Release and transport of gaseous C-14 from a nuclear waste repository in an unsaturated medium.

摘要

The potential nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain is to be in partially saturated rock. Released radioactive gases such as (sup 14)CO(sub 2) could have a direct pathway to the biosphere. We study the release of (sup 14)C released as (sup 14)CO(sub 2) from partly failed nuclear waste containers by analyzing the flow of gas into and out of a container. We analyze the transport of released (sup 14)CO(sub 2) in an unsaturated, fractured, porous medium with gas-phase advection and dispersion. We calculate the inhalation dose to a maximally exposed individual above ground, based on some conservative assumptions about release from containers. For the assumed parameter values, a simple atmospheric diffusion model gives very small doses when compared to background radiation doses. 12 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.