Effects of Repository Environment on Diffusion Behavior of Radionuclides in Buffer Materials (II)

Kozaki, Tamotsu*; Sato, Seichi*

Compacted bentonite is considered as a candidate buffer material in the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste. An ssential function of the compacted bentonite is to retard the transport of radionuclides from waste forms to the surrounding host rock after degradation of an overpack. Therefore, diffusion behavior of radionuclides in the compacted bentonite is one of the important issues to be studied for the safety assessment of the geological disposal. In this study, through-diffusion experiments were performed for sodium ions in compacted Na-montmorillonite, since sodium ions are the major exchangeable cations of the Na-montmorillonite which may affect the diffusion behaviors of radionuclides. Cumulate fluxes ofNa ions diffusing into the montmorillonite (inlet) and out of the montmorillonite (outlet) were monitored as a function of time at the diffusion experiments under different diffusion temperature. The best-fitted parameters of effective diffusion coefficient and capacity factor to the cumulate fluxes of outlet were obtained by the analysis with or without the consideration of isotopic dilution ofNa in the diffusion system. However, the parameters could not fit to the cumulate flux of inlet. This suggests that there must be still unknown diffusion process in the diffusion system.