Article on polycyclic aromatic nitrogen heterocycles and the effect of solvent polarity on the fluorescence emission fine structure of three azapyrene compounds.

Strontium isotope studies of carbonates from soils, veins, eolian dust and Paleozoic basement samples near Crater Flat, southwest of Yucca Mountain, provide evidence for the origins of these materials. Vein and soil carbonates have nearly identical ranges of {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr ratios at the lower end of the pedogenic range. The average {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr of Paleozoic basement from Black Marble Hill is similar to the {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr in the eolian dust, perhaps indicating a local source for this material. Possible spring deposits have generally higher {sup 87}Sr/{sup 86}Sr than the other carbonates. These data are compared with similar data from areas east of Yucca Mountain. 7 refs., 5 figs.

Yucca Mountain, located on and adjacent to the Nevada Test Site, is being characterized as part of an ongoing effort to identify a potential high-level nuclear waste repository. This site will be subjected to seismic ground motions induced by underground nuclear explosions. A knowledge of expected ground motion levels from these tests will enable the designers to provide for the necessary structural support in the designs of the various components of the repository. The primary objective of the Weapons Test Seismic Investigation project is to develop a method to predict the ground motions expected at the repository site as a result of future weapons tests. This paper summarizes the data base presently assembled for the Yucca Mountain Project, characteristics of expected ground motions, and characterization of the two-dimensional seismic properties along paths between Yucca Mountain and the testing areas of the Nevada Test Site.

Geostatistical simulation is being used to develop multiple geologic models of rock properties at the proposed Yucca Mountain repository site. Because each replicate model contains the same known information, and is thus essentially indistinguishable statistically from others, the differences between models may be thought of as representing the uncertainty in the site description. The variability among performance measures, such as ground water travel time, calculated using these replicate models therefore quantifies the uncertainty in performance that arises from uncertainty in site characterization.

A research effort of four phases is in progress at the Colorado School of Mines. The overall program will evaluate the cutability of welded tuff and other lithologies likely to be excavated at Yucca Mountain in the site characterization process. Several mechanical systems are considered with emphasis given to the tunnel boring machine. The research comprises laboratory testing, linear drag bit and disc cutter tests and potentially large-scale laboratory demonstrations to support potential use of a tunnel boring machine in welded tuff. Preliminary estimates of mechanical excavator performance in Yucca Mountain tuff are presented here. As phases of the research project are completed, well quantified estimates will be made of performance of mechanical excavators in the Yucca Mountain tuffs. 3 refs., 2 tabs.

The theory of operation of microwave coaxial resonators is described. Sample preparation and the application of resonator techniques to the measurement of the permittivity (dielectric constant) of bentonite is discussed. The results indicate a fairly linear change in resonant frequency for saturation levels at 10, 30, 50, 70, and 90%. The results clearly demonstrate that this microwave technique is a viable method for measuring water content of soils. A discussion of additional applications of microwave methods for determining water content in materials is presented. 3 refs., 5 figs.

An understanding of the thermal and stress environment in the vicinity of repository openings is important for preclosure performance considerations and worker health and safety considerations for the proposed high-level radioactive waste repository at Yucca Mountain. This paper presents the results of two and three dimensional numerical analyses which have determined the thermal and stress environments for typical repository openings. In general, it is predicted that openings close to heat sources attain high temperatures and experience a significant stress increase. Openings away from heat sources experience more uniform temperature changes and experience a stress change which results in part from a far-field thermal loading. 6 refs., 6 figs., 3 tabs.

Yucca Mountain, located in southwestern Nevada, is the site for a proposed high-level nuclear waste repository. The hydrologic units at Yucca Mountain appear to have quite different material characteristics. Additionally, measurements show that the material properties within each hydrologic unit vary significantly. Rock core samples taken from this site indicate that the volcanic tuff is highly fractured and nonhomogeneous. Modeling studies were conducted to determine the effects of material heterogeneities on the flow of water through rock. Multiple numerical calculations were made using random variations in spatial distributions of material properties. The results of these material variations on flow resistance, mechanical dispersion, and channeling were determined. Computed results were compared with a linear analytical model. Good agreement was obtained in the majority of the flow cases investigated.

The flow behavior of a two-dimensional, unsaturated fracture-matrix system is characterized by a critical flux q*{sub f} = {phi}(S{sub s} {minus} S{sub i})D{sub m} where {phi} is matrix porosity, S{sub s} maximum matrix saturation, S{sub i} initial saturation, and D{sub m} matrix imbibition diffusivity constant. If the flux q{sub f} into the fracture satisfies q{sub f} {much_gt} q*{sub f}, the flow field is fracture-dominated; whereas, if q{sub f} {much_lt} q*{sub f}, the flow is matrix-dominated, and the system behaves as a single equivalent medium with capillary equilibrium between fracture and matrix. If the fracture entrance is ponded, the critical fracture hydraulic conductivity K*{sub f}, or corresponding critical aperture 2b* from the ``cubic law,`` controls the flow behavior instead of the critical flux. Rocks with fracture apertures 2b that are sufficiently large, b{sup 3} {much_gt} b*{sup 3}, have flow that is fracture-dominated while rocks with small aperture fractures, b{sup 3} {much_lt} b*{sup 3}, will be matrix-dominated. Numerical modeling verifies the theory and tests approximate analytical solutions predicting fracture front movement. 15 refs., 7 figs., 4 tabs.

Fracture-lining minerals in the lower Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, are being examined to characterize potential flow paths within and away from the candidate repository horizon. Fracture coatings within this interval can be divided into five categories based on rock matrix and type of fracture. Fracture coatings in the densely welded tuff above the basal vitrophyre, near the candidate repository horizon, include (1) those related to lithophysal cavities; (2) mordenite and manganese oxides on nearly planar fractures; (3) later fracture coatings consisting of zeolites, smectite, and calcite. Fracture-coating minerals in the vitrophyre are fine-grained and consist of smectite and a variety of zeolites. The non- to partially-welded vitric and/or zeolitic stuff below the vitrophyre contains fractures mostly lined by cristobalite and clinoptilolite. 13 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.

As part of the Yucca Mountain Project, our research program to develop and validate conceptual models for flow and transport through unsaturated fractured rock integrates fundamental physical experimentation with conceptual model formulation and mathematical modeling. Our research is directed toward developing and validating macroscopic, continuum-based models and supporting effective property models because of their widespread utility within the context of this project. Success relative to the development and validation of effective property models is predicated on a firm understanding of the basic physics governing flow through fractured media, specifically in the areas of unsaturated flow and transport in a single fracture and fracture-matrix interaction. 43 refs.

By designing the engineered barrier system in an unsaturated tuff repository to constructively use heat, the waste containers can be kept dry for hundreds of years. Without water, the aqueous processes that release and transport radionuclides do not operate. In the plans of most international programs, waste is cooled prior to disposal in granite or salt. For these rocks there are technical issues favoring reduced heat. Recently, it has been suggested that the US Program adopt a strategy of cooling nuclear waste prior to disposal. This paper reviews technical issues associated with the role of heat in an unsaturated tuff repository and concludes that the overall effect of heat in such a setting appears to be beneficial to waste isolation. 20 refs.

The purpose of this work is to experimentally determine the capillary suction potential of Topopah Spring tuff from Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada. This data can be used to help characterize the unsaturated hydraulic properties of the densely welded tuff at this site. 7 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.

Sandia National Laboratories, as a participant in the Yucca Mountain Project, administered by the Nevada Operations Office of the US Department of Energy, is in the process of evaluating a proposed site for geologic disposal of high-level nuclear wastes in the volcanic tuffs at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. In a repository, loads will be imposed on the rock mass as a result of excavation of the openings and heating of the rock by the nuclear waste. In an attempt to gain a better understanding of the thermal, mechanical, and thermomechanical response of fractured tuff, a series of experiments have been performed, and measurements have been taken in the welded and nonwelded tuffs at the G-Tunnel underground test facility at Rainier Mesa, Nevada. Comparisons between measured and calculated data of the G-Tunnel High-Pressure Flatjack Development Experiment are presented in this investigation. Calculated results were obtained from two dimensional finite element analysis using a recently developed compliant-joint rock-mass model. The purpose of this work was to assess the predictive capability of the model based on limited material property data for the G-Tunnel welded tuff. The results of this evaluation are discussed.

Performance forecasting for a hypothetical field with Geysers greywacke rock is performed to demonstrate the importance of desorption effect, the actual adsorption isotherm was found to be well approximated by the Langmuir equation. Results obtained suggest that adsorption is the dominant mechanism for steam in geothermal reservoirs.

The surface geochemical characteristics of Mt Pinatubo indicate widespread deep acid fluids as shown by the following: presence of solfataras or sulfur-depositing fumaroles near or at the summit, and recent or active volcanism; discharge of mixed fluids with significant chloride at middle elevations; significant amounts of sulfate found in spring discharges at almost all levels (except at lowest levels or near sea level); springs with neutral pH and have high amounts of chloride and significant amounts of magnesium and boron; low Cl/Mg values accompanied by significant amounts of Mg observed at various elevations; higher proportions of gases, especially CO{sub 2} and significant N{sub 2}; widespread occurrence of iron hydroxide deposits at almost all elevations; and all springs discharge immature waters. A new mixing model is proposed, the Cl-B-Mg ternary diagram, to differentiate the effects on well and spring water chemistry of the following processes: seawater mixing, groundwater dilution and magmatic input. Seawater mixing is not indicated for Mt Pinatubo springs as shown by crossplots of chloride versus other chemical constituents and the Cl-B-Mg ternary diagram. Neutral alkali chloride waters are present in the area. This is supported by the chemical crossplots, and the Cl-B-Mg plots. In the Cl-B-Mg plot, springs …

A generalized economic model was developed to predict the breakeven price of HDR generated electricity. Important parameters include: (1) resource quality--average geothermal gradient ({sup o}C/km) and well depth, (2) reservoir performance--effective productivity, flow impedance, and lifetime (thermal drawdown rate), (3) cost components--drilling, reservoir formation, and power plant costs and (4) economic factors--discount and interest rates, taxes, etc. Detailed cost correlations based on historical data and results of other studies are presented for drilling, stimulation, and power plant costs. Results of the generalized model are compared to the results of several published economic assessments. Critical parameters affecting economic viability are drilling costs and reservoir performance. For example, high gradient areas are attractive because shallower well depths and/or lower reservoir production rates are permissible. Under a reasonable set of assumptions regarding reservoir impedance, accessible rock volumes and surface areas, and mass flow rates (to limit thermal drawdown rates to about 10 C per year), predictions for HDR-produced electricity result in competitive breakeven prices in the range of 5 to 9 cents/kWh for resources having average gradients above 50 C/km. Lower gradient areas require improved reservoir performance and/or lower well drilling costs.

A comparison of several models to estimate the rate of thermal cooldown in artificial circulation geothermal reservoirs was made for the Russkie Komarovtsy fracture-stimulated reservoir, which will be located near the town of Uzhgorod in the Zakarpate region of the Ukraine SSR. The economic viability of this moderate-temperature resource depends on sustained flow above the minimum abandonment temperature for a period sufficient to recover investment and operating costs. The rate of heat extraction for the required flowrate depends on the fracture distribution in the reservoir. Results of the SGP 1-D Heat Sweep model are compared to approximate analytical and numerical models developed at the Leningrad Mining Institute, based on a common set of initial conditions for the Russkie Komarovtsy reservoir. The comparison shows that all of the models yielded reasonably similar thermal decline estimates with a satisfactory lifetime of about 25 years to abandonment temperature.

The UK Department of Energy's Geothermal Hot Dry Rock (HDR) Program was last reviewed in 1987/88, when a number of technical problems were identified. These related to the size of reservoir (heat exchanger), its thermal behavior (short circuits) and water losses. A program of work to address these problems was subsequently set up. This work has recently been reviewed. The main conclusions are: (1) a satisfactory procedure for creating a commercial-scale HDR reservoir has yet to be demonstrated; (2) there is a dearth of information on rock properties at the 6-7 km depths needed for a commercial reservoir; (3) a satisfactory method of sealing short circuits has not yet been demonstrated; (4) although it is difficult to determine accurately the economics of HDR because of these technical uncertainties, it is believed that electricity from a commercial HDR power station is unlikely to be competitive with conventional means of generation in the short to medium term; (5) despite the earlier promise of the technology, HDR has been shown over the past two years to be still at an early stage of development and it is unlikely to attract private sector funding in the short term; and (6) participation in a joint …

The Nagqu geothermal field is a single-phase, liquid-dominated system at reservoir conditions, having a high gas content. This field is located at an elevation of about 4,500 m (asl), in the vicinity of the City of Nagqu, which is one of the most important cities of Tibet.The reservoir rock is made of a highly fractured, low-permeability sedimentary sequence. During the implementation of the study described in this paper, fluid production was mainly obtained from two out of four possible productive wells. The main fault systems are located in a NE-SW and E-W directions, which seem to control fluid movement at depth. The geothermal field is restricted to a small area where hydrothermal manifestations are located. Reservoir temperature is 114 C, gas content is in the range of 0.5 to 0.6% by mass, being mainly CO{sub 2}. Reservoir transmissivity in the area of the wells is very high. Reservoir response to changes in flow rate in any of the producing wells could be detected almost immediately in the observation wells, which were distant between 300 to 900 m, depending on the production-observation well arrangement. Calcium carbonate scaling was present in all producing wells. This deposition was controlled by the CO{sub 2} …

We present a fully coupled model of fluid flow in jointed rock, where the fluid flow depends on the joint openings and the joint openings depend on the fluid pressure. The joints and rock blocks are modeled discretely using the finite element method. Solutions for the fluid and rock are obtained and iteration is performed until both solutions converge. Example applications include an examination of the effects of back-pressure on flow in a geothermal reservoir and transient fluid injection into a reservoir.

Within two hours after discharge began, for a production test in 1989 of well ZCQ-4, pressure variations changed from approximately sinusoidal to a cycle of sudden and complex peak discharge pressures, to 9 bar, separated by irregular pressure declines to 5 bar. Initial cycle periods of 42 minutes evolved to 150 minutes by day 20 of continuous testing, when three of four surge peaks were well separated. Chemical signatures of fluids discharged with pressure surges were distinctive. When combined with downwell pressure measurements, assignments can be made for elevations of fluid entry points. The variety of chemical signatures indicates a scarcity of interzone connectivity. These constrained discharges are suspected to derive from altered rubble zones between layered volcanic rocks.

Mt. Pinatubo is one of several recent-age volcanoes along the west Luzon volcanic arc. A fumarole near the suminit emits gases with magmatic characteristics. Several thermal springs on the east and west flanks yield various fluid typos, including neutral chloride and bicarbonate. Three wellbores probed the Mt. Pinatubo caldera from elevations of +1230 through -1600 mRSL. Trajectories may be described as: central, crossing a boundary wall from the inside, and skirting a wall [probably] on the inside. Brine discharges indicate severe evapo-concentration effects accompanied by other phenomena. Severity of evapo-concentration indicates low fluid mobility near the wellbores. Large variations for ratios of component concentrations were observed, indicating negligible natural circulation (mixing). Implications about fluid movements and heat transfer processes are explored. Three components of steam can be quantified and all are significant: separate entry, adiabatic boiling, and boiling by rock heat.

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