NATURE OF THE DRY SHADOW BELOW CAVITIES IN VADOSE ZONE
PDF Version Also Available for Download.
Description
Several theoretical studies have indicated that the presence of subsurface cavities in the vadose zone results in complete or partial diversion of flow around cavities. As a result, the region immediately below the cavities is partially shielded from the downward flux. This shadowing effect of cavities can be exploited in the design of dry subsurface storage facilities as an additional barrier to contain waste within or around the cavities. However, empirical evidence that supports these theories is lacking. This study is motivated by the inherent difficulty to make direct observation of the shadow zone as it occurs under very dry …
continued below
Publisher Info:
Yucca Mountain Project, Las Vegas, Nevada
Place of Publication:
Las Vegas, Nevada
Provided By
UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
Serving as both a federal and a state depository library, the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department maintains millions of items in a variety of formats. The department is a member of the FDLP Content Partnerships Program and an Affiliated Archive of the National Archives.
Descriptive information to help identify this report.
Follow the links below to find similar items on the Digital Library.
Description
Several theoretical studies have indicated that the presence of subsurface cavities in the vadose zone results in complete or partial diversion of flow around cavities. As a result, the region immediately below the cavities is partially shielded from the downward flux. This shadowing effect of cavities can be exploited in the design of dry subsurface storage facilities as an additional barrier to contain waste within or around the cavities. However, empirical evidence that supports these theories is lacking. This study is motivated by the inherent difficulty to make direct observation of the shadow zone as it occurs under very dry conditions. To aid future field and laboratory scale investigations of the shadow zone, we performed rigorous theoretical scrutiny of the conditions that result in the shadowing effect. We formulated relative permeability and saturation based criteria to identify the boundaries of the shadow zone. Analytical and numerical tools were used to develop dimensionless scaling laws that define the size of the shadow zone. Moreover, we analyzed the effect of natural perturbations (heterogeneity and fracturing) on the integrity of the shadow zone. The results will be used in selecting study sites; identifying observation locations and methods; and designing active tests to test the concept of shadow zone.
This report is part of the following collection of related materials.
Office of Scientific & Technical Information Technical Reports
Reports, articles and other documents harvested from the Office of Scientific and Technical Information.
Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) is the Department of Energy (DOE) office that collects, preserves, and disseminates DOE-sponsored research and development (R&D) results that are the outcomes of R&D projects or other funded activities at DOE labs and facilities nationwide and grantees at universities and other institutions.
Ghezzehei, Teamrat A.; Kneafsey, Timothy J. & Su, Grace W.NATURE OF THE DRY SHADOW BELOW CAVITIES IN VADOSE ZONE,
report,
September 7, 2005;
Las Vegas, Nevada.
(https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc891629/:
accessed April 19, 2024),
University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu;
crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.