In Situ Tuff Water Migration/Heater Experiment. Final report
This report summarizes the results of the In Situ Tuff Water Migration/Heater Experiment operated in the welded portion of the Grouse Canyon Member of the Belted Range Tuff in U12g-tunnel (G-Tunnel) on the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The experiment was located approximately 400 m below the surface and 200 m above the water table in nearly saturated rock. The experiment was designed to provide an initial assessment of the thermally induced behavior of the potentially large volumes of water ({similar_to}25 vol % in this case) available in saturated or nearly saturated tuffaceous rocks. Instruments in the water collection cavities, including water depth gages, pH probes, humidity gages, and pressure transducers measured some properties of the collected water. Other holes in the array were instrumented to measure temperature profiles, thermally induced stress, and one provided a test bed for a continuously operating laser interferometer for measuring thermally induced rock displacements. Initial analysis of the water generation rate data in the heater hole, assuming a one-dimensional evaporation front/vapor diffusion model, provided good qualitative agreement. The results of chemical analyses of water samples supports the notion of mass transport by vapor diffusion in the heater hole but not in the water migration holes. Rock temperatures in the heater hole exceeded 240{sup 0}C. The stress meters measured maximum radial and circumferential thermal stresses of 8.62 and 4.83 MPa respectively - approximately 40% of the pretest predicted values. The experiment with the laser interferometer was a failure. The results of the water migration experiment indicate that the pore water in these rocks was highly mobile, probably by a vapor diffusion/condensation process.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 59584
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-81-1918; ON: DE85010415
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Mar 1985
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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