Effects of Water-Rock Interaction on Unsaturated Flow in Heterogeneous Fractured Rock
Eric Sonnenthal, Nicolas Spycher, Charles Haukwa, and Tianfu Xu
Contact: Eric Sonnenthal, (510) 486-5866, elsonnenthal@lbl.gov
Research Objectives
Evaluation of coupled thermal, hydrological, and chemical processes associated with the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, requires consideration of the effects of permeability heterogeneity on reaction-transport processes. The primary objective of this work is to examine the relationship of fracture flow and fracture-matrix interaction to permeability and capillary pressure modification during mineral precipitation and dissolution in unsaturated fractured tuff under boiling conditions.
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 Ratio of fracture permeability at 20,000 years to the initial value
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