Research
Team: Golder Associates
Related Prior Work Golder
Associates Inc. (Golder) is a member firm of
Golder Associates Corporation, an international
employee-owned group of companies with over 1400
personnel distributed among 55 offices in the
United States, Canada, the United Kingdom,
Europe, and Australia. Golder Associates Inc.
employs over 700 personnel (over 350 of which are
environmental science, geosciences, or
engineering professionals) in seventeen offices.
Golder Associates has in international
reputation in fractured rock research which has
developed in the field of radioactive waste
disposal research and more recently in the
petroleum industry. The cornerstone of the
fracture flow work is the FracMan series of
computer codes. Fracture flow related work has
included code development, modeling applications,
and field data analysis. A list of representative
projects is given below.
AOSTRA Oil Sands Software Development
(1989-1993)
Client: Alberta (Canada) Oil Sand Technology
and Research Administration
Developed state of the art numerical models for
simulation of the mechanical and flow properties
of oil sands. These models incorporate coupled
stress-strain-strength-flow features, and are
designed for direct application to petroleum
engineering problems.
Fracture Flow and Solute Transport Research
(1985-1990)
Client: Battelle Office for Waste Technology
Development (OWTD)
Golder Associates carried out research in support
of the US Department of Energy, Office for
Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM)
through a contract with Battelle-OWTD. Golder
Associates developed the FracMan discrete
fracture modeling package, and demonstrated the
application of discrete fracture approaches for
proposed repositories in granite, basalt, and
tuff. The importance of discrete fracture
geometry for flow and solute transport was
demonstrated through evaluation of scale effects
on extrapolation of test results to repository
scales, identification of pathways for
radionuclide migration through fracture networks,
and quantification of rock mass heterogeneity. A
manual was prepared describing procedures for
collection of discrete fracture data within
radioactive waste projects.
Yucca Mountain Discrete Fracture Model
Support (1990-1992)
Client: Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory
Golder Associates applied the FracMan package to
evaluate discrete fracture data from the Yucca
Mountain site, develop a discrete fracture
conceptual model, and demonstrate the application
of discrete fracture pathway analysis. Golder
Associates also conducted training sessions in
the use of FracMan for evaluation of flow and
transport at the Alligator Rivers experimental
site.
Fractured Reservoir Software Development
and Application (1991- present)
Client: Confidential (Oil Companies)
Golder Associates evaluated structural geology
and fracture statistics to form three dimensional
conceptual models for a fracture dominated
reservoir. Golder Associates then applied the
model to study alternative development strategies
to optimize reservoir production. Golder
Associates is developing custom geological
conceptual models, and interfaces to multiphase
oil reservoir simulator software.
Campo Landfill (1994-present)
Client: Mid America Waste Systems
Carried out discrete fracture flow hydrogeologic
tests including heat-pulse flow logging.
Developed FracMan models for evaluation of
landfill in testing.
Evaluation of Site Characterization
Strategies (1989-1990)
Client: Nagra/Swiss National Cooperative for
Radioactive Waste Management
The FracMan model features a unique ability to
simulate site characterization programs,
determining the probability of intersection and
detection of features and the probability of
derivation of important feature properties such
as transmissivity and transport porosity. In
addition, FracMan is able to search through
networks of geologic features, identifying and
characterizing those features with the greatest
potential to provide preferential pathways for
contaminant migration. Golder Associates utilized
these features for Nagra, to evaluate the prior
probability of pathways within various
sedimentary environments, and to evaluate the
prior probability of success for alternative site
characterization programs. These results provided
important input to Nagra decisions on repository
exploration strategies.
Fracture Flow Modeling of Åspö Hard Rock
Research Laboratory (1991- present)
Client: SKB/ Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste
Management Company
Golder Associates developed a 50 meter scale
discrete fracture model for the SKB Hard Rock
Research Laboratory (HRL) at Åspö Island,
Sweden. This model was based upon analysis of
fracture orientation, size, and spatial structure
from surface mapping a core logging, and
hydrologic data from fixed interval length (FIL)
packer tests. Golder Associates derived
distributions of rock block permeability and
anisotropy, and covariograms of block
permeability for use in stochastic continuum
modeling, and distributions of canister flux for
use in repository safety analysis. Work currently
includes development of stochastic continuum and
geostatistical methodologies for interpreting
fracture hydrologic data.
Sellafield Site Hydrogeology (1992-present)
Client: UK Nirex
Carried out field hydrogeologic test, data
analyses, and numerical modeling for the proposed
Sellafield, UK radioactive waste repository.
Analyses have included a variety of FracMan
models at scale from 50 m to 10 km.
Stripa Phase 3 Fractured Rock Research
Project (1987-1992)
Client: US Department of Energy; Battelle
Office for Waste Technology Development
The Stripa Phase 3 project is an international
research project sponsored by the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development Nuclear
Energy Agency (OECD/NEA). The seven sponsoring
countries work together to develop technology
necessary for nuclear waste repository site
characterization and performance assessment. The
U.S. Department of Energy provided funding for
Golder Associates participation in this project
over the period 1987-1992. Golder Associates
participation in the project included:
- analysis of site data and experimental
results with discrete fracture concepts
- development of a geologic/hydrologic
conceptual model incorporating the
results of fracture mapping, core
logging, geophysics, and hydrologic
testing,
- simulation of flow and transport single
hole and multiple hole (interference)
experiments, and
- validation of the discrete fracture
approach by prediction of flow and solute
transport experiments.
Yucca Mountain Fractured Rock Hydrogeology
(1992-present)
Client: US Geological Survey
Supported hydrologic testing and data analysis
for application in discrete fracture models of
the proposed Yucca Mountain high-level
radioactive waste repository.
Fracture Network Code Development
(1991-present)
Client: Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel
Development Corporation (PNC) -- Japan
Golder Associates has developed flow modeling
features for application to solution of flow and
transport problems. These include variable
properties in fractures, non-planar fracture
zones, matrix diffusion, and chemical sorption.
Golder has also support PNC’s international
participation in the Swedish Hard Rock Laboratory
as well as modeling experiments in fractured rock
at the Kamaishi Mine in Japan.
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