Migration Experiments at the Grimsel Test Site, Switzerland
The Grimsel Migration Experiment is a multidisciplinary study aimed at testing models of solute transport in fractured media, determining the degree to which laboratory results could be...
Strain Distribution in Fault Zones and Fluid Flow
Field and laboratory studies have shown that mechanical shearing in fault zones produces a repeatable fabric that changes with increasing shear strain. In the brittle field of mechanical...
Computer-Assisted Geometric and Kinematic Analysis of Subsurface Faulting in the Vicinity of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, Using Balanced Geologic Cross Sections
Computer-assisted geological cross section balancing methods are used in the geometric and kinematic analysis of subsurface structures in the vicinity of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, including...
Assessment of Fracture-Sampling Techniques for Laboratory Tests on Core
As part of the site characterization work to be done at Yucca Mountain in Nye County, Nevada, a candidate site for the first mined-geologic repository for high-level nuclear waste, laboratory...
A Probe Method for Measuring In Situ Rock Thermophysical Properties
The application of a thermal probe method for in situ thermophysical property measurement is analyzed. The REKA method (Rapid Evaluation of k and alpha) involves a single-borehole probe...
Microwave Measurements of the Water Content of Bentonite
The theory of operation of microwave coaxial resonators is described. Sample preparation and the application of resonator techniques to the measurement of the permittivity (dielectric...
Nondestructive Testing Using Borehole and Surface Seismic Techniques to Evaluate Rock Mass Damage Zones
A suite of seismic tests was performed at the U12g tunnel at the Nevada Test Site. The methods include borehole (crosshole and downhole) and surface (Rayleigh wave and refraction) tests....
Dry Drilling and Coring Development for Unsaturated Zone Studies
Two areas of major difficulty associated with characterization of any unsaturated zone are the conventional drilling and coring processes used to acquire the samples. These processes are...
Field Investigations for Seismic Effects on Mechanical and Geohydrologic Response of Underground Structures in Jointed Rock
An exploratory Seismic Rock Mechanics research program has been initiated by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission at the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses (CNWRA) to study...
Effect of a Low-Permeability Layer on Calculated Gas Flow at Yucca Mountain
Yucca Mountain is being studied to determine its suitability as a location for a high-level nuclear waste repository. The mountain is a steep-sided linear ridge which is underlain by a...
Barometric Pumping of Contaminated Gases Through Fractured Permeable Media
Contaminated gases may be transported vertically through a fractured permeable medium by the breathing process which is associated with cyclical changes in the barometric pressure. A review...
An Electrochemical Approach to Predicting Corrosion Performance of Container Materials
The pitting potentials of nickel-rich Alloy 825 are measured in chloride-containing solutions at different temperatures and adjusted to different pH values. The pitting potentials were...
Activities Aimed at Qualification of a HLW Disposal Container
A container is being developed for the permanent disposal of used fuel from CANDU nuclear reactors in a deep underground disposal vault. The container is required to isolate the fuel from...
Mechanical Excavator Performance in Yucca Mountain Tuffs
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...
Drafting of an ISO Standard for Leakage Tests on Packaging for the Transport of Radioactive Material
A working group (TC85/SC5/WG 10) has been formed by ISO for the drafting of an international standard covering the leak testing of radioactive material transport containers. A certain...
Cask Systems Development Program Seal Technology
General design or test performance requirements for radioactive materials (RAM) packages are specified in Title 10 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 71 (10 CFR 71). Seals that...
Testing of Materials and Scale Models for Impact Limiters
Aluminum Honeycomb and Polyurethane foam specimens were tested to obtain experimental data on the material's behavior under different loading conditions. This paper reports...
GA-4/GA-9 Honeycomb Impact Limiter Tests and Analytical Model
General Atomics (GA) has a test program underway to obtain data on the behavior of a honeycomb impact limiter. The program includes testing of small samples to obtain basic information,...
Distribution of Rubidium, Strontium, and Zirconium in Tuff From Two Deep Coreholes at Yucca Mountain, Nevada
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...
A Decision Support System for Performance-Based Site Characterization
The complex and dynamic requirements of site characterization present a major management challenge. ParaTrac, a regulatory and technical information system, is described as a valuable...
Return to search