Mathematical modelling of radionuclide transport through fractured rock using numerical inversion of Laplace transforms: Application to INTRACOIN Level 3☆☆☆

Abstract A model for the transport of radionuclides through fractured rock has been developed and used to study a problem which forms part of Level 3 of the INTRACOIN project (the international exercise in which the results from various radionuclide-migration computer programs are compared). The model includes the effects of 1-D advection, dispersion, kinetic and/or equilibrium surface sorption, diffusion into the rock matrix with equilibrium bulk sorption and radioactive decay, and incorporates flexible input and output boundary conditions. It is evaluated by numerically inverting the analytical solution to the Laplace-transformed transport equations. Matrix diffusion was found to be the most important retardation mechanism for Np based on data reflecting the conditions at the Finnsjo site in east central Sweden. However, improved data and field testing are required to make the predictions of such models more reliable.