IN-DRIFT CHEMICAL MODELING—FROM DATA TO ABSTRACTION

In-drift water and gas chemistry are important as they control the potential for localized corrosion of waste packages within the proposed Yucca Mountain repository. Chemical modeling of the system included acquisition of data representative of the proposed repository and near-field host rock environments; development of an aqueous Pitzer database and demonstration of its capability; modeling of processes important in the in-drift environment (evaporation, dilution, and deliquescence) and their effect on water chemistry; and abstraction of model results to produce total system performance assessment look-up tables used directly in the safety case. The data and methods to be presented will emphasize the consistency and integration of the resulting in-drift chemical modeling, from model development to implemented abstraction.

Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.