ML19330A358

Forwards I Remson 800618 Comments on Proposed Rule 10CFR60 to Bmi.Hydrology Can Perform Containment Function for Period as Short as 1,000 Yrs.Geochemistry Provides Backup Solution to Transport Problem

ML19330A358
Person / Time
Issue date:	06/26/1980
From:	Thomas Nicholson NRC OFFICE OF STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT
To:	Comella P NRC OFFICE OF STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT
References
FRN-44FR70408, RULE-PR-60, TASK-OS, TASK-SS-809-1 NUDOCS 8007170179
Download: ML19330A358 (5)

Text

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.Y y JUN 2 61980 NOTE TO: Document Concrol Room 016 c

FROM: Thomas J. Nicholson SSSB/SHSS/OSD NL-5650 Please place' the attached document in the PDR using the following file and file points:

PDR File Related Documents (SelectOne)

(Enter if appropriate)

Proposed Rule (PR) 10 CFR Part 60 ACRS Minutes No.

Reg. Guide Proposed Rule (PR) 10 CFR Part 60 Draft Reg. Guide Draft Reg. Guide Petition (PRM)

Reg. Guide Effective Rule (RM)

Petition (PRM)

C Effective Rule (RM)

Federal Register NoticeMay 13, 1980 SD Task No. SS 809-1 NUREG Report Contract No.

Subject:

Public Comment; on Hydrologic Criteria in the Technical Support Documentation for the Siting Requirements in USNRC 10 CFR Part 60 -

Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Waste in Geologic Repositories.

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MEMQRANDUM FOR: Patricia Comella Chief.

Site Designation Standards Branch THRU:

Leon L. Beratan, Chief T

Site Safety Standards Branch, SD FRON:

Thomas J. Nicholson. Hydrogeologist Site Safety Standards Branch, SD

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SUBSECT:

TRANSMITTAL 0F PUBLIC C0ffiENT LETTER ON THE " TECHNICAL

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SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION FOR THE SITING REQUIREMENTS IN USNRC 10 CFR PART 60".

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I~have received a copy of a letter from Professor Imin Remson of -

Stanford University to Mr. L. B. Myers of ONWI-Battelle deliing with his technical connents on the " Technical Support Documentation for the Siting Requirements in US NRC 10 CFR Part 60 - Disposal of High.

Level Radioactive Wastes in Geologic Repositories.*, Please find attached a copy of that letter. Professor Remson's connents have been noted and

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will be fomarded by this memorandum to the Division of Waste Management

'and the Public Document Room. The connents will be retained for review during the rewriting of the Technical Criteria of.10 CFR Part 60.i.; - -

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STANFORD UNIVERSITY STANFORD, CALIFORNIA 94305 D PARTMENT oF APPLIED EARTH SCIENCES Phone: (4t M 497-0847 School of Earth sciences Teles: 348402 STANFORD /STNU June 18, 1980 Mr. L.B. Myers ONW1 Battelle 505 King Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43201

Dear Mr. Myers:

Some very serious hydrologic errors in the " Technical Support Documentation for the Siting Requirements in USNRC 10 CFR Part 60 - Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Vastes in Geologic Repositories" overshadow all other aspects of the document. These errors have resulted in the preparation of an " Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" that sets up unnecessary require-ments and misses the essential requirements.

It should be emphasized that this erroneous information did not come from the regular refereed hydrologic literature. Rather, it came from inexcusable verbage that has been allowed to creep into print in sources other than the regular refereed hydrologic literature as referenced on page 3-6.

First let me describe the erroneous infornetton and erroneous thought trends in these documents:

-10 Page 6-9 discusses " permeability" values as. low as 10 cm/sec.

I have seen even lower values in non-refereed literature.

First of all, if the units are cm/sec, the correct terminology should be " hydraulic conductivity".

When such numbers are substituted into the flow equations at normal ground-water gradiants over very long periods of time, they can predict objectionable radionuclide transport to the biosphere. Therefore, it appears to the uninit-lated that "Regardless of host rock permeability and depth, there is sufficient time for groundwater to penetrate the repository and return biologically significant radionuclides to the accessible environment." (Page 1-4).

As a ensequence, groundwater containment cannot be counted on and " Performance studies and sensitivity analyses indicate, over the long term under reason-able conditions, it is primarily the geochemical system that will determine the. rate of release of radionuclides to the accessible environment,.

(Page 3-6).

Because of uncertainties about the geochemical system, it is therefore essentially impossible to provc containment. The result has been the specification of unnecessary testing and requirements while the truly important ones are not mentioned. Fortunately, this is completely wrong!

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.Mr. L.B. Mayers June 18, 1980 When there is a linear relationship between groundwater discharge and gradient, the flow regime is said to be "Darcian".

Hydraulic conductivity is the constant of proportionality, and the relationship is Darcy's Law. Darcy's Law and the commonly-used transport equations apply only when the flow is Darcian.

In the case of a nuclear repository site, the fiuld flow regime will be non-Darcian because of the low permeabilities of the host rocks.

In fact, i'

if Darcian flow can occur in a geologic material, that material is too perme -

able for use as a repository host rock.

-10 As mentioned, " hydraulic conductivity" values of 10 cm/sec and smaller are reported from studies of potential repository host rocks.

If very large time frames are used, solution of the transport equations may predict objectionable radionuclide transport to the biosphere even for these low values of " hydraulic conductivity." However, such low values of " hydraulic conductivity" indicate the presence of materials sufficiently Impermeable to preclude Darcian flow.

Therefore, these computations are completely without meaning. They are not even approximations. They are totally worthless.

I have read of laboratory experiments in which the ends of cores of dense unfractured granite or salt are subjected to pressure differences of 250,000 psi. Af ter some time, water is driven through the core. Using Darcy's law,

" hydraulic gradients" of 10-10cm/sec or there about are computed and reported.

Subsequently, people use such " hydraulic conductivities" under normal ground-water gradients of say 0.001 to predict significant groundwater transport over long periods of time. Again, this is canpletely wrong.

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The water that passed through the core was not subject to Darcian flow. A value of 10-10cm/sec is not hydraulic conductivity. Because Darcy's law does not apply, there is no linear relationship between flow and gradient.

Therefore, that number can only be used at the experimental head gradient of 250,000 psi per core length, if it takes 250,000 psi differential to move water through the core, the water is not moving through capillary cores.

It must 'be moving through spaces of subcapillary size and against tremendous adsorptive force fields. Almost certainly a large threshold gradient is needed to move water molecules against suct forces.

In short, it is likely that a rock that tests at 10-10cm/sec under such huge gradients will have a zero transport rate under a. field gradient of 0.001.

The other probIem with the laboratory core is that it is likely to miss '9ints and faults. Thus, for fractured, impermeable rocks, the laboratory tests s n seriously 2nderestimate transport.

Fortunately.. the answer to this is simple.

Before emplacement of canisters' in repository cored holes, the cored holes can be pressure tested at non-destruc If a test results in a " hydraulic conductivity" of say 10-yfvc pressures.

cm/sec, two things are apparent.

First, there are'no open fractures that are conducting significant amounts of fluid. Second, the transport to. the biosphere under normal field gradients over l

the 1,000 year specified transport period is zero because the flow is -

"sub-Carcian".

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• Mr. L.B. Mayers June 18, 1980 in conclus'on, the hydrology can do the containment job especially for a period 4 short as 1,000 years. Second, with the geochemistry as a backup, the transport problem is tractable over the short design periods now specified.

Sincerely yours, bbM frwin Remson Professor IR:rh cc:

Dr. R.B. Laughan Mr. Thomas Nicholson GRG Committee Professor Krauskopf S

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