ML20205Q151
| ML20205Q151 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 04/29/1986 |
| From: | Thomas Nicholson NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR REGULATORY RESEARCH (RES) |
| To: | Gburek W PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV., UNIVERSITY PARK, PA |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8605280189 | |
| Download: ML20205Q151 (7) | |
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App 2 91986 William J. Gburek, Hydrologist Agricultural Research Service Northeast Watershed Research Center
. Pennsylvania State University 110 Research Building A University Park, PA 16802
Dear Dr. Gburek,
As requested I am transmitting to you a summary of my remarks at the ASTM
" Symposium on Field Methods for Ground-Water Contamination Studies and Their Standardization" held in Cocoa Beach, Florida, February 2-7, 1986. Please ,
contact Mr. Robert Kornasiewicz, Hydrology Section Leader, if you have any questions; his telephone number is FTS 427-4210.
Sincerely, Thomas J. Nicholson Earth Sciences Branch Division of Radiation Programs &
Earth Sciences Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Encisoures:
- 1. Summary of remarks at Ground-Water Symposium
- 2. Talking notes for remarks. ,
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SYSPOSIUM ON FIELD METHODS FOR GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION STUDIES AND THEIR STANDARDIZATION February 2-7, 1986 Panel Discussion
' Federal Perspectives on Standardization of Field Methods for Ground Water Contamination Studies' Thomas J. Nicholson NRC was established by Congress under the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974.
The primary goal of NRC in licensing and regulating nuclear reactors is to assure the health and safety of the public and to protect the environment.
Similarly, NRC has the charge of insuring safe, permanent disposal of radio-active wastes by licensing nuclear activities and facilities, and by protecting the public against the hazards of low-level radioactive emissions and releases from the licensed nuclear activities and facilities.
To accomplish this mission, the NRC staff developed Federal regulations (Title 10 of Code of Federal Regulations) regulatory guides (guidance-documents), and branch technical positions (licensing assistance information) to codify and promulgate both licensing and technical issue guidance.
The standards development program can be subdivided into waste management (e.g.,
low-level radioactive waste disposal) and reactor siting activities. The standards are derived from licensing review experience and confirmatory research findings. The entire standards development process is oriented towards active -
public comment reviews (all standards are formally noticed in the Federal Regis-t'er), and a sound technical basis for the specified guidance.
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The principal ground-water ' contaminant issue being studied and addressed in NRC's research program are assessment of:
(1) site characterization techniques to determine ground-water flow and transport parameters for low permeability media including partially-saturated media and fractured media, (2) monitoring strategies for shallow-land buried facilities with emphasis on-ground-water infiltration through trench covers, (3) instrumentation used to determine unsaturated zone conditions and properties in fractured media, (4) ground-water flow and transport models used to determine site performance at low-level and high-level radioactive waste facilities, and (5) bore-hole sealing techniques in order to determine if preferential pathways could develop with time.
Specific guidance is being developed to address contaminant transport modeling issues such as mechanical dispersion, molecular diffusion, and chemical interac-tions between the native ground water, leachate (radionuclides) and geologic matrix. These studies are developed jointly with field study programs on assess--
ing methodology and instrumentation to derive the necessary model input values.
Specific field tests under review are (1) down hole testing for fracture proper-ties and flow conditions, (2) tracer tests in fractured media, and (3) ground-water chemical sampling in the unsaturated zone.
The standards are in support of licensing reviews which requires that data-be collected in such a fashion that errors in measurement,'and uncertainties of the obtained values (for both direct and indirect methods) be quantified. There-fore, ground-water characterization data derived from the various field methods .
should' include an error and uncertainty analysis due to both the system and the l measurement method.
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Talking Notes Fracture operation tests to analysis for permeabilities air and liquid changes with various confining loads.
Geochemical sorptive tests determination of e.s. column and batch tests for radionuclide retardant rates.
Licensing Forum requires that the data be collected in such a fashion that errors in measurement, uncertainties in knowing to what extent the data repre-sents the parameter we are measuring, and the temperate and spatial distribution.
The data represents is critical. License approved depends upon the data quality of its quality assurance reports. New problems are requiring new methods and monitoring strategies for characterizing the Ground-water flow system - SAT -
UNSAT - Safe-Ground-Water-Contamination Potential of nearby aquifers requires looking at confining and slow less fire commits. i.e vertical fluxes.
Contaminant Plume - mechanisms such as back motion, mechanical dispersion molecular diffusion and chemical interactions with fluid and media.
U.S. NRC has the responsibility of licensing Commercial Nuclear Activities such as
- 1. Nuclear Power Plants - St Lucie
- 2. Uranium milling and mining Activities
- 3. low-level radioactivities waste facilities - Barnwell, S.C
- 4. High-Level radioactive waste repositories, D0F Program NRC has technical offices based upon programmatic considerations'& 5 Regional Offices. ,
RES - 2 principal missions 1
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- 1. Standards Development Program - RFG's 10 CFR
- staff experiences in reviewing licensing documents NUREG's standards activities include ANSI, IAEA, & Corsarsus building i.e.,
Hydrogcoin (Int'l leveraging of GW modules)
Development Implementation of
- 2. Research Program for A. Basic Phenomena - GW Flows transport of Radionuclides B. Instrumentation - e.g. Thermocouple Psychometers C. monitoring strategies -e.g. Uranium Milling & Mining suspects R.G.
85-114-4 PNL & NRC staff D. Analysis of radionuclide containment potential.
includes bardine conditions & modeling of site characteristics e.g. LLW sites West Valley Site, Sheffield. USES specialized mission requires research is certain Technical Areas - Problems of Understanding the whole Ground-Water Flow System
- Saturated Flow - Problems & Fractured media, Radionuclide Transport, Geochemi-cal characteristics.
Unsaturated Flow - Vapor & Liquid Flow in Process & Fractured media Radionuclide Transport - Liquid & Vapor Stats -
for Vapor phase flow - Volatiles Aerosal Transport Geochemical processes & specific Research studies include:
- 1. Down hole testing for determining hydraulic properties A. Fracture presence, fracture flow-rates & direction degree of connectivity of fractures. ,
B. Tracer Tests - 2 well tracer tests in fractured media )
C. Air & Water Permeability tests in fractured media
- 2. Laboratory Testing of field samples for determining hydraulic properties.
A. Development of moisture characteristic curves for hth process &
fractured media B. mercury infusion tests 2
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C. Fracture aperture tests - analysis of air & water permeability values as a function of confining processes as the such ways.
D. Geochemical sorptive tests - column & Batch Tests for determining radionuclide retardation notes
- 3. Ground-water sampling for analysis of radionuclide pressure, characteristics, both from environmental B steps, containment sources The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has the responsibility of licensing commercial nuclear activities such as nuclear power plants, uranium milling
& mining activities, low-level and high-level radioactive waste management facilities
- 1. Rule of Research - Standards Development Research Program for (1) Basis Phenomena - Ground-Water Flow & Transport.
(2) Instrumentation - such Thermocouple Psychometers.
(3) Monitoring Strategies such Uranium mill tailings.
(4) Analysis of baseline conditions - & modeling of site characteristics 1 1
- low-level radioactive waste sites. i l
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- 2. Technical Areas - I Saturated Flow - Radionuclide Transport - Geochemical Characteristics Unsaturated Flow - Vapor & Liquid Flow Radionuclide Transpent - Volatile Transport Aerosol Geochemical Characteristics.
i.e. Downhole Testing for Determining Hydraulic Properties e.g. - Fracture presence, fracture flow, flow rates & arisotogic nature e.g. - Tracer Tests - 2 hole tracer tests e.g. - Air permeability tests Laboratory Testing
- Development of moisture characteristic curves
- mercury i1 fusion porosity tests 3
i Licensing Forum requires that the data be collected in such a fashion that the inherent errors in measurement, uncertainty in knowing to what extent the data represents the parameter being characterized.
The Tempard & Spatial Distribution of the data to fully represent the system (i.e. flow & containment processes) be understood.
Licensing Approvals Process requires review of data including the monitoring program for both qualities of the data, and its quality assurance aspects.
New problems require new methods and monitoring strategies for characterizing the G-W flow system - SAT & UNSAT - surface & Ground Water Interactions. ,
Contamination Potential of nearby aquifers -
requires looking of confining & semi curfing units for vertical fluxes to the accessible aquifers.
Containment Plume - mechanisms of Transpent - motion mechanical dispersion molecular diffusion
& chemical interactions with flexed & media.
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