An evaluation of WIPP structural modeling capabilities based on comparisons with South Drift data

Technical Report · Fri Oct 31 23:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:7255568

Morgan, H S; Stone, C M; Krieg, R D

The creep response of rock salt around a long uniform excavation of rectangular cross-section has been computed with the structural finite element code SANCHO, and the results are compared with field data. The excavation, known as the South Drift, is part of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) facility. The geomechanical model used in the calculations is quite complex and includes constitutive models based on standard laboratory creep tests. Because closure and closure rate measurements are at least three times larger than computed values, a thorough investigation of the many parameters in the geomechanical model is presented. This investigation indicates that variations to parameters not related to the constitutive model for halite cannot produce the type of changes in the closure histories needed to produce good agreement with data. Thus, the reason for the discrepancy is attributed to the parameters in the constitutive model for halite. However, none of the halite parameters investigated could produce the measured behavior. Several areas for future study have been identified.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 7255568
• Report Number(s): SAND-85-0323; ON: DE87002634
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
COMPUTER CODES
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CREEP
FUNCTIONAL MODELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
PILOT PLANTS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
S CODES
SALT DEPOSITS
SIMULATION
SUBSURFACE STRUCTURES
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
WIPP