Abstract
Research Infrastructures (RIs) are essential to achieve excellence in innovative scientific research. However, because of limited land availability and specific geological requirements, evaluating the viability of a site for a new RI can be a challenging task. Stringent safety construction requirements include developing site-specific architectural and geoengineering solutions, minimizing construction disturbances, and reinforcing rock and soil in a timely fashion. For successful development of the RIs in China, such as the Daya Bay Neutrino Laboratory (DBNL) and the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), an integrated approach of joint geophysical methods including the electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), controlled-source audio-frequency magneto telluric (CSAMT)), gravity and seismic refraction methods, and geological mapping and surveys were carried out. Geophysical parameters, such as electrical resistivity, density, and seismic velocity, show inverse proportion to the degree of rock fracturing or weathering. The results show that the low values of geophysical parameters suggest the weathered/fractured rock, while high values reveal the fresh bedrock. The Engineering Geological Suitability Index (EGSI) value can represent the individual EGSI values at a constant and summed over varying depths. EGSI methodology is an improvement on the existing siting process and has been applied to CSNS. Our integrated approach provides clearer insight into the subsurface for site suitability of RIs in challenging geological engineering conditions and removes any ambiguity caused by a single geophysical parameter. The obtained geological knowledge of the area not only provides engineers with much-needed information about the construction conditions of a potential site but also gives scientists the opportunity to explore the local geology. In this study, we demonstrate our innovative approach for siting RIs, as demonstrated by the synthetic evaluation of the site location and utilization for two established RIs (DBNL and CSNS).
Highlights
This article is about large scientific research centers using high-tech and sensitive equipment, not “standard” research infrastructure available at universities, and gives a short definition in the sense of “facilities” that provide resources and services for the research communities to conduct research and foster innovation in their fields.Research Infrastructures (RIs) play an important role in exploring the unknown geological conditions of the subsurface and represent an incomparable research asset [1].While some smaller RIs are built by individual institutions, some instruments or facilities are large enough that they must be constructed and maintained by one or more national organizations [2,3,4]
We used integrated geophysical techniques at the Daya Bay Neutrino Laboratory (DBNL) site because boreholes are unsuitable for assessing the deep geologic structures in a steep slope area
We focused on two sites (DBNL and China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS)) where construction is complete, and the RIs are fully operational
Summary
Research Infrastructures (RIs) play an important role in exploring the unknown geological conditions of the subsurface and represent an incomparable research asset [1]. While some smaller RIs are built by individual institutions, some instruments or facilities are large enough that they must be constructed and maintained by one or more national organizations [2,3,4]. These large-scale RIs (for distribution, see Figure 1a) provide many countries and scientists with the opportunity to explore both specialized and interdisciplinary topics [5,6,7]. Despite the fact that a lack of local geological knowledge can be problematic for RI developers, few studies have analyzed the siting of RIs from a geoengineering sustainability perspective [10]
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