Conceptual model for radionuclide release, Yucca Mountain, Nevada, USA

A new conceptual model for release rate of radionuclides from the proposed repository for high level nuclear waste located at Yucca Mountain, Nevada is developed. The model predicts that heat generated from radioactive decay combined with the unsaturated environment will lead to an inward flow system that, under many relevant conditions, will slow the release of and sometimes sequester radionuclides at locations of higher heat release and lower water percolation. The amount of protection will be greatest for more concentrated waste forms such as spent fuel and less for glass waste forms. The redistribution and concentration of the radionuclides is anticipated to significantly delay radionuclide release and create a tendency towards gradual release over time that is independent of localized penetrations of metallic barriers.