Characterization of flow and transport processes within the unsaturated zone of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, under current and future climates

摘要

This paper presents a large-scale modeling study characterizing fluid flow and tracer transport in the unsaturated zone of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a potential repository site for storing high- level radioactive waste. The study has been conduced using a three-dimensional numerical model, which incorporates a wide variety of field data and takes into account the coupled processes of flow and transport in the highly heterogeneuos, unsaturated fractured porous rock. The modeling approach is based on a dual-continuum formulation of coupled multiphase fluid and Tracer transport through fractured porous rock.