Abstract
For the deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste in argillaceous rocks, the heat production of the waste is an important driver for thermal–hydraulic-mechanical (THM)-coupled processes. These THM processes influence the properties and conditions of the near field that in many repository designs contains bentonite as a clay buffer. One task in the DECOVALEX-2015 (DEvelopment of COupled models and their VALidation against Experiments) project was the modelling of a heated bentonite column (Villar et al. in Long-term THM tests reports: THM cells for the HE-E test: update of results until February 2014. Deliverable-no: D2.2-7.3. CIEMAT Technical Report IEMAT/DMA/2G210/03/2014, 2014) in preparation for the in situ heater experiment HE-E at the underground rock laboratory Mont Terri. DECOVALEX is an international cooperative project that focuses on the development and validation of mathematical models for simulating such coupled processes associated with disposal in deep geological repositories. Eight modelling teams developed their own THM-coupled models for the bentonite column experiment, using six different simulation codes. Each of the teams individually calibrated the THM parameters for the bentonite material. The eight resulting parameter sets agree well and allow a satisfactory reproduction of the TH measurements by all models. The modelling results for the evolution of temperature and relative humidity over time at three sensors in the bentonite column are in good agreement between the teams and with the measured data. Also, changes of the temperature due to modifications of the insulation and the adjustment of the heating power during the course of the experiment are well reproduced. The models were thus able to reproduce the main physical processes of the experiment, both for vapour-dominated diffusion during the heating phase and combined liquid and vapour transport during a subsequent heating and hydration phase. Based on the parameter sets, the teams predict a penetration of the water infiltration front in the 48-cm column filled with bentonite pellets to a depth between 25 and 35 cm over the 15,000 h (i.e. over 20 months) of the hydration phase of the experiment.
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(Data from Villar et al. 2014)
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Acknowledgements
The members of Task B1 express their thanks for the financial support provided by the Funding Organisations of the DECOVALEX-2015 project, and for measured data from experiments supplied by the EU-PEBS project. CAS team’s work was financially supported by international cooperation project of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Nos. 115242KYSB20160017, 115242KYSB20160024). CAU was financially supported by ENSI. The statements made in the paper are, however, solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Funding Organisation(s). Also, no responsibility is assumed by the authors for any damage to property or persons as a result of operation or use of this publication and/or the information contained. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views or regulatory positions of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC), and do not constitute a final judgment or determination of the matters addressed or of the acceptability of any licensing action that may be under consideration at the USNRC.
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This article is part of a Topical Collection in Environmental Earth Sciences on “DECOVALEX 2015”, guest edited by Jens T Birkholzer, Alexander E Bond, John A Hudson, Lanru Jing, Hua Shao and Olaf Kolditz.
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Graupner, B.J., Shao, H., Wang, X.R. et al. Comparative modelling of the coupled thermal–hydraulic-mechanical (THM) processes in a heated bentonite pellet column with hydration. Environ Earth Sci 77, 84 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-018-7255-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-018-7255-3