Cementitious materials for the construction of a geological repository of radioactive waste alter the pH of groundwater to a highly alkaline condition (pH ≈ 13). While this alkaline groundwater dissolves silicate minerals, the soluble silicic acid polymerizes or deposits on the surface of rock with the decrease in pH by mixing with the surrounding groundwater (pH = 8). In particular, the deposition of silicic acid leads to a clogging effect in flow-paths, which retards the migration of radionuclides. This study estimated the clogging of silicic acid in flow-paths with the one-dimensional advection–dispersion model considering the deposition rate constants evaluated in our previous study. As some of the most important parameters, these estimations focused on the initial supersaturated concentration of silicic acid and the density of deposited minerals. As a result, the aperture of flow-paths (initial width: 0.1 mm, flow-rate: 5 m/y, initial supersaturated concentration of silicic acid: 0.01, 0.1 and 1.0 mM) was almost clogged within about 200 y by the deposition of silicic acid. The period for the clogging became shorter under the conditions of higher initial supersaturated concentration and lower density of deposited minerals. In other words, the use of cementitious materials for constructing the repository might produce a retardation effect of radionuclide migration by the deposition/clogging processes of the supersaturated silicic acid.
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October 2017
Research-Article
Effects of Supersaturated Silicic Acid Concentration on Deposition Rate Around Geological Disposal System
Tsuyoshi Sasagawa,
Tsuyoshi Sasagawa
Department of Quantum Science and Energy
Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering,
Tohoku University,
Aramaki-Aza-Aoba 6-6-01-2, Aoba-ku,
Sendai 980-8579, Japan
e-mail: sasagawa314@michiru.qse.tohoku.ac.jp
Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering,
Tohoku University,
Aramaki-Aza-Aoba 6-6-01-2, Aoba-ku,
Sendai 980-8579, Japan
e-mail: sasagawa314@michiru.qse.tohoku.ac.jp
Search for other works by this author on:
Taiji Chida,
Taiji Chida
Department of Quantum Science and
Energy Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering,
Tohoku University,
Aramaki-Aza-Aoba 6-6-01-2,
Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579, Japan
e-mail: taiji.chida@qse.tohoku.ac.jp
Energy Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering,
Tohoku University,
Aramaki-Aza-Aoba 6-6-01-2,
Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579, Japan
e-mail: taiji.chida@qse.tohoku.ac.jp
Search for other works by this author on:
Yuichi Niibori
Yuichi Niibori
Department of Quantum Science and
Energy Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering,
Tohoku University,
Aramaki-Aza-Aoba 6-6-01-2, Aoba-ku,
Sendai 980-8579, Japan
e-mail: yuichi.niibori@qse.tohoku.ac.jp
Energy Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering,
Tohoku University,
Aramaki-Aza-Aoba 6-6-01-2, Aoba-ku,
Sendai 980-8579, Japan
e-mail: yuichi.niibori@qse.tohoku.ac.jp
Search for other works by this author on:
Tsuyoshi Sasagawa
Department of Quantum Science and Energy
Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering,
Tohoku University,
Aramaki-Aza-Aoba 6-6-01-2, Aoba-ku,
Sendai 980-8579, Japan
e-mail: sasagawa314@michiru.qse.tohoku.ac.jp
Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering,
Tohoku University,
Aramaki-Aza-Aoba 6-6-01-2, Aoba-ku,
Sendai 980-8579, Japan
e-mail: sasagawa314@michiru.qse.tohoku.ac.jp
Taiji Chida
Department of Quantum Science and
Energy Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering,
Tohoku University,
Aramaki-Aza-Aoba 6-6-01-2,
Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579, Japan
e-mail: taiji.chida@qse.tohoku.ac.jp
Energy Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering,
Tohoku University,
Aramaki-Aza-Aoba 6-6-01-2,
Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579, Japan
e-mail: taiji.chida@qse.tohoku.ac.jp
Yuichi Niibori
Department of Quantum Science and
Energy Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering,
Tohoku University,
Aramaki-Aza-Aoba 6-6-01-2, Aoba-ku,
Sendai 980-8579, Japan
e-mail: yuichi.niibori@qse.tohoku.ac.jp
Energy Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering,
Tohoku University,
Aramaki-Aza-Aoba 6-6-01-2, Aoba-ku,
Sendai 980-8579, Japan
e-mail: yuichi.niibori@qse.tohoku.ac.jp
1Corresponding author.
Manuscript received September 5, 2015; final manuscript received June 20, 2017; published online July 31, 2017. Assoc. Editor: Brian Ikeda.
ASME J of Nuclear Rad Sci. Oct 2017, 3(4): 041010 (6 pages)
Published Online: July 31, 2017
Article history
Received:
September 5, 2015
Revised:
June 20, 2017
Citation
Sasagawa, T., Chida, T., and Niibori, Y. (July 31, 2017). "Effects of Supersaturated Silicic Acid Concentration on Deposition Rate Around Geological Disposal System." ASME. ASME J of Nuclear Rad Sci. October 2017; 3(4): 041010. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4037163
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