Gas Migration In The Opalinus Clay As A Function Of The Gas Pressure
- Gesellschaft fur Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, Braunschweig (Germany)
Clay formations have long been proposed as potential host rocks for nuclear waste disposal. After the operational phase of a repository the openings, e.g., boreholes, galleries, and chambers, have to be backfilled in order to avoid the release of radionuclides into the biosphere. After healing and re-saturation of the excavation disturbed zone (EDZ) and saturation of the backfill, the waste containers and the metallic components will corrode resulting in a generation of hydrogen. Additionally, carbon dioxide will be released as a result of oxidation and thermal decomposition of the organic components in the waste and in the clay. If the disposal boreholes and chambers are sealed gas-tight, high gas pressure may be produced leading to the potential generation of fractures in the host rock which could influence the integrity of the repository. Therefore it is essential that the gases migrate through the technical barriers (backfill) or into the surrounding host rock at lower pressure and without any irreversible damage of the repository. In order to estimate the consequences of the gas generation the knowledge of the gas paths in the host rock and the knowledge of the parameters which influence the gas migration in the host rock are important. During an ongoing project at the underground research laboratory Mt. Terri in Switzerland the gas migration in the undisturbed over-consolidated Opalinus Clay is investigated. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- WM Symposia, 1628 E. Southern Avenue, Suite 9 - 332, Tempe, AZ 85282 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21326063
- Report Number(s):
- INIS-US--10-WM-08169
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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