Evaluation of Thm Coupling on the Safety Assessment of a Nuclear Fuel Waste Repository in a Homogeneous Hard Rock

• An evaluation of the importance of the thermo-hydro-mechanical couplings (THM) on the performance assessment of a deep underground storage design has been made as part of the international DECOVALEX III project. It is a numerical study that simulates a generic repository configuration in the near field in a homogeneous hard rock. A periodic pattern comprises a single vertical borehole, containing a canister surrounded by an over-pack and a bentonite layer, and the backfilled upper portion of the gallery. The thermo-hydro-mechanical evolution of the whole configuration is simulated over a period of 100 years. The importance of the rock mass intrinsic permeability has been investigated through three values : 10 -17, 10 -18 and 10 -19 m 2. Comparison of the results predicted by fully coupled THM analysis as well as partially coupled TH, TM and HM analysis, in terms of several predefined indicators, enables us to identify the couplings, which play a crucial role with respect to safety issues. The results demonstrate that temperature is hardly affected by the couplings. In contrast the influence of the couplings on the mechanical stresses is considerable.

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TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Energiteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Energy Engineering (hsv//eng)

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