Coupled THM analysis of the single-heater test at yucca mountain

Conference · Mon Jan 25 04:00:00 EST 1999

OSTI ID:7722

Blair, S C ^[1]; Buscheck, T A; Daily, W D; Lin, W; Ramirez, A L

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1. LLNL

This paper presents a summary of results from the Single-Heater Test (SHT) at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. In the SHT, a horizontal, 5-m-long, line-heat source was used to heat a rock pillar for nine months. Moisture movement was monitored during and after heating using electrical-resistance tomography (ERT) and neutron-logging techniques. Results indicate drying in regions of the rock where temperature reached 60°C and above. The drying zone is asymmetric and is not centered on the heater, but has lobes extending above and to the sides of the heater. Predicted temperatures agreed well with observations. A cold- trap effect was predicted, in the heater borehole, that efficiently transfers heat along the heater borehole to the excavation wall. A simple thermomechanical analysis of the SHT shows that shear zones predicted for vertical fractures coincide with regions of increased moisture content derived from ERT measurements.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (RW)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 7722
• Report Number(s): UCRL-JC-132052; ON: DE00007722
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Heating
Hydrology
Mechanics
Rocks
Thermodynamics
Yucca Mountain