The use of natural analogues to assess radionuclide transport

Smellie, J.A.T.; Karlsson, Fred

doi:10.1016/s0013-7952(99)00006-x

Cited by 29 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…The study of natural analogues is an integral part of research aimed at long-term safety of isolation of nuclear materials (Smellie and Karlsson, 1999). In many cases, the use of natural analogues is limited to qualitative description of the migration and accumulation of radionuclides.…”

Section: Natural Analogues and Underground Laboratories In Granite: Amentioning

confidence: 99%

The Antei uranium deposit: A natural analogue of an SNF repository and an underground geodynamic laboratory in granite

et al. 2008

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The estimation of the long-term stability of crystalline rock massifs with respect to natural and technogenic loads in the course of long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is a special area of surveys at underground research laboratories (URLs). In parallel with these surveys, data on uranium deposits-natural analogues of repositories of SNF consisting of 95% UO 2 -are used for obtaining insight into the dynamics of radionuclide migration and validating barrier properties of host rocks. Examples of URLs located in granitic massifs of Sweden (Äspö), Canada (Whiteshell), Switzerland (Grimsel), Japan (Mizunami), and Finland (ONKALO), as well as the El Berrocal (Spain), Palmottu (Finland), Sanerliu (China), and Kamaishi (Japan) deposits, are considered in the paper. The objects listed above are distinct in tectonic settings, geology, control of ore mineralization, redox conditions of uranium migration, and character and intensity of filtration and transportation, which predetermine the direction and specific features of research conducted therein. A variant in which a URL and a natural analogue are combined in one object is especially promising for validation of safe long-term isolation of SNF. The Antei vein-stockwork uranium deposit in the southeastern Transbaikal region, localized in Paleozoic granite at a depth of 400-1000 m and opened by mine workings at six levels, is such an object. Its geological features, stress-strain state, and infrastructure of mine workings offer an opportunity to study the entire spectrum of processes proceeding in near-and far-field of an SNF repository. The structural geology, mineralogy and petrography, and petrophysical and tectonophysical features of the deposit at its three lower levels are considered. The sequence of metasomatic alteration of rocks and the dynamics of formation of ore-bearing faults that crosscut prototectonic elements, as well as relationships of physicomechanical properties of rocks as a function of the intensity of their metasomatic alteration and the distance from master fault planes, have been established. A 3D geological model of the deposit in combination with estimated parameters of the present-day stress field and physicomechanical properties of particular rock blocks serves as the basis for prediction of the geomechanical behavior of the massif. The practical implications of the results obtained for assessment of the long-term safety of SNF repositories in granites are discussed.

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Section: Natural Analogues and Underground Laboratories In Granite: Amentioning

confidence: 99%

The Antei uranium deposit: A natural analogue of an SNF repository and an underground geodynamic laboratory in granite

et al. 2008

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“…The development of a dry zone around drifts, resulting from evaporation and boiling (the "vaporization barrier"), will reduce significantly the possibility of in-drift seepage during the boiling period (Birkholzer et al, 2004). Simulations have shown that after the boiling period, seepage into the emplacement drift is largely impeded by the capillary barrier effect of the drift openings (Le., the effect of capillary forces acting at the rock-air interface of the drift wall).…”

Section: Engineering Geologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…gadolinium andor boron) and oxidation of adjacent steels will tend to limit this (sce e.g. Smellie and Karlsson, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Workshop on Development of Radionuclide Getters for the Yucca Mountain Waste Repository

Holt¹

2006

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“…During the last three decades, the study of reactive transport in fractured rocks has attracted a large interest in the environmental and physical sciences, both in interdisciplinary theoretical and applied fields [Bryant et al, 2001]. In particular, research focused on transport in low-porosity rocks hosting nuclear waste repositories [Tang et al, 1981;Sudicky and Frind, 1982;Lever and Bradbury, 1985;Banwart et al, 1999;Smellie and Karlsson, 1999;Park et al, 2001;MacQuarrie and Mayer, 2005;H€ oltt€ a et al, 2008;Dideriksen et al, 2010;MacQuarrie et al, 2010;Hartley et al, 2015;Tsang et al, 2015]. Furthermore, redox front characteristics help to understand pollutant transport in porous [Cribbin et al, 2014] or fractured rocks [Akagawa et al, 2006].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of analytical diffusion models to outcrop observations: Implications for mass transport by fluid flow through fractures

Antonellini

Mollema

Sole

2017

Water Resources Research

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A pavement outcrop with excellent exposure of spatial relationships among joints, veins, small offset normal faults, and associated alteration halos (redox fronts) provided an opportunity to compare predictions of analytical models for reaction front propagation in a fracture‐matrix system with a real‐field situation. The results have important implications for fluid flow and pollutant transport through a fractured medium. The alteration halos observed suggest that all joints of different sets and most small faults are conductive to meteoric water at shallow depth. On the other hand, veins are local barriers to mass transport by diffusion. By using petrologic and petrophysical data, analytical modeling, and the width of the alteration halos, it was possible to estimate when the fracture network was open to fluid flow. The inferred time for fluid flow and diffusion through the fracture network is sensitive to the porosity n of the rock matrix used in the analytical solutions: 2200 ± 500 years with n = 0.08, 4600 ± 900 years with n = 0.05, and 16,000 ± 4000 with n = 0.02. The second and third age determinations are consistent with the landscape evolution of the area since the end of the last Wűrmian ice age and with the timing required to fill the fractures observed in outcrop. We suggest that analytical modeling is an important tool for the determination of transport and reaction time scales in fractured formations where it is constrained by a robust petrophysical and chemical properties data set.

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The use of natural analogues to assess radionuclide transport

Cited by 29 publications

References 30 publications

The Antei uranium deposit: A natural analogue of an SNF repository and an underground geodynamic laboratory in granite

The Antei uranium deposit: A natural analogue of an SNF repository and an underground geodynamic laboratory in granite

Workshop on Development of Radionuclide Getters for the Yucca Mountain Waste Repository

Application of analytical diffusion models to outcrop observations: Implications for mass transport by fluid flow through fractures

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