Uranium isotope studies combined with groundwater dating as a natural analogue

In the frame of safety assessments of radioactive waste disposal, simulations of radionuclide migration require realistic models of water-rock interaction. The models should also take into consideration irreversible exchange like precipitation and dissolution reactions. In the case of decay series radionuclides, water-rock interaction can be studied by measuring the natural distribution of these radionuclides in groundwater and eventually on matrix rock. It is demonstrated that values of parameters describing water-rock interaction of the uranium isotopes 238U and 234U can be estimated on the basis of uranium isotope studies combined with groundwater dating methods. A radionuclide migration model is used which includes dispersion, advection and sorption. 3 refs, fig and tab