Defining Source Inventories

The species masses that are present in a Source are defined by specifying inventories. Multiple inventories can be defined for a Source. Each inventory has a specific location within the Source (relative to the barriers), although multiple inventories can coincide in the same location. Also, Inventories can optionally be specified as being bound within a waste matrix (in which case a matrix degradation rate must be specified).

The amount of mass in each inventory, coupled with its location and its matrix degradation rate, determines the rate at which its mass is exposed. The mathematical details of how the exposure rate for an inventory is calculated (as a function of barrier failure rates and matrix degradation) are described in Appendix E of the Contaminant Transport Module User’s Guide.

Note: An inventory specifies the amount of species mass at a specific location in a single waste package.

The topic below describes how inventories are specified.