Retention mechanisms and the flow wetted surface - implications for safety analysis

The purpose of this report is to document the state-of-the-art concerning the flow wetted surface, its importance for radionuclide transport in the geosphere and review various suggestions on how to increase the present knowledge. Definitions are made of the various concepts used for the flow wetted surface as well as the various model parameters used. In the report methods proposed to assess the flow wetted surface are reviewed and discussed, tracer tests, tunnel and borehole investigations, geochemical studies, heat transport studies and theoretical modelling. Furthermore, a review is made of how the flow wetted surface has been treated in various safety analyses. Finally, an overall discussion with recommendations is presented, where it is concluded that at present no individual method for estimating the flow wetted surface can be selected that satisfies all requirements concerning giving relevant values, covering relevant distances and being practical to apply. Instead a combination of methods must be used. In the long-term research as well as in the safety assessment modelling focus should be put on assessing the ratio between flow wetted surface and water flux. The long-term research should address both the detailed flow within the fractures and the effective flow wetted surface along the flow paths. 55 refs