Site investigation in support of the repository design of Radiana Site

Site investigation in support ofthe repository design ofRadiana SitePeter Hiller. June 2013

Presentation Structure• Introduction• Aims of the programme of work• Consortium members involved in the work• Current understanding of the site; Conceptualmodel• Vadose zone measurement• Saturated zone measurement• Longer term monitoring• Laboratory measurement and analysis• Modelling• Results of the work

Introduction; Radiana SiteLocation

Simple Conceptualisation ofProcessesMinor waterbodiesPrecipitation andevaporation ratesRate ofinfiltrationthrough thevadose zoneGroundwater TableSorption of radionuclidesin the vadose zone;geology/geochemistryDisposed wasteSorption ofradionuclides in thesaturated zone;geology/geochemistrySurface Run offDirection andrate of groundwaterflowReceptors e.g.people, rivers,vegetation etc.

Aims of ProjectR-Project 3E Predisposal Hydrogeological Monitoring and GeochemicalAnalysis at Radiana Site; Aims of Project• Design and construct hydrogeological and geochemical monitoringsystem for the site.• Define vadose and saturated zone hydrological characteristics forthe site.• Define baseline geochemical characteristics of pore water, groundwater and soil types.• Determine the distribution coefficients (K d values) for criticalradionuclides on the major ground materials.• Collect samples of local materials for archive purposes.• Solute transport tracer tests to determine major hydrodynamic andtransport parameters of the aquifer.• Model hydraulic/groundwater flow in vadose zone and underlyingaquifers.• Develop proposals for hydrogeological monitoring programmeduring NDF operations.

Consortium MembersOurConsortium

The UK National Nuclear LaboratoryWindscaleLaboratoryPart of the UK Government Department of Energy and Climate change; Operatedas a “GOGO” but receives no direct funding.700 plus staff on six sites across the UK.Our Vision: To deliver the best nuclear science & technology solutions in theworld.There are three core areas in which we operate as a business:• Waste Management and Decommissioning• Fuel Cycle Solutions• Reactor Operations SupportLarge flexible shielded facility capable ofaccepting a wide range of activematerials, and equipped for all types ofnon-destructive and destructiveexamination.NNL’ Windscale facility is primarilyutilised to support the clean-up ofSellafield site and to undertake PIE forcommercial customers.CentralLaboratorySellafieldNNL’ Springfields facility houses activelaboratories capable of handling uranicmaterials from a laboratory to aproduction scale. The facility alsocontains engineering facilities for largescale testing and analysis developmentprojects.Between them, NNLemployees haveover 10,000 manyearsof nuclearindustry experienceFacilities include high active alpha, beta & gamma cells,plutonium and MOX facilities, active/non active labs, fullscale test facilities and a supporting infrastructure.NNL will utilise the centre for fundamental research andprocess development including decontamination of realplant materials & immobilisation of plant wastes. Otherplanned research includes:HLW vitrificationILW treatmentLLW disposalEffluent TreatmentDecontamination &decommissioningReprocessing & MOXfuel productionPrestonLaboratory

Relevant Previous UK Experience•Intrusive surveys using directdrilling, geophysical measurement,sampling and analysis.•Environmental monitoring of a widerange of media to understand theimpact of the disposals on the widerenvironment.•Development of the comprehensiveLLWR Post Closure Safety Case•Modelling the degradation of thewaste forms in the repository•Dose consequence of thisradionuclide release.•Landform development andevolution,•Long term stability of the facility

• DEKONTA is one of the leading Czech wastemanagement, consulting and engineeringcompanies offering a comprehensivepackage of environmental services :• Hazardous waste treatment and disposal• Remediation of contaminated sites• Nation-wide 24-hour environmental emergencyresponse service• Environmental consulting• Laboratory services

The British Geological Society• The British Geological Survey• Founded in 1835, the British Geological Survey (BGS)• World's oldest national geological survey and the United Kingdom's premier centre forearth science information and expertise.• The BGS provides expert services and impartial advice in all areas of geoscience. Ourclient base is drawn from the public and private sectors both in the UK andinternationally.• The BGS advances understanding of the structure, properties and processes of thesolid Earth system through interdisciplinary surveys, monitoring and research for thebenefit of society.• The BGS is the UK's premier provider of objective and authoritative geoscientific data,information and knowledge for wealth creation, sustainable use of natural resources,reducing risk and living with the impacts of environmental change.• BGS is a world-leading geoscience centre for:Survey andmonitoringModellingand researchData andknowledgeInternationaldevelopment

Database DevelopmentDevelopment of a fully secured project specific data base to capture all project dataDataCaptureWELLPIEZOMETERGW DIPINTERNALDEPTHLITHOLOGYDATUMPOINTGROUNDWATER SYSTEMCASINGDIAMETERDATALOGGERSTRIKEHEADTIME-SERIESSAMPLE DATARESULTS(TIME-SERIESVADOSE SYSTEMDOWNHOLE TESTCORERECOVERYGEOTECHNICALRESULTSWELLCOMPLETIONWELL SAMPLEDATARESULTSDRILLINGProgrammeGWWELLTDRWELLGEOTECHNICALSAMPLEGEOTECHNICALRESULTSINSTALLATIONTDR PROBEMOISTURECONTENTRUNOFFLOGGERMONITORINGWEATHERSTATIONLOGGERINFILTROMETERLOGGER

Location of Monitoring PointsRadiana Site; Proposed BoreholeLocationsBH 7BH 5BH 6BH 8Building Area (Approx)BH 1BH 9Platform 1 (Approx)BH 10BH 2Approximatelocation of vadosemonitoringPlatform 2 (Approx)equipmentBH 11BH 12KeyGroup 1 BoreholesGroup 2 BoreholesBH 3Platform 3 (Approx)Alternative suggestedlocations for Group 2Boreholes if requiredBH 4

Vadose Zone MonitoringInstallation of vadose monitoringequipment to agreed design;•Time Domain Reflectometrymeasurements•Weather station•Runoff trench•InfiltrometersHeavy objects tohold down thickplasticTrenchapproximately1 m deep and1 m wideHeavy objects tohold down thickplastic~1mV-notch weirOverland flow andShallow interflowFall into trench~0.7mThick, heavy dutyPlastic membraneStops water fromleaving trench~1m

Saturated Zone Monitoring

Installation of Saturated ZoneEquipmentSite Installation phase ofWork• Installation of monitoringboreholes with ground waterpiezometers (max depth115m).• Installation of groundwatermonitoring system to agreeddesign.• Geological logging of strata• Insitu groundwater testing• Soil Sampling for archive andanalysis

Longer-term Monitoring Phase ofWorkSite Monitoring PhaseLonger Term Monitoring Phase of Work (Years 2and 3 in the program)• Retrieval of groundwater sampling andmonitoring of insitu parameters for 30 months.InjectionBoreholeBHT1RecoveryBoreholeBHT2BH6orBH10• Undertake vadose zone monitoring.• Undertake tracer tests in boreholes.~10 m~5 m~5 mLoessTracer plumeSilty ClayUpper aquifer

Laboratory Measurement andAnalysis• Complete testing and analysis of soil andwater samples obtained during site phase• Provide training to the customer with respectto the modelling and analysis undertaken toimprove understanding and interpretation• Undertake investigations/analysis todetermine Kd values for key radionuclidesassociated with the waste;‣Plutonium‣Americium‣Technetium‣Caesium‣Strontium‣Nickel‣Iodine‣Niobium‣Carbon‣Curium

Modelling of Data• Parflow: It is an objectorientedparallelmultiphase flow modelwhich can represent theunsaturated zone andsaturated zone• ZOODRM: BGS hasdeveloped a rechargemodel using objectorientedtechniques. Ithas the capability tosimulate soil processesand overland flow.Modelling is aimed at assessing therate of movement of radionuclidesthrough the environment andassessing their impact on receptors (interms of increased radiological dose)

Result of Work• Revised and updated conceptual model• Significant improvement in the understanding ofthe associated uncertainty• Establishment of base line conditions for the site• Provision of long term monitoring system tosupport disposal activities• Development of quality assured data base to storeall site data• Provides robust underpinning to the design andoperation of the proposed disposal facility