Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “ROCKS”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 307 records · Page 17

A comparative study of discrete fracture network and equivalent continuum models for simulating flow and transport in the far field of a hypothetical nuclear waste repository in crystalline host rock

One of the major challenges of simulating flow and transport in the far field of a geologic repository in crystalline host rock is related to reproducing the properties of the fracture network over the large volume of rock with sparse fracture characterization data. Various approaches have been developed to simulate flow and transport through the fractured rock. The approaches can be broadly divided into Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) and Equivalent Continuum Model (ECM). The DFN explicitly represents individual fractures, while the ECM uses fracture properties to determine equivalent continuum parameters. In this paper, we compare DFN and ECM in terms of upscaled observed transport properties through generic fracture networks. The major effort was directed on making the DFN and ECM approaches similar in their conceptual representations. This allows for separating differences related to the interpretation of the test conditions and parameters from the differences between the DFN and ECM approaches. The two models are compared using a benchmark test problem that is constructed to represent the far field (1 × 1 × 1 km 3 ) of a hypothetical repository in fractured crystalline rock. The test problem setting uses generic fracture properties that can be expected in crystalline rocks. The models are compared in terms of the: 1) effective permeability of the domain, and 2) nonreactive solute breakthrough curves through the domain. The principal differences between the models are mesh size, network connectivity, matrix diffusion and anisotropy. We demonstrate how these differences affect the flow and transport. Finally, we identify the factors that should be taken in consideration when selecting an approach most suitable for the site-specific conditions.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Convergence of micro-geochemistry and micro-geomechanics towards understanding proppant shale rock interaction: A Caney shale case study in southern Oklahoma, USA

As a direct outcome of economic development coupled with an increase in population, global energy demand will continue to rise in the coming decades. Although renewable energy sources are increasingly investigated for optimal production, the immediate needs require focus on energy sources that are currently available and reliable, with a minimal environmental impact; the efficient exploration and production of unconventional hydrocarbon resources is bridging the energy needs and energy aspirations, during the current energy transition period. The main challenges are related to the accurate quantification of the critical rock properties that influence production, their heterogeneity and the multiscale driven physico-chemical nature of rock–fluid interactions. A key feature of shale reservoirs is their low permeability due to dominating nanoporosity of the clay-rich matrix. As a means of producing these reservoirs in a cost-effective manner, a prerequisite is creation of hydraulic fracture networks capable of the highest level of continued conductivity. Fracturing fluid chemical design, formation brine geochemical composition, and rock mineralogy all contribute to swelling-induced conductivity damage. The Caney Shale is an organic-rich, often calcareous mudrock. Many studies have examined the impact that clay has on different kinds of shale productivity but there is currently no data reported on the Caney Shale in relation to horizontal drilling; all reported data on the Caney Shale is on vertical wells which are shallow, compared to an emerging play that is at double the depth. Here, in this work we develop geochemical–geomechanical integration of rock properties at micro-and nanoscales that can provide insights into the potential proppant embedment and its mitigation. The novel methodology amalgamates the following: computed X-ray tomography, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, micro-indentation, and Raman spectroscopy techniques. Here, our results show that due to the multiscale heterogeneity in the Caney Shale, these geochemical and structural properties translate into a variation in mechanical properties that will impact interaction between the proppant and the host shale rock.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Volatile organic compound sensing based on coral rock-like ZnO

Highlights: • A coral rock-like ZnO with porous structure was successfully synthesized. • Coral rock-like ZnO realized the large gas response towards VOCs. • The porous structure may play an essential role in the surface sensing reaction. - Abstract: This work presented highly sensitive coral rock-like ZnO to investigate the sensing performances for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including formaldehyde, methylbenzene, methanol and acetone. The coral rock-like ZnO with porous structure was synthesized using a solvothermal process and subsequent calcination. The gas response of the sensor based on the coral rock-like ZnO was reported for the four types of VOC vapors at different operating temperatures and gas concentrations. It was found that the fabricated sensor was sensitive to the four gases, revealing large gas response as well as fast response and recovery speed, which was ascribed to its distinctive porous nanostructure, resulting in adequate surface sensing reaction and effective gas diffusion.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Experimental Poroviscoelasticity of Common Sedimentary Rocks

The success of geoenergy applications such as petroleum recovery or geological storage of CO 2 depends on properly addressing the physical coupling between the pore fluid diffusion and mechanical deformation of the subsurface rock. Constitutive models should include short-term hydromechanical interactions and long-term behavior and should incorporate the principles behind the mathematical models for poroelastic and poroviscoelastic responses. However, the viscous parameters in constitutive relationships still need to be validated and estimated. In this work, we experimentally quantify the time-dependent response of fluid-filled sedimentary rocks at room temperature and isotropic stress states. Drained, undrained, and unjacketed geomechanical tests are performed to measure the poroelastic parameters for Berea sandstone, Apulian limestone, clay-rich material, and Opalinus clay (shale). A poroviscous model parameter, the bulk viscosity, is included in the constitutive relationships. The bulk viscosity is estimated under constant isotropic stress conditions from time-dependent deformation of rock in the drained regime for timescales ~10 5 s and from observations of the pore pressure growth under undrained conditions at timescales of ~10 4 s. The bulk viscosity is on the order of 10 15 –10 16 Pa s for sandstone, limestone, and shale and ~10 13 Pa s for clay-rich material, and it decreases with an increase in pore pressure despite a corresponding decrease in the effective stress. In the long term, fluid pressure can asymptotically approach minimum principal stress, which in natural reservoirs may lead to liquefaction or rock embrittlement, causing slip instabilities and earthquakes and creating high-permeability channels in low-permeable rock.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Illumination of Damage in Intact Rocks by Ultrasonic Transmission-Reflection and Digital Image Correlation

aboratory-scale experiments on intact rocks are critical to the development of physics-based fundamental understanding of various geophysical phenomena. In this work, the capability of ultrasonic wave transmission (T-mode) and reflection (R-mode) to monitor damage progression in uniaxially loaded prismatic intact rock specimens has been analyzed, as it is imperative to study the observations and document the capabilities of these techniques in a controlled environment. This study is novel in the sense that the R-mode linear ultrasonic testing (LUT) has been rarely employed in studying intact rock damage processes in a laboratory setting, with most of the studies utilizing a direct transmission (T-mode) approach or focusing on macroscopically fractured material. The two-dimensional digital image correlation (2-D DIC) full-field strain measurement approach was also used in-sync with the LUT monitoring to explicitly correlate the stress-induced damage in the specimens with the changes observed in the ultrasonic (T-mode and R-mode) signals. The results show that both the T-mode and R-mode LUT approaches are sensitive to detect the evolution of tensile and shear damage in the specimens, with the R-mode ultrasonic signals showing higher degree of sensitivity to the damage in the rocks, immediately following the initiation of damage in the rock volume.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Carbon Mineralization in Fractured Mafic and Ultramafic Rocks: A Review

Mineral carbon storage in mafic and ultramafic rock masses has the potential to be an effective and permanent mechanism to reduce anthropogenic CO 2 . Several successful pilot-scale projects have been carried out in basaltic rock (e.g., CarbFix, Wallula), demonstrating the potential for rapid CO 2 sequestration. However, these tests have been limited to the injection of small quantities of CO 2 . Thus, the longevity and feasibility of long-term, large-scale mineralization operations to store the levels of CO 2 needed to address the present climate crisis is unknown. Moreover, CO 2 mineralization in ultramafic rocks, which tend to be more reactive but less permeable, has not yet been quantified. In these systems, fractures are expected to play a crucial role in the flow and reaction of CO 2 within the rock mass and will influence the CO 2 storage potential of the system. Therefore, consideration of fractures is imperative to the prediction of CO 2 mineralization at a specific storage site. In this review, we highlight key takeaways, successes, and shortcomings of CO 2 mineralization pilot tests that have been completed and are currently underway. Laboratory experiments, directed toward understanding the complex geochemical and geomechanical reactions that occur during CO 2 mineralization in fractures, are also discussed. Experimental studies and their applicability to field sites are limited in time and scale. Many modeling techniques can be applied to bridge these limitations. We highlight current modeling advances and their potential applications for predicting CO 2 mineralization in mafic and ultramafic rocks.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Direct Observations of Solute Dispersion in Rocks With Distinct Degree of Sub‐Micron Porosity

Abstract The transport of chemical species in rocks is affected by their structural heterogeneity to yield a wide spectrum of local solute concentrations. To quantify such imperfect mixing, advanced methodologies are needed that augment the traditional breakthrough curve analysis by probing solute concentration within the fluids locally. Here, we demonstrate the application of asynchronous, multimodality imaging by X‐ray computed tomography (XCT) and positron emission tomography (PET) to the study of passive tracer experiments in laboratory rock cores. The four‐dimensional concentration maps measured by PET reveal specific signatures of the transport process, which we have quantified using fundamental measures of mixing and spreading. We observe that the extent of solute spreading correlate strongly with the strength of subcore‐scale porosity heterogeneity measured by XCT, while dilution is enhanced in rocks containing substantial sub‐micron porosity. We observe that the analysis of different metrics is necessary, as they can differ in their sensitivity to the strength and forms of heterogeneity. The multimodality imaging approach is uniquely suited to probe the fundamental difference between spreading and mixing in heterogeneous media. We propose that when multi‐dimensional data is available, mixing and spreading can be independently quantified using the same metric. We also demonstrate that one‐dimensional transport models have limited predictive ability toward the internal evolution of the solute concentration, when the model is solely calibrated against the effluent breakthrough curves. The data set generated in this study can be used to build realistic digital rock models and to benchmark transport simulations that account deterministically for rock property heterogeneity.

Kurotori, Takeshi [Department of Chemical Engineer↗

Intense alteration on early Mars revealed by high-aluminum rocks at Jezero crater

The NASA Perseverance rover discovered light-toned float rocks scattered across the surface of Jezero crater that are particularly rich in alumina ( ~ 35 wt% Al 2 O 3 ) and depleted in other major elements (except silica). These unique float rocks have heterogeneous mineralogy ranging from kaolinite/halloysite-bearing in hydrated samples, to spinel-bearing in dehydrated samples also containing a dehydrated Al-rich phase. Here we describe SuperCam and Mastcam-Z observations of the float rocks, including the first in situ identification of kaolinite or halloysite on another planet, and dehydrated phases including spinel and apparent partially dehydroxylated kaolinite. The presence of spinel in these samples is likely detrital in origin, surviving kaolinitization, pointing to an ultramafic origin. However, the association of low hydration with increased Al 2 O 3 abundances suggests heating-induced dehydration which could have occurred during the lithification or impact excavation of these rocks. Given the orbital context of kaolinite-bearing megabreccia in the Jezero crater rim, we propose an origin for these rocks involving intense aqueous alteration of the parent material, followed by dehydration/lithification potentially through impact processes, and dispersion into Jezero crater through flood or impact-related processes.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Alteration history of aluminum-rich rocks at Jezero crater, Mars

Aluminum-rich clay minerals are detected across the ancient surface of Mars and record intervals of intense alteration by liquid water. On Earth, these clay minerals can form from hydrothermal alteration or rainfall-driven chemical weathering over thousands to millions of years, but how they formed on Mars remains a mystery. The Perseverance rover discovered light-toned, cobble-sized, aluminum-rich (30-45 wt% Al 2 O 3 ) “float” rocks (rock fragments), with some exhibiting spectral signatures of kaolinite, an aluminum-rich clay mineral. These rocks now enable an investigation into the ancient kaolinite-bearing terrains of Mars. To interpret their formation, we use data from the SuperCam and Mastcam-Z instruments onboard the rover to compare the chemistry and reflectance spectra of the float rocks with deeply weathered paleosols and hydrothermal kaolin deposits from Earth’s geological record. Aluminum and titanium enrichments coupled with depletion of iron and magnesium are unlike hydrothermal deposits and instead comparable to bleached horizons of paleosols that formed under high rainfall during past greenhouse climates on Earth. These rocks therefore likely represent some of the wettest intervals of Mars’ history.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Vacancy structures and melting behavior in rock-salt GeSbTe

Ge-Sb-Te alloys have been widely used in optical/electrical memory storage. Because of the extremely fast crystalline-amorphous transition, they are also expected to play a vital role in next generation nonvolatile microelectronic memory devices. However, the distribution and structural properties of vacancies have been one of the key issues in determining the speed of melting (or amorphization), phase-stability, and heat-dissipation of rock-salt GeSbTe, which is crucial for its technological breakthrough in memory devices. Using spherical aberration-aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and atomic scale energy-dispersive X-ray mapping, we observe a new rock-salt structure with high-degree vacancy ordering (or layered-like ordering) at an elevated temperature, which is a result of phase transition from the rock-salt phase with randomly distributed vacancies. First-principles calculations reveal that the phase transition is an energetically favored process. Furthermore, molecular dynamics studies suggest that the melting of the cubic rock-salt phases is initiated at the vacancies, which propagate to nearby regions. The observation of multi-rock-salt phases suggests another route for multi-level data storage using GeSbTe.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Measurement of radio wave reflection due to temperature rising from rock salt and ice irradiated by an electron beam for an ultra-high-energy neutrino detector

An ultra-high-energy neutrino (UHE{nu}) gives temperature rise along the hadronic and electromagnetic shower when it enters into rock salt or ice. Permittivities of them arise with respect the temperatures at ionization processes of the UHE{nu} shower. It is expected by Fresnel's formula that radio wave reflects at the irregularity of the permittivity in the medium. We had found the radio wave reflection effect in rock salt. The reflection effect and long attenuation length of radio wave in rock salt and ice would yield a new UHE{nu} detection method. An experiment for ice was performed to study the reflection effect. A coaxial tube was filled with rock salt powder or ice. Open end of the coaxial tube was irradiated by a 2 MeV electron beam. Radio wave of 435 MHz was introduced to the coaxial tube. We measured the reflection wave from the open end. We found the radio wave reflection effect due to electron beam irradiation in ice as well as in rock salt.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

An ultra-high-energy-neutrino detector using rock salt and ice as detection media for radar method

We had found radio-wave-reflection effect in rock salt for detection of an ultra-high energy neutrino (UHE{nu}) which is generated in GZK processes in the universe. When an UHE{nu} interacts with rock salt or ice as a detection medium, the energy converts to a thermal energy. Consequently, a temperature gives rise along an UHE{nu} shower at the interaction location. The permittivity arises with respect to the temperature at ionization processes of the UHE{nu} shower which is composed of hadronic and electromagnetic multiplication processes. The irregularity of the refractive index in the medium for radio wave rises to a reflection. The reflection effect with a long attenuation length of radio wave in rock salt and ice would yield a new method to detect UHE{nu}. They could be used for detection media in which the UHE{nu} interacts with. We could find a huge amount of rock salt or ice over 50 Gt in a natural rock salt formation or Antarctic ice sheet. Radio wave transmitted into the medium generated by a radar system could be reflected by the irregularity of the refractive index at the shower. Receiving the reflected radio wave yields information about the UHE{nu}.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

The Effects of Plasma Pre-Cracking on Drilling of Hard Rocks: A Single Insert Cutting Experiment

Abstract This paper studies the effects of plasma-induced cracks on rock cutting to support the concept of a plasma-integrated drag bit for accelerated geothermal drilling through hard rocks. For this, a single polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) drilling technique is used in cutting granite to compare thrust and cutting forces between plasma-treated and untreated rock samples. The cracks are produced using underwater plasma at 80 J per pulse. This energy level does not produce visible damage to the rock. The cutting tests are conducted at a cutting speed of 12.7 m/min and four feed rates of 0.127, 0.201, 0.267, and 0.414 mm/s to represent actual drilling scenarios. The results show a general trend of reduction in both thrust and cutting forces for these feed rates, but the magnitude of reduction highly depends on the feed rate. The maximum force reduction of around 50% is found at the 0.267 mm/s feed rate with statistical significance. Cases with a higher force reduction are also found to have rougher surface topography, which indicates more excessive fracturing and, thus, a cracks-accelerated material removal process. This study provides initial evidence of using underwater plasma to increase the downhole drilling rate of hard rocks.

Engineering↗

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F US-GL1 Stannard Rock

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site US-GL1 Stannard Rock. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site US-GL1 Stannard Rock produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - Stannard Rock is located 39 km from the nearest shore (Keweenaw Peninsula) in Lake Superior, 44 miles NNE of Marquette, Michigan, and 24 miles ESE of Manitou Island. The site is located on the historic Stannard Rock Lighthouse, which was completed in 1882. Eddy covariance instrumentation was installed in 2008 by a network of scientists from both US and Canada, eventually to be called the Great Lakes Evaporation Network (GLEN). The intent of GLEN has been to provide observations of over-lake meteorology and evaporation, improve forecasting of Great Lakes water levels, and support a wide variety of stakeholders, including the National Weather Service (NWS), Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, recreational boaters and commercial shipping, emergency management officials, and the Great Lakes research community. The eddy covariance station along with other ancillary meteorological instrumentation is located at an approximate elevation of 39.2 meters above mean lake water level. Meteorological data from the lighthouse are sent to the National Data Buoy Center, where they can be viewed in real-time at http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=stdm4 Uncorrected half-hour fluxes were computed directly on the logger using a 30-minute block averaging period as high-frequency data were not available. The half hour flux measurements downloaded from the datalogger were post-processed with the following filters and corrections. Latent and sensible heat and carbon dioxide fluxes were corrected with 2-D coordinate rotation. Although the primary objective of data collection at Stannard Rock was to quantify the evaporative flux, additional preliminary measurements of the carbon dioxide concentration and flux from the LI-7500 are also included in this dataset but it is advised to use the carbon data with caution. Carbon data reported in this dataset includes turbulent fluxes of CO2 with no storage correction (FC, µmol m-2 s-1) and CO2 density in mole fraction of wet air (CO2), which was originally output on the datalogger as average CO2 density (mg m-2 s-1) and converted into µmol mol-1 using air temperature and pressure in post-processing. Webb, Pearman, and Leuning terms were applied to account for density fluctuations for water vapor and CO2. Sonic path length, high-frequency attenuation and sensor separation were accounted for according to Horst and Massman, and the oxygen absorption correction for the KH2O hygrometer was also applied. Latent and sensible heat fluxes were assumed to be unrealistic above an absolute value of 1000 W m-2 and were removed. Both carbon flux (FC) and carbon dioxide mole fraction in wet air (CO2) and were assumed to be unrealistic above 1000 µmol m-2 s-1 and 1000 µmol mol-1 respectively. Spikes in latent and sensible heat and carbon fluxes and densities (often due to periods of precipitation) were identified by computing the mean and standard deviation over a moving, overlapping window of 336 half-hours (7 days), similar to Shao et al., and were removed when the flux was more than 1.5 standard deviations from the moving window’s mean. While Vickers and Mahrt use a threshold of 3.5 standard deviations from the mean, a conservative value of 1.5 was chosen due to the noisy nature of over-lake data at this particular site. This process was repeated twice for latent and sensible heat, and carbon dioxide fluxes and densities and therefore it is possible that some real, realistic data was filtered out in this process. No detrending was performed. As per AmeriFlux standards, no friction velocity (USTAR, m s-1) filtering was performed.

Spence, Chris [Environment and Climate Change Cana↗

Proceedings of the Scientific Visit on Crystalline Rock Repository Development

A scientific visit on Crystalline Rock Repository Development was held in the Czech Republic on September 24-27, 2012. The visit was hosted by the Czech Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (RAWRA), co-hosted by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The purpose of the visit was to promote technical information exchange between participants from countries engaged in the investigation and exploration of crystalline rock for the eventual construction of nuclear waste repositories. The visit was designed especially for participants of countries that have recently commenced (or recommenced) national repository programmes in crystalline host rock formations. Discussion topics included repository programme development, site screening and selection, site characterization, disposal concepts in crystalline host rock, regulatory frameworks, and safety assessment methodology. Interest was surveyed in establishing a "club", the mission of which would be to identify and address the various technical challenges that confront the disposal of radioactive waste in crystalline rock environments. The idea of a second scientific visit to be held one year later in another host country received popular support. The visit concluded with a trip to the countryside south of Prague where participants were treated to a tour of the laboratory and underground facilities of the Josef Regional Underground Research Centre.

Mariner, Paul E.↗

Rock Physics of Geologic Carbon Sequestration/Storage

This report covers the results of developing the rock physics theory of the effects of CO 2 injection and storage in a host reservoir on the rock's elastic properties and the resulting seismic signatures (reflections) observed during sequestration and storage. Specific topics addressed are: (a) how the elastic properties and attenuation vary versus CO 2 saturation in the reservoir during injection and subsequent distribution of CO 2 in the reservoir; (b) what are the combined effects of saturation and pore pressure on the elastic properties; and (c) what are the combined effects of saturation and rock fabric alteration on the elastic properties. The main new results are (a) development and application of the capillary pressure equilibrium theory to forecasting the elastic properties as a function of CO 2 saturation; (b) a new method of applying this theory to well data; and (c) combining this theory with other effects of CO 2 injection on the rock frame, including the effects of pore pressure and rock fabric alteration. An important result is translating these elastic changes into synthetic seismic responses, specifically, the amplitude-versus-offset (AVO) response depending on saturation as well as reservoir and seal type. As planned, three graduate students participated in this work and, as a result, received scientific and technical training required should they choose to work in the area of monitoring and quantifying CO 2 sequestration.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Evaluation of Used Fuel Disposition in Clay-Bearing Rock

Deep geological disposal of nuclear waste in clay/shale/argillaceous rock formations has received much consideration given its desirable attributes such as isolation properties (low permeability), geochemically reduced conditions, slow diffusion, sorbtive mineralogy, and geologically widespread (Jové Colón et al., 2014). There is a wealth of gained scientific expertise on the behavior of clay/shale/ argillaceous rock given its focus in international nuclear waste repository programs that includes underground research laboratories (URLs) in Switzerland, France, Belgium, and Japan. Jové Colón et al. (2014) have described some of these investigative efforts in clay rock ranging from site characterization to research on the engineered barrier system (EBS). Evaluations of disposal options that include nuclear waste disposition in clay/shale/argillaceous rock have determined that this host media can accommodate a wide range of waste types. R&D work within the Used Fuel Disposition Campaign (UFDC) assessing thermal effects and fluid-mineral interactions for the disposition of heat-generating waste have so far demonstrated the feasibility for the EBS and clay host rock to withstand high thermal loads. This report represents the continuation of disposal R&D efforts on the advancement and refinement of coupled Thermal-Hydrological-Mechanical-Chemical (THMC), hydrothermal experiments on clay interactions, used fuel degradation (source term), and thermodynamic modeling and database development. The development and implementation of a clay/shale/argillite reference case described in Jové Colón et al. (2014) for FY15 will be documented in another report (Mariner et al. 2015) – only a brief description will be given here. This clay reference case implementation is the result of integration efforts between the GDSA PA and disposal in argillite work packages. The assessment of sacrificial zones in the EBS is being addressed through experimental work along with 1D reactive-transport and reaction path modeling. The focus of these investigations into the nature of sacrificial zones is to evaluate the chemical effects of heterogeneous chemical reactions at EBS interfaces. The difference in barrier material types and the extent of chemical reactions within these interfacial domains generates changes in mineral abundances. These mineralogical alterations also result in volume changes that, although small, could affect the interface bulk porosity. As in previous deliverables, this report is structured according to various national laboratory contributions describing R&D activities applicable to clay/shale/argillite media.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Investigation of Coupled Processes and Impact of High Temperature Limits in Argillite Rock: FY17 Progress. Predecisional Draft

The focus of research within the Spent Fuel and Waste Science and Technology (SFWST) (formerly called Used Fuel Disposal) Campaign is on repository-induced interactions that may affect the key safety characteristics of EBS bentonite and an argillaceous rock. These include thermal-hydrologicalmechanical- chemical (THMC) process interactions that occur as a result of repository construction and waste emplacement. Some of the key questions addressed in this report include the development of fracturing in the excavation damaged zone (EDZ) and THMC effects on the near-field argillaceous rock and buffer materials and petrophysical characteristics, particularly the impacts of temperature rise caused by waste heat. This report documents the following research activities. Section 2 presents THM model developments and validation, including modeling of underground heater experiments at Mont Terri and Bure underground research laboratories (URLs). The heater experiments modeled are the Mont Terri FE (Full-scale Emplacement) Experiment, conducted as part of the Mont Terri Project, and the TED in heater test conducted in Callovo-Oxfordian claystone (COx) at the Meuse/Haute-Marne (MHM) underground research laboratory in France. The modeling of the TED heater test is one of the Tasks of the DEvelopment of COupled Models and their VAlidation against EXperiments (DECOVALEX)-2019 project. Section 3 presents the development and application of thermal-hydrological-mechanical-chemical (THMC) modeling to evaluate EBS bentonite and argillite rock responses under different temperatures (100 °C and 200 °C). Model results are presented to help to understand the impact of high temperatures on the properties and behavior of bentonite and argillite rock. Eventually the process model will support a robust GDSA model for repository performance assessments. Section 4 presents coupled THMC modeling for an in situ test conducted at Grimsel underground laboratory in Switzerland in the Full-Scale Engineered Barrier Experiment Dismantling Project (FEBEX-DP). The data collected in the test after almost two decades of heating and two dismantling events provide a unique opportunity of validating coupled THMC models and enhancing our understanding of coupled THMC process in EBS bentonite. Section 5 presents a planned large in-situ test, “HotBENT,” at Grimsel Test Site, Switzerland. In this test, bentonite backfilled EBS in granite will be heated up to 200 °C, where the most relevant features of future emplacement conditions can be adequately reproduced. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has very actively participated in the project since the very beginning and have conducted scoping calculations in FY17 to facilitate the final design of the experiment. Section 6 presents present LBNL’s activities for modeling gas migration in clay related to Task A of the international DECOVALEX-2019 project. This is an international collaborative activity in which DOE and LBNL gain access to unique laboratory and field data of gas migration that are studied with numerical modeling to better understand the processes, to improve numerical models that could eventually be applied in the performance assessment for nuclear waste disposal in clay host rocks and bentonite backfill. Section 7 summarizes the main research accomplishments for FY17 and proposes future work activities.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗