Abstract
The paper gives first an overview on the PRACLAY project, which includes the PRACLAY seal test, in Underground Research Facility (URF) in Mol, Belgium. The
PRACLAY Seal Test is performed to examine the feasibility of hydraulically sealing the heated part of the PRACLAY gallery from the rest of the gallery. The annular seal is
horizontally installed, and it is mainly composed of compacted MX80 bentonite and steel structure. The PRACLAY Seal Test is a complex system with coupled THM processes. Prior
to installation of the PRACLAY seal, feasibility analyses were performed to provide support to the decision made for PRACLAY seal: especially to optimize the initial state of the
bentonite (dry density, water content, saturation degree, etc.), the technological voids as well as the hydration strategy. Numerical simulations are based on the finite element code, and
several models (1D, 2D axisymmetric and 2D plane strain) were studied. A large number of THM parameters for bentonite used in the calculations are carefully determined based on the
extensive literature review and the latest laboratory experiments.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | 2nd Int. Symposium on Computational Geomechanics (CD-ROM) |
Place of Publication | Rhodes, Greece |
Pages | 640-649 |
State | Published - Apr 2011 |
Event | 2nd Int. Symposium on Computational Geomechanics - Cavtat-Dubrovnik Duration: 27 Apr 2011 → 29 Apr 2011 |
Conference
Conference | 2nd Int. Symposium on Computational Geomechanics |
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Country/Territory | Croatia |
City | Cavtat-Dubrovnik |
Period | 2011-04-27 → 2011-04-29 |