Ziel
The PROGRESS programme of work is proposed consisting of three components:
GASGEN: Gas Generation in Radioactive Waste Repositories
There is currently a good understanding of the principal gas generating mechanisms within a repository for low- and intermediate-level waste (LLW and ILW respectively), although there remain uncertainties, in particular relating to the kinetics of the microbial degradation of organic wastes. There exists a variety of experimental measurements on individual gas generatin processes, as well as global gas generation measurements on real waste packages it is necessary to establish a scientific understanding of the relationship between these two types of measurements.
The aims of this project are therefore
- to develop a correlation between measurement results for gas generation and characteristic parameters of the waste that are easy to determine;
- to interpret and analyse the available experimental data in order to gain increased confidence in the predictions of existing gas generation models, and to develop a tool to enable realistic predictions of gas generation within individual waste packages;
- to supplement existing experimental measurements by undertaking a large-scale gas generation experiment in an underground research laboratory.
GAMERS: Gas Migration in European Repository Systems
Although understanding of gas migration in porous media is reasonably advanced, there is a need to obtain a clearer understanding of the way in which gas migrates in different European repository systems. Two host rocks that will be investigated in this project are:
* low-permeability fractured hard rock, for which the aims are:
- to improve understanding of gas migration and gas-water interaction processes in individual or intersecting pairs of fractures;
- to elucidate the mechanisms of field-scale gas migration through water-saturated fractured rock, and to study the localisation of gas upon release at the land surface;
- to investigate the role of microbubbles as a mechanism for gas migration.
- salt, for which the aims are:
- to derive design requirements for a saline repository by application of the tools developed in the Third EC Framework;
- to provide necessary input for realistic calculations of the consequences of gas generation;
- to complete code development by including host rock convergence.
GEOGAS: Gas Conductivity of Geological Structures as a Site Characterisation Tool
Detailed soil-gas analyses of natural, deep-sourced He, Rn, H2, CO2 and other natural gases will be evaluated in conjunction with 3-D interpretations of the geological structures and hydrogeological regimes of sites in dirferent rock formations. Sites in fractured granitic rocks, mixed clay and aquifer sequences, and sedimentary formations overlying fractured basement rocks will be evaluated. This will provide various information relating to the migration of gases in the vicinity of each site. The information will be interpreted to assist with the evaluation of two important issues in site characterisation:
- spatial variability in gas and hydraulic conductivity of formations and structural features in different geological environments, in particular the location of direct connections from depth to surface;
- the ability of the far-field geological formations to dissipate gas generated in a deep repository.
Programm/Programme
Thema/Themen
Aufforderung zur Vorschlagseinreichung
Data not availableFinanzierungsplan
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsKoordinator
OX11 0RA Didcot
Vereinigtes Königreich