Analysis of heat and mass transfer in sub-seabed disposal of nuclear waste

A mathematical basis is developed for the prediction of thermal and radionuclide transport in marine sediments. The theory is applied to the study of radioactive waste disposal by emplacement, in specially designed containers, well below the sediment/water interface. Numerical results are obtained for a specified model problem through use of two computer programs designed primarily for the analysis of waste disposal problems. One program (MARIAH) provides descriptions of the temperature and velocity fields induced by the presence of a container of thermally active nuclear waste. A second program (IONMIG), which utilizes the results of the thermal analysis, is used to provide predictions for the migration of four representative radionuclides: /sup 239/Pu, /sup 137/Cs, /sup 129/I, and /sup 99/Tc