Honorobe EBS Experiment

Description

The coupled thermal, hydraulic, mechanical and chemical (THMC) processes in and around the EBS are an extremely complex area of scientific research that may have a significant bearing on the potential design and performance of radioactive waste disposal facilities. The purpose of Task B2 under DECOVALEX-2015 is to:

  • Predict the coupled THM(C) processes in and around EBS including the backfilled experimental gallery of the Horonobe EBS experiment.
  • Investigate and develop numerical analytical code for the representation of coupled THMC processes in and around the EBS by using the monitoring data.

The emphasis of this work is to gain understanding of possible physical processes that can be used to explain the results of the experiments and to assess the long-term behaviour of the EBS. It is expected that the different teams will adopt different approaches but that in all cases the different approaches should all provide insight into the development of robust, predictive THMC analysis for EBS.

illustration
Experimental galleries and borehole arrays at the depth of 350m

Experimental Data

Over one hundred sensors are to be placed in the buffer, backfill and surrounding rock mass during the installation of the experiment to monitor the coupled THMC processes, including temperature, pH, lithostatic and pore pressure, water content, resistivity, displacement, and strain. The placement of the sensors was predetermined from a numerical simulation of the experiment with the THMC analysis code.

illustration
Geological structure of Horonobe URL

Approach

The current plan of the task includes 3 distinct steps.

  • Step 1: prediction 1: Basic benchmark using simple model.
  • Step 2: prediction 2: Full model of the Horonobe EBS experiment.
  • Step 3: validation: Full model of the Horonobe EBS experiment.

Participating Groups

  • China: CAS (Chinese Academy of Sciences)
  • Germany: BGR (Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe)
  • Japan: JAEA (Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
  • Korea: KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute)
  • USA: DOE (Department of Energy)

Further Information

For further information, please contact the task leader, Mr Yutaka Sugita (sugita.yutaka@jaea.go.jp)

References

  1. To be added...