complex. With the end of the Cold War threat, DOE has shifted its emphasis to remediation, decommissioning, and decontamination of the immense volumes of contaminated groundwater, sediments, and structures at its sites. DOE currently is responsible for remediating 1.7 trillion gallons of contaminated groundwater, an amount equal to approximately four times the daily U.S. water consumption, and 40 million cubic meters of contaminated soil, enough to fill approximately 17 professional sports stadiums.* DOE also sponsors research intended to improve or develop remediation technologies, especially for difficult, currently intractable contaminants or conditions. The Oak Ridge FRC is representative of some difficult sites, contaminants, and conditions. Buried wastes in contact with a shallow water table have created huge reservoirs of contamination. Rainfall patterns affect the water table level seasonally and over time. Further, the hydrogeology of the area, with its fractures and karst geology, affects the movement of contaminant plumes. Plumes have migrated long distances and to surface discharge points through ill-defined preferred flowpaths created by the fractures and karst conditions. From the standpoint of technical effectiveness, remediation options are limited, especially for contaminated groundwater. Moreover, current remediation practices for the source areas, such as capping, can affect coupled processes that, in turn, may affect the movement of subsurface contaminants in unknown ways. Research conducted at the FRC or with FRC samples therefore promotes understanding of the processes that influence the transport and fate of subsurface contaminants, the effectiveness and long-term consequences of extant remediation options, and the

Modelling migration in the marine environment of radioactive substances from Fukushima Daiichi with the use of computer code POMRad

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krylov, A.L.; Nossov, A.V.; Kisselev, V.P. [Nuclear Safety Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, 52, B. Tulskaya, Moscow (Russian Federation)

2014-07-01

Fukushima accident proved once more the necessity of computer codes for modelling of radioactive substances migration in the marine environment. Radionuclides were discharged (and leaked) into the sea with contaminated waters and fell-out from the atmosphere. Unfortunately assessments of the radioactivity sources differ significantly. The uncertainty is significant as for contamination that took place in months following the disaster as for leakages that took place in 2013. According to most researches, in the spring of 2011 the most important sources of radioactive pollution of the sea were direct inflows of contaminated water. In the long-term, due to contamination of river basins, the inflow of radioactivity with river waters may become the most significant source. Strontium, iodine and cesium tend to migrate in seas in dissolved state due to small values of K{sub d} (distribution factor water - suspended sediments). However distribution factor of Cs in fresh water is high. Thus it can be assumed that most of cesium entering the sea with a river flow will be sorbed on suspended particles. Sedimentation of the particles can lead to development of contaminated areas of bottom sediments. Thus modelling migration and transformation of radionuclides in water bodies is an important radioecological problem. The three-dimensional dynamic computer code POMRad is a tool for solution of the problem. It can be used to implement full cycle of modelling: - hydrological modelling - computation of fields of currents (and other important hydrological characteristics); - sediment transport modelling (cohesive, non-cohesive and 'hot particles' if necessary); - radioactivity transport modelling (taking into account decay, sorption, desorption, etc). The article is aimed to give a brief description of the computer code and examples of its use for modelling of migration in the sea of radionuclides from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (NPP). The base of POMRad is the

Contaminant transport in aquifers: improving the determination of model parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sabino, C.V.S.; Moreira, R.M.; Lula, Z.L.; Chausson, Y.; Magalhaes, W.F.; Vianna, M.N.

1998-01-01

Parameters conditioning the migration behavior of cesium and mercury are measured with their tracers 137 Cs and 203 Hg in the laboratory, using both batch and column experiments. Batch tests were used to define the sorption isotherm characteristics. Also investigated were the influences of some test parameters, in particular those due to the volume of water to mass of soil ratio (V/m). A provisional relationship between V/m and the distribution coefficient, K d , has been advanced, and a procedure to estimate K d 's valid for environmental values of the ratio V/m has been suggested. Column tests provided the parameters for a transport model. A major problem to be dealt with in such tests is the collimation of the radioactivity probe. Besides mechanically optimizing the collimator, a deconvolution procedure has been suggested and tested, with statistical criteria, to filter off both noise and spurious tracer signals. Correction procedures for the integrating effect introduced by sampling at the exit of columns have also been developed. These techniques may be helpful in increasing the accuracy required in the measurement of parameters conditioning contaminant migration in soils, thus allowing more reliable predictions based on mathematical model applications. (author)

UNCERT: geostatistics, uncertainty analysis and visualization software applied to groundwater flow and contaminant transport modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wingle, W.L.; Poeter, E.P.; McKenna, S.A.

1999-01-01

UNCERT is a 2D and 3D geostatistics, uncertainty analysis and visualization software package applied to ground water flow and contaminant transport modeling. It is a collection of modules that provides tools for linear regression, univariate statistics, semivariogram analysis, inverse-distance gridding, trend-surface analysis, simple and ordinary kriging and discrete conditional indicator simulation. Graphical user interfaces for MODFLOW and MT3D, ground water flow and contaminant transport models, are provided for streamlined data input and result analysis. Visualization tools are included for displaying data input and output. These include, but are not limited to, 2D and 3D scatter plots, histograms, box and whisker plots, 2D contour maps, surface renderings of 2D gridded data and 3D views of gridded data. By design, UNCERT's graphical user interface and visualization tools facilitate model design and analysis. There are few built in restrictions on data set sizes and each module (with two exceptions) can be run in either graphical or batch mode. UNCERT is in the public domain and is available from the World Wide Web with complete on-line and printable (PDF) documentation. UNCERT is written in ANSI-C with a small amount of FORTRAN77, for UNIX workstations running X-Windows and Motif (or Lesstif). This article discusses the features of each module and demonstrates how they can be used individually and in combination. The tools are applicable to a wide range of fields and are currently used by researchers in the ground water, mining, mathematics, chemistry and geophysics, to name a few disciplines. (Copyright (c) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

Preface: Nonclassical Transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bolshov, L.; Kondratenko, P.; Pruess, K.

2008-01-01

Transport phenomena in highly heterogeneous media can be dramatically different from those in homogeneous media and therefore are of great fundamental and practical interest. Anomalous transport occurs in semiconductor physics, plasma physics, astrophysics, biology, and other areas. It plays an especially important role in hydrogeology because it may govern the rate of migration and degree of dispersion of groundwater contaminants from hazardous waste sites. The series of four articles in this special section of Vadose Zone Journal is devoted to transport phenomena in heterogeneous media in the context of geologic disposal of radioactive waste. It contains the results of joint investigations performed at the Nuclear Safety Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. The work was supported by the U.S. DOE (under Contract No. DEAC02-05CH11231). The problems addressed in this research involve a broad range of space and time scales and were approached using modern methods of theoretical and computational physics, such as scaling analysis and diagrammatic techniques used before in critical phenomena theory. Special attention is paid to the asymptotics of concentration behavior (concentration tails). This issue is exceptionally important for the reliability assessments of radioactive waste disposal because, depending on the structure of the tails, concentrations at large distances from the source can differ by many orders of magnitude. In the first paper of this special section, Bolshov et al. (2008b) present an overview of field and laboratory observations that demonstrate nonclassical flow and transport behavior in geologic media. It is recognized that natural fracture networks as a rule have fractal geometry and can be classified as percolation systems. This is one of the main factors giving rise to anomalous transport in geologic media. Another important factor is the presence of contaminant traps provided by

A nonequilibrium model for reactive contaminant transport through fractured porous media: Model development and semianalytical solution

Science.gov (United States)

Joshi, Nitin; Ojha, C. S. P.; Sharma, P. K.

2012-10-01

In this study a conceptual model that accounts for the effects of nonequilibrium contaminant transport in a fractured porous media is developed. Present model accounts for both physical and sorption nonequilibrium. Analytical solution was developed using the Laplace transform technique, which was then numerically inverted to obtain solute concentration in the fracture matrix system. The semianalytical solution developed here can incorporate both semi-infinite and finite fracture matrix extent. In addition, the model can account for flexible boundary conditions and nonzero initial condition in the fracture matrix system. The present semianalytical solution was validated against the existing analytical solutions for the fracture matrix system. In order to differentiate between various sorption/transport mechanism different cases of sorption and mass transfer were analyzed by comparing the breakthrough curves and temporal moments. It was found that significant differences in the signature of sorption and mass transfer exists. Applicability of the developed model was evaluated by simulating the published experimental data of Calcium and Strontium transport in a single fracture. The present model simulated the experimental data reasonably well in comparison to the model based on equilibrium sorption assumption in fracture matrix system, and multi rate mass transfer model.

Integral transport computation of gamma detector response with the CPM2 code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, D.B.

1989-12-01

CPM-2 Version 3 is an enhanced version of the CPM-2 lattice physics computer code which supports the capabilities to (1) perform a two-dimensional gamma flux calculation and (2) perform Restart/Data file maintenance operations. The Gamma Calculation Module implemented in CPM-2 was first developed for EPRI in the CASMO-1 computer code by Studsvik Energiteknik under EPRI Agreement RP2352-01. The gamma transport calculation uses the CPM-HET code module to calculate the transport of gamma rays in two dimensions in a mixed cylindrical-rectangular geometry, where the basic fuel assembly and component regions are maintained in a rectangular geometry, but the fuel pins are represented as cylinders within a square pin cell mesh. Such a capability is needed to represent gamma transport in an essentially transparent medium containing spatially distributed ''black'' cylindrical pins. Under a subcontract to RP2352-01, RPI developed the gamma production and gamma interaction library used for gamma calculation. The CPM-2 gamma calculation was verified against reference results generated by Studsvik using the CASMO-1 program. The CPM-2 Restart/Data file maintenance capabilities provide the user with options to copy files between Restart/Data tapes and to purge files from the Restart/Data tapes

The Approximate Bayesian Computation methods in the localization of the atmospheric contamination source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kopka, P; Wawrzynczak, A; Borysiewicz, M

2015-01-01

In many areas of application, a central problem is a solution to the inverse problem, especially estimation of the unknown model parameters to model the underlying dynamics of a physical system precisely. In this situation, the Bayesian inference is a powerful tool to combine observed data with prior knowledge to gain the probability distribution of searched parameters. We have applied the modern methodology named Sequential Approximate Bayesian Computation (S-ABC) to the problem of tracing the atmospheric contaminant source. The ABC is technique commonly used in the Bayesian analysis of complex models and dynamic system. Sequential methods can significantly increase the efficiency of the ABC. In the presented algorithm, the input data are the on-line arriving concentrations of released substance registered by distributed sensor network from OVER-LAND ATMOSPHERIC DISPERSION (OLAD) experiment. The algorithm output are the probability distributions of a contamination source parameters i.e. its particular location, release rate, speed and direction of the movement, start time and duration. The stochastic approach presented in this paper is completely general and can be used in other fields where the parameters of the model bet fitted to the observable data should be found. (paper)

Simulation of reactive geochemical transport in groundwater using a semi-analytical screening model

Science.gov (United States)

McNab, Walt W.

1997-10-01

A reactive geochemical transport model, based on a semi-analytical solution to the advective-dispersive transport equation in two dimensions, is developed as a screening tool for evaluating the impact of reactive contaminants on aquifer hydrogeochemistry. Because the model utilizes an analytical solution to the transport equation, it is less computationally intensive than models based on numerical transport schemes, is faster, and it is not subject to numerical dispersion effects. Although the assumptions used to construct the model preclude consideration of reactions between the aqueous and solid phases, thermodynamic mineral saturation indices are calculated to provide qualitative insight into such reactions. Test problems involving acid mine drainage and hydrocarbon biodegradation signatures illustrate the utility of the model in simulating essential hydrogeochemical phenomena.

Transport of contaminants from energy-process-waste leachates through subsurface soils and soil components: laboratory experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wangen, L.E.; Stallings, E.A.; Walker, R.D.

1982-08-01

The subsurface transport and attenuation of inorganic contaminants common to a variety of energy process waste leachates are being studied using laboratory column methods. Anionic species currently being emphasized are As, B, Mo, and Se. Transport of the cations Cd and Ni is also being studied. The solid adsorbents consist of three soil mineral components (silica sand, kaolinite, and goethite), and four subsurface soils (a dunal sand, an oxidic sandy clay loam, an acidic clay loam, and an alkaline clay loam). Breakthrough patterns of these species from packed soil columns are followed by monitoring eluent concentrations vs time under carefully controlled laboratory conditions. This report describes the experimental methods being used, the results of preliminary batch adsorption studies, and the results of column experiments completed through calendar year 1981. Using column influent concentrations of about 10 mg/l, adsorption (mmoles/100 g) has been determined from the eluent volume corresponding to 50% breakthrough. On silica sand, kaolinite, dunal sand, and goethite, respectively, these are 2.0 x 10 -4 , 0.020, 0.013, and 0.31 for cadmium, 4.4 x 10 -4 , 0.039, 0.020, and 0.98 for nickel. On kaolinite, dunal sand, and goethite, respectively, adsorption values (mmoles/100 g) are As (0.24, 0.019, and 20.5), B (0.041, 0.0019, and 1.77), Mo (0.048, 0.0010, and 5.93), and Se (0.029, 0.00048, and 1.30). Arsenic is the most highly adsorbed contaminant species and goethite has the largest adsorption capacity of the adsorbents

Modelling of contamination of surface atmosphere for deflation of Cesium-137 on contaminated territories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bogdanov, A.P.; Zhmura, G.M.

1994-01-01

Presence of Cesium 137 in near land air is caused at the contaminated territories by 'local' dusting and transport of the dust from the zone of strong contamination. For large distance is it caused by resuspension of radioactive dust from the surface in the given region. In accordance with the models of dusting round square sources based on Gauss statistical model of dissemination of admixtures in the atmosphere, the contaminated areas of european part of the former of USSR with the density of contamination over 1 Ci/km 2 with Cesium 137 were represented by 30 round square sources covering the main spots of contamination. The results of calculation of contamination of the atmosphere for several cities of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, where there are the permanent points of observation for the content of radionuclides in the air, have shown that the proposed model of dusting sources describes the contamination of near land air with Cesium 137 reasonably well. 7 refs., 3 tabs

Simulating subsurface flow and transport on ultrascale computers using PFLOTRAN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mills, Richard Tran; Lu, Chuan; Lichtner, Peter C; Hammond, Glenn E

2007-01-01

We describe PFLOTRAN, a recently developed code for modeling multi-phase, multi-component subsurface flow and reactive transport using massively parallel computers. PFLOTRAN is built on top of PETSc, the Portable, Extensible Toolkit for Scientific Computation. Leveraging PETSc has allowed us to develop-with a relatively modest investment in development effort-a code that exhibits excellent performance on the largest-scale supercomputers. Very significant enhancements to the code are planned during our SciDAC-2 project. Here we describe the current state of the code, present an example of its use on Jaguar, the Cray XT3/4 system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory consisting of 11706 dual-core Opteron processor nodes, and briefly outline our future plans for the code

Simulating subsurface flow and transport on ultrascale computers using PFLOTRAN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mills, Richard Tran [Computational Earth Sciences Group, Computer Science and Mathematics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6015 (United States); Lu, Chuan [Hydrology, Geochemistry, and Geology Group, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Lichtner, Peter C [Hydrology, Geochemistry, and Geology Group, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Hammond, Glenn E [Hydrology Group, Environmental Technology Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352 (United States)

2007-07-15

We describe PFLOTRAN, a recently developed code for modeling multi-phase, multi-component subsurface flow and reactive transport using massively parallel computers. PFLOTRAN is built on top of PETSc, the Portable, Extensible Toolkit for Scientific Computation. Leveraging PETSc has allowed us to develop-with a relatively modest investment in development effort-a code that exhibits excellent performance on the largest-scale supercomputers. Very significant enhancements to the code are planned during our SciDAC-2 project. Here we describe the current state of the code, present an example of its use on Jaguar, the Cray XT3/4 system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory consisting of 11706 dual-core Opteron processor nodes, and briefly outline our future plans for the code.

Origins and transport of aquatic dioxins in the Japanese watershed: soil contamination, land use, and soil runoff events.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanematsu, Masakazu; Shimizu, Yoshihisa; Sato, Keisuke; Kim, Suejin; Suzuki, Tasuma; Park, Baeksoo; Saino, Reiko; Nakamura, Masafumi

2009-06-15

Significant dioxins accumulations in Japanese forests and paddy fields have been observed, and surface soil runoff caused by rainfall and irrigation (i.e., soil puddling in paddy fields) results in dioxins input into the aquatic environment. An extensive investigation into the origins and transport of aquatic dioxins in the Yasu watershed, Japan was conducted considering surface soil contamination level, land use, and type of soil runoff event (i.e., irrigation runoff [IR], rainfall runoff [RR], and base flow [BF]). Combined use of the chemically activated luciferase expression (CALUX) assay together with high-resolution gas chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) efficiently enabled this study, so that origins, transport, and dynamic movement of aquatic dioxins in the watershed were revealed. The particulate organic carbon normalized particulate-dioxins WHO-toxic equivalent (TEQ) concentration predicted by the CALUX assay (Spar) was found to be a convenient molecular marker to indicate origins of aquatic dioxins and clearly reflect surface soil contamination level, land use, and soil runoff events. Using experimental results and theoretical modeling, the annual loading amount of dioxins at the middle reach of the river was estimated to be 0.458 mg WHO-TEQ in 2004. More than 96.6% of the annual loading amount was attributed to RR and derived almost evenly from forest and paddy fields at the study location. Because the annual loading amount at the middle reach is less than 0.5% of the total dioxins accumulated in the upper basin, dioxins runoff from the Japanese watershed will continue. This study shows that the combined use of the bioassay with HRGC/HRMS can provide new insights into dioxins transport and fate in the environment.

Contamination analysis unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gregg, H.R.; Meltzer, M.P.

1996-01-01

The portable Contamination Analysis Unit (CAU) measures trace quantities of surface contamination in real time. The detector head of the portable contamination analysis unit has an opening with an O-ring seal, one or more vacuum valves and a small mass spectrometer. With the valve closed, the mass spectrometer is evacuated with one or more pumps. The O-ring seal is placed against a surface to be tested and the vacuum valve is opened. Data is collected from the mass spectrometer and a portable computer provides contamination analysis. The CAU can be used to decontaminate and decommission hazardous and radioactive surfaces by measuring residual hazardous surface contamination, such as tritium and trace organics. It provides surface contamination data for research and development applications as well as real-time process control feedback for industrial cleaning operations and can be used to determine the readiness of a surface to accept bonding or coatings. 1 fig

Experience with the loading and transport of fuel assembly transport casks, including CASTOR casks, and the radiation exposure of personnel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bentele, W.; Kinzelmann, T.

1999-01-01

In 1997 and 1998, six spent fuel assembly transports started from the nuclear power plant Gemeinschaftskernkraftwerk Neckar (GKN), using CASTOR-V19 casks. Professor Kuni of Marburg University challenged the statement made by the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt fuer Strahlenschutz (BfS)) based on accepted scientific knowledge, according to which so-called CASTOR transports present no risk, either to the population or to the escorting police units. This paper shows that the collective dose during the loading of the CASTOR casks amounted to 4.5 mSv (gamma and neutrons) per cask at the most, and that the maximum individual dose amounted to 0.26 mSv. In addition to these doses, the collective dose during handling and transport must be considered: this amounted to 0.35 mSv (gamma and neutrons). The dose to the police escort was -2 (limit for surface contamination), presented degrees of contamination >4 Bq cm -2 upon reaching the Valognes/Cogema terminal. However, transport casks coming from French plants also revealed degrees of contamination >4 Bq cm -2 , as well as 'hot spots'. No such contamination was found on NTL 11 casks transported from the GKN to Sellafield. Neither was any increased contamination found upon the arrival of CASTOR-V19 casks transported from GKN to Gorleben or Ahaus. The partially sensationalist media reports were inversely proportional to the actual radiological relevance of the matter. The German Commission on Radiation Protection (SSK) confirmed that the radiological effect of such contaminated spent fuel transports is negligible. (author)

Transport modeling and advanced computer techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiley, J.C.; Ross, D.W.; Miner, W.H. Jr.

1988-11-01

A workshop was held at the University of Texas in June 1988 to consider the current state of transport codes and whether improved user interfaces would make the codes more usable and accessible to the fusion community. Also considered was the possibility that a software standard could be devised to ease the exchange of routines between groups. It was noted that two of the major obstacles to exchanging routines now are the variety of geometrical representation and choices of units. While the workshop formulated no standards, it was generally agreed that good software engineering would aid in the exchange of routines, and that a continued exchange of ideas between groups would be worthwhile. It seems that before we begin to discuss software standards we should review the current state of computer technology --- both hardware and software to see what influence recent advances might have on our software goals. This is done in this paper

A climatological model for risk computations incorporating site- specific dry deposition influences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Droppo, J.G. Jr.

1991-07-01

A gradient-flux dry deposition module was developed for use in a climatological atmospheric transport model, the Multimedia Environmental Pollutant Assessment System (MEPAS). The atmospheric pathway model computes long-term average contaminant air concentration and surface deposition patterns surrounding a potential release site incorporating location-specific dry deposition influences. Gradient-flux formulations are used to incorporate site and regional data in the dry deposition module for this atmospheric sector-average climatological model. Application of these formulations provide an effective means of accounting for local surface roughness in deposition computations. Linkage to a risk computation module resulted in a need for separate regional and specific surface deposition computations. 13 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs

Estimating fate and transport of multiple contaminants in the vadose zone using a multi-layered soil column and three-phase equilibrium partitioning model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rucker, Gregory G.

2007-01-01

Soils at waste sites must be evaluated for the potential of residual soil contamination to leach and migrate to the groundwater beneath the disposal area. If migration to the aquifer occurs, contaminants can travel vast distances and pollute drinking water wells, thus exposing human receptors to harmful levels of toxins and carcinogens. To prevent groundwater contamination, a contaminant fate and transport analysis is necessary to assess the migration potential of residual soil contaminants. This type of migration analysis is usually performed using a vadose zone model to account for complex geotechnical and chemical variables including: decay processes, infiltration rate, soil properties, vadose zone thickness, and chemical behavior. The distinct advantage of using a complex model is that less restrictive, but still protective, soil threshold levels may be determined avoiding the unnecessary and costly remediation of marginally contaminated soils. However, the disadvantage of such modeling is the additional cost for data collection and labor required to apply these models. In order to allay these higher costs and to achieve a less restrictive but still protective clean-up level, a multiple contaminant and multi layered soil column equilibrium partitioning model was developed which is faster, simpler and less expensive to use. (authors)

Subsurface contaminant transport from the liquid disposal area, CRNL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Killey, R.W.D.; Munch, J.H.

1984-01-01

This report summarizes geologic, hydrogeologic and geochemical information obtained from a detailed study of the aquifer receiving contaminated waste-waters from the Chemical Pit. Geologically, the study area features wind-deposited sand overlying a continuous lacustrine clayey silt and a bouldery basal till. Medium to coarse sands locally found at the base of the sand sequence appear to represent stream channel deposits following a buried drainage course towards Perch Lake. These channel sands significantly influence groundwater flow; 3-dimensional models will be required to mathematically simulate the system. Based on the subsurface data, calculated groundwater residence times between the infiltration pit and points of discharge to surface into the East Swamp range from 4 to 22 months. The shortest observed residence time for a non-reactive radio-nuclide is 5 months. Tritium data confirm that contamination is confined to the sands, but show that within the sand aquifer there is considerable heterogeneity in the distribution and rates of groundwater flow. Samples of contaminated groundwaters collected during this study featured increased redox potentials, increased acidity, and minor increases in some major ions relative to local uncontaminated groundwater. Extensive oxidation of the sands in contaminated portions of the aquifer may reflect much greater chemical differences in plume groundwaters in the past

Modeling the migration of radioactive contaminants in groundwater of in situ leaching uranium mine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Chunguang; Tai Kaixuan

2011-01-01

The radioactive contamination of groundwater from in situ leaching (ISL) of uranium mining is a widespread environmental problem. This paper analyzed the monitor results of groundwater contaminations for a in situ leaching uranium mine. A dynamic model of contaminants transport in groundwater in ISL well field was established. The processes and mechanisms of contaminant transport in groundwater were simulated numerically for a ISL well field. A small quantity of U and SO 4 2- migrate to outside of well field during ISL production stage. But the migration velocity and distance of contaminations is small, and the concentration is low. Contaminants migrate as anomalistic tooth-shape. The migration trend of U and SO 4 2- is consistent. Numerical modeling can provide an effective approach to analyse the transport mechanism, and forecast and control the migration of contaminants in groundwater in ISL well field. (authors)

Transport analysis of the edge zone of H-mode plasmas by computer simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, G.; Murmann, H.

1988-01-01

Local transport and ideal ballooning stability in the L-phase and ELM-free H-phase in ASDEX are analysed by computer modelling. It is found that the diffusivities χ e and D at the edge are reduced by a factor of six a few milliseconds after the H-transition. Local transport in the inner plasma improves at an early stage by a typical factor of two. A change in the collisionality regime of electrons and ions does not take place. During the L-phase and the quiescent H-phase ideal ballooning modes are found to be stable. Computer experiments further show that a significant reduction in the particle flux at the separatrix takes place which is closely connected with the H-transition process. This explains the observed buildup of a density shoulder on a millisecond time-scale and the drop of the particle flow into the divertor. A strong decrease of the electron heat conduction flux at the separatrix is, however, ruled out in ELM-free periods. On the assumption of electrostatic turbulence induced transport, these results are consistent with measured density fluctuation levels near the separatrix. (author). 20 refs, 9 figs

Contamination shield

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bayer, W.; Pecornik, D.

1982-01-01

An acrylate resin is presented as contamination protection coating for components and instruments in nuclear facilities and for spent fuel transport containers. The resin is evaporated or sublimated at 130 0 C and can thus be removed easily from the protected component. The radioactive particles entrained during evaporation are retained by suitable filters. (TK) [de

Advanced methods for the computation of particle beam transport and the computation of electromagnetic fields and beam-cavity interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dragt, A.J.; Gluckstern, R.L.

1992-11-01

The University of Maryland Dynamical Systems and Accelerator Theory Group carries out research in two broad areas: the computation of charged particle beam transport using Lie algebraic methods and advanced methods for the computation of electromagnetic fields and beam-cavity interactions. Important improvements in the state of the art are believed to be possible in both of these areas. In addition, applications of these methods are made to problems of current interest in accelerator physics including the theoretical performance of present and proposed high energy machines. The Lie algebraic method of computing and analyzing beam transport handles both linear and nonlinear beam elements. Tests show this method to be superior to the earlier matrix or numerical integration methods. It has wide application to many areas including accelerator physics, intense particle beams, ion microprobes, high resolution electron microscopy, and light optics. With regard to the area of electromagnetic fields and beam cavity interactions, work is carried out on the theory of beam breakup in single pulses. Work is also done on the analysis of the high frequency behavior of longitudinal and transverse coupling impedances, including the examination of methods which may be used to measure these impedances. Finally, work is performed on the electromagnetic analysis of coupled cavities and on the coupling of cavities to waveguides

Unit environmental transport assessment of contaminants from Hanford's past-practice waste sites. Hanford Remedial Action Environmental Impact Statement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whelan, G.; Buck, J.W.; Castleton, K.J.

1995-06-01

The US Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) contracted Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) to provide support to Advanced Sciences, Incorporated (ASI) in implementing tile regional no-action risk assessment in the Hanford Remedial Action Environmental Impact Statement. Researchers at PNL were charged with developing unit concentrations for soil, groundwater, surface water, and air at multiple locations within an 80-km radius from the center of tile Hanford installation. Using the Multimedia Environmental Pollutant Assessment System (MEPAS), PNL simulated (1) a unit release of one ci for each radionuclide and one kg for each chemical from contaminated soils and ponded sites, (2) transport of the contaminants in and through various environmental media and (3) exposure/risk of four exposure scenarios, outlined by the Hanford Site Baseline Remedial Action Methodology. These four scenarios include residential, recreational, industrial, and agricultural exposures. Spacially and temporally distributed environmental concentrations based on unit releases of radionuclides and chemicals were supported to ASI in support of the HRA-EIS. Risk for the four exposure scenarios, based on unit environment concentrations in air, water, and soil. were also supplied to ASI. This report outlines the procedure that was used to implement the unit transport portion of the HRA-EIS baseline risk assessment. Deliverables include unit groundwater, surface water, air, and soil concentrations at multiple locations within an 80-km radius from the center of the Hanford installation

Computer codes for automatic tuning of the beam transport at the UNILAC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahl, L.; Ehrich, A.

1984-01-01

For application in routine operation fully automatic computer controlled algorithms are developed for tuning of beam transport elements at the Unilac. Computations, based on emittance measurements, simulate the beam behaviour and evaluate quadrupole settings, in order to produce defined beam properties at specified positions along the accelerator. The interactive program is controlled using a graphic display on which the beam emittances and envelopes are plotted. To align the beam onto the ion-optical axis of the accelerator two automatic computer controlled procedures have been developed. The misalignment of the beam is determined by variation of quadrupole or steering magnet settings with simultaneous measurement of the beam distribution on profile grids. According to the result a pair of steering magnet settings are adjusted to bend the beam on the axis. The effects of computer controlled tuning on beam quality and operation are reported

A computational study of the effect of capillary network anastomoses and tortuosity on oxygen transport.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldman, D; Popel, A S

2000-09-21

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of capillary network anastomoses and tortuosity on oxygen transport in skeletal muscle, as well as the importance of muscle fibers in determining the arrangement of parallel capillaries. Countercurrent flow and random capillary blockage (e.g. by white blood cells) were also studied. A general computational model was constructed to simulate oxygen transport from a network of blood vessels within a rectangular volume of tissue. A geometric model of the capillary network structure, based on hexagonally packed muscle fibers, was constructed to produce networks of straight unbranched capillaries, capillaries with anastomoses, and capillaries with tortuosity, in order to examine the effects of these geometric properties. Quantities examined included the tissue oxygen tension and the capillary oxyhemoglobin saturation. The computational model included a two-phase simulation of blood flow. Appropriate parameters were chosen for working hamster cheek-pouch retractor muscle. Our calculations showed that the muscle-fiber geometry was important in reducing oxygen transport heterogeneity, as was countercurrent flow. Tortuosity was found to increase tissue oxygenation, especially when combined with anastomoses. In the absence of tortuosity, anastomoses had little effect on oxygen transport under normal conditions, but significantly improved transport when vessel blockages were present. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

Stubborn contaminants: influence of detergents on the purity of the multidrug ABC transporter BmrA.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiseman, Benjamin; Kilburg, Arnaud; Chaptal, Vincent; Reyes-Mejia, Gina Catalina; Sarwan, Jonathan; Falson, Pierre; Jault, Jean-Michel

2014-01-01

Despite the growing interest in membrane proteins, their crystallization remains a major challenge. In the course of a crystallographic study on the multidrug ATP-binding cassette transporter BmrA, mass spectral analyses on samples purified with six selected detergents revealed unexpected protein contamination visible for the most part on overloaded SDS-PAGE. A major contamination from the outer membrane protein OmpF was detected in purifications with Foscholine 12 (FC12) but not with Lauryldimethylamine-N-oxide (LDAO) or any of the maltose-based detergents. Consequently, in the FC12 purified BmrA, OmpF easily crystallized over BmrA in a new space group, and whose structure is reported here. We therefore devised an optimized protocol to eliminate OmpF during the FC12 purification of BmrA. On the other hand, an additional band visible at ∼110 kDa was detected in all samples purified with the maltose-based detergents. It contained AcrB that crystallized over BmrA despite its trace amounts. Highly pure BmrA preparations could be obtained using either a ΔacrAB E. coli strain and n-dodecyl-β-D-maltopyranoside, or a classical E. coli strain and lauryl maltose neopentyl glycol for the overexpression and purification, respectively. Overall our results urge to incorporate a proteomics-based purity analysis into quality control checks prior to commencing crystallization assays of membrane proteins that are notoriously arduous to crystallize. Moreover, the strategies developed here to selectively eliminate obstinate contaminants should be applicable to the purification of other membrane proteins overexpressed in E. coli.

Stubborn contaminants: influence of detergents on the purity of the multidrug ABC transporter BmrA.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benjamin Wiseman

Full Text Available Despite the growing interest in membrane proteins, their crystallization remains a major challenge. In the course of a crystallographic study on the multidrug ATP-binding cassette transporter BmrA, mass spectral analyses on samples purified with six selected detergents revealed unexpected protein contamination visible for the most part on overloaded SDS-PAGE. A major contamination from the outer membrane protein OmpF was detected in purifications with Foscholine 12 (FC12 but not with Lauryldimethylamine-N-oxide (LDAO or any of the maltose-based detergents. Consequently, in the FC12 purified BmrA, OmpF easily crystallized over BmrA in a new space group, and whose structure is reported here. We therefore devised an optimized protocol to eliminate OmpF during the FC12 purification of BmrA. On the other hand, an additional band visible at ∼110 kDa was detected in all samples purified with the maltose-based detergents. It contained AcrB that crystallized over BmrA despite its trace amounts. Highly pure BmrA preparations could be obtained using either a ΔacrAB E. coli strain and n-dodecyl-β-D-maltopyranoside, or a classical E. coli strain and lauryl maltose neopentyl glycol for the overexpression and purification, respectively. Overall our results urge to incorporate a proteomics-based purity analysis into quality control checks prior to commencing crystallization assays of membrane proteins that are notoriously arduous to crystallize. Moreover, the strategies developed here to selectively eliminate obstinate contaminants should be applicable to the purification of other membrane proteins overexpressed in E. coli.

Effect of space allowance during transport and fasting or non-fasting during lairage on carcass contamination and meat traits in Merino lamb

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vergara, H.; Cózar, A.; Rodríguez, A.I.; Calvo, L.

2017-01-01

A total of 72 Merino breed male lambs were used in this work, to study the effect of the space allowance during transport [(SA): low (SAL: 0.16 m2/animal; n=24); medium (SAM: 20 m2/animal; n=24); high (SAH: 0.30 m2/animal; n=24)], and the management during 18 h lairage [(TL): fasting (TL-FAST; n=36) vs feeding (TL-FEED; n=36)] on carcass microbial contamination (total viable count, Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas) and meat quality. Carcasses contamination determination was carried out by swabbing (neck, flank and rump). Meat quality was assessed by pH, colour coordinates, drip loss (DL), shear force (SF) ad lipid oxidation. SA did not have effect on carcass microbiological quality. TL caused a significant effect on total viable count and Pseudomonas spp values. Flank was the most contaminated site. SAL-FEED group showed the highest values of drip loss and lipid oxidation. At 24 h post-mortem, pH values were the highest in fasted lambs. At 7 d post-mortem the lowest pH was found in SAM-FAST group while the highest in SAM-FEED. TL had no effect on SF, DL neither on lipid oxidation values. These results could help to meat industry to decide the best management as in the transportation as during lairage before lambs slaughter.

Effect of space allowance during transport and fasting or non-fasting during lairage on carcass contamination and meat traits in Merino lamb

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vergara, H.; Cózar, A.; Rodríguez, A.I.; Calvo, L.

2017-07-01

A total of 72 Merino breed male lambs were used in this work, to study the effect of the space allowance during transport [(SA): low (SAL: 0.16 m2/animal; n=24); medium (SAM: 20 m2/animal; n=24); high (SAH: 0.30 m2/animal; n=24)], and the management during 18 h lairage [(TL): fasting (TL-FAST; n=36) vs feeding (TL-FEED; n=36)] on carcass microbial contamination (total viable count, Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas) and meat quality. Carcasses contamination determination was carried out by swabbing (neck, flank and rump). Meat quality was assessed by pH, colour coordinates, drip loss (DL), shear force (SF) ad lipid oxidation. SA did not have effect on carcass microbiological quality. TL caused a significant effect on total viable count and Pseudomonas spp values. Flank was the most contaminated site. SAL-FEED group showed the highest values of drip loss and lipid oxidation. At 24 h post-mortem, pH values were the highest in fasted lambs. At 7 d post-mortem the lowest pH was found in SAM-FAST group while the highest in SAM-FEED. TL had no effect on SF, DL neither on lipid oxidation values. These results could help to meat industry to decide the best management as in the transportation as during lairage before lambs slaughter.

Human Environmental Disease Network: A computational model to assess toxicology of contaminants.

Science.gov (United States)

Taboureau, Olivier; Audouze, Karine

2017-01-01

During the past decades, many epidemiological, toxicological and biological studies have been performed to assess the role of environmental chemicals as potential toxicants associated with diverse human disorders. However, the relationships between diseases based on chemical exposure rarely have been studied by computational biology. We developed a human environmental disease network (EDN) to explore and suggest novel disease-disease and chemical-disease relationships. The presented scored EDN model is built upon the integration of systems biology and chemical toxicology using information on chemical contaminants and their disease relationships reported in the TDDB database. The resulting human EDN takes into consideration the level of evidence of the toxicant-disease relationships, allowing inclusion of some degrees of significance in the disease-disease associations. Such a network can be used to identify uncharacterized connections between diseases. Examples are discussed for type 2 diabetes (T2D). Additionally, this computational model allows confirmation of already known links between chemicals and diseases (e.g., between bisphenol A and behavioral disorders) and also reveals unexpected associations between chemicals and diseases (e.g., between chlordane and olfactory alteration), thus predicting which chemicals may be risk factors to human health. The proposed human EDN model allows exploration of common biological mechanisms of diseases associated with chemical exposure, helping us to gain insight into disease etiology and comorbidity. This computational approach is an alternative to animal testing supporting the 3R concept.

Colloid-Facilitated Transport of Radionuclides through the Vadose Zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flury, Markus; Harsh, James B.; Zachara, John M.; McCarthy, John F.; Lichtner, Peter C.

2006-01-01

This project seeks to improve the basic understanding of the role of colloids in facilitating the transport of contaminants in the vadose zone. We focus on three major thrusts: (1) thermodynamic stability and mobility of colloids formed by reactions of sediments with highly alkaline tank waste solutions, (2) colloid-contaminant interactions, and (3) in-situ colloid mobilization and colloid facilitated contaminant transport occurring in both contaminated and uncontaminated Hanford sediments

Predicting Transport of 3,5,6-Trichloro-2-Pyridinol Into Saliva Using a Combination Experimental and Computational Approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, Jordan Ned; Carver, Zana A.; Weber, Thomas J.; Timchalk, Charles

2017-04-11

A combination experimental and computational approach was developed to predict chemical transport into saliva. A serous-acinar chemical transport assay was established to measure chemical transport with non-physiological (standard cell culture medium) and physiological (using surrogate plasma and saliva medium) conditions using 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy) a metabolite of the pesticide chlorpyrifos. High levels of TCPy protein binding was observed in cell culture medium and rat plasma resulting in different TCPy transport behaviors in the two experimental conditions. In the non-physiological transport experiment, TCPy reached equilibrium at equivalent concentrations in apical and basolateral chambers. At higher TCPy doses, increased unbound TCPy was observed, and TCPy concentrations in apical and basolateral chambers reached equilibrium faster than lower doses, suggesting only unbound TCPy is able to cross the cellular monolayer. In the physiological experiment, TCPy transport was slower than non-physiological conditions, and equilibrium was achieved at different concentrations in apical and basolateral chambers at a comparable ratio (0.034) to what was previously measured in rats dosed with TCPy (saliva:blood ratio: 0.049). A cellular transport computational model was developed based on TCPy protein binding kinetics and accurately simulated all transport experiments using different permeability coefficients for the two experimental conditions (1.4 vs 0.4 cm/hr for non-physiological and physiological experiments, respectively). The computational model was integrated into a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model and accurately predicted TCPy concentrations in saliva of rats dosed with TCPy. Overall, this study demonstrates an approach to predict chemical transport in saliva potentially increasing the utility of salivary biomonitoring in the future.

Using periodic orbits to compute chaotic transport rates between resonance zones

Science.gov (United States)

Sattari, Sulimon; Mitchell, Kevin A.

2017-11-01

Transport properties of chaotic systems are computable from data extracted from periodic orbits. Given a sufficient number of periodic orbits, the escape rate can be computed using the spectral determinant, a function that incorporates the eigenvalues and periods of periodic orbits. The escape rate computed from periodic orbits converges to the true value as more and more periodic orbits are included. Escape from a given region of phase space can be computed by considering only periodic orbits that lie within the region. An accurate symbolic dynamics along with a corresponding partitioning of phase space is useful for systematically obtaining all periodic orbits up to a given period, to ensure that no important periodic orbits are missing in the computation. Homotopic lobe dynamics (HLD) is an automated technique for computing accurate partitions and symbolic dynamics for maps using the topological forcing of intersections of stable and unstable manifolds of a few periodic anchor orbits. In this study, we apply the HLD technique to compute symbolic dynamics and periodic orbits, which are then used to find escape rates from different regions of phase space for the Hénon map. We focus on computing escape rates in parameter ranges spanning hyperbolic plateaus, which are parameter intervals where the dynamics is hyperbolic and the symbolic dynamics does not change. After the periodic orbits are computed for a single parameter value within a hyperbolic plateau, periodic orbit continuation is used to compute periodic orbits over an interval that spans the hyperbolic plateau. The escape rates computed from a few thousand periodic orbits agree with escape rates computed from Monte Carlo simulations requiring hundreds of billions of orbits.

Computer program for calculation of complex chemical equilibrium compositions and applications. Supplement 1: Transport properties

Science.gov (United States)

Gordon, S.; Mcbride, B.; Zeleznik, F. J.

1984-01-01

An addition to the computer program of NASA SP-273 is given that permits transport property calculations for the gaseous phase. Approximate mixture formulas are used to obtain viscosity and frozen thermal conductivity. Reaction thermal conductivity is obtained by the same method as in NASA TN D-7056. Transport properties for 154 gaseous species were selected for use with the program.

Feed gas contaminant removal in ion transport membrane systems

Science.gov (United States)

Carolan, Michael Francis [Allentown, PA; Miller, Christopher Francis [Macungie, PA

2008-09-16

Method for gas purification comprising (a) obtaining a feed gas stream containing one or more contaminants selected from the group consisting of volatile metal oxy-hydroxides, volatile metal oxides, and volatile silicon hydroxide; (b) contacting the feed gas stream with a reactive solid material in a guard bed and reacting at least a portion of the contaminants with the reactive solid material to form a solid reaction product in the guard bed; and (c) withdrawing from the guard bed a purified gas stream.

Agriculture and groundwater nitrate contamination in the Seine basin. The STICS-MODCOU modelling chain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ledoux, E.; Gomez, E.; Monget, J.M.; Viavattene, C.; Viennot, P.; Ducharne, A.; Benoit, M.; Mignolet, C.; Schott, C.; Mary, B.

2007-01-01

A software package is presented here to predict the fate of nitrogen fertilizers and the transport of nitrate from the rooting zone of agricultural areas to surface water and groundwater in the Seine basin, taking into account the long residence times of water and nitrate in the unsaturated and aquifer systems. Information on pedological characteristics, land use and farming practices is used to determine the spatial units to be considered. These data are converted into input data for the crop model STICS which simulates the water and nitrogen balances in the soil-plant system with a daily time-step. A spatial application of STICS has been derived at the catchment scale which computes the water and nitrate fluxes at the bottom of the rooting zone. These fluxes are integrated into a surface and groundwater coupled model MODCOU which calculates the daily water balance in the hydrological system, the flow in the rivers and the piezometric variations in the aquifers, using standard climatic data (rainfall, PET). The transport of nitrate and the evolution of nitrate contamination in groundwater and to rivers is computed by the model NEWSAM. This modelling chain is a valuable tool to predict the evolution of crop productivity and nitrate contamination according to various scenarios modifying farming practices and/or climatic changes. Data for the period 1970-2000 are used to simulate the past evolution of nitrogen contamination. The method has been validated using available data bases of nitrate concentrations in the three main aquifers of the Paris basin (Oligocene, Eocene and chalk). The approach has then been used to predict the future evolution of nitrogen contamination up to 2015. A statistical approach allowed estimating the probability of transgression of different concentration thresholds in various areas in the basin. The model is also used to evaluate the cost of the damage resulting of the treatment of drinking water at the scale of a groundwater management

Agriculture and groundwater nitrate contamination in the Seine basin. The STICS-MODCOU modelling chain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ledoux, E. [Centre de Geosciences, ENSMP, UMR Sisyphe, Fontainebleau (France)]. E-mail: emmanuel.ledoux@ensmp.fr; Gomez, E. [Centre de Geosciences, ENSMP, UMR Sisyphe, Fontainebleau (France); Monget, J.M. [Centre de Geosciences, ENSMP, UMR Sisyphe, Fontainebleau (France); Viavattene, C. [Centre de Geosciences, ENSMP, UMR Sisyphe, Fontainebleau (France); Viennot, P. [Centre de Geosciences, ENSMP, UMR Sisyphe, Fontainebleau (France); Ducharne, A. [Laboratoire Sisyphe, CNRS/Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris (France); Benoit, M. [INRA, Station de Recherche SAD, 662 avenue Louis Buffet, 88500 Mirecourt (France); Mignolet, C. [INRA, Station de Recherche SAD, 662 avenue Louis Buffet, 88500 Mirecourt (France); Schott, C. [INRA, Station de Recherche SAD, 662 avenue Louis Buffet, 88500 Mirecourt (France); Mary, B. [INRA, Unite d' Agronomie Laon-Reims-Mons, Laon (France)

2007-04-01

A software package is presented here to predict the fate of nitrogen fertilizers and the transport of nitrate from the rooting zone of agricultural areas to surface water and groundwater in the Seine basin, taking into account the long residence times of water and nitrate in the unsaturated and aquifer systems. Information on pedological characteristics, land use and farming practices is used to determine the spatial units to be considered. These data are converted into input data for the crop model STICS which simulates the water and nitrogen balances in the soil-plant system with a daily time-step. A spatial application of STICS has been derived at the catchment scale which computes the water and nitrate fluxes at the bottom of the rooting zone. These fluxes are integrated into a surface and groundwater coupled model MODCOU which calculates the daily water balance in the hydrological system, the flow in the rivers and the piezometric variations in the aquifers, using standard climatic data (rainfall, PET). The transport of nitrate and the evolution of nitrate contamination in groundwater and to rivers is computed by the model NEWSAM. This modelling chain is a valuable tool to predict the evolution of crop productivity and nitrate contamination according to various scenarios modifying farming practices and/or climatic changes. Data for the period 1970-2000 are used to simulate the past evolution of nitrogen contamination. The method has been validated using available data bases of nitrate concentrations in the three main aquifers of the Paris basin (Oligocene, Eocene and chalk). The approach has then been used to predict the future evolution of nitrogen contamination up to 2015. A statistical approach allowed estimating the probability of transgression of different concentration thresholds in various areas in the basin. The model is also used to evaluate the cost of the damage resulting of the treatment of drinking water at the scale of a groundwater management

Dual states estimation of a subsurface flow-transport coupled model using ensemble Kalman filtering

KAUST Repository

El Gharamti, Mohamad

2013-10-01

Modeling the spread of subsurface contaminants requires coupling a groundwater flow model with a contaminant transport model. Such coupling may provide accurate estimates of future subsurface hydrologic states if essential flow and contaminant data are assimilated in the model. Assuming perfect flow, an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) can be used for direct data assimilation into the transport model. This is, however, a crude assumption as flow models can be subject to many sources of uncertainty. If the flow is not accurately simulated, contaminant predictions will likely be inaccurate even after successive Kalman updates of the contaminant model with the data. The problem is better handled when both flow and contaminant states are concurrently estimated using the traditional joint state augmentation approach. In this paper, we introduce a dual estimation strategy for data assimilation into a one-way coupled system by treating the flow and the contaminant models separately while intertwining a pair of distinct EnKFs, one for each model. The presented strategy only deals with the estimation of state variables but it can also be used for state and parameter estimation problems. This EnKF-based dual state-state estimation procedure presents a number of novel features: (i) it allows for simultaneous estimation of both flow and contaminant states in parallel; (ii) it provides a time consistent sequential updating scheme between the two models (first flow, then transport); (iii) it simplifies the implementation of the filtering system; and (iv) it yields more stable and accurate solutions than does the standard joint approach. We conducted synthetic numerical experiments based on various time stepping and observation strategies to evaluate the dual EnKF approach and compare its performance with the joint state augmentation approach. Experimental results show that on average, the dual strategy could reduce the estimation error of the coupled states by 15% compared with the

TRECII: a computer program for transportation risk assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franklin, A.L.

1980-05-01

A risk-based fault tree analysis method has been developed at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) for analysis of nuclear fuel cycle operations. This methodology was developed for the Department of Energy (DOE) as a risk analysis tool for evaluating high level waste management systems. A computer package consisting of three programs was written at that time to assist in the performance of risk assessment: ACORN (draws fault trees), MFAULT (analyzes fault trees), and RAFT (calculates risk). This methodology evaluates release consequences and estimates the frequency of occurrence of these consequences. This document describes an additional risk calculating code which can be used in conjunction with two of the three codes for transportation risk assessment. TRECII modifies the definition of risk used in RAFT (prob. x release) to accommodate release consequences in terms of fatalities. Throughout this report risk shall be defined as probability times consequences (fatalities are one possible health effect consequence). This methodology has been applied to a variety of energy material transportation systems. Typically the material shipped has been radioactive, although some adaptation to fossil fuels has occurred. The approach is normally applied to truck or train transport systems with some adaptation to pipelines and aircraft. TRECII is designed to be used primarily in conjunction with MFAULT; however, with a moderate amount of effort by the user, it can be implemented independent of the risk analysis package developed at PNL. Code description and user instructions necessary for the implementation of the TRECII program are provided

Personal Computer Transport Analysis Program

Science.gov (United States)

DiStefano, Frank, III; Wobick, Craig; Chapman, Kirt; McCloud, Peter

2012-01-01

The Personal Computer Transport Analysis Program (PCTAP) is C++ software used for analysis of thermal fluid systems. The program predicts thermal fluid system and component transients. The output consists of temperatures, flow rates, pressures, delta pressures, tank quantities, and gas quantities in the air, along with air scrubbing component performance. PCTAP s solution process assumes that the tubes in the system are well insulated so that only the heat transfer between fluid and tube wall and between adjacent tubes is modeled. The system described in the model file is broken down into its individual components; i.e., tubes, cold plates, heat exchangers, etc. A solution vector is built from the components and a flow is then simulated with fluid being transferred from one component to the next. The solution vector of components in the model file is built at the initiation of the run. This solution vector is simply a list of components in the order of their inlet dependency on other components. The component parameters are updated in the order in which they appear in the list at every time step. Once the solution vectors have been determined, PCTAP cycles through the components in the solution vector, executing their outlet function for each time-step increment.

Computation of fission product distribution in core and primary circuit of a high temperature reactor during normal operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mattke, U.H.

1991-08-01

The fission product release during normal operation from the core of a high temperature reactor is well known to be very low. A HTR-Modul-reactor with a reduced power of 170 MW th is examined under the aspect whether the contamination with Cs-137 as most important nuclide will be so low that a helium turbine in the primary circuit is possible. The program SPTRAN is the tool for the computations and siumlations of fission product transport in HTRs. The program initially developed for computations of accident events has been enlarged for computing the fission product transport under the conditions of normal operation. The theoretical basis, the used programs and data basis are presented followed by the results of the computations. These results are explained and discussed; moreover the consequences and future possibilities of development are shown. (orig./HP) [de

Contaminant Boundary at the Faultless Underground Nuclear Test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greg Pohll; Karl Pohlmann; Jeff Daniels; Ahmed Hassan; Jenny Chapman

2003-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) have reached agreement on a corrective action strategy applicable to address the extent and potential impact of radionuclide contamination of groundwater at underground nuclear test locations. This strategy is described in detail in the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO, 2000). As part of the corrective action strategy, the nuclear detonations that occurred underground were identified as geographically distinct corrective action units (CAUs). The strategic objective for each CAU is to estimate over a 1,000-yr time period, with uncertainty quantified, the three-dimensional extent of groundwater contamination that would be considered unsafe for domestic and municipal use. Two types of boundaries (contaminant and compliance) are discussed in the FFACO that will map the three-dimensional extent of radionuclide contamination. The contaminant boundary will identify the region wi th 95 percent certainty that contaminants do not exist above a threshold value. It will be prepared by the DOE and presented to NDEP. The compliance boundary will be produced as a result of negotiation between the DOE and NDEP, and can be coincident with, or differ from, the contaminant boundary. Two different thresholds are considered for the contaminant boundary. One is based on the enforceable National Primary Drinking Water Regulations for radionuclides, which were developed as a requirement of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The other is a risk-based threshold considering applicable lifetime excess cancer-risk-based criteria The contaminant boundary for the Faultless underground nuclear test at the Central Nevada Test Area (CNTA) is calculated using a newly developed groundwater flow and radionuclide transport model that incorporates aspects of both the original three-dimensional model (Pohlmann et al., 1999) and the two-dimensional model developed for the Faultless data decision

Predicting Transport of 3,5,6-Trichloro-2-Pyridinol Into Saliva Using a Combination Experimental and Computational Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Jordan Ned; Carver, Zana A; Weber, Thomas J; Timchalk, Charles

2017-06-01

A combination experimental and computational approach was developed to predict chemical transport into saliva. A serous-acinar chemical transport assay was established to measure chemical transport with nonphysiological (standard cell culture medium) and physiological (using surrogate plasma and saliva medium) conditions using 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy) a metabolite of the pesticide chlorpyrifos. High levels of TCPy protein binding were observed in cell culture medium and rat plasma resulting in different TCPy transport behaviors in the 2 experimental conditions. In the nonphysiological transport experiment, TCPy reached equilibrium at equivalent concentrations in apical and basolateral chambers. At higher TCPy doses, increased unbound TCPy was observed, and TCPy concentrations in apical and basolateral chambers reached equilibrium faster than lower doses, suggesting only unbound TCPy is able to cross the cellular monolayer. In the physiological experiment, TCPy transport was slower than nonphysiological conditions, and equilibrium was achieved at different concentrations in apical and basolateral chambers at a comparable ratio (0.034) to what was previously measured in rats dosed with TCPy (saliva:blood ratio: 0.049). A cellular transport computational model was developed based on TCPy protein binding kinetics and simulated all transport experiments reasonably well using different permeability coefficients for the 2 experimental conditions (1.14 vs 0.4 cm/h for nonphysiological and physiological experiments, respectively). The computational model was integrated into a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model and accurately predicted TCPy concentrations in saliva of rats dosed with TCPy. Overall, this study demonstrates an approach to predict chemical transport in saliva, potentially increasing the utility of salivary biomonitoring in the future. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights

PCR detection of groundwater bacteria associated with colloidal transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cruz-Perez, P.; Stetzenbach, L.D.; Alvarez, A.J.

1996-02-29

Colloidal transport may increase the amount of contaminant material than that which could be transported by water flow alone. The role of colloids in groundwater contaminant transport is complicated and may involve many different processes, including sorption of elements onto colloidal particles, coagulation/dissolution, adsorption onto solid surfaces, filtration, and migration. Bacteria are known to concentrate minerals and influence the transport of compounds in aqueous environments and may also serve as organic colloids, thereby influencing subsurface transport of radionuclides and other contaminants. The initial phase of the project consisted of assembling a list of bacteria capable of sequestering or facilitating mineral transport. The development and optimization of the PCR amplification assay for the detection of the organisms of interest, and the examination of regional groundwaters for those organisms, are presented for subsequent research.

PCR detection of groundwater bacteria associated with colloidal transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cruz-Perez, P.; Stetzenbach, L.D.; Alvarez, A.J.

1996-01-01

Colloidal transport may increase the amount of contaminant material than that which could be transported by water flow alone. The role of colloids in groundwater contaminant transport is complicated and may involve many different processes, including sorption of elements onto colloidal particles, coagulation/dissolution, adsorption onto solid surfaces, filtration, and migration. Bacteria are known to concentrate minerals and influence the transport of compounds in aqueous environments and may also serve as organic colloids, thereby influencing subsurface transport of radionuclides and other contaminants. The initial phase of the project consisted of assembling a list of bacteria capable of sequestering or facilitating mineral transport. The development and optimization of the PCR amplification assay for the detection of the organisms of interest, and the examination of regional groundwaters for those organisms, are presented for subsequent research

Symbolic computation in waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grant, M.W.

1989-01-01

This paper reports a prototype environment for decision analysis implemented on the PC using an object-oriented LISP. A unique feature of this environment is the extensive use of symbolic computation and object oriented programming. Models, e.g. contaminant transport and uptake, are built with the environment, itself recognizing new parameters, uncertainties and functions as they first appear and can be modified at any time with the appropriate changes propagated throughout the environment. The environment automatically generates and executes a complete interactive input sequence during the model construction. In addition to a primary decision criterion, secondary criteria or constraints may be used to define any decision

Computation of quantum electron transport with local current conservation using quantum trajectories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alarcón, A; Oriols, X

2009-01-01

A recent proposal for modeling time-dependent quantum electron transport with Coulomb and exchange correlations using quantum (Bohm) trajectories (Oriols 2007 Phys. Rev. Lett. 98 066803) is extended towards the computation of the total (particle plus displacement) current in mesoscopic devices. In particular, two different methods for the practical computation of the total current are compared. The first method computes the particle and the displacement currents from the rate of Bohm particles crossing a particular surface and the time-dependent variations of the electric field there. The second method uses the Ramo–Shockley theorem to compute the total current on that surface from the knowledge of the Bohm particle dynamics in a 3D volume and the time-dependent variations of the electric field on the boundaries of that volume. From a computational point of view, it is shown that both methods achieve local current conservation, but the second is preferred because it is free from 'spurious' peaks. A numerical example, a Bohm trajectory crossing a double-barrier tunneling structure, is presented, supporting the conclusions

Leaching and soil/groundwater transport of contaminants from coal combustion residues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hjelmar, O.; Hansen, E.A.; Larsen, F.; Thomassen, H.

1992-01-01

In this project the results of accelerated laboratory leaching tests on coal fly ash and flue gas desulfurization (FGD) products from the spray dryer absorption process (SDA) were evaluated by comparison to the results of large scale lysimeter leaching tests on the same residues. The mobility of chromium and molybdenum - two of the kev contaminants of coal combustion residue leachates - in various typical soil types was investigated by batch and column methods in the laboratory. Some of the results were confirmed by field observations at an old coal fly ash disposal site and by a lysimeter attenuation test with coal fly ash leachate on a clayed till. A large number of groundwater transport models and geochemical models were reviewed, and two of the models (Gove-Stollenwerk and CHMTRNS) were modified and adjusted and used to simulate column attenuation tests performed in the laboratory. One of the models (Grove-Stollenwerk) was used to illustrate a recommended method of environmental impact assessment, using lysimeter leaching data and laboratory column attenuation data to describe the emission and migration of Mo from a coal fly ash disposal site

Ecotoxicity literature review of selected Hanford Site contaminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Driver, C.J.

1994-03-01

Available information on the toxicity, food chain transport, and bioconcentration of several Hanford Site contaminants were reviewed. The contaminants included cesium-137, cobalt-60, europium, nitrate, plutonium, strontium-90, technetium, tritium, uranium, and chromium (III and VI). Toxicity and mobility in both aquatic and terrestrial systems were considered. For aquatic systems, considerable information was available on the chemical and/or radiological toxicity of most of the contaminants in invertebrate animals and fish. Little information was available on aquatic macrophyte response to the contaminants. Terrestrial animals such as waterfowl and amphibians that have high exposure potential in aquatic systems were also largely unrepresented in the toxicity literature. The preponderance of toxicity data for terrestrial biota was for laboratory mammals. Bioconcentration factors and transfer coefficients were obtained for primary producers and consumers in representative aquatic and terrestrial systems; however, little data were available for upper trophic level transfer, particularly for terrestrial predators. Food chain transport and toxicity information for the contaminants were generally lacking for desert or sage brush-steppe organisms, particularly plants and reptiles

Preliminary description of hydrologic characteristics and contaminant transport potential of rocks in the Pasco Basin, south-central Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deju, R.A.; Fecht, K.R.

1979-03-01

This report aims at consolidating existing data useful in defining the hydrologic characteristics of the Pasco Basin within south-central Washington. It also aims at compiling the properties required to evaluate contaminant transport potential within individual subsurface strata in this basin. The Pasco Basin itself is a tract of semi-arid land covering about 2,000 square miles in south-central Washington. The regional geology of this basin is dominated by tholeiitic flood basalts of the Columbia Plateau. The surface hydrology of the basin is dominated by the Yakima, Snake, and Columbia rivers. Short-lived ephemeral streams may flow for a short period of time after a heavy rainfall or snowmelt. The subsurface hydrology of the Pasco Basin is characterized by an unconfined aquifer carrying the bulk of the water discharged within the basin. This aquifer overlies a series of confined aquifers carrying progressively smaller amounts of groundwater as a function of depth. The hydraulic properties of the various aquifers and non-water-bearing strata are characterized and reported. A summary of the basic properties is tabulated. The hydrochemical data obtained are summarized. The contaminant transport properties of the rocks in the Pasco Basin are analyzed with emphasis on the dispersion and sorption coefficients and the characteristics of the potential reactions between emplaced waste and the surrounding medium. Some basic modeling considerations of the hydrogeologic systems in the basin with a brief discussion of model input requirements and their relationship to available data are presented

Use of EGS4 codes system for the evaluation of electron contamination in telecobalt therapy unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernal, B.; Alfonso, R.

1995-01-01

The cobalt 60 beams employed radiotherapy usually have some electron contamination, mainly depending on the selected field size, the diaphragm-skin distance and the collation system features. The electron component of a thyratron 780C cobalt unit was evaluated, using in any material and geometry, by using Monte Carlo techniques. The radiation transport in the unit head was simulated, as well as the absorbed dose in a water phantom, so the surface dose fraction due to electron was computed. Measurements from 0 to 5 mm depth were carried out in order to confirm our calculations, finding good agreement with them. Several PMMA filters with different thickness were analyzed to study their role in the electron contamination reduction; an optimal thickness around 5 mm was found

Numerical computation of the transport matrix in toroidal plasma with a stochastic magnetic field

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Siqiang; Chen, Dunqiang; Dai, Zongliang; Wang, Shaojie

2018-04-01

A new numerical method, based on integrating along the full orbit of guiding centers, to compute the transport matrix is realized. The method is successfully applied to compute the phase-space diffusion tensor of passing electrons in a tokamak with a stochastic magnetic field. The new method also computes the Lagrangian correlation function, which can be used to evaluate the Lagrangian correlation time and the turbulence correlation length. For the case of the stochastic magnetic field, we find that the order of magnitude of the parallel correlation length can be estimated by qR0, as expected previously.

Self-consistent computation of transport barrier formation by fluid drift turbulence in tokamak geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, B.; Jenko, F.; Peeters, A.G.; Teo, A.C.Y.

1999-01-01

(1) Computations of turbulence from the electromagnetic gyro fluid model are performed in a flux surface geometry representing the actual MHD equilibrium of the ASDEX Upgrade edge flux surfaces. The transition to ideal ballooning seen in simple geometries as the plasma beta rises is suppressed, leaving the transport at quantitatively realistic levels. Computations for core parameters at half-radius geometry show significant contribution due to the finite beta electron dynamics, possibly removing the standard ITG threshold. (2) Strong inward vorticity transport in edge turbulence, resulting from ion diamagnetic flows, may lead to a build up of mean ExB vorticity fast enough to cause an H-mode transition. (3) Friction of mean ion flows against neutrals involves both toroidal and poloidal flow components, leading to a finite radial current due to a given ExB profile even with zero poloidal rotation. (author)

Self-consistent computation of transport barrier formation by fluid drift turbulence in tokamak geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, B.; Jenko, F.; Peeters, A.; Teo, A.C-Y.

2001-01-01

(1) Computations of turbulence from the electromagnetic gyrofluid model are performed in a flux surface geometry representing the actual MHD equilibrium of the ASDEX Upgrade edge flux surfaces. The transition to ideal ballooning seen in simple geometries as the plasma beta rises is suppressed, leaving the transport at quantitatively realistic levels. Computations for core parameters at half-radius geometry show significant contribution due to the finite beta electron dynamics, possibly removing the standard ITG threshold. (2) Strong inward vorticity transport in edge turbulence, resulting from ion diamagnetic flows, may lead to a build up of mean ExB vorticity fast enough to cause an H-mode transition. (3) Friction of mean ion flows against neutrals involves both toroidal and poloidal flow components, leading to a finite radial current due to a given ExB profile even with zero poloidal rotation. (author)

[Simulation on contamination forecast and control of groundwater in a certain hazardous waste landfill].

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Zhi-Fei; An, Da; Jiang, Yong-Hai; Xi, Bei-Dou; Li, Ding-Long; Zhang, Jin-Bao; Yang, Yu

2012-01-01

On the basis of site investigation and data collection of a certain hazardous waste landfill, the groundwater flow and solute transport coupled models were established by applying Visual Modflow software, which was used to conduct a numerical simulation that forecast the transport process of Cr6+ in groundwater and the effects of three control measures (ground-harden, leakage-proof barriers and drainage ditches) of contaminants transport after leachate leakage happened in impermeable layer of the landfill. The results show that the contamination plume of Cr6+ transports with groundwater flow direction, the contamination rang would reach the pool's boundary in 10 years, and the distance of contamination transport is 1 450 m. But the diffusion range of contamination plume would not be obviously expanded between 10 and 20 years. While the ground is hardened, the contamination plume would not reach the pool's boundary in 20 years. When the leakage-proof barrier is set in the bottom of water table aquifer, the concentration of Cr6+ is higher than that the leakage-proof barrier is unset, but the result is just opposite when setting the leakage-proof barrier in the bottom of underlying aquifer. The range of contamination plume is effectively controlled by setting drainage ditches that water discharge is 2 642 m3 x d(-1), which makes the monitoring wells would not be contaminated in 20 years. Moreover, combining the ground-harden with drainage ditches can get the best effect in controlling contaminants diffusion, and meanwhile, the drainage ditches' daily discharge is reduced to 1 878 m3 x d(-1). Therefore, it is suggested that the control measure combining the ground-harden with drainage ditches should apply to prevent contamination diffusion in groundwater when leachate leakage have happened in impermeable layer of the landfill.

Using the transportable, computer-operated, liquid-scintillator fast-neutron spectrometer system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thorngate, J.H.

1988-01-01

When a detailed energy spectrum is needed for radiation-protection measurements from approximately 1 MeV up to several tens of MeV, organic-liquid scintillators make good neutron spectrometers. However, such a spectrometer requires a sophisticated electronics system and a computer to reduce the spectrum from the recorded data. Recently, we added a Nuclear Instrument Module (NIM) multichannel analyzer and a lap-top computer to the NIM electronics we have used for several years. The result is a transportable fast-neutron spectrometer system. The computer was programmed to guide the user through setting up the system, calibrating the spectrometer, measuring the spectrum, and reducing the data. Measurements can be made over three energy ranges, 0.6--2 MeV, 1.1--8 MeV, or 1.6--16 MeV, with the spectrum presented in 0.1-MeV increments. Results can be stored on a disk, presented in a table, and shown in graphical form. 5 refs., 51 figs

Evidence for the 'grasshopper' effect and fractionation during long-range atmospheric transport of organic contaminants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gouin, T.; Mackay, D.; Jones, K.C.; Harner, T.; Meijer, S.N.

2004-01-01

Although there is indisputable evidence that long-range atmospheric transport (LRAT) of organic contaminants occurs on a global scale, uncertainties remain about the detailed mechanism and extent of this phenomenon as well as the physical-chemical properties which facilitate LRAT. In this study, we discuss how mass balance models and monitoring data can contribute to a fuller understanding of the mechanism and extent of LRAT. Specifically we address the issues of 'grasshopping' or 'hopping' (the extent to which molecules are subject to multiple hops as distinct from a single emission-deposition event) and 'global fractionation' (the differing behavior of chemicals as they are transported). It is shown that simple mass balance models can be used to assist the interpretation of monitoring data while also providing an instrument that can be used to assess the LRAT potential and the extent of hopping that organic substances may experience. The available evidence supports the notion that many persistent organic pollutants experience varying degrees of 'hopping' during their environmental journey and as a consequence become fractionated with distance from source. - Evidence for global scale fractionation and hopping of POPs is reviewed

Tracking the origin and dispersion of contaminated sediments transported by rivers draining the Fukushima radioactive contaminant plume

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Lepage

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This study was conducted in several catchments draining the main Fukushima Dai-ichi Power Plant contaminant plume in Fukushima prefecture, Japan. We collected soils and sediment drape deposits (n = 128 and investigated the variation in 137Cs enrichment during five sampling campaigns, conducted every six months, which typically occurred after intense erosive events such as typhoons and snowmelt. We show that upstream contaminated soils are eroded during summer typhoons (June–October before being exported during the spring snowmelt (March–April. However, this seasonal cycle of sediment dispersion is further complicated by the occurrence of dam releases that may discharge large amounts of contaminants to the coastal plains during the coming years.

Sequential extraction of uranium metal contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murry, M.M.; Spitz, H.B.; Connick, W.B.

2016-01-01

Samples of uranium contaminated dirt collected from the dirt floor of an abandoned metal rolling mill were analyzed for uranium using a sequential extraction protocol involving a series of five increasingly aggressive solvents. The quantity of uranium extracted from the contaminated dirt by each reagent can aid in predicting the fate and transport of the uranium contamination in the environment. Uranium was separated from each fraction using anion exchange, electrodeposition and analyzed by alpha spectroscopy analysis. Results demonstrate that approximately 77 % of the uranium was extracted using NH 4 Ac in 25 % acetic acid. (author)

Computational simulation of water transport in PEM fuel cells using an improved membrane model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao, J.; Djilali, N.

2000-01-01

Computational models and simulation tools can provide valuable insight and guidance for design, performance optimization, and cost reduction of fuel cells. In proton-exchange membrane fuel cells it is particularly important to maintain appropriate water content and temperature in the electrolyte membrane. In this paper we describe a mathematical model for the membrane that takes into account the diffusion of water, the pressure variation, and the electro-osmotic drag in the membrane. Applying conservation laws for water and current and using an empirical relationship between electro-osmotic drag and water content, we obtain a transport equation for water molar concentration and derive a new equation for the electric potential that accounts for variable water content and is more accurate than the conventionally employed Laplace's equation does. The model is coupled with a computational fluid dynamics model for diffusive transport in the electrodes and convective transport in the reactant flow channels. Simulations for a two-dimensional cell are performed over nominal current densities ranging form i=0.1 A/cm≅ to 1.2 A/cm≅. The impact and importance of temperature and pressure non-uniformity, and of two-dimensionality are assessed and discussed. (author)

RADTRAN 5 - A computer code for transportation risk analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neuhauser, K.S.; Kanipe, F.L.

1993-01-01

The RADTRAN 5 computer code has been developed to estimate radiological and nonradiological risks of radioactive materials transportation. RADTRAN 5 is written in ANSI standard FORTRAN 77; the code contains significant advances in the methodology first pioneered with the LINK option of RADTRAN 4. A major application of the LINK methodology is route-specific analysis. Another application is comparisons of attributes along the same route segments. Nonradiological risk factors have been incorporated to allow users to estimate nonradiological fatalities and injuries that might occur during the transportation event(s) being analyzed. These fatalities include prompt accidental fatalities from mechanical causes. Values of these risk factors for the United States have been made available in the code as optional defaults. Several new health effects models have been published in the wake of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki dosimetry reassessment, and this has emphasized the need for flexibility in the RADTRAN approach to health-effects calculations. Therefore, the basic set of health-effects conversion equations in RADTRAN have been made user-definable. All parameter values can be changed by the user, but a complete set of default values are available for both the new International Commission on Radiation Protection model (ICRP Publication 60) and the recent model of the U.S. National Research Council's Committee on the Biological Effects of Radiation (BEIR V). The meteorological input data tables have been modified to permit optional entry of maximum downwind distances for each dose isopleth. The expected dose to an individual in each isodose area is also calculated and printed automatically. Examples are given that illustrate the power and flexibility of the RADTRAN 5 computer code. (J.P.N.)

A Computer Clone of Human Expert for Mobility Management Scheme (E-MMS): Step toward Green Transportation

Science.gov (United States)

Resdiansyah; O. K Rahmat, R. A.; Ismail, A.

2018-03-01

Green transportation refers to a sustainable transport that gives the least impact in terms of social and environmental but at the same time is able to supply energy sources globally that includes non-motorized transport strategies deployment to promote healthy lifestyles, also known as Mobility Management Scheme (MMS). As construction of road infrastructure cannot help solve the problem of congestion, past research has shown that MMS is an effective measure to mitigate congestion and to achieve green transportation. MMS consists of different strategies and policies that subdivided into categories according to how they are able to influence travel behaviour. Appropriate selection of mobility strategies will ensure its effectiveness in mitigating congestion problems. Nevertheless, determining appropriate strategies requires human expert and depends on a number of success factors. This research has successfully developed a computer clone system based on human expert, called E-MMS. The process of knowledge acquisition for MMS strategies and the next following process to selection of strategy has been encode in a knowledge-based system using a shell expert system. The newly developed computer cloning system was successfully verified, validated and evaluated (VV&E) by comparing the result output with the real transportation expert recommendation in which the findings suggested Introduction

Transport regulation for radioactive materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ha Vinh Phuong.

1986-01-01

Taking into account the specific dangers associated with the transport of radioactive materials (contamination, irradiation, heat, criticality), IAEA regulations concerning technical specifications and administrative procedures to ward off these dangers are presented. The international agreements related to the land transport, maritime transport and air transport of radioactive materials are also briefly reviewed

Computer codes in nuclear safety, radiation transport and dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bordy, J.M.; Kodeli, I.; Menard, St.; Bouchet, J.L.; Renard, F.; Martin, E.; Blazy, L.; Voros, S.; Bochud, F.; Laedermann, J.P.; Beaugelin, K.; Makovicka, L.; Quiot, A.; Vermeersch, F.; Roche, H.; Perrin, M.C.; Laye, F.; Bardies, M.; Struelens, L.; Vanhavere, F.; Gschwind, R.; Fernandez, F.; Quesne, B.; Fritsch, P.; Lamart, St.; Crovisier, Ph.; Leservot, A.; Antoni, R.; Huet, Ch.; Thiam, Ch.; Donadille, L.; Monfort, M.; Diop, Ch.; Ricard, M.

2006-01-01

The purpose of this conference was to describe the present state of computer codes dedicated to radiation transport or radiation source assessment or dosimetry. The presentations have been parted into 2 sessions: 1) methodology and 2) uses in industrial or medical or research domains. It appears that 2 different calculation strategies are prevailing, both are based on preliminary Monte-Carlo calculations with data storage. First, quick simulations made from a database of particle histories built though a previous Monte-Carlo simulation and secondly, a neuronal approach involving a learning platform generated through a previous Monte-Carlo simulation. This document gathers the slides of the presentations

Safety analysis report for packaging (onsite) contaminated well cars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mercado, J.E.

1998-01-01

In support of past operations, railcars were used to ship irradiated fuel from the 100 Area fuel storage basins to the Plutonium Uranium Extraction (PUREX) Facility. There are two configurations for the packaging systems that transported the fuel: the Three-Well Cask Car, which is outfitted with three casks, and the taller, single well, New Production Reactor (NPR) Cask Car. In this document, these cask cars are referred to collectively as well cars. The purpose of this document is to evaluate and authorize the onsite transportation of well cars that contain significant levels of contamination. No irradiated fuel will be transported in the well cars. Neutron detection data confirmed that the well cars do not contain fuel. The intention is to move 14 retired well cars from their current locations in the 100 Area to a suitable storage location in the 200 Area. Each well car contains Type B quantities of radioactivity; so that the hazard of the transport operation is relatively low. This safety analysis report for packaging (SARP) provides the analyses and evaluations necessary to demonstrate that the contaminated well cars meet the transportation safety requirements of HNF-PRO-154, Responsibilities and Procedures for Hazardous Material Shipments for an onsite packaging. The scope of this document addresses the preparation and transportation of the contaminated well cars

Experimental Model of Contaminant Transport by a Moving Wake Inside an Aircraft Cabin

Science.gov (United States)

Poussou, Stephane; Sojka, Paul; Plesniak, Michael

2008-11-01

The air cabin environment in jetliners is designed to provide comfortable and healthy conditions for passengers. The air ventilation system produces a recirculating pattern designed to minimize secondary flow between seat rows. However, disturbances are frequently introduced by individuals walking along the aisle and may significantly modify air distribution and quality. Spreading of infectious aerosols or biochemical agents presents potential health hazards. A fundamental study has been undertaken to understand the unsteady transport phenomena, to validate numerical simulations and to improve air monitoring systems. A finite moving body is modeled experimentally in a 10:1 scale simplified aircraft cabin equipped with ventilation, at a Reynolds number (based on body height) of the order of 10,000. Measurements of the ventilation and wake velocity fields are obtained using PIV and PLIF. Results indicate that the evolution of the typical downwash behind the body is profoundly perturbed by the ventilation flow. Furthermore, the interaction between wake and ventilation flow significantly alters scalar contaminant migration.

Modeling uranium transport in acidic contaminated groundwater with base addition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Fan [Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Luo, Wensui [ORNL; Parker, Jack C. [University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK); Brooks, Scott C [ORNL; Watson, David B [ORNL; Jardine, Philip [University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK); Gu, Baohua [ORNL

2011-01-01

This study investigates reactive transport modeling in a column of uranium(VI)-contaminated sediments with base additions in the circulating influent. The groundwater and sediment exhibit oxic conditions with low pH, high concentrations of NO{sub 3}{sup -}, SO{sub 4}{sup 2-}, U and various metal cations. Preliminary batch experiments indicate that additions of strong base induce rapid immobilization of U for this material. In the column experiment that is the focus of the present study, effluent groundwater was titrated with NaOH solution in an inflow reservoir before reinjection to gradually increase the solution pH in the column. An equilibrium hydrolysis, precipitation and ion exchange reaction model developed through simulation of the preliminary batch titration experiments predicted faster reduction of aqueous Al than observed in the column experiment. The model was therefore modified to consider reaction kinetics for the precipitation and dissolution processes which are the major mechanism for Al immobilization. The combined kinetic and equilibrium reaction model adequately described variations in pH, aqueous concentrations of metal cations (Al, Ca, Mg, Sr, Mn, Ni, Co), sulfate and U(VI). The experimental and modeling results indicate that U(VI) can be effectively sequestered with controlled base addition due to sorption by slowly precipitated Al with pH-dependent surface charge. The model may prove useful to predict field-scale U(VI) sequestration and remediation effectiveness.

Modeling uranium transport in acidic contaminated groundwater with base addition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Fan; Luo Wensui; Parker, Jack C.; Brooks, Scott C.; Watson, David B.; Jardine, Philip M.; Gu Baohua

2011-01-01

This study investigates reactive transport modeling in a column of uranium(VI)-contaminated sediments with base additions in the circulating influent. The groundwater and sediment exhibit oxic conditions with low pH, high concentrations of NO 3 - , SO 4 2- , U and various metal cations. Preliminary batch experiments indicate that additions of strong base induce rapid immobilization of U for this material. In the column experiment that is the focus of the present study, effluent groundwater was titrated with NaOH solution in an inflow reservoir before reinjection to gradually increase the solution pH in the column. An equilibrium hydrolysis, precipitation and ion exchange reaction model developed through simulation of the preliminary batch titration experiments predicted faster reduction of aqueous Al than observed in the column experiment. The model was therefore modified to consider reaction kinetics for the precipitation and dissolution processes which are the major mechanism for Al immobilization. The combined kinetic and equilibrium reaction model adequately described variations in pH, aqueous concentrations of metal cations (Al, Ca, Mg, Sr, Mn, Ni, Co), sulfate and U(VI). The experimental and modeling results indicate that U(VI) can be effectively sequestered with controlled base addition due to sorption by slowly precipitated Al with pH-dependent surface charge. The model may prove useful to predict field-scale U(VI) sequestration and remediation effectiveness.

Modeling uranium transport in acidic contaminated groundwater with base addition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang Fan, E-mail: zhangfan@itpcas.ac.cn [Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2871, Beijing, 100085 (China); Luo Wensui [Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021 (China); Parker, Jack C. [Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States); Brooks, Scott C.; Watson, David B. [Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); Jardine, Philip M. [Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States); Gu Baohua [Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States)

2011-06-15

This study investigates reactive transport modeling in a column of uranium(VI)-contaminated sediments with base additions in the circulating influent. The groundwater and sediment exhibit oxic conditions with low pH, high concentrations of NO{sub 3}{sup -}, SO{sub 4}{sup 2-}, U and various metal cations. Preliminary batch experiments indicate that additions of strong base induce rapid immobilization of U for this material. In the column experiment that is the focus of the present study, effluent groundwater was titrated with NaOH solution in an inflow reservoir before reinjection to gradually increase the solution pH in the column. An equilibrium hydrolysis, precipitation and ion exchange reaction model developed through simulation of the preliminary batch titration experiments predicted faster reduction of aqueous Al than observed in the column experiment. The model was therefore modified to consider reaction kinetics for the precipitation and dissolution processes which are the major mechanism for Al immobilization. The combined kinetic and equilibrium reaction model adequately described variations in pH, aqueous concentrations of metal cations (Al, Ca, Mg, Sr, Mn, Ni, Co), sulfate and U(VI). The experimental and modeling results indicate that U(VI) can be effectively sequestered with controlled base addition due to sorption by slowly precipitated Al with pH-dependent surface charge. The model may prove useful to predict field-scale U(VI) sequestration and remediation effectiveness.

Preliminary assessment for dust contamination of ITER In-Vessel Transporter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saito, Makiko, E-mail: saito.makiko@jaea.go.jp [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Fusion Research and Development Directorate, Naka, Ibaraki-ken 311-0193 (Japan); Ueno, Kenichi; Maruyama, Takahito; Murakami, Shin; Takeda, Nobukazu; Kakudate, Satoshi [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Fusion Research and Development Directorate, Naka, Ibaraki-ken 311-0193 (Japan); Nakahira, Masataka; Tesini, Alessandro [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 St Paul Lez Durance (France)

2014-10-15

Highlights: •To assess the exposure to the maintenance workers, we calculated the effective dose rate. •To reduce the effective dose rate, the IVT was decontaminated and underwent a design change. •The effective dose rate at each maintenance point was also calculated. -- Abstract: After plasma operations of ITER, radioactive dust will have accumulated in the vacuum vessel (VV). The In-Vessel Transporter (IVT) will be introduced into the VV to remove the shield blanket modules for maintenance or replacement and later reinstall them. The IVT itself also needs to undergo regular maintenance in the Hot Cell Facility (HCF). It is assumed that maintenance workers will be exposed to radioactive dust that has adhered to the surfaces of the IVT. In this study, the areas of the IVT that may be contaminated by dust are evaluated to assess the level of exposure to workers during maintenance work in the HCF. Decontamination processes for the IVT, such as a combination of vacuuming and brushing, were investigated and the dose rate after these processes was evaluated. Even though dust was removed from surfaces where decontamination was possible, the dose rate was very high at some assessment points. To decrease the dose rate in accordance with ALARA policy, a decontamination plan and a maintenance plan, which includes the removal of dust, a radiation shield system, and a reduction in working time are proposed.

Implementation of distributed computing system for emergency response and contaminant spill monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ojo, T.O.; Sterling, M.C.Jr.; Bonner, J.S.; Fuller, C.B.; Kelly, F.; Page, C.A.

2003-01-01

The availability and use of real-time environmental data greatly enhances emergency response and spill monitoring in coastal and near shore environments. The data would include surface currents, wind speed, wind direction, and temperature. Model predictions (fate and transport) or forensics can also be included. In order to achieve an integrated system suitable for application in spill or emergency response situations, a link is required because this information exists on many different computing platforms. When real-time measurements are needed to monitor a spill, the use of a wide array of sensors and ship-based post-processing methods help reduce the latency in data transfer between field sampling stations and the Incident Command Centre. The common thread linking all these modules is the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and the result is an integrated distributed computing system (DCS). The in-situ sensors are linked to an onboard computer through the use of a ship-based local area network (LAN) using a submersible device server. The onboard computer serves as both the data post-processor and communications server. It links the field sampling station with other modules, and is responsible for transferring data to the Incident Command Centre. This link is facilitated by a wide area network (WAN) based on wireless broadband communications facilities. This paper described the implementation of the DCS. The test results for the communications link and system readiness were also included. 6 refs., 2 tabs., 3 figs

FPGA hardware acceleration for high performance neutron transport computation based on agent methodology - 318

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shanjie, Xiao; Tatjana, Jevremovic

2010-01-01

The accurate, detailed and 3D neutron transport analysis for Gen-IV reactors is still time-consuming regardless of advanced computational hardware available in developed countries. This paper introduces a new concept in addressing the computational time while persevering the detailed and accurate modeling; a specifically designed FPGA co-processor accelerates robust AGENT methodology for complex reactor geometries. For the first time this approach is applied to accelerate the neutronics analysis. The AGENT methodology solves neutron transport equation using the method of characteristics. The AGENT methodology performance was carefully analyzed before the hardware design based on the FPGA co-processor was adopted. The most time-consuming kernel part is then transplanted into the FPGA co-processor. The FPGA co-processor is designed with data flow-driven non von-Neumann architecture and has much higher efficiency than the conventional computer architecture. Details of the FPGA co-processor design are introduced and the design is benchmarked using two different examples. The advanced chip architecture helps the FPGA co-processor obtaining more than 20 times speed up with its working frequency much lower than the CPU frequency. (authors)

Parallel computing for homogeneous diffusion and transport equations in neutronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinchedez, K.

1999-06-01

Parallel computing meets the ever-increasing requirements for neutronic computer code speed and accuracy. In this work, two different approaches have been considered. We first parallelized the sequential algorithm used by the neutronics code CRONOS developed at the French Atomic Energy Commission. The algorithm computes the dominant eigenvalue associated with PN simplified transport equations by a mixed finite element method. Several parallel algorithms have been developed on distributed memory machines. The performances of the parallel algorithms have been studied experimentally by implementation on a T3D Cray and theoretically by complexity models. A comparison of various parallel algorithms has confirmed the chosen implementations. We next applied a domain sub-division technique to the two-group diffusion Eigen problem. In the modal synthesis-based method, the global spectrum is determined from the partial spectra associated with sub-domains. Then the Eigen problem is expanded on a family composed, on the one hand, from eigenfunctions associated with the sub-domains and, on the other hand, from functions corresponding to the contribution from the interface between the sub-domains. For a 2-D homogeneous core, this modal method has been validated and its accuracy has been measured. (author)

COLLOID-FACILITATED TRANSPORT OF RADIONUCLIDES THROUGH THE VADOSE ZONE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flury, Markus

2003-01-01

Contaminants have leaked into the vadose zone at the USDOE Hanford reservation. It is important to understand the fate and transport of these contaminants to design remediation strategies and long-term waste management plans at the Hanford reservation. Colloids may play an important role in fate and transport of strongly sorbing contaminants, such as Cs or Pu. This project seeks to improve the basic understanding of colloid and colloid-facilitated transport of contaminants in the vadose zone. The specific objectives addressed are: (1) Determine the structure, composition, and surface charge characteristics of colloidal particles formed under conditions similar to those occurring during leakage of waste typical of Hanford tank supernatants into soils and sediments surrounding the tanks. (2) Characterize the mutual interactions between colloids, contaminant, and soil matrix in batch experiments under various ionic strength and pH conditions. We will investigate the nature of the solid-liquid interactions and the kinetics of the reactions. (3) Evaluate mobility of colloids through soil under different degrees of water saturation and solution chemistry (ionic strength and pH). (4) Determine the potential of colloids to act as carriers to transport the contaminant through the vadose zone and verify the results through comparison with field samples collected under leaking tanks. (5) Improve conceptual characterization of colloid-contaminant-soil interactions and colloid-facilitated transport for implementation into reactive chemical transport models. This project was in part supported by an NSF-IGERT grant to Washington State University. The IGERT grant provided funding for graduate student research and education, and two graduate students were involved in the EMSP project. The IGERT program also supported undergraduate internships. The project is part of a larger EMSP program to study fate and transport of contaminants under leaking Hanford waste tanks. The project has

Catchment-scale contaminant transport under changing hydro-climatic conditions in the Aral Sea Drainage Basin, Central Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Jarsjö, Jerker; Törnqvist, Rebecka; Su, Ye

2013-04-01

Dependable projections of future water availability and quality are essential in the management of water resources. Changes in land use, water use and climate can have large impacts on water and contaminant flows across extensive catchments that may contain different administrative regions where shared water resources must be managed. We consider the extensive Aral Sea Drainage Basin (ASDB) and the Amu Darya River Delta in Central Asia, which are currently under severe water stress due to large-scale irrigation expansion. We interpret data on hydro-climatic conditions, main contaminants of surface water and shallow groundwater systems, location of rivers and canal networks, and groundwater flow directions. The data are used together with climate change projections from general circulation models (GCMs) as input to hydrological and (advective) transport modelling. The main goal is to assess how regional transport pathways and travel times have changed, and are likely to change further, in response to past and projected future hydro-climatic changes. More specifically, the hydrological modelling was based on temperature and precipitation change (ΔT and ΔP) results from 65 GCM projections of 21st century conditions (specifically considering time periods around 2025, 2050, and 2100), relative to reference conditions around 1975 (taken from the reference period 1961-1990). Whereas ΔT is robustly projected to increase with time, the projected magnitude of ΔP differs more among projections for the distant future (2100) than for the near future (2025), with uncertainty remaining even about the direction of change (i.e., positive or negative ΔP). However, mainly due to the projected temperature-driven increases in evapotranspiration, ensemble average results show that the Amu Darya river discharge Q in the downstream ASDB is likely to show a decreasing trend throughout the 21st century. Notably, projected changes in the upstream, mountainous regions have a relatively

Assessment of the Forward Contamination Risk of Mars by Clean Room Isolates from Space-Craft Assembly Facilities through Aeolian Transport - a Model Study

Science.gov (United States)

van Heereveld, Luc; Merrison, Jonathan; Nørnberg, Per; Finster, Kai

2017-06-01

The increasing number of missions to Mars also increases the risk of forward contamination. Consequently there is a need for effective protocols to ensure efficient protection of the Martian environment against terrestrial microbiota. Despite the fact of constructing sophisticated clean rooms for spacecraft assembly a 100 % avoidance of contamination appears to be impossible. Recent surveys of these facilities have identified a significant number of microbes belonging to a variety of taxonomic groups that survive the harsh conditions of clean rooms. These microbes may have a strong contamination potential, which needs to be investigate to apply efficient decontamination treatments. In this study we propose a series of tests to evaluate the potential of clean room contaminants to survive the different steps involved in forward contamination. We used Staphylococcus xylosus as model organism to illustrate the different types of stress that potential contaminants will be subjected to on their way from the spacecraft onto the surface of Mars. Staphylococcus xylosus is associated with human skin and commonly found in clean rooms and could therefore contaminate the spacecraft as a result of human activity during the assembling process. The path the cell will take from the surface of the spacecraft onto the surface of Mars was split into steps representing different stresses that include desiccation, freezing, aeolian transport in a Martian-like atmosphere at Martian atmospheric pressure, and UV radiation climate. We assessed the surviving fraction of the cellular population after each step by determining the integrated metabolic activity of the survivor population by measuring their oxygen consumption rate. The largest fraction of the starting culture (around 70 %) was killed during desiccation, while freezing, Martian vacuum and short-term UV radiation only had a minor additional effect on the survivability of Staphylococcus xylosus. The study also included a simulation

Impacts of physical and chemical aquifer heterogeneity on basin-scale solute transport: Vulnerability of deep groundwater to arsenic contamination in Bangladesh

Science.gov (United States)

Michael, Holly A.; Khan, Mahfuzur R.

2016-12-01

Aquifer heterogeneity presents a primary challenge in predicting the movement of solutes in groundwater systems. The problem is particularly difficult on very large scales, across which permeability, chemical properties, and pumping rates may vary by many orders of magnitude and data are often sparse. An example is the fluvio-deltaic aquifer system of Bangladesh, where naturally-occurring arsenic (As) exists over tens of thousands of square kilometers in shallow groundwater. Millions of people in As-affected regions rely on deep (≥150 m) groundwater as a safe source of drinking water. The sustainability of this resource has been evaluated with models using effective properties appropriate for a basin-scale contamination problem, but the extent to which preferential flow affects the timescale of downward migration of As-contaminated shallow groundwater is unknown. Here we embed detailed, heterogeneous representations of hydraulic conductivity (K), pumping rates, and sorptive properties (Kd) within a basin-scale numerical groundwater flow and solute transport model to evaluate their effects on vulnerability and deviations from simulations with homogeneous representations in two areas with different flow systems. Advective particle tracking shows that heterogeneity in K does not affect average travel times from shallow zones to 150 m depth, but the travel times of the fastest 10% of particles decreases by a factor of ∼2. Pumping distributions do not strongly affect travel times if irrigation remains shallow, but increases in the deep pumping rate substantially reduce travel times. Simulation of advective-dispersive transport with sorption shows that deep groundwater is protected from contamination over a sustainable timeframe (>1000 y) if the spatial distribution of Kd is uniform. However, if only low-K sediments sorb As, 30% of the aquifer is not protected. Results indicate that sustainable management strategies in the Bengal Basin should consider impacts of both

Optimal Aquifer Pumping Policy to Reduce Contaminant Concentration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Abaei

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Different sources of ground water contamination lead to non-uniform distribution of contaminant concentration in the aquifer. If elimination or containment of pollution sources was not possible, the distribution of contaminant concentrations could be modified in order to eliminate peak concentrations using optimal water pumping discharge plan. In the present investigation Visual MODFLOW model was used to simulate the flow and transport in a hypothetic aquifer. Genetic Algorithm (GA also was applied to optimize the location and pumping flow rate of wells in order to reduce contaminants peak concentrations in aquifer.