(A) study on the formation and transport of radioactive colloids in porous media

Abstract

Colloid particles, which may be supplied naturally by groundwater, are shown to be important potential vehicles for the transport of radionuclides in geologic media. Colloid particles have also large available sites for adsorption because small particles have high surface areas per unit mass. This possibility leads us to investigate the controlling factors of colloids in groundwater to simulate the radionuclide behavior at the repository. Analytical models that can be generalized for the purpose, however, are not available yet. Therefore, in this study the mechanisms that affect the colloid transport were reviewed carefully and, also in order to evaluate the extent of their effects, general and analytical model combined with modified filtration equation was developed. This modified filtration equation including colloidal particle size effect was solved as a function of colloidal particle size, which is a important factor affecting the colloidal transport, grain diameter of porous media, groundwater velocity, distance, and time. Also, as another measure to estimate colloidal particle size effect, analytical method to calculate the adsorption of radionuclides on the colloid, concepts of transport velocity and migration distance were introduced. To evaluate the relative contribution of colloid to the radionuclide transport quatitatively, colloidal transport was compared with the corresponding solute transport under same conditions. Finally, the three phase analysis was proposed to treat the radionuclide transport more practically. A good agreement was obtained between the predicted result by modified filtration equation and the corresponding published experimental data. As the colloidal size is increased, the effect of diffusional velocity on the mobility decreases and that of gravitational settling increases, respectively, whereas the mobility reduction due to filtration increases when interception and gravitational settling dominate. Results of case studies abou...