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This report is being prepared under the FY14 activity FT-14LA0818069, Mechanical and Hydrological Behavior of the Near-Field Host Rock Surrounding Excavations, and fulfills the Los Alamos National Laboratory deliverable M4FT-14LA08180610, which in PICS:NE is titled “Draft report, Test Plan for Mechanical and Hydrological Behavior of the Near-field Host Rock Surrounding Excavations.” Since the report is an intermediate deliverable intended as input to the eventual test plan for this test, rather than being an actual test plan, the activity title is used as the title of this document to avoid confusion as to the contents in the report. This report summarizes efforts to simulate mechanical processes occurring within a hypothetical high-level waste (HLW) repository in bedded salt. The report summarizes work completed since the last project deliverable, “Coupled model for heat and water transport in a high level waste repository in salt “, a Level 2 milestone submitted to DOE in September 2013 (Stauffer et al., 2013).

This paper presents a literature survey of the occurrences of radionuclide plumes in saturated, fractured rocks. Three sites, Idaho National laboratory, Hanford, and Oak Ridge are discussed in detail. Results of a modeling study are also presented showing that the length to width ratio of a plume starting within the repository footprint at the Yucca Mountain Project site, decreases from about 20:1 for the base case to about 4:1 for a higher value of transverse dispersivity, indicating enhanced lateral spreading of the plume. Due to the definition of regulatory requirements, this lateral spreading does not directly impact breakthrough curves at the 18 km compliance boundary, however it increases the potential that a plume will encounter reducing conditions, thus significantly retarding the transport of sorbing radionuclides.

A computer code is described which can simulate non-isothermal multiphase multicomponent flow in porous media. It is applicable to natural-state studies of geothermal systems and ground-water flow. The equations of heat and mass transfer for multiphase flow in porous and permeable media are solved using the finite element method. The permeability and porosity of the medium are allowed to depend on pressure and temperature. The code also has provisions for movable air and water phases and noncoupled tracers; that is, tracer solutions that do not affect the heat and mass transfer solutions. The tracers can be passive or reactive. The code can simulate two-dimensional, two-dimensional radial, or three-dimensional geometries. A summary of the equations in the model and the numerical solution procedure are provided in this report. A user`s guide and sample problems are also included. The main use of FEHMN will be to assist in the understanding of flow fields in the saturated zone below the proposed Yucca Mountain Repository. 33 refs., 27 figs., 12 tabs.

A 30-day closed-loop circulation test of the Phase II Hot Dry Rock reservoir at Fenton Hill, New Mexico, was conducted to determine the thermal, hydraulic, chemical, and seismic characteristics of the reservoir in preparation for a long-term energy-extraction test. The Phase II heat-extraction loop was successfully tested with the injection of 37,000 m/sup 3/ of cold water and production of 23,300 m/sup 3/ of hot water. Up to 10 MW/sub t/ was extracted when the production flow rate reached 0.0139 m/sup 3//s at 192/degree/C. By the end of the test, the water-loss rate had decreased to 26% and a significant portion of the injected water was recovered; 66% during the test and an additional 20% during subsequent venting. Analysis of thermal, hydraulic, geochemical, tracer, and seismic data suggests the fractured volume of the reservoir was growing throughout the test. 19 refs., 64 figs., 19 tabs.

At Los Alamos National Laboratory, more than ten hydraulic fracturing experiments have been conducted to stimulate a hot dry rock reservoir. Two hydraulic fracturing attempts, Exp. 2059 and Exp. 2062, successfully established a large fracture system connecting an injection well, EE-3A, and a production well, EE-2. The initial closed loop flow test (ICFT) is planned (from May through June, 1986) to get information on volume impedance and temperature of the reservoir. The fracture systems created by the two experiments show characteristics that are different from each other.

The deepest EE-3A interval stimulated during Expt. 2061 did not connect to EE-2, but rather extended a fractured region downwards some 300 m below the bottom of EE-3A. Therefore, the decision has been made to abandon for now the bottom 600 feet of EE-3A, and to stimulate the three flowing fractures between 12,050 ft and 12,200 ft identified by temperature logging prior to Expt. 2059 (our successful Memorial Day reservoir connection experiment).