The influence of transverse diffusion/dispersion on the migration of radionuclides in porous media

Repositories in geological formations are planned for the final disposal of radioactive wastes produced by nuclear power. Generally, water entry leading to leaching of the waste matrix is considered as the critical process which can result in release of radionuclides from a waste repository. Consequently, radionuclide transport through the geosphere is of crucial importance, because the geological medium acts as the last barrier to the biosphere. The influence of the transverse diffusion/dispersion effect on the migration of radionuclides through the geosphere is dealt with. Migration in porous media only is considered which is the standard approach of most existing transport models. The present study shows that it is only for homogeneous-isotropic media that the three-dimensional time-dependent transport equation can be solved analytically - provided that only simple source geometries and leach processes are taken into account. For heterogeneous layered media only the two-dimensional quasi-stationary transport equation can be solved; the only time dependent process which can be handled is simple radioactive decay excluding extended decay chains. The study shows moreover that only for an idealized three-layer geology can analytical solutions be found. In particular the solutions for multi-layered media cannot be derived from single-layer solutions; each problem with special source and boundary conditions has to be solved directly. The numerical results from the present study show a relatively strong influence of the transverse dispersion effect in the case of homogeneous-isotropic media. (Auth.)