Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology

In 2012, an in-situ Demonstration of Engineered Barrier System (In-DEBS) was planned with the aim of investigating the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) behavior of both the engineered barrier system (EBS) and the natural barrier system (NBS) at the advanced Korean reference repository system (A-KRS). The relevant in-situ experiment has been in operation in Research Gallery 3 of the KAERI Underground Research Tunnel (KURT) since May 2016. For analysis of the in-situ experiment data and investigation of the THM coupled behavior, it is necessary to understand thermal, hydraulic, and mechanical properties of KURT granite and bentonite buffer material. This paper summarizes the thermal, hydraulic, and mechanical properties of KURT granite and Gyeongju bentonite presented in previous studies. Moreover, it suggests various models capable of providing input parameters for interpretative modeling of In-DEBS experiment or for predictive numerical simulations of In-DEBS or A-KRS.

Keywords

KAERI Underground Research Tunnel (KURT),In-situ Demonstration of Engineered Barrier System (In-DEBS),Engineered Barrier System (EBS),Natural Barrier System (NBS),THM properties