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Near-Field Mass Transfer in Geologic Disposal Systems: a Review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2011

T. H. Pigford  and
P. L. Chambré
T. H. Pigford
Affiliation:
Department of Nuclear Engineering and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
P. L. Chambré
Affiliation:
Department of Nuclear Engineering and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
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Abstract

A primary purpose of performance assessment of geologic repositories for radioactive waste is to predict the extent to which radioactive species are released from the waste solids and are transported through geologic media to the environment. Reliable quantitative predictions must be made of rates of release of radionuclides from the waste into the rock, transport through the geologic media, cumulative release to the accessible environment, and maximum concentrations in ground water and surface water. Here we review theoretical approaches to making the predictions of near-field release from buried waste solids, which provide the source terms for far-field release. The extent to which approaches and issues depend on the rock media and on regulatory criteria is discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 112: Symposium P – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XI , 1987 , 125
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1988

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