A study of methods to prevent piping and erosion in buffer materials intended for a vertical deposition hole at the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory

Jo, Mayumi; Ono, Makoto; Nakayama, Masashi; Asano, Hitoshi; Ishii, Tomoko

doi:10.1144/sp482.7

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…In considering how a repository for higheractivity wastes could evolve, it is necessary to undertake demonstration experimentsoften complemented by modellingat various scales to inform understanding. To understand piping and erosion, in the study of Jo et al (2018), the outflow behaviour and the condition of buffer materials are investigated using a test pit drilled into host rock at the Horonobe URL, Japan, to consider countermeasures to contain the outflow of the buffer material.…”

Section: Geology and Hydrochemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple roles of clays in radioactive waste confinement – introduction

Norris

2019

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Geological disposal provides the safe long-term management solution for higher-activity radioactive waste. The development of a repository (or geological disposal facility) requires a systematic and integrated approach, taking into account the characteristics of the waste to be emplaced, the enclosing engineered barriers, and the host rock and its geological setting. Clays and clayey material are important in the development of many national geological disposal systems. Clays exhibit many interesting properties, and are proposed both as host rocks and as material for engineered barriers. Whatever their use, clays present various characteristics that make them high-quality barriers to the migration of radionuclides and chemical contaminants. As host rocks, clays are, in addition, hydrogeologically, geochemically and mechanically stable over geological timescales (i.e. millions of years).

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Section: Geology and Hydrochemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple roles of clays in radioactive waste confinement – introduction

Norris

2019

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Modelling the piping-assisted erosion of clay barriers

Yan,

Sedighi,

Jivkov

et al. 2024

Géotechnique

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Recent laboratory and field experiments have provided evidences of the erosion and piping of clay-based barriers. Predicting these phenomena is essential for the performance assessment of bentonite barriers and containments. This paper presents a non-local multi-physics model for bentonite erosion induced by piping flow that includes swelling, detachment of particles and co-transport of detached particles with piping flow. The erosion is controlled by the balance between the cohesive strength, which depends on the swelling, and the shear force, which depends on the water velocity and chemistry. The accuracy of the model is tested by comparison of simulation results with experimental data from pinhole tests and material erosion in boreholes. It is demonstrated that the model predicts accurately the total mass eroded by the piping flow. For example, the results show that the mass loss induced by piping-assisted erosion during the installation of a bentonite plug can reach 10.3% of the original mass, which may significantly reduce the sealing capacity of bentonite plugs in boreholes. The results of simulations show that the eroded mass depends on the borehole diameter and flow rate. The minimum flow rates required to erode 10% of the original mass are 0.8 L/s and 0.045 L/s for db = 56 mm and 160 mm, respectively. These results demonstrate how the proposed formulations can be used to quantify the piping-assisted erosion of clay barriers, such as buffers, backfills, and plugs considered for geological disposal of higher activity waste, and the sealing of investigation boreholes and abandoned geo-energy wells.

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A study of methods to prevent piping and erosion in buffer materials intended for a vertical deposition hole at the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory

Cited by 2 publications

References 1 publication

Multiple roles of clays in radioactive waste confinement – introduction

Multiple roles of clays in radioactive waste confinement – introduction

Modelling the piping-assisted erosion of clay barriers

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