Analytic Solution for One-Dimensional Diffusion of Radionuclides from a Waste Package

摘要

This work implements an analytical solution for diffusion of radionuclides from a cylindrical waste form through the packing material into the surrounding host rock. Recent interest in predicting the performance of a proposed geological repository for nuclear waste has led to the development of several computer programs to predict the performance of such a repository for the next several millenia. These numerical codes are generally designed to accommodate a broad spectrum of geometrical configurations and repository conditions in order to accurately predict the behavior of the radionuclides in the repository environment. Confidence in such general purpose codes is gained by verifying the numerical modeling and the software through comparison of the numerical predictions generated by these computer codes with analytical solutions to reasonably complex problems. The analysis discussed herein implements the analytic solution, proposed by J.C. Jaeger in 1941 for radial diffusion through two concentric circular cylinders. Jaeger's solution was applied to the problem of diffusional mass transfer from a long cylindrical waste form and subsequently into the surrounding geological formation. Analytic predictions of fractional release rates, including the effects of sorption, were generated. (ERA citation 11:040034)