Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effect of excavation stages on stress and pore pressure changes for an underground nuclear repository

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Arabian Journal of Geosciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper provides a brief overview of evolution of deformations, stresses, and pore pressures due to different excavation stages during construction of an URL. Excavation of a rockmass develops damage zone of finite width around the excavated zone which is associated with changes in permeability and affect the fluid flow mechanism. In this study, a coupled hydromechanical (HM) analysis for a water saturated porous rock mass has been done which is caused by sequential excavation and backfill of vertical disposal pit of an URL. For this purpose, an Atomic Energy of Canada Limited’s in-floor concept for a deep geologic repository suitable for Indian condition has been used. Changes in rock deformations, stresses, strains and mechanically induced pore pressure in an undrained condition, during excavation, as well as those caused by mechanically induced rock deformations after backfill of the disposal pit have been modeled. A three-dimensional finite difference tool FLAC3D (Itasca Consulting Group Inc. FLAC-3D 1997) has been used for the analysis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Biot MA (1956) Theory of propagation of elastic waves in a fluid saturated porous solid. I Low frequency range. J Acoust Soc Am 28:168–178

    Google Scholar 

  • Booker JR, Savvidou C (1985) Consolidation around a heat source. Int J Numer Anal Methods Geomech, pp. 173–184

  • Graham J, Chandler NA, Dixon DA, Roach PJ, Wan AWL (1997) The buffer/container experiment: results, synthesis, issues. Atomic energy of Canada limited report, AECL-11746, COG-97-46-1. AECL, Ontario, Canada

    Google Scholar 

  • Hatch LP (1953) Ultimate disposal of radioactive wastes. Amer Sci 41(3):410–421

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoek E, Brown ET (1980) Underground excavations in rock. Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoek E, Carranza-Torres C, Corkum B (2002) Hoek-Brown failure criterion, Proceedings of the 5th North American symposium—NARMS-TAC, Toronto, vol.1, pp. 267–273

  • Itasca Consulting Group Inc. FLAC-3D (1997) Manual: fast Lagrangian analysis of continua in 3 dimensions–Version 2.0. Itasca Consulting Group, Minnesota, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Kjartanson BH, Gray MN (1987) Buffer/container experiments in the underground research laboratory, Proceedings of the 40th Canadian Geotechnical Society Conference, Regina, SK

  • Radhakrishna HS, Crawford AM, Kjartanson BH, Lau KC (1992) Numerical modeling of heat moisture transfer through bentonite-sand buffer. Can Geotech J 29:1044–1059

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stephansson O, Hudson JA, Tsang C-F, Jing L, Anderson J (1999) DECOVALEX II project: coupled THM issues related to repository design and performance—task 4. SKI Report 99:7

    Google Scholar 

  • Stigsson M, Outters N, Hermansson J (2001) Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory. Prototype repository hydraulic DFN model No. 2. IPR-01-39. Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co. (SKB)

  • Thomas HR, Sansom MR, Li CRW (1996) On the development of a model of the thermo-mechanical-hydraulic behaviours of unsaturated soils. Eng Geol 41:197–218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verma AK, Bajpai RK, Singh TN, Narayan PK, Dutt A (2010) 3D instability analysis of an underground geological repository—an Indian case study. Arabian Jol. of Geosciences. doi:10.1007/s12517-010-0131-4

  • Witherspoon PA, Bodvarsson GS (2001) Geological challenges in radioactive waste isolation. Third worldwide review, Report LBNL-49767, Berkeley, CA 94720. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimmerman RW, Chen DW, Long JCS, Cook NGW (1990) Hydromechanical coupling between stress, stiffness, and hydraulic conductivity of rock joints and fractures., Proceedings of the international symposium on rock joints, Balkema, Rotterdam, pp. 571–577

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. R.K. Bajpai and Mr. P.K. Narayan, Repository Programme Section Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai-400085 India for their invaluable support and advice without which this research paper would not have clarity.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Research on Energy Security, The Energy and Resources Institute, Delhi, India

    A. K. Verma

  2. Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, Mumbai, 400085, India

    M. S. Saini & Avi Dutt

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, Mumbai, 400076, India

    T. N. Singh

  4. Repository Programme Section, Bhabha Atomic Research Center, Mumbai, 400085, India

    R. K. Bajpai

Authors
  1. A. K. Verma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. S. Saini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. T. N. Singh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Avi Dutt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. R. K. Bajpai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. K. Verma.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Verma, A.K., Saini, M.S., Singh, T.N. et al. Effect of excavation stages on stress and pore pressure changes for an underground nuclear repository. Arab J Geosci 6, 635–645 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-011-0382-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-011-0382-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation