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A Computer Program to Facilitate Performance Assessment of Underground Low-Level Waste Concrete Vaults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

K. A. Snyder,
J. R. Clifton and
J. Pommersheim
K. A. Snyder
Affiliation:
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
J. R. Clifton
Affiliation:
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
J. Pommersheim
Affiliation:
Bucknell University, Lewisberg, PA, USA
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Abstract

A computer program (4SIGHT) to facilitate performance assessment of underground concrete vaults for low level waste (LLW) disposal facilities is being developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Specifically, the program predicts the hydraulic conductivity and the service life of an underground concrete vault. The hydraulic conductivity estimate is based upon empirical relations. The service life is estimated from consideration of three major degradation processes: steel reinforcement corrosion, sulfate attack, and leaching. The performance prediction is based upon ion transport equations for both diffusion and advection. Most importantly, the computer program incorporates the synergistic degradation effects of all three processes, and their effect upon the transport coefficients.

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References

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