DECOVALEX-2023: An international collaboration for advancing the understanding and modeling of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes in geological systems

Journal Article · Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gete.2025.100685· OSTI ID:2572720

Birkholzer, Jens T; Graupner, Bastian J; Harrington, Jon; Jayne, Rick; Kolditz, Olaf; Kuhlman, Kristopher L; LaForce, Tara; Leone, Rosie C; Mariner, Paul E; McDermott, Christopher; Plúa, Carlos; Stein, Emily; Sugita, Yutaka; Tamayo-Mas, Elena; Thatcher, Kate; Yoon, Jeoung Seok; Bond, Alexander E

The DECOVALEX initiative is an international research collaboration (www.decovalex.org), initiated in 1992, for advancing the understanding and modeling of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes in geological systems. DECOVALEX stands for “DEvelopment of COupled Models and VALidation against EXperiments”. The creation of this international initiative was motivated by the recognition that prediction of these coupled effects is an essential part of the performance and safety assessment of geologic disposal systems for radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. DECOVALEX emphasizes joint analysis and comparative modeling of the complex perturbations and coupled processes in geologic repositories and how these impact long-term performance predictions. The most recent phase of the DECOVALEX Project, here referred to as DECOVALEX-2023, started in early 2020 and ended in late 2023. More than fifty research teams associated with 17 international DECOVALEX partner organizations participated in the comparative evaluation of eight modeling tasks covering a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, geological formations, and coupled processes. This Virtual Special Issue on DECOVALEX-2023 provides an in-depth overview of these collaborative research efforts and how these have advanced the state-of-the-art of understanding and modeling coupled THMC processes. While primarily focused on radioactive waste, much of the work included here has wider application to many geoengineering topics.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Energy; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER) (SC-23), Climate and Environmental Sciences Division (SC-23.1 )
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 2572720
• Journal Information: Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, Journal Name: Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment Vol. 42
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

Coupled processes
International collaboration
Model comparison
Model confidence
Radioactive waste disposal