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Soil characterization in and around a proposed waste disposal facility at Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad, India

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Abstract

Generation of site-specific hydrogeological parameters such as porosity, bulk density, hydraulic conductivity, pore water velocity, etc. are the pre-requisites to carry out studies on the low probability event of migration of radionuclides along with groundwater due to long-term leaching from a waste disposal site. In the present work, the hydrogeological parameters are estimated for soil samples collected from various locations in and around a proposed solid waste disposal site at the Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad, India. The groundwater velocity is estimated using Darcy’s law. The range of values for hydraulic conductivity, porosity, and bulk density are determined to be 16.24–76.90 m day−1 (average 48.12 m day−1), 0.42–0.53 (average 0.47), and 1.01–1.43 g cm−3 (average 1.24 g cm−3), respectively. Using the estimated values of hydraulic conductivity, porosity, and the average value of hydraulic gradient between various wells at the site, the average groundwater velocity has been estimated to be around 1.0 m day−1 which matches fairly well with the groundwater velocity estimated using radioactive tracer techniques. These site-specific results will be useful in the radiological impact assessment of a proposed near surface waste disposal facility at Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad, India.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Shri N. Saibaba, Shri. G. Kalyanakrishnan and Shri. Ch. V. Ramanamurthy of Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad for their encouragement during the course of this work. The authors would like to thank Dr. K. S. Pradeepkumar of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, India for their help and support during the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Physics and Safety, Fuels Group, Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad, 500 062, India

    Amrit Pal Singh

  2. Radiation Safety Systems Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400 085, India

    Manish Chopra, Faby Sunny, A. Vinod Kumar & R. B. Oza

  3. E-401, Pranit Happy Homes Sy. No. 90/1, Srinivasa Nagar Colony, Kukatpally, Hyderabad, 500 090, India

    D. S. Suryanarayana

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  1. Amrit Pal Singh
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  2. Manish Chopra
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  3. Faby Sunny
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  4. A. Vinod Kumar
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  5. R. B. Oza
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  6. D. S. Suryanarayana
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Correspondence to Amrit Pal Singh.

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Singh, A.P., Chopra, M., Sunny, F. et al. Soil characterization in and around a proposed waste disposal facility at Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad, India. Environ Earth Sci 75, 540 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-5164-2

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