Abstract
Abstract One option presently under investigation internationally for the disposal of the hazardous by-products of the nuclear fuel cycle is the construction of underground repositories in low-permeability argillaceous rock formations. The host-rock represents the most important barrier to the migration of radionuclides to the surface environment. The performance of this geological barrier will depend on a wide variety of factors, including the degree of compaction and diagenetic alteration of the rock during burial, affecting plasticity and response to deformation, stress history which determines some important structural attributes (faults, fissures, etc.), mineralogy and chemistry which are primary factors influencing radionuclide sorption and mobility, and the thickness and lithological variability of the low-permeability sequence. Our paper provides a brief overview of these considerations and identifies a number of areas of uncertainty, including our, as yet, incomplete knowledge of the precise mechanisms of groundwater movement in clay-rich media, possible departures from Darcy's Law, the occurrence of long-term transient flow, the role of ‘coupled flow’ phenomena, and the difficult problem of gas migration within the host-formation.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Geological Society, London, Engineering Geology Special Publications
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
