scholarly journals AREHS: effects of changing boundary conditions on the development of hydrogeological systems: numerical long-term modelling considering thermal–hydraulic–mechanical(–chemical) coupled effects

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 175-177
Author(s):  
René Kahnt ◽  
Heinz Konietzky ◽  
Thomas Nagel ◽  
Olaf Kolditz ◽  
Andreas Jockel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
External Boundary ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Hydraulic Permeability ◽  
Hydraulic Gradients ◽  
Host Rocks ◽  
Migration Pathways ◽  
Hydrogeological Systems

Abstract. Within the framework of the “Gesetz zur Suche und Auswahl eines Standortes für ein Endlager für hochradioaktive Abfälle” (Repository Site Selection Act – StandAG), the geoscientific and planning requirements and criteria for the site selection for a repository for high-active nuclear waste are specified. This includes, among others, the modelling of hydrogeological scenarios such as how future cold and warm periods and associated glaciation events can change the (petro-)physical properties specified in the StandAG as well as the natural hydrogeological properties of the overall system through, for example, reactivation of faults or changes in hydraulic gradients and consequently flow directions. The main objective of the AREHS (Effects of Changing Boundary Conditions on the Development of Hydrogeological Systems) project, funded by BASE (Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management; FKZ 4719F10402), is to model the effects of changing external boundary conditions on the hydrogeologically relevant parameters and effects (e.g. hydraulic permeability, porosity, migration pathways, fluid availability, hydraulic gradients) of a generic geological repository in Germany in all three potential host rocks (clay, salt and crystalline rocks) and its surrounding hydrogeological setting (Table 1). Special attention is paid to the cyclic mechanical loading and unloading due to glaciation events and the resulting stress changes (M), as well as induced temperature effects (T) due to permafrost and warm periods. As such processes can cause changes in the coupled far-field regime with groundwater flow and groundwater supply (H), as well as fluid transport due to thermal (T) and chemical (C) gradients, and reactivate faults/fractures (M) and thus create new/additional pathways, they are particularly relevant to the integrity of a repository over a period of 1 million years and must be properly captured with coupled THM(C) modelling. Before a model is set up for the different host rocks, a detailed assessment of relevant processes has been conducted based on NEA-2019 FEP catalogue (NEA, 2019) for high-level waste repositories. The modelling is performed using generic 3D models of typical host rock formations satisfying the StandAG criteria. Although the models for salt and clay rock have been adapted from generic models from recent research projects, for crystalline rock a new generic model had to be developed (Fig. 1) considering discontinuities of different scales that have to be incorporated into the THM(C) models explicitly as DFN (Discrete Fracture Network) networks. This is done by coupling two numerical codes: DFN-lab and 3DEC. A central phase in the overall modelling process is the benchmarking of the models with data from existing models and with field-scale studies. This is done separately for all three host rocks. In addition to extending the modelling capacities for glaciation processes and verifying by corresponding benchmarking tests (analytical solutions and literature comparisons), automated workflows have been developed to generate OpenGeoSys models from GOCAD structure models. Script-based automated workflows improve software quality for site investigation, especially in a sense of modularization as well as reproducibility. The generic workflow concept is currently being tested for the literature-based benchmarks and will, therefore, support a persistent and sustainable benchmarking procedure in the future.

scholarly journals An Open-Access Stress Magnitude Database for Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 71-72
Author(s):  
Sophia Morawietz ◽  
Moritz Ziegler ◽  
Karsten Reiter ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Stress State ◽  
Stress Field ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Damage Zone ◽  
Hydraulic Permeability ◽  
Stress Regime ◽  
Migration Pathways

Abstract. The stress field in the Earth's crust plays a central role in the site-selection process for a deep geological repository for high-level nuclear waste. Site selection and construction planning must take into account several factors that are influenced by the stress state. These include the excavation damage zone, the hydraulic permeability of the host rock, the self-sealing capacity, the effects of seismic events and the possible reactivation of faults as migration pathways for fluids and radionuclides. Likewise, the initial stress state is of central importance for the long-term studies to prove site safety over 1 Ma. To obtain a continuous description of the current 3D stress state, 3D geomechanical numerical models are used. These models have to be calibrated with data on stress magnitudes to obtain robust predictions. One of the central goals of the SpannEnD project (Spannungsmodell Endlagerung Deutschland, http://www.spannend-projekt.de, last access: 31 October 2021) was to build the first comprehensive and publicly accessible stress magnitude database for Germany, including a quality ranking of the data compiled from different methods. This database is the logical extension of the database of the World Stress Map project, in which so far only information on stress orientations and the stress regime has been compiled systematically. We present this first compilation of stress magnitude data published and made available by Morawietz et al. (2020). The stress data density is generally low and heterogeneous, so that a model calibration at the scale of a site model is not possible. Therefore, the main objective of the SpannEnD project is to develop a 3D geomechanical numerical model for the whole of Germany. The resulting 3D stress field will provide the basis for regional and local models in a later phase of the site selection process. Details on this are presented in three complementary contributions in this symposium by Reiter et al., Röckel et al. and Ahlers et al. The new Geology Data Act (Geologie-Datengesetz) now allows access to considerably more data, which will be incorporated into an update of the database after assessment according to the defined quality criteria. This database extension will improve the reliability of the predictions of the geomechanical models on different spatial scales.

scholarly journals Ab Initio Investigation of Helium Mobility in La2Zr2O7 Pyrochlore

Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 667
Author(s):  
Yanxia Lu ◽  
Qing Peng ◽  
Chenguang Liu
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Density Functional ◽  
Minimum Energy ◽  
Elastic Band ◽  
Waste Forms ◽  
Band Method ◽  
And Migration ◽  
High Level ◽  
Migration Pathways ◽  
Nuclear Waste Forms

The α-decay of incorporated actinides continuously produces helium, resulting in helium accumulation and causing security concerns for nuclear waste forms. The helium mobility is a key issue affecting the accumulation and kinetics of helium. The energy barriers and migration pathways of helium in a potential high-level nuclear waste forms, La2Zr2O7 pyrochlore, have been investigated in this work using the climbing image nudged elastic band method with density functional theory. The minimum energy pathway for helium to migrate in La2Zr2O7 is identified as via La–La interstitial sites with a barrier of 0.46 eV. This work may offer a theoretical foundation for further prospective studies of nuclear waste forms.

scholarly journals Radioactive wastes and disposal options

2018 ◽  
Vol 189 ◽  
pp. 00014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard Kienzler ◽  
Horst Geckeis
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Waste Disposal ◽  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Nuclear Waste Disposal ◽  
Radioactive Wastes ◽  
Waste Forms ◽  
Disposal Options ◽  
Treatment Procedures ◽  
Host Rocks

This paper provides for a summary of facts which are indispensable for nuclear waste disposal. Information is presented on types of radioactive wastes and the origin, the waste treatment procedures and some characteristics of the waste forms. Finally the various host rocks and the international disposal concepts are discussed and the procedures for safety analyses are shortly described.

Modelling of semiconductor rib wave guides by a finite difference method

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 512-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Delâge
Keyword(s):  
Refractive Index ◽  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Abrupt Change ◽  
Multiple Quantum Well ◽  
External Boundary ◽  
Multiple Quantum ◽  
Scalar Wave ◽  
Accurate Evaluation ◽  
Wave Guides ◽  
Mode Characteristics

The method of finite differences is used to solve the scalar wave equation for semiconductor rib wave guides. Boundary conditions derived from continuity relations are applied between regions of different refractive index, allowing more accurate evaluation of the propagation constants for ideal cases of abrupt change in the index. Also appropriate external boundary conditions alleviate the inaccuracy generally introduced by setting the field equal to zero on the external limit of the mesh. Our results agree with various other techniques when applied to typical guiding structures. As an example, we model a multiple-quantum-well structure by using an equivalent layered structure. Mode characteristics and confinement factors obtained by the method are of interest in understanding the behaviour of the lasers and modulators fabricated in our laboratory.

Significance of long-term climate evolution and associated impacts on the long-term safety of a high-level radioactive waste repository within the German siting process

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Wengler ◽  
Astrid Göbel ◽  
Eva-Maria Hoyer ◽  
Axel Liebscher ◽  
Sönke Reiche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
High Level Radioactive Waste ◽  
Safety Requirements ◽  
Climate Evolution ◽  
Safety Assessments ◽  
High Level ◽  
Host Rocks

<p>According to the 'Act on the Organizational Restructuring in the Field of Radioactive Waste Disposal' the BGE was established in 2016. The amended 'Repository Site Selection Act' (StandAG) came into force in July 2017 and forms the base for the site selection by clearly defining the procedure. According to the StandAG the BGE implements the participative, science-based, transparent, self-questioning and learning procedure with the overarching aim to identify the site for a high-level radioactive waste (HLW) repository in a deep geological formation with best possible safety conditions for a period of one million years.</p><p>The German site selection procedure consists of three phases, of which Phase 1 is divided into two steps. Starting with a blanc map of Germany, the BGE completed Step 1 in September 2020 and identified 90 individual sub-areas that provide favorable geological conditions for the safe disposal of HLW in the legally considered host rocks; rock salt, clay and crystalline rock. Based on the results of Step 1, the on-going Step 2 will narrow down these sub-areas to siting regions for surface exploration within Phase 2 (§ 14 StandAG). Central to the siting process are representative (Phase 1), evolved (Phase 2) and comprehensive (Phase 3) preliminary safety assessments according to § 27 StandAG.</p><p>The ordinances on 'Safety Requirements' and 'Preliminary Safety Assessments' for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste from October 2020 regulate the implementation of the preliminary safety assessments within the different phases of the siting process. Section 2 of the 'Safety Requirements' ordinance provides requirements to evaluate the long-term safety of the repository system; amongst others, it states that all potential effects that may affect the long-term safety of the repository system need to be systematically identified, described and evaluated as “expected” or “divergent” evolutions. Additionally, the ordinance on 'Preliminary Safety Assessments' states in § 7, amongst others, that the geoscientific long-term prediction is a tool to identify and to evaluate geogenic processes and to infer “expected” and “divergent” evolutions from those. Hence, considering the time period of one million years for the safe disposal of the HLW and the legal requirements, it is essential to include long-term climate evolution in the German site selection process to evaluate the impact of various climate-related scenarios on the safety of the whole repository system.</p><p>To better understand and evaluate the influence of climate-related processes on the long-term safety of a HLW repository, climate-related research will be a part of the BGE research agenda. Potential research needs may address i) processes occurring on glacial – interglacial timescales (e.g. the inception of the next glaciation, formation and depth of permafrost, glacial troughs, sub-glacial channels, sea-level rise, orbital forcing) and their future evolutions, ii) effects on the host rocks and the barrier system(s) as well as iii) the uncertainties related to these effects but also to general climate models and predictions.</p>

Hydro-geochemical processes in the emplacement cavern of a low and intermediate-level waste repository in an indurated clay-rock

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Montoya ◽  
Jaime Garibay-Rodriguez ◽  
Olaf Kolditz
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Evolution ◽  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Host Rock ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Intermediate Level ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Nuclear Waste Repository ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Damaged Zone ◽  
Waste Repository

<p>By 2080, Germany will have to store around 600 000 m<sup>3</sup> of low and intermediate-level nuclear waste (L-ILW) with negligible heat generation. This kind of waste is largely made up of used parts of nuclear power stations such as pumps, pipelines, filters, etc. placed in various types of waste containers made from either steel, cast iron, or reinforced concrete in different designs and sizes (i.e. cylindrical or box shaped). It is already decided that a total of 303 000 of the 600 000 m<sup>3</sup> L-ILW will be disposed in a final storage facility in the former iron ore mine Schacht Konrad which is under construction. However, it is still not clear where the L-ILW emplaced in in the old salt mine Asse (200 000 m<sup>3</sup>) will be stored in the future. The situation is particularly critical, as the waste have to be retrieved from the instable mine shafts partially flooded with groundwater, causing strong socio-political concerns as radioactive waste could contaminate the water nearby. For this reason, the new search for a nuclear waste repository for high-level waste (HLW), started in 2017, should also consider the possibility to accommodate the waste from Asse. Obviously, this is still subject to critics as this will make finding a final repository more difficult as storing HLW and L-ILW together requires different concepts and designs for each other and, above all, much more space.</p><p>In this context, in this contribution we have defined conceptual and numerical models to assess the hydro-chemical evolution of a L-ILW disposal cell in indurated clay rocks, involving the interaction of different components/materials and the expected hydraulic and/or chemical gradients over 100 000 years. The L-ILW disposal cell leverages a multi-barrier concept buried 400 m below the surface. The multi-barrier system is comprised of the waste matrix (i.e. backfilling the waste drums), the disposal container, the mortar backfill in the emplacement tunnel (where the disposal containers are located) and the clay host rock. The dimensions and design of the emplacement tunnel (e.g. 11 × 13 m) and disposal cells represent and consider some aspects taken into account in the designs of some European countries. In addition, tunnel walls reinforced with a shotcrete liner and the Excavation Damaged Zone is considered in the concept. The model is implemented in OpenGeoSys-6, an open-source version-controlled scientific software based on Finite Element Method which is capable of handling fully coupled hydro-chemical models by coupling OpenGeoSys to iPHREEQC. First calculation results, demonstrate that the most important processes affecting the near-field chemical evolution are i) the degradation of the concrete and cementitious grouts with porewater migrating inwards from the host rock and ii) the significant quantities of reactive and non-reactive gases (i.e. hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane) that are generated as a result of: i) the anaerobic corrosion of metals present in the waste and containers and ii) the degradation of organic compounds by microbial and chemical processes. As a first approximation, some assumptions and simplifications have been considered, probably resulting in a wort case scenario.</p>

scholarly journals Mathematical Modeling of the Distribution of Natural 14C, 234U, and 238U in a Regional Ground-Water System

Radiocarbon ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 291-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
F J Pearson ◽  
C J Noronha ◽  
R W Andrews
Keyword(s):  
Ground Water ◽  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Natural Radionuclides ◽  
Water System ◽  
Residence Times ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Hydrologic Data ◽  
Regional Hydrology

Increasing concern with nuclear waste isolation technology is leading to additional studies of naturally occurring isotopes in ground water. Such studies provide information on 1) the use of radionuclides to estimate ground-water travel times and/or residence times. This information can he an extremely useful adjunct to conventional hydrologic data in developing the understanding of regional hydrology needed in the site selection process, and 2) the use of natural radionuclides as analogues to the behavior of radionuclides of concern in nuclear waste.

Which Processes could define Temperature Limits on the Outer Surface of a Container in a Disposal Facility ?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guido Bracke ◽  
Eva Hartwig-Thurat ◽  
Jürgen Larue ◽  
Artur Meleshyn ◽  
Torben Weyand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Outer Surface ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Temperature Limit ◽  
Crystalline Rock ◽  
Safety Concept ◽  
Disposal Facility ◽  
High Level ◽  
A Site ◽  
Host Rocks

<p>When the recommencement of the search for and selection of a site for a disposal facility for HLRW in Germany was stipulated by the Site Selection Act (StandAG 2017) in 2017, a <strong>precautionary </strong>temperature limit of 100 °C on the outer surface of the containers with high-level radioactive waste in the disposal facility section was set. This <strong>precautionary </strong>temperature limit shall be applied in preliminary safety analyses provided that the “maximum physically possible temperatures” in the respective host rocks have not yet been determined due to pending research. Therefore, this issue is addressed and discussed in this paper, contributing to “pending research” by a review of the literature.</p><p>This presentation briefly discusses a few examples of thermohydraulical, mechanical, chemical and biological processes in a disposal facility, because temperature limits are derived based on safety impacts regarding THMCB-processes. The temperature-dependent processes have been extracted from databases for features, events and processes (FEP-databases). Furthermore, it is dicussed if the feasibility to retrieve and recover HLRW is hampered at high temperatures.</p><p>It is concluded that a design temperature concerning single components of a disposal facility for the preservation of their features can be derived when a safety concept is established. However, the interactions of all relevant processes in a disposal concept must be considered to determine a specific temperature limit for the outer surface of the containers. Therefore, applicable temperature limits may vary for particular safety and disposal concepts in the following host rocks: rock salt, clay stone and crystalline rock.</p><p>Technical solutions for retrieval and design options for recovery seem to be viable up to temperatures of 200 °C with different, sometimes severe, downsides according to expert judgement.</p><p>It is summarized that emperature limits regarding the outer surface of the containers can be derived specifically for each safety concept and design of the disposal facility in a host rock. General temperature limits without reference to specific safety concepts or the particular design of the disposal facility may narrow down the possibilities for optimisation of the disposal facility and could adversely affect the site selection process in finding the best suitable site.</p>

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