Preliminary results of a coupled fracture-flow test at the 0.5 m scale
Understanding the hydrologic response of fluids present in the proposed repository horizon to the construction of a repository and the subsequent storage of high-level radioactive waste is crucial to the evaluation of Yucca Mountain as a suitable repository location. Moreover, recent analysis of site measurements imply that the rate of infiltration of water into Yucca Mountain is higher than previously thought, and an in-depth review of all data and analyses has so far confirmed the new estimates (Taylor, 1997). It is also known that the potential repository horizon at Yucca Mountain contains a significant number of fractures. This fact, coupled with higher estimates of the infiltration rate, has resulted in a revision of the general hydrologic model for Yucca Mountain; and it is now thought that the significant flow regime at this site is episodic fast flow in fractures. This implies that surface water can travel deep into Yucca Mountain through fractures (Taylor, 1997). Given these recent developments, understanding flow in the fractured rock mass at Yucca Mountain is a critical requirement for viability assessment. Further, it is well known that the stress field in the rock surrounding the drifts will be altered by both the excavation of drifts and the heating of the rock associated with waste emplacement and storage. It also is generally accepted that flow in fractured rock is highly dependent on the stress field and temperature in the rock. This implies that the hydrologic behavior of rock surrounding emplacement drifts in the potential repository is dependent on the mechanical response of the fractured rock mass to excavation and waste emplacement.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 314049
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-ID--129731; ON: DE98058329; CNN: W-7405-Eng-48
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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