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FracMan Projects: Nuclear Waste Management

Discrete Feature Network (DFN) Technologies for Nuclear Waste Repositories

Client: Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corp (PNC)
Contract Amount: $600,000/year (approximate)
Period: 1991-present

PNC has selected FracMan technologies as a primary tool for support to repository safety assessment and site characterization. PNC has provided primary support for FracMan technology development since 1992. Projects have included:

  • Development and application of of DFN tools for repository safety assessment
  • Analysis of field data from the Kamashi Research Mine
  • Analysis of discrete feature data from sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic geologies
  • Flow and transport modeling
  • Pathways analysis
  • Design of hydraulic and tracer tests for the Kamaishi Research Mine
  • Stochastic continuum and DFN model development
  • Software Verification.

Nuclear Waste Repositories in Granite

Client: Enresa (Spain)
Contract Amount: $300,000 (approximate)

Enresa has applied FracMan for support to generic repository design and safety studies in granite. FracMan applications have included:

  • Support to repository layout
  • Analysis of generic discrete feature data
  • Pathways analysis for safety assessment

Discrete Feature (DFN) Approaches for Repository Safety Assessment

Client: SKB (Sweden)
Contract Amount: $100,000 (approximate)
Period: 1995-present

Golder Associates has provided support to SKB repository safety assessment projects since 1990. Recent safety assessment projects have included:

  • Earthquake risk assessment by DFN methods
  • Stochastic continuum and DFN technology development and demonstration
  • Pathways analysis for generic repositories in granite
  • Generic site conceptual model development
  • DFN hydrogeologic modeling at 200 to 2000 m scales
  • Decision support for site investigations (Djupforvar).

Stripa Phase 3 Fractured Rock Research Project

Client: US Department of Energy, Battelle Office for Waste Technology Development (OWTD)
Contract Amount: $1,000,000 (approximate)

The Stripa Phase 3 project is an international research project sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA). The seven sponsoring countries work together to develop technology necessary for nuclear waste repository site characterization and performance assessment. The U.S. Department of Energy provided funding for Golder Associates participation in this project over the period 1987-1992. Golder Associates participation in the project included:

  • Analysis of site data and experimental results with discrete fracture concepts
  • Development of a geologic/hydrologic conceptual model incorporating the results of fracture mapping, core logging, geophysics, and hydrologic testing,
  • Simulation of flow and transport single hole and multiple hole (interference) experiments, and
  • Validation of the discrete fracture approach by prediction of flow and solute transport experiments.
  • Design, implementation, and analysis of fracture flow code cross- verification problems.

Yucca Mountain Discrete Fracture Model Support

Clients: US DOE, TRW M&O, Battelle PNL, US Geological Survey, US Bureau of Reclamation,
Contract Amount: $50,000-$100,000/year
Period: 1990-present

FracMan is used within the Yucca Mountain project to support analysis of the saturated and unsaturated zones, to analyze field data from boreholes and surface and tunnel fracture mapping. Linkages have been built between FracMan and FEHMN, which is used as a primary flow and transport code within the Yucca Mountain project, and RIP, which is used as a primary performance assessment code.

Stripa Experimental Design Support

Client: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, SKB/Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company
Contract Amount: $50,000

Golder Associates FracMan package is one of the only discrete fracture modeling packages capable of transient solute transport modeling within fractured rock. SKB contracted Golder Associates to assist in the design and interpretation of tracer experiments carried out at the Stripa research mine in Sweden. Golder Associates analyzed data on fracture geometric and hydrologic properties, and calibrated models for prediction of transport in short term saline injection radar experiments and long term tracer injection experiments. In addition, Golder Associates carried out simulations of interference between hydrologic experiments and tracer experiments over a scale of 200 meters.

Fracture Flow Support Aspö Hard Rock Research Laboratory

Client: SKB/Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company
Contract Amount: $200,000/year (approximate)
Period: 1988-present

Golder Associates has supported the development of the Hard Rock Research Laboratory (HRL) at Aspo Island, Sweden since 1988. Projects have included:

  • Structural geology and structural model development
  • Hydrogeologic test design and interpretation
  • FracMan modeling at scales of 10m, 50m, 200m, and 2000m
  • Fracture data analysis
  • Hydrogeologic support to the TRUE-1 and TRUE-BS experiments

Discrete Fracture Modeling for the SKB-91 Repository Performance Assessment Project

Client: SKB/ Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company
Contract Amount: $175,000 (approximate)

As part of SKB's comprehensive repository safety assessment project (SKB-91), Golder Associates carried out discrete fracture modeling at packer test, rock block, and repository scales for the Finnsjön site. At the packer test scale, Golder Associates carried out fractional dimension type curve analysis of in-situ hydraulic tests, and compared these results to analysis of simulated packer tests of canister fluxes based upon the heterogeneity of the fracture pattern. At the rock block scale, Golder Associates carried out discrete fracture flow simulations to derive the distribution of effective rock block permeability and to develop relationships between packer test scale and rock block scale hydrologic properties. At the repository scale, Golder Associates developed and implemented a hierarchical 1 km scale discrete fracture model of the Finnsjön site, and provided input for shotcrete continuum and channel transport codes used in repository performance assessment, utilized FracMan's network search features to identify potential discrete preferential pathways for radionuclide migration.

Evaluation of Site Characterization Strategies

Client: Nagra/Swiss National Cooperative for Radioactive Waste Management
Contract Amount: $200,000 (approximate)
Period: 1988-1990

The FracMan model features a unique ability to simulate site characterization programs, determining the probability of intersection and detection of features and the probability of derivation of important feature properties such as transmissivity and transport porosity. In addition, FracMan is able to search through networks of geologic features, identifying and characterizing those features with the greatest potential to provide preferential pathways for contaminant migration. Golder Associates utilized these features for Nagra, to evaluate the prior probability of pathways within various sedimentary environments, and to evaluate the prior probability of success for alternative site characterization programs. These results provided important input to Nagra decisions on repository exploration strategies.

AECL Underground Research Laboratory

Clients: Atomic Energy Canada Limited, U.S. Department of Energy, Battelle.
Contract Amount: $300,000 (approximate)

Played a major role in fractured rock research activities at the Canadian Underground Research Laboratory. Assisted in the initial design of the facility, and designed many of the in situ tests. Golder Associates carried out a survey of fractured rock well testing methods and developed a research program to resolve key issues in well testing and demonstrate efficient approaches to sampling the hydraulic properties of rock masses.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Client: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Contract Amount: $200,000 (approximate)

Conducted a field hydrologic testing program to characterize fractured sedimentary rock at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the U.S., as part of the siting program for a new low level waste disposal facility. The testing sampled several hundred meters below the surface using a test system which allowed automated data collection and rapid test analysis in the field. As part of this project, Golder Associates developed packer testing equipment and an automatic data acquisition system, and carried out extensive hydrological modeling analyses. The combination of hydrologic testing and simultaneous modeling provided an effective method for directing expensive field activities while optimizing site characterization.

Sellafield Repository Research Lab Site Characterization and Modeling

Client: UK Nirex
Contract Amount: $200,000/year (approximate)
Period: 1993-1997

Golder Associates provided field testing, safety assessment, data analysis, and site characterization facility design services for the proposed Sellafield Repository Research Laboratory. Specific projects included:

  • FracMan flow and transport modeling at scales of 50, 200, 2000, and 10000 m
  • Fractional dimension type curve analysis of well tests
  • Deep borehole well testing
  • Field discrete feature data analysis
  • Fresh/salt water flow modeling