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APPENDIX 1: TECHNICAL PERSPECTIVES RESOURCE DOCUMENTThe development of these “tailored” waste forms would also be contingent on an integratedsystems analysis of the closed nuclear fuel cycle. Such a systems analysis would allow foroptimization of the entire separations/storage/disposal process. Key elements are:1. Development of an optimal separations process to minimize separations process losses2. The production of the required product form for advanced nuclear fuel fabrication andstorage form for short-lived fission products3. The tailoring of waste forms to specific geologic settings (Peters and Ewing 2007)Optimization of the geologic repository design, combined with the total amount of waste thatwould be disposed and the volume of the waste, could result in different sub-surface repositoryconfigurations. These factors, plus the long-term behavior of the engineered and natural barriers,affect the forecast annual dose to the public. It is expected that waste form research anddevelopment could lead to new waste forms that perform as well as, and likely better than,borosilicate glass and spent nuclear fuel in a geologic environment.Natural systemsThe term “geologic disposal” highlights the key role that the natural system plays in isolating thewaste from the biosphere for as long as it poses significant risks. Assessment of the barriercapability of the natural system and demonstration of its significance for repository performanceneed to be based on:1. An understanding of the features, events, and processes that could transport radionuclidesfrom the repository to the accessible environment2. Laboratory experiments and field observations and tests to appropriately characterize therelevant properties at a potential repository site3. Conceptual, mathematical, and numerical models that predict the behavior and performanceof the repository system given its site-specific characteristics and properties4. Natural analogs, which help build confidence that the model predictions can be reliablyextrapolated to the long time scales required for waste isolationFigure 12 schematically shows some of the issues that need to be addressed to understand thebehavior of the natural system at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Similar issues are relevant forrepositories located in other host rocks and different hydrogeochemical environments.1. ClimateWater is the predominant transport medium of radionuclides from geologic repositories to theaccessible environment. Availability, distribution, and chemical composition of water flowingthrough the geosphere are critically affected by the hydrological and geochemical conditionsapplied at the repository system boundaries. These boundary conditions are determined by globalclimate and related regional water cycles. The influence of climate conditions on repositorysystem behavior applies to disposal sites in arid regions, in the saturated zone, as well as sitesclose to marine environments. Climate change not only directly impacts hydrological boundaryconditions, but also may indirectly affect geomorphological processes, geothermal regimes, andgeochemical conditions. Long-term global climate change over the timescale of 100,000s ofyears, its primary impacts on the regional water cycle, and its secondary effects ongeomorphology need to be analyzed and predicted, requiring novel approaches that combineAppendix 1 • 38Basic Research Needs for Geosciences: Facilitating 21 st Century Energy Systems
APPENDIX 1: TECHNICAL PERSPECTIVES RESOURCE DOCUMENTFigure 12. Schematic of features and processes relevant for the understanding of the naturalsystem and its impact on repository performance at Yucca Mountain (from Bodvarsson 2005).information from paleoclimatic and paleohydrologic data (Petit et al. 1999) with appropriatepredictive tools that allow for the development of relevant climate scenarios. Moreover,potentially dramatic changes in climate induced by very high levels of atmospheric CO 2(Houghton et al. 2001) may pose additional scientific challenges regarding the long-termprediction of atmospheric conditions and their direct and indirect geological, hydrological, andgeochemical impacts.2. Recharge and dischargeRegional and local groundwater flow patterns are primary factors determining site suitability andrepository performance. Groundwater flow fields are strongly affected by the hydrologicboundary conditions, which in turn are influenced by climatic states and their impacts onprecipitation, evapotranspiration, run-off and run-on, sea level, erosion, and other factors.Estimating the magnitude and spatial distribution of recharge and discharge for different climatestates on the scale of a repository system is a significant challenge, specifically for arid sites. Amethodology needs to be developed to estimate magnitude, spatial distribution, and episodicityof recharge and discharge conditions over a very long time period. These approaches need toBasic Research Needs for Geosciences: Facilitating 21 st Century Energy Systems Appendix 1 • 39
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TABLE OF CONTENTSBasic Science Chal
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TABLE OF CONTENTSTechnology Impacts
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARYpurpose of linking
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INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTIONWorldwide e
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INTRODUCTIONway into the rock forma
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PANEL REPORTSMULTIPHASE FLUID TRANS
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PANEL REPORT: MULTIPHASE FLUID TRAN
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PANEL REPORT: SUBSURFACE CHARACTERI
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PANEL REPORT: MODELING AND SIMULATI
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GRAND CHALLENGE: COMPUTATIONAL THER
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GRAND CHALLENGE:INTEGRATED CHARACTE
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GRAND CHALLENGE: SIMULATION OF MULT
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PRIORITY RESEARCH DIRECTION:MINERAL
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PRIORITY RESEARCH DIRECTION:NANOPAR
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PRIORITY RESEARCH DIRECTION:DYNAMIC
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PRIORITY RESEARCH DIRECTION: TRANSP
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PRIORITY RESEARCH DIRECTION:FLUID-I
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PRIORITY RESEARCH DIRECTION:BIOGEOC
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CROSSCUTTING ISSUE:THE MICROSOPIC B
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CROSSCUTTING ISSUE:THE MICROSOPIC B
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CROSSCUTTING ISSUE:HIGHLY REACTIVE
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CROSSCUTTING ISSUE:THERMODYNAMICS O
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REFERENCESBenner, S.G., Hansel, C.M
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REFERENCESChen, J., Hubbard, S., Pe
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REFERENCESEnnis-King, J., Preston,
Page 190 and 191: REFERENCESHolman, H.-Y., Perry, D.L
Page 192 and 193: REFERENCESLi, L., and Tchelepi, H.A
Page 194 and 195: REFERENCESNeal, A.L., Techkarnjanar
Page 196 and 197: REFERENCESReeves, P.C., and Celia,
Page 198 and 199: REFERENCESSteefel, C.I., DePaolo, D
Page 200 and 201: REFERENCESZachara, J.M., Ainsworth,
Page 202 and 203: AppendicesBasic Research Needs for
Page 204 and 205: APPENDIX 1: TECHNICAL PERSPECTIVES
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