Literature Review of Coupled Thermal-Hydrologic-Mechanical-Chemical Processes Pertinent to the Proposed High-Level Nuclear Waste Repository at Yucca Mountain

摘要

A literature review has been conducted to determine the state of knowledge available in the modeling of coupled thermal (T), hydrologic (H), mechanical (M), and chemical (C) processes relevant to the design and/or performance of the proposed high-level waste (HLW) repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The review focuses on identifying coupling mechanisms between individual processes and assessing their importance. The significance of considering THMC-coupled processes lies in whether or not the processes impact the design and/or performance objectives of the repository. The review is useful in identifying which coupled effects will need to be investigated by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in order to assess the assumptions, data, analyses, and conclusions in the design and performance assessment of a geologic repository. Although the work stems from regulatory interest in the design of the geologic repository, it should be emphasized that the repository design implicity considers all of the repository performance objectives, including those associated with the time after permanent closure. The scope of the review is considered beyond previous assessments in that it attempts (with the current state-of-knowledge) to determine which couplings are important, and identify which computer codes are currently available to model coupled processes.