Hanford protoype surface barrier status report: FY 1994

Abstract

This report was .prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United3tates Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, express or implied, or assumes a n y legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of t h e United States Government or any agency thereof. DISCLAIMER Portions of this document may be illegible in electronic image products. Images are produced from the best available original document. Summary A full-scale prototype surface barrier has been constructed at the 200 BP-1 Operable Unit in the 200 East Area of the Hanford Site. The prototype barrier has been built to evaluate design, construction, and performance features of a surface barrier that may be used for in-place disposal of wastes at the Hanford Site. The design basis and construction of the prototype have been documented. A testing and monitoring plan has been published outlining specific tests planned for the prototype. The current report describes initial testing activities conducted in FY 1994 and outlines activities for testing and monitoring at the prototype barrier in the future. Asphalt permeability was tested during construction of the prototype in April and May 1994. Cores taken from the asphalt concrete layer were tested in the laboratory and found to have hydraulic conductivities below 1E-09 c d s. Field measurements of hydraulic conductivity taken on the asphalt concrete ushg a speciallydesigned falling head permeameter were more than ten times higher than those from core tests. The higher values are attributed to transient flow through the permeameter seal. In spite of this difficulty, the more rapid field measurements (lday tests in t4e field compared to 3 months in the laboratory) gave values as low as 1E-09 c d s and averaged about 1E-08 c d s. Samples of fluid-applied asphalt material, used as a sealant on the asphalt concrete layer, were tested in the laboratory and found to have hydraulic conductivities below 1E-10 c d s. Measurements of hydraulic conductivity taken on an adjacent asphalt test pad using a sealed double-ring infiltrometer (SDRI) were

Addendum to Composite Analysis for Low-Level Waste Disposal in the 200 Area Plateau of the Hanford Site

“…The Hanford Site has had active investigations and studies evaluating the performance of the various design features or components of typical covers and protective barriers that will enable DOE programs to incorporate into their designs only those cover features essential to the long-term performance of their waste (Buckmaster 1994;Gee et al 1993aGee et al , 1993bGee et al , 1994Gee et al , 1995Gee et al , 1996DOE-RL 1996a, Last et al 1987Miller and Faurette 2001;Myers and Duranceau 1994;Peterson et al 1993;Gee 1997, 1998). Kincaid et al (1998) indicated that our increasing knowledge of the physical position and chemical character of radionuclides in the vadose zone beneath tank leaks and liquid discharge facilities should be incorporated into the conceptual and mathematical models.…”