HR: 1340h
AN: H13A-0386    [Abstracts]
TI: A Systematic Approach for Developing Conceptual Models of Contaminant Transport at the Hanford Site
AU: Murray, C J
EM: Chris.Murray@pnl.gov
AF: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P. O. Box 999, Richland, WA 99354 United States
AU: * Last, G V
EM: george.last@pnl.gov
AF: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P. O. Box 999, Richland, WA 99354 United States
AU: Rohay, V J
EM: Virginia_J_Rohay@rl.gov
AF: Flour Hanford, Inc., P. O. Box 1000, Richland, WA 99352-1000 United States
AU: Schelling, F J
EM: fjschel@sandia.gov
AF: Sandia National Laboratory, P. O. Box 5800, Albuquerque, NM 87185-0778 United States
AU: Hildebrand, R D
EM: R_D_Hildebrand@rl.gov
AF: US Department of Energy, P. O. Box 550, Richland, WA 99352 United States
AU: Morse, J G
EM: john_g_morse@rl.gov
AF: US Department of Energy, P. O. Box 550, Richland, WA 99352 United States
AB: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) faces many decisions regarding future remedial actions and waste disposal at the Hanford Site in southeast Washington State. To support these decisions, DOE recognized the need for a comprehensive and systematic approach to developing and documenting complete, consistent, and defensible conceptual models of contaminant release and migration. After reviewing existing conceptual model development methodologies that might be applicable to environmental assessments at the Hanford Site, DOE initiated efforts to adapt and implement the Features, Events, and Processes (FEP) methodology developed for use in performance assessments of nuclear waste disposal systems by NIREX. In adapting this methodology for use in the environmental assessments at Hanford, the international list of FEPs, compiled from nuclear waste disposal programs, was evaluated to develop a list of potentially relevant Hanford-specific FEPs. The international nuclear waste programs focus on deep geologic disposal while waste disposal at the Hanford Site involves burial in shallow unconsolidated geologic deposits. Thus, a graphical tool called the Process Relationship Diagram (PRD) was created to assist in identifying the international FEPs and additional factors that are relevant to Hanford, and to illustrate the relationships among these factors. The PRD is similar in form and function to the Master Directed Diagram used by NIREX to provide a visual and systematic structure for the FEP methodology. Adaptation of this approach is showing promise in facilitating the development of conceptual models and selection of relevant factors to be incorporated into environmental uncertainty assessments for the Hanford Site.
DE: 6309 Decision making under uncertainty
DE: 1899 General or miscellaneous
DE: 1829 Groundwater hydrology
DE: 1869 Stochastic processes
DE: 1875 Unsaturated zone
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting