Heater test 1, Climax Stock granite, Nevada
We conducted a series of in-situ tests in the Climax Stock, an intrusive granite formation at the Nevada Test Site, to validate the concept of housing a nuclear waste repository in granitic crystalline rock. The thermal properties of the granite were measured with resistance heaters and thermocouple frames that had been emplaced in drilled holes in the floor of a drift 420 m below the surface. Data analysis was performed primarily by comparing the measured and calculated temperature histories, varying conductivity and diffusivity in the calculations until reasonable agreement was achieved. The best-fit value for in-situ conductivity was approximately 3.1 W/m x K, and the deduced value for in-situ diffusivity was approximately 1.2 mm{sup 2}/s. Anisotropic effects in the thermal field were less than 10%. Permeability was determined by sealing off portions of the drilled holes, using inflatable rubber packers and an air-pressurization system. We then compared the resulting decay in pressure with analytic solutions of the pressure loss from a cylindrical source in an infinite isotropic medium, obtaining a permeability of approximately 1 nanodarcy (nD) at about 30{sup 0}C. As the temperature increased, the permeability decreased to about 0.2 nD at about 50{sup 0}C and became too small to measure (<0.02 nD) at higher temperatures. These tests provided new data on the in-situ properties of a granite typical of the Basin and Range province and significantly advanced our understanding of and ability to perform in-situ thermal and permeability measurements. This knowledge will be of considerable value for future spent-fuel tests.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 59336
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-53496; ON: DE85014847
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Oct 1984
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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