DECOVALEX-2011 was the fifth phase of the DECOVALEX-2011 project, running from 2008 though to 2011. This phase extended the traditional thermal-hydrological-mechanical focus of DECOVALEX research into new challenging research topics of scientific originality: (1) the coupled hydro-mechanical-chemical (HMC) behaviour of argillaceous clay rocks, a major step forward in relation to improved performance and safety assessments for radioactive waste repositories in different rocks, (2) the spalling of crystalline rocks under combined thermo-mechanical loading conditions, and (3) the impact of stress/deformation on contaminat transport in fractured rocks. Within this context, the general objectives of the research performed in the D-2011 phase were to characterise and evaluate the impact of coupled THMC processes, i.e. adding chemical effects, on the performance and safety assessments for a geological repository, with considerations of:
The project involved a large number of research teams supported by radioactive waste management agencies and governmental regulatory bodies in China, Finland, France, Korea Republic, Japan, Sweden and the UK, who conducted advanced studies and numerical modelling of coupled THMC processes under three tasks:
The work defined in these three Tasks was divided into different phases or steps so that the progress could be monitored and the achievements documented in project reports and other publications.The following four final reports listed below were generated after the completion of the Decovalex-2011 project:
The Funding Organisations of the DECOVALEX-2011 project were as follows: Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China; Institute for Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), France; Japanese Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), Japan; Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), Korea; Radioactive Waste Management (RWM), UKĀ ; Posiva Oy (Posiva), Finland; Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (SURAO), Czech Republic; Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co. (SKB), Sweden; and Wuhan University (WHU), China.