Analysis of near-field thermal and psychometric waste package environment using ventilation

Abstract

The ultimate objective of the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System (CRWMS) Program is to safely emplace and isolate the nations` spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and radioactive wastes in a geologic repository. Radioactive waste emplaced in a geologic repository will generate heat, increasing the temperature in the repository. The magnitude of this temperature increase depends upon (1) the heat source, i.e. the thermal loading of the repository, and (2) the geologic and engineered heat transport characteristics of the repository. Thermal management techniques currently under investigation include ventilation of the emplacement drifts during the preclosure period which could last as long as 100 years. Understanding the amount of heat and moisture removed from the emplacement drifts and near-field rock by ventilation, are important in determining performance of the engineered barrier system (EBS), as well as the corrosive environment of the waste packages, and the interaction of the EBS with the near-field host rock. Since radionuclide releases and repository system performance are significantly affected by the corrosion rate related to the psychometric environment, it is necessary to predict the amount of heat and moisture that are removed from the repository horizon using a realistic model for a wide range of thermal loading. This can be realized by coupling the hydrothermal model of the rock mass to a ventilation/climate model which includes the heat and moisture transport on the rock-air interface and the dilution of water vapor in the drift. This paper deals with the development of the coupled model concept, and determination of the boundary conditions for the calculations.