Geotechnical aspects of investigations at Stripa on radioactive waste isolation

Conference · Sat Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981

OSTI ID:6039496

Witherspoon, P A

Access to a granitic rock mass in an iron ore mine in Sweden has provided a unique opportunity for a series of investigations on problems involved in geologic storage of radioactive waste. Important results have been obtained that would not have emerged if these experiments had not been carried out underground at depths comparable with those envisaged for an actual repository. It was observed that as the rock mass was heated, the temperature variations over time and space could be reasonably well predicted using available theory and appropriate values of material properties. However, because the rock is fractured, predicting the thermochenical behavior is much more involved. The role of the discontinuities is a key factor and is not yet well understood. The fracture network is also the dominant factor in controlling rock mass permeability. A new method of measuring average permeability on a very large scale is reported.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 6039496
• Report Number(s): LBL-13334; CONF-810983-1; ON: DE82000775
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
053000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Environmental Aspects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
520500 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Site Resource & Use Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
580100 -- Geology & Hydrology-- (-1989)
CHEMISTRY
EUROPE
FAILURES
FIELD TESTS
FRACTURES
GEOCHEMISTRY
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GRANITES
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROLOGY
IGNEOUS ROCKS
MANAGEMENT
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIC ROCKS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
ROCKS
SCANDINAVIA
SWEDEN
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
TESTING
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WATER
WESTERN EUROPE