Modelling of hydrodynamic and solute transport with consideration of the release of low-level radioactive substances

Abstract

Abstract. When nuclear power plants are dismantled, only a small portion is heavily contaminated with radioactivity and must be stored in a repository. The remaining material, mainly concrete rubble (construction waste), is decontaminated if necessary and can be stored in conventional surface landfills after clearance. The focus of this work is on the modelling of such landfills and the radioactive substances during raining events. The influence of the heterogeneous nature of the construction rubble should also be investigated. The simulation environment DuMux, mainly developed by our institute, is used to compare different modelling approaches. It follows a previous work by Merk (2012). The research work is supported and accompanied by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS). Parts of the research initiatives of the BfS in the area of clearance of materials with negligible radioactivity are also presented.