In situ testing in underground research laboratories for radioactive waste disposal

Directorate-General For Research And Innovation European Commission

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Proceedings of a Cluster seminar held in Alden Biesen, Belgium, 10 and 11 December 1997
Nuclear energy and safety

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• Publié par: DIRECTORATE-GENERAL-FOR-RESEARCH-AND-INNOVATION-EUROPEAN-COMMISSION
• Nombre de lectures: 19
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 7 Mo

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ISSN 1018-5593
European Commission
nuclear science
and technology
In situ testing in underground research
laboratories for radioactive waste disposal
Proceedings of a Cluster seminar held in Alden Biesen,
Belgium, 10 and 11 December 1997
Report
EUR 18323 EN EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Edith CRESSON, Member of the Commission
responsible for research, innovation, education, training and youth
DG XII/F.5 — R&T specific programme 'Nuclear fission safety 1994-98'
Contact: Mr G. A. Cottone
Address: European Commission, rue de la Loi 200 (MO 75 5/43),
B-1049 Brussels — Tel. [phone]; fax [phone] European Commission
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laboratories for radioactive waste disposal
Proceedings of a Cluster seminar held in Alden Biesen,
Belgium, 10 and 11 December 1997
Compiled by
B. Haijtink and C. Davies
European Commission
Rue de la Loi 200
B­1049 Brussels
R & T specific programme 'Nuclear fission safety 1994­98'
Area C: Radioactive waste management and disposal and decommissioning
Directorate­General
Science, Research and Development
1998 EUR 18323 EN LEGAL NOTICE
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Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1998
ISBN 92-828-3906-0
© European Communities, 1998
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
Printed in Luxembourg
PRINTED ON WHITE CHLORINE-FREE PAPER FOREWORD
Deep geological disposal is currently the most studied option for isolating high level
radioactive waste from man and his environment. Following inventories made on the
availability, within the territory of the European Union, of geological formations suitable for
deep disposal, research is mainly concentrated on argillaceous, saliferous and crystalline rock
formations. The European Commission is supporting since twenty years this research through
its R&D programmes on "Management and Storage of Radioactive Waste". Underground
research laboratories have been constructed in some European countries, others are in the
planning phase, with the aim to further characterise in situ the selected host rocks and to test
and/or demonstrate the technical feasibility of repository concepts.
According to the decision of the Council of Ministers of the European Union concerning a
new research programme covering the period 1994-1998, these underground research
laboratories should offer important opportunities for participation of research institutes from
all Member States of the European Union. Such international cooperation has been established
around the HADES underground research facility in the Boom clay beneath Mol in Belgium,
the Asse salt mine in Germany and the Grimsel Fels labor in hard rock in Switzerland.
With a view to still further stimulate such cooperation and to intensify exchange of
information, the European Commission has established a coordinating group named
CLUSTER (CLub of Underground Storage TEsting and Research facilities).
In this CLUSTER are represented, apart from the three above mentioned research facilities,
also the Tournemire research tunnel in hard clay in Southern France and the Aspo Hard Rock
Laboratory in Sweden.
A seminar was organised to present some of the R&D projects, mainly technological ones and
to review current status of planned underground laboratories in France and the United
Kingdom.
The projects presented concern mainly :
- demonstration of the feasibility of repository concepts : e.g. PRACLAY in clay, TSS in salt
and FEB EX in crystalline rock
- backfill and sealing experiments : e.g. BACCHUS, RESEAL in clay and DEBORA in salt
- testing of behaviour of repository components under disposal conditions : e.g.
CERBERUS, CORALUS in clay
These tests are also used for providing experimental data to be compared with calculated
predictions. Benchmark exercises have been organised respectively the CATSIUS-CLAY
project dealing with the behaviour of unsaturated clay and CS-CS project on crushed salt. In
these exercises various computer models and modelling capabilities of modelling teams are
being compared with each other, with the aim to increase confidence in theoretical
predictions. Two papers on these benchmark exercises are presented as well.
Ill CONTENTS
III Foreword
Key note address :
Demonstration tests and in­situ testing as a means for increasing
public perception of waste disposal
J. P. Minon, ONDRAF/NIRAS (B)
Session I : The HADES facility at Mol
Chairman : J. P. Minon, ONDRAF/NIRAS (B)
PRACLAY: Preliminary demonstration of disposal in clay 11
Mock­up and shaft sinking
L. Van Cauteren, D. De Bruyn, ESV Praclay GIE (Β) -
J. Verstricht, SCK/CEN (Β)
CLIPEX: CLay Instrumentation Programme for the Extension 25
of an underground research laboratory
F. Bernier, J. Verstricht, V. Labiouse, SCK/CEN (B)
RESEAL: A large scale in situ demonstration for REpository 39
SEALing in an argillaceous host rock
G. Volckaert, F.-X Holvoet, SCK/CEN (B) - A. Gens, J. Vaunat, UPC (E)
Th. Lassabatere, Ch. Imbert, CEA/DESD (F) - M. Villar, CIEMAT (E) -
E. Mouche, A. Genty, C. Lepotier, F. Cany, A. Millard, CEA/DMT (F)
The CERBERUS project : 59
Study of the effect of heat and radiation on the near field of a HLW
or spent fuel repository
L. Noynaert, P. De Cannière, Β. Kursten, D. De Bruyn, P. Van Iseghem,
G. Volckaert, SCK/CEN (Β) - C. Beaucaire, Η. Pitsch, CEA Saclay (F)-
A. Bouchet, J.C. Parneix, ERM (F) ­ J. Samper, J. Delgado, V. Navarro
Univ. of La Coruna (E)
CORALUS: The development of an integrated in situ corrosion test 79
on radioactive HLW Glass
E. Valcke, P. van Iseghem, SCK/CEN (B) - Ν Godon, CEA Valrhô (F) -
Ν Jockwer, GRS (D)
Session Π : Underground research facilities 93
Chairman : B. Come, ANTEA (F)
Transfers characterisation through an argillaceous formation 95
main results from the IPSN Tournemire tunnel
J-YBoisson, J. Cabrera, L. Dewindt, CEA/IPSN (F) Underground research laboratories in France ­ project status and research 113
programs
P. Lebon, ANDRA (F)
The Rock Characterisation Facility at Sellafield (UK) or what next 119
R. Chaplow, UKNirex (UK)
The Research tunnel at Olkiluoto (FIN) 135
J-P. Salo, Posiva Oy (FIN) - J. Autio, Saanio & Riekkoka
Consulting Engineers (FIN)
Session ΙΠ :The Asse salt mine 147
Chairman KD.Closs,FZK/PTE(D)
BAMBUSProject
The BAMBUS Project : Investigations on backfill behaviour in a deep 149
waste repository
W. Bechthold, E. Smailos, FZK (D) - A. Gens, UPC (E)-M.Ghoreychi, G.3S (F) -
S. Heusermann, BGR (D) - F. Huertas, ENRESA (E) - A. Poley, ECN (NL) -
T. Rothfuchs, GRS (D)
In­situ testing of crushed salt backfill behaviour in a salt repository 163
J. Droste, T. Rothfuchs, GRS (D) - S. Koß, BGR (D) - A. Poley, ECN (NL)
Laboratory investigations on the thermomechanical behavior of crushed Salt 187
M. Ghoreychi, G.3S (F) - Η -Κ Feddersen, GRS (D) - S. Heusermann,BGR (D) -
E. Korthaus, FZK (D)
Thermomechanical modelling of in­situ heating tests in salt 199
A. Gens, S. Olivella, UPC (E) - A. Pudewills,FZK-INE (D) -
Κ. Wieczorek, GRS (D)
Current status of the benchmark Exercise "ComparativeStudy on Crushed 215
Salt (CS2)"
U. Heemann, S. Heusermann, BGR (D) - N. Knowles, WS Atkins (UK)
Session IV : Hard Rock Laboratories 237
Chairman : J.L. Santiago,ENRESA(E)
The GrimşelFelsLabor
FEBEX project
FEBEX project. General overview 239
F. Huertas, J.L.Santiago,ENRESA (E)
VI FEBEX project: Laboratory experiments 247
M. V. Villar, A. Yllera, A.M. Fernández, CIEMAT (E) - A. Lloret, UPC (E) -
J. Cuevas, VAM (E) - J. de Cisneros, CSIC (E)
Modelling the FEBEX "in situ" and "mock-up" tests 263
A. Gens, E.E. Alonso, A. J. García-Molina, L. do N. Guimarães, UPC (E)
The CATSIUS-CLAY project 281
E. E. Alonso, J. Alcoverro, CIMNE (E)
The Aspo Hard Rock Laboratory
The prototype repository, at Äspö hard rock laboratory 307
L-O. Dahlström, SKB (S)
Long term test of buffer material 315
O. Kärnland, Clay Technology AB (S)
List of participants 335
VII