With no significant geological barrier between the wastes and the surface environment, an understanding of the wastes, the near-surface environment and the surface environment, as well as their interactions with the engineered disposal facility, is critical to understanding the disposal system’s likely short and long-term performance. Quintessa provides important support in this area by working alongside other specialists to define waste and site characterisation and monitoring strategies, and to interpret the results.
In particular, we are specialists in using site characterisation information in developing conceptual geological, geochemical, hydrogeological and hydrological models, and implementing, testing and enhancing them in simulation tools such as QPAC and FEFLOW.
An example is the detailed evaluation of geology, hydrogeology and geochemistry data that was obtained from over 200 boreholes around the D1225 "Shaft" at Dounreay, Scotland and then subsequently used to inform the Shaft safety assessment.