In the framework of selecting a suitable site for final disposal of low- and intermediate level short-lived radioactive waste (LILW-SL) in Bulgaria, site characterization is ongoing at the Marichin Valog site, North-West Bulgaria. The site is characterized by a complex sequence of loess, clayey gravel, and clay layers, of which the first 30–40 m are unsaturated. Proper knowledge about unsaturated water flow and concomittant radionuclide transport is key input to safety assessment calculations. Constant-head infiltrometer tests were carried out at several meters below ground surface to determine the unsaturated hydraulic properties of silty loess, clayey loess, and clayey gravel layers. Individual infiltrometers were equipped with 0.5-m-long filter sections; the shallowest filter was from 2 to 2.5 m depth, whereas the deepest was from 9.5 to 10 m depth. Infiltration tests provided data on cumulative infiltration and progression of the wetting front in the initially unsaturated sediments surrounding the infiltrometer. A cylindrical time-domain reflectometry TRIME probe was used to measure water content variations with time during progression of the wetting front. Access tubes for the TRIME probe were installed at 0.3 to 0.5 m from the infiltrometer tubes. By means of an inverse optimization routine implemented in the finite element code HYDRUS-2D, field-scale soil hydraulic parameters were derived for all layers. Results show a great consistency in the optimized parameter values, although the test sites were several meters apart. Apparently the size of the affected volume of soil was large enough to reduce the effect of spatial variability and to produce average field-scale hydraulic parameters that are relevant for large-scale predictions of flow patterns and radionuclide migration pathways.
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The 11th International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management
September 2–6, 2007
Bruges, Belgium
Conference Sponsors:
- Nuclear Division and Environmental Engineering Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-4339-0
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Innovative In-Situ Determination of Unsaturated Hydraulic Properties in Deep Loess Sediments in North-West Bulgaria
Dirk Mallants,
Dirk Mallants
Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, Mol, Belgium
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Doncho Karastanev,
Doncho Karastanev
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
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Dimitar Antonov,
Dimitar Antonov
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
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Janez Perko
Janez Perko
Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, Mol, Belgium
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Dirk Mallants
Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, Mol, Belgium
Doncho Karastanev
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
Dimitar Antonov
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
Janez Perko
Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, Mol, Belgium
Paper No:
ICEM2007-7202, pp. 733-739; 7 pages
Published Online:
May 29, 2009
Citation
Mallants, D, Karastanev, D, Antonov, D, & Perko, J. "Innovative In-Situ Determination of Unsaturated Hydraulic Properties in Deep Loess Sediments in North-West Bulgaria." Proceedings of the The 11th International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management. 11th International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management, Parts A and B. Bruges, Belgium. September 2–6, 2007. pp. 733-739. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/ICEM2007-7202
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