A. Rejeb

Evaluation of Thm Coupling on the Safety Assessment of a Nuclear Fuel Waste Repository in a Homogeneous Hard Rock

Abstract An evaluation of the importance of the thermo-hydro-mechanical couplings (THM) on the performance assessment of a deep underground storage design has been made as part of the international DECOVALEX III project. It is a numerical study that simulates a generic repository configuration in the near field in a homogeneous hard rock. A periodic pattern comprises a single vertical borehole, containing a canister surrounded by an over-pack and a bentonite layer, and the backfilled upper portion of the gallery. The thermo-hydro-mechanical evolution of the whole configuration is simulated over a period of 100 years. The importance of the rock mass intrinsic permeability has been investigated through three values : 10 −17 , 10 −18 and 10 −19 m 2 . Comparison of the results predicted by fully coupled THM analysis as well as partially coupled TH, TM and HM analysis, in terms of several predefined indicators, enables us to identify the couplings, which play a crucial role with respect to safety issues. The results demonstrate that temperature is hardly affected by the couplings. In contrast the influence of the couplings on the mechanical stresses is considerable.

Implications of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes on the safety of a hypothetical nuclear fuel waste repository

In Bench Mark Test no. 1 (BMT1) of the DECOVALEX III international project, we looked at the implications of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) processes on the safety of a hypothetical nuclear waste repository. The research teams first calibrated their models with the results of an in-situ heater experiments to obtain confidence in the capability of the models to simulate the main physical processes. Then the models were used to perform scoping calculations for the near-field of the hypothetical repository, with varying degrees of THM coupling complexity. The general conclusion from the BMT1 exercise is that it would be prudent to perform full THM coupling analyses for two main reasons. First, several safety features might be overlooked with lesser degrees of coupling. Second, the ability to predict and interpret several physical processes, during the post-closure monitoring period, is important for confidence building and public acceptance. Such ability is attainable only with fully coupled THM models.

Analyses of coupled hydrological-mechanical effects during drilling of the FEBEX tunnel at Grimsel

This paper presents analyses of coupled hydrological-mechanical (HM) processes during drilling of the FEBEX tunnel, located in fractured granite at Grimsel, Switzerland. Two and three-dimensional transient finite-element simulations were performed to investigate HM-induced fluid-pressure pulses, observed in the vicinity of the FEBEX tunnel during its excavation in 1995. The results show that fluid-pressure responses observed in the rock mass during TBM drilling of the FEBEX tunnel could not be captured using current estimates of regional stress. It was also shown that the measured pressure responses can be captured in both two and three-dimensional simulations if the stress field is rotated such that contraction (compressive strain rate) and corresponding increases in mean stress occur on the side of the drift, where increased fluid pressure spikes were observed.