PORFLOW Modeling Supporting the H-Tank Farm Performance Assessment
The H-Tank Farm at the Savannah River Site stores radioactive waste in a series of underground tanks, with varying levels of submersion relative to the water table—some tanks are above the water table, others are partially submerged, and a few are fully submerged. These conditions introduce complex cross-flow dynamics between unsaturated and saturated zones, necessitating a robust 3D model to accurately simulate contaminant transport and groundwater interactions over time. As these containment systems degrade, radionuclides could migrate, posing long-term risks to groundwater resources.
To address the complex, long-term modeling needs of this assessment; PORFLOW was selected due to its advanced capabilities in handling multi-phase flow and transport in porous media.
Flow vectors beneath tanks.
Numerical simulations of solubility-controlled waste release for varying crossflow.
Courtesy : Savannah River National Laboratory
Citation: Jordan, J.M., Flach, G.P. and Westbrook, M.L., 2012. PORFLOW Modeling Supporting The H-Tank Farm Performance Assessment (No. SRNL-STI-2012-00465). Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States).
