Hydraulic characterization of hydrothermally altered Nopal tuff

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Green, R.T.; Meyer-James, K.A. [Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX (United States); Rice, G. [George Rice and Associates, San Antonio, TX (United States)

1995-07-01

Understanding the mechanics of variably saturated flow in fractured-porous media is of fundamental importance to evaluating the isolation performance of the proposed high-level radioactive waste repository for the Yucca Mountain site. Developing that understanding must be founded on the analysis and interpretation of laboratory and field data. This report presents an analysis of the unsaturated hydraulic properties of tuff cores from the Pena Blanca natural analog site in Mexico. The basic intent of the analysis was to examine possible trends and relationships between the hydraulic properties and the degree of hydrothermal alteration exhibited by the tuff samples. These data were used in flow simulations to evaluate the significance of a particular conceptual (composite) model and of distinct hydraulic properties on the rate and nature of water flow.

Hydraulic characterization of hydrothermally altered Nopal tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, R.T.; Meyer-James, K.A.; Rice, G.

1995-07-01

Understanding the mechanics of variably saturated flow in fractured-porous media is of fundamental importance to evaluating the isolation performance of the proposed high-level radioactive waste repository for the Yucca Mountain site. Developing that understanding must be founded on the analysis and interpretation of laboratory and field data. This report presents an analysis of the unsaturated hydraulic properties of tuff cores from the Pena Blanca natural analog site in Mexico. The basic intent of the analysis was to examine possible trends and relationships between the hydraulic properties and the degree of hydrothermal alteration exhibited by the tuff samples. These data were used in flow simulations to evaluate the significance of a particular conceptual (composite) model and of distinct hydraulic properties on the rate and nature of water flow

Conceptualization of a hypothetical high-level nuclear waste repository site in unsaturated, fractured tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parsons, A.M.; Olague, N.E.; Gallegos, D.P.

1991-01-01

Under the sponsorship of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is developing a performance assessment methodology for the analysis of long-term disposal and isolation of high-level nuclear wastes (HLW) in alternative geologic media. As part of this exercise, SNL created a conceptualization of ground-water flow and radionuclide transport in the far field of a hypothetical HLW repository site located in unsaturated, fractured tuff formations. This study provides a foundation for the development of conceptual mathematical, and numerical models to be used in this performance assessment methodology. This conceptualization is site specific in terms of geometry, the regional ground-water flow system, stratigraphy, and structure in that these are based on information from Yucca Mountain located on the Nevada Test Site. However, in terms of processes in unsaturated, fractured, porous media, the model is generic. This report also provides a review and evaluation of previously proposed conceptual models of unsaturated and saturated flow and solute transport. This report provides a qualitative description of a hypothetical HLW repository site in fractured tuff. However, evaluation of the current knowledge of flow and transport at Yucca Mountain does not yield a single conceptual model. Instead, multiple conceptual models are possible given the existing information

Conceptualization of a hypothetical high-level nuclear waste repository site in unsaturated, fractured tuff

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Parsons, A.M.; Olague, N.E.; Gallegos, D.P. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)

1991-01-01

Under the sponsorship of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is developing a performance assessment methodology for the analysis of long-term disposal and isolation of high-level nuclear wastes (HLW) in alternative geologic media. As part of this exercise, SNL created a conceptualization of ground-water flow and radionuclide transport in the far field of a hypothetical HLW repository site located in unsaturated, fractured tuff formations. This study provides a foundation for the development of conceptual mathematical, and numerical models to be used in this performance assessment methodology. This conceptualization is site specific in terms of geometry, the regional ground-water flow system, stratigraphy, and structure in that these are based on information from Yucca Mountain located on the Nevada Test Site. However, in terms of processes in unsaturated, fractured, porous media, the model is generic. This report also provides a review and evaluation of previously proposed conceptual models of unsaturated and saturated flow and solute transport. This report provides a qualitative description of a hypothetical HLW repository site in fractured tuff. However, evaluation of the current knowledge of flow and transport at Yucca Mountain does not yield a single conceptual model. Instead, multiple conceptual models are possible given the existing information.

Minerals in fractures of the saturated zone from drill core USW G-4, Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlos, B.A.

1987-04-01

The minerals in fractures in drill core USW G-4, from the static water level (SWL) at 1770 ft to the base of the hole at 3000 ft, were studied to determine their identity and depositional sequence and to compare them with those found above the SWL in the same drill hole. There is no change in mineralogy or mineral morphology across the SWL. The significant change in mineralogy and relationship to the host rock occurs at 1381 ft, well above the present water table. Below 1381 ft clinoptilolite appears in the fractures and rock matrix instead of heulandite, and the fracture mineralogy correlates with the host rock mineralogy. Throughout most of the saturated zone (below the SWL) in USW G-4, zeolites occur in fractures only in zeolitic tuff; however, zeolites persist in fracture below the base of the deepest zeolitic tuff interval. Nonzeolitic intervals of tuff have fewer fractures, and many of these have no coatings; a few have quartz and feldspar coatings. One interval in zeolitic tuff (2125-2140 ft) contains abundant crisobalite coatings in the fractures. Calcite occurs in fractures from 2575 to 2660 ft, usually with the manganese mineral hollandite, and from 2750 to 2765 ft, usually alone. Manganese minerals occur in several intervals. The spatial correlation of zeolites in fractures with zeolitic host rock suggests that both may have been zeolitized at the same time, possibly by water moving laterally through more permeable zones in the tuff. The continuation of zeolites in fractures below the lowest zeolitic interval in this hole suggests that vertical fracture flow may have been important in the deposition of these coatings. Core from deeper intervals in another hole will be examined to determine if that relationship continues. 17 refs., 19 figs

Saturated Zone Colloid-Facilitated Transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolfsberg, A.; Reimus, P.

2001-01-01

The purpose of the Saturated Zone Colloid-Facilitated Transport Analysis and Modeling Report (AMR), as outlined in its Work Direction and Planning Document (CRWMS MandO 1999a), is to provide retardation factors for colloids with irreversibly-attached radionuclides, such as plutonium, in the saturated zone (SZ) between their point of entrance from the unsaturated zone (UZ) and downgradient compliance points. Although it is not exclusive to any particular radionuclide release scenario, this AMR especially addresses those scenarios pertaining to evidence from waste degradation experiments, which indicate that plutonium and perhaps other radionuclides may be irreversibly attached to colloids. This report establishes the requirements and elements of the design of a methodology for calculating colloid transport in the saturated zone at Yucca Mountain. In previous Total Systems Performance Assessment (TSPA) analyses, radionuclide-bearing colloids were assumed to be unretarded in their migration. Field experiments in fractured tuff at Yucca Mountain and in porous media at other sites indicate that colloids may, in fact, experience retardation relative to the mean pore-water velocity, suggesting that contaminants associated with colloids should also experience some retardation. Therefore, this analysis incorporates field data where available and a theoretical framework when site-specific data are not available for estimating plausible ranges of retardation factors in both saturated fractured tuff and saturated alluvium. The distribution of retardation factors for tuff and alluvium are developed in a form consistent with the Performance Assessment (PA) analysis framework for simulating radionuclide transport in the saturated zone. To improve on the work performed so far for the saturated-zone flow and transport modeling, concerted effort has been made in quantifying colloid retardation factors in both fractured tuff and alluvium. The fractured tuff analysis used recent data

Fracture-lining minerals in the lower Topopah Spring Tuff at Yucca Mountain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlos, B.A.; Bish, D.L.; Chipera, S.J.

1991-01-01

Fracture-lining minerals in the lower Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, are being examined to characterize potential flow paths within and away from the candidate repository horizon. Fracture coatings within this interval can be divided into five categories based on rock matrix and type of fracture. Fracture coatings in the densely welded tuff above the basal vitrophyre, near the candidate repository horizon, include (1) those related to lithophysal cavities; (2) mordenite and manganese oxides on nearly planar fractures; (3) later fracture coatings consisting of zeolites, smectite, and calcite. Fracture-coating minerals in the vitrophyre are fine-grained and consist of smectite and a variety of zeolites. The non- to partially-welded vitric and/or zeolitic stuff below the vitrophyre contains fractures mostly lined by cristobalite and clinoptilolite. 13 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab

Laboratory testing of cement grouting of fractures in welded tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharpe, C.J.; Daemen, J.J.

1991-03-01

Fractures in the rock mass surrounding a repository and its shafts, access drifts, emplacement rooms and holes, and exploratory or in-situ testing holes, may provide preferential flowpaths for the flow of groundwater or air, potentially containing radionuclides. Such cracks may have to be sealed. The likelihood that extensive or at least local grouting will be required as part of repository sealing has been noted in numerous publications addressing high level waste repository closing. The objective of this work is to determine the effectiveness of fracture sealing (grouting) in welded tuff. Experimental work includes measurement of intact and fracture permeability under various normal stresses and injection pressures. Grout is injected into the fractures. The effectiveness of grouting is evaluated in terms of grout penetration and permeability reduction, compared prior to and after grouting. Analysis of the results include the effect of normal stress, injection pressure, fracture roughness, grout rheology, grout bonding, and the radial extent of grout penetration. Laboratory experiments have been performed on seventeen tuff cylinders with three types of fractures: (1) tension induced cracks, (2) natural fractures, and (3) sawcuts. Prior to grouting, the hydraulic conductivity of the intact rock and of the fractures is measured under a range of normal stresses. The surface topography of the fracture is mapped, and the results are used to determine aperture distributions across the fractures. 72 refs., 76 figs., 25 tabs

Uncertainties in sealing a nuclear waste repository in partially saturated tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tillerson, J.R.; Fernandez, J.A.; Hinkebein, T.E.

1989-01-01

Sealing a nuclear waste repository in partially saturated tuff presents unique challenges to assuring performance of sealing components. Design and performance of components for sealing shafts, ramps, drifts, and exploratory boreholes depend on specific features of both the repository design and the site; of particular importance is the hydrologic environment in the unsaturated zone, including the role of fracture flow. Repository design features important to sealing of a repository include the size and location of shaft and ramp accesses, excavation methods, and the underground layout features such as grade (drainage direction) and location relative to geologic structure. Uncertainties about seal components relate to the postclosure environment for the seals, the emplacement methods, the material properties, and the potential performance of the components. An approach has been developed to reduce uncertainties and to increase confidence in seal performance; it includes gathering extensive site characterization data, establishing conservative design requirements, testing seal components in laboratory and field environments, and refining designs of both the seals and the repository before seals are installed. 9 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs

Microautoradiography in studies of Pu(V) sorption by trace and fracture minerals in tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaniman, D.; Furlano, A.; Chipera, S.; Thompson, J.; Triay, I.

1996-01-01

Microautoradiography was used to evaluate the mineralogic basis of Pu(V) retention by tuffs from Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Altered orthopyroxenes and oxide minerals are associated with high Pu retention but are limited to specific stratigraphic horizons. A weaker but more general association of Pu with smectite occurs in most samples. Thin-sections that cross fractures allow comparative studies of Pu retention by fracture-lining versus matrix minerals. Using Ag metal in emulsions as a measure of underlying Pu concentration, electron-microprobe analysis can quantify Pu retention along fracture walls and provide mineral/mineral Pu retention factors. For smectite-lined microfractures in zeolitized tuff, the smectite/clinoptilolite Pu retention factor is >80

Geologic character of tuffs in the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain, southern Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, R.B.; Spengler, R.W.; Diehl, S.; Lappin, A.R.; Chornack, M.P.

1982-01-01

At Yucca Mountain, a potential site for a high-level nuclear waste repository on the Nevada Test Site in southern Nevada, evaluation of the geologic setting and rock physical properties, along with previous regional hydrologic studies, has provided background that can be used for construction of a preliminary conceptual hydrologic model of the unsaturated zone. The 500-m-thick unsaturated portion of Yucca Mountain consists of alternating layers of two contrasting types of tuff. One type consists of highly fractured, densely welded, relatively nonporous but highly transmissive ash-flow tuffs. The other type consists of relatively unfractured, nonwelded, highly porous but relatively nontransmissive, argillic and zeolitic bedded tuffs and ash-flow tuffs. The contrast between these two sets of distinctive physical properties results in a stratified sequence best described as ''physical-property stratigraphy'' as opposed to traditional petrologic stratigraphy of volcanic rocks. The vast majority of recharge through the unsaturated zone is assumed to be vertical; the dominant migration may occur in fractures of densely welded tuffs and in the matrix of nonwelded tuff, but the mode of fluid flow in these unsaturated systems is undetermined. Limited lateral flow of recharge may occur at horizons where local perched water tables may exist above relatively nontransmissive zeolitized nonwelded tuffs. The pervasive north-northwest-striking fractures may control the direction of lateral flow of recharge, if any, in the unsaturated zone, and certainly that direction coincides closely with the observed southeasterly flow direction in the saturated zone under Yucca Mountain. Empirical evaluation of this conceptual hydrologic model has begun. 41 refs., 18 figs., 2 tabs

Geologic character of tuffs in the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain, southern Nevada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scott, R.B.; Spengler, R.W.; Diehl, S.; Lappin, A.R.; Chornack, M.P.

1982-12-31

At Yucca Mountain, a potential site for a high-level nuclear waste repository on the Nevada Test Site in southern Nevada, evaluation of the geologic setting and rock physical properties, along with previous regional hydrologic studies, has provided background that can be used for construction of a preliminary conceptual hydrologic model of the unsaturated zone. The 500-m-thick unsaturated portion of Yucca Mountain consists of alternating layers of two contrasting types of tuff. One type consists of highly fractured, densely welded, relatively nonporous but highly transmissive ash-flow tuffs. The other type consists of relatively unfractured, nonwelded, highly porous but relatively nontransmissive, argillic and zeolitic bedded tuffs and ash-flow tuffs. The contrast between these two sets of distinctive physical properties results in a stratified sequence best described as "physical-property stratigraphy" as opposed to traditional petrologic stratigraphy of volcanic rocks. The vast majority of recharge through the unsaturated zone is assumed to be vertical; the dominant migration may occur in fractures of densely welded tuffs and in the matrix of nonwelded tuff, but the mode of fluid flow in these unsaturated systems is undetermined. Limited lateral flow of recharge may occur at horizons where local perched water tables may exist above relatively nontransmissive zeolitized nonwelded tuffs. The pervasive north-northwest-striking fractures may control the direction of lateral flow of recharge, if any, in the unsaturated zone, and certainly that direction coincides closely with the observed southeasterly flow direction in the saturated zone under Yucca Mountain. Empirical evaluation of this conceptual hydrologic model has begun. 41 refs., 18 figs., 2 tabs.

Thermal conductivity, bulk properties, and thermal stratigraphy of silicic tuffs from the upper portion of hole USW-G1, Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lappin, A.R.; VanBuskirk, R.G.; Enniss, D.O.; Buters, S.W.; Prater, F.M.; Muller, C.B.; Bergosh, J.L.

1982-03-01

Thermal-conductivity and bulk-property measurements were made on welded and nonwelded silicic tuffs from the upper portion of Hole USW-G1, located near the southwestern margin of the Nevada Test Site. Bulk-property measurements were made by standard techniques. Thermal conductivities were measured at temperatures as high as 280 0 C, confining pressures to 10 MPa, and pore pressures to 1.5 MPa. Extrapolation of measured saturated conductivities to zero porosity suggests that matrix conductivity of both zeolitized and devitrified tuffs is independent of stratigraphic position, depth, and probably location. This fact allows development of a thermal-conductivity stratigraphy for the upper portion of Hole G1. Estimates of saturated conductivities of zeolitized nonwelded tuffs and devitrified tuffs below the water table appear most reliable. Estimated conductivities of saturated densely welded devitrified tuffs above the water table are less reliable, due to both internal complexity and limited data presently available. Estimation of conductivity of dewatered tuffs requires use of different air thermal conductivities in devitrified and zeolitized samples. Estimated effects of in-situ fracturing generally appear negligible

Pretest thermal analysis of the Tuff Water Migration/In-Situ Heater Experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bulmer, B.M.

1980-02-01

This report describes the pretest thermal analysis for the Tuff Water Migration/In-Situ Heater Experiment to be conducted in welded tuff in G-tunnel, Nevada Test Site. The parametric thermal modeling considers variable boiling temperature, tuff thermal conductivity, tuff emissivity, and heater operating power. For nominal tuff properties, some near field boiling is predicted for realistic operating power. However, the extent of boiling will be strongly determined by the ambient (100% water saturated) rock thermal conductivity. In addition, the thermal response of the heater and of the tuff within the dry-out zone (i.e., bounded by boiling isotherm) is dependent on the temperature variation of rock conductivity as well as the extent of induced boiling

Time scales for dissolution of calcite fracture fillings and implications for saturated zone radionuclide transport at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winterle, J.R.; Murphy, W.M.

1999-01-01

An analysis was performed to estimate time scales for dissolution of calcite fracture fillings in the fractured tuff aquifer that underlies Yucca Mountain (YM), Nevada, where groundwater is chemically undersaturated with respect to calcite. The impetus for this analysis originates from speculation that undissolved calcite in the saturated zone is evidence for limited diffusive exchange between fracture and matrix waters. Assuming that matrix diffusion is the rate-limiting process, the time scale for dissolution of calcite fracture fillings depends on the amount of calcite initially deposited, the distance between flowing fractures, the degree of chemical disequilibrium, and the rate of diffusion. Assuming geochemistry of J-13 well water in free-flowing fractures, estimated time scales for complete dissolution of matrix-entrapped calcite range from about 10 4 yr for a 2 mm-thick deposit located 1 m from a flowing fracture, to over 10 7 yr for a 2 cm-thick deposit located 100 m from a flowing fracture. The authors conclude that, given the geochemical and hydrologic characteristics observed at YM, the persistence of calcite minerals over geologic time scales in aquifers where flowing water is under-saturated with calcite does not necessarily preclude matrix diffusion as a dilution mechanism. However, the model suggests that the effective spacing between flowing fractures may be large enough to diminish the overall benefit of matrix diffusion to proposed high-level waste repository performance

Partially to fully saturated flow through smooth, clean, open fractures: qualitative experimental studies

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Brendon R.; Brouwers, Luke B.; Dippenaar, Matthys A.

2018-05-01

Fractures are both rough and irregular but can be expressed by a simple model concept of two smooth parallel plates and the associated cubic law governing discharge through saturated fractures. However, in natural conditions and in the intermediate vadose zone, these assumptions are likely violated. This paper presents a qualitative experimental study investigating the cubic law under variable saturation in initially dry free-draining discrete fractures. The study comprised flow visualisation experiments conducted on transparent replicas of smooth parallel plates with inlet conditions of constant pressure and differing flow rates over both vertical and horizontal inclination. Flow conditions were altered to investigate the influence of intermittent and continuous influx scenarios. Findings from this research proved, for instance, that saturated laminar flow is not likely achieved, especially in nonhorizontal fractures. In vertical fractures, preferential flow occupies the minority of cross-sectional area despite the water supply. Movement of water through the fractured vadose zone therefore becomes a matter of the continuity principle, whereby water should theoretically be transported downward at significantly higher flow rates given the very low degree of water saturation. Current techniques that aim to quantify discrete fracture flow, notably at partial saturation, are questionable. Inspired by the results of this study, it is therefore hypothetically improbable to achieve saturation in vertical fractures under free-draining wetting conditions. It does become possible under extremely excessive water inflows or when not free-draining; however, the converse is not true, as a wet vertical fracture can be drained.

Partially to fully saturated flow through smooth, clean, open fractures: qualitative experimental studies

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Brendon R.; Brouwers, Luke B.; Dippenaar, Matthys A.

2017-11-01

Fractures are both rough and irregular but can be expressed by a simple model concept of two smooth parallel plates and the associated cubic law governing discharge through saturated fractures. However, in natural conditions and in the intermediate vadose zone, these assumptions are likely violated. This paper presents a qualitative experimental study investigating the cubic law under variable saturation in initially dry free-draining discrete fractures. The study comprised flow visualisation experiments conducted on transparent replicas of smooth parallel plates with inlet conditions of constant pressure and differing flow rates over both vertical and horizontal inclination. Flow conditions were altered to investigate the influence of intermittent and continuous influx scenarios. Findings from this research proved, for instance, that saturated laminar flow is not likely achieved, especially in nonhorizontal fractures. In vertical fractures, preferential flow occupies the minority of cross-sectional area despite the water supply. Movement of water through the fractured vadose zone therefore becomes a matter of the continuity principle, whereby water should theoretically be transported downward at significantly higher flow rates given the very low degree of water saturation. Current techniques that aim to quantify discrete fracture flow, notably at partial saturation, are questionable. Inspired by the results of this study, it is therefore hypothetically improbable to achieve saturation in vertical fractures under free-draining wetting conditions. It does become possible under extremely excessive water inflows or when not free-draining; however, the converse is not true, as a wet vertical fracture can be drained.

Enhanced CAH dechlorination in a low permeability, variably-saturated medium

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, J.P.; Sorenson, K.S.; Peterson, L.N.; Brennan, R.A.; Werth, C.J.; Sanford, R.A.; Bures, G.H.; Taylor, C.J.; ,

2002-01-01

An innovative pilot-scale field test was performed to enhance the anaerobic reductive dechlorination (ARD) of chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) in a low permeability, variably-saturated formation. The selected technology combines the use of a hydraulic fracturing (fracking) technique with enhanced bioremediation through the creation of highly-permeable sand- and electron donor-filled fractures in the low permeability matrix. Chitin was selected as the electron donor because of its unique properties as a polymeric organic material and based on the results of lab studies that indicated its ability to support ARD. The distribution and impact of chitin- and sand-filled fractures to the system was evaluated using hydrologic, geophysical, and geochemical parameters. The results indicate that, where distributed, chitin favorably impacted redox conditions and supported enhanced ARD of CAHs. These results indicate that this technology may be a viable and cost-effective approach for remediation of low-permeability, variably saturated systems.

Repository site data report for unsaturated tuff, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tien, P.L.; Updegraff, C.D.; Siegel, M.D.; Wahi, K.K.; Guzowski, R.V.

1985-11-01

The US Department of Energy is currently considering the thick sequences of unsaturated, fractured tuff at Yucca Mountain, on the southwestern boundary of the Nevada Test Site, as a possible candidate host rock for a nuclear-waste repository. Yucca Mountain is in one of the most arid areas in the United States. The site is within the south-central part of the Great Basin section of the Basin and Range physiographic province and is located near a number of silicic calderas of Tertiary age. Although localized zones of seismic activity are common throughout the province, and faults are present at Yucca Mountain, the site itself is basically aseismic. No data are available on the composition of ground water in the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain. It has been suggested that the composition is bounded by the compositions of water from wells USW-H3, UE25p-1, J-13, and snow or rain. There are relatively few data available from Yucca Mountain on the moisture content and saturation, hydraulic conductivity, and characteristic curves of the unsaturated zone. The available literature on thermomechanical properties of tuff does not always distinguish between data from the saturated zone and data from the unsaturated zone. Geochemical, hydrologic, and thermomechanical data available on the unsaturated tuffs of Yucca Mountain are tabulated in this report. Where the data are very sparse, they have been supplemented by data from the saturated zone or from areas other than Yucca Mountain. 316 refs., 58 figs., 37 tabs

Repository site data report for unsaturated tuff, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tien, P.L.; Updegraff, C.D.; Siegel, M.D.; Wahi, K.K.; Guzowski, R.V.

1985-11-01

The US Department of Energy is currently considering the thick sequences of unsaturated, fractured tuff at Yucca Mountain, on the southwestern boundary of the Nevada Test Site, as a possible candidate host rock for a nuclear-waste repository. Yucca Mountain is in one of the most arid areas in the United States. The site is within the south-central part of the Great Basin section of the Basin and Range physiographic province and is located near a number of silicic calderas of Tertiary age. Although localized zones of seismic activity are common throughout the province, and faults are present at Yucca Mountain, the site itself is basically aseismic. No data are available on the composition of ground water in the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain. It has been suggested that the composition is bounded by the compositions of water from wells USW-H3, UE25p-1, J-13, and snow or rain. There are relatively few data available from Yucca Mountain on the moisture content and saturation, hydraulic conductivity, and characteristic curves of the unsaturated zone. The available literature on thermomechanical properties of tuff does not always distinguish between data from the saturated zone and data from the unsaturated zone. Geochemical, hydrologic, and thermomechanical data available on the unsaturated tuffs of Yucca Mountain are tabulated in this report. Where the data are very sparse, they have been supplemented by data from the saturated zone or from areas other than Yucca Mountain. 316 refs., 58 figs., 37 tabs.

Thermal effects on water exclusion from a cavity in unsaturated tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, W.; Chambre, P.L.; Pigford, T.H.; Lee, W.W.L.

1992-01-01

For an unsaturated, fractured porous medium subjected to uniform infiltration, we analyze thermal effects on water exclusion from cavities. This is of practical interest in a nuclear waste repository. A crucial question is: How much infiltration will lead to heated cavity-rock interface in tunnels and drifts being saturated so that water can enter a cavity. The combination of cavity size, dimensionless temperature difference, and infiltration rate that will lead to the critical condition at the cavity apex; this calculation considers the tuff matrix only. Here, the large projection area of the cavity intercepts large amounts of infiltration, requiring a lesser critical infiltration rate to saturate the cavity apex

Three-dimensional modeling of flow through fractured tuff at Fran Ridge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eaton, R.R.; Ho, C.K.; Glass, RJ.; Nicholl, M.J.; Arnold, B.W.

1996-09-01

Numerical studies have been made of an infiltration experiment at Fran Ridge using the TOUGH2 code to aid in the selection of computational models for performance assessment. The exercise investigates the capabilities of TOUGH2 to model transient flows through highly fractured tuff and provides a possible means of calibration. Two distinctly different conceptual models were used in the TOUGH2 code, the dual permeability model and the equivalent continuum model. The infiltration test modeled involved the infiltration of dyed ponded water for 36 minutes. The 205 gallon infiltration of water observed in the experiment was subsequently modeled using measured Fran Ridge fracture frequencies, and a specified fracture aperture of 285 microm. The dual permeability formulation predicted considerable infiltration along the fracture network, which was in agreement with the experimental observations. As expected, al fracture penetration of the infiltrating water was calculated using the equivalent continuum model, thus demonstrating that this model is not appropriate for modeling the highly transient experiment. It is therefore recommended that the dual permeability model be given priority when computing high-flux infiltration for use in performance assessment studies

Three-dimensional modeling of flow through fractured tuff at Fran Ridge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eaton, R.R.; Ho, C.K.; Glass, R.J.; Nicholl, M.J.; Arnold, B.W.

1996-01-01

Numerical studies have been made of an infiltration experiment at Fran Ridge using the TOUGH2 code to aid in the selection of computational models for performance assessment. The exercise investigates the capabilities of TOUGH2 to model transient flows through highly fractured tuff and provides a possible means of calibration. Two distinctly different conceptual models were used in the TOUGH2 code, the dual permeability model and the equivalent continuum model. The infiltration test modeled involved the infiltration of dyed ponded water for 36 minutes. The 205 gallon filtration of water observed in the experiment was subsequently modeled using measured Fran Ridge fracture frequencies, and a specified fracture aperture of 285 μm. The dual permeability formulation predicted considerable infiltration along the fracture network, which was in agreement with the experimental observations. As expected, minimal fracture penetration of the infiltrating water was calculated using the equivalent continuum model, thus demonstrating that this model is not appropriate for modeling the highly transient experiment. It is therefore recommended that the dual permeability model be given priority when computing high-flux infiltration for use in performance assessment studies

Maximum likelihood Bayesian averaging of airflow models in unsaturated fractured tuff using Occam and variance windows

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Morales-Casique, E.; Neuman, S.P.; Vesselinov, V.V.

2010-01-01

We use log permeability and porosity data obtained from single-hole pneumatic packer tests in six boreholes drilled into unsaturated fractured tuff near Superior, Arizona, to postulate, calibrate and compare five alternative variogram models (exponential, exponential with linear drift, power,

Frictional properties of jointed welded tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teufel, L.W.

1981-07-01

The results of the experiments on simulated joints in welded tuff from the Grouse Canyon Member of the Belted Range Tuff warrant the following conclusions: (1) The coefficient of friction of the joints is independent of normal stress at a given sliding velocity. (2) The coefficient of friction increases with both increasing time of stationary contact and decreasing sliding velocity. (3) Time and velocity dependence of friction is due to an increase in the real area of contact on the sliding surface, caused by asperity creep. (4) Joints in water-saturated tuff show a greater time and velocity dependence of friction than those in dehydrated tuff. (5) The enhanced time and velocity dependence of friction with water saturation is a result of increased creep at asperity contacts, which is in turn due to a reduction in the surface indentation hardness by hydrolytic weakening and/or stress corrosion cracking

Predicting flow through low-permeability, partially saturated, fractured rock: A review of modeling and experimental efforts at Yucca Mountain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eaton, R.R.; Bixler, N.E.; Glass, R.J.

1989-01-01

Current interest in storing high-level nuclear waste in underground repositories has resulted in an increased effort to understand the physics of water flow through low-permeability rock. The US Department of Energy is investigating a prospective repository site located in volcanic ash (tuff) hundreds of meters above the water table at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Consequently, mathematical models and experimental procedures are being developed to provide a better understanding of the hydrology of this low-permeability, partially saturated, fractured rock. Modeling water flow in the vadose zone in soils and in relatively permeable rocks such as sandstone has received considerable attention for many years. The treatment of flow (including nonisothermal conditions) through materials such as the Yucca Mountain tuffs, however, has not received the same level of attention, primarily because it is outside the domain of agricultural and petroleum technology. This paper reviews the status of modeling and experimentation currently being used to understand and predict water flow at the proposed repository site. Several areas of research needs emphasized by the review are outlined. The extremely nonlinear hydraulic properties of these tuffs in combination with their heterogeneous nature makes it a challenging and unique problem from a computational and experimental view point. 101 refs., 14 figs., 1 tab

Method development and strategy for the characterization of complexly faulted and fractured rhyolitic tuffs, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karasaki, K. [Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States); Galloway, D. [Geological Survey, Sacramento, CA (United States)

1991-06-01

The planned high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, would exist in unsaturated, fractured welded tuff. One possible contaminant pathway to the accessible environment is transport by groundwater infiltrating to the water table and flowing through the saturated zone. Therefore, an effort to characterize the hydrology of the saturated zone is being undertaken in parallel with that of the unsaturated zone. As a part of the saturated zone investigation, there wells-UE-25c{number_sign}1, UE-25c{number_sign}2, and UE-25c{number_sign}3 (hereafter called the c-holes)-were drilled to study hydraulic and transport properties of rock formations underlying the planned waste repository. The location of the c-holes is such that the formations penetrated in the unsaturated zone occur at similar depths and with similar thicknesses as at the planned repository site. In characterizing a highly heterogeneous flow system, several issues emerge. (1) The characterization strategy should allow for the virtual impossibility to enumerate and characterize all heterogeneities. (2) The methodology to characterize the heterogeneous flow system at the scale of the well tests needs to be established. (3) Tools need to be developed for scaling up the information obtained at the well-test scale to the larger scale of the site. In the present paper, the characterization strategy and the methods under development are discussed with the focus on the design and analysis of the field experiments at the c-holes.

Creep in Topopah Spring Member welded tuff. Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martin, R.J. III; Boyd, P.J.; Noel, J.S. [New England Research, Inc., White River Junction, VT (United States); Price, R.H. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1995-06-01

A laboratory investigation has been carried out to determine the effects of elevated temperature and stress on the creep deformation of welded tuffs recovered from Busted Butte in the vicinity of Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Water saturated specimens of tuff from thermal/mechanical unit TSw2 were tested in creep at a confining pressure of 5.0 MPa, a pore pressure of 4.5 MPa, and temperatures of 25 and 250 C. At each stress level the load was held constant for a minimum of 2.5 {times} 10{sup 5} seconds and for as long as 1.8 {times} 10{sup 6} seconds. One specimen was tested at a single stress of 80 MPa and a temperature of 250 C. The sample failed after a short time. Subsequent experiments were initiated with an initial differential stress of 50 or 60 MPa; the stress was then increased in 10 MPa increments until failure. The data showed that creep deformation occurred in the form of time-dependent axial and radial strains, particularly beyond 90% of the unconfined, quasi-static fracture strength. There was little dilatancy associated with the deformation of the welded tuff at stresses below 90% of the fracture strength. Insufficient data have been collected in this preliminary study to determine the relationship between temperature, stress, creep deformation to failure, and total failure time at a fixed creep stress.

Creep in Topopah Spring Member welded tuff. Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, R.J. III; Boyd, P.J.; Noel, J.S.; Price, R.H.

1995-06-01

A laboratory investigation has been carried out to determine the effects of elevated temperature and stress on the creep deformation of welded tuffs recovered from Busted Butte in the vicinity of Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Water saturated specimens of tuff from thermal/mechanical unit TSw2 were tested in creep at a confining pressure of 5.0 MPa, a pore pressure of 4.5 MPa, and temperatures of 25 and 250 C. At each stress level the load was held constant for a minimum of 2.5 x 10 5 seconds and for as long as 1.8 x 10 6 seconds. One specimen was tested at a single stress of 80 MPa and a temperature of 250 C. The sample failed after a short time. Subsequent experiments were initiated with an initial differential stress of 50 or 60 MPa; the stress was then increased in 10 MPa increments until failure. The data showed that creep deformation occurred in the form of time-dependent axial and radial strains, particularly beyond 90% of the unconfined, quasi-static fracture strength. There was little dilatancy associated with the deformation of the welded tuff at stresses below 90% of the fracture strength. Insufficient data have been collected in this preliminary study to determine the relationship between temperature, stress, creep deformation to failure, and total failure time at a fixed creep stress

Modeling of carbon sequestration in coal-beds: A variable saturated simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Guoxiang; Smirnov, Andrei V.

2008-01-01

Storage of carbon dioxide in deep coal seams is a profitable method to reduce the concentration of green house gases in the atmosphere while the methane as a byproduct can be extracted during carbon dioxide injection into the coal seam. In this procedure, the key element is to keep carbon dioxide in the coal seam without escaping for a long term. It is depended on many factors such as properties of coal basin, fracture state, phase equilibrium, etc., especially the porosity, permeability and saturation of the coal seam. In this paper, a variable saturation model was developed to predict the capacity of carbon dioxide sequestration and coal-bed methane recovery. This variable saturation model can be used to track the saturation variability with the partial pressures change caused by carbon dioxide injection. Saturation variability is a key factor to predict the capacity of carbon dioxide storage and methane recovery. Based on this variable saturation model, a set of related variables including capillary pressure, relative permeability, porosity, coupled adsorption model, concentration and temperature equations were solved. From results of the simulation, historical data agree with the variable saturation model as well as the adsorption model constructed by Langmuir equations. The Appalachian basin, as an example, modeled the carbon dioxide sequestration in this paper. The results of the study and the developed models can provide the projections for the CO 2 sequestration and methane recovery in coal-beds within different regional specifics

Investigation of fracture-matrix interaction: Preliminary experiments in a simple system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foltz, S.D.

1992-01-01

Paramount to the modeling of unsaturated flow and transport through fractured porous media is a clear understanding of the processes controlling fracture-matrix interaction. As a first step toward such an understanding, two preliminary experiments have been performed to investigate the influence of matrix imbibition on water percolation through unsaturated fractures in the plane normal to the fracture. Test systems consisted of thin slabs of either tuff or an analog material cut by a single vertical fracture into which a constant fluid flux was introduced. Transient moisture content and solute concentration fields were imaged by means of x-ray absorption. Flow fields associated with the two different media were significantly different owing to differences in material properties relative to the imposed flux. Richards' equation was found to be a valid means of modeling the imbibition of water into the tuff matrix from a saturated fracture for the current experiment

Gas hydrate saturations estimated from fractured reservoir at Site NGHP-01-10, Krishna-Godavari Basin, India

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, M.W.; Collett, T.S.

2009-01-01

During the Indian National Gas Hydrate Program Expedition 01 (NGHP-Ol), one of the richest marine gas hydrate accumulations was discovered at Site NGHP-01-10 in the Krishna-Godavari Basin. The occurrence of concentrated gas hydrate at this site is primarily controlled by the presence of fractures. Assuming the resistivity of gas hydratebearing sediments is isotropic, th?? conventional Archie analysis using the logging while drilling resistivity log yields gas hydrate saturations greater than 50% (as high as ???80%) of the pore space for the depth interval between ???25 and ???160 m below seafloor. On the other hand, gas hydrate saturations estimated from pressure cores from nearby wells were less than ???26% of the pore space. Although intrasite variability may contribute to the difference, the primary cause of the saturation difference is attributed to the anisotropic nature of the reservoir due to gas hydrate in high-angle fractures. Archie's law can be used to estimate gas hydrate saturations in anisotropic reservoir, with additional information such as elastic velocities to constrain Archie cementation parameters m and the saturation exponent n. Theory indicates that m and n depend on the direction of the measurement relative to fracture orientation, as well as depending on gas hydrate saturation. By using higher values of m and n in the resistivity analysis for fractured reservoirs, the difference between saturation estimates is significantly reduced, although a sizable difference remains. To better understand the nature of fractured reservoirs, wireline P and S wave velocities were also incorporated into the analysis.

Deformation and velocity measurements at elevated temperature in a fractured 0.5 M block of tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blair, S.C.; Berge, P.A.

1996-01-01

This paper presents preliminary results of laboratory tests conducted on small block samples of Topopah Spring tuff, in support of the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project. The overall objective of these tests is to investigate the thermal-mechanical, thermal-hydrological, and thermal-chemical response of the rock to conditions similar to the near-field environment (NFE) of a potential nuclear waste repository. We present preliminary results of deformation and elastic wave velocity measurements on a 0.5-m-scale block of Topopah Spring tuff tested in uniaxial compression to 8.5 MPa and at temperatures to 85 degree C. The Young's modulus was found to be about 7 to 31 GPa for vertical measurements parallel to the stress direction across parts of the block containing no fractures or a few fractures, and 0.5 to 0.9 GPA for measurements across individual fractures, at ambient temperature and 8.5 MPa maximum stress. During stress cycles between 5 and 8.5 MPa, the deformation modulus values for the matrix with fractures were near 15-20 GPa at ambient temperature but dropped to about 10 GPa at 85 degree C. Compressional wave velocities were found to be about 3.6 to 4.7 km/s at ambient temperature and stress. After the stress was cycled, velocities dropped to values as low as 2.6 km/s in the south end of the block where vertical cracks developed. Heating the block to about 85 degree C raised velocities to as much as 5.6 km/s in the upper third of the block

Estimates of the hydrologic impact of drilling water on core samples taken from partially saturated densely welded tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buscheck, T.A.; Nitao, J.J.

1987-09-01

The purpose of this work is to determine the extent to which drill water might be expected to be imbibed by core samples taken from densely welded tuff. In a related experimental study conducted in G-Tunnel, drill water imbibition by the core samples was observed to be minimal. Calculations were carried out with the TOUGH code with the intent of corroborating the imbibition observations. Due to the absence of hydrologic data pertaining directly to G-Tunnel welded tuff, it was necessary to apply data from a similar formation. Because the moisture retention curve was not available for imbibition conditions, the drainage curve was applied to the model. The poor agreement between the observed and calculated imbibition data is attributed primarily to the inappropriateness of the drainage curve. Also significant is the value of absolute permeability (k) assumed in the model. Provided that the semi-log plot of the drainage and imbibition moisture retention curves are parallel within the saturation range of interest, a simple relationship exists between the moisture retention curve, k, and porosity (/phi/) which are assumed in the model and their actual values. If k and /phi/ are known, we define the hysteresis factor λ to be the ratio of the imbibition and drainage suction pressures for any saturation within the range of interest. If k and /phi/ are unknown, λ also accounts for the uncertainties in their values. Both the experimental and modeling studies show that drill water imbibition by the core has a minimal effect on its saturation state. 22 refs., 6 figs., 2 tabs

Effect of percolation rate on water-travel time in deep, partially saturated zones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peters, R.R.; Gauthier, J.H.; Dudley, A.L.

1986-02-01

The Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) project is investigating Yucca Mountain, Nye county, Nevada, as a prospective site for a radioactive-waste repository. The Yucca Mountain site is unique among those currently being investigated by the US Department of Energy (DOE) in that the prospective repository location is in the unsaturated zone, approximately 300 m above the water table. The rock units at Yucca Mountain can be grouped into three types: (1) vitric tuffs with high matrix conductivity and few fractures; (2) zeolitized tuffs with low matrix conductivity and few fractures; and (3) densely welded tuffs with low matrix conductivities and many fractures. The prospective repository zone is in densely welded tuff; the units between it and the water table are of types 1 and 2. Current percolation rates through Yucca Mountain, and those that are currently postulated under future climatic conditions, are thought to be of the order of the saturated matrix conductivity of some of the units. Although it is probable that there is now little or no water movement in fracture, it is necessary to investigate the potential for fracture flow, especially that which could be initiated under future climatic conditions. Significant fracture flow, if present, could reduce the water travel time between the repository and the water table. A composite-porosity, continuum model was developed to model flow in a fractured, porous medium. Simulations using data from the Yucca Mountain site and this model in the one-dimensional code TOSPAC indicate that current estimates of the percolation rate result in water movement confined to the matrix and that the water-travel time from the repository to the water table is on the order of hundreds of thousands of years. this result is sensitive to the percolation rate; an increase in percolation rate of a factor of 10 many initiate water movement in the fractures, reducing the travel time significantly

Processes, mechanisms, parameters, and modeling approaches for partially saturated flow in soil and rock media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, J.S.Y.; Narasimhan, T.N.

1993-06-01

This report discusses conceptual models and mathematical equations, analyzes distributions and correlations among hydrological parameters of soils and tuff, introduces new path integration approaches, and outlines scaling procedures to model potential-driven fluid flow in heterogeneous media. To properly model the transition from fracture-dominated flow under saturated conditions to matrix-dominated flow under partially saturated conditions, characteristic curves and permeability functions for fractures and matrix need to be improved and validated. Couplings from two-phase flow, heat transfer, solute transport, and rock deformation to liquid flow are also important. For stochastic modeling of alternating units of welded and nonwelded tuff or formations bounded by fault zones, correlations and constraints on average values of saturated permeability and air entry scaling factor between different units need to be imposed to avoid unlikely combinations of parameters and predictions. Large-scale simulations require efficient and verifiable numerical algorithms. New path integration approaches based on postulates of minimum work and mass conservation to solve flow geometry and potential distribution simultaneously are introduced. This verifiable integral approach, together with fractal scaling procedures to generate statistical realizations with parameter distribution, correlation, and scaling taken into account, can be used to quantify uncertainties and generate the cumulative distribution function for groundwater travel times

An XFEM Model for Hydraulic Fracturing in Partially Saturated Rocks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salimzadeh Saeed

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Hydraulic fracturing is a complex multi-physics phenomenon. Numerous analytical and numerical models of hydraulic fracturing processes have been proposed. Analytical solutions commonly are able to model the growth of a single hydraulic fracture into an initially intact, homogeneous rock mass. Numerical models are able to analyse complex problems such as multiple hydraulic fractures and fracturing in heterogeneous media. However, majority of available models are restricted to single-phase flow through fracture and permeable porous rock. This is not compatible with actual field conditions where the injected fluid does not have similar properties as the host fluid. In this study we present a fully coupled hydro-poroelastic model which incorporates two fluids i.e. fracturing fluid and host fluid. Flow through fracture is defined based on lubrication assumption, while flow through matrix is defined as Darcy flow. The fracture discontinuity in the mechanical model is captured using eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM while the fracture propagation criterion is defined through cohesive fracture model. The discontinuous matrix fluid velocity across fracture is modelled using leak-off loading which couples fracture flow and matrix flow. The proposed model has been discretised using standard Galerkin method, implemented in Matlab and verified against several published solutions. Multiple hydraulic fracturing simulations are performed to show the model robustness and to illustrate how problem parameters such as injection rate and rock permeability affect the hydraulic fracturing variables i.e. injection pressure, fracture aperture and fracture length. The results show the impact of partial saturation on leak-off and the fact that single-phase models may underestimate the leak-off.

Laboratory study of fracture healing in Topopah Spring tuff: Implications for near field hydrology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Wunan; Daily, W.D.

1989-09-01

Seven Topopah Spring tuff samples were studied to determine water permeability in this rock under pressure and temperature conditions similar to those expected in the near field of a nuclear waste package. Six of the seven samples were studied under isothermal condition; the other was subjected to a thermal gradient. Four of the six fractured samples contained a reopened, healed, natural fracture; one contained an induced tensile fracture and the other contained a saw-cut. The fracture surfaces were examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM) before and after the experiments and the water that flowed through the samples was sampled for chemical analysis. The experimental durations ranged from about 3 months to almost 6 months. Water permeability of the fractured samples was found to decrease by more than three orders of magnitude when the sample temperature increased to 150 degree C. The sharpest decrease in permeability occurred when the temperature was increased above 90 degree C. Permeability of the intact sample did not change significantly under the similar experimental conditions. When the temperature returned to room conditions, the water permeability did not recover. The mechanical strength of one healed sample was about half that of the intact rock. SEM studies of the fracture surfaces and water chemical analysis of the water suggested that both dissolution and deposition occurred on the fracture surfaces. Smoothing of fracture asperities because of dissolution and deposition was probably the main cause of the permeability decrease. Deposition of dissolved silica was probably the main cause of fracture healing. 12 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab

Effect of boundary conditions on the strength and deformability of replicas of natural fractures in welded tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wibowo, J.; Amadei, B.; Sture, S.; Robertson, A.B.

1993-09-01

Four series of cyclic direct-shear experiments were conducted on several replicas of three natural fractures and a tensile fracture of welded tuff from Yucca Mountain. The objective of these tests was to examine the effect of cyclic loading on joint shear behavior under different boundary conditions. The shear tests were performed under either different levels of constant normal load ranging between 0.6 and 25.6 kips (2.7 and 113.9 kN) or constant normal stiffness ranging between 14.8 and 187.5 kips/in (25.9 and 328.1 kn/cm) . Bach test in the two categories consisted of five cycles of forward and reverse shear. Normal compression tests were also performed both before and after each shear experiment to measure changes in joint normal deformability. In order to quantify fracture surface damage during shear, fracture-surface fractal dimensions were obtained from measurements before and after shear

Laboratory studies of radionuclide migration in tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rundberg, R.S.; Mitchell, A.J.; Ott, M.A.; Thompson, J.L.; Triay, I.R.

1989-01-01

The movement of selected radionuclides has been observed in crushed tuff, intact tuff, and fractured tuff columns. Retardation factors and dispersivities were determined from the elution profiles. Retardation factors have been compared with those predicted on the basis of batch sorption studies. This comparison forms a basis for either validating distribution coefficients or providing evidence of speciation, including colloid formation. Dispersivities measured as a function of velocity provide a means of determining the effect of sorption kinetics or mass transfer on radionuclide migration. Dispersion is also being studied in the context of scaling symmetry to develop a basis for extrapolating from the laboratory scale to the field. 21 refs., 6 figs., 2 tabs

Bulk and mechanical properties of the Paintbrush tuff recovered from borehole USW NRG-7/7A: Data report. Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, R.J.; Boyd, P.J.; Noel, J.S.; Price, R.H.

1995-05-01

An integral part of the licensing procedure for the potential nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, involves prediction of the in situ rheology for the design and construction of the facility and the emplacement of canisters containing radioactive waste. The data used to model the thermal and mechanical behavior of the repository and surrounding lithologies include dry and saturated bulk densities, average grain density, porosity, compressional and shear wave velocities, elastic moduli, and compressional and tensional fracture strengths. In this study, a suite of experiments was performed on cores recovered from the USW NRG-717A borehole drilled in support of the Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) at Yucca Mountain. USW NRG-7/7A was drilled to a depth of 1,513.4 feet through five thermal/mechanical units of Paintbrush tuff and terminating in the tuffaceous beds of the Calico IEUS. The thermal/mechanical stratigraphy was defined by Orfiz et al. to group rock horizons of similar properties for the purpose of simplifying modeling efforts. The relationship between the geologic stratigraphy and the thermal/mechanical stratigraphy is presented. The tuff samples in this study have a wide range of welding characteristics, and a smaller range of mineralogy and petrology characteristics. Generally, the samples are silicic, ash-fall tuffs that exhibit large variability in their elastic and strength properties

Review of the thermal stability and cation exchange properties of the zeolite minerals clinoptilolite, mordenite, and analcime; applications to radioactive waste isolation in silicic tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smyth, J.R.; Caporuscio, F.A.

1981-06-01

Silicic tuffs of the southern Great Basin and basalts of the Columbia River Plateau are under investigation as potential host rocks for high- and intermediate-level radioactive wastes. Nonwelded and partially welded tuffs may contain major amounts (> 50%) of the zeolite minerals clinoptilolite, mordenite, and analcime. Densely welded tuffs and some basalt flows may contain clinoptilolite as fracture filling that limits the permeability of these rocks. The cation exchange properties of these zeolite minerals allow them to pose a formidable natural barrier to the migration of cationic species of various radionuclides in aqueous solutions. However, these minerals are unstable at elevated temperatures and at low water-vapor pressures and may break down either by reversible dehydration or by irreversible mineralogical reactions. All the breakdown reactions occurring at increased temperature involve a net volume reduction and evolution of fluids. Thus, they may provide a pathway (shrinkage fractures) and a driving force (fluid pressure) for release of radionuclides to the biosphere. These reactions may be avoided by keeping zeolite-bearing horizons saturated with water and below about 85 0 C. This may restrict allowable gross thermal loadings in waste repositories in volcanic rocks

SEEPAGE INTO DRIFTS IN UNSATRUATED FRACTURED ROCK AT YUCCA MOUNTAIN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

JENS BIRHOLZER; GUOMIN LI; CHIN-FU TSANG; YVONNE TSANG

1998-01-01

An important issue for the long-term performance of underground nuclear waste repositories is the rate of seepage into the waste emplacement drifts. A prediction of the future seepage rate is particularly complicated for the potential repository site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as it is located in thick, partially saturated, fractured tuff formations. The long-term situation in the drifts several thousand years after waste emplacement will be characterized by a relative humidity level close to or equal to 100%. as the drifts will be sealed and unventilated, and the waste packages will have cooled. The underground tunnels will then act as capillary barriers for the unsaturated flow, ideally diverting water around them, if the capillary forces are stronger than gravity and viscous forces. Seepage into the drifts will only be possible if the hydraulic pressure in the rock close to the drift walls increases to positive values; i.e., the flow field becomes locally saturated. In the present work, we have developed and applied a methodology to study the potential rate of seepage into underground cavities embedded in a variably saturated, heterogeneous fractured rock formation. The fractured rock mass is represented as a stochastic continuum where the fracture permeabilities vary by several orders of magnitude. Three different realizations of random fracture permeability fields are generated, with the random permeability structure based on extensive fracture mapping, borehole video analysis, and in-situ air permeability testing. A 3-D numerical model is used to simulate the heterogeneous steady-state flow field around the drift, with the drift geometry explicitly represented within the numerical discretization grid. A variety of flow scenarios are considered assuming present-day and future climate conditions at Yucca Mountain. The numerical study is complemented by theoretical evaluations of the drift seepage problem, using stochastic perturbation theory to develop a better

Manganese-oxide minerals in fractures of the Crater Flat Tuff in drill core USW G-4, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlos, B.A.; Bish, D.L.; Chipera, S.J.

1990-07-01

The Crater Flat Tuff is almost entirely below the water table in drill hole USW G-4 at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Manganese-oxide minerals from the Crater Flat Tuff in USW G-4 were studied using optical, scanning electron microscopic, electron microprobe, and x-ray powder diffraction methods to determine their distribution, mineralogy, and chemistry. Manganese-oxide minerals coat fractures in all three members of the Crater Flat Tuff (Prow Pass, Bullfrog, and Tram), but they are most abundant in fractures in the densely welded devitrified intervals of these members. The coatings are mostly of the cryptomelane/hollandite mineral group, but the chemistry of these coatings varies considerably. Some of the chemical variations, particularly the presence of calcium, sodium, and strontium, can be explained by admixture with todorokite, seen in some x-ray powder diffraction patterns. Other chemical variations, particularly between Ba and Pb, demonstrate that considerable substitution of Pb for Ba occurs in hollandite. Manganese-oxide coatings are common in the 10-m interval that produced 75% of the water pumped from USW G-4 in a flow survey in 1983. Their presence in water-producing zones suggests that manganese oxides may exert a significant chemical effect on groundwater beneath Yucca Mountain. In particular, the ability of the manganese oxides found at Yucca Mountain to be easily reduced suggests that they may affect the redox conditions of the groundwater and may oxidize dissolved or suspended species. Although the Mn oxides at Yucca Mountain have low exchange capacities, these minerals may retard the migration of some radionuclides, particularly the actinides, through scavenging and coprecipitation. 23 refs., 21 figs., 2 tabs

Transport of synthetic colloids through single saturated fractures: A literature review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reimus, P.W.

1995-07-01

Colloids having the same surface charge sign as the bulk of the geologic media in a groundwater system may be able to travel through the system faster than soluble species because they will follow fluid streamlines more closely and they should have less tendency to diffuse into pores or dead spaces in the media than soluble species. Synthetic colloids with uniform, controlled properties may be ideal for serving as open-quotes worst-caseclose quotes tracers that provide lower-bound estimates of contaminant travel times in hydrologic systems. This report discusses a review of the literature pertaining to colloid transport in single saturated natural fractures. After a brief background discussion to put the literature review in perspective, the phenomenon of colloid transport in saturated fractures is divided into three major topics, each of which is reviewed in detail: (1) saturated fluid flow through fractures; (2) colloid transport by convection, diffusion, and force fields; and (3) colloid interactions with surfaces. It is suggested that these phenomena be accounted for in colloid transport models by using (1) lubrication theory to describe water flow through fractures, (2) particle tracking methods to describe colloid transport in fractures, and (3) a kinetic boundary layer approximation to describe colloid interactions with fracture walls. These methods offer better computational efficiency and better experimental accessibility to model parameters than rigorously solving the complete governing equations

Rib fracture in Prognathodon saturator (Mosasauridae, Late Cretaceous)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schulp, Anne S.; Walenkamp, G. H I M; Hofman, P.A.M.; Rothschild, B. M.; Jagt, J. W M

2004-01-01

Two unusual bumps occur on the internal surface of a rib of the marine reptile Prognathodon saturator from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Maastricht, The Netherlands. These bumps are interpreted as stress fractures, possibly related to agonistic behaviour.

In situ changes in the moisture content of heated, welded tuff based on thermal neutron measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramirez, A.L.; Carlson, R.C.; Buscheck, T.A.

1991-07-01

Thermal neutron logs were collected to monitor changes in moisture content within a welded tuff rock mass heated from a borehole containing an electrical heater which remained energized for 195 days. Thermal neutron measurements were made in sampling boreholes before, during and after heating. The results generally corroborated our conceptual understanding of hydrothermal flow as well as most of the numerical modeling conducting for this study. Conceptual models have been developed in conjunction with the numerical model calculations to explain differences in the drying and re-wetting behavior above and below the heater. Numerical modeling indicated that the re-wetting of the dried-out zone was dominated by the binary diffusion of water vapor through fractures. Saturation gradients in the rock matrix resulted in relative humidity gradients which drove water vapor (primarily along fractures) back to the dried-out zone where it condensed along the fracture walls and was imbibed by the matrix. 4 refs., 28 figs

Rectangular Schlumberger resistivity arrays for delineating vadose zone clay-lined fractures in shallow tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miele, M.; Laymon, D.; Gilkeson, R.; Michelotti, R.

1996-01-01

Rectangular Schlumberger arrays can be used for 2-dimensional lateral profiling of apparent resistivity at a unique current electrode separation, hence single depth of penetration. Numerous apparent resistivity measurements are collected moving the potential electrodes (fixed MN spacing) within a rectangle of defined dimensions. The method provides a fast, cost-effective means for the collection of dense resistivity data to provide high-resolution information on subsurface hydrogeologic conditions. Several rectangular Schlumberger resistivity arrays were employed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) from 1989 through 1995 in an area adjacent to and downhill from an outfall pipe, septic tank, septic drainfield, and sump. Six rectangular arrays with 2 AB spacings were used to delineate lateral low resistivity anomalies that may be related to fractures that contain clay and/or vadose zone water. Duplicate arrays collected over a three year time period exhibited very good data repeatability. The properties of tritium make it an excellent groundwater tracer. Because tritium was present in discharged water from all of the anthropogenic sources in the vicinity it was used for this purpose. One major low resistivity anomaly correlates with relatively high tritium concentrations in the tuff. This was determined from borehole samples collected within and outside of the anomalous zone. The anomaly is interpreted to be due to fractures that contain clay from the soil profile. The clay was deposited in the fractures by aeolian processes and by surface water infiltration. The fractures likely served as a shallow vadose zone groundwater pathway

Bulk and mechanical properties of the Paintbrush tuff recovered from borehole USW NRG-6: Data report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, R.J.; Boyd, P.J.; Noel, J.S.; Price, R.H.

1994-11-01

Experimental results are presented for bulk and mechanical properties measurements on specimens of the Paintbrush tuff recovered from borehole USW NRG-6 at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Measurements have been performed on four thermal/mechanical units, TCw, PTn, TSw1 and TSw2. On each specimen the following bulk properties have been reported: dry bulk density, saturated bulk density, average grain density, and porosity. Unconfined compression to failure, confined compression to failure, and indirect tensile strength tests were performed on selected specimens recovered from the borehole. In addition, compressional and shear wave velocities were measured on specimens designated for unconfined compression and confined compression experiments. Measurements were conducted at room temperature on nominally water saturated specimens; however, some specimens of PTn were tested in a room dry condition. The nominal strain rate for the fracture experiments was 10 -5 s -1

Fluid flow in 0.5-m scale blocks of Topopah Spring tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blair, S. C.; Carlson, S. R.; Constantino, M. S.

1999-01-01

A laboratory experiment was conducted on a 0.5-m scale block of Topopah Spring tuff, to measure fluid flow and mechanical deformation properties under conditions that approximate the near-field environment of a potential nuclear waste repository, and to provide an intermediate-scale test case for numerical model validation. The test specimen is a 0.25 x 0.25 x 0.50 m rectangular prism bisected by an artificial (saw-cut) fracture orthogonal to the tuff fabric. Water was supplied by a point source at the center of the fracture under various pressures of up to 0.04 MPa. Both fluid flow and mechanical properties were found to be anisotropic and strongly correlated with the ash flow fabric. Fluid mass-balance measurements revealed that only minor imbibition of water occurred through the fracture surfaces and that flow rates were independent of normal stress to 14.0 MPa and temperature to 140 C. Flow through the fracture occurred largely through uncorrelated porosity that intersected the fracture plane

The one-dimensional compression method for extraction of pore water from unsaturated tuff and effects on pore-water chemistry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Higgins, J.D.; Burger, P.A. [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States); Yang, L.C. [Geological Survey, Denver, CO (United States)

1997-12-31

Study of the hydrologic system at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, requires extraction of pore-water samples from unsaturated tuff bedrock. Two generations of compression cells have been designed and tested for extracting representative, unaltered pore-water samples from unsaturated tuff cores. The one-dimensional compression cell has a maximum compressive stress rating of 552 MPa. Results from 86 tests show that the minimum degree of saturation for successful extraction of pore water was about 14% for non welded tuff and about 61% for densely welded tuff. The high-pressure, one-dimensional compression cell has a maximum compressive stress rating of 827 MPa. Results from 109 tests show that the minimum degree of saturation for successful extraction of pore water was about 7.5% for non welded tuff and about 34% for densely welded tuff. Geochemical analyses show that, in general, there is a decrease in ion concentration of pore waters as extraction pressures increase. Only small changes in pore-water composition occur during the one-dimensional extraction test.

Spatial variability of damage around faults in the Joe Lott Tuff Member of the Mount Belknap Volcanics, southwestern Utah

Science.gov (United States)

Okubo, C. H.

2012-12-01

In order to yield new insight into the process of faulting in fine-grained, poorly indurated volcanic ash, the distribution of strain around faults in the Miocene-aged Joe Lott Tuff Member of the Mount Belknap Volcanics, Utah, is investigated. Several distinct styles of inelastic strain are identified. Deformation bands are observed in tuff that is porous and granular in nature, or is inferred to have been so at the time of deformation. Where silicic alteration is pervasive, fractures are the dominant form of localized strain. Non-localized strain within the host rock is manifest as pore space compaction, including crushing of pumice clasts. Distinct differences in fault zone architecture are observed at different magnitudes of normal fault displacement, in the mode II orientation. A fault with cm-scale displacements is manifest as a single well-defined surface. Off-fault damage occurs as pore space compaction near the fault tips and formation of deformation band damage zones that are roughly symmetric about the fault. At a fault with larger meter-scale displacements, a fault core is present. A recognizable fault-related deformation band damage zone is not observed here, even though large areas of the host rock remain porous and granular and deformation bands had formed prior to faulting. The host rock is instead fractured in areas of pervasive alteration and shows possible textural evidence of fault pulverization. The zones of localized and distributed strain have notably different spatial extents around the causative fault. The region of distributed deformation, as indicated by changes in gas permeability of the macroscopically intact rock, extends up to four times farther from the fault than the highest densities of localized deformation (i.e., fractures and deformation bands). This study identifies a set of fault-related processes that are pertinent to understanding the evolution of fault systems in poorly indurated tuff. Not surprisingly, the type of

Measuring geomechanical properties of Topopah Spring Tuff at the 1-meter scale

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blair, S.C.; Berge, P.A.

1994-11-01

The Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project is studying physical and chemical properties of Topopah Spring tuff and coupled thermal, mechanical, hydrological, and geochemical processes expected in the near-field environment of the potential waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Investigating the suitability of Topopah Spring tuff as a host rock for radioactive waste disposal includes measuring mechanical properties. Since heterogeneities vary with scale, from vugs and cracks at the hand-sample scale to fractures and vertical variations in degree of welding at the outcrop scale, mechanical properties of the tuff depend on scale. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has planned a Large Block Test (LBT) to investigate rock mass properties and coupled processes at elevated temperatures in Topopah Spring tuff at the scale of a few meters. This paper describes planned laboratory experiments in support of the LBT, to measure elastic properties and mechanical behavior of Topopah Spring tuff at the scale of a few cm to 1 m. The laboratory experiments will include measurement of stress-strain behavior, acoustic emissions during heating, and elastic wave velocities in small blocks of tuff

Modeling of strongly heat-driven flow in partially saturated fractured porous media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pruess, K.; Tsang, Y.W.; Wang, J.S.Y.

1985-01-01

The authors have performed modeling studies on the simultaneous transport of heat, liquid water, vapor, and air in partially saturated fractured porous media, with particular emphasis on strongly heat-driven flow. The presence of fractures makes the transport problem very complex, both in terms of flow geometry and physics. The numerical simulator used for their flow calculations takes into account most of the physical effects which are important in multi-phase fluid and heat flow. It has provisions to handle the extreme non-linearities which arise in phase transitions, component disappearances, and capillary discontinuities at fracture faces. They model a region around an infinite linear string of nuclear waste canisters, taking into account both the discrete fractures and the porous matrix. From an analysis of the results obtained with explicit fractures, they develop equivalent continuum models which can reproduce the temperature, saturation, and pressure variation, and gas and liquid flow rates of the discrete fracture-porous matrix calculations. The equivalent continuum approach makes use of a generalized relative permeability concept to take into account the fracture effects. This results in a substantial simplification of the flow problem which makes larger scale modeling of complicated unsaturated fractured porous systems feasible. Potential applications for regional scale simulations and limitations of the continuum approach are discussed. 27 references, 13 figures, 2 tables

Modeling of strongly heat-driven flow in partially saturated fractured porous media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pruess, K.; Tsang, Y.W.; Wang, J.S.Y.

1984-10-01

We have performed modeling studies on the simultaneous transport of heat, liquid water, vapor, and air in partially saturated fractured porous media, with particular emphasis on strongly heat-driven flow. The presence of fractures makes the transport problem very complex, both in terms of flow geometry and physics. The numerical simulator used for our flow calculations takes into account most of the physical effects which are important in multi-phase fluid and heat flow. It has provisions to handle the extreme non-linearities which arise in phase transitions, component disappearances, and capillary discontinuities at fracture faces. We model a region around an infinite linear string of nuclear waste canisters, taking into account both the discrete fractures and the porous matrix. From an analysis of the results obtained with explicit fractures, we develop equivalent continuum models which can reproduce the temperature, saturation, and pressure variation, and gas and liquid flow rates of the discrete fracture-porous matrix calculations. The equivalent continuum approach makes use of a generalized relative permeability concept to take into account for fracture effects. This results in a substantial simplification of the flow problem which makes larger scale modeling of complicated unsaturated fractured porous systems feasible. Potential applications for regional scale simulations and limitations of the continuum approach are discussed. 27 references, 13 figures, 2 tables

Analysis of the rock mechanics properties of volcanic tuff units from Yucca Mountain, Nevada Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, R.H.

1983-08-01

Over two hundred fifty mechanical experiments have been run on samples of tuff from Yucca Mountain, Nevada Test Site. Cores from the Topopah Spring, Calico Hills, Bullfrog and Tram tuff units were deformed to collect data for an initial evaluation of mechanical (elastic and strength) properties of the potential horizons for emplacement of commercial nuclear wastes. The experimental conditions ranged in sample saturation from room dry to fully saturated, confining pressure from 0.1 to 20 MPa, pore pressure from 0.1 to 5 MPa, temperature from 23 to 200 0 C, and strain rate from 10 -7 to 10 -2 s -1 . These test data have been analyzed for variations in elastic and strength properties with changes in test conditions, and to study the effects of bulk-rock characteristics on mechanical properties. In addition to the site-specific data on Yucca Mountain tuff, mechanical test results on silicic tuff from Rainier Mesa, Nevada Test Site, are also discussed. These data both overlap and augment the Yucca Mountain tuff data, allowing more definitive conclusions to be reached, as well as providing data at some test conditions not covered by the site-specific tests

Magnetic properties and emplacement of the Bishop tuff, California

Science.gov (United States)

Palmer, H.C.; MacDonald, W.D.; Gromme, C.S.; Ellwood, B.B.

1996-01-01

Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and characteristic remanence were measured for 45 sites in the 0.76 Ma Bishop tuff, eastern California. Thirty-three sites were sampled in three stratigraphic sections, two in Owens gorge south of Long Valley caldera, and the third in the Adobe lobe north of Long Valley. The remaining 12 sites are widely distributed, but of limited stratigraphic extent. Weakly indurated, highly porous to dense, welded ash-flow tuffs were sampled. Saturation magnetization vs temperature experiments indicate two principal iron oxide phases: low Ti magnetites with 525-570 ??C Curie temperatures, and maghemite with 610??-640??C Curie temperatures. AF demagnetization spectra of isothermal remanent magnetizations are indicative of magnetite/maghemite predominantly in the multidomain to pseudo-single domain size ranges. Remeasurement of AMS after application of saturating direct fields indicates that randomly oriented single-domain grains are also present. The degree of anisotropy is only a few percent, typical of tuffs. The AMS ellipsoids are oblate with Kmin axes normal to subhorizontal foliation and Kmax axes regionally aligned with published source vents. For 12 of 16 locality means, Kmax axes plunge sourceward, confirming previous observations regarding flow sense. Topographic control on flow emplacement is indicated by the distribution of tuff deposits and by flow directions inferred from Kmax axes. Deposition east of the Benton range occurred by flow around the south end of the range and through two gaps (Benton notch and Chidago gap). Flow down Mammoth pass of the Sierra Nevada is also evident. At least some of the Adobe lobe in the northeast flowed around the west end of Glass mountain. Eastward flow directions in the upper Owens gorge and southeast directions in the lower Owens gorge are parallel to the present canyon, suggesting that the present drainage has been established along the pre-Bishop paleodrainage. Characteristic remanence

Effective Hydro-Mechanical Properties of Fluid-Saturated Fracture Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Pollmann, N.; Vinci, C.; Renner, J.; Steeb, H.

2015-12-01

Consideration of hydro-mechanical processes is essential for the characterization of liquid-resources as well as for many engineering applications. Furthermore, the modeling of seismic waves in fractured porous media finds application not only in geophysical exploration but also reservoir management. Fractures exhibit high-aspect-ratio geometries, i.e. they constitute thin and long hydraulic conduits. Motivated by this peculiar geometry, the investigation of the hydro-mechanically coupled processes is performed by means of a hybrid-dimensional modeling approach. The effective material behavior of domains including complex fracture patterns in a porous rock is assessed by investigating the fluid pressure and the solid displacement of the skeleton saturated by compressible fluids. Classical balance equations are combined with a Poiseuille-type flow in the dimensionally reduced fracture. In the porous surrounding rock, the classical Biot-theory is applied. For simple geometries, our findings show that two main fluid-flow processes occur, leak-off from fractures to the surrounding rock and fracture flow within and between the connected fractures. The separation of critical frequencies of the two flow processes is not straightforward, in particular for systems containing a large number of fractures. Our aim is to model three dimensional hydro-mechanically coupled processes within complex fracture patterns and in particular determine the frequency-dependent attenuation characteristics. Furthermore, the effect of asperities of the fracture surfaces on the fracture stiffness and on the hydraulic conductivity will be added to the approach.

The reaction of glass during gamma irradiation in a saturated tuff environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebert, W.L.; Bates, J.K.; Gerding, T.J.

1990-05-01

The reaction between tuffaceous groundwater and actinide-doped SRL 165 and PNL 76-68 type glasses in a gamma radiation field has been studied at 90 degree C for periods up to 278 days. The primary effect of the radiation field was the acidification of the leachate through the production of nitrogen acids. Acidification of the leachate was limited by bicarbonate in the groundwater, for all exposures tested. Nonirradiated experiments were performed to represent the lowest limit of radiation exposure. Both irradiated and nonirradiated experiments were performed with and without a tuff monolith present in the reaction vessel. Neither irradiation nor the presence of tuff had a major effect on the extent of glass reaction as measured by the leachate concentrations of various glass species or analysis of the reacted glass surfaces. This report discusses the results of leaching experiments performed in a gamma radiation field and in the absence of a radiation field. 28 refs., 47 figs., 11 tabs

Preliminary thermal expansion screening data for tuffs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lappin, A.R.

1980-03-01

A major variable in evaluating the potential of silicic tuffs for use in geologic disposal of heat-producing nuclear wastes is thermal expansion. Results of ambient-pressure linear expansion measurements on a group of tuffs that vary treatly in porosity and mineralogy are presente here. Thermal expansion of devitrified welded tuffs is generally linear with increasing temperature and independent of both porosity and heating rate. Mineralogic factors affecting behavior of these tuffs are limited to the presence or absence of cristobalite and altered biotite. The presence of cristobalite results in markedly nonlinear expansion above 200 0 C. If biotite in biotite-hearing rocks alters even slightly to expandable clays, the behavior of these tuffs near the boiling point of water can be dominated by contraction of the expandable phase. Expansion of both high- and low-porosity tuffs containing hydrated silicic glass and/or expandable clays is complex. The behavior of these rocks appears to be completely dominated by dehydration of hydrous phases and, hence, should be critically dependent on fluid pressure. Valid extrapolation of the ambient-pressure results presented here to depths of interest for construction of a nuclear-waste repository will depend on a good understanding of the interaction of dehydration rates and fluid pressures, and of the effects of both micro- and macrofractures on the response of tuff masss

FLASH: A finite element computer code for variably saturated flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baca, R.G.; Magnuson, S.O.

1992-05-01

A numerical model was developed for use in performance assessment studies at the INEL. The numerical model, referred to as the FLASH computer code, is designed to simulate two-dimensional fluid flow in fractured-porous media. The code is specifically designed to model variably saturated flow in an arid site vadose zone and saturated flow in an unconfined aquifer. In addition, the code also has the capability to simulate heat conduction in the vadose zone. This report presents the following: description of the conceptual frame-work and mathematical theory; derivations of the finite element techniques and algorithms; computational examples that illustrate the capability of the code; and input instructions for the general use of the code. The FLASH computer code is aimed at providing environmental scientists at the INEL with a predictive tool for the subsurface water pathway. This numerical model is expected to be widely used in performance assessments for: (1) the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study process and (2) compliance studies required by the US Department of Energy Order 5820.2A

Simultaneous transport of synthetic colloids and a nonsorbing solute through single saturated natural fractures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reimus, P.W.; Robinson, B.A.; Nuttall, H.E.; Kale, R.

1994-01-01

Tracer transport experiments involving colloids that showed little tendency to attach to rock surfaces and a nonsorbing solute (iodide) -were conducted in three different well-characterized natural fractures in tuff. The colloids always arrived earlier in the effluent than the iodide, which we believe is evidence of (1) hydrodynamic chromatography and/or (2) the fact that the colloids experience a smaller effective volume in the fracture because they diffuse too slowly to enter low-velocity regions (dead zones) along the rough fracture walls. The iodide also approached the inlet concentration in the effluent more slowly than the colloids, with the concentration at a given elution volume being greater at higher flow rates. By contrast, the rate of approach of the colloid concentration to the inlet concentration did not vary with flow rate. We attribute this behavior to matrix diffusion of the iodide, with the colloids being too large/nondiffusive to experience this phenomenon. Dispersion of all tracers was greatest in the fracture of widest average aperture and least in the fracture of narrowest aperture, which is consistent with Taylor dispersion theory. The tracer experiments were modeled/interpreted using a three-step approach that involved (1) estimating the aperture distribution in each fracture using surface profiling techniques, (2) predicting the flow field in the fractures using a localized parallel-plate approximation, and (3) predicting tracer transport in the fractures using particle-tracking techniques. Although considered preliminary at this time, the model results were in qualitative agreement with the experiments

Mechanical characterization of densely welded Apache Leap tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuenkajorn, K.; Daemen, J.J.K.

1991-06-01

An empirical criterion is formulated to describe the compressive strength of the densely welded Apache Leap tuff. The criterion incorporates the effects of size, L/D ratio, loading rate and density variations. The criterion improves the correlation between the test results and the failure envelope. Uniaxial and triaxial compressive strengths, Brazilian tensile strength and elastic properties of the densely welded brown unit of the Apache Leap tuff have been determined using the ASTM standard test methods. All tuff samples are tested dry at room temperature (22 ± 2 degrees C), and have the core axis normal to the flow layers. The uniaxial compressive strength is 73.2 ± 16.5 MPa. The Brazilian tensile strength is 5.12 ± 1.2 MPa. The Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio are 22.6 ± 5.7 GPa and 0.20 ± 0.03. Smoothness and perpendicularity do not fully meet the ASTM requirements for all samples, due to the presence of voids and inclusions on the sample surfaces and the sample preparation methods. The investigations of loading rate, L/D radio and cyclic loading effects on the compressive strength and of the size effect on the tensile strength are not conclusive. The Coulomb strength criterion adequately represents the failure envelope of the tuff under confining pressures from 0 to 62 MPa. Cohesion and internal friction angle are 16 MPa and 43 degrees. The brown unit of the Apache Leap tuff is highly heterogeneous as suggested by large variations of the test results. The high intrinsic variability of the tuff is probably caused by the presence of flow layers and by nonuniform distributions of inclusions, voids and degree of welding. Similar variability of the properties has been found in publications on the Topopah Spring tuff at Yucca Mountain. 57 refs., 32 figs., 29 tabs

Laboratory investigation of constitutive property up-scaling in volcanic tuffs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tidwell, V.C.

1996-08-01

One of the critical issues facing the Yucca Mountain site characterization and performance assessment programs is the manner in which property up-scaling is addressed. Property up-scaling becomes an issue whenever heterogeneous media properties are measured at one scale but applied at another. A research program has been established to challenge current understanding of property up-scaling with the aim of developing and testing improved models that describe up-scaling behavior in a quantitative manner. Up-scaling of constitutive rock properties is investigated through physical experimentation involving the collection of suites of gas-permeability data measured over a range of discrete scales. To date, up-scaling studies have been performed on a series of tuff and sandstone (used as experimental controls) blocks. Samples include a welded, anisotropic tuff (Tiva Canyon Member of the Paintbrush Tuff, upper cliff microstratigraphic unit), and a moderately welded tuff (Tiva Canyon Member of the Paintbrush Tuff, Caprock microstratigraphic unit). A massive fluvial sandstone (Berea Sandstone) was also investigated as a means of evaluating the experimental program and to provide a point of comparison for the tuff data. Because unsaturated flow is of prime interest to the Yucca Mountain Program, scoping studies aimed at investigating the up-scaling of hydraulic properties under various saturated conditions were performed to compliment these studies of intrinsic permeability. These studies focused on matrix sorptivity, a constitutive property quantifying the capillarity of a porous medium. 113 refs

Effects of elevated temperature and pore pressure on the mechanical behavior of Bullfrog tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olsson, W.A.

1982-02-01

Samples of the Bullfrog Member of the Crater Flat Tuff from the depth interval 758.9 to 759.2 m in hole USW-G1 on the Nevada Test Site were tested in triaxial compression. Test conditions were: (1) effective confining pressure to 20 MPa; (2) temperature of 200 0 C; (3) both dry and with pore water pressures from 3.4 to 5 MPa; and (4) a strain-rate of 10 -4 /s. The results suggest that the presence of water causes the strength to decrease. In addition, the brittle-ductile transition pressure for this rock was found to be about 15 MPa, regardless of saturation. Below this pressure deformation is characterized by unstable stress drops and the development of a single fracture, and above this pressure deformation is stable and distributed more uniformly throughout the sample

Clinoptilolite compositions in diagenetically-altered tuffs at a potential nuclear waste repository, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broxton, D.E.

1987-01-01

The compositions of Yucca Mountain clinoptilolites and their host tuffs are highly variable. Clinoptilolites and heulandites in fractures near the repository and in a thin, altered zone at the top of the Topopah Spring basal vitrophyre have consistent calcium-rich compositions. Below this level, clinoptilolites in thick zones of diagenetic alteration on the east side of Yucca Mountain have calcic-potassic compositions and become more calcium rich with depth. Clinoptilolites in stratigraphically equivalent tuffs to the west have sodic-potassic compositions and become more sodic with depth. Clinoptilolite properties important for repository performance assessment include thermal expansion/contraction behavior, hydration/dehydration behavior, and ion-exchange properties. These properties can be significantly affected by clinoptilolite compositions. The compositional variations for clinoptilolites found by this study suggest that the properties will vary vertically and laterally at Yucca Mountain. Used in conjunction with experimental data, the clinoptilolite compositions presented here can be used to model the behavior of clinoptilolites in the repository environment and along transport pathways

The use of synthetic colloids in tracer transport experiments in saturated rock fractures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reimus, P.W.

1995-08-01

Studies of groundwater flow and contaminant transport in saturated, fractured geologic media are of great interest to researchers studying the potential long-term storage of hazardous wastes in or near such media. A popular technique for conducting such studies is to introduce tracers having different chemical and physical properties into a system and then observe the tracers at one or more downstream locations, inferring flow and transport mechanisms from the breakthrough characteristics of the different tracers. Many tracer studies have been conducted in saturated, fractured media to help develop and/or refine models capable of predicting contaminant transport over large scales in such media

Freeze-Thaw Cycle Test on Basalt, Diorite and Tuff Specimens with the Simulated Ground Temperature of Antarctica

Science.gov (United States)

Park, J.; Hyun, C.; Cho, H.; Park, H.

2010-12-01

Physical weathering caused by freeze-thaw action in cold regions was simulated with artificial weathering simulator in laboratory. Physical weathering of rock in cold regions usually depends on the temperature, rock type and moisture content. Then these three variables were considered in this study. The laboratory freeze-thaw tests were conducted on the three types of rocks, e.g. diorite, basalt and tuff, which are the major rock types around Sejong Station, King George Island, Antarctica. Nine core samples composed of three samples from each rock type were prepared in NX core, and 50 cycles of freeze-thaw test was carried out under dried and saturated water conditions. In this study, the physical weathering of rocks was investigated after each 10 cycles by measuring P-wave velocity, bulk density, effective porosity, Schmidt hardness and uniaxial compression strength(UCS). The experimental result of the diorite and the tuff specimens showed that P-wave velocity, bulk density, effective porosity, Schmidt hardness and UCS were gradually decreased as weathering progresses, but the result of the basalt specimens did not show typical trends due to the characteristics of irregular pore distribution and various pore sizes. Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) photographs of diorite, basalt and tuff specimens weathered in dried and saturated conditions were also acquired to investigate the role of water during physical weathering processes. The number and size of microcracks were increased as weathering progresses. This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) Grant(NRF-2010-0027753).

Evaluation of tuff as a medium for a nucolear waste repository: interim status report on the properties of tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnstone, J.K.; Wolfsberg, K.

1980-07-01

This report is the second in a series of summary briefings to the National Academy of Science's (NAS) Committee on Radioactive Waste Management dealing with feasibility of disposal of heat-producing radioactive waste in silicic tuff. The interim status of studies of tuff properties determined on samples obtained from Yucca Mountain and Rainier Mesa (G-tunnel) located on the Nevada Test Site (NTS) are discussed. In particular, progress is described on resolving issues identified during the first briefing to the NAS which include behavior of water in tuff when heated, the effect of the presence or absence of water and joints on the thermal/physical properties of tuff and the detailed/complex sorptive properties of highly altered and unaltered tuff. Initial correlations of thermal/physical and sorptive properties with the highly variable porosity and mineralogy are described. Three in-situ, at-depth field experiments, one nearly completed and two just getting underway are described. In particular, the current status of mineralogy and petrology, geochemistry, thermal and mechanical, radiation effects and water behavior studies are described. The goals and initial results of a Mine Design Working Group are discussed. Regional factors such as seismicity, volcanism and hydrology are not discussed

Numerical Simulation of Tuff Dissolution and Precipitation Experiments: Validation of Thermal-Hydrologic-Chemical (THC) Coupled-Process Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Dobson, P. F.; Kneafsey, T. J.

2001-12-01

As part of an ongoing effort to evaluate THC effects on flow in fractured media, we performed a laboratory experiment and numerical simulations to investigate mineral dissolution and precipitation. To replicate mineral dissolution by condensate in fractured tuff, deionized water equilibrated with carbon dioxide was flowed for 1,500 hours through crushed Yucca Mountain tuff at 94° C. The reacted water was collected and sampled for major dissolved species, total alkalinity, electrical conductivity, and pH. The resulting steady-state fluid composition had a total dissolved solids content of about 140 mg/L; silica was the dominant dissolved constituent. A portion of the steady-state reacted water was flowed at 10.8 mL/hr into a 31.7-cm tall, 16.2-cm wide vertically oriented planar fracture with a hydraulic aperture of 31 microns in a block of welded Topopah Spring tuff that was maintained at 80° C at the top and 130° C at the bottom. The fracture began to seal within five days. A 1-D plug-flow model using the TOUGHREACT code developed at Berkeley Lab was used to simulate mineral dissolution, and a 2-D model was developed to simulate the flow of mineralized water through a planar fracture, where boiling conditions led to mineral precipitation. Predicted concentrations of the major dissolved constituents for the tuff dissolution were within a factor of 2 of the measured average steady-state compositions. The fracture-plugging simulations result in the precipitation of amorphous silica at the base of the boiling front, leading to a hundred-fold decrease in fracture permeability in less than 6 days, consistent with the laboratory experiment. These results help validate the use of the TOUGHREACT code for THC modeling of the Yucca Mountain system. The experiment and simulations indicate that boiling and concomitant precipitation of amorphous silica could cause significant reductions in fracture porosity and permeability on a local scale. The TOUGHREACT code will be used

Evaporative water loss from welded tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hadley, G.R.; Turner, J.R. Jr.

1980-04-01

Welded tuff is one of the many candidate rocks presently being considered as a host medium for the disposal of radioactive waste. In the case where the disposal site lies above the water table, the host rock will in general be only partially saturated. This condition leads to a number of mass transfer processes of interest, including evaporative drying, two-phase water flow due to pressure gradients, capillary movement, plus others. Although these processes have all been known about for decades, it is not clear at this time what the relative importance of each is with regard to geologic media in a waste disposal environment. In particular, there seems to be no data available for tuff that would allow an investigator to sort out mechanisms. This work is intended to be a start in that direction. This paper reports the measurement of water loss rate for welded tuff at various temperatures due to the action of evaporative drying. The initial saturation was unknown, but the average initial water content was found to be 7% by weight. The resulting data show that the water loss rate declines monotonically with time at a given temperature and increases with increasing temperature as expected. Somewhat surprising, however, is the fact that over 90% of the water from a sample was lost by evaporation at room temperature within 72 hours. All the water loss data, including that taken at temperatures as high as 150 0 C, are explained to within a factor of two by a simple evaporation front model. The latter assumes the water is lost by the molecular diffusion of water vapor from a receding evaporation front. The motion of the evaporation front seems to depend on mass balance rather than energy balance. Capillary forces and the resulting liquid diffusion are evidently not strong enough to wash out the evaporation front, since the front model seems to fit the data well

Sorption and desorption of remazol yellow by a Fe-zeolitic tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solache R, M. J.; Villalva C, R.; Diaz N, M. C.

2010-01-01

The adsorption of remazol yellow from aqueous solution was evaluated using a Fe-zeolitic tuff. The adsorbent was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, IR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Sorption kinetic and isotherms were determined and the adsorption behavior was analyzed. Kinetic pseudo-second order and Langmuir-Freundlich models were successfully applied to the experimental results, indicating chemisorption on a heterogeneous material. The regeneration of the material was best accomplished by using a H 2 O 2 solution. The sorption capacity of the Fe-zeolitic tuff increased when the saturated samples were treated with a H 2O2 or FeCl 3 solution. (Author)

Sorption and desorption of remazol yellow by a Fe-zeolitic tuff

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Solache R, M. J. [ININ, Departamento de Quimica, Carretera Mexico-Toluca s/n, 52750 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico); Villalva C, R.; Diaz N, M. C., E-mail: marcos.solache@inin.gob.m [Instituto Tecnologico de Toluca, Division de Estudios del Posgrado, Av. Tecnologico s/n, Ex-Rancho La Virgen, 52140 Metepec, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)

2010-07-01

The adsorption of remazol yellow from aqueous solution was evaluated using a Fe-zeolitic tuff. The adsorbent was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, IR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Sorption kinetic and isotherms were determined and the adsorption behavior was analyzed. Kinetic pseudo-second order and Langmuir-Freundlich models were successfully applied to the experimental results, indicating chemisorption on a heterogeneous material. The regeneration of the material was best accomplished by using a H{sub 2}O{sub 2} solution. The sorption capacity of the Fe-zeolitic tuff increased when the saturated samples were treated with a H{sub 2O2} or FeCl{sub 3} solution. (Author)

Consideration of Nuclear Criticality When Directly Disposing Highly Enriched Spent Nuclear Fuel in Unsaturated Tuff - I: Nuclear Criticality Constraints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rechard, Rob P.; Sanchez, Lawrence C.; Trellue, Holly R.

2003-01-01

This paper presents the mass, concentration, and volume required for a critical event to occur in homogeneous mixtures of fissile material and various other geologic materials. The fissile material considered is primarily highly enriched uranium spent fuel; however, 239 Pu is considered in some cases. The non-fissile materials examined are those found in the proposed repository area at Yucca Mountain, Nevada: volcanic tuff, iron rust, concrete, and naturally occurring water. For 235 U, the minimum critical solid concentration for tuff was 5 kg/m 3 (similar to sandstone), and in goethite, 45 kg/m 3 . The critical mass of uranium was sensitive to a number of factors, such as moisture content and fissile enrichment, but had a minimum, assuming almost 100% saturation and >20% enrichment, of 18 kg in tuff as Soddyite (or 9.5 kg as UO 2 ) and 7 kg in goethite. For 239 Pu, the minimum critical solid concentration for tuff was 3 kg/m 3 (similar to sandstone); in goethite, 20 kg/m 3 . The critical mass of plutonium was also sensitive to a number of factors, but had a minimum, assuming 100% saturation and 80-90% enrichment, of 5 kg in tuff and 6 kg in goethite

Effect of boundary conditions on the strength and deformability of replicas of natural fractures in welded tuff: Data analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wibowo, J.; Amadei, B.; Sture, S.

1994-04-01

Assessing the shear behavior of intact rock ampersand rock fractures is an important issue in the design of a potential nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain Nevada. Cyclic direct shear experiments were conducted on replicas of three natural fractures and a laboratory-developed tensile fracture of welded tuff. The tests were carried out under constant normal loads or constant normal stiffnesses with different initial normal load levels. Each test consisted of five cycles of forward and reverse shear motion. Based on the results of the shear tests conducted under constant normal load, the shear behavior of the joint replicas tested under constant normal stiffness was predicted by using the graphical analysis method of Saeb (1989), and Amadei and Saeb (1990). Comparison between the predictions and the actual constant stiffness direct shear experiment results can be found in a report by Wibowo et al. (1993b). Results of the constant normal load shear experiments are analyzed using several constitutive models proposed in the rock mechanics literature for joint shear strength, dilatancy, and joint surface damage. It is shown that some of the existing models have limitations. New constitutive models are proposed and are included in a mathematical analysis tool that can be used to predict joint behavior under various boundary conditions

Research on the calculation method of shale and tuff content: taking tuffaceous reservoirs of X depression in the Hailar–Tamtsag Basin as an example

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Sihui; Huang, Buzhou; Pan, Baozhi; Guo, Yuhang; Fang, Chunhui; Wang, Guiping; Sun, Fengxian; Qiu, Haibo; Jiang, Bici

2015-01-01

Shale content is known in reservoir evaluation as an important parameter in well logging. However, the log response characteristics are simultaneously affected by shale and tuff existing in tuffaceous sandstone reservoirs. Due to the fact that tuff content exerts an influence on the calculation of shale content, the former is equally important as the latter. Owing to the differences in the source and composition between shale and tuff, the calculation of tuff content using the same methods for shale content cannot meet the accuracy requirements of logging evaluation. The present study takes the tuffaceous reservoirs in the X depression of the Hailar–Tamtsag Basin as an example. The differences in the log response characteristics between shale and tuff are theoretically analyzed and verified using core analysis data. The tuff is then divided into fine- and coarse-grained fractions, according to the differences in the distribution of the radioactive elements, uranium, thorium and potassium. Next, a volume model suitable for tuffaceous sandstone reservoirs is established to include a sandstone matrix, shale, fine-grained tuff, coarse-grained tuff and pore. A comparison of three optimization algorithms shows that the particle swarm optimization (PSO) yields better calculation results with small mean errors. The resistivity differences among shale, fine-grained tuff and coarse-grained tuff are considered in the calculation of saturation. The water saturation of tuffaceous reservoirs is computed using the improved Poupon’s equation, which is suitable for tuffaceous sandstone reservoirs with low water salinity. The method is used in well Y, and is shown to have a good application effect. (paper)

Pena Blanca uranium deposits and ash-flow tuffs relationship

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magonthier, M.

1987-01-01

The Pena Blanca uranium deposits (Chihuahua, Mexico) are associated with a Tertiary sequence of ash-flow tuffs. Stratigraphic control is dominant and uranium mineralization occurs in stratiform and fracture-controlled deposits within 44 My-old units: Nopal Rhyolite and Escuadra Rhyolite. These units consist of highly vapor-phase crystallized ash-flow tuffs. They contain sanidine, quartz and granophyric phenocrysts, and minor ferromagnesian silicates. Nopal and Escuadra units are high-silica alkali-rich rhyolites that have a primary potassic character. The trace-element chemistry shows high concentrations in U-Th-Rb-Cs and low contents in Ba-Sr-Eu. These chemical properties imply a genetic relationship between deposits and host-units. The petrochemical study show that the Nopal Rhyolite and Escuadra Rhyolite are the source of U and of hydrothermal solutions [fr

Borehole stability in densely welded tuffs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuenkajorn, K.; Daemen, J.J.K.

1992-07-01

The stability of boreholes, or more generally of underground openings (i.e. including shafts, ramps, drifts, tunnels, etc.) at locations where seals or plugs are to be placed is an important consideration in seal design for a repository (Juhlin and Sandstedt, 1989). Borehole instability or borehole breakouts induced by stress redistribution could negate the effectiveness of seals or plugs. Breakout fractures along the wall of repository excavations or exploratory holes could provide a preferential flowpath for groundwater or gaseous radionuclides to bypass the plugs. After plug installation, swelling pressures exerted by a plug could induce radial cracks or could open or widen preexisting cracks in the rock at the bottom of the breakouts where the tangential compressive stresses have been released by the breakout process. The purpose of the work reported here is to determine experimentally the stability of a circular hole in a welded tuff sample subjected to various external boundary loads. Triaxial and biaxial borehole stability tests have been performed on densely welded Apache Leap tuff samples and Topopah Spring tuff samples. The nominal diameter of the test hole is 13.3 or 14.4 mm for triaxial testing, and 25.4 mm for biaxial testing. The borehole axis is parallel to one of the principal stress axes. The boreholes are drilled through the samples prior to applying external boundary loads. The boundary loads are progressively increased until breakouts occur or until the maximum load capacity of the loading system has been reached. 74 refs

Transport of Radon Gas into a Tunnel at Yucca Mountain-Estimating Large-Scale Fractured Tuff Hydraulic Properties and Implications for the Operation of the Ventilation System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Unger, A.; Finsterle, S.; Bodvarsson, G.

2003-01-01

Radon gas concentrations have been monitored as part of the operation of a tunnel (the Exploratory Studies Facility-ESF) at Yucca Mountain to ensure worker safety. The objective of this study was to examine the potential use of the radon data to estimate large-scale formation properties of fractured tuffs. This objective was examined by developing a numerical model, based upon the characteristics of the ESF and the Topopah Spring welded (TSw) tuff unit, capable of predicting radon concentrations for prescribed ventilation conditions. The model was used to address two specific issues. First, it was used to estimate the permeability and porosity of the fractures in the TSw at the length scale of the ESF and extending tens of meters into the TSw, which surrounds the ESF. Second, the model was used to understand the mechanism leading to radon concentrations exceeding a specified level within the ESF. The mechanism controlling radon concentrations in the ESF is a function of atmospheric barometric fluctuations being propagated down the ESF along with ventilated air flow and the slight suction induced by the ventilation exhaust fans at the South Portal of the ESF. These pressure fluctuations are dampened in the TSw fracture continuum according to its permeability and porosity. Consequently, as the barometric pressure in the ESF drops rapidly, formation gases from the TSw are pulled into the ESF, resulting in an increase in radon concentrations. Model calibration to both radon concentrations measured in the ESF and gas-phase pressure fluctuations in the TSw yielded concurrent estimates of TSw fracture permeability and porosity of l x 10 -11 m 2 and 0.00034, respectively. The calibrated model was then used as a design tool to predict the effect of adjusting the current ventilation-system operation strategy for reducing the probability of radon gas concentrations exceeding a specified level

The influence of water on the strength of Neapolitan Yellow Tuff, the most widely used building stone in Naples (Italy)

Science.gov (United States)

Heap, Michael J.; Farquharson, Jamie I.; Kushnir, Alexandra R. L.; Lavallée, Yan; Baud, Patrick; Gilg, H. Albert; Reuschlé, Thierry

2018-06-01

Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT) has been used in construction in Naples (Italy) since the Greeks founded the city—then called Neapolis—in the sixth century BCE. We investigate here whether this popular building stone is weaker when saturated with water, an issue important for assessments of weathering damage and monument preservation. To this end, we performed 28 uniaxial compressive strength measurements on dry and water-saturated samples cored from a block of the lithified Upper Member of the NYT. Our experiments show that the strength of the zeolite-rich NYT is systematically reduced when saturated with water (the ratio of wet to dry strength is 0.63). Complementary experiments show that two other common Neapolitan building stones—Piperno Tuff and the grey Campanian Ignimbrite (both facies of the Campanian Ignimbrite deposit devoid of zeolites)—do not weaken when wet. From these data, and previously published data for tuffs around the globe, we conclude that the water-weakening in NYT is a consequence of the presence of abundant zeolites (the block tested herein contains 46 wt.% of zeolites). These data may help explain weathering damage in NYT building stones (due to rainfall, rising damp, and proximity to the sea or water table) and the observed link between rainfall and landslides, rock falls, and sinkhole formation in Naples, and the weathering of other buildings built from zeolite-rich tuffs worldwide.

Theoretical and experimental determination of matrix diffusion and related solute transport properties of fractured tuffs from the Nevada Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walter, G.R.

1982-10-01

Theoretical and experimental studies of the chemical and physical factors which affect molecular diffusion of dissolved substances from fractures into a tuffaceous rock matrix have been made on rocks from G-Tunnel and Yucca Mountain at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). A variety of groundwater tracers, which may be useful in field tests at the NTS, have also been developed and tested. Although a number of physical/chemical processes may cause nonconvective transport of dissolved species from fractures into the tuff matrix, molecular diffusion seems to be the most important process. Molecular diffusion in these rocks is controlled by the composition of the groundwater through multicomponent effects and several rock properties. The porosities of the samples studied ranged from about 0.1 to 0.4. The constrictivity-tortuosity parameter ranged from 0.1 and 0.3 and effective matrix-diffusion coefficients were measured to be between 2 to 17. x 10 -7 c, 2 /s for sodium halides and sodium pentafluorobenzoate. Total porosity was found to be the principle factor accounting for the variation in effective diffusion coefficients. The constrictivity-tortuosity factor was found to have a fair correlation (r = 0.75) with the median pore diameters measured by mercury intrusion. Measurements of bulk-rock electrical impedance changes with frequency indicate that the constrictivity factor has a maximum value of 0.8 to 1, but may be smaller. If the larger values are correct, then the diffusion paths in tuff are more tortuous than in granular media. Computation of the full diffusion-coefficient matrix for various tracers in J-13 well water from the NTS indicates coupling of the diffusion fluxes of all ionic species. These effects are being incorporated into a numerical model of multicomponent-matrix diffusion

On conditions and parameters important to model sensitivity for unsaturated flow through layered, fractured tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prindle, R.W.; Hopkins, P.L.

1990-10-01

The Hydrologic Code Intercomparison Project (HYDROCOIN) was formed to evaluate hydrogeologic models and computer codes and their use in performance assessment for high-level radioactive-waste repositories. This report describes the results of a study for HYDROCOIN of model sensitivity for isothermal, unsaturated flow through layered, fractured tuffs. We investigated both the types of flow behavior that dominate the performance measures and the conditions and model parameters that control flow behavior. We also examined the effect of different conceptual models and modeling approaches on our understanding of system behavior. The analyses included single- and multiple-parameter variations about base cases in one-dimensional steady and transient flow and in two-dimensional steady flow. The flow behavior is complex even for the highly simplified and constrained system modeled here. The response of the performance measures is both nonlinear and nonmonotonic. System behavior is dominated by abrupt transitions from matrix to fracture flow and by lateral diversion of flow. The observed behaviors are strongly influenced by the imposed boundary conditions and model constraints. Applied flux plays a critical role in determining the flow type but interacts strongly with the composite-conductivity curves of individual hydrologic units and with the stratigraphy. One-dimensional modeling yields conservative estimates of distributions of groundwater travel time only under very limited conditions. This study demonstrates that it is wrong to equate the shortest possible water-travel path with the fastest path from the repository to the water table. 20 refs., 234 figs., 10 tabs

Uniaxial compression test series on Bullfrog Tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, R.H.; Jones, A.K.; Nimick, K.G.

1982-04-01

Nineteen uniaxial compressive experiments were performed on samples of the Bullfrog Member of the Crater Flat Tuff, obtained from drillhole USW-G1 at Yucca Mountain on the Nevada Test Site. The water saturated samples were deformed at a nominal strain rate of 10 -5 sec -1 , atmospheric pressure and room temperature. Resultant unconfined compressive strengths, axial strains to failure, Young's moduli and Poisson's ratios ranged from 4.63 to 153. MPa, .0028 to .0058, 2.03 to 28.9 GPa and .08 to .16, respectively

Heat pipe effects in nuclear waste isolation: a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doughty, C.; Pruess, K.

1985-12-01

The existence of fractures favors heat pipe development in a geologic repository as does a partially saturated medium. A number of geologic media are being considered as potential repository sites. Tuff is partially saturated and fractured, basalt and granite are saturated and fractured, salt is unfractured and saturated. Thus the most likely conditions for heat pipe formation occur in tuff while the least likely occur in salt. The relative permeability and capillary pressure dependences on saturation are of critical importance for predicting thermohydraulic behavior around a repository. Mineral redistribution in heat pipe systems near high-level waste packages emplaced in partially saturated formations may significantly affect fluid flow and heat transfer processes, and the chemical environment of the packages. We believe that a combined laboratory, field, and theoretical effort will be needed to identify the relevant physical and chemical processes, and the specific parameters applicable to a particular site. 25 refs., 1 fig

Preliminary evaluation of alterant geophysical tomography in welded tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramirez, A.L.; Daily, W.D.

1985-01-01

The ability of alterant geophysical tomography to delineate flow paths in a welded tuff rock mass has been preliminarily evaluated based on the results of a field experiment. Electromagnetic measurements were made before, during and after a water-based, dye tracer flowed through the rock mass. Alterant geophysical tomographs were generated and compared with independent evidence - borescope logs, neutron logs and dyed rock samples. Anomalies present in the tomograph match the location and orientation of fractures mapped with a borescope. The location of tracer-stained fractures coincides with the location of some image anomalies; other geophysical anomalies exist where tracer-stained fractures were not observed, perhaps due to poor core recovery. Additional drilling to locate stained flow paths and other experiments are planned so that the applicability of the technique can be further evaluated

Seepage into drifts in unsaturated fractured rock at Yucca Mountain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Birkholzer, Jens; Li, Guomin; Tsang, Chin-Fu; Tsang, Yvonne

1998-01-01

An important issue for the long-term performance of underground nuclear waste repository is the rate of seepage into the waste emplacement drifts. A prediction of the future seepage rate is particularly complicated for the potential repository site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as it is located in thick, partially saturated, fractured tuff formations. The long-term situation in the drifts several thousand years after waste emplacement will be characterized by a relative humidity level close to or equal to 100%, as the drifts will be sealed and unventilated, and the waste packages will have cooled. The underground tunnels will then act as capillary barriers for the unsaturated flow, ideally diverting water around them, if the capillary forces are stronger than gravity and viscous forces. Seepage into the drifts will only be possible if the hydraulic pressure in the rock close to the drift walls increases to positive values; i.e., the flow field becomes locally saturated. In the present work, they have developed and applied a methodology to study the potential rate of seepage into underground cavities embedded in a variably saturated, heterogeneous fractured rock formation. The fractured rock mass is represented as a stochastic continuum where the fracture permeabilities vary by several orders of magnitude. Three different realizations of random fracture permeability fields are generated, with the random permeability structure based on extensive fracture mapping, borehole video analysis, and in-situ air permeability testing. A 3-D numerical model is used to simulate the heterogeneous steady-state flow field around the drift, with the drift geometry explicitly represented within the numerical discretization grid. A variety of flow scenarios are considered assuming present-day and future climate conditions at Yucca Mountain. The numerical study is complemented by theoretical evaluations of the drift seepage problem, using stochastic perturbation theory to develop a better

Permeability and dispersivity of variable-aperture fracture systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsang, Y.W.; Tsang, C.F.

1990-01-01

A number of recent experiments have pointed out the need of including the effects of aperture variation within each fracture in predicting flow and transport properties of fractured media. This paper introduces a new approach in which medium properties, such as the permeability to flow and dispersivity in tracer transport, are correlated to only three statistical parameters describing the fracture aperture probability distribution and the aperture spatial correlation. We demonstrate how saturated permeability and relative permeabilities for flow, as well as dispersion for solute transport in fractures may be calculated. We are in the process of examining the applicability of these concepts to field problems. Results from the evaluation and analysis of the recent Stripa-3D field data are presented. 13 refs., 10 figs

Continuum model for water movement in an unsaturated fractured rock mass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peters, R.R.; Klavetter, E.A.

1988-01-01

The movement of fluids in a fractured, porous medium has been the subject of considerable study. This paper presents a continuum model that may be used to evaluate the isothermal movement of water in an unsaturated, fractured, porous medium under slowly changing conditions. This continuum model was developed for use in evaluating the unsaturated zone at the Yucca Mountain site as a potential repository for high-level nuclear waste. Thus its development has been influenced by the conditions thought to be present at Yucca Mountain. A macroscopic approach and a microscopic approach are used to develop a continuum model to evaluate water movement in a fractured rock mass. Both approaches assume that the pressure head in the fractures and the matrix are identical in a plane perpendicular to flow. Both approaches lead to a single-flow equation for a fractured rock mass. The two approaches are used to calculate unsaturated hydrologic properties, i.e., relative permeability and saturation as a function of pressure head, for several types of tuff underlying Yucca Mountain, using the best available hydrologic data for the matrix and the fractures. Rock mass properties calculated by both approaches are similar

Laboratory experiments on heat-drive two-phase flows in natural and artificial rock fractures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kneafsey, Timothy J.; Pruess, Karsten

1998-01-01

Water flow in partially saturated fractures under thermal drive may lead to fast flow along preferential localized pathways and heat pipe conditions. At the potential high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, water flowing in fast pathways may ultimately contact waste packages and transport radionuclides to the accessible environment. Sixteen experiments were conducted to visualize heat-driven liquid flow in fracture models that included (1) assemblies of roughened glass plates, (2) epoxy replicas of rock fractures, and (3) a fractured specimen of Topopah Spring tuff. Continuous rivulet flow was observed for high liquid flow rates, intermittent rivulet flow and drop flow for intermediate flow rates, and film flow for lower flow rates and wide apertures. Heat pipe conditions (vapor-liquid counterflow with phase change) were identified in five of the seven experiments in which spatially resolved thermal monitoring was performed but not when vapor-liquid counterflow was hindered by very narrow apertures and when an inadequate working fluid volume was used

Analyzing Unsaturated Flow Patterns in Fractured Rock Using an Integrated Modeling Approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Y.S. Wu; G. Lu; K. Zhang; L. Pan; G.S. Bodvarsson

2006-01-01

Characterizing percolation patterns in unsaturated fractured rock has posed a greater challenge to modeling investigations than comparable saturated zone studies, because of the heterogeneous nature of unsaturated media and the great number of variables impacting unsaturated flow. This paper presents an integrated modeling methodology for quantitatively characterizing percolation patterns in the unsaturated zone of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a proposed underground repository site for storing high-level radioactive waste. The modeling approach integrates a wide variety of moisture, pneumatic, thermal, and isotopic geochemical field data into a comprehensive three-dimensional numerical model for modeling analyses. It takes into account the coupled processes of fluid and heat flow and chemical isotopic transport in Yucca Mountain's highly heterogeneous, unsaturated fractured tuffs. Modeling results are examined against different types of field-measured data and then used to evaluate different hydrogeological conceptualizations and their results of flow patterns in the unsaturated zone. In particular, this model provides a much clearer understanding of percolation patterns and flow behavior through the unsaturated zone, both crucial issues in assessing repository performance. The integrated approach for quantifying Yucca Mountain's flow system is demonstrated to provide a practical modeling tool for characterizing flow and transport processes in complex subsurface systems

Fractal analysis of fracture increasing spontaneous imbibition in porous media with gas-saturated

KAUST Repository

Cai, Jianchao; Sun, Shuyu

2013-01-01

Spontaneous imbibition (SI) of wetting liquid into matrix blocks due to capillary pressure is regarded as an important recovery mechanism in low permeability fractured reservoir. In this paper, an analytical model is proposed for characterizing SI horizontally from a single plane fracture into gas-saturated matrix blocks. The presented model is based on the fractal character of pores in porous matrix, with gravity force included in the entire imbibition process. The accumulated mass of wetting liquid imbibed into matrix blocks is related to a number of factors such as contact area, pore fractal dimension, tortuosity, maximum pore size, porosity, liquid density and viscosity, surface tension, contact angle, as well as height and tilt angle of the fracture. The mechanism of fracture-enhanced SI is analyzed accordingly. Because of the effect of fracture, the gravity force is positive to imbibition process. Additionally, the farther away from the fracture top of the pore, the more influential the hydrostatic pressure is upon the imbibition action. The presented fractal analysis of horizontal spontaneous imbibition from a single fracture could also shed light on the scaling study of the mass transfer function between matrix and fracture system of fractured reservoirs. © 2013 World Scientific Publishing Company.

Fractal analysis of fracture increasing spontaneous imbibition in porous media with gas-saturated

KAUST Repository

Cai, Jianchao

2013-08-01

Spontaneous imbibition (SI) of wetting liquid into matrix blocks due to capillary pressure is regarded as an important recovery mechanism in low permeability fractured reservoir. In this paper, an analytical model is proposed for characterizing SI horizontally from a single plane fracture into gas-saturated matrix blocks. The presented model is based on the fractal character of pores in porous matrix, with gravity force included in the entire imbibition process. The accumulated mass of wetting liquid imbibed into matrix blocks is related to a number of factors such as contact area, pore fractal dimension, tortuosity, maximum pore size, porosity, liquid density and viscosity, surface tension, contact angle, as well as height and tilt angle of the fracture. The mechanism of fracture-enhanced SI is analyzed accordingly. Because of the effect of fracture, the gravity force is positive to imbibition process. Additionally, the farther away from the fracture top of the pore, the more influential the hydrostatic pressure is upon the imbibition action. The presented fractal analysis of horizontal spontaneous imbibition from a single fracture could also shed light on the scaling study of the mass transfer function between matrix and fracture system of fractured reservoirs. © 2013 World Scientific Publishing Company.

Explosion Amplitude Reduction due to Fractures in Water-Saturated and Dry Granite

Science.gov (United States)

Stroujkova, A. F.; Leidig, M.; Bonner, J. L.

2013-12-01

Empirical observations made at the Semipalatinsk Test Site suggest that nuclear tests in the fracture zones left by previous explosions ('repeat shots') show reduced seismic amplitudes compared to the nuclear tests in virgin rocks. Likely mechanisms for the amplitude reduction in the repeat shots include increased porosity and reduced strength and elastic moduli, leading to pore closing and frictional sliding. Presence of pore water significantly decreases rock compressibility and strength, thus affecting seismic amplitudes. A series of explosion experiments were conducted in order to define the physical mechanism responsible for the amplitude reduction and to quantify the degree of the amplitude reduction in fracture zones of previously detonated explosions. Explosions in water-saturated granite were conducted in central New Hampshire in 2011 and 2012. Additional explosions in dry granite were detonated in Barre, VT in 2013. The amplitude reduction is different between dry and water-saturated crystalline rocks. Significant reduction in seismic amplitudes (by a factor of 2-3) in water-saturated rocks was achieved only when the repeat shot was detonated in the extensive damage zone created by a significantly larger (by a factor of 5) explosion. In case where the first and the second explosions were similar in yield, the amplitude reduction was relatively modest (5-20%). In dry rocks the amplitude reduction reached a factor of 2 even in less extensive damage zones. In addition there are differences in frequency dependence of the spectral amplitude ratios between explosions in dry and water-saturated rocks. Thus the amplitude reduction is sensitive to the extent of the damage zone as well as the pore water content.

A Record of Uranium-Series Transport in Fractured, Unsaturated Tuff at Nopal I, Sierra Peña Blanca, Chihuahua, Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Denton, J.; Goldstein, S. J.; Paviet, P.; Nunn, A. J.; Amato, R. S.; Hinrichs, K. A.

2015-12-01

In this study we utilize U-series disequilibria measurements to investigate mineral fluid interactions and the role fractures play in the geochemical evolution of an analogue for a high level nuclear waste repository, the Nopal I uranium ore deposit. Samples of fracture-fill materials have been collected from a vertical drill core and surface fractures. High uranium concentrations in these materials (12-7700 ppm) indicate U mobility and transport from the deposit in the past. U concentrations generally decrease with horizontal distance away from the ore deposit but show no trend with depth. Isotopic activity ratios indicate a complicated geochemical evolution in terms of the timing and extent of actinide mobility, possibly due to changing environmental (redox) conditions over the history of the deposit. 234U/238U activity ratios are generally distinct from secular equilibrium and indicate some degree of open system U behavior during the past 1.2 Ma. However, calculated closed system 238U-234U-230Th model ages are generally >313 ka and >183 ka for the surface fracture and drill core samples respectively, suggesting closed system behavior for U and Th over this most recent time period. Whole rock isochrons drawn for the drill core samples show that at two of three depths fractures have remained closed with respect to U and Th mobility for >200 ka. However, open system behavior for U in the last 350 ka is suggested at 67 m depth. 231Pa/235U activity ratios within error of unity suggest closed system behavior for U and Pa for at least the past 185 ka. 226Ra/230Th activity ratios are typically <1 (0.7-1.2), suggesting recent (<8 ka) radium loss and mobility due to ongoing fluid flow in the fractures. Overall, the mainly closed system behavior of U-Th-Pa over the past ~200 ka provides one indicator of the geochemical immobility of these actinides over long time-scales for potential nuclear waste repositories sited in fractured, unsaturated tuff.

Geophysical tomography for imaging water movement in welded tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daily, W.; Ramirez, A.

1986-01-01

Alterant tomography has been evaluated for its ability to delineate in-situ water flow paths in a fractured welded-tuff rock mass. The evaluation involved a field experiment in which tomographs of electromagnetic attenuation factor (or attenuation rate) at 300 MHZ were made before, during, and after the introduction to the rock of two different water-based tracers: a plain water and dye solution, and salt water and dye. Alterant tomographs were constructed by subtracting, cell by cell, the attenuation factors derived from measurements before each tracer was added to the rock mass from the attenuation factors derived after each tracer was added. The alterant tomographs were compared with other evidence of water movement in the rock: borescope logs of fractures, and postexperiment cores used to locate the dye tracer on the fractured surfaces. These comparisons indicate that alterant tomography is suitable for mapping water flow through fractures and that it may be useful in inferring which of the fractures are hydrologically connected in the image plane. The technique appears to be sensitive enough to delineate flow through a single fracture and to define fractures with a spatial resolution of about 10 cm on an imaging scale of a few meters. 9 refs., 3 figs

Core Flooding Experiments Combined with X-rays and Micro-PET Imaging as a Tool to Calculate Fluid Saturations in a Fracture

Science.gov (United States)

Gran, M.; Zahasky, C.; Garing, C.; Pollyea, R. M.; Benson, S. M.

2017-12-01

One way to reduce CO2 emissions is to capture CO2 generated in power plants and other industrial sources to inject it into a geological formation. Sedimentary basins are the ones traditionally used to store CO2 but the emission sources are not always close to these type of basins. In this case, basalt rocks present a good storage alternative due their extent and also their potential for mineral trapping. Flow through basaltic rocks is governed by the permeable paths provided by rock fractures. Hence, knowing the behavior of the multiphase flow in these fractures becomes crucial. With the aim to describe how aperture and liquid-gas interface changes in the fracture affect relative permeability and what are the implications of permeability stress dependency, a series of core experiments were conducted. To calculate fracture apertures and fluid saturations, core flooding experiments combined with medical X-Ray CT scanner and micro-PET imaging (Micro Positron Emission Tomography) were performed. Capillary pressure and relative permeability drainage curves were simultaneously measured in a fractured basalt core under typical storage reservoir pressures and temperatures. The X-Ray scanner allows fracture apertures to be measured quite accurately even for fractures as small as 30 µ, but obtaining fluid saturations is not straightforward. The micro-PET imaging provides dynamic measurements of tracer distributions which can be used to calculate saturation. Here new experimental data is presented and the challenges associated with measuring fluid saturations using both X-Rays and micro-PET are discussed.

Further description of the petrology of the Topopah Spring member of the paintbrush tuff in drill holes UE25A-1 and USW-G1 and of the lithic-rich tuff in USW-G1, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carroll, P.I.; Caporuscio, F.A.; Bish, D.L.

1981-11-01

The Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff and the Lithic-rich tuff and two Tertiary volcanic units that occur in cores from drill holes UE25a-1 and USW-G1 at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Recently they have been suggested as possibly suitable for the permanent storage of high-level radioactive waste. Earlier petrologic characterization of these units is augmented here. The Topopah Spring Member (approximately 350 m thick) has two compound cooling units. The upper, thinner unit is densely welded to vitrophyric. The lower unit ranges from nonwelded to vitrophyric, and its nonwelded base is extensively zeolitized to clinoptilolite and mordenite. Heulandite occurs as fracture fill in the overlying vitrophyric part, but zeolites are absent above that vitrophyre. Here primary devitrification plus vapor-phase crystallization dominate the mineralogy. Vapor-phase effects are especially prominent between the two vitrophyres in both cores and include numerous large lithophysal cavities throughout most of this moderately to densely welded tuff. The Lithic-rich tuff extends from 1203 to 1506 m in the USW-G1 drill core. It is nonwelded to partly welded but is well indurated due to pervasive intergrowths of authigenic minerals. These phases are analcime, albite, alkali feldspar, sericite, chlorite and quartz. The transition from analcime to secondary albite corresponds to Iijima's zeolite Zone IV boundary, and this boundary appears in USW-G1 at 1326 m. However, analcime remains as a prominent phase through most of the Lithic-rich tuff. Further work is necessary to assess the suitability of either of these horizons for a waste repository. In the Topopah Spring Member, both mechanical and hydrologic properties of thick lithophysal zone must be studied, as well as the complete sequence of fracture fill. For both units, zeolite and clay mineral stabilities need to be investigated

Drill-back studies examine fractured, heated rock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wollenberg, H.A.; Flexser, S.; Myer, L.R.

1990-01-01

To investigate the effects of heating on the mineralogical, geochemical, and mechanical properties of rock by high-level radioactive waste, cores are being examined from holes penetrating locations where electric heaters simulated the presence of a waste canister, and from holes penetration natural hydrothermal systems. Results to date indicate the localized mobility and deposition of uranium in an open fracture in heated granitic rock, the mobility of U in a breccia zone in an active hydrothermal system in tuff, and the presence of U in relatively high concentration in fracture-lining material in tuff. Mechanical -- property studies indicate that differences in compressional- and shear-wave parameters between heated and less heated rock can be attributed to differences in the density of microcracks. Emphasis has shifted from initial studies of granitic rock at Stripa, Sweden to current investigations of welded tuff at the Nevada Test Site. 7 refs., 8 figs

Environmental effects on corrosion in the Tuff repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beavers, J.A.; Thompson, N.G.

1990-02-01

Cortest Columbus is investigating the long-term performance of container materials used for high-level waste packages as part of the information needed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to assess the Department of Energy's application to construct a geologic repository for high-level radioactive waste. The scope of work consists of employing short-term techniques, to examine a wide range of possible failure modes. Long-term tests are being used to verify and further examine specific failure modes identified as important by the short-term studies. The original focus of the program was on the salt repository but the emphasis was shifted to the Tuff repository. This report summarizes the results of a literature survey performed under Task 1 of the program. The survey focuses on the influence of environmental variables on the corrosion behavior of candidate container materials for the Tuff repository. Environmental variables considered include: radiation, thermal and microbial effects. 80 refs., 44 figs., 44 tabs

Transport properties of Topopah Spring tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, W.; Daily, W.

1984-10-01

Electrical resistivity, ultrasonic P-waves velocity, and water permeability were measured simultaneously on both intact and fractured Topopah Spring tuff samples at a confining pressure of 5.0 MPa, pore pressures to 2.5 MPa, and temperatures to 140 0 C. The tested samples were subjected to three dehydration and rehydration cycles. The dehydrations were accomplished at a temperature of 140 0 C, and the rehydrations were accomplished at various combinations of temperature and pore pressures so that the wetting fluid was either liquid water, steam or both. The electrical resistivity measurements indicate that for the intact sample, the drying and resaturation took place fairly uniformly throughout the sample. On the other hand, for the fractured sample, the drying and resaturation was spatially quite nonuniform. When samples had been subjected to 5 MPa of confining pressure and 140 0 C for several weeks, a gradual monotonic drift in resistivity was measured (decreasing resistivity when dry; increasing resistivity when wet). This may be the result of either minerological changes or grain boundary movement. In any case, the phenomenon may have important consequences on long term repository performance, and should be studied further. The permeability of the intact sample was independent of temperature, dehydration and rehydration cycles, and time. The permeability of the fractured sample, initially dominated by the fracture, decreased by about one order of magnitude after each dehydration and rehydration cycle. 11 references, 12 figures, 3 tables

Vaporizing Flow in Hot Fractures: Observations from Laboratory Experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kneafsey, T.; Pruess, K.

1998-01-01

Understanding water seepage in hot fractured rock is important in a number of fields including geothermal energy recovery and nuclear waste disposal. Heat-generating high-level nuclear waste packages which will be emplaced in the partially saturated fractured tuffs at the potential high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, if it becomes a high-level nuclear waste repository, will cause significant impacts on moisture distribution and migration. Liquid water, which occupies anywhere from 30 to 100% of the porespace, will be vaporized as the temperature reaches the boiling temperature. Flowing primarily in fractures, the vapor will condense where it encounters cooler rock, generating mobile water. This water will flow under gravitational and capillary forces and may flow back to the vicinity of the emplaced waste where it may partially escape vaporization. Water flowing down (sub-) vertical fractures may migrate considerable distances through fractured rock that is at above-boiling temperatures; thus, flowing condensate may contact waste packages, and provide a pathway for the transport of water-soluble radionuclides downward to the saturated zone. Thermally-driven flow processes induced by repository heat may be as important or even more important for repository performance than natural infiltration. For a nominal thermal loading of 57 kW/acre, vaporization may generate an average equivalent percolation flux from condensate of 23.1 mm/yr over 1,000 years, and 5.2 mm/yr over 10,000 years. These numbers are comparable to or larger than current estimates of net infiltration at Yucca Mountain. This condensate, which is generated in the immediate vicinity (meters) of the waste packages, will likely have a larger impact on waste package and repository performance than a similar amount of water introduced at the land surface

Unsaturated flow and transport through fractured rock related to high-level waste repositories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, D.D.; Rasmussen, T.C.

1991-01-01

Research results are summarized for a US Nuclear Regulatory Commission contract with the University of Arizona focusing on field and laboratory methods for characterizing unsaturated fluid flow and solute transport related to high-level radioactive waste repositories. Characterization activities are presented for the Apache Leap Tuff field site. The field site is located in unsaturated, fractured tuff in central Arizona. Hydraulic, pneumatic, and thermal characteristics of the tuff are summarized, along with methodologies employed to monitor and sample hydrologic and geochemical processes at the field site. Thermohydrologic experiments are reported which provide laboratory and field data related to the effects conditions and flow and transport in unsaturated, fractured rock. 29 refs., 17 figs., 21 tabs

Estimation of Fracture Porosity in an Unsaturated Fractured Welded Tuff Using Gas Tracer Testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

B.M. Freifeild

2001-01-01

Kinematic fracture porosity is an important hydrologic transport parameter for predicting the potential of rapid contaminant migration through fractured rock. The transport velocity of a solute moving within a fracture network is inversely related to the fracture porosity. Since fracture porosity is often one or two orders of magnitude smaller than matrix porosity, and fracture permeability is often orders of magnitude greater than matrix permeability, solutes may travel significantly faster in the fracture network than in the surrounding matrix. This dissertation introduces a new methodology for conducting gas tracer tests using a field portable mass spectrometer along with analytical tools for estimating fracture porosity using the measured tracer concentration breakthrough curves. Field experiments were conducted at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, consisting of air-permeability transient testing and gas-tracer-transport tests. The experiments were conducted from boreholes drilled within an underground tunnel as part of an investigation of rock mass hydrological behavior. Air-permeability pressure transients, recorded during constant mass flux injections, have been analyzed using a numerical inversion procedure to identify fracture permeability and porosity. Dipole gas tracer tests have also been conducted from the same boreholes used for air-permeability testing. Mass breakthrough data has been analyzed using a random walk particle-tracking model, with a dispersivity that is a function of the advective velocity. The estimated fracture porosity using the tracer test and air-injection test data ranges from .001 to .015. These values are an order of magnitude greater than the values estimated by others using hydraulically estimated fracture apertures. The estimates of porosity made using air-permeability test data are shown to be highly sensitive to formation heterogeneity. Uncertainty analyses performed on the gas tracer test results show high confidence in the parameter

Estimation of Fracture Porosity in an Unsaturated Fractured Welded Tuff Using Gas Tracer Testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

B.M. Freifeild

2001-10-18

Kinematic fracture porosity is an important hydrologic transport parameter for predicting the potential of rapid contaminant migration through fractured rock. The transport velocity of a solute moving within a fracture network is inversely related to the fracture porosity. Since fracture porosity is often one or two orders of magnitude smaller than matrix porosity, and fracture permeability is often orders of magnitude greater than matrix permeability, solutes may travel significantly faster in the fracture network than in the surrounding matrix. This dissertation introduces a new methodology for conducting gas tracer tests using a field portable mass spectrometer along with analytical tools for estimating fracture porosity using the measured tracer concentration breakthrough curves. Field experiments were conducted at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, consisting of air-permeability transient testing and gas-tracer-transport tests. The experiments were conducted from boreholes drilled within an underground tunnel as part of an investigation of rock mass hydrological behavior. Air-permeability pressure transients, recorded during constant mass flux injections, have been analyzed using a numerical inversion procedure to identify fracture permeability and porosity. Dipole gas tracer tests have also been conducted from the same boreholes used for air-permeability testing. Mass breakthrough data has been analyzed using a random walk particle-tracking model, with a dispersivity that is a function of the advective velocity. The estimated fracture porosity using the tracer test and air-injection test data ranges from .001 to .015. These values are an order of magnitude greater than the values estimated by others using hydraulically estimated fracture apertures. The estimates of porosity made using air-permeability test data are shown to be highly sensitive to formation heterogeneity. Uncertainty analyses performed on the gas tracer test results show high confidence in the parameter

Estimation of fracture porosity in an unsaturated fractured welded tuff using gas tracer testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freifeld, Barry Mark [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2001-12-01

Kinematic fracture porosity is an important hydrologic transport parameter for predicting the potential of rapid contaminant migration through fractured rock. The transport velocity of a solute moving within a fracture network is inversely related to the fracture porosity. Since fracture porosity is often one or two orders of magnitude smaller than matrix porosity, and fracture permeability is often orders of magnitude greater than matrix permeability, solutes may travel significantly faster in the fracture network than in the surrounding matrix. This dissertation introduces a new methodology for conducting gas tracer tests using a field portable mass spectrometer along with analytical tools for estimating fracture porosity using the measured tracer concentration breakthrough curves. Field experiments were conducted at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, consisting of air-permeability transient testing and gas-tracer-transport tests. The experiments were conducted from boreholes drilled within an underground tunnel as part of an investigation of rock mass hydrological behavior. Air-permeability pressure transients, recorded during constant mass flux injections, have been analyzed using a numerical inversion procedure to identify fracture permeability and porosity. Dipole gas tracer tests have also been conducted from the same boreholes used for air-permeability testing. Mass breakthrough data has been analyzed using a random walk particle-tracking model, with a dispersivity that is a function of the advective velocity. The estimated fracture porosity using the tracer test and air-injection test data ranges from .001 to .015. These values are an order of magnitude greater than the values estimated by others using hydraulically estimated fracture apertures. The estimates of porosity made using air-permeability test data are shown to be highly sensitive to formation heterogeneity. Uncertainty analyses performed on the gas tracer test results show high confidence in the parameter

Analysis of Conservative Tracer Tests in the Bullfrog, Tram, and Prow Pass Tuffs, 1996 to 1998, Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Umari, Amjad; Fahy, Michael F.; Earle, John D.; Tucci, Patrick

2008-01-01

To evaluate the potential for transport of radionuclides in ground water from the proposed high-level nuclear-waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, conservative (nonsorbing) tracer tests were conducted among three boreholes, known as the C-hole Complex, and values for transport (or flow) porosity, storage (or matrix) porosity, longitudinal dispersivity, and the extent of matrix diffusion were obtained. The C-holes are completed in a sequence of Miocene tuffaceous rock, consisting of nonwelded to densely welded ash-flow tuff with intervals of ash-fall tuff and volcaniclastic rocks, covered by Quaternary alluvium. The lower part of the tuffaceous-rock sequence includes the Prow Pass, Bullfrog, and Tram Tuffs of the Crater Flat Group. The rocks are pervaded by tectonic and cooling fractures. Paleozoic limestone and dolomite underlie the tuffaceous rocks. Four radially convergent and one partially recirculating conservative (nonsorbing) tracer tests were conducted at the C-hole Complex from 1996 to 1998 to establish values for flow porosity, storage porosity, longitudinal dispersivity, and extent of matrix diffusion in the Bullfrog and Tram Tuffs and the Prow Pass Tuff. Tracer tests included (1) injection of iodide into the combined Bullfrog-Tram interval; (2) injection of 2,6 difluorobenzoic acid into the Lower Bullfrog interval; (3) injection of 3-carbamoyl-2-pyridone into the Lower Bullfrog interval; and (4) injection of iodide and 2,4,5 trifluorobenzoic acid, followed by 2,3,4,5 tetrafluorobenzoic acid, into the Prow Pass Tuff. All tracer tests were analyzed by the Moench single- and dual-porosity analytical solutions to the advection-dispersion equation or by superposition of these solutions. Nonlinear regression techniques were used to corroborate tracer solution results, to obtain optimal parameter values from the solutions, and to quantify parameter uncertainty resulting from analyzing two of the three radially convergent conservative tracer tests

Correlation Between Fracture Network Properties and Stress Variability in Geological Media

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Qinghua; Gao, Ke

2018-05-01

We quantitatively investigate the stress variability in fractured geological media under tectonic stresses. The fracture systems studied include synthetic fracture networks following power law length scaling and natural fracture patterns based on outcrop mapping. The stress field is derived from a finite-discrete element model, and its variability is analyzed using a set of mathematical formulations that honor the tensorial nature of stress data. We show that local stress perturbation, quantified by the Euclidean distance of a local stress tensor to the mean stress tensor, has a positive, linear correlation with local fracture intensity, defined as the total fracture length per unit area within a local sampling window. We also evaluate the stress dispersion of the entire stress field using the effective variance, that is, a scalar-valued measure of the overall stress variability. The results show that a well-connected fracture system under a critically stressed state exhibits strong local and global stress variabilities.

Monte Carlo simulation of radioactive contaminant transport in fractured geologic media: Disorder and long-range correlations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mukhopadhyay, S.; Cushman, J.H.

1997-01-01

The geologic media near Yucca mountain site consist of fractured welded tuffs along with less fractured unwelded tuff. Numerical simulation of flow and transport in such media poses a number of challenging problems, due mainly to the heterogeneities and disorder in the media. In addition, because of different dominant transport mechanisms in different regions of the media, investigations need to be carried out at different time-scales. Time-marching will pose a considerable problem in analyzing such multi-scale transient problems. The authors develop a field-scale network model of fractures and study transport of radionuclides through geologic media as a function of disorder and correlated fracture-permeabilities

Estimates of spatial correlation in volcanic tuff, Yucca Mountain, Nevada: Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rautman, C.A.

1991-02-01

The spatial correlation structure of volcanic tuffs at and near the site of the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is estimated using samples obtained from surface outcrops and drill holes. Data are examined for four rock properties: porosity, air permeability, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and dry bulk density. Spatial continuity patterns are identified in both lateral and vertical (stratigraphic) dimensions. The data are examined for the Calico Hills tuff stratigraphic unit and also without regard for stratigraphy. Variogram models fitted to the sample data from the tuffs of Calico Hills indicate that porosity is correlated laterally over distances of up to 3000 feet. If air permeability and saturated conductivity values are viewed as semi-interchangeable for purposes of identifying spatial structure, the data suggest a maximum range of correlation of 300 to 500 feet without any obvious horizontal to vertical anisotropy. Continuity exists over vertical distances of roughly 200 feet. Similar variogram models fitted to sample data taken from vertical drill holes without regard for stratigraphy suggest that correlation exists over distances of 500 to 800 feet for each rock property examined. Spatial correlation of rock properties violates the sample-independence assumptions of classical statistics to a degree not usually acknowledged. In effect, the existence of spatial structure reduces the ''equivalent'' number of samples below the number of physical samples. This reduction in the effective sampling density has important implications for site characterization for the Yucca Mountain Project. 19 refs., 43 figs., 5 tabs

Effect of boundary conditions on the strength and deformability of replicas of natural fractures in welded tuff: Comparison between predicted and observed shear behavior using a graphical method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wibowo, J.; Amadei, B.; Sture, S.; Robertson, A.B.

1993-09-01

Four series of cyclic direct-shear experiments were conducted on several replicas of three natural fractures and a laboratory-developed tensile fracture of welded tuff from Yucca Mountain to test the graphical load-displacement analysis method proposed by Saeb (1989) and Amadei and Saeb (1990). Based on the results of shear tests conducted on several joint replicas under different levels of constant normal load ranging between 0.6 and 25.6 kips (2.7 and 113.9 kN), the shear behavior of joint replicas under constant normal stiffness ranging between 14.8 and 187.5 kips/in. (25.9 and 328.1 kN/cm) was predicted by using the graphical method. The predictions were compared to the results of actual shear tests conducted for the same range of constant normal stiffness. In general, a good agreement was found between the predicted and the observed shear behavior

LITHOSTRATIGRAPHY AND SHEAR-WAVE VELOCITY IN THE CRYSTALLIZED TOPOPAH SPRING TUFF, YUCCA MOUNTAIN, NEVADA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D. BUESCH; K.H. STOKOE; M. SCHUHEN

2006-01-01

Evaluation of the seismic response of the proposed spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is in part based on the seismic properties of the host rock, the 12.8-million-year-old Topopah Spring Tuff. Because of the processes that formed the tuff, the densely welded and crystallized part has three lithophysal and three nonlithophysal zones, and each zone has characteristic variations in lithostratigraphic features and structures of the rocks. Lithostratigraphic features include lithophysal cavities, rims on lithophysae and some fractures, spots (which are similar to rims but without an associated cavity or aperture), amounts of porosity resulting from welding, crystallization, and vapor-phase corrosion and mineralization, and fractures. Seismic properties, including shear-wave velocity (V s ), have been measured on 38 pieces of core, and there is a good ''first order'' correlation with the lithostratigraphic zones; for example, samples from nonlithophysal zones have larger V s values compared to samples from lithophysal zones. Some samples have V s values that are beyond the typical range for the lithostratigraphic zone; however, these samples typically have one or more fractures, ''large'' lithophysal cavities, or ''missing pieces'' relative to the sample size. Shear-wave velocity data measured in the tunnels have similar relations to lithophysal and nonlithophysal rocks; however, tunnel-based values are typically smaller than those measured in core resulting from increased lithophysae and fracturing effects. Variations in seismic properties such as V s data from small-scale samples (typical and ''flawed'' core) to larger scale traverses in the tunnels provide a basis for merging our understanding of the distributions of lithostratigraphic features (and zones) with a method to scale seismic properties

Development of waste packages for tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rothman, A.J.

1982-01-01

The objective of this program is to develop nuclear waste packages that meet the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's requirements for a licensed repository in tuff at the Nevada Test Site. Selected accomplishments for FY82 are: (1) Selection, collection of rock, and characterization of suitable outcrops (for lab experiments); (2) Rock-water interactions (Bullfrog Tuff); (3) Corrosion tests of ferrous metals; (4) Thermal modeling of waste package in host rock; (5) Preliminary fabrication tests of alternate backfills (crushed tuff); (6) Reviewed Westinghouse conceptual waste package designs for tuff and began modification for unsaturated zone; and (7) Waste Package Codes (BARIER and WAPPA) now running on our computer. Brief discussions are presented for rock-water interactions, corrosion tests of ferrous metals, and thermal and radionuclide migration modelling

Strontium isotope evolution of pore water and calcite in the Topopah Spring Tuff, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marshall, Brian D.; Futa, Kiyoto

2001-01-01

Pore water in the Topopah Spring Tuff has a narrow range of (delta) 87 Sr values that can be calculated from the (delta) 87 Sr values of the rock considering advection through and reaction with the overlying nonwelded tuffs of the PTn. This model can be extended to estimate the variation of (delta) 87 Sr in the pore water through time; this approximates the variation of (delta) 87 Sr measured in calcite fracture coatings. In samples of calcite where no silica can be dated by other methods, strontium isotope data may be the only method to determine ages. In addition, other Sr-bearing minerals in the calcite and opal coatings, such as fluorite, may be dated using the same model

Development of the data base for tuffs at Yucca Mountain, Nevada Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lappin, A.R.

1981-11-01

The purposes of the data-base development described here are: (1) to provide sufficient input for the modeling and analysis required to support a horizon-selection decision in December, 1982; and (2) to support follow-on detailed horizon evaluation. Initial data collection must, therefore, be complete by August, 1982. Data will include; (1) thermal conductivity; (2) thermal expansion; (3) matrix and fracture mechanical properties; (4) bulk properties; and (5) functional thermomechanical stratigraphy of the tuffs at Yucca Mountain

Flow and fracture in water-saturated, unconstrained granular beds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Germán eVaras

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The injection of gas in a liquid-saturated granular bed gives rise to a wide variety of invasion patterns. Many studies have focused on constrained porous media, in which the grains are fixed in the bed and only the interstitial fluid flows when the gas invades the system. With a free upper boundary, however, the grains can be entrained by the ascending gas or fluid motion, and the competition between the upward motion of grains and sedimentation leads to new patterns. We propose a brief review of the experimental investigation of the dynamics of air rising through a water-saturated, unconstrained granular bed, in both two and three dimensions. After describing the invasion pattern at short and long time, a tentative regime-diagram is proposed. We report original results showing a dependence of the fluidized zone shape, at long times, on the injection flow rate and grain size. A method based on image analysis makes it possible to detect not only the fluidized zone profile in the stationary regime, but also to follow the transient dynamics of its formation. Finally, we describe the degassing dynamics inside the fluidized zone, in the stationary regime. Depending on the experimental conditions, regular bubbling, continuous degassing, intermittent regime or even spontaneous flow-to-fracture transition are observed.

Experiences of fitting isotherms to data from batch sorption experiments for radionuclides on tuffs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polzer, W.L.; Fuentes, H.R.

1989-11-01

Laboratory experiments have been performed on the sorption of radionuclides on tuff as site characterization information for the Yucca Mountain Project. This paper presents general observations on the results of curve-fitting of sorption data by isotherm equations and the effects of experimental variables on their regressional analysis. Observations are specific to the effectiveness and problems associated with fitting isotherms, the calculation and value of isotherm parameters, and the significance of experimental variables such as replication, particle size, mode of sorption, and mineralogy. These observations are important in the design of laboratory experiments to ensure that collected data are adequate for effectively characterizing sorption of radionuclides on tuffs or other materials. 13 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs

The effect of rock electrical parameters on the calculation of reservoir saturation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Xiongyan; Qin, Ruibao; Liu, Chuncheng; Mao, Zhiqiang

2013-01-01

The error in calculating a reservoir saturation caused by the error in the cementation exponent, m, and the saturation exponent, n, should be analysed. In addition, the influence of m and n on the reservoir saturation should be discussed. Based on the Archie formula, the effect of variables m and n on the reservoir saturation is analysed, while the formula for the error in calculating the reservoir saturation, caused by the error in m and n, is deduced, and the main factors affecting the error in reservoir saturation are illustrated. According to the physical meaning of m and n, it can be interpreted that they are two independent parameters, i.e., there is no connection between m and n. When m and n have the same error, the impact of the variables on the calculation of the reservoir saturation should be compared. Therefore, when the errors of m and n are respectively equal to 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6, the distribution range of the errors in calculating the reservoir saturation is analysed. However, in most cases, the error of m and n is about 0.2. When the error of m is 0.2, the error in calculating the reservoir saturation ranges from 0% to 35%. Meanwhile, when the error in n is 0.2, the error in calculating the reservoir saturation is almost always below 5%. On the basis of loose sandstone, medium sandstone, tight sandstone, conglomerate, tuff, breccia, basalt, andesite, dacite and rhyolite, this paper first analyses the distribution range and change amplitude of m and n. Second, the impact of m and n on the calculation of reservoir saturation is elaborated upon. With regard to each lithology, the distribution range and change amplitude of m are greater than those of n. Therefore, compared with n, the effect of m on the reservoir saturation is stronger. The influence of m and n on the reservoir saturation is determined, and the error in calculating the reservoir saturation caused by the error of m and n is calculated. This is theoretically and practically significant for

Characterization of Spatial Variability of Hydrogeologic Properties for Unsaturated Flow in the Fractured Rocks at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Quanlin; Bodvarsson, Gudmundur S.; Liu, Hui-Hai; Oldenburg, Curtis M.

2002-01-01

The spatial variability of layer-scale hydrogeologic properties of the unsaturated zone (UZ) at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is investigated using inverse modeling. The thick UZ is grouped into five hydrostratigraphic units and further into 35 hydrogeologic layers. For each layer, lateral variability is represented by the variations in calibrated values of layer-scale properties at different individual deep boreholes. In the calibration model, matrix and fracture properties are calibrated for the one-dimensional vertical column at each individual borehole using the ITOUGH2 code. The objective function is the summation of the weighted misfits between the ambient unsaturated flow (represented by measured state variables: water saturation, water potential, and pneumatic pressure) and the simulated one in the one-dimensional flow system. The objective function also includes the weighted misfits between the calibrated properties and their prior information. Layer-scale state variables and prior rock properties are obtained from their core-scale measurements. Because of limited data, the lateral variability of three most sensitive properties (matrix permeability, matrix of the van Genuchten characterization, and fracture permeability) is calibrated, while all other properties are fixed at their calibrated layer-averaged values. Considerable lateral variability of hydrogeologic properties is obtained. For example, the lateral variability of is two to three orders of magnitude and that of and is one order of magnitude. The effect of lateral variability on site-scale flow and transport will be investigated in a future study

Vapor Transport Through Fractures and Other High-Permeability Paths: Its Role in the Drift Scale Test at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Mukhopadhyay, S.; Tsang, Y. W.

2001-12-01

-permeability wing heater boreholes and escapes the test block through an open bulkhead that connects the HD to the outside world. We show that this vapor transport makes a significant difference in the validation of numerical models against TH processes in the DST. A huge volume of data, including changes in temperature and saturation of the rock, has been collected from the DST. Sophisticated conceptual and numerical models, based on the TOUGH2 simulator, have been developed to analyze these data and to help develop a better understanding of various aspects of coupled TH processes in unsaturated fractured tuff. In general, these models have predicted a close match between measured and simulated results, indicating a good representation of the underlying physical processes. However, there are subtle differences in the predictions from these models. Of particular interest here are two models: One in which vapor transport was considered through the natural fractures only, and the other in which vapor transport through the boreholes housing the wing heaters was included in addition to that through natural fractures. Direct statistical comparison of simulated and measured temperatures from more than 1,700 sensors yielded a mean error of 3-4oC for the first model, indicating that less heat was retained in the test block than that predicted by the model. On the other hand, a similar statistical comparison yielded a mean error of 1-2oC for the second model, suggesting that inclusion of vapor loss through the boreholes produces results closer to the measured data.

Bond strength of cementitious borehole plugs in welded tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akgun, H.; Daemen, J.J.K.

1991-02-01

Axial loads on plugs or seals in an underground repository due to gas, water pressures and temperature changes induced subsequent to waste and plug emplacement lead to shear stresses at the plug/rock contact. Therefore, the bond between the plug and rock is a critical element for the design and effectiveness of plugs in boreholes, shafts or tunnels. This study includes a systematic investigation of the bond strength of cementitious borehole plugs in welded tuff. Analytical and numerical analysis of borehole plug-rock stress transfer mechanics is performed. The interface strength and deformation are studied as a function of Young's modulus ratio of plug and rock, plug length and rock cylinder outside-to-inside radius ratio. The tensile stresses in and near an axially loaded plug are analyzed. The frictional interface strength of an axially loaded borehole plug, the effect of axial stress and lateral external stress, and thermal effects are also analyzed. Implications for plug design are discussed. The main conclusion is a strong recommendation to design friction plugs in shafts, drifts, tunnels or boreholes with a minimum length to diameter ratio of four. Such a geometrical design will reduce tensile stresses in the plug and in the host rock to a level which should minimize the risk of long-term deterioration caused by excessive tensile stresses. Push-out tests have been used to determine the bond strength by applying an axial load to cement plugs emplaced in boreholes in welded tuff cylinders. A total of 130 push-out tests have been performed as a function of borehole size, plug length, temperature, and degree of saturation of the host tuff. The use of four different borehole radii enables evaluation of size effects. 119 refs., 42 figs., 20 tabs

Mechanical excavator performance in Yucca Mountain tuffs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ozdemir, L.; Hansen, F.D.

1991-01-01

A research effort of four phases is in progress at the Colorado School of Mines. The overall program will evaluate the cutability of welded tuff and other lithologies likely to be excavated at Yucca Mountain in the site characterization process. Several mechanical systems are considered with emphasis given to the tunnel boring machine. The research comprises laboratory testing, linear drag bit and disc cutter tests and potentially large-scale laboratory demonstrations to support potential use of a tunnel boring machine in welded tuff. Preliminary estimates of mechanical excavator performance in Yucca Mountain tuff are presented here. As phases of the research project are completed, well quantified estimates will be made of performance of mechanical excavators in the Yucca Mountain tuffs. 3 refs., 2 tabs

Mechanical excavator performance in Yucca Mountain tuffs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ozdemir, L.; Hansen, F.D.

1991-01-01

A research effort of four phases is in progress at the Colorado School of Mines. The overall program will evaluate the cutability of welded tuff and other lithologies likely to be excavated at Yucca Mountain in the site characterization process. Several mechanical systems are considered with emphasis given to the tunnel boring machine. The research comprises laboratory testing, linear drag bit and disc cutter tests, and potentially large-scale lab. demonstrations to support potential use of a tunnel boring machine in welded tuff. Preliminary estimates of mechanical excavator performance in Yucca Mountain tuff are presented here. As phases of the research project are completed, well-quantified estimates will be made of performance of mechanical excavators in the Yucca Mountain tuffs

FLAME: A finite element computer code for contaminant transport n variably-saturated media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baca, R.G.; Magnuson, S.O.

1992-06-01

A numerical model was developed for use in performance assessment studies at the INEL. The numerical model referred to as the FLAME computer code, is designed to simulate subsurface contaminant transport in a variably-saturated media. The code can be applied to model two-dimensional contaminant transport in an and site vadose zone or in an unconfined aquifer. In addition, the code has the capability to describe transport processes in a porous media with discrete fractures. This report presents the following: description of the conceptual framework and mathematical theory, derivations of the finite element techniques and algorithms, computational examples that illustrate the capability of the code, and input instructions for the general use of the code. The development of the FLAME computer code is aimed at providing environmental scientists at the INEL with a predictive tool for the subsurface water pathway. This numerical model is expected to be widely used in performance assessments for: (1) the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study process and (2) compliance studies required by the US Department of energy Order 5820.2A

FLAME: A finite element computer code for contaminant transport n variably-saturated media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baca, R.G.; Magnuson, S.O.

1992-06-01

A numerical model was developed for use in performance assessment studies at the INEL. The numerical model referred to as the FLAME computer code, is designed to simulate subsurface contaminant transport in a variably-saturated media. The code can be applied to model two-dimensional contaminant transport in an and site vadose zone or in an unconfined aquifer. In addition, the code has the capability to describe transport processes in a porous media with discrete fractures. This report presents the following: description of the conceptual framework and mathematical theory, derivations of the finite element techniques and algorithms, computational examples that illustrate the capability of the code, and input instructions for the general use of the code. The development of the FLAME computer code is aimed at providing environmental scientists at the INEL with a predictive tool for the subsurface water pathway. This numerical model is expected to be widely used in performance assessments for: (1) the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study process and (2) compliance studies required by the US Department of energy Order 5820.2A.

A natural analogue for high-level waste in tuff: Chemical analysis and modeling of the Valles site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stockman, H.W.; Krumhansl, J.L.; Ho, C.K.; Kovach, L.; McConnell, V.S.

1995-01-01

The contact between an obsidian flow and a steep-walled tuff canyon was examined as an analogue for a high-level waste repository. The analogue site is located in the Valles Caldera in New Mexico, where a massive obsidian flow filled a paleocanyon in the Battleship Rock Tuff. The obsidian flow provided a heat source, analogous to waste panels or an igneous intrusion in a repository, and caused evaporation and migration of water. The tuff and obsidian samples were analyzed for major and trace elements and mineralogy by INAA, XRF, x-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy and electron microprobe. Samples were also analyzed for D/H and 39 Ar/ 40 Ar isotopic composition. Overall, the effects of the heating event seem to have been slight and limited to the tuff nearest the contact. There is some evidence of devitrification and migration of volatiles in the tuff within 10 m of the contact, but variations in major and trace element chemistry are small and difficult to distinguish from the natural (pre-heating) variability of the rocks

Air-injection field tests to determine the effect of a heat cycle on the permeability of welded tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, K.H.; Ueng, Tzou-Shin.

1991-01-01

As part of a series of prototype tests conducted in preparation for site characterization of the potential nuclear-waste repository site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, air-injection tests were conducted in the welded tuffs in G-Tunnel at the Nevada Test Site. The objectives were to characterize the permeability of the highly fractured tuff around a horizontal heater emplacement borehole, and to determine the effect of a heating and cooling cycle on the rock-mass permeability. Air was injected into packed-off intervals along the heater borehole. The bulk permeability of the rock adjacent to the test interval and the aperture of fractures intersecting the interval were computed from the air-flow rate, temperature, and pressure at steady state. The bulk permeability of intervals along with borehole varied from a minimum of 0.08 D to a maximum of over 144 D and the equivalent parallel-plate apertures of fractures intersecting the borehole varied from 70 to 589 μm. Higher permeabilities seemed to correlate spatially with the mapped fractures. The rock was then heated for a period of 6.5 months with an electrical-resistive heater installed in the borehole. After heating, the rock was allowed to cool down to the ambient temperature. The highest borehole wall temperature measured was 242 degree C. Air injection tests were repeated following the heating and cooling cycle, and the results showed significant increases in bulk permeability ranging from 10 to 1830% along the borehole. 8 ref., 6 figs., 3 tabs

Natural language solution to a Tuff problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langkopf, B.S.; Mallory, L.H.

1984-01-01

A scientific data base, the Tuff Data Base, is being created at Sandia National Laboratories on the Cyber 170/855, using System 2000. It is being developed for use by scientists and engineers investigating the feasibility of locating a high-level radioactive waste repository in tuff (a type of volcanic rock) at Yucca Mountain on and adjacent to the Nevada Test Site. This project, the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) Project, is managed by the Nevada Operations Office of the US Department of Energy. A user-friendly interface, PRIMER, was developed that uses the Self-Contained Facility (SCF) command SUBMIT and System 2000 Natural Language functions and parametric strings that are schema resident. The interface was designed to: (1) allow users, with or without computer experience or keyboard skill, to sporadically access data in the Tuff Data Base; (2) produce retrieval capabilities for the user quickly; and (3) acquaint the users with the data in the Tuff Data Base. This paper gives a brief description of the Tuff Data Base Schema and the interface, PRIMER, which is written in Fortran V. 3 figures

Analysis of the laminar Newtonian fluid flow through a thin fracture modelled as a fluid-saturated sparsely packed porous medium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pazanin, Igor [Zagreb Univ. (Croatia). Dept. of Mathematics; Siddheshwar, Pradeep G. [Bangalore Univ., Bengaluru (India). Dept. of Mathematics

2017-06-01

In this article we investigate the fluid flow through a thin fracture modelled as a fluid-saturated porous medium. We assume that the fracture has constrictions and that the flow is governed by the prescribed pressure drop between the edges of the fracture. The problem is described by the Darcy-Lapwood-Brinkman model acknowledging the Brinkman extension of the Darcy law as well as the flow inertia. Using asymptotic analysis with respect to the thickness of the fracture, we derive the explicit higher-order approximation for the velocity distribution. We make an error analysis to comment on the order of accuracy of the method used and also to provide rigorous justification for the model.

Geochemical and Pb, Sr, and O isotopic study of the Tiva Canyon Tuff and Topopah Spring Tuff, Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neymark, L.A.; Marshall, B.D.; Kwak, L.M.; Futa, Kiyoto; Mahan, S.A.

1995-01-01

Yucca Mountain is currently being studied as a potential site for an underground repository for high-level radioactive waste. One aspect of the site characterization studies is an evaluation o the resource potential at Yucca Mountain. Geochemical and isotopic signatures of past alteration of the welded tuffs that underlie Yucca Mountain provide a means of assessing the probability of hydrothermal ore deposits being present within Yucca Mountain. In this preliminary report, geochemical and isotopic measurements of altered Tiva Canyon Tuff and Topopah Spring Tuff collected from fault zones exposed on the east flank of Yucca Mountain and from one drill core are compared to their unaltered equivalents sampled both in outcrop and drill core. The geochemistry and isotopic compositions of unaltered Tiva Canyon Tuff and Topopah Spring Tuff (high-silica rhyolite portions) are fairly uniform; these data provide a good baseline for comparisons with the altered samples. Geochemical analyses indicate that the brecciated tuffs are characterized by addition of calcium carbonate and opaline silica; this resulted in additions of calcium and strontium,increases in oxygen-18 content, and some redistribution of trace elements. After leaching the samples to remove authigenic carbonate, no differences in strontium or lead isotope compositions between altered and unaltered sections were observed. These data show that although localized alteration of the tuffs has occurred and affected their geochemistry, there is no indication of additions of exotic components. The lack of evidence for exotic strontium and lead in the most severely altered tuff samples at Yucca Mountain strongly implies a similar lack of exotic base or precious metals

A stratified percolation model for saturated and unsaturated flow through natural fractures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pyrak-Nolte, L.J.

1990-01-01

The geometry of the asperities of contact between the two surfaces of a fracture and of the adjacent void spaces determines fluid flow through a fracture and the mechanical deformation across a fracture. Heuristically we have developed a stratified continuum percolation model to describe this geometry based on a fractal construction that includes scale invariance and correlation of void apertures. Deformation under stress is analyzed using conservation of rock volume to correct for asperity interpenetration. Single phase flow is analyzed using a critical path along which the principal resistance is a result of laminar flow across the critical neck in this path. Results show that flow decreases with apparent aperture raised to a variable power greater than cubic, as is observed in flow experiments on natural fractures. For two phases, flow of the non-wetting phase is likewise governed by the critical neck along the critical path of largest aperture but flow of the wetting phase is governed by tortuosity. 17 refs., 10 figs

Dynamic seismic signatures of saturated porous rocks containing two orthogonal sets of fractures: theory versus numerical simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Junxin; Rubino, J. Germán; Glubokovskikh, Stanislav; Gurevich, Boris

2018-05-01

The dispersion and attenuation of seismic waves are potentially important attributes for the non-invasive detection and characterization of fracture networks. A primary mechanism for these phenomena is wave-induced fluid flow (WIFF), which can take place between fractures and their embedding background (FB-WIFF), as well as within connected fractures (FF-WIFF). In this work, we propose a theoretical approach to quantify seismic dispersion and attenuation related to these two manifestations of WIFF in saturated porous rocks permeated by two orthogonal sets of fractures. The methodology is based on existing theoretical models for rocks with aligned fractures, and we consider three types of fracture geometries, namely, periodic planar fractures, randomly spaced planar fractures and penny-shaped cracks. Synthetic 2-D rock samples with different degrees of fracture intersections are then explored by considering both the proposed theoretical approach and a numerical upscaling procedure that provides the effective seismic properties of generic heterogeneous porous media. The results show that the theoretical predictions are in overall good agreement with the numerical simulations, in terms of both the stiffness coefficients and the anisotropic properties. For the seismic dispersion and attenuation caused by FB-WIFF, the theoretical model for penny-shaped cracks matches the numerical simulations best, whereas for representing the effects due to FF-WIFF the periodic planar fractures model turns out to be the most suitable one. The proposed theoretical approach is easy to apply and is applicable not only to 2-D but also to 3-D fracture systems. Hence, it has the potential to constitute a useful framework for the seismic characterization of fractured reservoirs, especially in the presence of intersecting fractures.

Quasi-linear analysis of water flow in the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ross, B.

1990-01-01

Philip's method of quasi-linear approximation, applied to the fractured welded tuffs at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, USA, yields simple relations describing groundwater movement in the unsaturated zone. These relations suggest that water flux through the Topopah Spring welded tuff unit, in which a proposed high-level radioactive waste repository would be built, may be fixed at a value close to the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the unit's porous matrix by a capillary barrier at the unit's upper contact. Quasi-linear methods may also be useful for predicting whether free water will enter tunnels excavated in the tuff

Relative Permeability of Fractured Rock

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mark D. Habana

2002-06-30

Contemporary understanding of multiphase flow through fractures is limited. Different studies using synthetic fractures and various fluids have yielded different relative permeability-saturation relations. This study aimed to extend the understanding of multiphase flow by conducting nitrogen-water relative permeability experiments on a naturally-fractured rock from The Geysers geothermal field. The steady-state approach was used. However, steady state was achieved only at the endpoint saturations. Several difficulties were encountered that are attributed to phase interference and changes in fracture aperture and surface roughness, along with fracture propagation/initiation. Absolute permeabilities were determined using nitrogen and water. The permeability values obtained change with the number of load cycles. Determining the absolute permeability of a core is especially important in a fractured rock. The rock may change as asperities are destroyed and fractures propagate or st rain harden as the net stresses vary. Pressure spikes occurred in water a solute permeability experiments. Conceptual models of an elastic fracture network can explain the pressure spike behavior. At the endpoint saturations the water relative permeabilities obtained are much less than the nitrogen gas relative permeabilities. Saturations were determined by weighing and by resistivity calculations. The resistivity-saturation relationship developed for the core gave saturation values that differ by 5% from the value determined by weighing. Further work is required to complete the relative permeability curve. The steady-state experimental approach encountered difficulties due to phase interference and fracture change. Steady state may not be reached until an impractical length of time. Thus, unsteady-state methods should be pursued. In unsteady-state experiments the challenge will be in quantifying rock fracture change in addition to fluid flow changes.

Mineralogy, geochemistry and low grade metamorphism of green tuffs of Karaj formation in Hesarbon area (south west Firoozkooh

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shiva Bahrami

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Green tuffs of middle Eocene age in Hesarbon area, south west of Firoozkuh (East of Central Alborz consist of a thick sequence of lithic-, crystal-,vitric-and calcareous-tuffs. Microscopic and x-ray diffraction studies show plagioclase (albite and oligoclase, alkali feldspar (sanidine, quartz, cristobalite, biotite and hornblende are the major minerals in the rocks studied. Secondary minerals such as analcime, chlorite, prehnite and clay minerals are mainly present in the groundmass of the rocks. Extensive tectonic activities have created a variety of structural features including numerous folds and faults and therefore, have caused the green tuffs to be crushed and converted to breccia tuffs in many parts. Veins and cavities are filled by considerable amounts of zeolitic minerals including heulandite group, clinoptilolite and natrolite along with calcite and secondary quartz. Based on geochemical data, they lie on the dacite and rhyodacite field showing a calc-alkaline nature in the corresponding diagrams. According to the chondrite and primitive mantle normalized diagrams of trace elements, negative anomalies of Eu, Nb, Ti, P and depletion of HFSE together with their position in the petrogenesis discrimination diagrams, it is most likely that these rocks are formed in the active continental margin of a subduction zone. The existence of analcime and prehnite in the groundmass demonstrate that these rocks have undergone some degrees of low-grade metamorphism due to the overburden of the layers in the temperature range 200-300 °C. The present study shows that zeolite minerals filling the fractures and cavities of tuffs are precipitated by hydrothermal fluids with a neutral pH to acidic

Measurement of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity and chemical transport in Yucca Mountain Tuff: Milestone Report 3044-WBS1.2.3.4.1.4.1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conca, J.L.

1993-12-01

Hydraulic conductivities, K, were experimentally determined as a function of volumetric water content, θ, in tuff from the Yucca Mountain site. In addition, the retardation factor, R f , in Yucca Mountain tuff with respect to selenium, as the selenite species, was measured under unsaturated conditions. These data were used to determine the feasibility of applying a new unsaturated flow technology (UFA) to further hydrologic studies at Yucca Mountain. The UFA directly measures K(θ) rapidly in Yucca Mountain tuff and is shown to agree well with traditional methods. Hysteresis does not appear important during this testing. Hydraulic steady-state is achieved fastest during desaturation from a saturated state. Imbibition into dry tuff requires a long time for steady-state to occur because of slow filling of the diffusion porosity which can take a few weeks. The existing UFA is a prototype, and a new design of the next generation UFA is completed that eliminates some of the earlier problems. These preliminary investigations demonstrates that the UFA is a useful investigate technique that should be used to compliment existing techniques for hydrogeochemical characterization at Yucca Mountain and other arid sites

Experimental and numerical simulation of dissolution and precipitation: implications for fracture sealing at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Dobson, Patrick F.; Kneafsey, Timothy J.; Sonnenthal, Eric L.; Spycher, Nicolas; Apps, John A.

2003-05-01

Plugging of flow paths caused by mineral precipitation in fractures above the potential repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada could reduce the probability of water seeping into the repository. As part of an ongoing effort to evaluate thermal-hydrological-chemical (THC) effects on flow in fractured media, we performed a laboratory experiment and numerical simulations to investigate mineral dissolution and precipitation under anticipated temperature and pressure conditions in the repository. To replicate mineral dissolution by vapor condensate in fractured tuff, water was flowed through crushed Yucca Mountain tuff at 94 °C. The resulting steady-state fluid composition had a total dissolved solids content of about 140 mg/l; silica was the dominant dissolved constituent. A portion of the steady-state mineralized water was flowed into a vertically oriented planar fracture in a block of welded Topopah Spring Tuff that was maintained at 80 °C at the top and 130 °C at the bottom. The fracture began to seal with amorphous silica within 5 days. A 1-D plug-flow numerical model was used to simulate mineral dissolution, and a similar model was developed to simulate the flow of mineralized water through a planar fracture, where boiling conditions led to mineral precipitation. Predicted concentrations of the major dissolved constituents for the tuff dissolution were within a factor of 2 of the measured average steady-state compositions. The mineral precipitation simulations predicted the precipitation of amorphous silica at the base of the boiling front, leading to a greater than 50-fold decrease in fracture permeability in 5 days, consistent with the laboratory experiment. These results help validate the use of a numerical model to simulate THC processes at Yucca Mountain. The experiment and simulations indicated that boiling and concomitant precipitation of amorphous silica could cause significant reductions in fracture porosity and permeability on a local scale. However

Busted Butte : final report on laboratory radionuclide migration experiments in non-welded tuff under unsaturated and saturated conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vandergraaf, T.T.; Drew, D.J.; Ticknor, K.V.; Hamon, C.J.

2004-01-01

Three blocks of non-welded tuff, one nominally one cubic foot (trial block) in volume and the other two, nominally one cubic meter (1 m 3 ) in volume, were excavated from the Busted Butte Test Facility on the Nevada Test Site in 1999 and transported to the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited Whiteshell Laboratories in Pinawa, Manitoba. The trial block and one of the 1-m 3 blocks were used for radionuclide migration experiments under unsaturated conditions; the remaining 1-m3 block was used for similar migration experiments under saturated conditions. After a vertical flow of synthetic transport solution was set up under unsaturated conditions, a suite of conservative and chemically reactive radionuclide tracers was injected at volumetric flow rates of 20 mL/hr in the trial block, and 10 mL/hr in two locations on the upper surface of the 1-m 3 block. These flow rates correspond to infiltration rates of about 120 cm/year and about 17 cm/year, respectively. The duration of the migration experiment in the trial block was 87 days, while the migration experiment in the 1-m3 block was performed for a period of 588 days. Results obtained from the migration experiment in the trial block showed that transport of 95m+99 Tc, injected as the pertechnetate (an)ion, was slightly faster than that of the transport solution, using tritiated water ( 3 H 2 0) as a flow indicator. Retardation of 237 Np was consistent with that predicted from results obtained in supporting static batch sorption studies. Post-migration analysis of the flow field in the trial block showed that the front of the 22 Na plume had migrated about half the distance through the block, and that 60 Co and 137 Cs had been retained near the inlet. This observation agrees qualitatively with that predicted from the results obtained in static batch sorption studies. In the larger-scale experiment, the transport behavior of Tc was also very similar to that of the transport solution. None of the other radionuclide tracers

Modeling variably saturated multispecies reactive groundwater solute transport with MODFLOW-UZF and RT3D

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, Ryan T.; Morway, Eric D.; Niswonger, Richard G.; Gates, Timothy K.

2013-01-01

A numerical model was developed that is capable of simulating multispecies reactive solute transport in variably saturated porous media. This model consists of a modified version of the reactive transport model RT3D (Reactive Transport in 3 Dimensions) that is linked to the Unsaturated-Zone Flow (UZF1) package and MODFLOW. Referred to as UZF-RT3D, the model is tested against published analytical benchmarks as well as other published contaminant transport models, including HYDRUS-1D, VS2DT, and SUTRA, and the coupled flow and transport modeling system of CATHY and TRAN3D. Comparisons in one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional variably saturated systems are explored. While several test cases are included to verify the correct implementation of variably saturated transport in UZF-RT3D, other cases are included to demonstrate the usefulness of the code in terms of model run-time and handling the reaction kinetics of multiple interacting species in variably saturated subsurface systems. As UZF1 relies on a kinematic-wave approximation for unsaturated flow that neglects the diffusive terms in Richards equation, UZF-RT3D can be used for large-scale aquifer systems for which the UZF1 formulation is reasonable, that is, capillary-pressure gradients can be neglected and soil parameters can be treated as homogeneous. Decreased model run-time and the ability to include site-specific chemical species and chemical reactions make UZF-RT3D an attractive model for efficient simulation of multispecies reactive transport in variably saturated large-scale subsurface systems.

Unsaturated Zone and Saturated Zone Transport Properties (U0100)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

J. Conca

2000-12-20

This Analysis/Model Report (AMR) summarizes transport properties for the lower unsaturated zone hydrogeologic units and the saturated zone at Yucca Mountain and provides a summary of data from the Busted Butte Unsaturated Zone Transport Test (UZTT). The purpose of this report is to summarize the sorption and transport knowledge relevant to flow and transport in the units below Yucca Mountain and to provide backup documentation for the sorption parameters decided upon for each rock type. Because of the complexity of processes such as sorption, and because of the lack of direct data for many conditions that may be relevant for Yucca Mountain, data from systems outside of Yucca Mountain are also included. The data reported in this AMR will be used in Total System Performance Assessment (TSPA) calculations and as general scientific support for various Process Model Reports (PMRs) requiring knowledge of the transport properties of different materials. This report provides, but is not limited to, sorption coefficients and other relevant thermodynamic and transport properties for the radioisotopes of concern, especially neptunium (Np), plutonium (Pu), Uranium (U), technetium (Tc), iodine (I), and selenium (Se). The unsaturated-zone (UZ) transport properties in the vitric Calico Hills (CHv) are discussed, as are colloidal transport data based on the Busted Butte UZTT, the saturated tuff, and alluvium. These values were determined through expert elicitation, direct measurements, and data analysis. The transport parameters include information on interactions of the fractures and matrix. In addition, core matrix permeability data from the Busted Butte UZTT are summarized by both percent alteration and dispersion.

Unsaturated Zone and Saturated Zone Transport Properties (U0100)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conca, J.

2000-01-01

This Analysis/Model Report (AMR) summarizes transport properties for the lower unsaturated zone hydrogeologic units and the saturated zone at Yucca Mountain and provides a summary of data from the Busted Butte Unsaturated Zone Transport Test (UZTT). The purpose of this report is to summarize the sorption and transport knowledge relevant to flow and transport in the units below Yucca Mountain and to provide backup documentation for the sorption parameters decided upon for each rock type. Because of the complexity of processes such as sorption, and because of the lack of direct data for many conditions that may be relevant for Yucca Mountain, data from systems outside of Yucca Mountain are also included. The data reported in this AMR will be used in Total System Performance Assessment (TSPA) calculations and as general scientific support for various Process Model Reports (PMRs) requiring knowledge of the transport properties of different materials. This report provides, but is not limited to, sorption coefficients and other relevant thermodynamic and transport properties for the radioisotopes of concern, especially neptunium (Np), plutonium (Pu), Uranium (U), technetium (Tc), iodine (I), and selenium (Se). The unsaturated-zone (UZ) transport properties in the vitric Calico Hills (CHv) are discussed, as are colloidal transport data based on the Busted Butte UZTT, the saturated tuff, and alluvium. These values were determined through expert elicitation, direct measurements, and data analysis. The transport parameters include information on interactions of the fractures and matrix. In addition, core matrix permeability data from the Busted Butte UZTT are summarized by both percent alteration and dispersion

OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS OF A PRONOUNCED PERMEABILITY AND POROSITY SCALE-EFFECT IN UNSATURATED FRACTURED TUFF

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

V. VESSELINOV; ET AL

2001-01-01

Over 270 single-hole (Guzman et al., 1996) and 44 cross-hole pneumatic injection tests (Illman et al., 1998; Illman, 1999) have been conducted at the Apache Leap Research Site (ALRS) near Superior, Arizona. They have shown that the pneumatic pressure behavior of fractured tuff at the site is amenable to analysis by methods which treat the rock as a continuum on scales ranging from meters to tens of meters, and that this continuum is representative primarily of interconnected fractures. Both the single-hole and cross-hole test results are free of skin effect. Single-hole tests have yielded estimates of air permeability at various locations throughout the tested rock volume, on a nominal support scale of about 1 m. The corresponding log permeability data exhibit spatial behavior characteristic of a random fractal and yield a kriged estimate of how these 1-m scale log permeabilities vary in three-dimensional space (Chen et al., 2000). Cross-hole tests have been analyzed by means of a three-dimensional inverse model (Vesselinov et al., 2000) in two ways: (a) by interpreting pressure records from individual borehole monitoring intervals, one at a time, while treating the rock as if it was spatially uniform; and (b) by using the inverse model to interpret pressure records from multiple tests and borehole monitoring intervals simultaneously, while treating the rock as a random fractal characterized by a power variogram. The first approach has yielded equivalent air permeabilities and air-filled porosities for a rock volume characterized by a length-scale of several tens of meters. Comparable results have been obtained by means of type-curves (Illman and Neuman, 2001). The second approach amounts to three-dimensional pneumatic tomography, or stochastic imaging, of the rock. It has yielded a high-resolution geostatistical estimate of how air permeability and air-filled porosity, defined over grid blocks having a length-scale of 1 m, vary throughout the modeled rock volume

High-Resolution Experimental Investigation of mass transfer enhancement by chemical oxidation from DNAPL entrapped in variable-aperture fractures

Science.gov (United States)

Arshadi, M.; Rajaram, H.; Detwiler, R. L.; Jones, T.

2012-12-01

Permanganate oxidation of DNAPL- contaminated fractured rock is an effective remediation technology. Permanganate ion reacts with dissolved DNAPL in a bi-molecular oxidation-reduction reaction. The consumption of dissolved DNAPL in this reaction results in increased concentration gradients away from the free-phase DNAPL, resulting in reaction-enhanced mass transfer, which accelerates contaminant removal. The specific objective of our research was to perform high-resolution non-intrusive experimental studies of permanganate oxidation in a 15.24 × 15.24 cm, transparent, analog, variable-aperture fracture with complex initial TCE entrapped phase geometry. Our experimental system uses light-transmission techniques to accurately measure both fracture aperture and the evolution of individual entrapped DNAPL blobs during the remediation experiments at high resolution (pixel size : 6.2×10-3 cm). Three experiments were performed with different flow rates and permanganate inflow concentrations to observe DNAPL-permanganate interactions across a broader range of conditions. Prior to initiating each experiment, the aperture field within the fracture was measured. The oxidation experiment was initiated by TCE injection into the water saturated fracture till the TCE reached the outflow end, followed by water re-injection through the fracture. The flowing water mobilized some TCE. We continued injection of water till TCE mobilization ceased, leaving behind the residual TCE entrapped within the variable-aperture fracture. Subsequently, permanganate injection through the fracture resulted in propagation of a fingered reaction front into the fracture. We developed image processing algorithms to analyze the evolution of DNAPL phase geometry over the duration of the experiment. The permanganate consumption rate varied significantly within the fracture due to the complex flow and DNAPL concentration fields. Precipitated MnO2 was clearly evident on the downstream side of DNAPL blobs

Effect of moisture on tuff stone degradation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lubelli, B.A.; Nijland, T.G.

2016-01-01

Tuff stone elements with a large length/width ratio often suffer damage in the form of cracks parallel to the surface and spalling of the outer layer. The response of tuff to moisture might be a reason for this behaviour. This research aimed at verifying if differential dilation between parts with

Alteration history studies in the Exploratory Studies Facility, Yucca Mountain, Nevada, USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levy, S.S.; Chipera, S.J.; Norman, D.I.

1996-01-01

By mid-1995, the Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) extended about 1. 1 km from Exile Hill westward toward Yucca Mountain, mostly within densely welded, devitrfied Tiva Canyon Tuff. Secondary mineral occurrences in this unit include breccia cements of mordenite, a fibrous zeolite, and vapor-phase deposits of silica, alkali feldspar, apatite, hollandite, amphibole, and zircon. Calcite is also a common secondary mineral in faults and fractures. Studies of water and gas contents in fluid inclusions in calcites from a fault in nonwelded tuff and a fracture in densely welded tuff suggest mineral deposition under transient locally saturated conditions. Calcite in the nonwelded tuff incorporated air from the unsaturated tuff adjacent to the fault. A highly altered interval within pre-Pah Canyon tuffs just above the top of the Topopah Spring Tuff may be a fossil fumarole or other hydrothermal feature associated with cooling pyroclastic deposits, overprinted by later zeolitic alteration. The observed quartz, cristobalite, opal-CT, and fluorite have been widely identified as products of syngenetic devitrification and vapor-phase alteration in and above the Topopah Spring Tuff. Smectite, also an abundant secondary mineral at the ESF site, has been observed elsewhere at this stratigraphic level. Zeolitic alteration of nonwelded tuffs above the Topopah Spring Tuff, as seen in the ESF, has also been noted in drill core and outcrop at northeastern Yucca Mountain. The hydrologic and geochemical conditions that favored zeolitization only in certain areas of this stratigraphic interval have yet to be determined

A Model to Couple Flow, Thermal and Reactive Chemical Transport, and Geo-mechanics in Variably Saturated Media

Science.gov (United States)

Yeh, G. T.; Tsai, C. H.

2015-12-01

This paper presents the development of a THMC (thermal-hydrology-mechanics-chemistry) process model in variably saturated media. The governing equations for variably saturated flow and reactive chemical transport are obtained based on the mass conservation principle of species transport supplemented with Darcy's law, constraint of species concentration, equation of states, and constitutive law of K-S-P (Conductivity-Degree of Saturation-Capillary Pressure). The thermal transport equation is obtained based on the conservation of energy. The geo-mechanic displacement is obtained based on the assumption of equilibrium. Conventionally, these equations have been implicitly coupled via the calculations of secondary variables based on primary variables. The mechanisms of coupling have not been obvious. In this paper, governing equations are explicitly coupled for all primary variables. The coupling is accomplished via the storage coefficients, transporting velocities, and conduction-dispersion-diffusion coefficient tensor; one set each for every primary variable. With this new system of equations, the coupling mechanisms become clear. Physical interpretations of every term in the coupled equations will be discussed. Examples will be employed to demonstrate the intuition and superiority of these explicit coupling approaches. Keywords: Variably Saturated Flow, Thermal Transport, Geo-mechanics, Reactive Transport.

Statistical methodology for discrete fracture model - including fracture size, orientation uncertainty together with intensity uncertainty and variability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Darcel, C. (Itasca Consultants SAS (France)); Davy, P.; Le Goc, R.; Dreuzy, J.R. de; Bour, O. (Geosciences Rennes, UMR 6118 CNRS, Univ. def Rennes, Rennes (France))

2009-11-15

the lineament scale (k{sub t} = 2) on the other, addresses the issue of the nature of the transition. We develop a new 'mechanistic' model that could help in modeling why and where this transition can occur. The transition between both regimes would occur for a fracture length of 1-10 m and even at a smaller scale for the few outcrops that follow the self-similar density model. A consequence for the disposal issue is that the model that is likely to apply in the 'blind' scale window between 10-100 m is the self-similar model as it is defined for large-scale lineaments. The self-similar model, as it is measured for some outcrops and most lineament maps, is definitely worth being investigated as a reference for scales above 1-10 m. In the rest of the report, we develop a methodology for incorporating uncertainty and variability into the DFN modeling. Fracturing properties arise from complex processes which produce an intrinsic variability; characterizing this variability as an admissible variation of model parameter or as the division of the site into subdomains with distinct DFN models is a critical point of the modeling effort. Moreover, the DFN model encompasses a part of uncertainty, due to data inherent uncertainties and sampling limits. Both effects must be quantified and incorporated into the DFN site model definition process. In that context, all available borehole data including recording of fracture intercept positions, pole orientation and relative uncertainties are used as the basis for the methodological development and further site model assessment. An elementary dataset contains a set of discrete fracture intercepts from which a parent orientation/density distribution can be computed. The elementary bricks of the site, from which these initial parent density distributions are computed, rely on the former Single Hole Interpretation division of the boreholes into sections whose local boundaries are expected to reflect - locally - geology

Experimental research on sealing of boreholes, shafts and ramps in welded tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuenkajorn, K.

1996-01-01

Laboratory and in-situ experiments have been conducted to determine the mechanical and hydraulic performance of cement borehole seals in densely welded Apache Leap tuff. Test results indicate that under saturated conditions, commercial expansive cement can provide good bond strength and adequate hydraulic performance for borehole seal under changing stress conditions. The cement seal should be installed at the intact portion of the opening, and should have a length-to-diameter ratio greater than four. Drying increases borehole plug permeability and decreases mechanical and hydraulic bonds at the plug-rock interface. In-situ testing indicates that installation procedure may significantly affect the cement plug performance

Validation studies for assessing unsaturated flow and transport through fractured rock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bassett, R.L.; Neuman, S.P.; Rasmussen, T.C.; Guzman, A.; Davidson, G.R.; Lohrstorfer, C.F.

1994-08-01

*The objectives of this contract are to examine hypotheses and conceptual models concerning unsaturated flow and transport through heterogeneous fractured rock and to design and execute confirmatory field and laboratory experiments to test these hypotheses and conceptual models. Important new information is presented such as the application and evaluation of procedures for estimating hydraulic, pneumatic, and solute transport coefficients for a range of thermal regimes. A field heater experiment was designed that focused on identifying the suitability of existing monitoring equipment to obtain required data. A reliable method was developed for conducting and interpreting tests for air permeability using a straddle-packer arrangement. Detailed studies of fracture flow from Queen Creek into the Magina Copper Company ore haulage tunnel have been initiated. These studies will provide data on travel time for transport of water and solute in unsaturated tuff. The collection of rainfall runoff, and infiltration data at two small watersheds at the Apache Leap Tuff Site enabled us to evaluate the quantity and rate of water infiltrating into the subsurface via either fractures or matrix. Characterization methods for hydraulic parameters relevant to Weigh-level waste transport, including fracture apertures, transmissivity, matrix porosity, and fracture wetting front propagation velocities, were developed

Validation studies for assessing unsaturated flow and transport through fractured rock

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bassett, R.L.; Neuman, S.P.; Rasmussen, T.C.; Guzman, A.; Davidson, G.R.; Lohrstorfer, C.F. [Arizona Univ., Tucson, AZ (United States). Dept. of Hydrology and Water Resources

1994-08-01

*The objectives of this contract are to examine hypotheses and conceptual models concerning unsaturated flow and transport through heterogeneous fractured rock and to design and execute confirmatory field and laboratory experiments to test these hypotheses and conceptual models. Important new information is presented such as the application and evaluation of procedures for estimating hydraulic, pneumatic, and solute transport coefficients for a range of thermal regimes. A field heater experiment was designed that focused on identifying the suitability of existing monitoring equipment to obtain required data. A reliable method was developed for conducting and interpreting tests for air permeability using a straddle-packer arrangement. Detailed studies of fracture flow from Queen Creek into the Magina Copper Company ore haulage tunnel have been initiated. These studies will provide data on travel time for transport of water and solute in unsaturated tuff. The collection of rainfall runoff, and infiltration data at two small watersheds at the Apache Leap Tuff Site enabled us to evaluate the quantity and rate of water infiltrating into the subsurface via either fractures or matrix. Characterization methods for hydraulic parameters relevant to Weigh-level waste transport, including fracture apertures, transmissivity, matrix porosity, and fracture wetting front propagation velocities, were developed.

The international INTRAVAL project. Phase 2, working group 1 report. Flow and tracer experiments in unsaturated tuff and soil. Las Cruces trench and Apache Leap tuff studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nicholson, T.J.; Guzman-Guzman, A.; Hills, R.; Rasmussen, T.C.

1997-01-01

The Working Group 1 final report summaries two test case studies, the Las Cruces Trench (LCT), and Apache Leap Tuff Site (ALTS) experiments. The objectives of these two field studies were to evaluate models for water flow and contaminant transport in unsaturated, heterogeneous soils and fractured tuff. The LCT experiments were specifically designed to test various deterministic and stochastic models of water flow and solute transport in heterogeneous, unsaturated soils. Experimental data from the first tow LCT experiments, and detailed field characterisation studies provided information for developing and calibrating the models. Experimental results from the third experiment were held confidential from the modellers, and were used for model comparison. Comparative analyses included: point comparisons of water content; predicted mean behavior for water flow; point comparisons of solute concentrations; and predicted mean behavior for tritium transport. These analyses indicated that no model, whether uniform or heterogeneous, proved superior. Since the INTRAVAL study, however, a new method has been developed for conditioning the hydraulic properties used for flow and transport modelling based on the initial field-measured water content distributions and a set of scale-mean hydraulic parameters. Very good matches between the observed and simulated flow and transport behavior were obtained using the conditioning procedure, without model calibration. The ALTS experiments were designed to evaluate characterisation methods and their associated conceptual models for coupled matrix-fracture continua over a range of scales (i.e., 2.5 centimeter rock samples; 10 centimeter cores; 1 meter block; and 30 meter boreholes). Within these spatial scales, laboratory and field tests were conducted for estimating pneumatic, thermal, hydraulic, and transport property values for different conceptual models. The analyses included testing of current conceptual, mathematical and physical

Geohydrology of volcanic tuff penetrated by test well UE-25b#1, Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Lahoud, R.G.; Lobmeyer, D.H.; Whitfield, M.S.

1984-01-01

Test well UE-25bNo1, located on the east side of Yucca Mountain in the southwestern part of the Nevada Test Site, was drilled to a total depth of 1,220 meters and hydraulically tested as part of a program to evaluate the suitability of Yucca Mountain as a nuclear-waste repository. The well penetrated almost 46 meters of alluvium and 1,174 meters of Tertiary volcanic tuffs. The composite hydraulic head for aquifers penetrated by the well was 728.9 meters above sea level (471.4 meters below land surface) with a slight decrease in loss of hydraulic head with depth. Average hydraulic conductivities for stratigraphic units determined from pumping tests, borehole-flow surveys, and packer-injection tests ranged from less than 0.001 meter per day for the Tram Member of the Crater Flat Tuff to 1.1 meters per day for the Bullfrog Member of the Crater Flat Tuff. The small values represented matrix permeability of unfractured rock; the large values probably resulted from fracture permeability. Chemical analyses indicated that the water is a soft sodium bicarbonate type, slightly alkaline, with large concentrations of dissolved silica and sulfate. Uncorrected carbon-14 age dates of the water were 14,100 and 13,400 years. (USGS)

Quantum hacking: Saturation attack on practical continuous-variable quantum key distribution

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Hao; Kumar, Rupesh; Alléaume, Romain

2016-07-01

We identify and study a security loophole in continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD) implementations, related to the imperfect linearity of the homodyne detector. By exploiting this loophole, we propose an active side-channel attack on the Gaussian-modulated coherent-state CVQKD protocol combining an intercept-resend attack with an induced saturation of the homodyne detection on the receiver side (Bob). We show that an attacker can bias the excess noise estimation by displacing the quadratures of the coherent states received by Bob. We propose a saturation model that matches experimental measurements on the homodyne detection and use this model to study the impact of the saturation attack on parameter estimation in CVQKD. We demonstrate that this attack can bias the excess noise estimation beyond the null key threshold for any system parameter, thus leading to a full security break. If we consider an additional criterion imposing that the channel transmission estimation should not be affected by the attack, then the saturation attack can only be launched if the attenuation on the quantum channel is sufficient, corresponding to attenuations larger than approximately 6 dB. We moreover discuss the possible countermeasures against the saturation attack and propose a countermeasure based on Gaussian postselection that can be implemented by classical postprocessing and may allow one to distill the secret key when the raw measurement data are partly saturated.

Pyritic ash-flow tuff, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castor, S.B.; Tingley, J.V.; Bonham, H.F. Jr.

1994-01-01

The Yucca Mountain site is underlain by a 1,500-m-thick Miocene volcanic sequence that comprises part of the southwestern Nevada volcanic field. Rocks of this sequence, which consists mainly of ash-flow tuff sheets with minor flows and bedded tuff, host precious metal mineralization in several areas as near as 10 km from the site. In two such areas, the Bullfrog and Bare Mountain mining districts, production and reserves total over 60 t gold and 150 t silver. Evidence of similar precious metal mineralization at the Yucca Mountain site may lead to mining or exploratory drilling in the future, compromising the security of the repository. The authors believe that most of the pyrite encountered by drilling at Yucca Mountain was introduced as pyroclastic ejecta, rather than by in situ hydrothermal activity. Pyritic ejecta in ash-flow tuff are not reported in the literature, but there is no reason to believe that the Yucca Mountain occurrence is unique. The pyritic ejecta are considered by us to be part of a preexisting hydrothermal system that was partially or wholly destroyed during eruption of the tuff units. Because it was introduced as ejecta in tuff units that occur at depths of about 1,000 m, such pyrite does not constitute evidence of shallow mineralization at the proposed repository site; however, the pyrite may be evidence for mineralization deep beneath Yucca Mountain or as much as tens of kilometers from it

Characterization of crushed tuff for the evaluation of the fate of tracers in transport studies in the unsaturated zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polzer, W.L.; Fuentes, H.R.; Raymond, R.; Bish, D.L.; Gladney, E.S.; Lopez, E.A.

1987-03-01

Results of field-scale (caisson) transport studies under unsaturated moisture and steady and nonsteady flow conditions indicate variability and a lack of conservation of mass in solute transport. The tuff materials used in that study were analyzed for the presence of tracers and of freshly precipitated material to help explain the variability and lack of conservation of mass. Selected tuff samples were characterized by neutron activation analysis for tracer identification, by x-ray diffraction for mineral identification, by petrographic analysis for identification of freshly precipitated material, and by x-ray fluorescence analysis for identification of major and trace elements. The results of these analyses indicate no obvious presence of freshly precipitated material that would retard tracer movement. The presence of the nonsorbing tracers (bromide and iodide) suggest the retention of these tracers in immobile water. The presence of the nonsorbing tracers (bromide and iodide) suggest the retention of these tracers in immobile water. The presence of sorbing and nonsorbing tracers on the tuff at some locations (even cesium at the 415-cm depth) and not at others suggests variability in transport. 15 refs., 14 figs., 9 tabs

Method development and strategy for the characterization of complexly faulted and fractured rhyolitic tuffs, Yucca Mountain, Nevada, USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karasaki, K.; Galloway, D.

1990-10-01

Field experimental and analytical methods development is underway to define the hydraulic and transport properties of a thick saturated zone that underlies the planned high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The characterization strategy for the highly heterogeneous hydrology is that of hypothesis testing and confidence building. Three test wells, the UE-25c-holes, have been drilled and preliminary data have been collected. Hydro-mechanical analyses indicate formation fluid at depth is hydraulically connected to the water table. Preliminary hydraulic tests indicate highly localized, fracture-controlled transmissivity. Cross-hole seismic tomography is planned to assess the inter-borehole structure of fractures and faults. Multi-level cross-hole hydraulic interference and tracer tests are planned using up to 5 packed-off zones in each of the c-holes to assess the hydraulic conductivity and transport structure in a crude tomographic fashion. An equivalent discontinuum model conditioned with the observed hydraulic measurements will be applied to interpret the hydraulic test responses. As an approach to the scale problem the tests will be designed and analyzed to examine the hypothesis that the flow system may be represented by fractal geometry. 12 refs., 4 figs

Consideration of Nuclear Criticality When Directly Disposing Highly Enriched Spent Nuclear Fuel in Unsaturated Tuff - II: Geochemical Constraints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rechard, Rob P.; Sanchez, Lawrence C.; Trellue, Holly R.

2003-01-01

This article presents several reasonable cases in which four mechanisms - dissolution, physical mixing, adsorption, and precipitation (either chemical change or evaporation) - might concentrate fissile material in and around a disposal container for radioactive waste at the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The possible masses, concentrations, and volume are then compared to criticality limits. The cases examined evaluate the geologic barrier role in preventing criticality since engineered options for preventing criticality (e.g., boron or gadolinium neutron absorber in the disposal container) are not considered. The solid concentrations able to form in the natural environment are insufficient for criticality to occur because (a) solutions of 235 U and 239 Pu are clearly not critical; (b) physical mixing of fissile material with the entire potential iron oxide (as goethite - FeOOH) in a waste package is not critical; (c) the adsorption of 239 Pu on consolidated iron oxide in a waste package is not critical; (d) the adsorption of 235 U on consolidated iron oxide in a waste package is not critical when accounting for reduced adsorption because of carbonates at high pH; (e) the filtration of iron oxide colloids, containing fissile material, by the thin invert material is not critical; (f) insufficient retention through precipitation of 235 U or 239 Pu occurs in the invert; (g) adsorption of 235 U and 239 Pu on devitrified or clinoptolite-rich tuff below the repository is not critical; (h) the average precipitation/adsorption of 235 U as uranyl silicates in the tuff is not critical by analogy with calcite deposition in lithophysae at Yucca Mountain; and (i) precipitation/adsorption (caused by cyclic drying) as uranyl silicates on fracture surfaces of the tuff is not critical by analogy with the oxidation of UO 2 , migration of U VI , and precipitation in fractures at the Nopal I ore deposit in Mexico

Improving estimates of subsurface gas transport in unsaturated fractured media using experimental Xe diffusion data and numerical methods

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, J. P.; Ortega, A. D.; Harp, D. R.; Boukhalfa, H.; Stauffer, P. H.

2017-12-01

Gas transport in unsaturated fractured media plays an important role in a variety of applications, including detection of underground nuclear explosions, transport from volatile contaminant plumes, shallow CO2 leakage from carbon sequestration sites, and methane leaks from hydraulic fracturing operations. Gas breakthrough times are highly sensitive to uncertainties associated with a variety of hydrogeologic parameters, including: rock type, fracture aperture, matrix permeability, porosity, and saturation. Furthermore, a couple simplifying assumptions are typically employed when representing fracture flow and transport. Aqueous phase transport is typically considered insignificant compared to gas phase transport in unsaturated fracture flow regimes, and an assumption of instantaneous dissolution/volatilization of radionuclide gas is commonly used to reduce computational expense. We conduct this research using a twofold approach that combines laboratory gas experimentation and numerical modeling to verify and refine these simplifying assumptions in our current models of gas transport. Using a gas diffusion cell, we are able to measure air pressure transmission through fractured tuff core samples while also measuring Xe gas breakthrough measured using a mass spectrometer. We can thus create synthetic barometric fluctuations akin to those observed in field tests and measure the associated gas flow through the fracture and matrix pore space for varying degrees of fluid saturation. We then attempt to reproduce the experimental results using numerical models in PLFOTRAN and FEHM codes to better understand the importance of different parameters and assumptions on gas transport. Our numerical approaches represent both single-phase gas flow with immobile water, as well as full multi-phase transport in order to test the validity of assuming immobile pore water. Our approaches also include the ability to simulate the reaction equilibrium kinetics of dissolution

Statistical methodology for discrete fracture model - including fracture size, orientation uncertainty together with intensity uncertainty and variability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Darcel, C.; Davy, P.; Le Goc, R.; Dreuzy, J.R. de; Bour, O.

2009-11-01

the other, addresses the issue of the nature of the transition. We develop a new 'mechanistic' model that could help in modeling why and where this transition can occur. The transition between both regimes would occur for a fracture length of 1-10 m and even at a smaller scale for the few outcrops that follow the self-similar density model. A consequence for the disposal issue is that the model that is likely to apply in the 'blind' scale window between 10-100 m is the self-similar model as it is defined for large-scale lineaments. The self-similar model, as it is measured for some outcrops and most lineament maps, is definitely worth being investigated as a reference for scales above 1-10 m. In the rest of the report, we develop a methodology for incorporating uncertainty and variability into the DFN modeling. Fracturing properties arise from complex processes which produce an intrinsic variability; characterizing this variability as an admissible variation of model parameter or as the division of the site into subdomains with distinct DFN models is a critical point of the modeling effort. Moreover, the DFN model encompasses a part of uncertainty, due to data inherent uncertainties and sampling limits. Both effects must be quantified and incorporated into the DFN site model definition process. In that context, all available borehole data including recording of fracture intercept positions, pole orientation and relative uncertainties are used as the basis for the methodological development and further site model assessment. An elementary dataset contains a set of discrete fracture intercepts from which a parent orientation/density distribution can be computed. The elementary bricks of the site, from which these initial parent density distributions are computed, rely on the former Single Hole Interpretation division of the boreholes into sections whose local boundaries are expected to reflect - locally - geology and fracturing properties main characteristics. From that

Petrology of tuff units from the J-13 drill site, Jackass Flats, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heiken, G.H.; Bevier, M.L.

1979-01-01

The J-13 drill hole, located in Jackass Flats, Nevada Test Site, has penetrated 125 m of alluvium and 932 m of tuff. Most of the tuff deposits consist of welded tuffs; glass phases in the tuffs have been replaced by authigenic minerals, mainly K-feldspar, silica, and zeolites. The zonation of authigenic minerals, with depth, indictes that alteration of glass phases and filling of vugs occurred during welding and compaction of tuff units soon after deposition and by interaction with groundwater. Zonation of authigenic minerals in tuff deposits at Jackass Flats is similar to mineral zonation in tuffs elsewhere at the Nevada Test Site and in tuff deposits of west Texas. All appear to have been developed by leaching of glass phases and deposition of authigenic minerals in open hydrologic systems. 10 figures, 38 tables

Onset of density-driven instabilities in fractured aquifers

Science.gov (United States)

Jafari Raad, Seyed Mostafa; Hassanzadeh, Hassan

2018-04-01

Linear stability analysis is conducted to study the onset of density-driven convection involved in solubility trapping of C O2 in fractured aquifers. The effect of physical properties of a fracture network on the stability of a diffusive boundary layer in a saturated fractured porous media is investigated using the dual porosity concept. Linear stability analysis results show that both fracture interporosity flow and fracture storativity play an important role in the stability behavior of the system. It is shown that a diffusive boundary layer under the gravity field in fractured porous media with lower fracture storativity and/or higher fracture interporosity flow coefficient is more stable. We present scaling relations for the onset of convective instability in fractured aquifers with single and variable matrix block size distribution. These findings improve our understanding of density-driven flow in fractured aquifers and are important in the estimation of potential storage capacity, risk assessment, and storage site characterization and screening.

First phase of small diameter heater experiments in tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmerman, R.M.

1983-01-01

As part of the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) project, we have undertaken small diameter heater experiments in the G-Tunnel Underground Facility on the Nevada Test Site (NTS). These experiments are to evaluate the thermal and hydrothermal behavior which might be encountered if heat producing nuclear waste were disposed of in welded and nonwelded tuffs. The two Phase I experiments discussed have focused on vertical borehole emplacements. In each experiment, temperatures were measured along the surface of the 10.2-cm-dia heater and the 12.7-cm-dia boreholes. For each experiment, measurements were compared with computer model representations. Maximum temperatures reached were: 196 0 C for the welded tuff after 21 days of operations at 800W and 173 0 C for the nonwelded tuff after 35 days of operations at 500W. Computed results indicate that the same heat transfer model (includes conduction and radiation only) can describe the behavior of both tuffs using empirical techniques to describe pore water vaporization. Hydrothermal measurements revealed heat-indiced water migration. Results indicated that small amounts of liquid water migrated into the welded tuff borehole early in the heating period. Once the rock-wall temperatures exceeded 94 0 C, in both tuffs, there was mass transport of water vapor as evidence indicated condensation cooler regions. Borehole pressures remained essentially ambient during the thermal periods

Benchmarking variable-density flow in saturated and unsaturated porous media

Science.gov (United States)

Guevara Morel, Carlos Roberto; Cremer, Clemens; Graf, Thomas

2015-04-01

In natural environments, fluid density and viscosity can be affected by spatial and temporal variations of solute concentration and/or temperature. These variations can occur, for example, due to salt water intrusion in coastal aquifers, leachate infiltration from waste disposal sites and upconing of saline water from deep aquifers. As a consequence, potentially unstable situations may exist in which a dense fluid overlies a less dense fluid. This situation can produce instabilities that manifest as dense plume fingers that move vertically downwards counterbalanced by vertical upwards flow of the less dense fluid. Resulting free convection increases solute transport rates over large distances and times relative to constant-density flow. Therefore, the understanding of free convection is relevant for the protection of freshwater aquifer systems. The results from a laboratory experiment of saturated and unsaturated variable-density flow and solute transport (Simmons et al., Transp. Porous Medium, 2002) are used as the physical basis to define a mathematical benchmark. The HydroGeoSphere code coupled with PEST are used to estimate the optimal parameter set capable of reproducing the physical model. A grid convergency analysis (in space and time) is also undertaken in order to obtain the adequate spatial and temporal discretizations. The new mathematical benchmark is useful for model comparison and testing of variable-density variably saturated flow in porous media.

Numerical modeling of radionuclide migration in water-saturated planar fracture: study of performance of bentonite in the far-field region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silveira, Claudia S. da; Alvim, Antonio C.M., E-mail: csilveira@con.ufrj.b [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (PEN/COPPE/UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao de Engenharia. Programa de Energia Nuclear

2011-07-01

The analysis of radionuclide migration in fractured porous media is an important part of the safety assessment of a deep geologic disposal for high level radioactive wastes. In this work, numerical solution for simple geometry was developed to study radionuclide migration, including decay chain from a hypothetical repository, whereas the initial region of fracture is filled with bentonite which expanded from EBS (Engineered Barrier System). The following cases were considered: convective transport with constant velocity along the fracture, longitudinal hydrodynamic dispersion in the fracture along the fracture axis, molecular diffusion from fracture into rock matrix, sorption within rock matrix, sorption onto the surface of the fracture, radioactive decay, decay chain, and diffusion in bentonite extrusion region. For conservative analysis, the porous matrix adjacent to the fracture was subdivided into two different subdomains, each with different set of parameters and considering that the radionuclides were available for migration in the solubility limit, at fracture inlet, from the initial time. The partial differential equations that govern the physical system were discretized by finite differences, by using the Implicit Euler Method with forward scheme in the convective term. In this study, numerical simulation was performed for 100, 1000 and 10000 years, with and without bentonite extrusion, in order to compare the migration retardation obtained by bentonite located at the beginning of the fracture in saturated environment. The numerical simulation results showed the importance of extruded area in the far field region of the fractured host rock. (author)

Numerical modeling of radionuclide migration in water-saturated planar fracture: study of performance of bentonite in the far-field region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silveira, Claudia S. da; Alvim, Antonio C.M.

2011-01-01

The analysis of radionuclide migration in fractured porous media is an important part of the safety assessment of a deep geologic disposal for high level radioactive wastes. In this work, numerical solution for simple geometry was developed to study radionuclide migration, including decay chain from a hypothetical repository, whereas the initial region of fracture is filled with bentonite which expanded from EBS (Engineered Barrier System). The following cases were considered: convective transport with constant velocity along the fracture, longitudinal hydrodynamic dispersion in the fracture along the fracture axis, molecular diffusion from fracture into rock matrix, sorption within rock matrix, sorption onto the surface of the fracture, radioactive decay, decay chain, and diffusion in bentonite extrusion region. For conservative analysis, the porous matrix adjacent to the fracture was subdivided into two different subdomains, each with different set of parameters and considering that the radionuclides were available for migration in the solubility limit, at fracture inlet, from the initial time. The partial differential equations that govern the physical system were discretized by finite differences, by using the Implicit Euler Method with forward scheme in the convective term. In this study, numerical simulation was performed for 100, 1000 and 10000 years, with and without bentonite extrusion, in order to compare the migration retardation obtained by bentonite located at the beginning of the fracture in saturated environment. The numerical simulation results showed the importance of extruded area in the far field region of the fractured host rock. (author)

Directional semivariogram analysis to identify and rank controls on the spatial variability of fracture networks

Science.gov (United States)

Hanke, John R.; Fischer, Mark P.; Pollyea, Ryan M.

2018-03-01

In this study, the directional semivariogram is deployed to investigate the spatial variability of map-scale fracture network attributes in the Paradox Basin, Utah. The relative variability ratio (R) is introduced as the ratio of integrated anisotropic semivariogram models, and R is shown to be an effective metric for quantifying the magnitude of spatial variability for any two azimuthal directions. R is applied to a GIS-based data set comprising roughly 1200 fractures, in an area which is bounded by a map-scale anticline and a km-scale normal fault. This analysis reveals that proximity to the fault strongly influences the magnitude of spatial variability for both fracture intensity and intersection density within 1-2 km. Additionally, there is significant anisotropy in the spatial variability, which is correlated with trends of the anticline and fault. The direction of minimum spatial correlation is normal to the fault at proximal distances, and gradually rotates and becomes subparallel to the fold axis over the same 1-2 km distance away from the fault. We interpret these changes to reflect varying scales of influence of the fault and the fold on fracture network development: the fault locally influences the magnitude and variability of fracture network attributes, whereas the fold sets the background level and structure of directional variability.

Observation of time dependent dispersion in laboratory scale experiments with intact tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rundberg, R.S.; Triay, I.R.; Ott, M.A.; Mitchell, A.J.

1989-01-01

The migration of radionuclides through intact tuff was studied using tuff from Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The tuff samples were both highly zeolitized ash-fall tuff from the Calico Hills and densely welded devitrified tuff from the Topopah Springs member of the Paintbrush tuff. Tritiated water and pertechnetate were used as conservative tracers. The sorbing tracers 85 Sr, 137 Cs, and 133 Ba were used with the devitrified tuff only. Greater tailing in the elution curves of the densely welded tuff samples was observed that could be fit by adjusting the dispersion coefficient in the conventional Advection Dispersion Equation, ADE. The curves could be fit using time dependent dispersion as was previously observed for sediments and alluvium by Dieulin, Matheron, and de Marsily. The peak of strontium concentration was expected to arrive after 1.5 years based on the conventional ADE and assuming a linear K d of 26 ml/g. The observed elution had significant strontium in the first sample taken at 2 weeks after injection. The peak in the strontium elution occurred at 5 weeks. The correct arrival time for the strontium peak was achieved using a one dimensional analytic solution with time dependent dispersion. The dispersion coefficient as a function of time used to fit the conservative tracers was found to predict the peak arrival of the sorbing tracers. The K d used was the K d determined by the batch method on crushed tuff. 23 refs., 9 figs., 2 tabs

Measurement of field-saturated hydraulic conductivity on fractured rock outcrops near Altamura (Southern Italy) with an adjustable large ring infiltrometer

Science.gov (United States)

Caputo, Maria C.; de Carlo, L.; Masciopinto, C.; Nimmo, J.R.

2010-01-01

Up to now, field studies set up to measure field-saturated hydraulic conductivity to evaluate contamination risks, have employed small cylinders that may not be representative of the scale of measurements in heterogeneous media. In this study, a large adjustable ring infiltrometer was designed to be installed on-site directly on rock to measure its field-saturated hydraulic conductivity. The proposed device is inexpensive and simple to implement, yet also very versatile, due to its large adjustable diameter that can be fixed on-site. It thus allows an improved representation of the natural system's heterogeneity, while also taking into consideration irregularities in the soil/rock surface. The new apparatus was tested on an outcrop of karstic fractured limestone overlying the deep Murge aquifer in the South of Italy, which has recently been affected by untreated sludge disposal, derived from municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants. The quasi-steady vertical flow into the unsaturated fractures was investigated by measuring water levels during infiltrometer tests. Simultaneously, subsurface electrical resistivity measurements were used to visualize the infiltration of water in the subsoil, due to unsaturated water flow in the fractures. The proposed experimental apparatus works well on rock outcrops, and allows the repetition of infiltration tests at many locations in order to reduce model uncertainties in heterogeneous media. ?? 2009 Springer-Verlag.

Acoustic and mechanical response of reservoir rocks under variable saturation and effective pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Ravazzoli, C L; Santos, J E; Carcione, J M

2003-04-01

We investigate the acoustic and mechanical properties of a reservoir sandstone saturated by two immiscible hydrocarbon fluids, under different saturations and pressure conditions. The modeling of static and dynamic deformation processes in porous rocks saturated by immiscible fluids depends on many parameters such as, for instance, porosity, permeability, pore fluid, fluid saturation, fluid pressures, capillary pressure, and effective stress. We use a formulation based on an extension of Biot's theory, which allows us to compute the coefficients of the stress-strain relations and the equations of motion in terms of the properties of the single phases at the in situ conditions. The dry-rock moduli are obtained from laboratory measurements for variable confining pressures. We obtain the bulk compressibilities, the effective pressure, and the ultrasonic phase velocities and quality factors for different saturations and pore-fluid pressures ranging from normal to abnormally high values. The objective is to relate the seismic and ultrasonic velocity and attenuation to the microstructural properties and pressure conditions of the reservoir. The problem has an application in the field of seismic exploration for predicting pore-fluid pressures and saturation regimes.

Behavior of stressed and unstressed 304L specimens in tuff repository environmental conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Juhas, M.C.; McCright, R.D.; Garrison, R.E.

1984-11-01

This paper presents preliminary results of an investigation of the behavior of candidate barrier material for high-level nuclear waste storage, Type 304L stainless steel, in tuff repository environmental conditions. Tuff is a densely welded, devitrified, igneous rock common to the proposed repository site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The results discussed include: irradiation corrosion tests, U-bend irradiation corrosion tests, slow strain rate tests, and bent beam stress corrosion tests. Results indicate that Type 304L stainless steel shows excellent resistance to general, localized, and stress corrosion under the environmental and microstructural conditions tested so far. The environmental test conditions are 50 to 100 0 C J-13 well water (non-saline, near neutral pH, and oxic in nature) and saturated steam at 100 0 C. Microstructural conditions include solution annealed and long furnace heat treatments to provoke a sensitized structure. However, this particular type of stainless steel may be susceptible to long-term, low-temperature sensitization because of the combination of expected time at elevated temperature and residual stress in the container after emplacement in the repository. Other grades of austenitic stainless steels are reported to be more resistant to low-temperature sensitization. Future work will therefore include more extensive testing of these grades. 15 references, 5 figures, 7 tables

Reactivity of a tuff-bearing concrete: CL-40 CON-14

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scheetz, B.E.; Roy, D.M.

1989-04-01

Samples of a tuff-bearing concrete have been altered in J-13 groundwater and in the vapor phase over deionized water at 200/degree/C. Crushed and intact discs of the concrete have been studied. The glassy tuff component of the tuff was more extensively reacted than the welded devitrified tuff. The original concrete was formulated to be expansive on curing through the formation of the calcium alumino-sulfate hydrate phase, ettringite. An x-ray diffraction examination of the altered crushed samples shows that the ettringite is no longer present. The original, poorly crystalline calcium-silicate-hydrate has recrystallized to tobermorite. In the rocking autoclave experiments with crushed material, which are the experiments expected to have the fastest reaction rates, the tobermorite has been replaced by a mineral of the gyrolite-truscottite group at the longer reaction times. The disc experiments in J-13 groundwater are characterized by prominent dissolution of the tuff aggregate. Alteration in the vapor phase experiments is primarily in the form of overgrowths on the discs. 10 refs., 27 figs., 12 tabs

Wetting phase permeability in a partially saturated horizontal fracture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nicholl, M.J.; Glass, R.J.

1994-01-01

Fractures within geologic media can dominate the hydraulic properties of the system. Therefore, conceptual models used to assess the potential for radio-nuclide migration in unsaturated fractured rock such as that composing Yucca Mountain, Nevada, must be consistent with flow processes in individual fractures. A major obstacle to the understanding and simulation of unsaturated fracture flow is the paucity of physical data on both fracture aperture structure and relative permeability. An experimental procedure is developed for collecting detailed data on aperture and phase structure from a transparent analog fracture. To facilitate understanding of basic processes and provide a basis for development of effective property models, the simplest possible rough-walled fracture is used. Stable phase structures of varying complexity are created within the horizontal analog fracture. Wetting phase permeability is measured under steady-state conditions. A process based model for wetting phase relative permeability is then explored. Contributions of the following processes to reduced wetting phase permeability under unsaturated conditions are considered: reduction in cross-sectional flow area, increased path length, localized flow restriction, and preferential occupation of large apertures by the non-wetting phase

Petrochemical variation of Topopah Spring tuff matrix with depth (stratigraphic level), drill hole USW G-4, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Byers, F.M. Jr.

1985-12-01

This study describes and interprets petrochemical variation of the matrix (excluding fractures and large gas cavities) of the Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff. This tuff includes the candidate host rock for a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain on the Nevada Test Site. Cored hole USW G-4, near the site of a potential exploratory shaft at Yucca Mountain, penetrated 359.4 m (1179 ft) of the member within the unsaturated zone. This study shows that petrographic textures and chemistry of the matrix vary systematically within recognizable lithologic subunits related to crystallization (cooling) zones, welding (compaction) zones, and compositional zones (rhyolite versus quartz latite). The methods used for this study include petrographic modal thin section analysis using an automated counter and electron microprobe analysis of the groundmass. Distinctive textural categories are defined, and they can be ranked from finest to coarsest as vitrophyre (glass), cryptocrystalline groundmass, spherulites, granophyre, lithic fragments, and phenocrysts. The two main groundmass compositions are also defined: rhyolite high silica) and quartz latite. The value of these petrochemical studies lies in providing microscopic criteria for recognizing the zonal subunits where they may have greatly limited exposure, as in mined drifts and in core from horizontal drill holes. For example, the lower nonlithophysal zone can be distinguished microscopically from the middle nonlithophysal zone by (1) degree of compaction, (2) amount of quartz, and (3) amount of lithic fragments. The variability between these textural categories should also be considered in designing physical and chemical tests of the Topopah Spring

Petrochemical variation of Topopah Spring tuff matrix with depth (stratigraphic level), drill hole USW G-4, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Byers, F.M. Jr.

1985-12-01

This study describes and interprets petrochemical variation of the matrix (excluding fractures and large gas cavities) of the Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff. This tuff includes the candidate host rock for a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain on the Nevada Test Site. Cored hole USW G-4, near the site of a potential exploratory shaft at Yucca Mountain, penetrated 359.4 m (1179 ft) of the member within the unsaturated zone. This study shows that petrographic textures and chemistry of the matrix vary systematically within recognizable lithologic subunits related to crystallization (cooling) zones, welding (compaction) zones, and compositional zones (rhyolite versus quartz latite). The methods used for this study include petrographic modal thin section analysis using an automated counter and electron microprobe analysis of the groundmass. Distinctive textural categories are defined, and they can be ranked from finest to coarsest as vitrophyre (glass), cryptocrystalline groundmass, spherulites, granophyre, lithic fragments, and phenocrysts. The two main groundmass compositions are also defined: rhyolite high silica) and quartz latite. The value of these petrochemical studies lies in providing microscopic criteria for recognizing the zonal subunits where they may have greatly limited exposure, as in mined drifts and in core from horizontal drill holes. For example, the lower nonlithophysal zone can be distinguished microscopically from the middle nonlithophysal zone by (1) degree of compaction, (2) amount of quartz, and (3) amount of lithic fragments. The variability between these textural categories should also be considered in designing physical and chemical tests of the Topopah Spring.

Report on static hydrothermal alteration studies of Topopah Spring tuff waters in J-13 water at 150{sup 0}C

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Knauss, K.G.; Beiriger, W.B.

1984-08-31

This report presents the results of preliminary experimental work done to define the package environment in a potential nuclear waste repository in the Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff. The work is supported by the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) Project as a part of the Waste Package task to design a package suitable for waste storage within volcanic units at the Nevada Test Site. Static hydrothermal alteration experiments were run for 4 months using polished wafers either fully submerged in an appropriate natural ground water or exposed to water-saturated air with enough excess water to allow refluxing. The aqueous results agreed favorably with similar experiments run using crushed tuff, and the use of solid polished wafers allowed us to directly evaluate the effects of reaction on the tuff. The results are preliminary in the sense that these experiments were run in Teflon-lined, static autoclaves, whereas subsequent experiments have been run in Dickson-type gold-cell rocking autoclaves. The results predict relatively minor changes in water chemistry, very minor alteration of the host rock, and the production of slight amounts of secondary minerals, when liquid water could return to the rock pores following the temperature maximum during the thermal period. 7 references, 16 figures, 10 tables.

Dissipative particle dynamics simulation of fluid motion through an unsaturated fracture and fracture junction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Moubin; Meakin, Paul; Huang Hai

2007-01-01

Multiphase fluid motion in unsaturated fractures and fracture networks involves complicated fluid dynamics, which is difficult to model using grid-based continuum methods. In this paper, the application of dissipative particle dynamics (DPD), a relatively new mesoscale method to simulate fluid motion in unsaturated fractures is described. Unlike the conventional DPD method that employs a purely repulsive conservative (non-dissipative) particle-particle interaction to simulate the behavior of gases, we used conservative particle-particle interactions that combine short-range repulsive and long-range attractive interactions. This new conservative particle-particle interaction allows the behavior of multiphase systems consisting of gases, liquids and solids to be simulated. Our simulation results demonstrate that, for a fracture with flat parallel walls, the DPD method with the new interaction potential function is able to reproduce the hydrodynamic behavior of fully saturated flow, and various unsaturated flow modes including thin film flow, wetting and non-wetting flow. During simulations of flow through a fracture junction, the fracture junction can be fully or partially saturated depending on the wetting property of the fluid, the injection rate and the geometry of the fracture junction. Flow mode switching from a fully saturated flow to a thin film flow can also be observed in the fracture junction

TOURGHREACT: A Simulation Program for Non-isothermal Multiphase Reactive Geochemical Transport in Variably Saturated Geologic Media

OpenAIRE

Xu, Tianfu; Sonnenthal, Eric; Spycher, Nicolas; Pruess, Karsten

2004-01-01

TOUGHREACT is a numerical simulation program for chemically reactive non-isothermal flows of multiphase fluids in porous and fractured media. The program was written in Fortran 77 and developed by introducing reactive geochemistry into the multiphase fluid and heat flow simulator TOUGH2. A variety of subsurface thermo-physical-chemical processes are considered under a wide range of conditions of pressure, temperature, water saturation, ionic strength, and pH and Eh. Interactions between ...

In defense of Magnetite-Ilmenite Thermometry in the Bishop Tuff and its implication for gradients in silicic magma reservoirs

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Bernard W; Hildreth, Edward; Bachmann, Olivier; Scaillet, Bruno

2016-01-01

Despite claims to the contrary, the compositions of magnetite and ilmenite in the Bishop Tuff correctly record the changing conditions of T and fO2 in the magma reservoir. In relatively reduced (∆NNO magmas (e.g., Bishop Tuff, Taupo units), Ti behaves compatibly (DTi ≈ 2-3.5), leading to a decrease in TiO2 activity in the melt with cooling and fractionation. In contrast, FeTi-oxides are poorer in TiO2 in more oxidized magmas (∆NNO > 1, e.g., Fish Canyon Tuff, Pinatubo), and the d(aTiO2)/dT slope can be negative. Biotite, FeTi-oxides, liquid, and possibly plagioclase largely maintained equilibrium in the Bishop Tuff magma (unlike the pyroxenes, and cores of quartz, sanidine, and zircon) prior ro and during a mixing event triggered by a deeper recharge, which, based on elemental diffusion profiles in minerals, took place at least several decades before eruption. Equilibrating phases and pumice compositions show evolving chemical variations that correlate well with mutually consistent temperatures based on the FeTi-oxides, sanidine-plagioclase, and ∆18O quartz-magnetite pairs. Early Bishop Tuff (EBT) temperatures are lower (700 to ~780‎°C) than temperatures (780 to >820°C) registered in Late Bishop Tuff (LBT), the latter defined here not strictly stratigraphically, but by the presence of orthopyroxene and reverse-zoned rims on quartz and sanidine. The claimed similarity in compositions, Zr-saturation temperatures and thermodynamically calculated temperatures (730-740°C) between EBT and less evolved LBT reflect the use of glass inclusions in quartz cores in LBT that were inherited from the low temperature rhyolitic part of the reservoir characteristic of the EBT. LBT temperatures as high as 820°C, the preservation of orthopyroxene, and the presence of reverse-zoned minerals (quartz, sanidine, zircons) are consistent with magma recharge at the base of the zoned reservoir, heating the cooler rhyolitic melt, partly remelting cumulate mush, and introducing

Coupled Effects of non-Newtonian Rheology and Aperture Variability on Flow in a Single Fracture

Science.gov (United States)

Di Federico, V.; Felisa, G.; Lauriola, I.; Longo, S.

2017-12-01

Modeling of non-Newtonian flow in fractured media is essential in hydraulic fracturing and drilling operations, EOR, environmental remediation, and to understand magma intrusions. An important step in the modeling effort is a detailed understanding of flow in a single fracture, as the fracture aperture is spatially variable. A large bibliography exists on Newtonian and non-Newtonian flow in variable aperture fractures. Ultimately, stochastic or deterministic modeling leads to the flowrate under a given pressure gradient as a function of the parameters describing the aperture variability and the fluid rheology. Typically, analytical or numerical studies are performed adopting a power-law (Oswald-de Waele) model. Yet the power-law model, routinely used e.g. for hydro-fracturing modeling, does not characterize real fluids at low and high shear rates. A more appropriate rheological model is provided by e.g. the four-parameter Carreau constitutive equation, which is in turn approximated by the more tractable truncated power-law model. Moreover, fluids of interest may exhibit yield stress, which requires the Bingham or Herschel-Bulkely model. This study employs different rheological models in the context of flow in variable aperture fractures, with the aim of understanding the coupled effect of rheology and aperture spatial variability with a simplified model. The aperture variation, modeled within a stochastic or deterministic framework, is taken to be one-dimensional and i) perpendicular; ii) parallel to the flow direction; for stochastic modeling, the influence of different distribution functions is examined. Results for the different rheological models are compared with those obtained for the pure power-law. The adoption of the latter model leads to overestimation of the flowrate, more so for large aperture variability. The presence of yield stress also induces significant changes in the resulting flowrate for assigned external pressure gradient.

Anisotropy of the Topopah Spring Member Tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, R.J. III; Boyd, P.J.; Haupt, R.W.; Price, R.H.

1992-07-01

Mechanical properties of the tuffaceous rocks within Yucca Mountain are needed for near and far-field modeling of the potential nuclear waste repository. If the mechanical properties are significantly anisotropic (i.e., direction-dependent), a more complex model is required. Relevant data from tuffs tested in earlier studies indicate that elastic and strength properties are anisotropic. This scoping study confirms the elastic anisotropy and concludes some tuffs are transversely isotropic. An approach for sampling and testing the rock to determine the magnitude of the anisotropy is proposed

Transport of neptunium through Yucca Mountain tuffs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Triay, I.R.; Robinson, B.A.; Mitchell, A.J.; Overly, C.M.; Lopez, R.M.

1993-01-01

Neptunium has a high solubility in groundwaters from Yucca Mountain [1]. Uranium in nuclear reactors produces 237 Np which has a half-life of 2.1 4 x 10 6 years. Consequently, the transport of 237 Np through tuffs is of major importance in assessing the performance of a high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. The objective of this work is to determine the amount of Np retardation that is provided by the minerals in Yucca Mountain tuffs as a function of groundwater chemistry

Mechanical tunnel excavation in welded tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sperry, P.E.

1991-01-01

The Technical Review Board for the US high-level radioactive waste facility at Yucca Mountain has recommended maximum use of open-quotes the most modern mechanical excavation techniques...in order to reduce disturbance to the rock walls and to achieve greater economy of time and cost.close quotes Tunnels for the waste repository at Yucca Mountain can be economically constructed with mechanical excavation equipment. This paper presents the results of mechanical excavation of a tunnel in welded tuff, similar to the tuffs of Yucca Mountain. These results are projected to excavation of emplacement drifts in Yucca Mountain using a current state-of-the-art tunnel boring machine (TBM)

METHODS FOR PORE WATER EXTRACTION FROM UNSATURATED ZONE TUFF, YUCCA MOUNTAIN, NEVADA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

K.M. SCOFIELD

2006-01-01

Assessing the performance of the proposed high-level radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, requires an understanding of the chemistry of the water that moves through the host rock. The uniaxial compression method used to extract pore water from samples of tuffaceous borehole core was successful only for nonwelded tuff. An ultracentrifugation method was adopted to extract pore water from samples of the densely welded tuff of the proposed repository horizon. Tests were performed using both methods to determine the efficiency of pore water extraction and the potential effects on pore water chemistry. Test results indicate that uniaxial compression is most efficient for extracting pore water from nonwelded tuff, while ultracentrifugation is more successful in extracting pore water from densely welded tuff. Pore water splits taken from a single nonwelded tuff core during uniaxial compression tests have shown changes in pore water chemistry with increasing pressure for calcium, chloride, sulfate, and nitrate, while the chemistry of pore water splits from welded and nonwelded tuffs using ultracentrifugation indicates that there is no significant fractionation of solutes

Migration of Water Pulse Through Fractured Porous Media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finsterle, S.; Fabryka-Martin, J. T.; Wang, J. S. Y.

2001-01-01

Contaminant transport from waste-disposal sites is strongly affected by the presence of fractures and the degree of fracture-matrix interaction. Characterization of potential contaminant plumes at such sites is difficult, both experimentally and numerically. Simulations of water flow through fractured rock were performed to examine the penetration depth of a large pulse of water entering such a system. Construction water traced with lithium bromide was released during the excavation of a tunnel at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, which is located in an unsaturated fractured tuff formation. Modeling of construction-water migration is qualitatively compared with bromide-to-chloride (Br/CI) ratio data for pore-water salts extracted from drillcores. The influences of local heterogeneities in the fracture network and variations in hydrogeologic parameters were examined by sensitivity analyses and Monte Carlo simulations. The simulation results are qualitatively consistent with the observed Br/CI signals, although these data may only indicate a minimum penetration depth, and water may have migrated further through the fracture network

Thermal infrared imagery as a tool for analysing the variability of surface saturated areas at various temporal and spatial scales

Science.gov (United States)

Glaser, Barbara; Antonelli, Marta; Pfister, Laurent; Klaus, Julian

2017-04-01

Surface saturated areas are important for the on- and offset of hydrological connectivity within the hillslope-riparian-stream continuum. This is reflected in concepts such as variable contributing areas or critical source areas. However, we still lack a standardized method for areal mapping of surface saturation and for observing its spatiotemporal variability. Proof-of-concept studies in recent years have shown the potential of thermal infrared (TIR) imagery to record surface saturation dynamics at various temporal and spatial scales. Thermal infrared imagery is thus a promising alternative to conventional approaches, such as the squishy boot method or the mapping of vegetation. In this study we use TIR images to investigate the variability of surface saturated areas at different temporal and spatial scales in the forested Weierbach catchment (0.45 km2) in western Luxembourg. We took TIR images of the riparian zone with a hand-held FLIR infrared camera at fortnightly intervals over 18 months at nine different locations distributed over the catchment. Not all of the acquired images were suitable for a derivation of the surface saturated areas, as various factors influence the usability of the TIR images (e.g. temperature contrasts, shadows, fog). Nonetheless, we obtained a large number of usable images that provided a good insight into the dynamic behaviour of surface saturated areas at different scales. The images revealed how diverse the evolution of surface saturated areas can be throughout the hydrologic year. For some locations with similar morphology or topography we identified diverging saturation dynamics, while other locations with different morphology / topography showed more similar behaviour. Moreover, we were able to assess the variability of the dynamics of expansion / contraction of saturated areas within the single locations, which can help to better understand the mechanisms behind surface saturation development.

Effective stress principle for partially saturated media

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McTigue, D.F.; Wilson, R.K.; Nunziato, J.W.

1984-04-01

In support of the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigation (NNWSI) Project, we have undertaken a fundamental study of water migration in partially saturated media. One aspect of that study, on which we report here, has been to use the continuum theory of mixtures to extend the classical notion of effective stress to partially saturated media. Our analysis recovers previously proposed phenomenological representations for the effective stress in terms of the capillary pressure. The theory is illustrated by specializing to the case of linear poroelasticity, for which we calculate the deformation due to the fluid pressure in a static capillary fringe. We then examine the transient consolidation associated with liquid flow induced by an applied surface load. Settlement accompanies this flow as the liquid is redistributed by a nonlinear diffusion process. For material properties characteristic of tuff from the Nevada Test Site, these effects are found to be vanishingly small. 14 references, 7 figures, 1 table

Monitoring the vadose zone in fractured tuff, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montazer, P.; Weeks, E.P.; Thamir, F.; Yard, S.N.; Hofrichter, P.B.

1985-01-01

Unsaturated tuff beneath Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is being evaluated by the US Department of Energy as a host rock for a potential repository for high-level radioactive waste. As part of the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations Project of the US Department of Energy, the US Geological Survey has been conducting hydrologic, geologic, and geophysical investigations at Yucca Mountain and the surrounding region to provide data evaluation of the potential suitability of the site. Hydrologic investigations of the unsaturated zone at this site were started in 1982. A 17.5-inch- (44.5-centimeter-) diameter borehole (USW UZ-1) was drilled by the reverse-air vacuum-drilling technique to a depth of 1269 feet (387 meters). This borehole was instrumented at 33 depth levels. At 15 of the levels, 3 well screens were embedded in coarse-sand columns. The sand columns were isolated from each other by thin layers of bentonite, columns of silica flour, and isolation plugs consisting of expansive cement. Thermocouple psychrometers and pressure transducers were installed within the screens and connected to the data-acquisition system at the land surface through thermocouple and logging cables. Two of the screens at each level were equipped with access tubes to allow collection of pore-gas samples. In addition to these instruments, 18 heat-dissipation probes were installed within the columns of silica flour, some of which also had thermocouple psychrometers. 20 refs., 13 figs., 2 tabs

Stratigraphy of the Bandelier Tuff in the Pajarito Plateau. Applications to waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crowe, B.M.; Linn, G.W.; Heiken, G.; Bevier, M.L.

1978-04-01

The Bandelier Tuff within the Pajarito Plateau consists of a lower sequence of air-fall and ash-flow deposits (Otowi Member) disconformably overlain by an upper sequence of air-fall and ash-flow deposits (Tshirege Member). The ash-flow sequence of the Tshirege Member consists of three cooling units throughout much of the Pajarito Plateau. The lower cooling unit is formed by three to as many as six pyroclastic flow units; the middle and upper cooling units each consist of at least three pyroclastic flow units. The contact between the lower and middle cooling unit coincides with a pyroclastic flow unit contact. This horizon is a prominent stratigraphic marker within distal sections of the Tshirege Member. Major and trace element analyses of unaltered and altered samples of the Bandelier Tuff were determined by neutron activation and delayed neutron activation and delayed neutron activation techniques. Petrographic, granulometric and morphologic characteristics of the Bandelier Tuff were determined to provide background information on the suitability of the Tuff as a medium for radioactive waste disposal. The hydrologic characteristics of the Bandelier Tuff are controlled primarily by secondary features of the Tuff (cooling zones). These features vary with emplacement temperature and transport distance of the Tuff. Primary depositional features provide second order control on transport pathways in distal sections of the Tuff

Stabilization of Networked Control Systems with Variable Delays and Saturating Inputs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Mahmodi Kaleybar

2014-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper, improved conditions for the synthesis of static state-feedback controller are derived to stabilize networked control systems (NCSs subject to actuator saturation. Both of the data packet latency and dropout which deteriorate the performance of the closed-loop system are considered in the NCS model via variable delays. Two different techniques are employed to incorporate actuator saturation in the system description. Utilizing Lyapunov-Krasovskii Theorem, delay-dependent conditions are obtained in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs to determine the static feedback gain. Moreover, an optimization problem is formulated in order to find the less conservative estimate for the region of attraction corresponding to different maximum allowable delays. Numerical examples are introduced to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed schemes.

Effects of mineralogy on sorption of strontium and cesium onto Calico Hills Tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer, R.E.; Arnold, W.D.; Case, F.I.; O'Kelley, G.D.; Land, J.F.

1990-04-01

The sorption properties of tuff formations at the proposed site for the high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, have been extensively studied. Sorption and desorption measurements were made of strontium and cesium onto clinoptilolite and Calico Hills Tuff. The object was to see whether there was a correlation between sorption of strontium and cesium onto Calico Hills Tuff and the sorption of strontium and cesium onto clinoptilolite based on the content of clinoptilolite in the Calico Hills Tuff. 13 refs., 10 figs., 6 tabs

Air-injection testing in vertical boreholes in welded and nonwelded Tuff, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

LeCain, G.D.

1997-12-31

Air-injection tests, by use of straddle packers, were done in four vertical boreholes (UE-25 UZ-No.16, USW SD-12, USW NRG-6, and USW NRG-7a) at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The geologic units tested were the Tiva Canyon Tuff, nonwelded tuffs of the Paintbrush Group, Topopah Spring Tuff, and Calico Hills Formation. Air-injection permeability values of the Tiva Canyon Tuff ranged from 0.3 x 10{sup -12} to 54.0 x 10{sup -12} m{sup 2}(square meter). Air-injection permeability values of the Paintbrush nonwelded tuff ranged from 0.12 x 10{sup -12} to 3.0 x 10{sup -12} m{sup 2}. Air-injection permeability values of the Topopah Spring Tuff ranged from 0.02 x 10{sup -12} to 33.0 x 10{sup -12} m{sup 2}. The air-injection permeability value of the only Calico Hills Formation interval tested was 0.025 x 10{sup -12} m{sup 2}. The shallow test intervals of the Tiva Canyon Tuff had the highest air-injection permeability values. Variograms of the air-injection permeability values of the Topopah Spring Tuff show a hole effect; an initial increase in the variogram values is followed by a decrease. The hole effect is due to the decrease in permeability with depth identified in several geologic zones. The hole effect indicates some structural control of the permeability distribution, possibly associated with the deposition and cooling of the tuff. Analysis of variance indicates that the air-injection permeability values of borehole NRG-7a of the Topopah Spring Tuff are different from the other boreholes; this indicates areal variation in permeability.

On the movement of a liquid front in an unsaturated, fractured porous medium, Part 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nitao, J.J.; Buscheck, T.A.

1989-06-01

The primary aim of this paper is to present approximate analytical solutions of the fracture flow which gives the position of the liquid fracture front as a function of time. These solutions demonstrate that the liquid movement in the fracture can be classified into distinctive time periods, or flow regimes. It is also shown that when plotted versus time using a log-log scale, the liquid fracture front position asymptotically approaches a series of line segments. Two-dimensional numerical simulations were run utilizing input data applicable to the densely welded, fractured tuff found at Yucca Mountain in order to confirm these observations. 19 refs., 15 figs., 8 tabs

Hydraulic fracture propagation modeling and data-based fracture identification

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jing

parameters used in the reservoir flow simulator have large uncertainty. Those biased and uncertain parameters will result in misleading oil and gas recovery predictions. The Ensemble Kalman Filter is used to estimate and update both the state variables (pressure and saturations) and uncertain reservoir parameters (permeability). In order to directly incorporate spatial information such as fracture location and formation heterogeneity into the algorithm, a new covariance matrix method is proposed. This new method has been applied to a simplified single-phase reservoir and a complex black oil reservoir with complex structures to prove its capability in calibrating the reservoir parameters.

In-situ tuff water migration/heater experiment: experimental plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnstone, J.K.

1980-08-01

Tuffs on the Nevada Test Site (NTS) are currently under investigation as a potential isolation medium for heat-producing nuclear wastes. The National Academy of Sciences has concurred in our identification of the potentially large water content (less than or equal to 40 vol %) of tuffs as one of the important issues affecting their suitability for a repository. This Experimental Plan describes an in-situ experiment intended as an initial assessment of water generation/migration in response to a thermal input. The experiment will be conducted in the Grouse Canyon Welded Tuff in Tunnel U12g (G-Tunnel) located in the north-central region of the NTS. While the Grouse Canyon Welded Tuff is not a potential repository medium, it has physical, thermal, and mechanical properties very similar to those tuffs currently under consideration and is accessible at depth (400 m below the surface) in an existing facility. Other goals of the experiment are to support computer-code and instrumentation development, and to measure in-situ thermal properties. The experimental array consists of a central electrical heater, 1.2 m long x 10.2 cm diameter, surrounded by three holes for measuring water-migration behavior, two holes for measuring temperature profiles, one hole for measuring thermally induced stress in the rock, and one hole perpendicular to the heater to measure displacement with a laser. This Experimental Plan describes the experimental objectives, the technical issues, the site, the experimental array, thermal and thermomechanical modeling results, the instrumentation, the data-acquisition system, posttest characterization, and the organizational details

Fission-track dating of pumice from the KBS Tuff, East Rudolf, Kenya

Science.gov (United States)

Hurford, A.J.; Gleadow, A.J.W.; Naeser, C.W.

1976-01-01

Fission-track dating of zircon separated from two pumice samples from the KBS Tuff in the Koobi Fora Formation, in Area 131, East Rudolf, Kenya, gives an age of 2.44??0.08 Myr for the eruption of the pumice. This result is compatible with the previously published K-Ar and 40Ar/ 39Ar age spectrum estimate of 2.61??0.26 Myr for the KBS Tuff in Area 105, but differs from the more recently published K-Ar date of 1.82??0.04 Myr for the KBS Tuff in Area 131. This study does not support the suggestion that pumice cobbles of different ages occur in the KBS Tuff. ?? 1976 Nature Publishing Group.

Feldspar dissolution rates in the Topopah Spring Tuff, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Bryan, C.R.; Helean, K.B.; Marshall, B.D.; Brady, P.V.

2009-01-01

Two different field-based methods are used here to calculate feldspar dissolution rates in the Topopah Spring Tuff, the host rock for the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The center of the tuff is a high silica rhyolite, consisting largely of alkali feldspar (???60 wt%) and quartz polymorphs (???35 wt%) that formed by devitrification of rhyolitic glass as the tuff cooled. First, the abundance of secondary aluminosilicates is used to estimate the cumulative amount of feldspar dissolution over the history of the tuff, and an ambient dissolution rate is calculated by using the estimated thermal history. Second, the feldspar dissolution rate is calculated by using measured Sr isotope compositions for the pore water and rock. Pore waters display systematic changes in Sr isotopic composition with depth that are caused by feldspar dissolution. The range in dissolution rates determined from secondary mineral abundances varies from 10-16 to 10-17 mol s-1 kg tuff-1 with the largest uncertainty being the effect of the early thermal history of the tuff. Dissolution rates based on pore water Sr isotopic data were calculated by treating percolation flux parametrically, and vary from 10-15 to 10-16 mol s-1 kg tuff-1 for percolation fluxes of 15 mm a-1 and 1 mm a-1, respectively. Reconciling the rates from the two methods requires that percolation fluxes at the sampled locations be a few mm a-1 or less. The calculated feldspar dissolution rates are low relative to other measured field-based feldspar dissolution rates, possibly due to the age (12.8 Ma) of the unsaturated system at Yucca Mountain; because oxidizing and organic-poor conditions limit biological activity; and/or because elevated silica concentrations in the pore waters (???50 mg L-1) may inhibit feldspar dissolution. ?? 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantitative analysis by X-ray fractography of fatigue fractured surface under variable amplitude loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akita, Koichi; Kodama, Shotaro; Misawa, Hiroshi

1994-01-01

X-ray fractography is a method of analysing the causes of accidental fracture of machine components or structures. Almost all of the previous research on this problem has been carried out using constant amplitude fatigue tests. However, the actual loads on components and structures are usually of variable amplitudes. In this study, X-ray fractography was applied to fatigue fractured surfaces produced by variable amplitude loading. Fatigue tests were carried out on Ni-Cr-Mo steel CT specimens under the conditions of repeated, two-step and multiple-step loading. Residual stresses were measured on the fatigue fractured surface by an X-ray diffraction method. The relationships between residual stress and stress intensity factor or crack propagation rate were studied. They were discussed in terms of the quantitative expressions under constant amplitude loading, proposed by the authors in previous papers. The main results obtained were as follows : (1) It was possible to estimate the crack propagation rate of the fatigue fractured surface under variable amplitude loading by using the relationship between residual stress and stress intensity factor under constant amplitude loading. (2) The compressive residual stress components on the fatigue fractured surface correspond with cyclic softening of the material rather than with compressive plastic deformation at the crack tip. (author)

User manual of the multicompenent variably - saturated flow and transport model HP1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacques, D.; Simunek, J.

2005-06-01

This report describes a new comprehensive simulation tool HP1 (HYDRUS1D-PHREEQC) that was obtained by coupling the HYDRUS-1D one-dimensional variably-saturated water flow and solute transport model with the PHREEQC geochemical code. The HP1 code incorporates modules simulating (1) transient water flow in variably-saturated media, (2) transport of multiple components, and (3) mixed equilibrium/kinetic geochemical reactions. The program numerically solves the Richards equation for variably-saturated water flow and advection-dispersion type equations for heat and solute transport. The flow equation incorporates a sink term to account for water uptake by plant roots. The heat transport equation considers transport due to conduction and convection with flowing water. The solute transport equations consider advective-dispersive transport in the liquid phase. The program can simulate a broad range of low-temperature biogeochemical reactions in water, soil and ground water systems including interactions with minerals, gases, exchangers, and sorption surfaces, based on thermodynamic equilibrium, kinetics, or mixed equilibrium-kinetic reactions. The program may be used to analyze water and solute movement in unsaturated, partially saturated, or fully saturated porous media. The flow region may be composed of nonuniform soils or sediments. Flow and transport can occur in the vertical, horizontal, or a generally inclined direction. The water flow part of the model can deal with prescribed head and flux boundaries, boundaries controlled by atmospheric conditions, as well as free drainage boundary conditions. The governing flow and transport equations were solved numerically using Galerkin-type linear finite element schemes. To test the accuracy of the coupling procedures implemented in HP1, simulation results were compared with (i) HYDRUS-1D for transport problems of multiple components subject to sequential first-order decay, (ii) PHREEQC for steady-state flow conditions, and

VS2DRTI: Simulating Heat and Reactive Solute Transport in Variably Saturated Porous Media.

Science.gov (United States)

Healy, Richard W; Haile, Sosina S; Parkhurst, David L; Charlton, Scott R

2018-01-29

Variably saturated groundwater flow, heat transport, and solute transport are important processes in environmental phenomena, such as the natural evolution of water chemistry of aquifers and streams, the storage of radioactive waste in a geologic repository, the contamination of water resources from acid-rock drainage, and the geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide. Up to now, our ability to simulate these processes simultaneously with fully coupled reactive transport models has been limited to complex and often difficult-to-use models. To address the need for a simple and easy-to-use model, the VS2DRTI software package has been developed for simulating water flow, heat transport, and reactive solute transport through variably saturated porous media. The underlying numerical model, VS2DRT, was created by coupling the flow and transport capabilities of the VS2DT and VS2DH models with the equilibrium and kinetic reaction capabilities of PhreeqcRM. Flow capabilities include two-dimensional, constant-density, variably saturated flow; transport capabilities include both heat and multicomponent solute transport; and the reaction capabilities are a complete implementation of geochemical reactions of PHREEQC. The graphical user interface includes a preprocessor for building simulations and a postprocessor for visual display of simulation results. To demonstrate the simulation of multiple processes, the model is applied to a hypothetical example of injection of heated waste water to an aquifer with temperature-dependent cation exchange. VS2DRTI is freely available public domain software. © 2018, National Ground Water Association.

Felsic tuff from Rutland Island – A pyroclastic flow deposit in ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

: • white massive tuff with ill-defined bedding contacts (facies-A) and. • dominantly green tuff exhibiting well-developed turbidite sequence with up-section change from a massive unit to plane laminated units to ripple drift lamination (facies-B).

CONTACT ANGLE OF YUCCA MOUNTAIN WELDED TUFF WITH WATER AND BRINES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

H. Kalia

2006-01-01

A number of tests were performed to acquire contact angles between Yucca Mountain welded tuff from Topopah Springs Lower Lithophysal geologic unit and various brine solutions. The tests were performed on core disks received from Sample Management Facility (SMF), oven dried to a constant weight and the core disks vacuum saturated in: distilled water, J-13 water, calcium chloride brine and sodium chloride brine to constant weight. The contact angles were acquired from eight points on the surface of the core disks, four on rough surface, and four on polished surface. The contact angle was measured by placing a droplet of the test fluid, distilled water, J-13 water, calcium chloride brine and sodium chloride brine on the core disks. The objective of this test was to acquire contact angles as a potential input to estimating capillary forces in accumulated dust on the waste packages and drip shields slated for the proposed High-Level Radioactive Waste Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. It was noted that once the droplet contacts the test surface, it continues to spread hence the contact angle continues to decrease with elapsed time. The maximum observed angle was at time 0 or when the drop contacted the rock surface. The measured contact angle, in all cases has significant scatter. In general, the time zero contact angles for core disks saturated in sodium chloride brine were smaller than those saturated in calcium chloride brine, distilled water, and J-13 water. The contact angles for samples saturated in distilled water, J-13 water and calcium chloride brine at time zero were similar. There was slight difference between the observed contact angles for smooth and rough surface of the test samples. The contact angles for smooth surfaces were smaller than for the rough surfaces

Magmatism, ash-flow tuffs, and calderas of the ignimbrite flareup in the western Nevada volcanic field, Great Basin, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Christopher D. Henry,; John, David A.

2013-01-01

Sierra Nevada, which was not a barrier to westward flow of ash flows at that time. At least three tuffs flowed eastward across a north-south paleodivide through central Nevada. That tuffs could flow significant distances apparently uphill raises questions about the absolute elevation of the region and the elevation, relief, and location of the paleodivide.Calderas are equant to slightly elongate, at least 12 km in diameter, and as much as 35 km in longest dimension. Exceptional exposure of two caldera complexes that resulted from extensional faulting and tilting show that calderas subsided as much as 5 km as large piston-like blocks; caldera walls were vertical to steeply inward dipping to depths ≥4–5 km, and topographic walls formed by slumping of wall rock into the caldera were only slightly outboard (≤1 km) of structural margins.Most calderas show abundant post-collapse magmatism expressed as resurgent intrusions, ring-fracture intrusions, or intracaldera lavas that are closely related temporally (∼0–0.5 Ma younger) to caldera formation. Granitoid intrusions, which were emplaced at paleodepths ranging from Mountain epithermal gold deposit, few known caldera-related hydrothermal systems are strongly mineralized. Major middle Cenozoic precious and base metal mineral deposits in and along the margins of the western Nevada volcanic field are mostly related to intrusive rocks that preceded caldera-forming eruptions.

Transport of Particle Swarms Through Variable Aperture Fractures

Science.gov (United States)

Boomsma, E.; Pyrak-Nolte, L. J.

2012-12-01

Particle transport through fractured rock is a key concern with the increased use of micro- and nano-size particles in consumer products as well as from other activities in the sub- and near surface (e.g. mining, industrial waste, hydraulic fracturing, etc.). While particle transport is often studied as the transport of emulsions or dispersions, particles may also enter the subsurface from leaks or seepage that lead to particle swarms. Swarms are drop-like collections of millions of colloidal-sized particles that exhibit a number of unique characteristics when compared to dispersions and emulsions. Any contaminant or engineered particle that forms a swarm can be transported farther, faster, and more cohesively in fractures than would be expected from a traditional dispersion model. In this study, the effects of several variable aperture fractures on colloidal swarm cohesiveness and evolution were studied as a swarm fell under gravity and interacted with the fracture walls. Transparent acrylic was used to fabricate synthetic fracture samples with (1) a uniform aperture, (2) a converging region followed by a uniform region (funnel shaped), (3) a uniform region followed by a diverging region (inverted funnel), and (4) a cast of a an induced fracture from a carbonate rock. All of the samples consisted of two blocks that measured 100 x 100 x 50 mm. The minimum separation between these blocks determined the nominal aperture (0.5 mm to 20 mm). During experiments a fracture was fully submerged in water and swarms were released into it. The swarms consisted of a dilute suspension of 3 micron polystyrene fluorescent beads (1% by mass) with an initial volume of 5μL. The swarms were illuminated with a green (525 nm) LED array and imaged optically with a CCD camera. The variation in fracture aperture controlled swarm behavior. Diverging apertures caused a sudden loss of confinement that resulted in a rapid change in the swarm's shape as well as a sharp increase in its velocity

Issues related to field testing in tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmerman, R.M.

1982-01-01

This paper has brought out the unique properties of tuffs and related them to needs associated with their use as a host rock for a high level nuclear waste repository. Major issues of temperature, pore water, joints, and depositional patterns have been identified and related responses and impacts outlined in Table 1. Planned experiments have been outlined and their relationships to the rock mechanics issues summarized in Table 2. The conclusions from this paper are: (1) tuff is a complex rock and basic phenomenological understanding is incomplete; and (2) available field test facilities will be used for a series of experiments designed to improve phenomenological understanding and support repository design efforts

The Intrinsic Variability in the Water Vapor Saturation Ratio due to Turbulence

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, J. C.; Cantrell, W. H.; Chandrakar, K. K.; Kostinski, A. B.; Niedermeier, D.; Shaw, R. A.

2017-12-01

In the atmosphere, the concentration of water vapor plays an important role in Earth's weather and climate. The mean concentration of water vapor is key to its efficiency as a greenhouse gas; the fluctuations about the mean are important for heat fluxes near the surface of earth. In boundary layer clouds, fluctuations in the water vapor concentration are linked to turbulence. Conditions representative of boundary layer clouds are simulated in Michigan Tech's multiphase, turbulent reaction chamber, the ∏ chamber, where the boundary conditions are controlled and repeatable. Measurements for temperature and water vapor concentration were recorded under forced Rayleigh-Bénard convection. As expected, the distributions for temperature and water vapor concentration broaden as the turbulence becomes more vigorous. From these two measurements the saturation ratio can be calculated. The fluctuations in the water vapor concentration are more important to the variability in the saturation ratio than fluctuations in temperature. In a cloud, these fluctuations in the saturation ratio can result in some cloud droplets experiencing much higher supersaturations. Those "lucky" droplets grow by condensation at a faster rate than other cloud droplets. The difference in the droplet growth rate could contribute to a broadened droplet distribution, which leads to the onset of collision-coalescence. With more intense turbulence these effect will become more pronounced as the fluctuations about the mean saturation ratio become more pronounced.

Recent developments in stochastic modeling and upscaling of hydrologic properties in tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rautman, C.A.; Robey, T.H.

1992-01-01

A set of detailed geostatistical simulations of porosity has been produced for a layered stratigraphic sequence of welded and nonwelded volcanic tuffs at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The simulations are produced using a composite. model of spatial continuity and they are highly conditioned to abundant drill hole (core) information. A set of derivative simulations of saturated hydraulic conductivity has been produced, in the absence of conditioning data, using a cross-variable relationship developed from similar data elsewhere. The detailed simulations reproduce both the major stratigraphic units and finer scale layering indicated by the drill hole data. These simulations have been scaled up several order of magnitude to represent block-scale effective hydrologic properties suitable for use in numerical modeling of groundwater flow and transport. The upscaling process involves the reformulation of a previously reported method that iteratively adapts an initial arbitrary grid to ''homogenize'' the detailed hydraulic properties contained within the adjusted cell limits and to minimize the size of cell in highly heterogeneous regions. Although the computation of the block-effective property involves simple numerical averaging, the blocks over which these averages are computed are relatively homogeneous, which reduces the numerical difficulties involved in averaging non-additive properties, such as permeability. The entire process of simulation and upscaling is rapid and computationally efficient compared with alterative techniques. It is thus suitable for the Monte Carlo evaluation of the uncertainty in site characterization as it affects the results of groundwater flow and transport calculations

Groundwater modelling for fractured and porous media: HYDROCOIN Level 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noy, D.J.

1986-01-01

The report describes work carried out as part of the 'Hydrocoin' project to verify some of the models used by the British Geological Survey on its radioactive waste disposal programme. The author's work on Hydrocoin Level 1 concerned groundwater modelling for fractured and porous media. The overall conclusions arising from the work were: a) pressure fields in saturated media can be reliably calculated by existing programmes, b) three techniques for deriving the flow fields are described, and c) severe practical limitations exist as to the ability of current programs to model variably saturated conditions over moderate distances. (U.K.)

A constitutive equation for creep fracture under constant, variable or cyclic positive stress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snedden, J.D.

1977-01-01

Prediction of creep fracture of metals under variable stress is one of the most difficult problems of applied mechanics. At NEL this problem is under investigation using an approach in which creep is represented by two macroscopic components: an anelastic (reversible) component and a plastic (irreversible) component. Under variable loading conditions, the anelastic component's behaviour will be most important and, if an experimental programme is logically planned, the structural processes responsible will be implicit in the resulting constitutive equation describing the material's behaviour. The present paper deals with the development and application of a constitutive equation for creep fracture of RR58 Aluminium alloy at 180 0 C under variable stress and such a constitutive equation can be extrapolated to cover long-time behaviour just as with conventional constant stress creep fracture equations. Constant stress, in fact, is one of the boundary conditions of the general constitutive equation, representing zero prior damage. The other boundary condition is that of 'cadence loading' in which the stress is completely removed and then re-applied in a cyclic fashion. (Auth.)

SATURATED ZONE IN-SITU TESTING

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

P.W. REIMUS

2004-11-08

The purpose of this scientific analysis is to document the results and interpretations of field experiments that test and validate conceptual flow and radionuclide transport models in the saturated zone (SZ) near Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The test interpretations provide estimates of flow and transport parameters used in the development of parameter distributions for total system performance assessment (TSPA) calculations. These parameter distributions are documented in ''Site-Scale Saturated Zone Flow Model (BSC 2004 [DIRS 170037]), Site-Scale Saturated Zone Transport'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 170036]), Saturated Zone Colloid Transport (BSC 2004 [DIRS 170006]), and ''Saturated Zone Flow and Transport Model Abstraction'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 170042]). Specifically, this scientific analysis contributes the following to the assessment of the capability of the SZ to serve as part of a natural barrier for waste isolation for the Yucca Mountain repository system: (1) The bases for selection of conceptual flow and transport models in the saturated volcanics and the saturated alluvium located near Yucca Mountain. (2) Results and interpretations of hydraulic and tracer tests conducted in saturated fractured volcanics at the C-wells complex near Yucca Mountain. The test interpretations include estimates of hydraulic conductivities, anisotropy in hydraulic conductivity, storativities, total porosities, effective porosities, longitudinal dispersivities, matrix diffusion mass transfer coefficients, matrix diffusion coefficients, fracture apertures, and colloid transport parameters. (3) Results and interpretations of hydraulic and tracer tests conducted in saturated alluvium at the Alluvial Testing Complex (ATC) located at the southwestern corner of the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The test interpretations include estimates of hydraulic conductivities, storativities, total porosities, effective porosities, longitudinal dispersivities, matrix diffusion mass

SATURATED ZONE IN-SITU TESTING

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

REIMUS, P.W.

2004-01-01

The purpose of this scientific analysis is to document the results and interpretations of field experiments that test and validate conceptual flow and radionuclide transport models in the saturated zone (SZ) near Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The test interpretations provide estimates of flow and transport parameters used in the development of parameter distributions for total system performance assessment (TSPA) calculations. These parameter distributions are documented in ''Site-Scale Saturated Zone Flow Model (BSC 2004 [DIRS 170037]), Site-Scale Saturated Zone Transport'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 170036]), Saturated Zone Colloid Transport (BSC 2004 [DIRS 170006]), and ''Saturated Zone Flow and Transport Model Abstraction'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 170042]). Specifically, this scientific analysis contributes the following to the assessment of the capability of the SZ to serve as part of a natural barrier for waste isolation for the Yucca Mountain repository system: (1) The bases for selection of conceptual flow and transport models in the saturated volcanics and the saturated alluvium located near Yucca Mountain. (2) Results and interpretations of hydraulic and tracer tests conducted in saturated fractured volcanics at the C-wells complex near Yucca Mountain. The test interpretations include estimates of hydraulic conductivities, anisotropy in hydraulic conductivity, storativities, total porosities, effective porosities, longitudinal dispersivities, matrix diffusion mass transfer coefficients, matrix diffusion coefficients, fracture apertures, and colloid transport parameters. (3) Results and interpretations of hydraulic and tracer tests conducted in saturated alluvium at the Alluvial Testing Complex (ATC) located at the southwestern corner of the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The test interpretations include estimates of hydraulic conductivities, storativities, total porosities, effective porosities, longitudinal dispersivities, matrix diffusion mass transfer coefficients, and colloid

Laboratory testing on infiltration in single synthetic fractures

Science.gov (United States)

Cherubini, Claudia; Pastore, Nicola; Li, Jiawei; Giasi, Concetta I.; Li, Ling

2017-04-01

An understanding of infiltration phenomena in unsaturated rock fractures is extremely important in many branches of engineering for numerous reasons. Sectors such as the oil, gas and water industries are regularly interacting with water seepage through rock fractures, yet the understanding of the mechanics and behaviour associated with this sort of flow is still incomplete. An apparatus has been set up to test infiltration in single synthetic fractures in both dry and wet conditions. To simulate the two fracture planes, concrete fractures have been moulded from 3D printed fractures with varying geometrical configurations, in order to analyse the influence of aperture and roughness on infiltration. Water flows through the single fractures by means of a hydraulic system composed by an upstream and a downstream reservoir, the latter being subdivided into five equal sections in order to measure the flow rate in each part to detect zones of preferential flow. The fractures have been set at various angles of inclination to investigate the effect of this parameter on infiltration dynamics. The results obtained identified that altering certain fracture parameters and conditions produces relevant effects on the infiltration process through the fractures. The main variables influencing the formation of preferential flow are: the inclination angle of the fracture, the saturation level of the fracture and the mismatch wavelength of the fracture.

Variables of state and charateristics for isentropic discharge phenomena of water, starting with saturation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baudisch, H.

1968-03-15

The tables presented in this report contain the thermodynamic values of isentropic change of state for water in the two-phase region starting from the saturation line down to 0.01 at. The variables have been computed in the pressure range from 5-100 at. in equal pressure intervals of 5 at. and in the range from 100-170 at. in intervals of 10 at. Assuming a one-dimensional flow and a known saturation pressure, the dimensions of a discharge nozzle may be determined by interpolation of the calculated values for an isentropic discharge. 4 figs., 29 tabs., 23 refs.

Laboratory determined suction potential of Topopah Spring tuff at high temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daily, W.; Lin, Wunan.

1991-01-01

The purpose of this work is to experimentally determine the capillary suction potential of Topopah Spring tuff from Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada. This data can be used to help characterize the unsaturated hydraulic properties of the densely welded tuff at this site. 7 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

Spatial distribution of damage around faults in the Joe Lott Tuff Member of the Mount Belknap Volcanics, Utah: A mechanical analog for faulting in pyroclastic deposits on Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Okubo, Chris H.

2012-01-01

Volcanic ash is thought to comprise a large fraction of the Martian equatorial layered deposits and much new insight into the process of faulting and related fluid flow in these deposits can be gained through the study of analogous terrestrial tuffs. This study identifies a set of fault-related processes that are pertinent to understanding the evolution of fault systems in fine-grained, poorly indurated volcanic ash by investigating exposures of faults in the Miocene-aged Joe Lott Tuff Member of the Mount Belknap Volcanics, Utah. The porosity and granularity of the host rock are found to control the style of localized strain that occurs prior to and contemporaneous with faulting. Deformation bands occur in tuff that was porous and granular at the time of deformation, while fractures formed where the tuff lost its porous and granular nature due to silicic alteration. Non-localized deformation of the host rock is also prominent and occurs through compaction of void space, including crushing of pumice clasts. Significant off-fault damage of the host rock, resembling fault pulverization, is recognized adjacent to one analog fault and may reflect the strain rate dependence of the resulting fault zone architecture. These findings provide important new guidelines for future structural analyses and numerical modeling of faulting and subsurface fluid flow through volcanic ash deposits on Mars.

Mineralogy, geochemistry and petrogenesis of volcanic tuffs from Ataraws, Jordan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Fugha, H.

1997-01-01

Magistracy are common in tuff and paralytic's materials of Pleistocene age in western Jordan. The dominant phases are olivine, augite, plagioclase, magnetite and ilmenite. Chemical analysis of the whole rocks samples indicate alkali olivine magma origin. Low concentration of Li and Rb in Tuff samples are used as an argument against the contamination of the basaltic magma during its journey to the surface. The Mg O and mg- values (Mg/Mg+Fe 2+ ) in samples from volcano exhibit different degrees of fractionation, which are indicated by the varying concentrations of incompatible trace elements (Ba, Rb, Sr). The thermometric evacuation of tuff formation by using pyroxenes thermometers revealed a temperature range between 1022-1083 deg. and pressure of 5-10 K bars. The low Mg-ratio (Mg/Mg+Fe 2+ ) is due to fractional crystallization of olivine and pyroxene in tuff samples. The variation of incompatible elements imply derivation from a peridotite source in the upper mantle with low degree of melting (<20%).The volcanic activity took place in phases corresponding to rifting sinistral displacement along the Jordan Rift. (author). 11 refs., 6 tabs, 6 figs

Radionuclide transport and retardation in tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vine, E.N.; Bayhurst, B.P.; Daniels, W.R.; DeVilliers, S.J.; Erdal, B.R.; Lawrence, F.O.; Wolfsberg, K.

1980-01-01

Batch measurements provide an understanding of which experimental variables are important. For example, sorption ratios vary little with particle size (and surface area); however, groundwater composition and rock composition are quite important. A general correlation has been identified between mineralogy (major phases) and degree of sorption for strontium, cesium, and barium. Although these are approximate, a more detailed analysis may be possible as more samples are studied and the data base increased. Data from crushed tuff columns indicate that, except in simple cases where sorption coefficients are relatively low, and ion-exchange equilibria not only exist but are the dominant mechanism for removal of radioisotopes from solution, the simple relation between the sorption ratio R/sub d/ (or K/sub d/) and the relative velocity of radionuclides with respect to groundwater velocity may be insufficient to permit accurate modeling of the retardation of radionuclides. Additional work on whole core columns and larger blocks of intact material is required to better understand radionuclide sorption and transport through rock

G-Tunnel welded tuff mining experiment data summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmerman, R.M.; Bellman, R.A. Jr.; Mann, K.L.; Zerga, D.P.; Fowler, M.

1990-03-01

Designers and analysts of radioactive waste repositories must be ably to predict the mechanical behavior of the host rock. Sandia National Laboratories elected to conduct a mine-by in welded tuff so that predictive-type information could be obtained regarding the response of the rock to a drill and blast excavation process, where smooth blasting techniques were used. Included in the study were evaluations of and recommendations for various measurement systems that might be used in future mine by efforts. This report summarizes all of the data obtained in the welded tuff mining experiment. 6 refs., 29 figs., 12 tabs

Water Flow in Karst Aquifer Considering Dynamically Variable Saturation Conduit

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Chaoqun; Hu, Bill X.

2017-04-01

The karst system is generally conceptualized as dual-porosity system, which is characterized by low conductivity and high storage continuum matrix and high conductivity and quick flow conduit networks. And so far, a common numerical model for simulating flow in karst aquifer is MODFLOW2005-CFP, which is released by USGS in 2008. However, the steady-state approach for conduit flow in CFP is physically impractical when simulating very dynamic hydraulics with variable saturation conduit. So, we adopt the method proposed by Reimann et al. (2011) to improve current model, in which Saint-Venant equations are used to model the flow in conduit. Considering the actual background that the conduit is very big and varies along flow path and the Dirichlet boundary varies with rainfall in our study area in Southwest China, we further investigate the influence of conduit diameter and outflow boundary on numerical model. And we also analyze the hydraulic process in multi-precipitation events. We find that the numerical model here corresponds well with CFP for saturated conduit, and it could depict the interaction between matrix and conduit during very dynamic hydraulics pretty well compare with CFP.

Variably-saturated groundwater modeling for optimizing managed aquifer recharge using trench infiltration

Science.gov (United States)

Heilweil, Victor M.; Benoit, Jerome; Healy, Richard W.

2015-01-01

Spreading-basin methods have resulted in more than 130 million cubic meters of recharge to the unconfined Navajo Sandstone of southern Utah in the past decade, but infiltration rates have slowed in recent years because of reduced hydraulic gradients and clogging. Trench infiltration is a promising alternative technique for increasing recharge and minimizing evaporation. This paper uses a variably saturated flow model to further investigate the relative importance of the following variables on rates of trench infiltration to unconfined aquifers: saturated hydraulic conductivity, trench spacing and dimensions, initial water-table depth, alternate wet/dry periods, and number of parallel trenches. Modeling results showed (1) increased infiltration with higher hydraulic conductivity, deeper initial water tables, and larger spacing between parallel trenches, (2) deeper or wider trenches do not substantially increase infiltration, (3) alternating wet/dry periods result in less overall infiltration than keeping the trenches continuously full, and (4) larger numbers of parallel trenches within a fixed area increases infiltration but with a diminishing effect as trench spacing becomes tighter. An empirical equation for estimating expected trench infiltration rates as a function of hydraulic conductivity and initial water-table depth was derived and can be used for evaluating feasibility of trench infiltration in other hydrogeologic settings

Chemistry and mineralogy of some Plio-Pleistocene tuffs from the Shungura Formation, southwest Ethiopia

Science.gov (United States)

Martz, A. M.; Brown, F. H.

1981-09-01

The Shungura Formation of southwestern Ethiopia has yielded many tens of thousands of vertebrate fossils including hominids and microvertebrates, and in addition has also yielded fossil wood, pollen, and invertebrates. Widespread tuffs have made subdivision and detailed mapping of the formation possible, have provided material for potassium-argon dating, and have allowed direct lithostratigraphic correlation with the Koobi Fora Formation in northern Kenya. The basis for correlation between the two formations is the distinctive chemistry of the tuffs, but systematic chemical variation within some tuffs invalidates some statistical correlation techniques. Here chemical analysis of glass separates and minerals from tuffs of the Shungura and Usno Formations are presented which may allow further ties to be established when data become available on other tuffs of the Koobi Fora Formation. The tuffs consist primarily of glass, but also contain phenocrysts of anorthoclase, hedenbergitic pyroxene, sodic amphibole, ilmenite, titanomagnetite, chevkinite, quartz, zircon, and rarely orthopyroxene and plagioclase. The glasses show evidence of alkali loss during hydration, and are not now peralkaline, although it is likely that they were initially. The source volcanoes were most likely situated within the Ethiopian rift valley, or on its margins.

Thermal conductivity of silicic tuffs: predictive formalism and comparison with preliminary experimental results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lappin, A. R.

1980-07-01

Performance of both near- and far-field thermomechanical calculations to assess the feasibility of waste disposal in silicic tuffs requires a formalism for predicting thermal conductivity of a broad range of tuffs. This report summarizes the available thermal conductivity data for silicate phases that occur in tuffs and describes several grain-density and conductivity trends which may be expected to result from post-emplacement alteration. A bounding curve is drawn that predicts the minimum theoretical matrix (zero-porosity) conductivity for most tuffs as a function of grain density. Comparison of experimental results with this curve shows that experimental conductivities are consistently lower at any given grain density. Use of the lowered bounding curve and an effective gas conductivity of 0.12 W/m 0 C allows conservative prediction of conductivity for a broad range of tuff types. For the samples measured here, use of the predictive curve allows estimation of conductivity to within 15% or better, with one exception. Application and possible improvement of the formalism are also discussed

The effect of offset on fracture permeability of rocks from the Southern Andes Volcanic Zone, Chile

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez-Flores, P.; Wang, G.; Mitchell, T. M.; Meredith, P. G.; Nara, Y.; Sarkar, V.; Cembrano, J.

2017-11-01

The Southern Andes Volcanic Zone (SVZ) represents one of the largest undeveloped geothermal provinces in the world. Development of the geothermal potential requires a detailed understanding of fluid transport properties of its main lithologies. The permeability of SVZ rocks is altered by the presence of fracture damage zones produced by the Liquiñe-Ofqui Fault System (LOFS) and the Andean Transverse Faults (ATF). We have therefore measured the permeability of four representative lithologies from the volcanic basement in this area: crystalline tuff, andesitic dike, altered andesite and granodiorite. For comparative purposes, we have also measured the permeability of samples of Seljadalur basalt, an Icelandic rock with widely studied and reported hydraulic properties. Specifically, we present the results of a systematic study of the effect of fractures and fracture offsets on permeability as a function of increasing effective pressure. Baseline measurements on intact samples of SVZ rocks show that the granodiorite has a permeability (10-18 m2), two orders of magnitude higher than that of the volcanic rocks (10-20 m2). The presence of throughgoing mated macro-fractures increases permeability by between four and six orders of magnitude, with the highest permeability recorded for the crystalline tuff. Increasing fracture offset to produce unmated fractures results in large increases in permeability up to some characteristic value of offset, beyond which permeability changes only marginally. The increase in permeability with offset appears to depend on fracture roughness and aperture, and these are different for each lithology. Overall, fractured SVZ rocks with finite offsets record permeability values consistent with those commonly found in geothermal reservoirs (>10-16 m2), which potentially allow convective/advective flow to develop. Hence, our results demonstrate that the fracture damage zones developed within the SVZ produce permeable regions, especially within the

Hydrogeologic studies at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, USA. An interpretation of results for radioactive waste disposal site characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dudley, W.W.

1984-02-01

Of nine potential nuclear-waste repository sites being investigated in the United States, Yucca Mountain is the only one for which disposal above the water table is proposed. The host rock is a fractured, permeable welded tuff more than 300 m beneath the surface. The principal factors contributing to the isolation of waste include: a small recharge flux, estimated to be about 5 mm/yr; free drainage in the host rock and little opportunity for contact of water with the waste; near-neutral water of low ionic and organic content; unsaturated-zone and saturated-zone flowpaths through altered tuffs that are rich in sorptive zeolites and clays; and very deep regional ground-water flow that terminates in a closed basin. Hydraulic testing of the saturated zone has demonstrated that fractures cause the observed high transmissivity, and seepage velocities in major fracture zones may be as high as 0.01 to 0.1 km/yr. Diffusion of radionuclides from water in fractures to that in the porous rock matrix, however, would attenuate their migration and allow sorptive processes to operate if a release from the repository were to occur. Psychrometers, heat-dissipation probes, pressure transducers, and sampling tubes that were recently installed in a 380-m drill hole are still undergoing stabilization. Data from this hole and other planned experiments will allow definition of recharge flux, frequency, and flowpaths for statistical treatment in models

STAFAN, Fluid Flow, Mechanical Stress in Fractured Rock of Nuclear Waste Repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huyakorn, P.; Golis, M.J.

1989-01-01

1 - Description of program or function: STAFAN (Stress And Flow Analysis) is a two-dimensional, finite-element code designed to model fluid flow and the interaction of fluid pressure and mechanical stresses in a fractured rock surrounding a nuclear waste repository. STAFAN considers flow behavior of a deformable fractured system with fracture-porous matrix interactions, the coupling effects of fluid pressure and mechanical stresses in a medium containing discrete joints, and the inelastic response of the individual joints of the rock mass subject to the combined fluid pressure and mechanical loading. 2 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: STAFAN does not presently contain thermal coupling, and it is unable to simulate inelastic deformation of the rock mass and variably saturated or two-phase flow in the fractured porous medium system

Characterizing fractured rock for fluid-flow, geomechanical, and paleostress modeling: Methods and preliminary results from Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barton, C.C.; Larsen, E.; Page, W.R.; Howard, T.M.

1993-01-01

Fractures have been characterized for fluid-flow, geomechanical, and paleostress modeling at three localities in the vicinity of drill hole USW G-4 at Yucca Mountain in southwestern Nevada. A method for fracture characterization is introduced that integrates mapping fracture-trace networks and quantifying eight fracture parameters: trace length, orientation, connectivity, aperture, roughness, shear offset, trace-length density, and mineralization. A complex network of fractures was exposed on three 214- to 260-m 2 pavements cleared of debris in the upper lithophysal unit of the Tiva Canyon Member of the Miocene Paint-brush Tuff. The pavements are two-dimensional sections through the three-dimensional network of strata-bound fractures. All fractures with trace lengths greater than 0.2 m were mapped and studied

Actinide transport in Topopah Spring Tuff: Pore size, particle size, and diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buchholtz ten Brink, M.; Phinney, D.L.; Smith, D.K.

1991-04-01

Diffusive transport rates for aqueous species in a porous medium are a function of sorption, molecular diffusion, and sample tortuosity. With heterogeneous natural samples, an understanding of the effect of multiple transport paths and sorption mechanisms is particularly important since a small amount of radioisotope traveling via a faster-than-anticipated transport path may invalidate the predictions of transport codes which assume average behavior. Static-diffusion experiments using aqueous 238 U tracer in tuff indicated that U transport was faster in regions of greater porosity and that apparent diffusion coefficients depended on the scale (m or μm) over which concentration gradients were measured in Topopah Spring Tuff. If a significant fraction of actinides in high-level waste are released to the environment in forms that do not sorb to the matrix, they may be similarly transported along fast paths in porous regions of the tuff. To test this, aqueous diffusion rates in tuff were measured for 238 U and 239 Pu leached from doped glass. Measured transport rates and patterns were consistent in both systems with a dual-porosity transported moeld. In addition, filtration or channelling of actinides associated with colloidal particles may significantly affect the radionuclide transport rate in Topopah Spring tuff. 9 refs., 7 figs

Preliminary survey of tuff distribution in Esmeralda, Nye, and Lincoln Counties, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, G.V.; Pink, T.S.; Lawrence, J.R.; Woodward, L.A.; Keil, K.; Lappin, A.R.

1981-02-01

This report inventories the surface distribution of silicic tuffs in Nye, Esmeralda, and Lincoln Counties, NV, based on a review of available literature. The inventory was taken to provide a data base in evaluating tuff sites for the disposal of high-level nuclear waste. Silicic ash-flow tuffs that are about 11 to 34 million years (my) old are widespread in these counties. These rocks are locally deformed by right-lateral movement along Walker Lane and the Las Vegas Shear Zone, and left-lateral movement along a zone from near the Nevada Test Site (NTS) to the Utah border, and are commonly offset by steeply dipping normal faults. The normal faults that bound horsts, grabens, and tilted-fault blocks of the Basin-and-Range Province began to form 30 my ago; some are still active. Tuff distribution is discussed on a regional basis. Tuff thicknesses and alterations, structural complexity, and proximity to recent faulting, recent volcanism, and mineral resources are discussed for each area. Although the literature on which it is based is often incomplete and sketchy, this report is intended to serve as a basis for future, more detailed work that includes initial field inspection, detailed field and laboratory studies, and extrapolations to the subsurface

The Effect of Boiling on Seismic Properties of Water-Saturated Fractured Rock

Science.gov (United States)

Grab, Melchior; Quintal, Beatriz; Caspari, Eva; Deuber, Claudia; Maurer, Hansruedi; Greenhalgh, Stewart

2017-11-01

Seismic campaigns for exploring geothermal systems aim at detecting permeable formations in the subsurface and evaluating the energy state of the pore fluids. High-enthalpy geothermal resources are known to contain fluids ranging from liquid water up to liquid-vapor mixtures in regions where boiling occurs and, ultimately, to vapor-dominated fluids, for instance, if hot parts of the reservoir get depressurized during production. In this study, we implement the properties of single- and two-phase fluids into a numerical poroelastic model to compute frequency-dependent seismic velocities and attenuation factors of a fractured rock as a function of fluid state. Fluid properties are computed while considering that thermodynamic interaction between the fluid phases takes place. This leads to frequency-dependent fluid properties and fluid internal attenuation. As shown in a first example, if the fluid contains very small amounts of vapor, fluid internal attenuation is of similar magnitude as attenuation in fractured rock due to other mechanisms. In a second example, seismic properties of a fractured geothermal reservoir with spatially varying fluid properties are calculated. Using the resulting seismic properties as an input model, the seismic response of the reservoir is then computed while the hydrothermal structure is assumed to vary over time. The resulting seismograms demonstrate that anomalies in the seismic response due to fluid state variability are small compared to variations caused by geological background heterogeneity. However, the hydrothermal structure in the reservoir can be delineated from amplitude anomalies when the variations due to geology can be ruled out such as in time-lapse experiments.

Assessing alternative conceptual models of fracture flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ho, C.K.

1995-01-01

The numerical code TOUGH2 was used to assess alternative conceptual models of fracture flow. The models that were considered included the equivalent continuum model (ECM) and the dual permeability (DK) model. A one-dimensional, layered, unsaturated domain was studied with a saturated bottom boundary and a constant infiltration at the top boundary. Two different infiltration rates were used in the studies. In addition, the connection areas between the fracture and matrix elements in the dual permeability model were varied. Results showed that the two conceptual models of fracture flow produced different saturation and velocity profiles-even under steady-state conditions. The magnitudes of the discrepancies were sensitive to two parameters that affected the flux between the fractures and matrix in the dual permeability model: (1) the fracture-matrix connection areas and (2) the capillary pressure gradients between the fracture and matrix elements

TBM performance prediction in Yucca Mountain welded tuff from linear cutter tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gertsch, R.; Ozdemir, L.; Gertsch, L.

1992-01-01

This paper discusses performance prediction which were developed for tunnel boring machines operating in welded tuff for the construction of the experimental study facility and the potential nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. The predictions were based on test data obtained from an extensive series of linear cutting tests performed on samples of Topopah String welded tuff from the Yucca Mountain Project site. Using the cutter force, spacing, and penetration data from the experimental program, the thrust, torque, power, and rate of penetration were estimated for a 25 ft diameter tunnel boring machine (TBM) operating in welded tuff. The result show that the Topopah Spring welded tuff (TSw2) can be excavated at relatively high rates of advance with state-of-the-art TBMs. The result also show, however, that the TBM torque and power requirements will be higher than estimated based on rock physical properties and past tunneling experience in rock formations of similar strength

Lithostratigraphy of the Calico Hills Formation and Prow Pass Tuff (Crater Flat Group) at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moyer, T.C.; Geslin, J.K.

1995-01-01

Lithostratigraphic relations within the Calico Hills Formation and Prow Pass Tuff (Crater Flat Group) were reconstructed from analysis of core samples and observation of outcrop exposures. The Calico Hills Formation is composed of five nonwelded pyroclastic units (each formed of one or more pyroclastic-flow deposits) that overlie an interval of bedded tuff and a basal volcaniclastic sandstone unit. The Prow Pass Tuff is divided into four pyroclastic units and an underlying interval of bedded tuff. The pyroclastic units of the Prow Pass Tuff are distinguished by the sizes and amounts of their pumice and lithic clasts and their degree of welding. Pyroclastic units of the Prow Pass Tuff are distinguished from those of the Calico Hills Formation by their phenocryst assemblage, chemical composition, and ubiquitous siltstone lithic clasts. Downhole resistivity tends to mirror the content of authigenic minerals, primarily zeolites, in both for-mations and may be useful for recognizing the vitric-zeolite boundary in the study area. Maps of zeolite distribution illustrate that the bedded tuff and basal sandstone units of the Calico Hills Formation are altered over a wider area than the pyroclastic units of both the Calico Hills Formation and the upper Prow Pass Tuff

Lithostratigraphy of the Calico Hills Formation and Prow Pass Tuff (Crater Flat Group) at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moyer, T.C.; Geslin, J.K. [Science Applications International Corp., Las Vegas, NV (United States)

1995-07-01

Lithostratigraphic relations within the Calico Hills Formation and Prow Pass Tuff (Crater Flat Group) were reconstructed from analysis of core samples and observation of outcrop exposures. The Calico Hills Formation is composed of five nonwelded pyroclastic units (each formed of one or more pyroclastic-flow deposits) that overlie an interval of bedded tuff and a basal volcaniclastic sandstone unit. The Prow Pass Tuff is divided into four pyroclastic units and an underlying interval of bedded tuff. The pyroclastic units of the Prow Pass Tuff are distinguished by the sizes and amounts of their pumice and lithic clasts and their degree of welding. Pyroclastic units of the Prow Pass Tuff are distinguished from those of the Calico Hills Formation by their phenocryst assemblage, chemical composition, and ubiquitous siltstone lithic clasts. Downhole resistivity tends to mirror the content of authigenic minerals, primarily zeolites, in both for-mations and may be useful for recognizing the vitric-zeolite boundary in the study area. Maps of zeolite distribution illustrate that the bedded tuff and basal sandstone units of the Calico Hills Formation are altered over a wider area than the pyroclastic units of both the Calico Hills Formation and the upper Prow Pass Tuff.

40Ar/39Ar age spectra from the KBS Tuff, Koobi Fora Formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDougall, I.

1981-01-01

40 Ar/ 39 Ar age spectra on anorthoclase phenocrysts from three pumice clasts in the KBS Tuff yield nearly ideal flat patterns, providing good evidence that the samples have remained undisturbed since crystallization. The ages are concordant at 1.88 = 0.02 Myr, and confirm that the KBS Tuff, a key marker bed in the Koobi Fora Formation, northern Kenya, is now very well dated. These results resolve the conflict between earlier 40 Ar/ 39 Ar and conventional K-Ar dating measurements on the KBS Tuff. (author)

40Ar/39Ar age spectra from the KBS Tuff, Koobi Fora Formation.

Science.gov (United States)

McDougall, Ian

1981-11-12

40 Ar/ 39 Ar age spectra on anorthoclase phenocrysts from three pumice clasts in the KBS Tuff yield nearly ideal flat patterns, providing good evidence that the samples have remained undisturbed since crystallization. The ages are concordant at 1.88±0.02 Myr, and confirm that the KBS Tuff, a key marker bed in the Koobi Fora Formation, northern Kenya, is now very well dated. These results resolve the conflict between earlier 40 Ar/ 39 Ar and conventional K-Ar dating measurements on the KBS Tuff.

Evidence for a welded tuff in the Rhyolite of Calico Hills

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dickerson, R.P.; Hunter, W.C.

1994-01-01

A welded pyroclastic deposit has been identified in the Rhyolite of Calico Hills near Yucca Mountain, Nevada, where only lava flows and nonwelded pyroclastic deposits were previously described. Field data from Fortymile Wash show that nonwelded, bedded tuff grades upward into partially welded massive ruff, and thence into densely welded vitrophyre. Petrographic data show a progressive decrease in inter- and intragranular porosity and amount of vapor-phase minerals, with increasing welding. Pumice fragments are first deformed, then develop diffuse boundaries which become increasingly obscure with progressive welding. The most densely welded rock is a perlitic vitrophyre. The origin of this welded tuff is not clear, as it could represent an ignimbrite or a tuff fused beneath a thick lava flow

Occurrence of fracture-lining manganese minerals in silicic tuffs, Yucca Mountain, Nevada, USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlos, B.A.

1986-01-01

Yucca Mountain, in southern Nevada, is being studied by the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) Project as a potential site for an underground high-level nuclear waste repository. The site is within Miocene volcanic rocks that are 1.5 to 4 km thick and range in age from 12.5 to 14 MY. Several holes have been drilled in Yucca Mountain for geologic and hydrologic studies. Drill hole USW G-4, the most recently cored hole within the potential repository block, was chosen for detailed study of fracture-filling minerals because it is closest to the planned NNWSI exploratory shaft. Drill hole USW G-4 was drilled to 914.7 m (3001 ft) and continuously cored from 6.7 m (22 ft) to total depth (TD). The drilling history, lithology of the core, and geophysical logs of the well were published earlier. Because manganese oxides in fractures may act as a natural barrier to radionuclide migration, it is important to determine exactly which manganese minerals are present, in what intervals they occur, and how extensive these fracture coatings are

Low temperature spent fuel oxidation under tuff repository conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Einziger, R.E.; Woodley, R.E.

1985-01-01

The Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations Project is studying the suitability of tuffaceous rocks at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada, for high level waste disposal. The oxidation state of LWR spent fuel in a tuff repository may be a significant factor in determining its ability to inhibit radionuclide migration. Long term exposure at low temperatures to the moist air expected in a tuff repository is expected to increase the oxidation state of the fuel. A program is underway to determine the spent fuel oxidation mechanisms which might be active in a tuff repository. Initial work involves a series of TGA experiments to determine the effectiveness of the technique and to obtain preliminary oxidation data. Tests were run at 200 0 C and 225 0 C for as long as 720 hours. Grain boundary diffusion appears to open up a greater surface area for oxidation prior to onset of bulk diffusion. Temperature strongly influences the oxidation rates. The effect of moisture is small but readily measurable. 25 refs., 7 figs., 4 tabs

Modeling variably saturated subsurface solute transport with MODFLOW-UZF and MT3DMS

Science.gov (United States)

Morway, Eric D.; Niswonger, Richard G.; Langevin, Christian D.; Bailey, Ryan T.; Healy, Richard W.

2013-01-01

The MT3DMS groundwater solute transport model was modified to simulate solute transport in the unsaturated zone by incorporating the unsaturated-zone flow (UZF1) package developed for MODFLOW. The modified MT3DMS code uses a volume-averaged approach in which Lagrangian-based UZF1 fluid fluxes and storage changes are mapped onto a fixed grid. Referred to as UZF-MT3DMS, the linked model was tested against published benchmarks solved analytically as well as against other published codes, most frequently the U.S. Geological Survey's Variably-Saturated Two-Dimensional Flow and Transport Model. Results from a suite of test cases demonstrate that the modified code accurately simulates solute advection, dispersion, and reaction in the unsaturated zone. Two- and three-dimensional simulations also were investigated to ensure unsaturated-saturated zone interaction was simulated correctly. Because the UZF1 solution is analytical, large-scale flow and transport investigations can be performed free from the computational and data burdens required by numerical solutions to Richards' equation. Results demonstrate that significant simulation runtime savings can be achieved with UZF-MT3DMS, an important development when hundreds or thousands of model runs are required during parameter estimation and uncertainty analysis. Three-dimensional variably saturated flow and transport simulations revealed UZF-MT3DMS to have runtimes that are less than one tenth of the time required by models that rely on Richards' equation. Given its accuracy and efficiency, and the wide-spread use of both MODFLOW and MT3DMS, the added capability of unsaturated-zone transport in this familiar modeling framework stands to benefit a broad user-ship.

Fractal geometry of two-dimensional fracture networks at Yucca Mountain, southwestern Nevada: proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barton, C.C.; Larsen, E.

1985-01-01

Fracture traces exposed on three 214- to 260-m 2 pavements in the same Miocene ash-flow tuff at Yucca Mountain, southwestern Nevada, have been mapped at a scale of 1:50. The maps are two-dimensional sections through the three-dimensional network of strata-bound fractures. All fractures with trace lengths greater than 0.20 m were mapped. The distribution of fracture-trace lengths is log-normal. The fractures do not exhibit well-defined sets based on orientation. Since fractal characterization of such complex fracture-trace networks may prove useful for modeling fracture flow and mechanical responses of fractured rock, an analysis of each of the three maps was done to test whether such networks are fractal. These networks proved to be fractal and the fractal dimensions (D) are tightly clustered (1.12, 1.14, 1.16) for three laterally separated pavements, even though visually the fracture networks appear quite different. The fractal analysis also indicates that the network patterns are scale independent over two orders of magnitude for trace lengths ranging from 0.20 to 25 m. 7 refs., 7 figs

Mineralogy, petrology and whole-rock chemistry data compilation for selected samples of Yucca Mountain tuffs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Connolly, J.R.

1991-12-01

Petrologic, bulk chemical, and mineralogic data are presented for 49 samples of tuffaceous rocks from core holes USW G-1 and UE-25a number-sign 1 at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Included, in descending stratigraphic order, are 11 samples from the Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff, 12 samples from the Tuffaceous Beds of Calico Hills, 3 samples from the Prow Pass Member of the Crater Flat Tuff, 20 samples from the Bullfrog Member of the Crater Flat Tuff and 3 samples from the Tram Member of the Crater Flat Tuff. The suite of samples contains a wide variety of petrologic types, including zeolitized, glassy, and devitrified tuffs. Data vary considerably between groups of samples, and include thin section descriptions (some with modal analyses for which uncertainties are estimated), electron microprobe analyses of mineral phases and matrix, mineral identifications by X-ray diffraction, and major element analyses with uncertainty estimates

THE PENA BLANCA NATURAL ANALOGUE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT MODEL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

G. Saulnier and W. Statham

2006-04-16

The Nopal I uranium mine in the Sierra Pena Blanca, Chihuahua, Mexico serves as a natural analogue to the Yucca Mountain repository. The Pena Blanca Natural Analogue Performance Assessment Model simulates the mobilization and transport of radionuclides that are released from the mine and transported to the saturated zone. The Pena Blanca Natural Analogue Performance Assessment Model uses probabilistic simulations of hydrogeologic processes that are analogous to the processes that occur at the Yucca Mountain site. The Nopal I uranium deposit lies in fractured, welded, and altered rhyolitic ash-flow tuffs that overlie carbonate rocks, a setting analogous to the geologic formations at the Yucca Mountain site. The Nopal I mine site has the following analogous characteristics as compared to the Yucca Mountain repository site: (1) Analogous source--UO{sub 2} uranium ore deposit = spent nuclear fuel in the repository; (2) Analogous geology--(i.e. fractured, welded, and altered rhyolitic ash-flow tuffs); (3) Analogous climate--Semiarid to arid; (4) Analogous setting--Volcanic tuffs overlie carbonate rocks; and (5) Analogous geochemistry--Oxidizing conditions Analogous hydrogeology: The ore deposit lies in the unsaturated zone above the water table.

THE PENA BLANCA NATURAL ANALOGUE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT MODEL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

G. Saulnier; W. Statham

2006-01-01

The Nopal I uranium mine in the Sierra Pena Blanca, Chihuahua, Mexico serves as a natural analogue to the Yucca Mountain repository. The Pena Blanca Natural Analogue Performance Assessment Model simulates the mobilization and transport of radionuclides that are released from the mine and transported to the saturated zone. The Pena Blanca Natural Analogue Performance Assessment Model uses probabilistic simulations of hydrogeologic processes that are analogous to the processes that occur at the Yucca Mountain site. The Nopal I uranium deposit lies in fractured, welded, and altered rhyolitic ash-flow tuffs that overlie carbonate rocks, a setting analogous to the geologic formations at the Yucca Mountain site. The Nopal I mine site has the following analogous characteristics as compared to the Yucca Mountain repository site: (1) Analogous source--UO 2 uranium ore deposit = spent nuclear fuel in the repository; (2) Analogous geology--(i.e. fractured, welded, and altered rhyolitic ash-flow tuffs); (3) Analogous climate--Semiarid to arid; (4) Analogous setting--Volcanic tuffs overlie carbonate rocks; and (5) Analogous geochemistry--Oxidizing conditions Analogous hydrogeology: The ore deposit lies in the unsaturated zone above the water table

The paleohydrology of unsaturated and saturated zones at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, and vicinity

Science.gov (United States)

Paces, James B.; Whelan, Joseph F.; Stuckless, John S.

2012-01-01

Surface, unsaturated-zone, and saturated-zone hydrologic conditions at Yucca Mountain responded to past climate variations and are at least partly preserved by sediment, fossil, and mineral records. Characterizing past hydrologic conditions in surface and subsurface environments helps to constrain hydrologic responses expected under future climate conditions and improve predictions of repository performance. Furthermore, these records provide a better understanding of hydrologic processes that operate at time scales not readily measured by other means. Pleistocene climates in southern Nevada were predominantly wetter and colder than the current interglacial period. Cyclic episodes of aggradation and incision in Fortymile Wash, which drains the eastern slope of Yucca Mountain, are closely linked to Pleistocene climate cycles. Formation of pedogenic cement is favored under wetter Pleistocene climates, consistent with increased soil moisture and vegetation, higher chemical solubility, and greater evapotranspiration relative to Holocene soil conditions. The distribution and geochemistry of secondary minerals in subsurface fractures and cavities reflect unsaturated-zone hydrologic conditions and the response of the hydrogeologic system to changes in temperature and percolation flux over the last 12.8 m.y. Physical and fluid-inclusion evidence indicates that secondary calcite and opal formed in air-filled cavities from fluids percolating downward through connected fracture pathways in the unsaturated zone. Oxygen, strontium, and carbon isotope data from calcite are consistent with a descending meteoric water source but also indicate that water compositions and temperatures evolved through time. Geochronological data indicate that secondary mineral growth rates are less than 1–5 mm/m.y., and have remained approximately uniform over the last 10 m.y. or longer. These data are interpreted as evidence for hydrological stability despite large differences in surface moisture

Pore-scale modeling of vapor transport in partially saturated capillary tube with variable area using chemical potential

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Addassi, Mouadh; Schreyer, Lynn; Johannesson, Björn

2016-01-01

Here we illustrate the usefulness of using the chemical potential as the primary unknown by modeling isothermal vapor transport through a partially saturated cylindrically symmetric capillary tube of variable cross-sectional area using a single equation. There are no fitting parameters and the nu......Here we illustrate the usefulness of using the chemical potential as the primary unknown by modeling isothermal vapor transport through a partially saturated cylindrically symmetric capillary tube of variable cross-sectional area using a single equation. There are no fitting parameters...... and the numerical solutions to the equation are compared with experimental results with excellent agreement. We demonstrate that isothermal vapor transport can be accurately modeled without modeling the details of the contact angle, microscale temperature fluctuations, or pressure fluctuations using a modification...

TRM performance prediction in Yucca Mountain welded tuff from linear cutter tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gertsch, R.; Ozdemir, L.; Gertsch, L.

1992-01-01

Performance predictions were developed for tunnel boring machines operating in welded tuff for the construction of the experimental study facility and the potential nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. The predictions were based on test data obtained from an extensive series of linear cutting tests performed on samples of Topopah Spring welded tuff from the Yucca Mountain Project site. Using the cutter force, spacing, and penetration data from the experimental program, the thrust, torque, power, and rate of penetration were estimated for a 25 ft diameter tunnel boring machine (TBM) operating in welded tuff. Guidelines were developed for the optimal design of the TBM cutterhead to achieve high production rates at the lowest possible excavation costs. The results show that the Topopah Spring welded tuff (TSw2) can be excavated at relatively high rates of advance with state-of-the-art TBMs. The results also show, however, that the TBM torque and power requirements will be higher than estimated based on rock physical properties and past tunneling experience in rock formations of similar strength

Groundwater degassing in fractured rock: Modelling and data comparison

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jarsjoe, J.; Destouni, G. [Royal Inst. of Tech., Stockholm (Sweden). Water Resources Engineering

1998-11-01

Dissolved gas may be released from deep groundwater in the vicinity of open boreholes and drifts, where the water pressures are relatively low. Degassing of groundwater may influence observations of hydraulic conditions made in drifts, interpretation of experiments performed close to drifts, and buffer mass and backfill performance, particularly during emplacement and repository closure. Under certain conditions, considerable fracture inflow and transmissivity reductions have been observed during degassing experiments in the field and in the laboratory; such reductions affect the outcome and interpretation of both hydraulic and tracer tests. We develop models for the estimation of the resulting degree of fracture gas saturation and the associated transmissivity reduction due to groundwater degassing in fractured rock. Derived expressions for bubble trapping probability show that fracture aperture variability and correlation length influence the conditions for capillary bubble trapping and gas accumulation. The laboratory observations of bubble trapping in an Aespoe fracture replica are consistent with the prediction of a relatively high probability of bubble trapping in this fracture. The prediction was based on the measured aperture distribution of the Aespoe fracture and the applied hydraulic gradient. Results also show that the conceptualisation of gas and water occupancy in a fracture greatly influences model predictions of gas saturation and relative transmissivity. Images from laboratory degassing experiments indicate that tight apertures are completely filled with water, whereas both gas and water exist in wider apertures under degassing conditions; implementation of this relation in our model resulted in the best agreement between predictions and laboratory observations. Model predictions for conditions similar to those prevailing in field for single fractures at great depths indicate that degassing effects in boreholes should generally be small, unless the

Primary drainage in geological fractures: Effects of aperture variability and wettability

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Z.; Méheust, Y.; Neuweiler, I.

2017-12-01

Understanding and controlling fluid-fluid displacement in porous and fractured media is a key asset for many practical applications, such as the geological storage of CO2, hydrocarbon recovery, groundwater remediation, etc. We numerically investigate fluid-fluid displacement in rough-walled fractures with a focus on the combined effect of wettability, the viscous contrast between the two fluids, and fracture surface topography on drainage patterns and interface growth. A model has been developed to simulate the dynamic displacement of one fluid by another immiscible one in a rough geological fracture; the model takes both capillary and viscous forces into account. Capillary pressures at the fluid-fluid interface are calculated based on the Young-Laplace equation using the two principal curvatures (aperture-induced curvature and in-plane curvature) [1], while viscous forces are calculated by continuously solving the fluid pressure field in the fracture. The aperture field of a fracture is represented by a spatially correlated random field, with a power spectral density of the fracture wall topographies scaling as a power law, and a cutoff wave-length above which the Fourier modes of the two walls are identical [2]. We consider flow scenarios with both rectangular and radial configurations. Results show that the model is able to produce displacement patterns of compact displacement, capillary fingering, and viscous fingering, as well as the transitions between them. Both reducing the aperture variability and increasing the contact angle (from drainage to weak imbibition) can stabilize the displacement due to the influence of the in-plane curvature, an effect analogous to that of the cooperative pore filling in porous media. These results suggest that for geometries typical of geological fractures we can extend the phase diagram in the parameter space of capillary number and mobility ratio by another dimension to take into account the combined effect of wettability

Unsaturated zone flow modeling for GWTT-95

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ho, C.K.; Altman, S.J.; McKenna, S.A.; Arnold, B.W.

1995-01-01

In accordance with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulation regarding groundwater travel times at geologic repositories, various models of unsaturated flow in fractured tuff have been developed and implemented to assess groundwater travel times at the potential repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Kaplan used one-dimensional models to describe the uncertainty and sensitivity of travel times to various processes at Yucca Mountain. Robey and Arnold et al. used a two-dimensional equivalent continuum model (ECM) with inter- and intra-unit heterogeneity in an attempt to assess fast-flow paths through the unsaturated, fractured tuff at Yucca Mountain (GWTT-94). However, significant flow through the fractures in previous models was not simulated due to the characteristics of the ECM, which requires the matrix to be nearly saturated before flow through the fractures is initiated. In the current study (GWTT-95), four two-dimensional cross-sections at Yucca Mountain are simulated using both the ECM and dual-permeability (DK) models. The properties of both the fracture and matrix domains are geostatistically simulated, yielding completely heterogeneous continua. Then, simulations of flow through the four cross-sections are performed using spatially nonuniform infiltration boundary conditions. Steady-state groundwater travel times from the potential repository to the water table are calculated

Experimental Analysis and Process Modeling of Carbon Dioxide Removal Using Tuff

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emanuele Bonamente

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Removal of carbon dioxide via selective adsorption is a key process to obtain consumer-grade natural gas from biogas and, more generally, CO2 capture and sequestration from gaseous mixtures. The aim of this work is the characterization and classification of a natural alternative to synthetic zeolites that could be used as a carbon dioxide adsorbent. Tuff particulate, easily available as a byproduct of the construction industry, was tested with different laboratory procedures to verify its suitability for CO2 removal applications. Relevant physical and adsorption properties were measured during an intensive experimental campaign. Porosity, pore size distribution, and specific surface area were obtained with mercury intrusion porosimetry. Adsorption isotherms and saturation curves were obtained using two custom experimental apparatuses. The selective adsorption was finally modeled using an original phenomenological parameterization, and a simplified simulation of the process was performed using a computational fluid dynamic approach, validated against observed data. Results show that natural zeolites represent a very promising and sustainable alternative to synthetic zeolites in pressure swing adsorption processes for CO2 removal.

Chloride Diffusion and Acid Resistance of Concrete Containing Zeolite and Tuff as Partial Replacements of Cement and Sand.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohseni, Ehsan; Tang, Waiching; Cui, Hongzhi

2017-03-31

In this paper, the properties of concrete containing zeolite and tuff as partial replacements of cement and sand were studied. The compressive strength, water absorption, chloride ion diffusion and resistance to acid environments of concretes made with zeolite at proportions of 10% and 15% of binder and tuff at ratios of 5%, 10% and 15% of fine aggregate were investigated. The results showed that the compressive strength of samples with zeolite and tuff increased considerably. In general, the concrete strength increased with increasing tuff content, and the strength was further improved when cement was replaced by zeolite. According to the water absorption results, specimens with zeolite showed the lowest water absorption values. With the incorporation of tuff and zeolite, the chloride resistance of specimens was enhanced significantly. In terms of the water absorption and chloride diffusion results, the most favorable replacement of cement and sand was 10% zeolite and 15% tuff, respectively. However, the resistance to acid attack reduced due to the absorbing characteristic and calcareous nature of the tuff.

Design and construction of an experiment for two-phase flow in fractured porous media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ayala, R.E.G.; Aziz, K.

1993-08-01

In numerical reservoir simulation naturally fractured reservoirs are commonly divided into matrix and fracture systems. The high permeability fractures are usually entirely responsible for flow between blocks and flow to the wells. The flow in these fractures is modeled using Darcy`s law and its extension to multiphase flow by means of relative permeabilities. The influence and measurement of fracture relative permeability for two-phase flow in fractured porous media have not been studied extensively, and the few works presented in the literature are contradictory. Experimental and numerical work on two-phase flow in fractured porous media has been initiated. An apparatus for monitoring this type of flow was designed and constructed. It consists of an artificially fractured core inside an epoxy core holder, detailed pressure and effluent monitoring, saturation measurements by means of a CT-scanner and a computerized data acquisition system. The complete apparatus was assembled and tested at conditions similar to the conditions expected for the two-phase flow experiments. Fine grid simulations of the experimental setup-were performed in order to establish experimental conditions and to study the effects of several key variables. These variables include fracture relative permeability and fracture capillary pressure. The numerical computations show that the flow is dominated by capillary imbibition, and that fracture relative permeabilities have only a minor influence. High oil recoveries without water production are achieved due to effective water imbibition from the fracture to the matrix. When imbibition is absent, fracture relative permeabilities affect the flow behavior at early production times.

Transient diffusion from a waste solid into water-saturated, fractured porous rock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1989-09-01

Numerical illustrations for transient mass transfer from an infinitely long cylinder intersected by a planar fracture are shown based on Chambre's exact analytical solutions. The concentration at the cylinder surface is maintained at the solubility. In the fracture contaminant diffuses in the radial direction. In the rock matrix three-dimensional diffusion is assumed in the cylindrical coordinate. No advection is assumed. Radioactive decay and sorption equilibrium are included. Radioactive decay enhances the mass transfer from the cylinder. Due to the presence of the fracture, the mass flux from the cylinder to the rock matrix becomes smaller, but the fracture effect is limited in the vicinity of the fracture in early times. Even though the fracture is assumed to be a faster diffusion path than the rock matrix, the larger waste surface exposed to the matrix and the greater assumed matrix sorption result in greater release rate to the matrix than to the fracture. 8 refs., 4 figs

Distribution of rubidium, strontium, and zirconium in tuff from two deep coreholes at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spengler, R.W.; Peterman, Z.E.

1991-01-01

Variations in concentrations of trace elements Rb, Sr, and Zr within the sequence of high-silica tuff and dacitic lava beneath Yucca Mountain reflect both primary composition and secondary alteration. Rb and K concentrations have parallel trends. Rb concentrations are significantly lower within intervals containing zeolitic nonwelded to partially welded and bedded tuffs and are higher in thick moderately to densely welded zones. Sr concentrations increase with depth from about 30 parts per million (ppM) in the Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff to almost 300 ppM in the older tuffs. Zr concentrations are about 100 ppM in the Topopah Spring Member and also increase with depth to about 150 ppM in the Lithic Ridge Tuff and upper part of the older tuffs. Conspicuous local high concentrations of Sr in the lower part of the Tram Member, in the dacite lava, and in unit c of the older tuffs in USW G-1, and in the densely welded zone of the Bullfrog Member in USW GU-3/G-3 closely correlate with high concentrations of less-mobile Zr and may reflect either primary composition or elemental redistribution resulting largely from smectitic alteration. Initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values from composite samples increase upward in units above the Bullfrog Member of the Crater Flat Tuff. The progressive tenfold increase in Sr with depth coupled with the similarity of initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values within the Bullfrog Member and older units to those of Paleozoic marine carbonates are consistent with a massive influx or Sr from water derived from a Paleozoic carbonate aquifer. 23 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

High-temperature, large-volume, lavalike ash-flow tuffs without calderas in southwestern Idaho

Science.gov (United States)

Ekren, E.B.; McIntyre, David H.; Bennett, Earl H.

1984-01-01

Rhyolitic rocks were erupted from vents in and adjacent to the Owyhee Mountains and Owyhee Plateau of southwestern Idaho from 16 m.y. ago to about 10 m.y. ago. They were deposited on a highly irregular surface developed on a variety of basement rocks that include granitic rocks of Cretaceous age, quartz latite and rhyodacite tuffs and lava flows of Eocene age, andesitic and basaltic lava flows of Oligocene age, and latitic and basaltic lava flows of early Miocene age. The rhyolitic rocks are principally welded tuffs that, regardless of their source, have one feature in common-namely internal characteristics indicating en-masse, viscous lavalike flowage. The flowage features commonly include considerable thicknesses of flow breccia at the bases of various cooling units. On the basis of the tabular nature of the rhyolitic deposits, their broad areal extents, and the local preservation of pyroclastic textures at the bases, tops, and distal ends of some of the deposits, we have concluded that the rocks were emplaced as ash flows at extremely high temperatures and that they coalesced to liquids before final emplacement and cooling. Temperatures of l090?C and higher are indicated by iron-titanium oxide compositions. Rhyolites that are about 16 m.y. old are preserved mostly in the downdropped eastern and western flanks of the Silver City Range and they are inferred to have been erupted from the Silver City Range. They rarely contain more than about 2 percent phenocrysts that consist of quartz and subequal amounts of plagioclase and alkali feldspar; commonly, they contain biotite, and they are the only rhyolitic rocks in the area to do so. The several rhyolitic units that are 14 m.y. to about 10 m.y. old contain only pyroxene-principally ferriferous and intermediate pigeonites-as mafic constituents. The rhyolites of the Silver City Range comprise many cooling units, none of which can be traced for great distances. Rocks erupted from the Owyhee Plateau include two sequences

Status of understanding of the saturated-zone ground-water flow system at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as of 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luckey, R.R.; Tucci, P.; Faunt, C.C.; Ervin, E.M. [and others

1996-12-31

Yucca Mountain, which is being studied extensively because it is a potential site for a high-level radioactive-waste repository, consists of a thick sequence of volcanic rocks of Tertiary age that are underlain, at least to the southeast, by carbonate rocks of Paleozoic age. Stratigraphic units important to the hydrology of the area include the alluvium, pyroclastic rocks of Miocene age (the Timber Mountain Group; the Paintbrush Group; the Calico Hills Formation; the Crater Flat Group; the Lithic Ridge Tuff; and older tuffs, flows, and lavas beneath the Lithic Ridge Tuff), and sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic age. The saturated zone generally occurs in the Calico Hills Formation and stratigraphically lower units. The saturated zone is divided into three aquifers and two confining units. The flow system at Yucca Mountain is part of the Alkali Flat-Furnace Creek subbasin of the Death Valley groundwater basin. Variations in the gradients of the potentiometric surface provided the basis for subdividing the Yucca Mountain area into zones of: (1) large hydraulic gradient where potentiometric levels change at least 300 meters in a few kilometers; (2) moderate hydraulic gradient where potentiometric levels change about 45 meters in a few kilometers; and (3) small hydraulic gradient where potentiometric levels change only about 2 meters in several kilometers. Vertical hydraulic gradients were measured in only a few boreholes around Yucca Mountain; most boreholes had little change in potentiometric levels with depth. Limited hydraulic testing of boreholes in the Yucca Mountain area indicated that the range in transmissivity was more than 2 to 3 orders of magnitude in a particular hydrogeologic unit, and that the average values for the individual hydrogeologic units generally differed by about 1 order of magnitude. The upper volcanic aquifer seems to be the most permeable hydrogeologic unit, but this conclusion was based on exceedingly limited data.

Status of understanding of the saturated-zone ground-water flow system at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as of 1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luckey, R.R.; Tucci, P.; Faunt, C.C.; Ervin, E.M.

1996-01-01

Yucca Mountain, which is being studied extensively because it is a potential site for a high-level radioactive-waste repository, consists of a thick sequence of volcanic rocks of Tertiary age that are underlain, at least to the southeast, by carbonate rocks of Paleozoic age. Stratigraphic units important to the hydrology of the area include the alluvium, pyroclastic rocks of Miocene age (the Timber Mountain Group; the Paintbrush Group; the Calico Hills Formation; the Crater Flat Group; the Lithic Ridge Tuff; and older tuffs, flows, and lavas beneath the Lithic Ridge Tuff), and sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic age. The saturated zone generally occurs in the Calico Hills Formation and stratigraphically lower units. The saturated zone is divided into three aquifers and two confining units. The flow system at Yucca Mountain is part of the Alkali Flat-Furnace Creek subbasin of the Death Valley groundwater basin. Variations in the gradients of the potentiometric surface provided the basis for subdividing the Yucca Mountain area into zones of: (1) large hydraulic gradient where potentiometric levels change at least 300 meters in a few kilometers; (2) moderate hydraulic gradient where potentiometric levels change about 45 meters in a few kilometers; and (3) small hydraulic gradient where potentiometric levels change only about 2 meters in several kilometers. Vertical hydraulic gradients were measured in only a few boreholes around Yucca Mountain; most boreholes had little change in potentiometric levels with depth. Limited hydraulic testing of boreholes in the Yucca Mountain area indicated that the range in transmissivity was more than 2 to 3 orders of magnitude in a particular hydrogeologic unit, and that the average values for the individual hydrogeologic units generally differed by about 1 order of magnitude. The upper volcanic aquifer seems to be the most permeable hydrogeologic unit, but this conclusion was based on exceedingly limited data

Version I of the users manual for the Tuff Data Base Interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langkopf, B.S.; Satter, B.J.; Welch, E.P.

1985-04-01

The Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) project, managed by the Nevada Operations Office of the US Department of Energy, is investigating the feasibility of locating a repository at Yucca Mountain on and adjacent to the Nevada Test Site (NTS) in southern Nevada. A part of this investigation includes obtaining physical properties from laboratory tests on samples from Yucca Mountain and field tests of the in situ tuffs at Yucca Mountain. A computerized data base has been developed to store this data in a centralized location. The data base is stored on the Cyber 170/855 computer at Sandia using the System 2000 Data Base Management software. A user-friendly interface, the Tuff Data Base Interface, is being developed to allow NNWSI participants to retrieve information from the Tuff Data Base directly. The Interface gives NNWSI users a great deal of flexibility in retrieving portions of the Data Base. This report is an interim users manual for the Tuff Data Base Interface, as of August 1984. It gives basic instructions on accessing the Sandia computing system and explains the Interface on a question-by-question basis

Geochemical homogeneity of tuffs at the potential repository level, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterman, Zell E.; Cloke, Paul

2001-01-01

In a potential high-level radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, radioactive waste and canisters, drip shields protecting the waste from seepage and from rock falls, the backfill and invert material of crushed rock, the host rock, and water and gases contained within pores and fractures in the host rock together would form a complex system commonly referred to as the near-field geochemical environment. Materials introduced into the rock mass with the waste that are designed to prolong containment collectively are referred to as the Engineered Barrier System, and the host rock and its contained water and gases compose the natural system. The interaction of these component parts under highly perturbed conditions including temperatures well above natural ambient temperatures will need to be understood to assess the performance of the potential repository for long-term containment of nuclear waste. The geochemistry and mineralogy of the rock mass hosting the emplacement drifts must be known in order to assess the role of the natural system in the near-field environment. Emplacement drifts in a potential repository at Yucca Mountain would be constructed in the phenocryst-poor member of the Topopah Spring Tuff which is composed of both lithophysal and nonlithophysal zones. The chemical composition of the phenocryst-poor member has been characterized by numerous chemical analyses of outcrop samples and of core samples obtained by surface-based drilling. Those analyses have shown that the phenocryst-poor member of the Topopah Spring Tuff is remarkably uniform in composition both vertically and laterally. To verify this geochemical uniformity and to provide rock analyses of samples obtained directly from the potential repository block, major and trace elements were analyzed in core samples obtained from drill holes in the cross drift, which was driven to provide direct access to the rock mass where emplacement drifts would be constructed

Validation of the TRACR3D code for soil water flow under saturated/unsaturated conditions in three experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perkins, B.; Travis, B.; DePoorter, G.

1985-01-01

Validation of the TRACR3D code in a one-dimensional form was obtained for flow of soil water in three experiments. In the first experiment, a pulse of water entered a crushed-tuff soil and initially moved under conditions of saturated flow, quickly followed by unsaturated flow. In the second experiment, steady-state unsaturated flow took place. In the final experiment, two slugs of water entered crushed tuff under field conditions. In all three experiments, experimentally measured data for volumetric water content agreed, within experimental errors, with the volumetric water content predicted by the code simulations. The experiments and simulations indicated the need for accurate knowledge of boundary and initial conditions, amount and duration of moisture input, and relevant material properties as input into the computer code. During the validation experiments, limitations on monitoring of water movement in waste burial sites were also noted. 5 references, 34 figures, 9 tables

The behavior of biogenic silica-rich rocks and volcanic tuffs as pozzolanic additives in cement

Science.gov (United States)

Fragoulis, Dimitris; Stamatakis, Michael; Anastasatou, Marianthi

2015-04-01

Cements currently produced, include a variety of pozzolanic materials, aiming for lower clinker addition and utilization of vast deposits of certain raw materials and/or mining wastes and byproducts. The major naturally occurring pozzolanic materials include glassy tuffs, zeolitic tuffs, diatomites and volcanic lavas rich in glassy phase, such as perlites. Therefore, based on the available raw materials in different locations, the cement composition might vary according to the accessibility of efficient pozzolanic materials. In the present investigation, the behavior of pozzolanic cements produced with representative samples of the aforementioned materials was studied, following the characterization of the implemented pozzolanas with respect to their chemical and mineralogical characteristics. Laboratory cements were produced by co-grinding 75% clinker, 5% gypsum and 20% pozzolana, for the same period of time (45 min). Regarding pozzolanic materials, four different types of pozzolanas were utilized namely, diatomite, perlite, zeolite tuff and glassy tuff. More specifically, two diatomite samples originated from Australia and Greece, with high and low reactive silica content respectively, two perlite samples originated from Turkey and from Milos Island, Greece, with different reactive silica contents, a zeolite tuff sample originated from Turkey and a glassy tuff sample originated from Milos Island, Greece. The above pozzolana samples, which were ground in the laboratory ball mill for cement production performed differently during grinding and that was reflected upon the specific surface area (cm2/gr) values. The perlites and the glassy tuff were the hardest to grind, whereas, the zeolite tuff and the Australian diatomite were the easiest ones. However, the exceedingly high specific surface area of the Australian diatomite renders cement difficult to transport and tricky to use for concrete manufacturing, due to the high water demand of the cement mixture. Regarding

Fracture Propagation, Fluid Flow, and Geomechanics of Water-Based Hydraulic Fracturing in Shale Gas Systems and Electromagnetic Geophysical Monitoring of Fluid Migration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jihoon; Um, Evan; Moridis, George

2014-12-01

We investigate fracture propagation induced by hydraulic fracturing with water injection, using numerical simulation. For rigorous, full 3D modeling, we employ a numerical method that can model failure resulting from tensile and shear stresses, dynamic nonlinear permeability, leak-off in all directions, and thermo-poro-mechanical effects with the double porosity approach. Our numerical results indicate that fracture propagation is not the same as propagation of the water front, because fracturing is governed by geomechanics, whereas water saturation is determined by fluid flow. At early times, the water saturation front is almost identical to the fracture tip, suggesting that the fracture is mostly filled with injected water. However, at late times, advance of the water front is retarded compared to fracture propagation, yielding a significant gap between the water front and the fracture top, which is filled with reservoir gas. We also find considerable leak-off of water to the reservoir. The inconsistency between the fracture volume and the volume of injected water cannot properly calculate the fracture length, when it is estimated based on the simple assumption that the fracture is fully saturated with injected water. As an example of flow-geomechanical responses, we identify pressure fluctuation under constant water injection, because hydraulic fracturing is itself a set of many failure processes, in which pressure consistently drops when failure occurs, but fluctuation decreases as the fracture length grows. We also study application of electromagnetic (EM) geophysical methods, because these methods are highly sensitive to changes in porosity and pore-fluid properties due to water injection into gas reservoirs. Employing a 3D finite-element EM geophysical simulator, we evaluate the sensitivity of the crosswell EM method for monitoring fluid movements in shaly reservoirs. For this sensitivity evaluation, reservoir models are generated through the coupled flow

Two-phase unsaturated flow at Yucca Mountain, Nevada - A Report on Current Understanding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pruess, K.

1998-01-01

The U.S. civilian nuclear waste program is unique in its focus on disposal of high-level wastes in the unsaturated zone (UZ), above the water table. The potential repository site currently under investigation is located in a semi-arid region of the southwestern U.S. at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The geology of the site consists of layered sequences of faulted, fractured, and bedded tuffs. The groundwater table is approximately 600 m beneath the land surface, while the proposed repository horizon is at a nominal depth of approximately 375 m. In this kind of environment, two-phase flow is not just a localized perturbation to natural conditions, as in the saturated zone, but is the predominant mode of water and gas flow. The purpose of this report is to review the current understanding of gas and water flow, and mass transport, in the unique hydrogeologic environment of Yucca Mountain. Characteristics of the Yucca Mountain site are examined, and concepts and mathematical modeling approaches are described for variably saturated flow in thick unsaturated zones of fractured rock. The paper includes a brief summary of the disposal concept and repository design, as developed by a team of engineering contractors to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), with strong participation from the DOE National Laboratories

Hydrogeologic Framework Model for the Saturated-Zone Site-Scale Flow

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Z. Peterman

2003-03-05

Yucca Mountain is being evaluated as a potential site for development of a geologic repository for the permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Ground water is considered to be the principal means for transporting radionuclides that may be released from the potential repository to the accessible environment, thereby possibly affecting public health and safety. The ground-water hydrology of the region is a result of both the arid climatic conditions and the complex geology. Ground-water flow in the Yucca Mountain region generally can be described as consisting of two main components: a series of relatively shallow and localized flow paths that are superimposed on deeper regional flow paths. A significant component of the regional ground-water flow is through a thick, generally deep-lying, Paleozoic carbonate rock sequence. Locally within the potential repository area, the flow is through a vertical sequence of welded and nonwelded tuffs that overlie the carbonate aquifer. Downgradient from the site, these tuffs terminate in basin fill deposits that are dominated by alluvium. Throughout the system, extensive and prevalent faults and fractures may control ground-water flow. The purpose of this Analysis/Modeling Report (AMR) is to document the three-dimensional (3D) hydrogeologic framework model (HFM) that has been constructed specifically to support development of a site-scale ground-water flow and transport model. Because the HFM provides the fundamental geometric framework for constructing the site-scale 3D ground-water flow model that will be used to evaluate potential radionuclide transport through the saturated zone (SZ) from beneath the potential repository to down-gradient compliance points, the HFM is important for assessing potential repository system performance. This AMR documents the progress of the understanding of the site-scale SZ ground-water flow system framework at Yucca Mountain based on data through July 1999. The

Estimation of hydrologic properties of an unsaturated, fractured rock mass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klavetter, E.A.; Peters, R.R.

1986-07-01

In this document, two distinctly different approaches are used to develop continuum models to evaluate water movement in a fractured rock mass. Both models provide methods for estimating rock-mass hydrologic properties. Comparisons made over a range of different tuff properties show good qualitative and quantitative agreement between estimates of rock-mass hydrologic properties made by the two models. This document presents a general discussion of: (1) the hydrology of Yucca Mountain, and the conceptual hydrological model currently being used for the Yucca Mountain site, (2) the development of two models that may be used to estimate the hydrologic properties of a fractured, porous rock mass, and (3) a comparison of the hydrologic properties estimated by these two models. Although the models were developed in response to hydrologic characterization requirements at Yucca Mountain, they can be applied to water movement in any fractured rock mass that satisfies the given assumptions

Equilibrium sorption of cobalt, cesium, and strontium on Bandelier Tuff: analysis of alternative mathematical modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polzer, W.L.; Fuentes, H.R.; Essington, E.H.; Roensch, F.R.

1985-01-01

Sorption isotherms are derived from batch equilibrium data for cobalt, cesium and strontium on Bandelier Tuff. Experiments were conducted at an average temperature of 23 0 C and equilibrium was defined at 48 hours. The solute concentrations ranged from 0 to 500 mg/L. The radioactive isotopes 60 Co, 137 Cs, and 85 Sr were used to trace the sorption of the stable solutes. The Linear, Langmuir, Freundlich and a Modified Freundlich isotherm equations are evaluated. The Modified Freundlich isotherm equation is validated as a preferred general mathematical tool for representing the sorption of the three solutes. The empirical constants derived from the Modified Freundlich isotherm equation indicate that under dynamic flow conditions strontium will move most rapidly and cobalt least rapidly. On the other hand, chemical dispersion will be greatest for cesium and least for strontium. Hill Plots of the sorption data suggest that in the region of low saturation sorption of all three solutes is impeded by interactions among sorption sites; cobalt exhibits the greatest effect of interactions and strontium shows only a minimal effect. In the saturation region of 50% or more, sorption of cobalt is enhanced slightly by interactions among sorption sites whereas sorption of cesium and strontium appears to be independent of site interactions. 9 references, 4 figures, 2 tables

Triaxial- and uniaxial-compression testing methods developed for extraction of pore water from unsaturated tuff, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mower, T.E.; Higgins, J.D. [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (USA). Dept. of Geology and Geological Engineering; Yang, I.C. [Geological Survey, Denver, CO (USA). Water Resources Div.

1989-12-31

To support the study of hydrologic system in the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, two extraction methods were examined to obtain representative, uncontaminated pore-water samples from unsaturated tuff. Results indicate that triaxial compression, which uses a standard cell, can remove pore water from nonwelded tuff that has an initial moisture content greater than 11% by weight; uniaxial compression, which uses a specifically fabricated cell, can extract pore water from nonwelded tuff that has an initial moisture content greater than 8% and from welded tuff that has an initial moisture content greater than 6.5%. For the ambient moisture conditions of Yucca Mountain tuffs, uniaxial compression is the most efficient method of pore-water extraction. 12 refs., 7 figs., 2 tabs.

Saturated Zone In-Situ Testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reimus, P. W.; Umari, M. J.

2003-01-01

The purpose of this scientific analysis is to document the results and interpretations of field experiments that have been conducted to test and validate conceptual flow and radionuclide transport models in the saturated zone (SZ) near Yucca Mountain. The test interpretations provide estimates of flow and transport parameters that are used in the development of parameter distributions for Total System Performance Assessment (TSPA) calculations. These parameter distributions are documented in the revisions to the SZ flow model report (BSC 2003 [ 162649]), the SZ transport model report (BSC 2003 [ 162419]), the SZ colloid transport report (BSC 2003 [162729]), and the SZ transport model abstraction report (BSC 2003 [1648701]). Specifically, this scientific analysis report provides the following information that contributes to the assessment of the capability of the SZ to serve as a barrier for waste isolation for the Yucca Mountain repository system: (1) The bases for selection of conceptual flow and transport models in the saturated volcanics and the saturated alluvium located near Yucca Mountain. (2) Results and interpretations of hydraulic and tracer tests conducted in saturated fractured volcanics at the C-wells complex near Yucca Mountain. The test interpretations include estimates of hydraulic conductivities, anisotropy in hydraulic conductivity, storativities, total porosities, effective porosities, longitudinal dispersivities, matrix diffusion mass transfer coefficients, matrix diffusion coefficients, fracture apertures, and colloid transport parameters. (3) Results and interpretations of hydraulic and tracer tests conducted in saturated alluvium at the Alluvium Testing Complex (ATC), which is located at the southwestern corner of the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The test interpretations include estimates of hydraulic conductivities, storativities, total porosities, effective porosities, longitudinal dispersivities, matrix diffusion mass transfer coefficients, and

Saturated Zone In-Situ Testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

P. W. Reimus; M. J. Umari

2003-12-23

The purpose of this scientific analysis is to document the results and interpretations of field experiments that have been conducted to test and validate conceptual flow and radionuclide transport models in the saturated zone (SZ) near Yucca Mountain. The test interpretations provide estimates of flow and transport parameters that are used in the development of parameter distributions for Total System Performance Assessment (TSPA) calculations. These parameter distributions are documented in the revisions to the SZ flow model report (BSC 2003 [ 162649]), the SZ transport model report (BSC 2003 [ 162419]), the SZ colloid transport report (BSC 2003 [162729]), and the SZ transport model abstraction report (BSC 2003 [1648701]). Specifically, this scientific analysis report provides the following information that contributes to the assessment of the capability of the SZ to serve as a barrier for waste isolation for the Yucca Mountain repository system: (1) The bases for selection of conceptual flow and transport models in the saturated volcanics and the saturated alluvium located near Yucca Mountain. (2) Results and interpretations of hydraulic and tracer tests conducted in saturated fractured volcanics at the C-wells complex near Yucca Mountain. The test interpretations include estimates of hydraulic conductivities, anisotropy in hydraulic conductivity, storativities, total porosities, effective porosities, longitudinal dispersivities, matrix diffusion mass transfer coefficients, matrix diffusion coefficients, fracture apertures, and colloid transport parameters. (3) Results and interpretations of hydraulic and tracer tests conducted in saturated alluvium at the Alluvium Testing Complex (ATC), which is located at the southwestern corner of the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The test interpretations include estimates of hydraulic conductivities, storativities, total porosities, effective porosities, longitudinal dispersivities, matrix diffusion mass transfer coefficients, and

Triaxial-compression extraction of pore water from unsaturated tuff, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, I.C.; Turner, A.K.; Sayre, T.M.; Montazer, P.

1988-01-01

The purpose of this experiment was to design and validate methods for extracting uncontaminated pore water from nonwelded parts of this tuff. Pore water is needed for chemical analysis to help characterize the local hydrologic system. A standard Hoek-Franklin triaxial cell was modified to create a chemically inert pore-water-extraction system. Experimentation was designed to determine the optimum stress and duration of triaxial compression for efficient extraction of uncontaminated pore water. Experimental stress paths consisted of a series of increasing stress levels. Trial axial stress levels ranged from 41 to 190 megapascals with lateral confining stresses of 34 to 69 megapascals. The duration of compression at any given stress level lasted from 10 minutes to 15 hours. A total of 40 experimental extraction trials were made. Tuff samples used in these tests were collected from drill-hole core from the Paintbrush nonwelded unit at Yucca Mountain. Pore water was extracted from tuff samples that had a water content greater than 13 percent by weight. Two stress paths have been determined to be applicable for future pore-water extraction from nonwelded tuff at Yucca Mountain. The initial water content of a sample affects the selection of an appropriate period of compression. 39 refs., 55 figs

Sensitivity analysis of tracer transport in variably saturated soils at USDA-ARS OPE3 field site

Science.gov (United States)

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of uncertainties in hydrologic and geochemical parameters on the results of simulations of the tracer transport in variably saturated soils at the USDA-ARS OPE3 field site. A tracer experiment with a pulse of KCL solution applied to an irrigatio...

K-Ar age estimate for the KBS Tuff, East Turkana, Kenya

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDougall, I.; Maier, R.; Sutherland-Hawkes, P.; Gleadow, A.J.W.

1980-01-01

Stone tools and numerous vertebrate fossils including hominids, have been found in close stratigraphic proximity to the KBS Tuff, whose age has been the subject of much debate. Concordant K-Ar ages, averaging 1.89 +- 0.01 Myr, are reported on anorthoclase phenocrysts from 13 pumice clasts collected from within the KBS Tuff or its correlatives. It is believed that this age is the best estimate currently available for the time of formation of this important marker horizon within the East Turkana Basin. (author)

Discrete-fracture-model of multi–scale time-splitting two–phase flow including nanoparticles transport in fractured porous media

KAUST Repository

El-Amin, Mohamed

2017-11-23

In this article, we consider a two-phase immiscible incompressible flow including nanoparticles transport in fractured heterogeneous porous media. The system of the governing equations consists of water saturation, Darcy’s law, nanoparticles concentration in water, deposited nanoparticles concentration on the pore-wall, and entrapped nanoparticles concentration in the pore-throat, as well as, porosity and permeability variation due to the nanoparticles deposition/entrapment on/in the pores. The discrete-fracture model (DFM) is used to describe the flow and transport in fractured porous media. Moreover, multiscale time-splitting strategy has been employed to manage different time-step sizes for different physics, such as saturation, concentration, etc. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed multi-scale time splitting approach.

Discrete-fracture-model of multi–scale time-splitting two–phase flow including nanoparticles transport in fractured porous media

KAUST Repository

El-Amin, Mohamed; Kou, Jisheng; Sun, Shuyu

2017-01-01

In this article, we consider a two-phase immiscible incompressible flow including nanoparticles transport in fractured heterogeneous porous media. The system of the governing equations consists of water saturation, Darcy’s law, nanoparticles concentration in water, deposited nanoparticles concentration on the pore-wall, and entrapped nanoparticles concentration in the pore-throat, as well as, porosity and permeability variation due to the nanoparticles deposition/entrapment on/in the pores. The discrete-fracture model (DFM) is used to describe the flow and transport in fractured porous media. Moreover, multiscale time-splitting strategy has been employed to manage different time-step sizes for different physics, such as saturation, concentration, etc. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed multi-scale time splitting approach.

Stonewall Mountain Volcanic Center, southern Nevada: Stratigraphic, structural, and facies relations of outflow sheets, near-vent tuffs, and intracaldera units

Science.gov (United States)

Weiss, Steven I.; Noble, Donald C.

1989-05-01

Directly south and southeast of Stonewall Mountain, Nevada, a depression and north facing caldera scarp were formed during and(or) after eruption of the Spearhead Member of the late Miocene Stonewall Flat Tuff. Abundant large lithic and juvenile blocks are present in the Spearhead Member within 0.5 km of this topographic margin but absent elsewhere in the ash-flow sheet, consistent with eruption from vents in the Stonewall Mountain area. Within about 100,000 years, comendite tuff of the overlying Civet Cat Canyon Member of the Stonewall Flat Tuff buried the depression and associated scarp. The Civet Cat Canyon Member is traceable continuously to the north from an outflow sheet capping northwestern Pahute Mesa, into near-vent tuff on the southeastern flank of Stonewall Mountain. Proximal outflow-sheet tuff locally exhibits strong rheomorphic disruption and is overlain without a cooling break by surge, flow, and fall deposits of trachytic composition. Much of Stonewall Mountain is composed of welded tuff and megabreccia interpreted as intracaldera tuff of the Civet Cat Canyon Member, strongly suggesting that the vent area of the member was largely within Stonewall Mountain. Welded tuff of trachytic composition comprises an important part of the intracaldera Civet Cat Canyon Member, which was intruded by dikes and plugs of trachyte and rhyolite. Juvenile inclusions of basalt dispersed in near-vent facies trachyte tuff provide direct evidence for the high-level involvement of basaltic magma in the evolution of the highly potassic Stonewall Mountain center. Complex discordant compaction foliations and the widespread presence of megabreccia within the intracaldera tuff suggest, following Foley (1978), cauldron subsidence by piecemeal collapse during eruption of the Civet Cat Canyon Member. The elevation of intracaldera tuff and intrusions in Stonewall Mountain above the surrounding ashflow sheet suggests a significant amount of magmatic uplift, perhaps involving the

Biogas cleaning and upgrading with natural zeolites from tuffs.

Science.gov (United States)

Paolini, Valerio; Petracchini, Francesco; Guerriero, Ettore; Bencini, Alessandro; Drigo, Serena

2016-01-01

CO2 adsorption on synthetic zeolites has become a consolidated approach for biogas upgrading to biomethane. As an alternative to synthetic zeolites, tuff waste from building industry was investigated in this study: indeed, this material is available at a low price and contains a high fraction of natural zeolites. A selective adsorption of CO2 and H2S towards CH4 was confirmed, allowing to obtain a high-purity biomethane (CO2 biogas samples were used, and no significant effects due to biogas impurities (e.g. humidity, dust, moisture, etc.) were observed. Thermal and vacuum regenerations were also optimized and confirmed to be possible, without significant variations in efficiency. Hence, natural zeolites from tuffs may successfully be used in a pressure/vacuum swing adsorption process.

TRUST: A Computer Program for Variably Saturated Flow in Multidimensional, Deformable Media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reisenauer, A. E.; Key, K. T.; Narasimhan, T. N.; Nelson, R. W.

1982-01-01

The computer code, TRUST. provides a versatile tool to solve a wide spectrum of fluid flow problems arising in variably saturated deformable porous media. The governing equations express the conservation of fluid mass in an elemental volume that has a constant volume of solid. Deformation of the skeleton may be nonelastic. Permeability and compressibility coefficients may be nonlinearly related to effective stress. Relationships between permeability and saturation with pore water pressure in the unsaturated zone may include hysteresis. The code developed by T. N. Narasimhan grew out of the original TRUNP code written by A. L. Edwards. The code uses an integrated finite difference algorithm for numerically solving the governing equation. Narching in time is performed by a mixed explicit-implicit numerical procedure in which the time step is internally controlled. The time step control and related feature in the TRUST code provide an effective control of the potential numerical instabilities that can arise in the course of solving this difficult class of nonlinear boundary value problem. This document brings together the equations, theory, and users manual for the code as well as a sample case with input and output.

Tracer transport in fractures: analysis of field data based on a variable - aperture channel model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsang, C.F.; Tsang, Y.W.; Hale, F.V.

1991-06-01

A variable-aperture channel model is used as the basis to interpret data from a three-year tracer transport experiment in fractured rocks. The data come from the so-called Stripa-3D experiment performed by Neretnieks and coworkers. Within the framework of the variable-aperture channel conceptual model, tracers are envisioned as travelling along a number of variable-aperture flow channels, whose properties are related to the mean b - and standard deviation σ b of the fracture aperture distribution. Two methods are developed to address the presence of strong time variation of the tracer injection flow rate in this experiment. The first approximates the early part of the injection history by an exponential decay function and is applicable to the early time tracer breakthrough data. The second is a deconvolution method involving the use of Toeplitz matrices and is applicable over the complete period of variable injection of the tracers. Both methods give consistent results. These results include not only estimates of b and σ, but also ranges of Peclet numbers, dispersivity and an estimate of the number of channels involved in the tracer transport. An interesting and surprising observation is that the data indicate that the Peclet number increases with the mean travel time: i.e., dispersivity decreasing with mean travel time. This trend is consistent with calculated results of tracer transport in multiple variable-aperture fractures in series. The meaning of this trend is discussed in terms of the strong heterogeneity of the flow system. (au) (22 refs.)

Hydraulic Characterization of Overpressured Tuffs in Central Yucca Flat, Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

K.J. Halford; R.J. Laczniak; D.L. Galloway

2005-10-07

A sequence of buried, bedded, air-fall tuffs has been used extensively as a host medium for underground nuclear tests detonated in the central part of Yucca Flat at the Nevada Test Site. Water levels within these bedded tuffs have been elevated hundreds of meters in areas where underground nuclear tests were detonated below the water table. Changes in the ground-water levels within these tuffs and changes in the rate and distribution of land-surface subsidence above these tuffs indicate that pore-fluid pressures have been slowly depressurizing since the cessation of nuclear testing in 1992. Declines in ground-water levels concurrent with regional land subsidence are explained by poroelastic deformation accompanying ground-water flow as fluids pressurized by underground nuclear detonations drain from the host tuffs into the overlying water table and underlying regional carbonate aquifer. A hydraulic conductivity of about 3 x 10-6 m/d and a specific storage of 9 x 10-6 m-1 are estimated using ground-water flow models. Cross-sectional and three-dimensional ground-water flow models were calibrated to measured water levels and to land-subsidence rates measured using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar. Model results are consistent and indicate that about 2 million m3 of ground water flowed from the tuffs to the carbonate rock as a result of pressurization caused by underground nuclear testing. The annual rate of inflow into the carbonate rock averaged about 0.008 m/yr between 1962 and 2005, and declined from 0.005 m/yr in 2005 to 0.0005 m/yr by 2300.

Evenly-spaced columns in the Bishop Tuff as relicts of hydrothermal convection

Science.gov (United States)

Randolph-Flagg, N. G.; Breen, S. J.; Hernandez, A.; Self, S.; Manga, M.

2015-12-01

A few square km of the Bishop Tuff in eastern California, USA have evenly spaced erosional columns. These columns are more resistant to erosion due to the precipitation of the low-temperature zeolite (120-200 ºC), mordenite, which is not found in the surrounding tuff. Similar features observed in the Bandelier Tuff were hypothesized to form when cold water from above infiltrated into the still-hot tuff interior. This water would become gravitationally unstable and produced convection with steam upwellings and liquid water downwellings. These downwellings became cemented with mordenite while the upwellings were too dry for chemical reactions. We use two methods to quantitatively assess this hypothesis. First, scaling that ignores the effects of latent heat and mineral precipitation suggests the Rayleigh number (Ra, a measure of convective vigor) for this system is ~103 well above the critical Ra of 4π2. Second, to account for the effect of multiphase flow and latent heat, we use two-dimensional numerical models in the finite difference code HYDROTHERM. We find that the geometry of flow is consistent with field observations and confirm that geometry is sensitive to permeability and topography. These tests suggest a few things about low-pressure hydrothermal systems. 1) The geometry of at least some convection appears to be broadly captured by linear stability theory that ignores reactive transport, heterogeneity of host rock, and the effects of latent heat. 2) Topographic flow sets the wavelength of convection meaning that these columns formed somewhere without topography—probably a lake. Finally, these observations imply a wet paleoclimate in the Eastern Sierra namely that, in the aftermath of the Long Valley eruption, either rain or snow was able to pool in the caldera before the tuff cooled on the order of a hundred years after the eruption.

Performance prediction of mechanical excavators from linear cutter tests on Yucca Mountain welded tuffs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gertsch, R.; Ozdemir, L.

1992-09-01

The performances of mechanical excavators are predicted for excavations in welded tuff. Emphasis is given to tunnel boring machine evaluations based on linear cutting machine test data obtained on samples of Topopah Spring welded tuff. The tests involve measurement of forces as cutters are applied to the rock surface at certain spacing and penetrations. Two disc and two point-attack cutters representing currently available technology are thus evaluated. The performance predictions based on these direct experimental measurements are believed to be more accurate than any previous values for mechanical excavation of welded tuff. The calculations of performance are predicated on minimizing the amount of energy required to excavate the welded tuff. Specific energy decreases with increasing spacing and penetration, and reaches its lowest at the widest spacing and deepest penetration used in this test program. Using the force, spacing, and penetration data from this experimental program, the thrust, torque, power, and rate of penetration are calculated for several types of mechanical excavators. The results of this study show that the candidate excavators will require higher torque and power than heretofore estimated

Performance testing of waste forms in a tuff environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oversby, V.M.

1983-11-01

This paper describes experimental work conducted to establish the chemical composition of water which will have reacted with Topopah Spring Member tuff prior to contact with waste packages. The experimental program to determine the behavior of spent fuel and borosilicate glass in the presence of this water is then described. Preliminary results of experiments using spent fuel segments with defects in the Zircaloy cladding are presented. Some results from parametric testing of a borosilicate glass with tuff and 304L stainless steel are also discussed. Experiments conducted using Topopah Spring tuff and J-13 well water have been conducted to provide an estimate of the post-emplacement environment for waste packages in a repository at Yucca Mountain. The results show that emplacement of waste packages should cause only small changes in the water chemistry and rock mineralogy. The changes in environment should not have any detrimental effects on the performance of metal barriers or waste forms. The NNWSI waste form testing program has provided preliminary results related to the release rate of radionuclides from the waste package. Those results indicate that release rates from both spent fuel and borosilicate glass should be below 1 part in 10 5 per year. Future testing will be directed toward making release rate testing more closely relevant to site specific conditions. 17 references, 7 figures

Fracture toughness of irradiated stainless steel alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mills, W.J.

1986-01-01

The postirradiation fracture toughness responses of Types 316 and 304 stainless steel (SS) wrought products, cast CF8 SS and Type 308 SS weld deposit were characterized at 427 0 C using J/sub R/-curve techniques. Fast-neutron irradiation of these alloys caused an order of magnitude reduction in J/sub c/ and two orders of magnitude reduction in tearing modulus at neutron exposures above 10 dpa, where radiation-induced losses in toughness appeared to saturate. Saturation J/sub c/ values for the wrought materials ranged from 28 to 31 kJ/m 2 ; the weld exhibited a saturation level of 11 kJ/m 2 . Maximum allowable flaw sizes for highly irradiated stainless steel components stressed to 90% of the unirradiated yield strength are on the order of 3 cm for the wrought material and 1 cm for the weld. Electron fractographic examination revealed that irradiation displacement damage brought about a transition from ductile microvoid coalescence to channel fracture, associated with local separation along planar deformation bands. The lower saturation toughness value for the weld relative to that for the wrought products was attributed to local failure of ferrite particles ahead of the advancing crack which prematurely initiated channel fracture

Numerical analysis of a proposed percolation experiment at the Pena Blanca natural analog site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, R.T.; Rice, G.

1995-01-01

A field-scale percolation test is proposed for the Pena Blanca natural analog site near Chihuahua, MX. To aid in design of the field test, the V-TOUGH two-phase flow simulator was applied to model percolation of water through 8 to 10 m of partially saturated fractured tuff. The rock was characterized as a composite medium using measured hydraulic properties for the rock matrix and estimated values for the fractures. Measured matrix permeability varied over four orders of magnitude and fracture apertures were estimated to range from 10 to 1,000 μm. Water arrival times were predicted to vary between one day to 10,000 yr. The utility of the composite model and other representations of flow through fractured porous media can be tested using results from the field scale infiltration test data

Analytical Estimation of Water-Oil Relative Permeabilities through Fractures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saboorian-Jooybari Hadi

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Modeling multiphase flow through fractures is a key issue for understanding flow mechanism and performance prediction of fractured petroleum reservoirs, geothermal reservoirs, underground aquifers and carbon-dioxide sequestration. One of the most challenging subjects in modeling of fractured petroleum reservoirs is quantifying fluids competition for flow in fracture network (relative permeability curves. Unfortunately, there is no standard technique for experimental measurement of relative permeabilities through fractures and the existing methods are very expensive, time consuming and erroneous. Although, several formulations were presented to calculate fracture relative permeability curves in the form of linear and power functions of flowing fluids saturation, it is still unclear what form of relative permeability curves must be used for proper modeling of flow through fractures and consequently accurate reservoir simulation. Basically, the classic linear relative permeability (X-type curves are used in almost all of reservoir simulators. In this work, basic fluid flow equations are combined to develop a new simple analytical model for water-oil two phase flow in a single fracture. The model gives rise to simple analytic formulations for fracture relative permeabilities. The model explicitly proves that water-oil relative permeabilities in fracture network are functions of fluids saturation, viscosity ratio, fluids density, inclination of fracture plane from horizon, pressure gradient along fracture and rock matrix wettability, however they were considered to be only functions of saturations in the classic X-type and power (Corey [35] and Honarpour et al. [28, 29] models. Eventually, validity of the proposed formulations is checked against literature experimental data. The proposed fracture relative permeability functions have several advantages over the existing ones. Firstly, they are explicit functions of the parameters which are known for

Theoretical and experimental investigation of thermohydrologic processes in a partially saturated, fractured porous medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, R.T.; Manteufel, R.D.; Dodge, F.T.; Svedeman, S.J.

1993-07-01

The performance of a geologic repository for high-level nuclear waste will be influenced to a large degree by thermohydrologic phenomena created by the emplacement of heat-generating radioactive waste. The importance of these phenomena is manifest in that they can greatly affect the movement of moisture and the resulting transport of radionuclides from the repository. Thus, these phenomena must be well understood prior to a definitive assessment of a potential repository site. An investigation has been undertaken along three separate avenues of analysis: (i) laboratory experiments, (ii) mathematical models, and (iii) similitude analysis. A summary of accomplishments to date is as follows. (1) A review of the literature on the theory of heat and mass transfer in partially saturated porous medium. (2) A development of the governing conservation and constitutive equations. (3) A development of a dimensionless form of the governing equations. (4) A numerical study of the importance and sensitivity of flow to a set of dimensionless groups. (5) A survey and evaluation of experimental measurement techniques. (6) Execution of laboratory experiments of nonisothermal flow in a porous medium with a simulated fracture

Fracture toughness of A533B Part III - variability of A533B fracture toughness as determined from Charpy data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Druce, S.G.; Eyre, B.L.

1978-08-01

This is the final part of a series of three reports examining the upper shelf fracture toughness of A533B Class 1 pressure vessel steel. Part I (AERE R 8968) critically reviews the current elasto plastic fracture mechanics methodologies employed to characterise toughness following extensive yielding and Part II (AERE R 8969) examines several sources of fracture mechanics data pertinent to A533B Class 1 in the longitudinal (RW) orientation. Part III is a review of the effects of (i) position and orientation within the plate (ii) welding processes and post weld heat treatment and (iii) neutron irradiation as measured by Charpy impact testing. It is concluded that the upper shelf factor energy is dependent on orientation and position and can be reduced by welding, extended post weld heat treatments and neutron irradiation. Neutron irradiation effects are known to be strongly dependent on composition and metallurgical conditions, but an explanation for the variability following extended post weld treatments has yet to be resolved. (author)

Bench-scale experimental determination of the thermal diffusivity of crushed tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryder, E.E.; Finley, R.E.; George, J.T.; Ho, C.K.; Longenbaugh, R.S.; Connolly, J.R.

1996-06-01

A bench-scale experiment was designed and constructed to determine the effective thermal diffusivity of crushed tuff. Crushed tuff particles ranging from 12.5 mm to 37.5 mm (0.5 in. to 1.5 in.) were used to fill a cylindrical volume of 1.58 m 3 at an effective porosity of 0.48. Two iterations of the experiment were completed; the first spanning approximately 502 hours and the second 237 hours. Temperatures near the axial heater reached 700 degrees C, with a significant volume of the test bed exceeding 100 degrees C. Three post-test analysis techniques were used to estimate the thermal diffusivity of the crushed tuff. The first approach used nonlinear parameter estimation linked to a one dimensional radial conduction model to estimate thermal diffusivity from the first 6 hours of test data. The second method used the multiphase TOUGH2 code in conjunction with the first 20 hours of test data not only to estimate the crushed tuffs thermal diffusivity, but also to explore convective behavior within the test bed. Finally, the nonlinear conduction code COYOTE-II was used to determine thermal properties based on 111 hours of cool-down data. The post-test thermal diffusivity estimates of 5.0 x 10-7 m 2 /s to 6.6 x 10-7 m 2 /s were converted to effective thermal conductivities and compared to estimates obtained from published porosity-based relationships. No obvious match between the experimental data and published relationships was found to exist; however, additional data for other particle sizes and porosities are needed

A numerical study of water percolation through an unsaturated variable aperture fracture under coupled thermomechanical effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsang, C.F.; Noorishad, J.; Hale, F.V.

1991-12-01

In calculation of ground water travel times associated with performance assessment of a nuclear waste repository, the role of fractures may turn out to be very important. There are two aspects related to fracture flow that have not been fully resolved. The first is the effect of coupled thermomechanical impact on fracture apertures due to the thermal output of the nuclear waste repository. The second is the effect of the variable aperture nature of the fractures. The present paper is an exploratory study of the impact of these two effects on water percolation through unsaturated fractures. The paper is divided into two main sections. the first section describes a calculation of the thermomechanical behavior of the geologic formation around a waste repository. In this exploratory study we assume two major fractures, one vertical and one horizontal through the repository center. Temperatures and thermally induced stress fields are calculated. The second part of the paper considers the unsaturated case and describes a study of water infiltration from the land surface through the vertical fracture to the repository

Mo and Ni Removal from Drinking Water Using Zeolitic Tuff from Jordan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khalil M. Ibrahim

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Mo and Ni metals could be hazardous in natural waters. The initial Mo and Ni concentration in the sampled domestic drinking water of north Jordan is 550 and 110 μg/L, respectively. The efficiency of using natural faujasite–phillipsite and phillipsite–chabazite tuffs in removing Mo and Ni from contaminated drinking water was tested. Batch experiments using different weights of the adsorbent were conducted at different contact times to determine the optimum conditions. The maximal uptake capacity of Mo from drinking water was equivalent to 440–420 μg/g adsorbent. The maximum removal efficiency of Mo by faujasite–phillipsite, phillipsite–chabazite, and the modified surfactant phillipsite–chabazite tuffs were 80%, 76%, and 78%, respectively. The proportional relationship between contact time and removal efficiency of Ni from water samples was observed. The maximum removal efficiency of Ni by the zeolitic tuffs is up to 90% compared to the original groundwater sample.

Preliminary drift design analyses for nuclear waste repository in tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hardy, M.P.; Brechtel, C.E.; Goodrich, R.R.; Bauer, S.J.

1990-01-01

The Yucca Mountain Project (YMP) is examining the feasibility of siting a repository for high-level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, on and adjacent to the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The proposed repository will be excavated in the Topopah Spring Member, which is a moderately fractured, unsaturated, welded tuff. Excavation stability will be required during construction, waste emplacement, retrieval (if required), and closure to ensure worker safety. The subsurface excavations will be subject to stress changes resulting from thermal expansion of the rock mass and seismic events associated with regional tectonic activity and underground nuclear explosions (UNEs). Analyses of drift stability are required to assess the acceptable waste emplacement density, to design the drift shapes and ground support systems, and to establish schedules and cost of construction. This paper outlines the proposed methodology to assess drift stability and then focuses on an example of its application to the YMP repository drifts based on preliminary site data. Because site characterization activities have not begun, the database currently lacks the extensive site-specific field and laboratory data needed to form conclusions as to the final ground support requirements. This drift design methodology will be applied and refined as more site-specific data are generated and as analytical techniques and methodologies are verified during the site characterization process

Multiscale time-splitting strategy for multiscale multiphysics processes of two-phase flow in fractured media

KAUST Repository

Sun, S.; Kou, J.; Yu, B.

2011-01-01

The temporal discretization scheme is one important ingredient of efficient simulator for two-phase flow in the fractured porous media. The application of single-scale temporal scheme is restricted by the rapid changes of the pressure and saturation in the fractured system with capillarity. In this paper, we propose a multi-scale time splitting strategy to simulate multi-scale multi-physics processes of two-phase flow in fractured porous media. We use the multi-scale time schemes for both the pressure and saturation equations; that is, a large time-step size is employed for the matrix domain, along with a small time-step size being applied in the fractures. The total time interval is partitioned into four temporal levels: the first level is used for the pressure in the entire domain, the second level matching rapid changes of the pressure in the fractures, the third level treating the response gap between the pressure and the saturation, and the fourth level applied for the saturation in the fractures. This method can reduce the computational cost arisen from the implicit solution of the pressure equation. Numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method.

The effects of confining pressure on the strength and elastic properties of the Paintbrush tuff recovered from boreholes USW NRG-6 and USW NRG-7/7A: Data report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, R.J.; Noel, J.S.; Boyd, P.J.

1997-09-01

Experimental results are presented for bulk and mechanical properties measurements on specimens of the Paintbrush tuff recovered from the USW NRG-6 and USW NRG-7/7A borehole at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Measurements have been performed on five thermal/mechanical units: TCw, PTn, TSw2, and TSw3. The following bulk properties are reported for each specimen: dry bulk density, saturated bulk density, average grain density and porosity. Confined compression to failure tests were performed on selected specimens recovered from the boreholes at confining pressures of 5 and 10 MPa. In addition, compressional and shear wave velocities were measured on the specimens prior to testing. Measurements were conducted under drained conditions at room temperature on nominally water saturated specimens. The nominal strain rate for the experiments was 10 -5 s -1

Mechanical interaction between swelling compacted clay and fractured rock, and the leaching of clay colloids

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Grindrod, P.; Peletier, M.A.; Takase, H.

1999-01-01

We consider the interaction between a saturated clay buffer layer and a fractured crystalline rock engineered disturbed zone. Once saturated, the clay extrudes into the available rock fractures, behaving as a compressible non-Newtonian fluid. We discuss the modelling implications of published

Corrosion testing of type 304L stainless steel in tuff groundwater environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Westerman, R.E.; Pitman, S.G.; Haberman, J.H.

1987-11-01

The stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance of Type 304L stainless steel (SS) to elevated temperatures in tuff rock and tuff groundwater environments was determined under irradiated and nonirradiated conditions using U-bend specimens and slow-strain-rate tests. The steel was tested both in the solution-annealed condition and after sensitization heat treatments. The material was found to be susceptible to SCC in both the solution-annealed and solution-annealed-and-sensitized conditions when exposed to an irradiated crushed tuff rock environment containing air and water vapor at 90 0 C. A similar exposure at 50 0 C did not result in failure after a 25-month test duration. Specimens of sensitized 304 SS conditioned with a variety of sensitization heat treatments resisted failure during a test of 1-year duration in which a nonirradiated environment of tuff rock and groundwater held at 200 0 C was allowed to boil to dryness on a cyclical basis. All specimens of sensitized 304 SS exposed to this environment failed. Slow-strain-rate studies were performed on 304L, 304, and 316L SS specimens. The 304L SS was tested in J-13 well water at 150 0 C, and the 316L SS at 95 0 C. Neither material showed evidence of SCC in these tests. Sensitized 304 SS did exhibit SCC in J-13 well water in tests conducted at 150 0 C. 12 refs., 27 figs., 13 tabs

Proposed sealing field tests for a potential high-level radioactive waste repository in unsaturated tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandez, J.A.; Case, J.B.; Tyburski, J.

1992-01-01

This paper contains a general description of the field tests proposed for the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project repository sealing program. The tests are intended to resolve various performance and emplacement concerns associated with sealing components. Ten discrete tests are proposed to address these concerns. These tests are divided into two categories -- simple and complex tests. The simple tests are: the small-scale in situ tests: the intermediate-scale borehole seal tests; the fracture grouting tests; the surface backfill tests; and the grouted rock mass tests. The complex tests are the seepage control tests; in situ backfill tests; in situ bulkhead tests; large-scale shaft seal tests; and remote borehole seal tests. These tests are proposed to be performed in welded and nonwelded tuff environments. The final selection of sealing tests will depend on the nature of the geologic and hydrologic conditions encountered during the development of the exploratory studies facility. Some tests may be performed before license application and some after license application

Relative Abundances of Calcite and Silica in Fracture Coatings as a Possible Indicator of Evaporation in a Thick Unsaturated Zone, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, B. D.; Moscati, R. J.

2005-12-01

Yucca Mountain, a ridge of shallowly dipping, Miocene-age volcanic rocks in southwest Nevada, is the proposed site for a nuclear waste repository to be constructed in the 500- to 700-m-thick unsaturated zone (UZ). At the proposed repository, the 300-m-thick Topopah Spring Tuff welded unit (TSw) is overlain by approximately 30 m of nonwelded tuffs (PTn); the Tiva Canyon Tuff welded unit (TCw) overlies the PTn with a range in thickness from 0 to approximately 130 m at the site. The amount of water percolation through the UZ is low and difficult to measure directly, but local seepage into mined tunnels has been observed in the TCw. Past water seepage in the welded tuffs is recorded by widespread, thin (0.3 cm) coatings of calcite and silica on fracture surfaces and within cavities. Abundances of calcite and silica in the coatings were determined by X-ray microfluorescence mapping and subsequent multispectral image analysis of over 200 samples. The images were classified into constituent phases including opal-chalcedony-quartz (secondary silica) and calcite. In the TCw samples, the median calcite/silica ratio is 8; in the TSw samples within 35 m below the PTn, median calcite/silica falls to 2, perhaps reflecting an increase in soluble silica from the presence of glass in the nonwelded tuffs. In the deeper parts of the TSw, median calcite/silica reaches 100 and many samples contain no detectable secondary silica phase. Evaporation and changing pCO2 control precipitation of calcite from water percolating downward in the UZ, but precipitation of opal requires only evaporation. Calcite/silica ratios, therefore, can constrain the relative importance of evaporation in the UZ. Although calcite/silica values scatter widely within the TSw, reflecting the spatial variability of gas and water flow, average calcite/silica ratios increase with stratigraphic depth, indicating less evaporation at the deeper levels of the UZ. Coupled with the much smaller calcite/silica ratios

Experimental and numerical analysis of two-phase flow in fractured porous media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindgaard, H F; Hoeier, C

1998-06-01

The objective of the physical experiments was to investigate how isolated fractures embedded in the matrix influence the imbibition process and to study their impact on the effective properties of the matrix block with respect to relative permeability, absolute permeability and remaining saturations. These investigations would be carried out by constructing various types of laboratory models using an artificial material. To mimic a rising aquifer in a producing reservoir, water should be injected from below in an oil saturated laboratory model, and oil production should take place from the top of the model. In order to be able to generalise the results from the investigations in the laboratory to a producing reservoir, the model should be scaled to reservoir conditions. Because of several problems related to the generation of an appropriate matrix material, the construction of a model, which did not leak during the experiments and the establishment of the initial saturation condition of the matrix material (oil saturated at irreducible water saturation), the stated aims have not been fully achieved. Only the impact of a continuous fracture system has been investigated by laboratory experiments. The water saturation distribution in the matrix during imbibition was continuously measured by a resistivity technique. The oil phase was stained, and the propagation of the water level in the continuous fracture system was studied visually during the experiment. The impact of an internal fracture has been investigated by numerical simulations. (EG)

Methodology for determining time-dependent mechanical properties of tuff subjected to near-field repository conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blacic, J.D.; Andersen, R.

1983-01-01

We have established a methodology to determine the time dependence of strength and transport properties of tuff under conditions appropriate to a nuclear waste repository. Exploratory tests to determine the approximate magnitudes of thermomechanical property changes are nearly complete. In this report we describe the capabilities of an apparatus designed to precisely measure the time-dependent deformation and permeability of tuff at simulated repository conditions. Preliminary tests with this new apparatus indicate that microclastic creep failure of tuff occurs over a narrow strain range with little precursory Tertiary creep behavior. In one test, deformation under conditions of slowly decreasing effective pressure resulted in failure, whereas some strain indicators showed a decreasing rate of strain

Methodology for determining time-dependent mechanical properties of tuff subjected to near-field repository conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blacic, J.D.; Andersen, R.

1983-01-01

We have established a methodology to determine the time dependence of strength and transport properties of tuff under conditions appropriate to a nuclear waste repository. Exploratory tests to determine the approximate magnitudes of thermomechanical property changes are nearly complete. In this report we describe the capabilities of an apparatus designed to precisely measure the time-dependent deformation and permeability of tuff at simulated repository conditions. Preliminary tests with this new apparatus indicate that microclastic creep failure of tuff occurs over a narrow strain range with little precursory Tertiary creep behavior. In one test, deformation under conditions of slowly decreasing effective pressure resulted in failure, whereas some strain indicators showed a decreasing rate of strain.

Stress corrosion cracking tests on high-level-waste container materials in simulated tuff repository environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abraham, T.; Jain, H.; Soo, P.

1986-06-01

Types 304L, 316L, and 321 austenitic stainless steel and Incoloy 825 are being considered as candidate container materials for emplacing high-level waste in a tuff repository. The stress corrosion cracking susceptibility of these materials under simulated tuff repository conditions was evaluated by using the notched C-ring method. The tests were conducted in boiling synthetic groundwater as well as in the steam/air phase above the boiling solutions. All specimens were in contact with crushed Topopah Spring tuff. The investigation showed that microcracks are frequently observed after testing as a result of stress corrosion cracking or intergranular attack. Results showing changes in water chemistry during test are also presented

Temporal Damping Effect of the Yucca Mountain Fractured Saturated Rock on Transient Infiltration Pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

K. Zhang; Y.S. Wu; L. Pan

2006-01-01

Performance assessment of the Yucca Mountain unsaturated zone (UZ) as the site for an underground repository of high-level radioactive waste relies on the crucial assumption that water percolation processes in the unsaturated zone can be approximated as a steady-state condition. Justification of such an assumption is based on temporal damping effects of several geological units within the unsaturated tuff formation. In particular, the nonwelded tuff of the Paintbrush Group (PTn unit) at Yucca Mountain, because of its highly porous nature, has been conceptualized to have a significant capacity for temporally damping transient percolation fluxes. The objective of this study is to investigate these damping effects, using a three-dimensional (3-D) mountain-scale model as well as several one-dimensional (1-D) models. The 3-D model incorporates a wide variety of the updated field data for the highly heterogeneous unsaturated formation at Yucca Mountain. The model is first run to steady state and calibrated using field-measured data and then transient pulse infiltrations are applied to the model top boundary. Subsequent changes in percolation fluxes at the bottom of and within the PTn unit are examined under episodic infiltration boundary conditions. The 1-D model is used to examine the long-term response of the flow system to higher infiltration pulses, while the damping effect is also investigated through modeling tracer transport in the UZ under episodic infiltration condition. Simulation results show the existence of damping effects within the PTn unit and also indicate that the assumption of steady-state flow conditions below the PTn unit is reasonable. However, the study also finds that some fast flow paths along faults exist, causing vertical-flux quick responses at the PTn bottom to the episodic infiltration at the top boundary

Using chloride to trace water movement in the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fabryka-Martin, J.T.; Winters, S.T.; Wolfsberg, A.V.; Wolfsberg, L.E.; Roach, J.L.

1998-01-01

The nonwelded Paintbrush Tuff (PTn) hydrogeologic unit is postulated as playing a critical role in the redistribution of moisture in the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Fracture-dominated flow in the overlying low-permeability, highly fractured Tiva Canyon welded (TCw) unit is expected to transition to matrix-dominated flow in the high-permeability, comparatively unfractured PTn. The transition process from fracture to matrix flow in the PTn, as well as the transition from low to high matrix storage capacity, is expected to damp out most of the seasonal, decadal, and secular variability in surface infiltration. This process should also result in the homogenization of the variable geochemical and isotopic characteristics of pore water entering the top of the PTn. In contrast, fault zones that provide continuous fracture pathways through the PTn may damp climatic and geochemical variability only slightly and may provide fast paths from the surface to the sampled depths, whether within the PTn or in underlying welded tuffs. Chloride (Cl) content and other geochemical data obtained from PTn pore-water samples can be used to independently derive infiltration rates for comparison with surface infiltration estimates, to evaluate the role of structural features as fast paths, and to assess the prevalence and extent to which water may be laterally diverted in the PTn due to contrasting hydrologic properties of its subunits

Numerical Study of the Influence of Cavity on Immiscible Liquid Transport in Varied-Wettability Fractures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhi Dou

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Field evidence indicates that cavities often occur in fractured rocks, especially in a Karst region. Once the immiscible liquid flows into the cavity, the cavity has the immiscible liquid entrapped and results in a low recovery ratio. In this paper, the immiscible liquid transport in cavity-fractures was simulated by Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM. The interfacial and surface tensions were incorporated by Multicomponent Shan-Chen (MCSC model. Three various fracture positions were generated to investigate the influence on the irreducible nonwetting phase saturation and displacement time. The influences of fracture aperture and wettability on the immiscible liquid transport were discussed and analyzed. It was found that the cavity resulted in a long displacement time. Increasing the fracture aperture with the corresponding decrease in displacement pressure led to the long displacement time. This consequently decreased the irreducible nonwetting phase saturation. The fracture positions had a significant effect on the displacement time and irreducible saturation. The distribution of the irreducible nonwetting phase was strongly dependent on wettability and fracture position. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that the LBM was very effective in simulating the immiscible two-phase flow in the cavity-fracture.

A reactive transport modelling approach to assess the leaching potential of hydraulic fracturing fluids associated with coal seam gas extraction

Science.gov (United States)

Mallants, Dirk; Simunek, Jirka; Gerke, Kirill

2015-04-01

Coal Seam Gas production generates large volumes of "produced" water that may contain compounds originating from the use of hydraulic fracturing fluids. Such produced water also contains elevated concentrations of naturally occurring inorganic and organic compounds, and usually has a high salinity. Leaching of produced water from storage ponds may occur as a result of flooding or containment failure. Some produced water is used for irrigation of specific crops tolerant to elevated salt levels. These chemicals may potentially contaminate soil, shallow groundwater, and groundwater, as well as receiving surface waters. This paper presents an application of scenario modelling using the reactive transport model for variably-saturated media HP1 (coupled HYDRUS-1D and PHREEQC). We evaluate the fate of hydraulic fracturing chemicals and naturally occurring chemicals in soil as a result of unintentional release from storage ponds or when produced water from Coal Seam Gas operations is used in irrigation practices. We present a review of exposure pathways and relevant hydro-bio-geo-chemical processes, a collation of physico-chemical properties of organic/inorganic contaminants as input to a set of generic simulations of transport and attenuation in variably saturated soil profiles. We demonstrate the ability to model the coupled processes of flow and transport in soil of contaminants associated with hydraulic fracturing fluids and naturally occurring contaminants.

Juvenile fragment studies on lapilli tuffs of the Messel maar-diatreme-volcano, Germany: implications for rockmagnetic properties

Science.gov (United States)

Nitzsche, T.; de Wall, H.; Rolf, C.; Schuessler, U.

2006-12-01

In 2001 the 433 m deep Messel 2001 bore hole was drilled in the centre of the Messel Pit, 25 km south of Frankfurt (Germany). Interdisciplinary, geoscientific results obtained from this drilling proved the origin of the circular-shaped basin as a maar-diatreme-structure beneath the surface. Recovered deposits consist of sedimentary rocks (0-240 m) and volcaniclastic rocks such as lapilli tuffs (240-373 m) as well as rocks of the underlying diatreme breccia (373-433 m). The lapilli tuffs, as matter of interest here, show little differentiation on a macro- and microscopic scale and appear as unsorted volcaniclastics with dominating juvenile lapilli and accidental clasts in the range of (sub)millimetres to centimetres in diameter. Decimeter-sized blocks of the crystalline basement occur at certain depths, but are comparatively scarce and inconspicuous, concerning the total thickness of the tuffs. Rock magnetic properties measured on core samples of the lapilli tuffs explain the origin of detected downhole magnetic anomalies performed during the drilling project 2001. Thereby, the juvenile fragments as main carrier of ferrimagnetic minerals (titano-magnetites) specify the rock magnetic character of the volcanic material and account for downhole logging data of the magnetic susceptibility (MS) and the natural remanent magnetisation (NRM). Besides similar remanence acquisition properties throughout the lapilli tuffs, differences in the magnetic stability behaviour are realised for the upper and lower half of the tuffs. Thermal magnetic experiments prove the magnetic differences and the acquisition of (partial) thermal remanent magnetisation (pTRM), respectively, and allow estimations of emplacement temperatures 300 ° C for the lower half of the lapilli tuffs. This study deals with image analytical and geochemical investigations on juvenile fragments as implication for the rock magnetic results and provides insights into the heat and magma source of the Messel maar

Input saturation in nonlinear multivariable processes resolved by nonlinear decoupling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jens G. Balchen

1995-04-01

Full Text Available A new method is presented for the resolution of the problem of input saturation in nonlinear multivariable process control by means of elementary nonlinear decoupling (END. Input saturation can have serious consequences particularly in multivariable control because it may lead to very undesirable system behaviour and quite often system instability. Many authors have searched for systematic techniques for designing multivariable control systems in which saturation may occur in any of the control variables (inputs, manipulated variables. No generally accepted method seems to have been presented so far which gives a solution in closed form. The method of elementary nonlinear decoupling (END can be applied directly to the case of saturation control variables by deriving as many control strategies as there are combinations of saturating control variables. The method is demonstrated by the multivariable control of a simulated Fluidized Catalytic Cracker (FCC with very convincing results.

Using Combined X-ray Computed Tomography and Acoustic Resonance to Understand Supercritical CO2 Behavior in Fractured Sandstone

Science.gov (United States)

Kneafsey, T. J.; Nakagawa, S.

2015-12-01

Distribution of supercritical (sc) CO2 has a large impact on its flow behavior as well as on the properties of seismic waves used for monitoring. Simultaneous imaging of scCO2 distribution in a rock core using X-ray computed tomography (CT) and measurements of seismic waves in the laboratory can help understand how the distribution evolves as scCO2 invades through rock, and the resulting seismic signatures. To this end, we performed a series of laboratory scCO2 core-flood experiments in intact and fractured anisotropic Carbon Tan sandstone samples. In these experiments, we monitored changes in the CO2 saturation distribution and sonic-frequency acoustic resonances (yielding both seismic velocity and attenuation) over the course of the floods. A short-core resonant bar test system (Split-Hopkinson Resonant Bar Apparatus) custom fit into a long X-ray transparent pressure vessel was used for the seismic measurements, and a modified General Electric medical CT scanner was used to acquire X-ray CT data from which scCO2 saturation distributions were determined. The focus of the experiments was on the impact of single fractures on the scCO2 distribution and the seismic properties. For this reason, we examined several cases including 1. intact, 2. a closely mated fracture along the core axis, 3. a sheared fracture along the core axis (both vertical and horizontal for examining the buoyancy effect), and 4. a sheared fracture perpendicular to the core axis. For the intact and closely mated fractured cores, Young's modulus declined with increasing CO2 saturation, and attenuation increased up to about 15% CO2 saturation after which attenuation declined. For cores having wide axial fractures, the Young's modulus was lower than for the intact and closely mated cases, however did not change much with CO2 pore saturation. Much lower CO2 pore saturations were achieved in these cases. Attenuation increased more rapidly however than for the intact sample. For the core

Stratigraphy, sedimentology and eruptive mechanisms in the tuff cone of El Golfo (Lanzarote, Canary Islands)

Science.gov (United States)

Pedrazzi, Dario; Martí, Joan; Geyer, Adelina

2013-07-01

The tuff cone of El Golfo on the western coast of Lanzarote (Canary Islands) is a typical hydrovolcanic edifice. Along with other edifices of the same age, it was constructed along a fracture oriented NEE-SWW that coincides with the main structural trend of recent volcanism in this part of the island. We conducted a detailed stratigraphic study of the succession of deposits present in this tuff cone and here interpret them in light of the depositional processes and eruptive dynamics that we were able to infer. The eruptive sequence is represented by a succession of pyroclastic deposits, most of which were emplaced by flow, plus a number of air-fall deposits and ballistic blocks and bombs. We distinguished five different eruptive/depositional stages on the basis of differences in inferred current flow regimes and fragmentation efficiencies represented by the resulting deposits; the different stages may be related to variations in the explosive energy. Eight lithofacies were identified based on sedimentary discontinuities, grain size, components, variations in primary laminations and bedforms. The volcanic edifice was constructed very rapidly around the vent, and this is inferred to have controlled the amount of water that was able to enter the eruption conduit. The sedimentological characteristics of the deposits and the nature and distribution of palagonitic alteration suggest that most of the pyroclastic succession in El Golfo was deposited in a subaerial environment. This type of hydrovolcanic explosive activity is common in the coastal zones of Lanzarote and the other Canary Islands and is one of the main potential hazards that could threaten the human population of this archipelago. Detailed studies of these hydrovolcanic eruptions such as the one we present here can help volcanologists understand the hazards that this type of eruption can generate and provide essential information for undertaking risk assessment in similar volcanic environments.

Volcaniclastic dykes tell on fracturing, explosive eruption and lateral collapse at Stromboli volcano (Italy)

Science.gov (United States)

Vezzoli, Luigina; Corazzato, Claudia

2016-05-01

In the upper part of the Stromboli volcano, in the Le Croci and Bastimento areas, two dyke-like bodies of volcanic breccia up to two-metre thick crosscut and intrude the products of Vancori and Neostromboli volcanoes. We describe the lithofacies association of these unusual volcaniclastic dykes, interpret the setting of dyke-forming fractures and the emplacement mechanism of internal deposits, and discuss their probable relationships with the explosive eruption and major lateral collapse events that occurred at the end of the Neostromboli period. The dyke volcaniclastic deposits contain juvenile magmatic fragments (pyroclasts) suggesting a primary volcanic origin. Their petrographic characteristics are coincident with the Neostromboli products. The architecture of the infilling deposits comprises symmetrically-nested volcaniclastic units, separated by sub-vertical boundaries, which are parallel to the dyke margins. The volcanic units are composed of distinctive lithofacies. The more external facies is composed of fine and coarse ash showing sub-vertical laminations, parallel to the contact wall. The central facies comprises stratified, lithic-rich breccia and lapilli-tuff, whose stratification is sub-horizontal and convolute, discordant to the dyke margins. Only at Le Croci dyke, the final unit shows a massive tuff-breccia facies. The volcaniclastic dykes experienced a polyphasic geological evolution comprising three stages. The first phase consisted in fracturing, explosive intrusion related to magma rising and upward injection of magmatic fluids and pyroclasts. The second phase recorded the dilation of fractures and their role as pyroclastic conduits in an explosive eruption possibly coeval with the lateral collapse of the Neostromboli lava cone. Finally, in the third phase, the immediately post-eruption mass-flow remobilization of pyroclastic deposits took place on the volcano slopes.

Investigation of gas-oil gravity drainage in naturally fractured reservoirs using discrete fracture and matrix numerical model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bazr-Afkan, S.

2012-01-01

To simulate fluid flow in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs (NFRs), a new Descrete Fracture and Matrix (DFM) simulation technique is developed as a physically more realistic alternative to the dual continuum approach. This Finite-Element Centered Finite-Volume method (FECFVM) has the advantage over earlier FECFVM approaches that it honors saturation dicontinuities that can arise at material interfaces from the interplay of viscous, capillary and gravitational forces. By contrast with an earlier embedded-discontinuity DFEFVM method, the FECFVM achieves this without introducing additional degrees of freedom. It also allows to simulate capillary- and other fracture-matrix exchange processes using a lower dimensional representation of fractures, simplifying model construction and unstructured meshing as well as speeding up computations. A further step-up is obtained by solving the two-phase fluid-flow and saturation transport equations only on 'active elements'. This also diminishes round-off and truncation errors, reducing numerical diffusion during the solution of the transport equation. The FECFVM is verified by comparing IMPES operator-splitting sequential solutions with analytical ones, as well as benchmarking it against commercial reservoir simulators on simple geometries that these can represent. This testing confirms that my 2D FECFVM implementation simulates gravitational segregation, capillary redistribution, capillary barriers, and combinations thereof physically realistically, achieving (at least) first-order solution accuracy. Following this verification, the FECFVM is applied to study Gas-Oil Gravity Drainage (GOGD) process in cross-sectional models of layered NFRs. Here comparisons with dual continua simulations show that these do not capture a range of block-to-block effects, yielding over-optimistic drainage rates. Observations made on individual matrix blocks in the DFM simulations further reveal that their saturation evolution is at odds with the

Flow and transport in hierarchically fractured systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karasaki, K.

1993-01-01

Preliminary results indicate that flow in the saturated zone at Yucca Mountain is controlled by fractures. A current conceptual model assumes that the flow in the fracture system can be approximately by a three-dimensionally interconnected network of linear conduits. The overall flow system of rocks at Yucca Mountain is considered to consist of hierarchically structured heterogeneous fracture systems of multiple scales. A case study suggests that it is more appropriate to use the flow parameters of the large fracture system for predicting the first arrival time, rather than using the bulk average parameters of the total system

A Bézier-Spline-based Model for the Simulation of Hysteresis in Variably Saturated Soil

Science.gov (United States)

Cremer, Clemens; Peche, Aaron; Thiele, Luisa-Bianca; Graf, Thomas; Neuweiler, Insa

2017-04-01

Most transient variably saturated flow models neglect hysteresis in the p_c-S-relationship (Beven, 2012). Such models tend to inadequately represent matrix potential and saturation distribution. Thereby, when simulating flow and transport processes, fluid and solute fluxes might be overestimated (Russo et al., 1989). In this study, we present a simple, computationally efficient and easily applicable model that enables to adequately describe hysteresis in the p_c-S-relationship for variably saturated flow. This model can be seen as an extension to the existing play-type model (Beliaev and Hassanizadeh, 2001), where scanning curves are simplified as vertical lines between main imbibition and main drainage curve. In our model, we use continuous linear and Bézier-Spline-based functions. We show the successful validation of the model by numerically reproducing a physical experiment by Gillham, Klute and Heermann (1976) describing primary drainage and imbibition in a vertical soil column. With a deviation of 3%, the simple Bézier-Spline-based model performs significantly better that the play-type approach, which deviates by 30% from the experimental results. Finally, we discuss the realization of physical experiments in order to extend the model to secondary scanning curves and in order to determine scanning curve steepness. {Literature} Beven, K.J. (2012). Rainfall-Runoff-Modelling: The Primer. John Wiley and Sons. Russo, D., Jury, W. A., & Butters, G. L. (1989). Numerical analysis of solute transport during transient irrigation: 1. The effect of hysteresis and profile heterogeneity. Water Resources Research, 25(10), 2109-2118. https://doi.org/10.1029/WR025i010p02109. Beliaev, A.Y. & Hassanizadeh, S.M. (2001). A Theoretical Model of Hysteresis and Dynamic Effects in the Capillary Relation for Two-phase Flow in Porous Media. Transport in Porous Media 43: 487. doi:10.1023/A:1010736108256. Gillham, R., Klute, A., & Heermann, D. (1976). Hydraulic properties of a porous

Dehydration and rehydration of a tuff vitrophyre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaniman, D.; Bish, D., Chipera, S.

1993-01-01

The basal vitrophyre of the Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is a perlitic glass with 2.8 to 4.6% water. The dehydration of this vitrophyre was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and by isothermal heating at 50 degrees, 100 degrees, 200 degrees, and 400 degrees C for 3.4 years followed by 1.1 years of rehydration at high controlled humidity (∼79% relative humidity). No crystallization of the glass was observed in long-term dehydration or rehydration; the only observed chemical alteration was loss of up to 60% of original fluorine. TGA studies show a characteristic two-stage dehydration of the vitrophyre, with two-thirds to three-fourths weight loss occurring most rapidly at temperatures ranging from 278 degrees to 346 degrees C in 10 degrees C/min heating experiments. The remaining water, about 1% in all of the vitrophyre samples studied regardless of total water content, is lost only on second-stage heating to temperatures above 650 degrees C. Long-term isothermal heating at ≤400 degrees C releases only the first-stage water. Loss of essentially all first-stage water occurred in less than 1 hour at 400 degrees C; proportionately lower losses were obtained at 200 degrees and 100 degrees C. Small (0.2%) water loss occurred in the 50 degrees C experiment. A time-temperature-dehydration diagram generated from the isothermal heating data shows a clustering of dehydration contours that are the equilibrium equivalent of the rapid first-stage water loss in dynamic TGA experiments. These dry-heating experiments provide an end-member characterization of glass transformations for comparison with water-saturated heating experiments in which glass alteration is prominent. 29 figs., 7 figs., 7 tabs

Paleotransport of lanthanides and strontium recorded in calcite compositions from tuffs at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaniman, D.T.; Chipera, S.J.

1996-01-01

Secondary calcite occurs in both saturated and unsaturated hydrologic zones (SZ and UZ, respectively) in the tuffs at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, USA. In the upper UZ, the major constituents of the calcite crystal structure (C, O) have surface origins. At greater depth there is a open-quotes barren zone,close quotes straddling the water table, where calcite is rare and mixing of surface and subsurface sources may occur. Deep in the SZ, distinctive Mn calcites reflect deep sources, including Ca released as analcime or albite formed and carbonates derived from underlying Paleozoic rocks. In the UZ and in the barren zone, above the deep Mn calcites, variations in calcite lanthanide chemistry can be used to distinguish rhyolitic from quartz-latitic sources. Lanthanide ratios and Sr contents of calcites record the chemical evolution of waters flowing through the UZ and upper SZ. Variations in calcite chemistry in the UZ and in the barren zone show that (1) Sr, which is readily exchanged with clays or zeolites, is essentially removed from some flowpaths that are in contact with these minerals and (2) traces of Mn oxides found in the tuffs have a significant effect of groundwater chemistry in the UZ and in the barren zone by removing almost all Ce from solution (evidenced by characteristic Ce depletions in calcite throughout this zone). Extreme Ce removal may be a result of Ce oxidation (Ce 3+ → Ce 4+ ) at the surfaces of some Mn oxides, particularly rancieite. Higher Sr contents and lack of Ce depletions in the deeper Mn calcites reflect different ages, origins, and transport systems. The calcite record of lanthanide and Sr transport in the UZ shows that minor minerals (clays and zeolites) and even trace minerals (Mn oxides) will affect the compositions of groundwaters that flow over distances greater than a few tens of meters. 43 refs., 8 figs., 4 tabs

Contrasting perspectives on the Lava Creek Tuff eruption, Yellowstone, from new U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar age determinations

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Colin J. N.; Stelten, Mark E.; Lowenstern, Jacob B.

2018-06-01

The youngest major caldera-forming event at Yellowstone was the 630-ka eruption of the Lava Creek Tuff. The tuff as mapped consists of two major ignimbrite packages (members A and B), linked to widespread coeval fall deposits and formation of the Yellowstone Caldera. Subsequent activity included emplacement of numerous rhyolite flows and domes, and development of two structurally resurgent domes (Mallard Lake and Sour Creek) that accommodate strain due to continual uplift/subsidence cycles. Uplifted lithologies previously mapped on and adjacent to Sour Creek dome were thought to include the 2.08-Ma Huckleberry Ridge Tuff, cropping out beneath Lava Creek Tuff members A and B. Mapped outcrops of this Huckleberry Ridge Tuff material were sampled as welded ignimbrite (sample YR345) on Sour Creek dome, and at nearby Bog Creek as welded ignimbrite (YR311) underlain by an indurated lithic lag breccia containing blocks of another welded ignimbrite (YR324). Zircon near-rim U-Pb analyses from these samples yield weighted mean ages of 661 ± 13 ka (YR345: 95% confidence), 655 ± 11 ka (YR311), and 664 ± 15 ka (YR324) (combined weighted mean of 658.8 ± 6.6 ka). We also studied two samples of ignimbrite previously mapped as Huckleberry Ridge Tuff on the northeastern perimeter of the Yellowstone Caldera, 12 km ENE of Sour Creek dome. Sanidines from these samples yield 40Ar/39Ar age estimates of 634.5 ± 6.8 ka (8YC-358) and 630.9 ± 4.1 ka (8YC-359). These age data show that all these units represent previously unrecognized parts of the Lava Creek Tuff and do not have any relationship to the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff. Our observations and data imply that the Lava Creek eruption was more complex than is currently assumed, incorporating two tuff units additional to those currently mapped, and which themselves are separated by a time break sufficient for cooling and some reworking. The presence of a lag breccia suggests that a source vent lay nearby (Caldera boundary in this area

Contrasting perspectives on the Lava Creek Tuff eruption, Yellowstone, from new U–Pb and 40Ar/39Ar age determinations

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Colin J. N.; Stelten, Mark; Lowenstern, Jacob B.

2018-01-01

The youngest major caldera-forming event at Yellowstone was the ~ 630-ka eruption of the Lava Creek Tuff. The tuff as mapped consists of two major ignimbrite packages (members A and B), linked to widespread coeval fall deposits and formation of the Yellowstone Caldera. Subsequent activity included emplacement of numerous rhyolite flows and domes, and development of two structurally resurgent domes (Mallard Lake and Sour Creek) that accommodate strain due to continual uplift/subsidence cycles. Uplifted lithologies previously mapped on and adjacent to Sour Creek dome were thought to include the ~ 2.08-Ma Huckleberry Ridge Tuff, cropping out beneath Lava Creek Tuff members A and B. Mapped outcrops of this Huckleberry Ridge Tuff material were sampled as welded ignimbrite (sample YR345) on Sour Creek dome, and at nearby Bog Creek as welded ignimbrite (YR311) underlain by an indurated lithic lag breccia containing blocks of another welded ignimbrite (YR324). Zircon near-rim U–Pb analyses from these samples yield weighted mean ages of 661 ± 13 ka (YR345: 95% confidence), 655 ± 11 ka (YR311), and 664 ± 15 ka (YR324) (combined weighted mean of 658.8 ± 6.6 ka). We also studied two samples of ignimbrite previously mapped as Huckleberry Ridge Tuff on the northeastern perimeter of the Yellowstone Caldera, ~ 12 km ENE of Sour Creek dome. Sanidines from these samples yield 40Ar/39Ar age estimates of 634.5 ± 6.8 ka (8YC-358) and 630.9 ± 4.1 ka (8YC-359). These age data show that all these units represent previously unrecognized parts of the Lava Creek Tuff and do not have any relationship to the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff. Our observations and data imply that the Lava Creek eruption was more complex than is currently assumed, incorporating two tuff units additional to those currently mapped, and which themselves are separated by a time break sufficient for cooling and some reworking. The presence of a lag breccia suggests that a source

An astronomical age for the Bishop Tuff and concordance with radioisotopic dates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rivera, Tiffany; Zeeden, Christian; Storey, Michael

2014-01-01

The Bishop Tuff forms a key stratigraphic horizon for synchronization of Quaternary sedimentary records in North America. The unit stratigraphically overlies the Matuyama-Brunhes geomagnetic polarity reversal by several thousand years; high-precision dating of this tuff may be valuable for regional...... and global correlation of records. The Quaternary time scale is anchored by 40Ar/39Ar ages on lava flows and ash layers where available, with stage boundaries and geomagnetic reversals including astronomically tuned records. However, astronomical dating has not yet validated the high-precision 238U/206Pb...... ages, including new single crystal 40Ar/39Ar sanidine fusion analyses presented here, which demonstrates that concordance through multiple dating techniques is achievable within the Quaternary...

Criticality characteristics of mixtures of plutonium, silicon dioxide, Nevada tuff, and water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanchez, R.G.; Myers, W.; Stratton, W.

1996-01-01

The major objective of this study has been to examine the possibility of a nuclear explosion should 50 to 100 kg of plutonium be mixed with SiO 2 , vitrified, placed within a heavy steel container, and buried in the material known as Nevada tuff. To accomplish this objective, the authors have created a survey of critical states or configurations of mixtures of plutonium, SiO 2 , tuff, and water and examined these data to determine those configurations that might be unstable or autocatalytic. They have identified regions of criticality instability with the possibility of autocatalytic power behavior. Autocatalytic behavior is possible but improbable, for a very limited range of wet systems

Experimental and numerical study on the fracture of rocks during injection of CO2-saturated water

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Qi; Wu, Zhishen; Lei, Xing-Lin; Murakami, Yutaka; Satoh, Takashi

2007-02-01

Geological sequestration of CO2 into depleted hydrocarbon reserviors or saline aquifers presents the enormous potential to reduce greenhouse gas emission from fossil fuels. However, it may give rise to a complicated coupling physical and chemical process. One of the processes is the hydro-mechanical impact of CO2 injection. During the injection project, the increase of pore pressures of storing formations can induce the instability, which finally results in a catastrophic failure of disposal sites. This paper focuses mainly on the role of CO2-saturated water in the fracturing behavior of rocks. To investigate how much the dissolved CO2 can influence the pore pressure change of rocks, acoustic emission (AE) experiments were performed on sandstone and granite samples under triaxial conditions. The main innovation of this paper is to propose a time dependent porosity method to simulate the abrupt failure process, which is observed in the laboratory and induced by the pore pressure change due to the volume dilatancy of rocks, using a finite element scheme associated with two-phase characteristics. The results successfully explained the phenomena obtained in the physical experiments.

Intracrystalline diffusion in clinoptilolite: Implications for radionuclide isolation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, S.K.; Viani, B.E.; Phinney, D.

1995-01-01

Experiments have been performed to measure the rate of exchange diffusion in the zeolite clinoptilolite (CL) for elements important to radionuclide isolation at Yucca Mountain, NV. Clinoptilolite is one of the major sorptive minerals in the tuffs at Yucca Mountain, and occurs both as a major component in zeolitized units (Calico Hills), and in fractures in non-zeolitized tuffs (Topopah Spring). Field evidence and numerical modeling suggests that the movement of fluids through the tuff rocks adjacent to the potential repository may occur via episodic flow through fractures. Under conditions of rapid fracture flow the effective sorptive capacity of fracture-lining clinoptilolite may be controlled by exchange diffusion rather than exchange equilibrium

Baseflow recession analysis in a large shale play: Climate variability and anthropogenic alterations mask effects of hydraulic fracturing

Science.gov (United States)

Arciniega-Esparza, Saúl; Breña-Naranjo, Jose Agustín; Hernández-Espriú, Antonio; Pedrozo-Acuña, Adrián; Scanlon, Bridget R.; Nicot, Jean Philippe; Young, Michael H.; Wolaver, Brad D.; Alcocer-Yamanaka, Victor Hugo

2017-10-01

Water resources development and landscape alteration exert marked impacts on water-cycle dynamics, including areas subjected to hydraulic fracturing (HF) for exploitation of unconventional oil and gas resources found in shale or tight sandstones. Here we apply a conceptual framework for linking baseflow analysis to changes in water demands from different sectors (e.g. oil/gas extraction, irrigation, and municipal consumption) and climatic variability in the semiarid Eagle Ford play in Texas, USA. We hypothesize that, in water-limited regions, baseflow (Qb) changes are partly due (along with climate variability) to groundwater abstraction. For a more realistic assessment, the analysis was conducted in two different sets of unregulated catchments, located outside and inside the Eagle Ford play. Three periods were considered in the analysis related to HF activities: pre-development (1980-2000), moderate (2001-2008) and intensive (2009-2015) periods. Results indicate that in the Eagle Ford play region, temporal changes in baseflow cannot be directly related to the increase in hydraulic fracturing. Instead, substantial baseflow declines during the intensive period of hydraulic fracturing represent the aggregated effects from the combination of: (1) a historical exceptional drought during 2011-2012; (2) increased groundwater-based irrigation; and (3) an intensive hydraulic fracturing activity.

Parametric study of the effects of thermal environment on a waste package for a tuff repository

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnstone, J K; Sundberg, W D; Krumhansl, J L [Sandia National Laboratories Albuquerque, NM, (USA)

1982-12-31

The thermal environment has been modeled in a simple reference waste package in a tuff repository for a variety of variables. The waste package was composed of the waste form, canister, overpack and backfill. The emplacement hole was 122cm dia. Waste forms used in the calculations were commercial high level waste (CHLW) and spent fuel (SF). Canister loadings varied from 50 to 100 kW/acre. Primary attention was focused on the backfill behavior in the thermal and chemical environment. Results are related to the maximum temperature calculated for the backfill. These calculations raise serious concerns about the effectiveness of the backfill within the context of the total waste package.

Poroelastic Response of Orthotropic Fractured Porous Media

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berryman, James G. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Earth Sciences Division

2011-12-16

In this paper, an algorithm is presented for inverting either laboratory or field poroelastic data for all the drained constants of an anisotropic (specifically orthotropic) fractured poroelastic system. While fractures normally weaken the system by increasing the mechanical compliance, any liquids present in these fractures are expected to increase the stiffness somewhat, thus negating to some extent the mechanical weakening influence of the fractures themselves. The analysis presented in this article quantifies these effects and shows that the key physical variable needed to account for the pore-fluid effects is a factor of (1 - B), where B is Skempton’s second coefficient and satisfies 0 ≤ B < 1. This scalar factor uniformly reduces the increase in compliance due to the presence of communicating fractures, thereby stiffening the fractured composite medium by a predictable amount. One further aim of the discussion is to determine the number of the poroelastic constants that needs to be known by other means to determine the rest from remote measurements, such as seismic wave propagation data in the field. Quantitative examples arising in the analysis show that, if the fracture aspect ratio a_f ≃ 0.1 and the pore fluid is liquid water, then for several cases considered, Skempton’s B ≃ 0.9, and so the stiffening effect of the pore-liquid reduces the change in compliance due to the fractures by a factor 1-B ≃ 0.1, in these examples. The results do, however, depend on the actual moduli of the unfractured elastic material, as well as on the pore-liquid bulk modulus, so these quantitative predictions are just examples, and should not be treated as universal results. Attention is also given to two previously unremarked poroelastic identities, both being useful variants of Gassmann’s equations for homogeneous—but anisotropic—poroelasticity. Relationships to Skempton’s analysis of saturated soils are also noted. Finally, the article concludes

Summary of air permeability data from single-hole injection tests in unsaturated fractured tuffs at the Apache Leap Research Site: Results of steady-state test interpretation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guzman, A.G.; Geddis, A.M.; Henrich, M.J.; Lohrstorfer, C.F.; Neuman, S.P.

1996-03-01

This document summarizes air permeability estimates obtained from single hole pneumatic injection tests in unsaturated fractured tuffs at the Covered Borehole Site (CBS) within the larger apache Leap Research Site (ALRS). Only permeability estimates obtained from a steady state interpretation of relatively stable pressure and flow rate data are included. Tests were conducted in five boreholes inclined at 45 degree to the horizontal, and one vertical borehole. Over 180 borehole segments were tested by setting the packers 1 m apart. Additional tests were conducted in segments of lengths 0.5, 2.0, and 3.0 m in one borehole, and 2.0 m in another borehole, bringing the total number of tests to over 270. Tests were conducted by maintaining a constant injection rate until air pressure became relatively stable and remained so for some time. The injection rate was then incremented by a constant value and the procedure repeated. The air injection rate, pressure, temperature, and relative humidity were recorded. For each relatively stable period of injection rate and pressure, air permeability was estimated by treating the rock around each test interval as a uniform, isotropic porous medium within which air flows as a single phase under steady state, in a pressure field exhibiting prolate spheroidal symmetry. For each permeability estimate the authors list the corresponding injection rate, pressure, temperature and relative humidity. They also present selected graphs which show how the latter quantities vary with time; logarithmic plots of pressure versus time which demonstrate the importance of borehole storage effects during the early transient portion of each incremental test period; and semilogarithmic plots of pressure versus recovery time at the end of each test sequence

Radionuclide sorption in Yucca Mountain tuffs with J-13 well water: Neptunium, uranium, and plutonium. Yucca Mountain site characterization program milestone 3338

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Triay, I.R.; Cotter, C.R.; Kraus, S.M.; Huddleston, M.H.

1996-08-01

We studied the retardation of actinides (neptunium, uranium, and plutonium) by sorption as a function of radionuclide concentration in water from Well J-13 and of tuffs from Yucca Mountain. Three major tuff types were examined: devitrified, vitric, and zeolitic. To identify the sorbing minerals in the tuffs, we conducted batch sorption experiments with pure mineral separates. These experiments were performed with water from Well J-13 (a sodium bicarbonate groundwater) under oxidizing conditions in the pH range from 7 to 8.5. The results indicate that all actinides studied sorb strongly to synthetic hematite and also that Np(V) and U(VI) do not sorb appreciably to devitrified or vitric tuffs, albite, or quartz. The sorption of neptunium onto clinoptilolite-rich tuffs and pure clinoptilolite can be fitted with a sorption distribution coefficient in the concentration range from 1 X 10 -7 to 3 X 10 -5 M. The sorption of uranium onto clinoptilolite-rich tuffs and pure clinoptilolite is not linear in the concentration range from 8 X 10 -8 to 1 X 10 -4 M, and it can be fitted with nonlinear isotherm models (such as the Langmuir or the Freundlich Isotherms). The sorption of neptunium and uranium onto clinoptilolite in J-13 well water increases with decreasing pH in the range from 7 to 8.5. The sorption of plutonium (initially in the Pu(V) oxidation state) onto tuffs and pure mineral separates in J-13 well water at pH 7 is significant. Plutonium sorption decreases as a function of tuff type in the order: zeolitic > vitric > devitrified; and as a function of mineralogy in the order: hematite > clinoptilolite > albite > quartz

A clinical evaluation of a headless, titanium, variable-pitched, tapered, compression screw for repair of nondisplaced lateral condylar fractures in thoroughbred racehorses.

Science.gov (United States)

Galuppo, Larry D; Simpson, Edwin L; Greenman, Sylvia L; Dowd, Joseph P; Ferraro, Gregory L; Meagher, Dennis M

2006-07-01

To report clinical evaluation of headless compression screws for repair of metacarpal/metatarsal (MC/MT3) condylar fractures in horses. Retrospective case study. Racing Thoroughbreds (n=16) with nondisplaced lateral condylar fractures of MC/MT 3. Medical records (1999-2004) of horses with nondisplaced longitudinal fractures of the lateral condyle of MC/MT3 were reviewed. Pre-operative variables retrieved were: patient age, gender, limb involvement, injury occurrence, fracture length, and width, evidence of palmar comminution and degenerative joint disease, number of pre-injury starts, and pre-injury earnings. Post-operative variables retrieved were: surgical complications, surgical time, number of race starts, and post-operative earnings. MC3 (n=11) and MT3 (5) nondisplaced longitudinal fractures of the lateral condyle were repaired with Acutrak Equine (AE) screws. Left front limb fractures were most common (8) followed by left hind (5) and right front (3). Nine fractures occurred during training and 7 during racing; 4 fractures had palmar comminution. No surgical complications occurred. Of 15 horses that returned to training, 11 (73%) raced 306+/-67 days after injury and had greater mean (+/-SD) post-injury earnings/start ($5290.00+/-$8124.00) than pre-injury ($4971.00+/-$2842.00). Screw removal was not required in any horse. The AE screw is a viable option for repair of nondisplaced lateral condylar MC/MT3 fractures in Thoroughbred racehorses. Adequate stability of nondisplaced lateral condylar fractures can be achieved with a headless tapered compression screw while avoiding impingement on the collateral ligaments and joint capsule of the fetlock joint.

Risk estimates for hip fracture from clinical and densitometric variables and impact of database selection in Lebanese subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Badra, Mohammad; Mehio-Sibai, Abla; Zeki Al-Hazzouri, Adina; Abou Naja, Hala; Baliki, Ghassan; Salamoun, Mariana; Afeiche, Nadim; Baddoura, Omar; Bulos, Suhayl; Haidar, Rachid; Lakkis, Suhayl; Musharrafieh, Ramzi; Nsouli, Afif; Taha, Assaad; Tayim, Ahmad; El-Hajj Fuleihan, Ghada

2009-01-01

Bone mineral density (BMD) and fracture incidence vary greatly worldwide. The data, if any, on clinical and densitometric characteristics of patients with hip fractures from the Middle East are scarce. The objective of the study was to define risk estimates from clinical and densitometric variables and the impact of database selection on such estimates. Clinical and densitometric information were obtained in 60 hip fracture patients and 90 controls. Hip fracture subjects were 74 yr (9.4) old, were significantly taller, lighter, and more likely to be taking anxiolytics and sleeping pills than controls. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database selection resulted in a higher sensitivity and almost equal specificity in identifying patients with a hip fracture compared with the Lebanese database. The odds ratio (OR) and its confidence interval (CI) for hip fracture per standard deviation (SD) decrease in total hip BMD was 2.1 (1.45-3.05) with the NHANES database, and 2.11 (1.36-2.37) when adjusted for age and body mass index (BMI). Risk estimates were higher in male compared with female subjects. In Lebanese subjects, BMD- and BMI-derived hip fracture risk estimates are comparable to western standards. The study validates the universal use of the NHANES database, and the applicability of BMD- and BMI-derived risk fracture estimates in the World Health Organization (WHO) global fracture risk model, to the Lebanese.

Effects of tuff waste package components on release from 76-68 simulated waste glass: Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McVay, G.L.; Robinson, G.R.

1984-04-01

An experimental matrix has been conducted that will allow evaluation of the effects of waste package constituents on the waste form release behavior in a tuff repository environment. Tuff rock and groundwater were used along with 304L, 316, and 1020M ferrous metals to evaluate release from uranium-doped MCC 76-68 simulated waste glass. One of the major findings was that in the absence of 1020M mild steel, tuff rock powder dominates the system. However, when 1020M mild steel is present, it appears to dominate the system. The rock-dominated system results in suppressed glass-water reaction and leaching while the 1020M-dominated system results in enhanced leaching - but the metal effectively scavenges uranium from solution. The 300-series stainless steels play no significant role in affecting glass leaching characteristics. 6 refs., 28 figs., 5 tabs

Zircaloy cladding corrosion degradation in a Tuff repository: initial experimental plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, H.D.

1984-07-01

The projected environmental history of a Tuff repository sited in an unsaturated hydrologic setting is evaluated to identify the potentially most severe corrosion conditions for Zircaloy spent fuel cladding. Three distinct corrosion periods are identified over the projected history. In two of those, liquid water may be present which is believed to produce the most severe corrosive environment for Zircaloy spent fuel cladding. In the time interval 100 to 1000 years after emplacement in the repository, the most severe condition is exposure to 170 0 C water at about 100 psi in an unbreached canister. This condition will be reproduced experimentally in an autoclave. For times after 1000 years, the most severe condition is exposure to 90 0 C water that is equilibrated with the tuff and invades breached canisters. This condition will be reproduced with a water bath system

Numerical modeling of variably saturated flow and transport, 881 Hillside at Rocky Flats Plant, Jefferson County, Colorado

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fedors, R.W.; Warner, J.W.

1993-01-01

This study characterizes the unconfined groundwater flow and chemical transport in a thin veneer of colluvial and alluvial Quaternary sediments on the 881 Hillslope at Rocky Flats Plant, Jefferson County, Colorado. Colluvial deposits with a varying thickness of 1.5 to 6.7 meters mantle a 255 meter steeply dipping hillslope. Saturated and the similar material types. A two-dimensional finite element code for variably saturated conditions is used to obtain steady state flow conditions from which water contents and Darcy velocities are used for transient contaminant transport modeling. The migration of an absorptive solute is modeled over a twenty year period using the transport portion of the two-dimensional finite element code. Different potential scenarios for the source area are compared with actual well sample data. The solutes considered for this study are Trichloroethene (TCE) and tetrachloroethene (PCE) dissolved in the water phase

Environmental and management influences on temporal variability of near saturated soil hydraulic properties☆

Science.gov (United States)

Bodner, G.; Scholl, P.; Loiskandl, W.; Kaul, H.-P.

2013-01-01

Structural porosity is a decisive property for soil productivity and soil environmental functions. Hydraulic properties in the structural range vary over time in response to management and environmental influences. Although this is widely recognized, there are few field studies that determine dominant driving forces underlying hydraulic property dynamics. During a three year field experiment we measured temporal variability of soil hydraulic properties by tension infiltrometry. Soil properties were characterized by hydraulic conductivity, effective macroporosity and Kosugi's lognormal pore size distribution model. Management related influences comprised three soil cover treatment (mustard and rye vs. fallow) and an initial mechanical soil disturbance with a rotary harrow. Environmental driving forces were derived from meteorological and soil moisture data. Soil hydraulic parameters varied over time by around one order of magnitude. The coefficient of variation of soil hydraulic conductivity K(h) decreased from 69.5% at saturation to 42.1% in the more unsaturated range (− 10 cm pressure head). A slight increase in the Kosugi parameter showing pore heterogeneity was observed under the rye cover crop, reflecting an enhanced structural porosity. The other hydraulic parameters were not significantly influenced by the soil cover treatments. Seedbed preparation with a rotary harrow resulted in a fourfold increase in macroporosity and hydraulic conductivity next to saturation, and homogenized the pore radius distribution. Re-consolidation after mechanical loosening lasted over 18 months until the soil returned to its initial state. The post-tillage trend of soil settlement could be approximated by an exponential decay function. Among environmental factors, wetting-drying cycles were identified as dominant driving force explaining short term hydraulic property changes within the season (r2 = 0.43 to 0.59). Our results suggested that beside considering average

Environmental and management influences on temporal variability of near saturated soil hydraulic properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Bodner, G; Scholl, P; Loiskandl, W; Kaul, H-P

2013-08-01

Structural porosity is a decisive property for soil productivity and soil environmental functions. Hydraulic properties in the structural range vary over time in response to management and environmental influences. Although this is widely recognized, there are few field studies that determine dominant driving forces underlying hydraulic property dynamics. During a three year field experiment we measured temporal variability of soil hydraulic properties by tension infiltrometry. Soil properties were characterized by hydraulic conductivity, effective macroporosity and Kosugi's lognormal pore size distribution model. Management related influences comprised three soil cover treatment (mustard and rye vs. fallow) and an initial mechanical soil disturbance with a rotary harrow. Environmental driving forces were derived from meteorological and soil moisture data. Soil hydraulic parameters varied over time by around one order of magnitude. The coefficient of variation of soil hydraulic conductivity K(h) decreased from 69.5% at saturation to 42.1% in the more unsaturated range (- 10 cm pressure head). A slight increase in the Kosugi parameter showing pore heterogeneity was observed under the rye cover crop, reflecting an enhanced structural porosity. The other hydraulic parameters were not significantly influenced by the soil cover treatments. Seedbed preparation with a rotary harrow resulted in a fourfold increase in macroporosity and hydraulic conductivity next to saturation, and homogenized the pore radius distribution. Re-consolidation after mechanical loosening lasted over 18 months until the soil returned to its initial state. The post-tillage trend of soil settlement could be approximated by an exponential decay function. Among environmental factors, wetting-drying cycles were identified as dominant driving force explaining short term hydraulic property changes within the season (r 2  = 0.43 to 0.59). Our results suggested that beside considering average

Some geochemical considerations for a potential repository site in tuff at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Erdal, B.R.; Bish, D.L.; Crowe, B.M.; Daniels, W.R.; Ogard, A.E.; Rundberg, R.S.; Vaniman, D.T.; Wolfsberg, K.

1982-01-01

The Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations, which is evaluating potential locations for a high-level waste repository at the Nevada Test Site and environs, is currently focusing its investigations on tuff, principally in Yucca Mountain, as a host rock. This paper discusses some of the geochemical investigations. Particular emphasis is placed on definition of some basic elements and necessary technical approaches for the geochemistry data acquisition and modeling program. Some site-specific tuff geochemical information that is important for site selection and repository performance will be identified and the current status of knowledge will then be discussed

Geohydrology of Bandelier Tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abeele, M.V.; Wheeler, M.L.; Burton, B.W.

1981-10-01

The Los Alamos National Laboratory has been disposing of radioactive wastes since 1944. Environmental studies and monitoring for radioactive contamination started concurrently. In this report, only two mechanisms and rates by which the radionuclides can enter the environment are studied in detail: subsurface transport of radionuclides by migrating water, and diffusion of tritiated water (HTO) in the vapor phase. The report also includes a section concerning the influence of moisture on shear strength and possible resulting subsidences occurring in the pit overburdens. Because subsurface transport of radionuclides is influenced by the hydraulic conductivity and this in turn is regulated by the moisture content of any given material, a study was also undertaken involving precipitation, the most important climatic element influencing the geohydrology of any given area. Further work is in progress to correlate HTO emanation to atmospheric and pedological properties, especially including thermal characteristics of the tuff

Predicting dissolution patterns in variable aperture fractures: 1. Development and evaluation of an enhanced depth-averaged computational model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Detwiler, R L; Rajaram, H

2006-04-21

Water-rock interactions within variable-aperture fractures can lead to dissolution of fracture surfaces and local alteration of fracture apertures, potentially transforming the transport properties of the fracture over time. Because fractures often provide dominant pathways for subsurface flow and transport, developing models that effectively quantify the role of dissolution on changing transport properties over a range of scales is critical to understanding potential impacts of natural and anthropogenic processes. Dissolution of fracture surfaces is controlled by surface-reaction kinetics and transport of reactants and products to and from the fracture surfaces. We present development and evaluation of a depth-averaged model of fracture flow and reactive transport that explicitly calculates local dissolution-induced alterations in fracture apertures. The model incorporates an effective mass transfer relationship that implicitly represents the transition from reaction-limited dissolution to transport-limited dissolution. We evaluate the model through direct comparison to previously reported physical experiments in transparent analog fractures fabricated by mating an inert, transparent rough surface with a smooth single crystal of potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP), which allowed direct measurement of fracture aperture during dissolution experiments using well-established light transmission techniques [Detwiler, et al., 2003]. Comparison of experiments and simulations at different flow rates demonstrate the relative impact of the dimensionless Peclet and Damkohler numbers on fracture dissolution and the ability of the computational model to simulate dissolution. Despite some discrepancies in the small-scale details of dissolution patterns, the simulations predict the evolution of large-scale features quite well for the different experimental conditions. This suggests that our depth-averaged approach to simulating fracture dissolution provides a useful approach for

Capillary-driven flow in a fracture located in a porous medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinez, M.J.

1988-09-01

Capillary-driven immiscible displacement of air by water along an isolated fracture located in a permeable medium is induced by an abrupt change in water saturation at the fracture inlet. The fracture is idealized as either a smooth slot with permeable walls or a high-permeability later. The penetration distance of moisture in the fracture permeability ratio and length scales for the problem. The models are applied to materials representative of the Yucca Mountain region of the Nevada Test Site. Fracture moisture-penetration histories are predicted for several units in Yucca Mountain and for representative fracture apertures. 18 refs., 20 figs., 6 tabs

The effect of a microscale fracture on dynamic capillary pressure of two-phase flow in porous media

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Mingming; Lu, Shuangfang; Zhan, Hongbin; Wenqjie, Guo; Ma, Huifang

2018-03-01

Dynamic capillary pressure (DCP) effects, which is vital for predicting multiphase flow behavior in porous media, refers to the injection rate dependence capillary pressure observed during non-equilibrium displacement experiments. However, a clear picture of the effects of microscale fractures on DCP remains elusive. This study quantified the effects of microscale fractures on DCP and simulated pore-scale force and saturation change in fractured porous media using the multiphase lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). Eighteen simulation cases were carried out to calculate DCP as a function of wetting phase saturation. The effects of viscosity ratio and fracture orientation, aperture and length on DCP and DCP coefficient τ were investigated, where τ refers to the ratio of the difference of DCP and static capillary pressure (SCP) over the rate of wetting-phase saturation change versus time. Significant differences in τ values were observed between unfractured and fractured porous media. The τ values of fractured porous media were 1.1  × 104 Pa ms to 5.68 × 105 Pa ms, which were one or two orders of magnitude lower than those of unfractured porous media with a value of 4 × 106 Pa. ms. A horizontal fracture had greater effects on DCP and τ than a vertical fracture, given the same fracture aperture and length. This study suggested that a microscale fracture might result in large magnitude changes in DCP for two-phase flow.

Predicting spent fuel oxidation states in a tuff repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Einziger, R.E.; Woodley, R.E.

1987-01-01

Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations Project (NNWSI) is studying the suitability of the tuffaceous rocks at Yucca Mountain as a waste repository for spent fuel disposal. The oxidation state of the LWR spent fuel in the moist air environment of a tuff repository could be a significant factor in determining its leaching and dissolution characteristics. Predictions as to which oxidation states would be present are important in analyzing such a repository and thus the present study was undertaken. A set of TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) tests were conducted on well-controlled samples of irradiated PWR fuel with time and temperature as the only variables. The tests were conducted between 140 and 225 0 C for a duration up to 2200 hours. The weight gain curves were analyzed in terms of diffusion through a layer of U 3 O 7 , diffusion into the grains to form a solid solution, a simplified empirical representation of a combination of grain boundary diffusion and bulk grain oxidation. Reaction rate constants were determined in each case, but analysis of these data could not establish a definitive mechanism. 21 refs., 10 figs., 3 tabs

G-Tunnel Welded Tuff Mining experiment evaluations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmerman, R.M.; Bellman, R.A. Jr.; Mann, K.L.; Zerga, D.P.; Fowler, M.; Johnson, J.R.

1988-12-01

Designers and analysts of radioactive waste repositories must be able to predict the mechanical behavior of the host rock. Sandia National Laboratories elected to conduct a mine-by in welded tuff so that predictive-type information could be obtained regarding the response of the rock to a drill and blast excavation process, where smooth blasting techniques were used. This report describes the results of the mining processes and presents and discusses the rock mass responses to the mining and ground support activities. 37 refs., 20 figs., 7 tabs

The Tala Tuff, La Primavera caldera Mexico. Pre-eruptive conditions and magma processes before eruption

Science.gov (United States)

Sosa-Ceballos, G.

2015-12-01

La Primavera caldera, Jalisco Mexico, is a Pleistocenic volcanic structure formed by dome complexes and multiple pyroclastic flows and fall deposits. It is located at the intersection of the Chapala, Colima, and Tepic grabens in western Mexico. The first volcanic activity associated to La Primavera started ~0.1 Ma with the emission of pre-caldera lavas. The caldera collapse occurred 95 ka and is associated to the eruption of ~20 km3of pumice flows known as the Tala tuff (Mahood 1980). The border of the caldera was replaced by a series of domes dated in 75-30 ky, which partially filled the inner depression of the caldera with pyroclastic flows and falls. For more than a decade the Federal Commission of Electricity in Mexico (CFE) has prospected and evaluated the geothermal potential of the Cerritos Colorados project at La Primavera caldera. In order to better understand the plumbing system that tapped the Tala tuff and to investigate its relation with the potential geothermal field at La Primavera we performed a series of hydrothermal experiments and studied melt inclusions hosted in quartz phenocrysts by Fourier Infra red stectroscopy (FTIR). Although some post caldera products at La Primavera contain fayalite and quartz (suggesting QFM conditions) the Tala tuff does not contain fayalite and we ran experiments under NNO conditions. The absence of titanomagnetite does not allowed us to calculate pre-eruptive temperature. However, the stability of quartz and plagioclase, which are natural phases, suggest that temperature should be less than 750 °C at a pressure of 200 MPa. The analyses of H2O and CO2 dissolved in melt inclusions yielded concentrations of 2-5 wt.% and 50-100 ppm respectively. This data confirm that the pre-eruptive pressure of the Tala tuff is ~200 MPa and in addition to major elements compositions suggest that the Tala tuff is either, compositionally zoned or mixed with other magma just prior to eruption.

Characterization of thermal, hydraulic, and gas diffusion properties in variably saturated sand grades

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Deepagoda Thuduwe Kankanamge Kelum, Chamindu; Smits, Kathleen; Ramirez, Jamie

2016-01-01

porous media transport properties, key transport parameters such as thermal conductivity and gas diffusivity are particularly important to describe temperature-induced heat transport and diffusion-controlled gas transport processes, respectively. Despite many experimental and numerical studies focusing...... transport models (thermal conductivity, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and gas diffusivity). An existing thermal conductivity model was improved to describe the distinct three-region behavior in observed thermal conductivity–water saturation relations. Applying widely used parametric models for saturated......Detailed characterization of partially saturated porous media is important for understanding and predicting vadose zone transport processes. While basic properties (e.g., particle- and pore-size distributions and soil-water retention) are, in general, essential prerequisites for characterizing most...

FRACTURED PETROLEUM RESERVOIRS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abbas Firoozabadi

1999-06-11

The four chapters that are described in this report cover a variety of subjects that not only give insight into the understanding of multiphase flow in fractured porous media, but they provide also major contribution towards the understanding of flow processes with in-situ phase formation. In the following, a summary of all the chapters will be provided. Chapter I addresses issues related to water injection in water-wet fractured porous media. There are two parts in this chapter. Part I covers extensive set of measurements for water injection in water-wet fractured porous media. Both single matrix block and multiple matrix blocks tests are covered. There are two major findings from these experiments: (1) co-current imbibition can be more efficient than counter-current imbibition due to lower residual oil saturation and higher oil mobility, and (2) tight fractured porous media can be more efficient than a permeable porous media when subjected to water injection. These findings are directly related to the type of tests one can perform in the laboratory and to decide on the fate of water injection in fractured reservoirs. Part II of Chapter I presents modeling of water injection in water-wet fractured media by modifying the Buckley-Leverett Theory. A major element of the new model is the multiplication of the transfer flux by the fractured saturation with a power of 1/2. This simple model can account for both co-current and counter-current imbibition and computationally it is very efficient. It can be orders of magnitude faster than a conventional dual-porosity model. Part II also presents the results of water injection tests in very tight rocks of some 0.01 md permeability. Oil recovery from water imbibition tests from such at tight rock can be as high as 25 percent. Chapter II discusses solution gas-drive for cold production from heavy-oil reservoirs. The impetus for this work is the study of new gas phase formation from in-situ process which can be significantly

Numerical experiments on the probability of seepage into underground openings in heterogeneous fractured rock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Birkholzer, J.; Li, G.; Tsang, C.F.; Tsang, Y.

1998-01-01

An important issue for the performance of underground nuclear waste repositories is the rate of seepage into the waste emplacement drifts. A prediction of this rate is particularly complicated for the potential repository site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, because it is located in thick, unsaturated, fractured tuff formations. Underground opening in unsaturated media might act as capillary barriers, diverting water around them. In the present work, they study the potential rate of seepage into drifts as a function of the percolation flux at Yucca Mountain, based on a stochastic model of the fractured rock mass in the drift vicinity. A variety of flow scenarios are considered, assuming present-day and possible future climate conditions. They show that the heterogeneity in the flow domain is a key factor controlling seepage rates, since it causes channelized flow and local ponding in the unsaturated flow field

Pore-water extraction from unsaturated tuff by triaxial and one-dimensional compression methods, Nevada Test Site, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mower, T.E.; Higgins, J.D.; Yang, In C.; Peters, C.A.

1994-01-01

The hydrologic system in the unsaturated tuff at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is being evaluated for the US Department of Energy by the Yucca Mountain Project Branch of the US Geological Survey as a potential site for a high-level radioactive-waste repository. Part of this investigation includes a hydrochemical study that is being made to assess characteristics of the hydrologic system such as: traveltime, direction of flow, recharge and source relations, and types and magnitudes of chemical reactions in the unsaturated tuff. In addition, this hydrochemical information will be used in the study of the dispersive and corrosive effects of unsaturated-zone water on the radioactive-waste storage canisters. This report describes the design and validation of laboratory experimental procedures for extracting representative samples of uncontaminated pore water from welded and nonwelded, unsaturated tuffs from the Nevada Test Site

Development of synchronous generator saturation model from steady-state operating data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jadric, Martin; Despalatovic, Marin; Terzic, Bozo [FESB University of Split, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, Split (Croatia)

2010-11-15

A new method to estimate and model the saturated synchronous reactances of hydroturbine generators from operating data is presented. For the estimation process, measurements of only the generator steady-state variables are required. First, using a specific procedure, the field to armature turns ratio is estimated from measured steady-state variables at constant power generation and various excitation conditions. Subsequently, for each set of steady-state operating data, saturated synchronous reactances are identified. Fitting surfaces, defined as polynomial functions in two variables, are later used to model these saturated reactances. It is shown that the simpler polynomial functions may be used to model saturation at the steady-state than at the dynamic conditions. The developed steady-state model is validated with measurements performed on the 34 MVA hydroturbine generator. (author)

Modeling of water and solute transport under variably saturated conditions: state of the art

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lappala, E.G.

1980-01-01

This paper reviews the equations used in deterministic models of mass and energy transport in variably saturated porous media. Analytic, quasi-analytic, and numerical solution methods to the nonlinear forms of transport equations are discussed with respect to their advantages and limitations. The factors that influence the selection of a modeling method are discussed in this paper; they include the following: (1) the degree of coupling required among the equations describing the transport of liquids, gases, solutes, and energy; (2) the inclusion of an advection term in the equations; (3) the existence of sharp fronts; (4) the degree of nonlinearity and hysteresis in the transport coefficients and boundary conditions; (5) the existence of complex boundaries; and (6) the availability and reliability of data required by the models

Integrated Analytic Radionuclide Transport Model for a Spent Nuclear Fuel Repository in Saturated Fractured Rock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hedin, Allan

2002-01-01

embedded single and ingrowing species dominating the releases and doses in the safety assessment calculations. Also, probabilistic dose calculation results are in good agreement, making the analytic model a versatile complement to the various tools used in long-term safety evaluations of a KBS 3 type of repository in saturated fractured rock

Decay of Rhenish Tuffs in Dutch Monuments. Part 2 : Laboratory Experiments as a Basis for the Choice of Restoration Stone

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Hees, R.P.J.; Brendle, S.; Nijland, T.G.; De Haas, G.J.L.M.; Tolboom, H.J.

2003-01-01

Rhenish tuffs (Eifel, Germany), have been used as building material in the Netherlands since Roman times. They were the most important natural building stone in the Netherlands in early medieval times. In addition, tuff was used as raw material for production of trass, that served as a pozzolanic

Decay of Rhenish Tuff in Dutch monuments. Part 2 : Laboratory experiments as a basis for the choice of restoration stone

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hees, R.P.J. van; Brendle, S.; Nijland, T.G.; Haas, G.J.L.M. de; Tolboom, H.J.

2003-01-01

Rhenish tuffs (Eifel, Getmany), have been used as building material in the Netherlands since Roman times. They were the most important natural building stone in the Netherlands in early medieval times. In addition, tuff was used as raw material for production of trass, that served as a pozzolanic

Thermal analyses for a nuclear-waste repository in tuff using USW-G1 borehole data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, R.L.

1982-10-01

Thermal calculations using properties of tuffs obtained from the USW-G1 borehole, located near the SW margin of the Nevada Test Site (NTS), have been completed for a nuclear waste repository sited in welded tuff below the water table. The analyses considered two wasteforms, high level waste and spent fuel, emplaced at two different, gross thermal loadings, 50 and 75 kW/Acre (20.24 and 30.36 kW/ha). Calculations were made assuming that no boiling of the groundwater occurs; i.e., that the hydrostatic head potential was reestablished soon after waste emplacement. 23 figures, 2 tables

Mineralogy, origin and commercial value of the zeolite-rich tuffs in the Petrota-Pentalofos area, Evros County, Greece

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Walsh, J. N.

1998-04-01

Full Text Available The zeolite-rich tuffs of the Petrota-Pentalofos area were deposited in the Arrestees Basin during the Eocene. They are up to 100 m thick and extend more than 15 Km in a long axis. Most of the outcrops consist of frequent alternations of very fine grained tuff with pumice and lapel tuffs, the latter containing detrital fragments of the Mesozoic substrate of the basin. X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy and light microscopy analysis on quarry and borehole samples has shown that the tuffs are composed mainly of clinoptilolite and minor cristobalite, with a small proportion of detrital constituents (quartz, mica-schist and pyrogenic crystals (feldspars, quartz, biotite. Minor amounts of mordenite randomly occur in some of the northern outcrops, closer to the occurrences of lava. ICP-AES chemical analysis of the tuffs gives evidence that the original magmas were of quartz-latite composition. The tuffs rest on pre-Cenozoic metamorphic basement and pass gradationally upwards into sandstone and limestone. Evidence is given for deposition of the tuffs in a supra to infra-littoral environment. The zeolitic tuffs originated as epiclastic volcanic sediments, transported by water from the source of the eruption. The transformation of the volcanic glass of the tuffs to zeolite and cristobalite has taken place by meteoric waters in an open hydrological system existed during the Tertiary. The zeolitic rocks are currently being exploited as an animal feed supplement.Las tobas ricas en cebollitas del área de Petrota-Pentalofos se depositaron en la cuenca de Orejitas durante el Doceno. Alcanzan 100 m de potencia y superan los 15 km de extensión longitudinal. La mayoría de los afloramientos consisten en alternancias de toba de grano muy fino y toba de pómez y lapilli con fragmentos detritos del sustrato Mesozoico de la cuenca. Análisis por difamación de rayos X, microscopía electrónica de barrido y microscopía óptica en muestras de mano y de

Pore connectivity effects on solute transport in rocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Qinhong; Ewing, Robert P.

2001-01-01

Retardation of nuclear contaminants in rock matrices can lead to long retention times, allowing substantial radionuclide decay prior to eventual release. Imbibition and diffusion into the rock matrix can move contaminants away from an active fracture, thereby contributing to their retardation. However, diffusive transport in some rocks may behave anomalously because of their sparsely connected porespace, in contrast to diffusion in rocks with denser pore connections. We examined imbibition of weakly sorbing tracers into welded tuff and Indiana sandstone, and water imbibition into metagraywacke and Berea sandstone. Tuff samples were initially equilibrated to 12% and 76% water (v/v) within controlled humidity chambers, while the other rocks were air-dried. For imbibition, one face was exposed to water, with or without tracer, and uptake was measured over time. Following imbibition, tracer concentration measurements were made at fine (1 mm) increments. Three anomalous results were observed: (1) Indiana sandstone and metagraywacke showed mass of imbibed water scaling as time 0.26 , while tuff and Berea sandstone showed the more classical scaling with time 0.5 ; (2) tracer movement into dry (2% initial saturation) Indiana sandstone showed a dispersion pattern similar to that expected during tracer movement into moist (76% initial saturation) tuff; and (3) tracer concentrations at the inlet face of the tuff sample were approximately twice those deeper inside the sample. The experiment was then modeled using random walk methods on a 3-D lattice with different values of pore coordination. Network model simulations that used a pore coordination of 1.49 for Indiana sandstone and 1.56 for metagraywacke showed similar temporal scaling, a result of their porespace being close to the percolation threshold. Tracer concentration profiles in Indiana sandstone and tuff were closely matched by simulations that used pore coordinations of 1.49 and 1.68, respectively, because of how low

Neogene fallout tuffs from the Yellowstone hotspot in the Columbia Plateau region, Oregon, Washington and Idaho, USA.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbara P Nash

Full Text Available Sedimentary sequences in the Columbia Plateau region of the Pacific Northwest ranging in age from 16-4 Ma contain fallout tuffs whose origins lie in volcanic centers of the Yellowstone hotspot in northwestern Nevada, eastern Oregon and the Snake River Plain in Idaho. Silicic volcanism began in the region contemporaneously with early eruptions of the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG, and the abundance of widespread fallout tuffs provides the opportunity to establish a tephrostratigrahic framework for the region. Sedimentary basins with volcaniclastic deposits also contain diverse assemblages of fauna and flora that were preserved during the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum, including Sucker Creek, Mascall, Latah, Virgin Valley and Trout Creek. Correlation of ashfall units establish that the lower Bully Creek Formation in eastern Oregon is contemporaneous with the Virgin Valley Formation, the Sucker Creek Formation, Oregon and Idaho, Trout Creek Formation, Oregon, and the Latah Formation in the Clearwater Embayment in Washington and Idaho. In addition, it can be established that the Trout Creek flora are younger than the Mascall and Latah flora. A tentative correlation of a fallout tuff from the Clarkia fossil beds, Idaho, with a pumice bed in the Bully Creek Formation places the remarkably well preserved Clarkia flora assemblage between the Mascall and Trout Creek flora. Large-volume supereruptions that originated between 11.8 and 10.1 Ma from the Bruneau-Jarbidge and Twin Falls volcanic centers of the Yellowstone hotspot in the central Snake River Plain deposited voluminous fallout tuffs in the Ellensberg Formation which forms sedimentary interbeds in the CRBG. These occurrences extend the known distribution of these fallout tuffs 500 km to the northwest of their source in the Snake River Plain. Heretofore, the distal products of these large eruptions had only been recognized to the east of their sources in the High Plains of Nebraska and Kansas.

G-tunnel welded tuff mining experiment preparations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmerman, R.M.; Bellman, R.A. Jr.; Mann, K.L.; Zerga, D.P.

1991-01-01

Designers and analysts of radioactive waste repositories must be able to predict the mechanical behavior of the host rock. Sandia National Laboratories elected to conduct a mine-by in welded tuff so that predictive-type information could be obtained regarding the response of the rock to a drill and blast excavation process, where smooth blasting techniques were used. Included in the study were evaluations of and recommendations for various measurement systems that might be used in future mine-by efforts. This report summarizes the preparations leading to the recording of data. 17 refs., 27 figs., 5 tabs

THE PENA BLANCA NATURAL ANALOGUE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT MODEL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

G.J. Saulnier Jr; W. Statham

2006-03-10

The Nopal I uranium mine in the Sierra Pena Blanca, Chihuahua, Mexico serves as a natural analogue to the Yucca Mountain repository. The Pena Blanca Natural Analogue Performance Assessment Model simulates the mobilization and transport of radionuclides that are released from the mine and transported to the saturated zone. the Pena Blanca Natural Analogue Model uses probabilistic simulations of hydrogeologic processes that are analogous to the processes that occur at the Yucca Mountain site. The Nopal I uranium deposit lies in fractured, welded, and altered rhyolitic ash flow tuffs that overlie carbonate rocks, a setting analogous to the geologic formations at the Yucca Mountain site. The Nopal I mine site has the following characteristics as compared to the Yucca Mountain repository site. (1) Analogous source: UO{sub 2} uranium ore deposit = spent nuclear fuel in the repository; (2) Analogous geologic setting: fractured, welded, and altered rhyolitic ash flow tuffs overlying carbonate rocks; (3) Analogous climate: Semiarid to arid; (4) Analogous geochemistry: Oxidizing conditions; and (5) Analogous hydrogeology: The ore deposit lies in the unsaturated zone above the water table. The Nopal I deposit is approximately 8 {+-} 0.5 million years old and has been exposed to oxidizing conditions during the last 3.2 to 3.4 million years. The Pena Blanca Natural Analogue Model considers that the uranium oxide and uranium silicates in the ore deposit were originally analogous to uranium-oxide spent nuclear fuel. The Pena Blanca site has been characterized using field and laboratory investigations of its fault and fracture distribution, mineralogy, fracture fillings, seepage into the mine adits, regional hydrology, and mineralization that shows the extent of radionuclide migration. Three boreholes were drilled at the Nopal I mine site in 2003 and these boreholes have provided samples for lithologic characterization, water-level measurements, and water samples for laboratory

THE PENA BLANCA NATURAL ANALOGUE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT MODEL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

G.J. Saulnier Jr; W. Statham

2006-01-01

The Nopal I uranium mine in the Sierra Pena Blanca, Chihuahua, Mexico serves as a natural analogue to the Yucca Mountain repository. The Pena Blanca Natural Analogue Performance Assessment Model simulates the mobilization and transport of radionuclides that are released from the mine and transported to the saturated zone. the Pena Blanca Natural Analogue Model uses probabilistic simulations of hydrogeologic processes that are analogous to the processes that occur at the Yucca Mountain site. The Nopal I uranium deposit lies in fractured, welded, and altered rhyolitic ash flow tuffs that overlie carbonate rocks, a setting analogous to the geologic formations at the Yucca Mountain site. The Nopal I mine site has the following characteristics as compared to the Yucca Mountain repository site. (1) Analogous source: UO 2 uranium ore deposit = spent nuclear fuel in the repository; (2) Analogous geologic setting: fractured, welded, and altered rhyolitic ash flow tuffs overlying carbonate rocks; (3) Analogous climate: Semiarid to arid; (4) Analogous geochemistry: Oxidizing conditions; and (5) Analogous hydrogeology: The ore deposit lies in the unsaturated zone above the water table. The Nopal I deposit is approximately 8 ± 0.5 million years old and has been exposed to oxidizing conditions during the last 3.2 to 3.4 million years. The Pena Blanca Natural Analogue Model considers that the uranium oxide and uranium silicates in the ore deposit were originally analogous to uranium-oxide spent nuclear fuel. The Pena Blanca site has been characterized using field and laboratory investigations of its fault and fracture distribution, mineralogy, fracture fillings, seepage into the mine adits, regional hydrology, and mineralization that shows the extent of radionuclide migration. Three boreholes were drilled at the Nopal I mine site in 2003 and these boreholes have provided samples for lithologic characterization, water-level measurements, and water samples for laboratory analysis

Scaling behavior of gas permeability measurements in volcanic tuffs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tidwell, V.C.

1994-01-01

One of the critical issues facing the Yucca Mountain site characterization and performance assessment programs is the manner in which property scaling is addressed. Property scaling becomes an issue whenever heterogeneous media properties are measured at one scale but applied at another. A research program has been established to challenge current understanding of property scaling with the aim of developing and testing models that describe scaling behavior in a quantitative manner. Scaling of constitutive rock properties is investigated through physical experimentation involving the collection of suites of gas-permeability data measured over a range of discrete scales. The approach is to systematically isolate those factors believed to influence property scaling and investigate their relative contributions to overall scaling behavior. Two blocks of tuff, each exhibiting differing heterogeneity structure, have recently been examined. Results of the investigation show very different scaling behavior, as exhibited by changes in the distribution functions and variograms, for the two tuff samples. Even for the relatively narrow range of measurement scales employed significant changes in the distribution functions, variograms, and summary statistics occurred. Because such data descriptors will likely play an important role in calculating effective media properties, these results demonstrate both the need to understand and accurately model scaling behavior

Mineralogic studies of tuff for high-level waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vaniman, D.; Bish, D.; Broxton, D.; Byers, F.; Carlos, B.; Levy, S.

1986-01-01

The volcanic rocks at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, consist predominantly of tuff that originated 12 to 14 million years ago as flows and airfalls of hot volcanic particulates. On cooling these units formed two major rock types: crystallized zones formed mostly of feldspar and silica minerals, and zones of glass. Alteration of glass to zeolite minerals occurred largely during structural tilting of Yucca Mountain in the ∼1-3 million years following the major eruptions. The compositions of zeolites formed from glasses strongly indicate open-system chemical exchange. Superimposed on this general alteration of glasses are areas of local high-temperature alteration. High-temperature alteration ended by 11 million years ago. Zeolites such as clinoptilolite persisted during high-temperature alteration at temperatures up to 100 degree C, suggesting that clinoptilolite at Yucca Mountain close to the thermally disturbed zone around a repository may also survive heating to temperatures at least this high. The mineralogic data from tuff at Yucca Mountain will ultimately be used by the Department of Energy Nevada Nuclear Waste storage Investigations for (1) defining the mineralogic component in estimating waste element travel times away from the repository and (2) determining the past history of alteration and the anticipated stability of minerals near the repository

Alternative conceptual models and codes for unsaturated flow in fractured tuff: Preliminary assessments for GWTT-95

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ho, C.K.; Altman, S.J.; Arnold, B.W.

1995-09-01

Groundwater travel time (GWTT) calculations will play an important role in addressing site-suitability criteria for the potential high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain,Nevada. In support of these calculations, Preliminary assessments of the candidate codes and models are presented in this report. A series of benchmark studies have been designed to address important aspects of modeling flow through fractured media representative of flow at Yucca Mountain. Three codes (DUAL, FEHMN, and TOUGH 2) are compared in these benchmark studies. DUAL is a single-phase, isothermal, two-dimensional flow simulator based on the dual mixed finite element method. FEHMN is a nonisothermal, multiphase, multidimensional simulator based primarily on the finite element method. TOUGH2 is anon isothermal, multiphase, multidimensional simulator based on the integral finite difference method. Alternative conceptual models of fracture flow consisting of the equivalent continuum model (ECM) and the dual permeability (DK) model are used in the different codes

VAM2D: Variably saturated analysis model in two dimensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huyakorn, P.S.; Kool, J.B.; Wu, Y.S.

1991-10-01

This report documents a two-dimensional finite element model, VAM2D, developed to simulate water flow and solute transport in variably saturated porous media. Both flow and transport simulation can be handled concurrently or sequentially. The formulation of the governing equations and the numerical procedures used in the code are presented. The flow equation is approximated using the Galerkin finite element method. Nonlinear soil moisture characteristics and atmospheric boundary conditions (e.g., infiltration, evaporation and seepage face), are treated using Picard and Newton-Raphson iterations. Hysteresis effects and anisotropy in the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity can be taken into account if needed. The contaminant transport simulation can account for advection, hydrodynamic dispersion, linear equilibrium sorption, and first-order degradation. Transport of a single component or a multi-component decay chain can be handled. The transport equation is approximated using an upstream weighted residual method. Several test problems are presented to verify the code and demonstrate its utility. These problems range from simple one-dimensional to complex two-dimensional and axisymmetric problems. This document has been produced as a user's manual. It contains detailed information on the code structure along with instructions for input data preparation and sample input and printed output for selected test problems. Also included are instructions for job set up and restarting procedures. 44 refs., 54 figs., 24 tabs

Simulating Salt Movement using a Coupled Salinity Transport Model in a Variably Saturated Agricultural Groundwater System

Science.gov (United States)

Tavakoli Kivi, S.; Bailey, R. T.; Gates, T. K.

2017-12-01

Salinization is one of the major concerns in irrigated agricultural fields. Increasing salinity concentrations are due principally to a high water table that results from excessive irrigation, canal seepage, and a lack of efficient drainage systems, and lead to decreasing crop yield. High groundwater salinity loading to nearby river systems also impacts downstream areas, with saline river water diverted for application on irrigated fields. To assess the different strategies for salt remediation, we present a reactive transport model (UZF-RT3D) coupled with a salinity equilibrium chemistry module for simulating the fate and transport of salt ions in a variably-saturated agricultural groundwater system. The developed model accounts not for advection, dispersion, nitrogen and sulfur cycling, oxidation-reduction, sorption, complexation, ion exchange, and precipitation/dissolution of salt minerals. The model is applied to a 500 km2 region within the Lower Arkansas River Valley (LARV) in southeastern Colorado, an area acutely affected by salinization in the past few decades. The model is tested against salt ion concentrations in the saturated zone, total dissolved solid concentrations in the unsaturated zone, and salt groundwater loading to the Arkansas River. The model now can be used to investigate salinity remediation strategies.

A strategy for validation a concept model for radionuclide migration in the saturated zone beneath Yucca Mountain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, B.A.

1994-01-01

A conceptual model for radionuclide migration in the saturated zone beneath Yucca Mountain is presented. The available hydrologic data from the site is compiled to present a qualitative picture of transport of radionuclides horizontally within the first 100-200 m of the saturated zone. The transport model consists of flow within fractures and interchange of dissolved species between the fractures and surrounding matrix blocks via molecular diffusion. A parametric study illustrates that at the groundwater conditions expected to exist in the saturated zone, radionuclide will have ample time to diffuse fully within the matrix blocks. The result is a predicted solute transport time several orders of magnitude greater than the groundwater travel time (GWTT). To validate this model, a suite of interwell tracer tests are proposed at various flow rates and with conservative and sorbing species. Numerical simulations show that these tests will allow us to discriminate between a matrix diffusion model and a more conventional continuum transport model. (author) 8 figs., tabs., 35 refs

Permeability and fluid chemistry studies of the Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff, Nevada Test Site: Part II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, D.E.; Morrow, C.A.; Byerlee, J.D.

1985-03-01

The Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff is being considered as a possible emplacement horizon for the disposal of nuclear waste. The permeability and pore-fluid chemistry of the Topopah Spring Member have been investigated experimentally. The work reported here represents a continuation of previous permeability studies on the Topopah Spring Member. Three experiments were run, to test the effect of pore pressure, sample orientation, and flow direction on permeability and pore fluid chemistry. In the experiments, water flowed either up or down a temperature gradient established across the tuff sample in response to a small pore pressure gradient. The maximum temperature of the gradient was 150 0 C, and the minimum was 43 to 45 0 C. The confining pressure was 100 bars, corresponding to a disposal depth of 400 meters. J13 water was the starting pore fluid. The heated tuff samples showed few changes in permeability from their initial, room-temperature values. In addition, the fluids discharged from both the low and high-temperature sides of the tuff samples were dilute, nearly neutral solutions whose compositions did not differ greatly from the starting J13 compositions. 16 refs., 14 figs., 4 tabs

Studies of the mobility of uranium and thorium in Nevada Test Site tuff

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wollenberg, H.A.; Flexser, S.; Smith, A.R. [Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States)

1991-06-01

Hydro-geochemical processes must be understood if the movement of radionuclides away from a breached radioactive waste canister is to be modeled and predicted. In this respect, occurrences of uranium and thorium in hydrothermal systems are under investigation in tuff and in rhyolitic tuff that was heated to simulate the effects of introduction of radioactive waste. In these studies, high-resolution gamma spectrometry and fission-track radiography are coupled with observations of alteration mineralogy and thermal history to deduce the evidence of, or potential for movement of, U and Th in response to the thermal environment. Observations to date suggest that U was mobile in the vicinity of the heater but that localized reducing environments provided by Fe-Ti-Mn-oxide minerals concentrated U and thus attenuated its migration.

Petrology and geochemistry of the Grouse Canyon Member of the Belted Range Tuff, Rock-Mechanics Drift, U12g Tunnel, Nevada Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Connolly, J.R.; Mansker, W.L.; Hicks, R.; Allen, C.C.; Husler, J.; Keil, K.; Lappin, A.R.

1983-04-01

G-Tunnel at Nevada Test Site (NTS) is the site of thermal and thermomechanical experiments examining the feasibility of emplacing heat-producing nuclear wastes in silicic tuffs. This report describes the general stratigraphy, mineralogy, and bulk chemistry of welded portions of the Grouse Canyon Member of the Belted Range Tuff, the unit in which most of these experiments will be performed. The geologic characteristics of the Grouse Canyon Member are compared with those of the Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff, presently the preferred horizon for an actual waste repository at Yucca Mountain, near the southwest boundary of Nevada Test Site. This comparison suggests that test results obtained in welded tuff from G-Tunnel are applicable, with limitations, to evaluation of the Topopah Spring Member at Yucca Mountain

Chemical variability of zeolites at a potential nuclear waste repository, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broxton, D.E.

1985-01-01

The compositions of clinoptilolites and their host tuffs have been examined by electron microprobe and x-ray fluorescence, respectively, to determine their variability at a potential nuclear waste repository, Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Because of their sorptive properties, these zeolites could provide important geologic barriers to radionuclide migration. Variations in clinoptilolite composition can strongly affect the mineral's thermal and ion-exchange properties, thus influencing its behavior in the repository environment. Clinoptilolites and heulandites closest to the proposed repository have calcium-rich compositions (60 to 90 mol. % Ca) and silica-to-aluminum ratios that concentrate between 4.0 and 4.6. In contrast, clinoptilolites and their host tuffs deeper in the volcanic sequence have highly variable compositions that vary vertically and laterally. Deeper-occurring clinoptilolites in the eastern part of Yucca Mountain are characterized by calcic-potassic compositions and tend to become more calcium-rich with depth. Clinoptilolites at equivalent stratigraphic levels on the western side of Yucca Mountain have sodic-potassic compositions and tend to become more sodium-rich with depth. Despite their differences in exchangeable cation compositions these two deeper-occurring compositional suites have similar silica-to-aluminum ratios, concentrating between 4.4 and 5.0. The chemical variability of clinoptilolites and their host tuffs at Yucca Mountain suggest that their physical and chemical properties will also vary. Compositionally-dependent clinoptilolite properties important for repository performance assessment include expansion/contraction behavior, hydration/dehydration behavior, and ion-exchange properties

Mechanical properties of highly defective graphene: from brittle rupture to ductile fracture.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Lanqing; Wei, Ning; Zheng, Yongping

2013-12-20

Defects are generally believed to deteriorate the superlative performance of graphene-based devices but may also be useful when carefully engineered to tailor the local properties and achieve new functionalities. Central to most defect-associated applications is the defect coverage and arrangement. In this work, we investigate, by molecular dynamics simulations, the mechanical properties and fracture dynamics of graphene sheets with randomly distributed vacancies or Stone-Wales defects under tensile deformations over a wide defect coverage range. With defects presented, an sp-sp(2) bonding network and an sp-sp(2)-sp(3) bonding network are observed in vacancy-defected and Stone-Wales-defected graphene, respectively. The ultimate strength degrades gradually with increasing defect coverage and saturates in the high-ratio regime, whereas the fracture strain presents an unusual descending-saturating-improving trend. In the dense vacancy defect situation, the fracture becomes more plastic and super-ductility is observed. Further fracture dynamics analysis reveals that the crack trapping by sp-sp(2) and sp-sp(2)-sp(3) rings and the crack-tip blunting account for the ductile fracture, whereas geometric rearrangement on the entire sheet for vacancy defects and geometric rearrangement on the specific defect sites for Stone-Wales defects account for their distinctive rules of the evolution of the fracture strain.

Hydrological and thermal issues concerning a nuclear waste repository in fractured rocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, J.S.Y.

1991-12-01

The characterization of the ambient conditions of a potential site and the assessment of the perturbations induced by a nuclear waste repository require hydrological and thermal investigations of the geological formations at different spatial and temporal scales. For high-level wastes, the near-field impacts depend on the heat power of waste packages and the far-field long-term perturbations depend on the cumulative heat released by the emplaced wastes. Surface interim storage of wastes for several decades could lower the near-field impacts but would have relatively small long-term effects if spent fuels were the waste forms for the repository. One major uncertainty in the assessment of repository impacts is from the variation of hydrological properties in heterogeneous media, including the effects of fractures as high-permeability flow paths for containment migration. Under stress, a natural fracture cannot be represented by the parallel plate model. The rock surface roughness, the contact area, and the saturation state in the rock matrix could significantly change the fracture flow. In recent years, the concern of fast flow through fractures in saturated media has extended to the unsaturated zones. The interactions at different scales between fractures and matrix, between fractured matrix unites and porous units, and between formations and faults are discussed

Assessing species saturation: conceptual and methodological challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Olivares, Ingrid; Karger, Dirk N; Kessler, Michael

2018-05-07

Is there a maximum number of species that can coexist? Intuitively, we assume an upper limit to the number of species in a given assemblage, or that a lineage can produce, but defining and testing this limit has proven problematic. Herein, we first outline seven general challenges of studies on species saturation, most of which are independent of the actual method used to assess saturation. Among these are the challenge of defining saturation conceptually and operationally, the importance of setting an appropriate referential system, and the need to discriminate among patterns, processes and mechanisms. Second, we list and discuss the methodological approaches that have been used to study species saturation. These approaches vary in time and spatial scales, and in the variables and assumptions needed to assess saturation. We argue that assessing species saturation is possible, but that many studies conducted to date have conceptual and methodological flaws that prevent us from currently attaining a good idea of the occurrence of species saturation. © 2018 Cambridge Philosophical Society.

Partitioning dynamics of unsaturated flows in fractured porous media: Laboratory studies and three-dimensional multi-scale smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations of gravity-driven flow in fractures

Science.gov (United States)

Kordilla, J.; Bresinsky, L. T.; Shigorina, E.; Noffz, T.; Dentz, M.; Sauter, M.; Tartakovsky, A. M.

2017-12-01

Preferential flow dynamics in unsaturated fractures remain a challenging topic on various scales. On pore- and fracture-scales the highly erratic gravity-driven flow dynamics often provoke a strong deviation from classical volume-effective approaches. Against the common notion that flow in fractures (or macropores) can only occur under equilibrium conditions, i.e., if the surrounding porous matrix is fully saturated and capillary pressures are high enough to allow filling of the fracture void space, arrival times suggest the existence of rapid preferential flow along fractures, fracture networks, and fault zones, even if the matrix is not fully saturated. Modeling such flows requires efficient numerical techniques to cover various flow-relevant physics, such as surface tension, static and dynamic contact angles, free-surface (multi-phase) interface dynamics, and formation of singularities. Here we demonstrate the importance of such flow modes on the partitioning dynamics at simple fracture intersections, with a combination of laboratory experiments, analytical solutions and numerical simulations using our newly developed massively parallel smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code. Flow modes heavily influence the "bypass" behavior of water flowing along a fracture junction. Flows favoring the formation of droplets exhibit a much stronger bypass capacity compared to rivulet flows, where nearly the whole fluid mass is initially stored within the horizontal fracture. This behavior is demonstrated for a multi-inlet laboratory setup where the inlet-specific flow rate is chosen so that either a droplet or rivulet flow persists. The effect of fluid buffering within the horizontal fracture is presented in terms of dimensionless fracture inflow so that characteristic scaling regimes can be recovered. For both cases (rivulets and droplets), flow within the horizontal fracture transitions into a Washburn regime until a critical threshold is reached and the bypass efficiency

Differential fracture healing resulting from fixation stiffness variability. A mouse model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gardner, M.J.; Putnam, S.M.; Wong, A.; Streubel, P.N.; Kotiya, A.; Silva, M.J.

2011-01-01

The mechanisms underlying the interaction between the local mechanical environment and fracture healing are not known. We developed a mouse femoral fracture model with implants of different stiffness, and hypothesized that differential fracture healing would result. Femoral shaft fractures were created in 70 mice, and were treated with an intramedullary nail made of either tungsten (Young's modulus=410 GPa) or aluminium (Young's modulus=70 GPa). Mice were then sacrificed at 2 or 5 weeks. Fracture calluses were analyzed using standard microCT, histological, and biomechanical methods. At 2 weeks, callus volume was significantly greater in the aluminium group than in the tungsten group (61.2 vs. 40.5 mm 3 , p=0.016), yet bone volume within the calluses was no different between the groups (13.2 vs. 12.3 mm 3 ). Calluses from the tungsten group were stiffer on mechanical testing (18.7 vs. 9.7 N/mm, p=0.01). The percent cartilage in the callus was 31.6% in the aluminium group and 22.9% in the tungsten group (p=0.40). At 5 weeks, there were no differences between any of the healed femora. In this study, fracture implants of different stiffness led to different fracture healing in this mouse fracture model. Fractures treated with a stiffer implant had more advanced healing at 2 weeks, but still healed by callus formation. Although this concept has been well documented previously, this particular model could be a valuable research tool to study the healing consequences of altered fixation stiffness, which may provide insight into the pathogenesis and ideal treatment of fractures and non-unions. (author)

Thermal fracture and pump limit of Nd: glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Mingzhe; Ma Wen; Tan Jichun; Zhang Yongliang; Li Mingzhong; Jing Feng

2011-01-01

Based on published fracture experiments and 3D transient finite-element analyses, and taking the first principal stress as the criterion and the Griffith crack theory to determine the critical fracture stress, a Weibull statistical model is established to predict the fracture possibility of Nd: glass with certain pump parameters. Other issues which limit the pump power are also presented. The results show that the fracture limit of laser medium depends on the optical polishing technology. For a short pulse and high energy Nd: glass laser, taking America's polishing technology in the 1990s as reference,the pump saturation limits the pump power to 18 kW/cm 2 when the repetition rate is lower than 1 Hz, while the thermal fracture limits the pump power when the repetition rate is higher than 10 Hz. (authors)

Multiscale Model Simulations of Temperature and Relative Humidity for the License Application of the Proposed Yucca Mountain Repository

Science.gov (United States)

Buscheck, T.; Glascoe, L.; Sun, Y.; Gansemer, J.; Lee, K.

2003-12-01

For the proposed Yucca Mountain geologic repository for high-level nuclear waste, the planned method of disposal involves the emplacement of cylindrical packages containing the waste inside horizontal tunnels, called emplacement drifts, bored several hundred meters below the ground surface. The emplacement drifts reside in highly fractured, partially saturated volcanic tuff. An important phenomenological consideration for the licensing of the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain is the generation of decay heat by the emplaced waste and the consequences of this decay heat. Changes in temperature will affect the hydrologic and chemical environment at Yucca Mountain. A thermohydrologic-modeling tool is necessary to support the performance assessment of the Engineered Barrier System (EBS) of the proposed repository. This modeling tool must simultaneously account for processes occurring at a scale of a few tens of centimeters around individual waste packages, for processes occurring around the emplacement drifts themselves, and for processes occurring at the multi-kilometer scale of the mountain. Additionally, many other features must be considered including non-isothermal, multiphase-flow in fractured porous rock of variable liquid-phase saturation and thermal radiation and convection in open cavities. The Multiscale Thermohydrologic Model (MSTHM) calculates the following thermohydrologic (TH) variables: temperature, relative humidity, liquid-phase saturation, evaporation rate, air-mass fraction, gas-phase pressure, capillary pressure, and liquid- and gas-phase fluxes. The TH variables are determined as a function of position along each of the emplacement drifts in the repository and as a function of waste-package (WP) type. These variables are determined at various generic locations within the emplacement drifts, including the waste package and drip-shield surfaces and in the invert; they are also determined at various generic locations in the adjoining host rock

The melt inclusion record from the rhyolitic Kos Plateau Tuff (Aegean Arc)

Science.gov (United States)

Bachmann, Olivier; Wallace, Paul J.; Bourquin, Julie

2010-02-01

The >60 km3 rhyolitic Kos Plateau Tuff provides an exceptional probe into the behavior of volatile components in highly evolved arc magmas: it is crystal-rich (30-40 vol% crystals), was rapidly quenched by the explosive eruptive process, and contains abundant homogeneous melt inclusions in large quartz crystals. Several methods for measuring major, trace and volatile element concentrations (SIMS, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, electron microprobe, LA-ICPMS) were applied to these melt inclusions. We found a ~2 wt% range of H2O contents (4.5-6.5 wt% H2O, measured independently by SIMS, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy) and relatively low CO2 concentrations (15-140 ppm measured by FTIR, with most analyses <100 ppm). No obvious correlations between H2O, CO2, major and trace elements are observed. These observations require a complex, protracted magma evolution in the upper crust that included: (1) vapor-saturated crystallization in a chamber located between 1.5 and 2.5 kb pressure, (2) closed-system degassing (with up to 10 vol% exsolved gas) as melts percolated upwards through a vertically extensive mush zone (2-4 km thick), and (3) periodic gas fluxing from subjacent, more mafic and more CO2-rich magma, which is preserved as andesite bands in pumices. These processes can account for the range of observed H2O and CO2 values and the lack of correlation between volatiles and trace elements in the melt inclusions.

In-Situ X-ray Tomography Study of Cement Exposed to CO2 Saturated Brine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chavez Panduro, E. A.; Torsæter, M.; Gawel, K.

2017-01-01

For successful CO2 storage in underground reservoirs, the potential problem of CO2 leakage needs to be addressed. A profoundly improved understanding of the behavior of fractured cement under realistic subsurface conditions including elevated temperature, high pressure and the presence of CO2...... saturated brine is required. Here, we report in situ X-ray micro computed tomography (μ-CT) studies visualizing the microstructural changes upon exposure of cured Portland cement with an artificially engineered leakage path (cavity) to CO2 saturated brine at high pressure. Carbonation of the bulk cement......, self-healing of the leakage path in the cement specimen, and leaching of CaCO3 were thus directly observed. The precipitation of CaCO3, which is of key importance as a possible healing mechanism of fractured cement, was found to be enhanced in confined regions having limited access to CO2...

Understanding the Interdependencies Between Composition, Microstructure, and Continuum Variables and Their Influence on the Fracture Toughness of α/β-Processed Ti-6Al-4V

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, P. C.; Koduri, S.; Dixit, V.; Fraser, H. L.

2018-03-01

The fracture toughness of a material depends upon the material's composition and microstructure, as well as other material properties operating at the continuum level. The interrelationships between these variables are complex, and thus difficult to interpret, especially in multi-component, multi-phase ductile engineering alloys such as α/β-processed Ti-6Al-4V (nominal composition, wt pct). Neural networks have been used to elucidate how variables such as composition and microstructure influence the fracture toughness directly ( i.e., via a crack initiation or propagation mechanism)—and independent of the influence of the same variables influence on the yield strength and plasticity of the material. The variables included in the models and analysis include (i) alloy composition, specifically, Al, V, O, and Fe; (ii) materials microstructure, including phase fractions and average sizes of key microstructural features; (iii) the yield strength and reduction in area obtained from uniaxial tensile tests; and (iv) an assessment of the degree to which plane strain conditions were satisfied by including a factor related to the plane strain thickness. Once trained, virtual experiments have been conducted which permit the determination of each variable's functional dependency on the resulting fracture toughness. Given that the database includes both K 1 C and K Q values, as well as the in-plane component of the stress state of the crack tip, it is possible to quantitatively assess the effect of sample thickness on K Q and the degree to which the K Q and K 1 C values may vary. These interpretations drawn by comparing multiple neural networks have a significant impact on the general understanding of how the microstructure influences the fracture toughness in ductile materials, as well as an ability to predict the fracture toughness of α/β-processed Ti-6Al-4V.

Uranium-series constraints on radionuclide transport and groundwater flow at the Nopal I uranium deposit, Sierra Pena Blanca, Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldstein, S.J.; Abdel-Fattah, A.I.; Murrell, M.T.; Dobson, P.F.; Norman, D.E.; Amato, R.S.; Nunn, A.J.

2009-01-01

Uranium-series data for groundwater samples from the Nopal I uranium ore deposit were obtained to place constraints on radionuclide transport and hydrologic processes for a nuclear waste repository located in fractured, unsaturated volcanic tuff. Decreasing uranium concentrations for wells drilled in 2003 are consistent with a simple physical mixing model that indicates that groundwater velocities are low (∼10 m/y). Uranium isotopic constraints, well productivities, and radon systematics also suggest limited groundwater mixing and slow flow in the saturated zone. Uranium isotopic systematics for seepage water collected in the mine adit show a spatial dependence which is consistent with longer water-rock interaction times and higher uranium dissolution inputs at the front adit where the deposit is located. Uranium-series disequilibria measurements for mostly unsaturated zone samples indicate that 230 Th/ 238 U activity ratios range from 0.005-0.48 and 226 Ra/ 238 U activity ratios range from 0.006-113. 239 Pu/ 238 U mass ratios for the saturated zone are -14 , and Pu mobility in the saturated zone is >1000 times lower than the U mobility. Saturated zone mobility decreases in the order 238 U∼ 226 Ra > 230 Th∼ 239 Pu. Radium and thorium appear to have higher mobility in the unsaturated zone based on U-series data from fractures and seepage water near the deposit.

Version II of the users manual for the Tuff Data Base Interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Welch, E.P.; Satter, B.J.; Langkopf, B.S.; Zeuch, D.H.

1987-05-01

The Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) Project, managed by the Nevada Operations Office of the US Department of Energy, is investigating the feasibility of locating a repository at Yucca Mountain on and adjacent to the Nevada Test Site (NTS) in southern Nevada. A part of this investigation includes obtaining physical properties from laboratory tests on samples from Yucca Mountain and from field tests at Yucca Mountain. A computerized data base has been developed to store this data in a centralized location. The data base is stored on the Cyber 170/855 computer at Sandia using the System 2000 Data Base Management software. A user-friendly interface, the Tuff Data Base Interface (the Interface), allows NNWSI participants to retrieve data from the Tuff Data Base. The Interface gives users flexibility to retrieve portions of the Data Base related to their interests. This report gives basic instructions on accessing the Sandia computing system and explains how to use the Interface. 18 figs., 5 tabs

Status of image analysis methods to delineate stratigraphic position in the Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff, Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campbell, K.; Broxton, D.E.; Spaw, J.

1989-10-01

The Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff is an ash-flow cooling unit that is the candidate host rock for a potential high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The repository workings will be mostly confined to the member's rhyolitic portion, which is chemically homogenous but texturally variable. This report describes the status of work to develop a useful internal stratigraphy for the rhyolitic portion of the member; our approach is to use an image analysis technique to map textural variations within the member as a function of stratigraphic height. Fifteen petrographic thin sections of Topopah Spring rhyolitic tuff were studied in each of two drill holes (USW GU-3 and USW G-4). Digital color images were collected in transmitted light for two scenes 1 cm on a side for each thin section. Objects within a scene were classified by color, and measurements of area, elongation, and roughness were determined for each object. Summary statistics were compiled for all measurements for each color component within a scene, and each variable was statistically examined for correlations with stratigraphic position. Our initial studies using image analysis have not yet produced a useful method for determining stratigraphic position within the Topopah Spring Member. Simplifications made in this preliminary application of image analysis may be largely responsible for these negative results. The technique deserves further investigation, and more detailed analysis of existing data is recommended. 9 refs., 11 figs., 4 tabs

Fracture capacity of HFIR vessel with random crack size and toughness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, S.J.

1994-01-01

The probability of fracture versus a range of applied hoop stresses along the High Flux Isotope Reactor vessel is obtained as an estimate of its fracture capacity. Both the crack size and the fracture toughness are assumed to be random variables and subject to assumed distribution functions. Possible hoop stress is based on the numerical solution of the vessel response by applying a point pressure-pulse at the center of the fluid volume within the vessel. Both the fluid-structure interaction and radiation embrittlement are taken into consideration. Elastic fracture mechanics is used throughout the analysis. The probability function of fracture for a single crack due to either a variable crack depth or a variable toughness is derived. Both the variable crack size and the variable toughness are assumed to follow known distributions. The probability of vessel fracture with multiple number of cracks is then obtained as a function of the applied hoop stress. The probability of fracture function is, then, extended to include different levels of confidence and variability. It, therefore, enables one to estimate the high confidence and low probability fracture capacity of the reactor vessel under a range of accident loading conditions

Midterm Follow-up of Treating Volar Marginal Rim Fractures with Variable Angle Lcp Volar Rim Distal Radius Plates.

Science.gov (United States)

Goorens, Chul Ki; Geeurickx, Stijn; Wernaers, Pascal; Staelens, Barbara; Scheerlinck, Thierry; Goubau, Jean

2017-06-01

Specific treatment of the volar marginal rim fragment of distal radius fractures avoids occurance of volar radiocarpal dislocation. Although several fixation systems are available to capture this fragment, adequately maintaining internal fixation is difficult. We present our experience of the first 10 cases using the 2.4 mm variable angle LCP volar rim distal radius plate (Depuy Synthes®, West Chester, US), a low-profile volar rim-contouring plate designed for distal plate positioning and stable buttressing of the volar marginal fragment. Follow-up patient satisfaction, range of motion, grips strength, functional scoring with the QuickDASH and residual pain with a numeric rating scale were assessed. Radiological evaluation consisted in evaluating fracture consolidation, ulnar variance, volar angulation and maintenance of the volar rim fixation. The female to male ratio was 5:5 and the mean age was 52.2 (range, 17-80) years. The mean follow-up period was 11 (range, 5-19) months postoperatively. Patient satisfaction was high. The mean total flexion/extension range was 144° (range, 100-180°) compared to the contralateral uninjured side 160° (range, 95-180°). The mean total pronation/supination range was 153° (range, 140-180°) compared to the contralateral uninjured side 170° (range, 155-180°). Mean grip strength was 14 kg (range, 9-22), compared to the contralateral uninjured side 20 kg (range, 12-25 kg). Mean pre-injury level activity QuickDASH was 23 (range, 0-34.1), while post-recovery QuickDASH was 25 (range 0-43.2). Residual pain was 1.5 on the visual numerical pain rating scale. Radiological evaluation revealed in all cases fracture consolidation, satisfactory reconstruction of ulnar variance, volar angulation and volar rim. We encountered no flexor tendon complications, although plate removal was systematically performed after fracture consolidation. The 2.4 mm variable angle LCP volar rim distal radius plates is a valid treatment option for treating

Invasion-Flowback Processes During Hydraulic Fracturing Well Interference

Science.gov (United States)

Kenzhekhanov, Shaken; He, Kai; Xu, Liang; Lord, Paul; Lozano, Martin; Neeves, Keith; Yin, Xiaolong

2017-11-01

Drainage-imbibition cycles that simulate hydraulic fracturing fluid's invasion and flowback during well interference were investigated using NOA81 microfluidic micromodels. Well interference is quite common in unconventional oil and gas fields. It is not unusual for the fracturing fluid injected into a well to be discovered in a nearby well. Normally, the effect of such interference is considered to be negative, as fracturing fluid will be imbibed into the porous rock and block the flow path of hydrocarbons. However, field data show that some interferences are beneficial, and microfluidic experiments presented in this study show that surfactant in the fracturing fluid may be a reason for the observed positive interference. Two fluid drainage-imbibition cycles were conducted in micromodels. The first cycle simulates fracturing of the old well and the second cycle simulates fluid invasion from the new well into the old well's fracture network. The experimental data show that while most such interferences indeed can cause production loss, when the old well's fracturing fluid does not contain surfactant yet the new well's fracturing fluid does, interference can be positive, as the residual water saturation in the porous medium is effectively reduced by surfactants.

Fuel pellet fracture and relocation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walton, L.A.; Husser, D.L.

1983-01-01

The model used to describe fuel pellet fracture and relocation is an important feature of a fuel performance computer code. This model becomes especially important if the computer code is principally to be used for the evaluation of pellet clad interaction. The fracture and relocation model being developed for the B and W fuel performance code FUMAC was derived from an extensive data base. Cross sections of irradiated fuel rods were photographically magnified and measured to determine the configuration of the fragments of the fractured fuel pellets. Data, representing a wide range of LWR fuel designs and as-manufactured mechanical configurations, were catalogued and systematically reduced and then correlated as a function of the likely independent variables. These correlations define the key phenomenological behavior patterns which the relocation model must duplicate and indicate which mechanistic approaches are viable explanations of this behavior. The data base covers the burnup range from approximately one to 35 GWd/mtU and linear heat rates from less than 100 to nearly 700 W/Cm. This paper presents the correlated data base and the methods used to derive and interpret it. It was determined from this data base that pellet cracking is initially both power level and burnup dependent but tends to saturate eventually with continued steady irradiation. Fuel pellet relocation was found to be much more extensive than would be deduced from thermal considerations alone. Even at very low burnups fuel fragments were found to move outward until restrained by the cladding. The results also suggest that changes in internal resistance to heat flow within the pellets due to the opening of cracks may be as important as peripheral gap changes to the thermal modeler. The transient response and thermal implications of this model are recommended as primary areas for future investigation

An experimental program for testing the validity of flow and transport models in unsaturated tuff: The Yucca Mountain Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shephard, L.E.; Glass, R.J.; Siegel, M.D.; Tidwell, V.C.

1990-01-01

Groundwater flow and contaminant transport through the unsaturated zone are receiving increased attention as options for waste disposal in saturated media continue to be considered as a potential means for resolving the nation's waste management concerns. An experimental program is being developed to test the validity of conceptual flow and transport models that are being formulated to predict the long-term performance at Yucca Mountain. This program is in the developmental stage and will continue to evolve as information is acquired and knowledge is improved with reference to flow and transport in unsaturated fractured media. The general approach for directing the validation effort entails identifying those processes which may cause the site to fail relative to imposed regulatory requirements, evaluating the key assumptions underlying the conceptual models used or developed to describe these processes, and developing new conceptual models as needed. Emphasis is currently being placed in four general areas: flow and transport in unsaturated fractures; fracture-matrix interactions; infiltration flow instability; and evaluation of scale effects in heterogeneous fractured media. Preliminary results and plans or each of these areas for both the laboratory and field investigation components will be presented in the manuscript. 1 ref

Porous media fracturing dynamics: stepwise crack advancement and fluid pressure oscillations

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Toan D.; Hussain, Fazle; Schrefler, Bernhard A.

2018-02-01

We present new results explaining why fracturing in saturated porous media is not smooth and continuous but is a distinct stepwise process concomitant with fluid pressure oscillations. All exact solutions and almost all numerical models yield smooth fracture advancement and fluid pressure evolution, while recent experimental results, mainly from the oil industry, observation from geophysics and a very few numerical results for the quasi-static case indeed reveal the stepwise phenomenon. We summarize first these new experiments and these few numerical solutions for the quasi-static case. Both mechanical loading and pressure driven fractures are considered because their behaviours differ in the direction of the pressure jumps. Then we explore stepwise crack tip advancement and pressure fluctuations in dynamic fracturing with a hydro-mechanical model of porous media based on the Hybrid Mixture Theory. Full dynamic analyses of examples dealing with both hydraulic fracturing and mechanical loading are presented. The stepwise fracture advancement is confirmed in the dynamic setting as well as in the pressure fluctuations, but there are substantial differences in the frequency contents of the pressure waves in the two loading cases. Comparison between the quasi-static and fully dynamic solutions reveals that the dynamic response gives much more information such as the type of pressure oscillations and related frequencies and should be applied whenever there is a doubt about inertia forces playing a role - the case in most fracturing events. In the absence of direct relevant dynamic tests on saturated media some experimental results on dynamic fracture in dry materials, a fast hydraulic fracturing test and observations from geophysics confirm qualitatively the obtained results such as the type of pressure oscillations and the substantial difference in the behaviour under the two loading cases.

Saturated Zone Colloid Transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

H. S. Viswanathan

2004-01-01

This scientific analysis provides retardation factors for colloids transporting in the saturated zone (SZ) and the unsaturated zone (UZ). These retardation factors represent the reversible chemical and physical filtration of colloids in the SZ. The value of the colloid retardation factor, R col is dependent on several factors, such as colloid size, colloid type, and geochemical conditions (e.g., pH, Eh, and ionic strength). These factors are folded into the distributions of R col that have been developed from field and experimental data collected under varying geochemical conditions with different colloid types and sizes. Attachment rate constants, k att , and detachment rate constants, k det , of colloids to the fracture surface have been measured for the fractured volcanics, and separate R col uncertainty distributions have been developed for attachment and detachment to clastic material and mineral grains in the alluvium. Radionuclides such as plutonium and americium sorb mostly (90 to 99 percent) irreversibly to colloids (BSC 2004 [DIRS 170025], Section 6.3.3.2). The colloid retardation factors developed in this analysis are needed to simulate the transport of radionuclides that are irreversibly sorbed onto colloids; this transport is discussed in the model report ''Site-Scale Saturated Zone Transport'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 170036]). Although it is not exclusive to any particular radionuclide release scenario, this scientific analysis especially addresses those scenarios pertaining to evidence from waste-degradation experiments, which indicate that plutonium and americium may be irreversibly attached to colloids for the time scales of interest. A section of this report will also discuss the validity of using microspheres as analogs to colloids in some of the lab and field experiments used to obtain the colloid retardation factors. In addition, a small fraction of colloids travels with the groundwater without any significant retardation. Radionuclides irreversibly

Modelling carbon and nitrogen turnover in variably saturated soils

Science.gov (United States)

Batlle-Aguilar, J.; Brovelli, A.; Porporato, A.; Barry, D. A.

2009-04-01

Natural ecosystems provide services such as ameliorating the impacts of deleterious human activities on both surface and groundwater. For example, several studies have shown that a healthy riparian ecosystem can reduce the nutrient loading of agricultural wastewater, thus protecting the receiving surface water body. As a result, in order to develop better protection strategies and/or restore natural conditions, there is a growing interest in understanding ecosystem functioning, including feedbacks and nonlinearities. Biogeochemical transformations in soils are heavily influenced by microbial decomposition of soil organic matter. Carbon and nutrient cycles are in turn strongly sensitive to environmental conditions, and primarily to soil moisture and temperature. These two physical variables affect the reaction rates of almost all soil biogeochemical transformations, including microbial and fungal activity, nutrient uptake and release from plants, etc. Soil water saturation and temperature are not constants, but vary both in space and time, thus further complicating the picture. In order to interpret field experiments and elucidate the different mechanisms taking place, numerical tools are beneficial. In this work we developed a 3D numerical reactive-transport model as an aid in the investigation the complex physical, chemical and biological interactions occurring in soils. The new code couples the USGS models (MODFLOW 2000-VSF, MT3DMS and PHREEQC) using an operator-splitting algorithm, and is a further development an existing reactive/density-dependent flow model PHWAT. The model was tested using simplified test cases. Following verification, a process-based biogeochemical reaction network describing the turnover of carbon and nitrogen in soils was implemented. Using this tool, we investigated the coupled effect of moisture content and temperature fluctuations on nitrogen and organic matter cycling in the riparian zone, in order to help understand the relative

Management of penile fractures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghilan, Abdulelah M. M.; Al-Asbahi, Waleed A.; Alwan, Mohammed A.; Al-Khanbashi, Omar M.; Ghafour, Mohammed A.

2008-01-01

Objective was to present our experience with surgical and conservative management of penile fracture. This prospective study was carried out in the Urology and Nephrology Center, at Al-Thawra General and Teaching Hospital, Sana'a, Yemen from June 2003 to September 2007 and included 30 patients presenting with penile fracture. Diagnosis was made clinically in all our patients. Six patients with simple fracture were treated conservatively while 24 patients with more severe injuries were operated upon. Patient's age ranged from 24-52 years (mean 31.3 years) 46.7% of patients were under the age of 30 years and 56.7% were unmarried. Hard manipulation of the erect penis for example during masturbation was the most frequent mechanism of fracture in 53.3% of patients. Solitary tear was found in 22 patients and bilateral corporal tears associated with urethral injury were found in 2 patients. Corporal tears were saturated with synthetic absorbable sutures and urethral injury was repaired primarily. All operated patients described full erection with straight penis except 3 of the 8 patients who were managed by direct longitudinal incision, in whom mild curvature during erection was observed. The conservatively treated patients described satisfactory penile straightness and erection. The optimal functional and cosmetic results are achieved following immediate surgical repair of penis fracture. Good results can also be obtained in some selected patients with conservative management. (author)

Preliminary modeling of moisture movement in the tuff beneath Mortandad Canyon, Los Alamos National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geddis, A.M.

1992-01-01

An area of upper/middle Mortandad Canyon on the Los Alamos National Laboratory is modeled in cross-section. UNSAT2, a finite element model (FEM) is used to predict moisture movement. Hydraulic characteristics of the tuff are described by van Genuchten parameters determined from laboratory tests on cores taken from a borehole within the cross-section. Material properties are distributed horizontal planar in space to cover the solution domain with required initial conditions. An estimate of seepage flux from a thin perched alluvial aquifer into the upper surface of the tuff is taken from a lumped parameter model. Moisture redistribution for a ponded boundary condition and a larger flux is investigated. A composite simulation using material properties from two separate coreholes is also evaluated

Simulating the Fate and Transport of Coal Seam Gas Chemicals in Variably-Saturated Soils Using HYDRUS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dirk Mallants

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The HYDRUS-1D and HYDRUS (2D/3D computer software packages are widely used finite element models for simulating the one-, and two- or three-dimensional movement of water, heat, and multiple solutes in variably-saturated media, respectively. While the standard HYDRUS models consider only the fate and transport of individual solutes or solutes subject to first-order degradation reactions, several specialized HYDRUS add-on modules can simulate far more complex biogeochemical processes. The objective of this paper is to provide a brief overview of the HYDRUS models and their add-on modules, and to demonstrate possible applications of the software to the subsurface fate and transport of chemicals involved in coal seam gas extraction and water management operations. One application uses the standard HYDRUS model to evaluate the natural soil attenuation potential of hydraulic fracturing chemicals and their transformation products in case of an accidental release. By coupling the processes of retardation, first-order degradation and convective-dispersive transport of the biocide bronopol and its degradation products, we demonstrated how natural attenuation reduces initial concentrations by more than a factor of hundred in the top 5 cm of the soil. A second application uses the UnsatChem module to explore the possible use of coal seam gas produced water for sustainable irrigation. Simulations with different irrigation waters (untreated, amended with surface water, and reverse osmosis treated provided detailed results regarding chemical indicators of soil and plant health, notably SAR, EC and sodium concentrations. A third application uses the HP1 module to analyze trace metal transport involving cation exchange and surface complexation sorption reactions in a soil leached with coal seam gas produced water following some accidental water release scenario. Results show that the main process responsible for trace metal migration in soil is complexation of

Quantifying multiscale porosity and fracture aperture distribution in granite cores using computed tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Wenning, Quinn; Madonna, Claudio; Joss, Lisa; Pini, Ronny

2017-04-01

saturating fluids to obtain a sufficiently high contrast in the acquired CT images (˜ 474 HU). 3D reconstructions of the sample have been prepared in terms of porosity at a maximum resolution of (0.24×0.24×1) mm3 . Porosity is estimated via the X-ray saturation technique, where porosity is a function of the difference between CT numbers of pure helium and krypton and the difference between the CT numbers of an individual voxel saturated with helium and krypton, respectively. Applying this method with krypton and helium is advantageous for low permeable samples where achieving complete water saturation is difficult. This allows for quantification of voxel-by-voxel-porosity distribution where the whole core porosity is less than 2%. The fracture aperture is assessed using the measured missing CT attenuation method. Use of the medical CT scanner to estimate intrinsic rock properties requires careful voxel-by-voxel consideration and appraisal of the uncertainty, which can be reduced by subtracting multiple slices taken at the exact same location. These results show that core-scale porosity and fracture distribution heterogeneity play an important role in fluid saturation and heat extraction potential in geothermal systems. Huo, D., Pini, R., and Benson, S.M., 2016, A calibration-free approach for measuring fracture aperture distributions using X-ray computed tomography: Geosphere, v. 12, no. 2, p. 558-571, doi:10.1130/GES01175.1. Vega, B., Dutta, A., and Kovscek, A.R., 2014, CT imaging of low-permeability, dual-porosity systems using high X-ray contrast gas: Transport in Porous Media, v. 101, p. 81-97, doi:10.1007/s11242-013-0232-0.

Radiation chemical effects in experiments to study the reaction of glass in an environment of gamma-irradiated air, groundwater, and tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Konynenburg, R.A.

1986-01-01

The results of experiments performed by John K. Bates et al. on the reaction of nuclear waste glass with a gamma-irradiated 90 0 C aqueous solution were analyzed using theory developed from past research in radiation chemistry. The aqueous solution they used is similar to what would be expected in a water-saturated environment in a nuclear waste repository in tuff. The purpose of our study was to develop an understanding of the radiation-chemical processes that occurred in the Bates et al. experiments so the results could be applied to the design and performance analysis of a proposed repository in unsaturated tuff in Nevada. For the Bates et al. experiments at the highest dose (269 Mrad), which originally contained about 16 ml of ''equilibrated'' water taken from Nevada Test Site Well J-13 and 5.4 ml of air, we predicted that water decomposition to H 2 and O 2 would produce a pressure increase of at least 1.0 MPa at 20 0 C. We also predicted that nitrogen fixation from the air would occur, producing an increase of 1.6 x 10 -4 M in total fixed nitrogen concentration in solution. In addition, an equimolar production of H + would occur, which would be buffered by the HCO 3 - in the water. The fixed nitrogen in solution was predicted to be present as NO 2 - and NO 3 - with the ratio influenced by the presence of materials catalytic to the decomposition of H 2 O 2 . We found reasonable agreement between our predictions and the observations of Bates et al., where comparisons were possible. We apply the results to the proposed Nevada repository to the degree possible, given the different expected conditions

Functional outcome of intra-articular tibial plateau fractures: the impact of posterior column fractures.

Science.gov (United States)

van den Berg, Juriaan; Reul, Maike; Nunes Cardozo, Menno; Starovoyt, Anastasiya; Geusens, Eric; Nijs, Stefaan; Hoekstra, Harm

2017-09-01

INTRODUCTION: Although regularly ignored, there is growing evidence that posterior tibial plateau fractures affect the functional outcome. The goal of this study was to assess the incidence of posterior column fractures and its impact on functional outcome and general health status. We aimed to identify all clinical variables that influence the outcome and improve insights in the treatment strategies. A retrospective cohort study including 218 intra-articular tibial plateau fractures was conducted. All fractures were reclassified and applied treatment was assessed according to the updated three-column concept. Relevant demographic and clinical variables were studied. The patient reported outcome was assessed using the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). Median follow-up was 45.5 (IQR 24.9-66.2) months. Significant outcome differences between operatively and non-operatively treated patients were found for all KOOS subscales. The incidence of posterior column fractures was 61.9%. Posterior column fractures, sagittal malalignment and an increased complication rate were associated with poor outcome. Patients treated according to the updated three-column concept, showed significantly better outcome scores than those patients who were not. We could not demonstrate the advantage of posterior column fracture fixation, due to a limited patient size. Our data indicates that implementation of the updated three-column classification concept may improve the surgical outcome of tibial plateau fractures. Failure to recognize posterior column fractures may lead to inappropriate utilization of treatment techniques. The current concept allows us to further substantiate the importance of reduction and fixation of posterior column fractures with restoration of the sagittal alignment. 3.

Fracture Toughness of Carbon Nanotube-Reinforced Metal- and Ceramic-Matrix Composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Y.L.; Liu, B.; Hwang, K.C.; Chen, Y.L.; Huang, Y.

2011-01-01

Hierarchical analysis of the fracture toughness enhancement of carbon nanotube- (CNT-) reinforced hard matrix composites is carried out on the basis of shear-lag theory and fracture mechanics. It is found that stronger CNT/matrix interfaces cannot definitely lead to the better fracture toughness of these composites, and the optimal interfacial chemical bond density is that making the failure mode just in the transition from CNT pull-out to CNT break. For hard matrix composites, the fracture toughness of composites with weak interfaces can be improved effectively by increasing the CNT length. However, for soft matrix composite, the fracture toughness improvement due to the reinforcing CNTs quickly becomes saturated with an increase in CNT length. The proposed theoretical model is also applicable to short fiber-reinforced composites.

Photoelastic stress analysis assisted evaluation of fracture toughness in hydrothermally aged epoxies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Pitarresi

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The present work has investigated the fracture toughness of a model DGEBA epoxy system subject to Hidro-Thermal aging. A Photoelastic Stress Analysis technique has been implemented, showing the evolution of stresses arising throughout the water uptake process due to the non-uniform swelling of the material. Gravimetric and Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analyses have further complemented the characterization, showing the onset of plasticization effects with aging. The correlation of all previous characterizations has allowed to conclude that an increase of KIC fracture toughness is obtained at the fully saturated condition. In particular Photoelasticity has also revealed the onset of relevant swelling induced stresses during the first stages of water absorption, leading to an increase of fracture toughness due to compressive stresses settling near the crack tip. A stress free condition is instead reestablished at the later stages of absorption, suggesting that the increased toughness of the saturated material is an effect of the modifications induced by aging on the polymer structure.

Technical Work Plan for: Fracture and Lithophysal Studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

The primary objective of the work scope described in this technical work plan (TWP) is to enhance the descriptions of fracture and lithophysal parameters for the repository host horizon (RHH) over the repository footprint utilizing a predictive model. This work is planned to address U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) additional information needs (AINs) associated with the Structural Deformation and Seismicity (SDS) Key Technical Issues (KTI) agreement SDS 3.03 (Schlueter 2000 [DIRS 166615]). The results of the planned work are expected to enhance the technical basis and confirm the results of the fracture analyses presented in ''Drift Degradation Analysis'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 166107], Section 6.1.6). This model is not intended to provide an alternative for the unsaturated zone and saturated zone flow and transport models currently used by the Yucca Mountain Project (YMP). Nor are the outputs of this model intended to address the SDS 3.03 AINs related to the unsaturated zone and saturated zone flow and transport models

Technical Work Plan for: Fracture and Lithophysal Studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

n

2006-09-11

The primary objective of the work scope described in this technical work plan (TWP) is to enhance the descriptions of fracture and lithophysal parameters for the repository host horizon (RHH) over the repository footprint utilizing a predictive model. This work is planned to address U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) additional information needs (AINs) associated with the Structural Deformation and Seismicity (SDS) Key Technical Issues (KTI) agreement SDS 3.03 (Schlueter 2000 [DIRS 166615]). The results of the planned work are expected to enhance the technical basis and confirm the results of the fracture analyses presented in ''Drift Degradation Analysis'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 166107], Section 6.1.6). This model is not intended to provide an alternative for the unsaturated zone and saturated zone flow and transport models currently used by the Yucca Mountain Project (YMP). Nor are the outputs of this model intended to address the SDS 3.03 AINs related to the unsaturated zone and saturated zone flow and transport models.

Stress-corrosion-cracking studies on candidate container alloys for the Tuff Repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beavers, J.A.; Durr, C.L.

1992-05-01

Cortest Columbus Technologies, Inc. (CC Technologies) investigated the long-term performance of container materials used for high-level waste package as part of the information needed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to assess the Department of Energy's application to construct to geologic repository for high-level radioactive waste. At the direction of the NRC, the program focused on the Tuff Repository. This report summarizes the results of Stress-Corrosion-Cracking (SCC) studies performed in Tasks 3, 5, and 7 of the program. Two test techniques were used; U-bend exposures and Slow-Strain-Rate (SSR) tests. The testing was performed on two copper-base alloys (Alloy CDA 102 and Alloy CDA 175) and two Fe-Cr-Ni alloys (Alloy 304L and Alloy 825) in simulated J-13 groundwater and other simulated solutions for the Tuff Repository. These solutions were designed to simulate the effects of concentration and irradiation on the groundwater composition. All SCC testing on the Fe-Cr-Ni Alloys was performed on solution-annealed specimens and thus issues such as the effect of sensitization on SCC were not addressed

Effective media models for unsaturated fractured rock: A field experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nicholl, M.J.; Glass, R.J.

1995-01-01

A thick unsaturated rock mass at Yucca Mountain is currently under consideration as a potential repository site for disposal of high level radioactive waste. In accordance with standard industry and scientific practices, abstract numerical models will be used to evaluate the potential for radionuclide release through the groundwater system. At this time, currently available conceptual models used to develop effective media properties are based primarily on simplistic considerations. The work presented here is part of an integrated effort to develop effective media models at the intermediate block scale (approximately 8-125m) through a combination of physical observations, numerical simulations and theoretical considerations. A multi-purpose field experiment designed and conducted as part of this integrated effort is described. Specific goals of this experimental investigation were to: (1) obtain fracture network data from Topopah Spring Tuff for use in block scale simulations; (2) identity positions of the network conducting flow under three different boundary conditions; (3) visualize preferential flow paths and small-scale flow structures; (4) collect samples for subsequent hydraulic testing and use in block-scale simulations; and (5) demonstrate the ability of Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT) to delineate fluid distribution within fractured rock

Studies of ancient concrete as analogs of cementitious sealing materials for a repository in tuff

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roy, D.M.; Langton, C.A.

1989-03-01

The durability of ancient cementitious materials has been investigated to provide data applicable to determining the resistance to weathering of concrete materials for sealing a repository for storage of high-level radioactive waste. Because tuff and volcanic ash are used in the concretes in the vicinity of Rome, the results are especially applicable to a waste repository in tuff. Ancient mortars, plasters, and concretes collected from Rome, Ostia, and Cosa dating to the third century BC show remarkable durability. The aggregates used in the mortars, plasters, and concretes included basic volcanic and pyroclastic rocks (including tuff), terra-cotta, carbonates, sands, and volcanic ash. The matrices of ancient cementitious materials have been characterized and classified into four categories: (1) hydraulic hydrated lime and hydrated lime cements, (2) hydraulic aluminous and ferruginous hydrated lime cements ({plus_minus} siliceous components), (3) pozzolana/hydrated lime cements, and (4) gypsum cements. Most of the materials investigated are in category (3). The materials were characterized to elucidate aspects of the technology that produced them and their response to the environmental exposure throughout their centuries of existence. Their remarkable properties are the result of a combination of chemical, mineralogical, and microstructural factors. Their durability was found to be affected by the matrix mineralogy, particle size, and porosity; aggregate type, grading and proportioning; and the methodology of placement. 30 refs.

Modeling of gravity-imbibition and gravity-drainage processes: Analytic and numerical solutions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bech, N.; Jensen, O.K.; Nielsen, B.

1991-01-01

A matrix/fracture exchange model for a fractured reservoir simulator is described. Oil/water imbibition is obtained from a diffusion equation with water saturation as the dependent variable. Gas/oil gravity drainage and imbibition are calculated by taking into account the vertical saturation...... distribution in the matrix blocks....

Pore Connectivity Effects on Solute Transport in Rocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oinhong Hu

2001-01-01

Retardation of nuclear contaminants in rock matrices can lead to long retention times, allowing substantial radionuclide decay prior to eventual release. Imbibition and diffusion into the rock matrix can move contaminants away from an active fracture, thereby contributing to their retardation. However, diffusive transport in some rocks may behave anomalously because of their sparsely connected porespace, in contrast to diffusion in rocks with denser pore connections. We examined imbibition of weakly sorbing tracers into welded tuff and Indiana sandstone, and water imbibition into metagraywacke and Berea sandstone. Tuff samples were initially equilibrated to 12% and 76% water (v/v) within controlled humidity chambers, while the other rocks were air-dried. For imbibition, one face was exposed to water, with or without tracer, and uptake was measured over time. Following imbibition, tracer concentration measurements were made at fine (1 mm) increments. Three anomalous results were observed: (1) Indiana sandstone and metagraywacke showed mass of imbibed water scaling as time 0.26 , while tuff and Berea sandstone showed the more classical scaling with time 0.05 ; (2) tracer movement into dry (2% initial saturation) Indiana sandstone showed a dispersion pattern similar to that expected during tracer movement into moist (76% initial saturation) tuft and (3) tracer concentrations at the inlet face of the tuff sample were approximately twice those deeper inside the sample. The experiment was then modeled using random walk methods on a 3-D lattice with different values of pore coordination. Network model simulations that used a pore coordination of 1.49 for Indiana sandstone and 1.56 for metagraywacke showed similar temporal scaling, a result of their porespace being close to the percolation threshold. Tracer concentration profiles in Indiana sandstone and tuff were closely matched by simulations that used pore coordinations of 1.49 and 1.68, respectively, because of how low

Steady State Entanglement and Saturation Effects in Correlated Spontaneous Emission Lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fei, Wang; Xiang-Ming, Hu; Wen-Xing, Shi

2009-01-01

It has recently been shown that correlated spontaneous emission lasers (CEL) exhibit transient entanglement in the linear regime. Here we re-examine the quantum correlations in two-photon CEL and explore the saturation effects on continuous variable entanglement. It is shown that the steady state entanglement is obtainable in the weak or moderate saturation regime, while is washed out in the deep saturation regime. (general)

Preliminary report on the geology and geophysics of drill hole UE25a-1, Yucca Mountain, Nevada Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spengler, R.W.; Muller, D.C.; Livermore, R.B.

1979-01-01

A subsurface geologic study in connection with the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations has furnished detailed stratigraphic and structural information about tuffs underlying northeastern Yucca Mountain on the Nevada Test Site. Drill hole UE25a-1 penetrated thick sequences of nonwelded to densely welded ash-flow and bedded tuffs of Tertiary age. Stratigraphic units that were identified from the drill-hole data include the Tiva Canyon and Topopah Spring Members of the Paintbrush Tuff, tuffaceous beds of Calico Hills, and the Prow Pass and Bullfrog Members of the Crater Flat Tuff. Structural analysis of the core indicated densely welded zones to be highly fractured. Many fractures show near-vertical inclinations and are commonly coated with secondary silica, manganese and iron oxides, and calcite. Five falt zones were recognized, most of which occurred in the Topopah Spring Member. Shear fractures commonly show oblique-slip movement and some suggest a sizable component of lateral compression. Graphic logs are included that show the correlation of lithology, structural properties, and geophysical logs. Many rock units have characteristic log responses but highly fractured zones, occurring principally in the Tiva Canyon and Topopah Spring Members restricted log coverage to the lower half of the drill hole

Design and Implementation of Energized Fracture Treatment in Tight Gas Sands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mukul Sharma; Kyle Friehauf

2009-12-31

Hydraulic fracturing is essential for producing gas and oil at an economic rate from low permeability sands. Most fracturing treatments use water and polymers with a gelling agent as a fracturing fluid. The water is held in the small pore spaces by capillary pressure and is not recovered when drawdown pressures are low. The un-recovered water leaves a water saturated zone around the fracture face that stops the flow of gas into the fracture. This is a particularly acute problem in low permeability formations where capillary pressures are high. Depletion (lower reservoir pressures) causes a limitation on the drawdown pressure that can be applied. A hydraulic fracturing process can be energized by the addition of a compressible, sometimes soluble, gas phase into the treatment fluid. When the well is produced, the energized fluid expands and gas comes out of solution. Energizing the fluid creates high gas saturation in the invaded zone, thereby facilitating gas flowback. A new compositional hydraulic fracturing model has been created (EFRAC). This is the first model to include changes in composition, temperature, and phase behavior of the fluid inside the fracture. An equation of state is used to evaluate the phase behavior of the fluid. These compositional effects are coupled with the fluid rheology, proppant transport, and mechanics of fracture growth to create a general model for fracture creation when energized fluids are used. In addition to the fracture propagation model, we have also introduced another new model for hydraulically fractured well productivity. This is the first and only model that takes into account both finite fracture conductivity and damage in the invaded zone in a simple analytical way. EFRAC was successfully used to simulate several fracture treatments in a gas field in South Texas. Based on production estimates, energized fluids may be required when drawdown pressures are smaller than the capillary forces in the formation. For this field

Variably Saturated Flow and Multicomponent Biogeochemical Reactive Transport Modeling of a Uranium Bioremediation Field Experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yabusaki, Steven B.; Fang, Yilin; Williams, Kenneth H.; Murray, Christopher J.; Ward, Anderson L.; Dayvault, Richard; Waichler, Scott R.; Newcomer, Darrell R.; Spane, Frank A.; Long, Philip E.

2011-01-01

Field experiments at a former uranium mill tailings site have identified the potential for stimulating indigenous bacteria to catalyze the conversion of aqueous uranium in the +6 oxidation state to immobile solid-associated uranium in the +4 oxidation state. This effectively removes uranium from solution resulting in groundwater concentrations below actionable standards. Three-dimensional, coupled variably-saturated flow and biogeochemical reactive transport modeling of a 2008 in situ uranium bioremediation field experiment is used to better understand the interplay of transport rates and biogeochemical reaction rates that determine the location and magnitude of key reaction products. A comprehensive reaction network, developed largely through previous 1-D modeling studies, was used to simulate the impacts on uranium behavior of pulsed acetate amendment, seasonal water table variation, spatially-variable physical (hydraulic conductivity, porosity) and geochemical (reactive surface area) material properties. A principal challenge is the mechanistic representation of biologically-mediated terminal electron acceptor process (TEAP) reactions whose products significantly alter geochemical controls on uranium mobility through increases in pH, alkalinity, exchangeable cations, and highly reactive reduction products. In general, these simulations of the 2008 Big Rusty acetate biostimulation field experiment in Rifle, Colorado confirmed previously identified behaviors including (1) initial dominance by iron reducing bacteria that concomitantly reduce aqueous U(VI), (2) sulfate reducing bacteria that become dominant after ∼30 days and outcompete iron reducers for the acetate electron donor, (3) continuing iron-reducer activity and U(VI) bioreduction during dominantly sulfate reducing conditions, and (4) lower apparent U(VI) removal from groundwater during dominantly sulfate reducing conditions. New knowledge on simultaneously active metal and sulfate reducers has been

Formation evaluation of fractured basement, Cambay Basin, India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, Saurabh Datta; Farooqui, M Y; Chatterjee, Rima

2012-01-01

Unconventional reservoirs such as fractured basalts, shale gas and tight sand are currently playing an important role in producing a significant amount of hydrocarbon. The Deccan Trap basaltic rocks form the basement of the Cambay Basin, India, and hold commercially producible hydrocarbon. In this study two wells drilled through fractured basalts are chosen for evaluating the lithology, porosity and oil saturation of the reservoir sections. Well logs, such as gamma ray, high resolution resistivity, litho density, compensated neutron and elemental capture spectroscopy, have been used in cross-plotting techniques for lithology and mineral identification. Formation micro imagery log data have been analysed to quantify the fractures and porosity in the fractured reservoirs for a well in the south Ahmedabad block of the Cambay Basin. The results of the analysis of two wells are presented and discussed and they are found to be in good agreement with geological and production data. (paper)

Vertical Variability in Saturated Zone Hydrochemistry Near Yucca Mountain, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

G. Patterson; P. Striffler

2007-01-01

The differences in the saturated zone hydrochemistry with depth at borehole NC-EWDP-22PC reflect the addition of recharge along Fortymile Wash. The differences in water chemistry with depth at borehole NC-EWDP-19PB appear to indicate that other processes are involved. Water from the lower part of NC-EWDP-19PB possesses chemical characteristics that clearly indicate that it has undergone cation exchange that resulted in the removal of calcium and magnesium and the addition of sodium. This water is very similar to water from the Western Yucca Mountain facies that has previously been thought to flow west of NC-EWDP-19PB. Water from the lower zone in NC-EWDP-19PB also could represent water from the Eastern Yucca Mountain facies that has moved through clay-bearing or zeolitized aquifer material resulting in the altered chemistry. Water chemistry from the upper part of the saturated zone at NC-EWDP-19PB, both zones at NC-EWDP-22PC, and wells in the Fortymile Wash facies appears to be the result of recharge through the alluvium south of Yucca Mountain and within the Fortymile Wash channel

The enhanced local pressure model for the accurate analysis of fluid pressure driven fracture in porous materials

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Remij, E.W.; Remmers, J.J.C.; Huyghe, J.M.R.J.; Smeulders, D.M.J.

2015-01-01

In this paper, we present an enhanced local pressure model for modelling fluid pressure driven fractures in porous saturated materials. Using the partition-of-unity property of finite element shape functions, we describe the displacement and pressure fields across the fracture as a strong

Variability in Treatment for Patients with Cervical Spine Fracture and Dislocation: An Analysis of 107,152 Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jing; Eltorai, Adam E M; DePasse, J Mason; Durand, Wesley; Reid, Daniel; Daniels, Alan H

2018-06-01

Cervical spine injuries are a common cause of morbidity and mortality; however, the optimal treatment of many of these injuries is debated, and previous studies have shown substantial variation in treatment. We sought to examined treatment variation in arthrodesis and halo/tong placement in cervical spine injury patients over a 12-year period. Data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample, from 2000 to 2011, were used for this study. Patients were identified with a cervical vertebral facture or dislocation based on the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision codes. Using χ 2 analysis, spinal arthrodesis rates and halo/tong placement rates were compared between hospitals based on teaching status for patients with and without spinal cord injury (SCI). The records of 107,152 patients with cervical fractures were examined. From 2000 to 2011, the overall arthrodesis rates fell from 25.2% to 20.6% (P < 0.001), and halo/tong placement rates fell from 13.2% to 3.6% (P < 0.001). In patients with cervical fracture without SCI, arthrodesis rates fell from 17.6% to 13.9% (P < 0.001), in cervical fracture patients with SCI, arthrodesis rates rose from 50.0% to 58.9% (P < 0.001), and in cervical dislocation patients, arthrodesis rates rose from 47.6% to 57.5% (P < 0.001). During the 12-year period, teaching hospitals had higher arthrodesis rates compared with nonteaching hospitals for patients with cervical fractures with SCI (57.3% vs. 53.4%, P = 0.001) and higher halo/tong placement rates for patients with cervical dislocations (2.7% vs. 1.7%, P = 0.004). Individual hospital variation showed a 3.5-fold variation in arthrodesis rates in 2000 to 2002, which fell to 3.0-fold by 2009 to 2011. Arthrodesis rates for cervical fracture patients significantly decreased, and arthrodesis rates for cervical dislocation and SCI patients increased from 2000 to 2011, with variability in treatment based on hospital teaching status