Investigations into the coupled fluid flow and mechanical creep closure behavior of waste disposal rooms in bedded salt
This paper presents the results of numerical simulations of a Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) disposal room. In particular the results show: (1) that an initially empty disposal room will consolidate in 195 years to less than 10% of is initial volume, (2) that if waste, backfill, and gas generation are allowed to generate backstress, room consolidation ceases at about 9--10 MPa backstress and room expansion can occur with backstress slightly higher than 9--10 MPa, (3) that reducing the gas generation potentials and rates by a factor of five, drops the maximum room pressure from about 22 MPa to about 18 MPa and decreases the minimum room porosity from about 0.30 to 0.09, (4) that for two-phase fluid flow, brine and gas are driven out of the disposal room into the nonhalite interbeds and that pressures build in these interbeds near the disposal room, and (5) that the interbed pressurization shown in the two-phase flow can exceed lithostatic pressure of 14.8 MPa, which has the potential of opening preexisting fractures between disposal rooms in about 270 years. This work demonstrates the complex interdependent interactions of creep closure affecting void volume, gas pressurization, brine flow, gas generation, and interbed fracture dilation. Finally, work aiming at achieving greater coupling in the simulations of WIPP disposal rooms is discussed.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 5440234
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-91-0686C; CONF-9109261-1; ON: DE91018319
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 3. OECD/NEA workshop: near-field effects of gas release, Aix-en-Provence (France), 23-26 Sep 1991
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
COMPARTMENTS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
WIPP
CRACKS
FLUID FLOW
FRACTURES
GASES
PRESSURE EFFECTS
PRESSURIZATION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
SALT DEPOSITS
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
FAILURES
FLUIDS
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MANAGEMENT
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
PILOT PLANTS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
SIMULATION
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
540210 - Environment
Terrestrial- Basic Studies- (1990-)