With the rapid development of nuclear power in China, the disposal of high-level radioactive waste（HLW） has become an important issue for nuclear safety and environmental protection. Deep geological disposal is inte...With the rapid development of nuclear power in China, the disposal of high-level radioactive waste（HLW） has become an important issue for nuclear safety and environmental protection. Deep geological disposal is internationally accepted as a feasible and safe way to dispose of HLW, and underground research laboratories（URLs） play an important and multi-faceted role in the development of HLW repositories. This paper introduces the overall planning and the latest progress for China＇s URL. On the basis of the proposed strategy to build an area-specific URL in combination with a comprehensive evaluation of the site selection results obtained during the last 33 years, the Xinchang site in the Beishan area,located in Gansu Province of northwestern China, has been selected as the final site for China＇s first URL built in granite. In the process of characterizing the Xinchang URL site, a series of investigations,including borehole drilling,geological mapping, geophysical surveying,hydraulic testing and in situ stress measurements, has been conducted. The investigation results indicate that the geological,hydrogeological, engineering geological and geochemical conditions of the Xinchang site are very suitable for URL construction. Meanwhile, to validate and develop construction technologies for the Beishan URL, the Beishan exploration tunnel（BET）, which is a 50-m-deep facility in the Jiujing sub-area, has been constructed and several in situ tests, such as drill-and-blast tests, characterization of the excavation damaged zone（EDZ）, and long-term deformation monitoring of surrounding rocks, have been performed in the BET. The methodologies and technologies established in the BET will serve for URL construction.According to the achievements of the characterization of the URL site, a preliminary design of the URL with a maximum depth of 560 m is proposed and necessary in situ tests in the URL are planned.展开更多
Underground research laboratory(URL)plays an important role in safe disposal of high-level radioactive waste(HLW).At present,the Xinchang site,located in Gansu Province of China,has been selected as the final site for...Underground research laboratory(URL)plays an important role in safe disposal of high-level radioactive waste(HLW).At present,the Xinchang site,located in Gansu Province of China,has been selected as the final site for China’s first URL,named Beishan URL.For this,a preliminary design of the Beishan URL has been proposed,including one spiral ramp,three shafts and two experimental levels.With advantages of fast advancing and limited disturbance to surrounding rock mass,the tunnel boring machine(TBM)method could be one of the excavation methods considered for the URL ramp.This paper introduces the feasibility study on using TBM to excavation of the Beishan URL ramp.The technical challenges for using TBM in Beishan URL are identified on the base of geological condition and specific layout of the spiral ramp.Then,the technical feasibility study on the specific issues,i.e.extremely hard rock mass,high abrasiveness,TBM operation,muck transportation,water drainage and material transportation,is investigated.This study demonstrates that TBM technology is a feasible method for the Beishan URL excavation.The results can also provide a reference for the design and construction of HLW disposal engineering in similar geological conditions.2020 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics,Chinese Academy of Sciences.Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).展开更多
In order to investigate the hydro-mechanical （HM） and chemical perturbations induced in an argillaceous formation by forced ventilation during the operational period of a nuclear waste repository, a specific experim...In order to investigate the hydro-mechanical （HM） and chemical perturbations induced in an argillaceous formation by forced ventilation during the operational period of a nuclear waste repository, a specific experiment has been performed in a tunnel, at Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory （URL） in Switzerland. This experiment has been selected in the international project DECOVALEX for model vali- dation and the numerical simulation of this ventilation experiment （VE） is the object of the present paper. Since the argillaceous rock exhibits anisotropic properties, particular attention is given to the evaluation of the effects of various anisotropic features on the predicted results. In situ measurements such as relative humidity （RH）, global water mass extracted, pore water pressure, water content, and relative displace- ments are compared to predictions using both isotropic and anisotropic parameters. Water permeability anisotropy is shown to be the most influencing parameter by far, whereas in situ stress anisotropy has an effect only during the excavation phase. The anisotropy for mechanical parameterization has also some influence, in particular through HM couplings. These HM couplings have the potential to be very significant in terms of providing confidence in describing the experimental observation, and should be considered for further investigation.展开更多
Social concerns regarding the safety of high-level radioactive waste have increased with growing public awareness of environmental issues and nuclear power.The performance assessment of deep geological disposal system...Social concerns regarding the safety of high-level radioactive waste have increased with growing public awareness of environmental issues and nuclear power.The performance assessment of deep geological disposal systems is crucial to reduce the uncertainties associated with high-level radioactive waste disposal and enhance the overall public confidence in nuclear safety.Accordingly,the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute(KAERI)has undertaken various studies on the development of a deep geological disposal system for high-level waste and disposal safety evaluation.The KAERI Underground Research Tunnel(KURT),South Korea's only underground research laboratory dedicated to radioactive waste disposal,was constructed in 2006 and expanded in 2015.Since its construction,numerous in-situ experiments have been conducted and are currently underway in the KURT.The KURT plays a significant role in assessing the feasibility,safety,stability and appropriateness of a deep geological disposal system in South Korea and also provides an opportunity to revitalize industrial-academic-scientific cooperation between related institutions.This report summarizes two key in-situ experiments and international joint research conducted between 2007 and 2017 to assess the performance of the engineered and natural barriers of the KURT.The research experiences from the in-situ tests conducted at the KURT will provide crucial information on the safety and feasibility validation of the deep geological disposal system and will be an important contributor to the success of the Korean high-level radioactive waste disposal program in the future.展开更多
At the Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory （Switzerland）, a field-scale investigation has been conducted in order to investigate the hydro-mechanical and chemical perturbations induced in the argilla- ceous f...At the Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory （Switzerland）, a field-scale investigation has been conducted in order to investigate the hydro-mechanical and chemical perturbations induced in the argilla- ceous formation by forced ventilation through a tunnel. This experiment has been selected to be used for processing model development and validation in the international project DECOVALEX-2011. The con- ceptual and mathematical representation of the engineered void, which itself forms a major part of the experiment and is not simply a boundary condition, is the subject of this paper. A variety of approaches have been examined by the contributors to DECOVALEX and a summary of their findings is presented here. Two major aspects are discussed. Firstly, the approaches for the treatment of the surface condition at the porous media/tunnel interface are examined, with two equivalent but differing formulations successfully demonstrated. Secondly, approaches for representing the tunnel with associated air and water vapour movement, when coupled with the hydro-mechanical （HM） representation of the porous medium, are also examined. It is clearly demonstrated that, for the experimental conditions of the ventilation experiment （VE） that abstracted physical and empirical models of the tunnel, can be used successfully to represent the hydraulic behaviour of the tunnel and the hydraulic interaction between the tunnel and the surrounding rock mass.展开更多
Underground research laboratories （URLs）, including ＂generic URLs＂ and ＂site-specific URLs＂, are un- derground facilities in which characterisation, testing, technology development, and/or demonstration activiti...Underground research laboratories （URLs）, including ＂generic URLs＂ and ＂site-specific URLs＂, are un- derground facilities in which characterisation, testing, technology development, and/or demonstration activities are carried out in support of the development of geological repositories for high-level radioactive waste （HLW） disposal. In addition to the generic URL and site-specific URL, a concept of ＂areaspecific URL＂, or the third type of URL, is proposed in this paper. It is referred to as the facility that is built at a site within an area that is considered as a potential area for HLW repository or built at a place near the future repository site, and may be regarded as a precursor to the development of a repository at the site. It acts as a ＂generic URL＂, but also acts as a ＂site-specific URL＂ to some extent. Considering the current situation in China, the most suitable option is to build an ＂area-specific URL＂ in Beishan area, the first priority region for China＇s high-level waste repository. With this strategy, the goal to build China＇s URL by 2020 mav be achieved, but the time left is limited.展开更多
In this paper, a modelling benchmark exercise from the DECOVALEX-2011 project is presented. The bench- mark is based on the performance and results of a laboratory drying test and of the ventilation experiment （VE） ...In this paper, a modelling benchmark exercise from the DECOVALEX-2011 project is presented. The bench- mark is based on the performance and results of a laboratory drying test and of the ventilation experiment （VE） carried out in the Mont Terri Underground Rock Laboratory （URL）. Both tests involve Opalinus clay. The work aims at the identification, understanding and quantification of mechanisms taking place during the ventilation of a gallery in argillaceous host rocks on one hand and at investigating the capacity of different codes and individuals to reproduce these processes on the other hand. The 4-year in situ VE took place in a 1.3 m diameter unlined tunnel and included two resaturation-desaturation cycles. The test area was equipped with over one hundred sensors （including the global water mass balance of the system, relative humidity （RH）, water content, liquid pressure, relative displacement and concentration of some chemical species） to monitor the rock behaviour during ventilation. The laboratory drying experiment, carried out before the VE, was designed to mimic the in situ conditions. The work was organized in a progressive manner in terms of complexity of the computations to be performed, geared towards the full hydro-mechano-chemical （HMC） understanding of the VE, the final objective. The main results from the modelling work reported herein are that the response of the host rock to ventilation in argillaceous rocks is mainly governed by hydraulic processes （advective Darcy flow and non-advective vapour diffu- sion） and that the hydro-mechanical （TM） back coupling is weak. A ventilation experiment may thus be regarded as a large scale-long time pump test and it is used to determine the hydraulic conductivity of the rock mass.展开更多
基金support from the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) for China's URL Development Program and the Geological Disposal ProgramThe International Atomic Energy Agency is specially thanked for its support for China's geological disposal program through its Technical Cooperation Projects
文摘With the rapid development of nuclear power in China, the disposal of high-level radioactive waste（HLW） has become an important issue for nuclear safety and environmental protection. Deep geological disposal is internationally accepted as a feasible and safe way to dispose of HLW, and underground research laboratories（URLs） play an important and multi-faceted role in the development of HLW repositories. This paper introduces the overall planning and the latest progress for China＇s URL. On the basis of the proposed strategy to build an area-specific URL in combination with a comprehensive evaluation of the site selection results obtained during the last 33 years, the Xinchang site in the Beishan area,located in Gansu Province of northwestern China, has been selected as the final site for China＇s first URL built in granite. In the process of characterizing the Xinchang URL site, a series of investigations,including borehole drilling,geological mapping, geophysical surveying,hydraulic testing and in situ stress measurements, has been conducted. The investigation results indicate that the geological,hydrogeological, engineering geological and geochemical conditions of the Xinchang site are very suitable for URL construction. Meanwhile, to validate and develop construction technologies for the Beishan URL, the Beishan exploration tunnel（BET）, which is a 50-m-deep facility in the Jiujing sub-area, has been constructed and several in situ tests, such as drill-and-blast tests, characterization of the excavation damaged zone（EDZ）, and long-term deformation monitoring of surrounding rocks, have been performed in the BET. The methodologies and technologies established in the BET will serve for URL construction.According to the achievements of the characterization of the URL site, a preliminary design of the URL with a maximum depth of 560 m is proposed and necessary in situ tests in the URL are planned.
基金China Atomic Energy Authority is thanked for its financial support for this project.The authors would like to acknowledge China Railway Engineering Equipment Group Co.,Ltd.,China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Co.,Ltd.,Herrenknecht AG,China Railway 18th Bureau Group Co.,Ltd.,China Railway Tunnel Group Co.,Ltd.,and Liaoning Censcience Industry Co.,Ltd.for their technical support on this research.The valuable comments by two reviewers are appreciated as well.
文摘Underground research laboratory(URL)plays an important role in safe disposal of high-level radioactive waste(HLW).At present,the Xinchang site,located in Gansu Province of China,has been selected as the final site for China’s first URL,named Beishan URL.For this,a preliminary design of the Beishan URL has been proposed,including one spiral ramp,three shafts and two experimental levels.With advantages of fast advancing and limited disturbance to surrounding rock mass,the tunnel boring machine(TBM)method could be one of the excavation methods considered for the URL ramp.This paper introduces the feasibility study on using TBM to excavation of the Beishan URL ramp.The technical challenges for using TBM in Beishan URL are identified on the base of geological condition and specific layout of the spiral ramp.Then,the technical feasibility study on the specific issues,i.e.extremely hard rock mass,high abrasiveness,TBM operation,muck transportation,water drainage and material transportation,is investigated.This study demonstrates that TBM technology is a feasible method for the Beishan URL excavation.The results can also provide a reference for the design and construction of HLW disposal engineering in similar geological conditions.2020 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics,Chinese Academy of Sciences.Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
基金the context of the international DECOVALEX Project (DEmonstration of Coupled models and their VALidation against EXperiments)Quintessa Ltd. and University of Edinburgh were supported by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), UK+2 种基金CEA was supported by Institut de Radioprotection et de Sreté Nucléaire(IRSN)The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) and the Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)funded DECOVALEX and participated in the workEC project NF-PRO (Contract number FI6W-CT-2003-02389) under the coordination of ENRESA (Empresa Nacional de Residuos Radiactivos)
文摘In order to investigate the hydro-mechanical （HM） and chemical perturbations induced in an argillaceous formation by forced ventilation during the operational period of a nuclear waste repository, a specific experiment has been performed in a tunnel, at Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory （URL） in Switzerland. This experiment has been selected in the international project DECOVALEX for model vali- dation and the numerical simulation of this ventilation experiment （VE） is the object of the present paper. Since the argillaceous rock exhibits anisotropic properties, particular attention is given to the evaluation of the effects of various anisotropic features on the predicted results. In situ measurements such as relative humidity （RH）, global water mass extracted, pore water pressure, water content, and relative displace- ments are compared to predictions using both isotropic and anisotropic parameters. Water permeability anisotropy is shown to be the most influencing parameter by far, whereas in situ stress anisotropy has an effect only during the excavation phase. The anisotropy for mechanical parameterization has also some influence, in particular through HM couplings. These HM couplings have the potential to be very significant in terms of providing confidence in describing the experimental observation, and should be considered for further investigation.
基金supported by the Nuclear Research and Development Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea(2021M2E1A1085193).
文摘Social concerns regarding the safety of high-level radioactive waste have increased with growing public awareness of environmental issues and nuclear power.The performance assessment of deep geological disposal systems is crucial to reduce the uncertainties associated with high-level radioactive waste disposal and enhance the overall public confidence in nuclear safety.Accordingly,the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute(KAERI)has undertaken various studies on the development of a deep geological disposal system for high-level waste and disposal safety evaluation.The KAERI Underground Research Tunnel(KURT),South Korea's only underground research laboratory dedicated to radioactive waste disposal,was constructed in 2006 and expanded in 2015.Since its construction,numerous in-situ experiments have been conducted and are currently underway in the KURT.The KURT plays a significant role in assessing the feasibility,safety,stability and appropriateness of a deep geological disposal system in South Korea and also provides an opportunity to revitalize industrial-academic-scientific cooperation between related institutions.This report summarizes two key in-situ experiments and international joint research conducted between 2007 and 2017 to assess the performance of the engineered and natural barriers of the KURT.The research experiences from the in-situ tests conducted at the KURT will provide crucial information on the safety and feasibility validation of the deep geological disposal system and will be an important contributor to the success of the Korean high-level radioactive waste disposal program in the future.
基金the context of the international DECOVALEX Project (DEmonstration of COupled models and their VALidation against EXperiments)EC project NF-PRO (Contract number FI6W-CT-2003-02389) under the coordination of ENRESA (Empresa Nacional de Residuos Radiactivos)
文摘At the Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory （Switzerland）, a field-scale investigation has been conducted in order to investigate the hydro-mechanical and chemical perturbations induced in the argilla- ceous formation by forced ventilation through a tunnel. This experiment has been selected to be used for processing model development and validation in the international project DECOVALEX-2011. The con- ceptual and mathematical representation of the engineered void, which itself forms a major part of the experiment and is not simply a boundary condition, is the subject of this paper. A variety of approaches have been examined by the contributors to DECOVALEX and a summary of their findings is presented here. Two major aspects are discussed. Firstly, the approaches for the treatment of the surface condition at the porous media/tunnel interface are examined, with two equivalent but differing formulations successfully demonstrated. Secondly, approaches for representing the tunnel with associated air and water vapour movement, when coupled with the hydro-mechanical （HM） representation of the porous medium, are also examined. It is clearly demonstrated that, for the experimental conditions of the ventilation experiment （VE） that abstracted physical and empirical models of the tunnel, can be used successfully to represent the hydraulic behaviour of the tunnel and the hydraulic interaction between the tunnel and the surrounding rock mass.
文摘Underground research laboratories （URLs）, including ＂generic URLs＂ and ＂site-specific URLs＂, are un- derground facilities in which characterisation, testing, technology development, and/or demonstration activities are carried out in support of the development of geological repositories for high-level radioactive waste （HLW） disposal. In addition to the generic URL and site-specific URL, a concept of ＂areaspecific URL＂, or the third type of URL, is proposed in this paper. It is referred to as the facility that is built at a site within an area that is considered as a potential area for HLW repository or built at a place near the future repository site, and may be regarded as a precursor to the development of a repository at the site. It acts as a ＂generic URL＂, but also acts as a ＂site-specific URL＂ to some extent. Considering the current situation in China, the most suitable option is to build an ＂area-specific URL＂ in Beishan area, the first priority region for China＇s high-level waste repository. With this strategy, the goal to build China＇s URL by 2020 mav be achieved, but the time left is limited.
基金conducted within the context of the international DECOVALEX Projectthe Funding Organizations who supported the workthe EC project NF-PRO (Contract number FI6W-CT-2003-02389) under the coor-dination of ENRESA (Empresa Nacional de Residuos Radiactivos)
文摘In this paper, a modelling benchmark exercise from the DECOVALEX-2011 project is presented. The bench- mark is based on the performance and results of a laboratory drying test and of the ventilation experiment （VE） carried out in the Mont Terri Underground Rock Laboratory （URL）. Both tests involve Opalinus clay. The work aims at the identification, understanding and quantification of mechanisms taking place during the ventilation of a gallery in argillaceous host rocks on one hand and at investigating the capacity of different codes and individuals to reproduce these processes on the other hand. The 4-year in situ VE took place in a 1.3 m diameter unlined tunnel and included two resaturation-desaturation cycles. The test area was equipped with over one hundred sensors （including the global water mass balance of the system, relative humidity （RH）, water content, liquid pressure, relative displacement and concentration of some chemical species） to monitor the rock behaviour during ventilation. The laboratory drying experiment, carried out before the VE, was designed to mimic the in situ conditions. The work was organized in a progressive manner in terms of complexity of the computations to be performed, geared towards the full hydro-mechano-chemical （HMC） understanding of the VE, the final objective. The main results from the modelling work reported herein are that the response of the host rock to ventilation in argillaceous rocks is mainly governed by hydraulic processes （advective Darcy flow and non-advective vapour diffu- sion） and that the hydro-mechanical （TM） back coupling is weak. A ventilation experiment may thus be regarded as a large scale-long time pump test and it is used to determine the hydraulic conductivity of the rock mass.
