Development of a COMSOL Application for the Efficient Evaluation of an Engineered Barrier System

D. Sampietro [1], E. Abarca [1], H. von Schenck [2], J. Molinero [1]
[1] Amphos 21 Consulting S.L., Barcelona, Spain
[2] Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co., Stockholm, Sweden
Published in 2015

Radioactive waste repositories include barriers that work to contain the waste, thereby protecting human health and the environment. In deep geological disposal systems, barriers include the natural geological barrier and the engineered barrier system (EBS). The ability of the EBS to limit groundwater flow is important and optimized design solutions are often sought by means of numerical modeling. For instance, models can quantify flow rates as affected by different assumptions regarding EBS materials and repository location. The present work shows an example of a COMSOL application intended to aid EBS sensitivity studies.

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