AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO MULTISCALE THERMOHYDROLOGIC MODELING

摘要

The Yucca Mountain Project computes futurernsubsurface temperatures by running a series of models thatrnoperate on different spatial scales. These models are allrnparameterized in terms of time and areal mass loading; thernoutput of some of the models is used to adjust the time andrnmass loading scales in other models in order to obtain thernfinal results. Inaccuracies arise when these adjustments arernmade. An alternative approach is suggested here tornimprove accuracy. In the alternative approach, early-timerncalculations use the same models as the current YuccarnMountain Project approach, without adjusting time or massrnloading. Late-time calculations use a steady-state model ofrnlocal heat transfer parameterized in terms of instantaneousrnheat output and a local-average rock temperature, with thernlatter quantity derived from a mountain-scale transientrnmodel. Intermediate-time results are interpolated betweenrnthe other two approaches. The alternative approach isrnmore amenable to error analysis because none of itsrnvariables are defined implicitly in nonlinear equations.