Measuring and Modeling Flow in Welded Fractured Tuffs

Salve, R. ; Doughty, C. ; Wang, J.S.

United States. Department of Energy. Yucca Mountain Project Office.

关键词: Fractures;    Liquid Flow;    12 Management Of Radioactive Wastes, And Non-Radioactive Wastes From Nuclear Facilities;    Simulation;    Tuff;   

DOI  :  10.2172/802598
RP-ID  :  NONE
RP-ID  :  NONE
RP-ID  :  802598

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

We have carried out a series of in situ liquid-release experiments in conjunction with a numerical modeling study to examine the effect of the rock matrix on liquid flow and transport occurring primarily through the fracture network. Field experiments were conducted in the highly fractured Topopah Spring welded tuff at a site accessed from the Exploratory Studies Facility (ESFS), an underground laboratory in the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. During the experiment, wetting-front movement, flow-field evolution, and drainage of fracture flow paths were evaluated. Modeling was used to aid in experimental design, predict experimental results, and study the physical processes accompanying liquid flow through unsaturated fractured welded tuff. Field experiments and modeling suggest that it may not be sufficient to conceptualize the fractured tuff as consisting of a single network of high-permeability fractures embedded in a low-permeability matrix. The need to include a secondary fracture network is demonstrated by comparison to the liquid flow observed in the field.