The effects of conduction, convection, and radiation on the thermodynamic environment surrounding a heat-generating waste package

The thermodynamic environment surrounding a heat-generating waste package can play an important role in the performance of a high-level radioactive waste repository. However, rigorous models of heat transfer are often compromised in near-drift simulations. Convection and radiation are usually ignored or approximated so that simpler conduction models can be used. This paper presents numerical simulations that explicitly model conduction, convection, and radiation in an empty drift following emplacement of a heat-generating waste package. Temperatures and relative humidities are determined at various locations within the drift. Comparisons are made between different models of heat transfer, and the relative effects of each heat transfer mode on the thermodynamic environment of the waste package are examined