Synthesizing relevant site characterization data and applying conceptual and numerical models to simulate key processes

Evaluating the performance of a radioactive or hazardous waste disposal facility requires identifying the key physical processes that contribute to the long-term safety of the facility. Numerical models provide a means of not only quantifying individual processes, but the interaction of multiple processes. The development and application of numerical models and other quantitative decision support tools has been one of INTERA’s core competencies since our company was founded in 1974. We develop models to predict the impact of radionuclide releases associated with the waste package and repository, and the transport of releases through the geosphere to the biosphere. All of these models serve as key inputs for assessing the overall system performance and safety. Examples of our relevant services are provided below.

• groundwater flow and radionuclide transport in porous and fractured rocks
• unsaturated zone flow and transport
• reactive geochemical transport of water-rock-radionuclide systems
• geochemical evolution from interactions between groundwater and engineered barrier materials
• generation and migration of gas from wastes and engineered materials
• multi-phase flow of groundwater and gas
• thermal evolution including coupling to hydrological, mechanical, and chemical processes
• thermo-hydro-mechanical properties of engineered barriers
• transfer processes at the geosphere-biosphere interface