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Estimated Effects of Temperature-Relative Humidity Variations on the Composition of In-Drift Water in the Potential Nuclear Waste Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2011

Lauren Browning ,
Randall Fedors ,
Lietai Yang ,
Osvaldo Pensado ,
Roberto Pabalan ,
Chandrika Manepally  and
Bret Leslie
Lauren Browning
Affiliation:
Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX
Randall Fedors
Affiliation:
Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX
Lietai Yang
Affiliation:
Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX
Osvaldo Pensado
Affiliation:
Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX
Roberto Pabalan
Affiliation:
Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX
Chandrika Manepally
Affiliation:
Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX
Bret Leslie
Affiliation:
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Rockville, MD
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Abstract

We define four distinct thermohydrochemical environments for drip shield and waste package corrosion in the potential nuclear waste repository, referred to here as the Dry, Seepage + Evaporation, Seepage + Condensation + Evaporation, and the Seepage + Condensation environments. These environments are bounded by temperature and relative humidity conditions at drift wall and drip shield/waste package surfaces judged most likely to initiate fundamental changes in the quantity and/or chemistry of in-drift waters. The duration in which different environments might exist is evaluated by comparing simulated, time-dependent temperature and relative humidity curves for three different locations within repository drift 25. In-drift conditions and processes postulated to cause drip shield/waste package corrosion are evaluated within the context of the thermohydrochemical environments by various means, including analytical calculations and geochemical simulations. Of the four environments considered here, the Seepage + Evaporation environment presents the most significant potential for aqueous corrosion of drip shield and waste package materials, and may persist for approximately 500 years in center drift locations. The likelihood for corrosion in other thermohydrochemical environments is significantly lower, but may increase with the acquisition of new data or the demonstration of extenuating circumstances.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 824: Symposium CC – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXVIII , 2004 , CC7.11
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

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