Alligator Rivers analogue project final report volume 1 summary of findings
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Date
1992
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Publisher
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
Abstract
This summary report, which highlights the work and findings of the Alligator Rivers Analogue Project (ARAP) is one of a series of 16 volumes, listed below. Detailed descriptions and results are provided in Volumes 2 to 16. Full acknowledgment to individual contributions is provided in the individual reports, and in Appendix I of this report. The findings from the technical studies are discussed in the context of assessments of the long-term performance of geological repositories for radioactive wastes, which are being undertaken in many countries. They are also considered in an integrated 'Scenario Development' approach, aimed to understand the formation of the ore deposit. Despite their inherent uncertainties, the findings provide a basis for assessing the way in which radionuclides will migrate in environments with a variety of geologic settings and over a range of different geologic timescales. Thus, section 2 of this report discusses the concept of using uranium deposits as natural analogues and refers to a number of such studies, including those at the Koongarra deposit in the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. Section 3 reviews early scientific work in the Alligator Rivers Region and summarises the results of the analogue studies undertaken between 1981 and 1987 that were funded by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) and the UK Department of the Environment (UKDoE). Section 4 describes the objectives of ARAP and the manner in which the study was conducted and provides a general outline of the project and a summary of the findings. A general description of the Koongarra ore deposit, the focus of ARAP, is provided in Section 5, with Sections 6-13 providing summaries of the work carried out to characterise the site in detail and provide data for modelling. Sections 14-18 discuss how this data was used in modelling and how the results may be applied for performance assessment studies. Finally, Section 19 considers the implications of the work for performance assessment modelling.
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Keywords
Geochemistry, Geologic models, Hydrology, Koongarra deposit, Natural analogue, Radioactive wastes, Radionuclide migration, Uranium ores, Waste disposal, Chemistry, Environmental transport, Management, Mass transfer, Materials, Ores, Radioactive materials, Uranium deposits, Waste management, Wastes
Citation
Duerden, P., Lever, D. A., Sverjensky, D. A., & Townley, L. R. (1992). Alligator Rivers analogue project final report volume 1 summary of findings. Menai: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.