Objetivo In order to describe the behaviour of engineered clay barriers around canisters in reference concepts involving the disposal of nuclear waste in granite and clay formations, several European research groups have recently developed or adapted computer codes which may handle thermohydromechanical processes in expansive, unsaturated clays. The relative merits and abilities of these codes to reproduce the actual physical processes taking place "in situ" is, however, unknown. Catsius Clay is a benchmark exercise involving these codes and its objetives are: a) Assess the accuracy and reliability of the numerical predictions of codes. b) Establish the useability and capability of codes to model the thermohydromechanical behaviour of unsaturated clay barriers, in the context of real repository conditions. c) Provide an evaluation of existing laboratory testing methods in view of the data and parameters requirements of THM models. d) Identify areas for further research. e) Disseminate ideas and existing knowledge among participants. The benchmark is organized in three stages: 1. Verification exercises (two theoretical solutions are proposed) 2. Validation exercises at laboratory scale (oedometer suction controlled test on compacted Boom clay and small scale wetting heating test of compacted bentonite) and 3. Validation exercises at "in situ" scale (Bacchus 2 "in situ" isothermal hydration test and Ciemat" "mock-up" test). All of the experimental results are already available except for the Ciemat test which is due to start in the second semester of 1995. The work to be performed by participants is essentially one of predicting the response of a set of laboratory and "in situ" experiments on the basis of the information provided by reference tests and known boundary and initial conditions. Results will be presented, compared and discused in joint plenary sessions and a collection of semester reports will provide detailed information on predictions. The Final Report will provide a critical assessment of existing codes, will give the state of the art of code capabilities and will define research needs. This project fits nicely into the heading 634.2 of Program Workplan: "Benchmark exercise". Programa(s) EAEC-NFS 2 - Specific research and training programme in the field of nuclear safety and safeguards, 1994-1998 Tema(s) 030304 - Geomechanical behaviour of engineered materials and host rocks Convocatoria de propuestas Data not available Régimen de financiación CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinador INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección S/N,Gran Capitan s/n, Campus Norte UPC, Edificio C1 08034 BARCELONA España Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos Participantes (7) Ordenar alfabéticamente Ordenar por aportación de la UE Ampliar todo Contraer todo Agence Nationale pour la Gestion des Déchets Radioactifs Francia Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección 1-7,Rue Jean Monnet 92298 Chantenay-Malabry Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos BELGIAN NUCLEAR RESEARCH CENTRE Bélgica Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección 200,Boeretang 200 2400 MOL Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos CLAY TECHNOLOGY AB Suecia Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección Ideon Research Centre Ole Roemers vaeg 12D LUND Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos Ismes SpA Italia Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección Via Pastrengo 9 24068 Seriate Bergamo Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE CATALUNYA España Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección S/N,Jordi Girona 1-3, Modul D2, Campus Nord 08034 BARCELONA Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos UNIVERSITY OF WALES CARDIFF Reino Unido Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección Newport Road, Queen's Buildings, The Parade CF2 3TB CARDIFF Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos Université de Liège Bélgica Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección 6,Quai Banning 4000 Liège Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos