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Abstract
Abstract. Any site selection process for a final repository for high-level and heat producing radioactive waste is a national challenge and has to take into account, among others, regional geological settings. In Germany, the site selection has to restart from zero, and all potential host rocks have to be considered equal, including argillaceous rocks. Therefore, the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) performs appropriate experiments in the Swiss Mont Terri rock laboratory, which is located in the Jurassic Opalinus Clay. In this paper, activities and results from actual and still ongoing experiments, with participation of BGR, are presented exemplarily. All experiments aim for a contribution to understand particular aspects regarding the behaviour of underground facilities, BGR's focus lies mainly on aspects of the early lifetime of a repository, namely the construction, post-closure transient, and partly post-closure equilibrium phases. It is obvious that for a full understanding of the evolution of a final repository, knowledge and experience of many different groups, their studies and results covering all aspects, have to be included. In this paper, we can only emphasise a few representative examples on geophysical and geotechnical in-situ site investigations, geotechnical mine-by monitoring, laboratory investigations, and modelling aspects. The combined interpretation of these results enhance interpretations and is a prerequisite for a comprehensive understanding of a repository.
Highlights
Understanding all the relevant processes which are characteristic during the whole lifetime of a final repository for heat producing high-level radioactive waste (HLW) is an extraordinary challenge that cannot be achieved by a single group or one institution alone
The same is valid for the comparison of static elastic moduli found in laboratory tests (Sect. 2.4) and dynamic elastic moduli measured in-situ with MiniSeismic Methods (MSM) (Sect. 2.1)
Derived seismic parameters from MSM are generally used for geomechanical relevant local site characterisations
Summary
Understanding all the relevant processes which are characteristic during the whole lifetime of a final repository for heat producing high-level radioactive waste (HLW) is an extraordinary challenge that cannot be achieved by a single group or one institution alone It has to be addressed in close collaboration with many qualified partners, each providing their particular experience, in order to include all aspects for the full understanding of a HLW, benefitting from the specialised knowledge of these partners. Main evolution steps are indicated, combined with the acronyms of more than 60 experiments These experiments are performed at the Mont Terri rock laboratory by the various partners in order to enhance the understanding of all phases, starting from construction and emplacement to post-closure processes and final radionuclide transport. With this considerable extension (in green), more experiments can be performed in the sandy facies (in beige colour) and as a novelty in the transition to the Passwang Formation (in light blue)
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