Benchmarking thermo-hydro-mechanical models for geological barrier integrity in clay-based repositories
Abstract This study investigates the thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) behavior of argillaceous formations, particularly the Callovo–Oxfordian (COx) claystone, over extended timescales to evaluate the long-term safety of radioactive waste repositories. Numerical simulations were performed as part of a benchmark exercise to study the response of the COx formation under heating scenarios representative of high-level radioactive waste disposal. Six modeling teams from various institutions participated in this benchmark, using various numerical codes, providing valuable information on the evolution of temperature, pore water pressure, and stresses within the repository environment, particularly around the disposal cells. The results highlight that the COx formation exhibits significant thermal pressurization and stress relaxation because of its low permeability, whereas the excavation damaged zone (EDZ) remains confined to the near field and does not extend significantly under the thermal load considered. The study demonstrates the robustness of numerical tools for repository safety assessments and emphasizes the importance of validated THM formulations to ensure long-term containment of radioactive waste.
Authors
- A.B. Tatomir
- Povilas Poškas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9723-502X)
- Christophe de Lesquen
- Jörg Buchwald
- Éric Simo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4657-0028)
- Ginger El Tabbal
- Hangbiao Song (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4724-1560)
- Frédéric Collin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2220-7398)
- Fei Song (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3888-5786)
- Minh‐Ngoc Vu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6343-3784)
- Antonio Gens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7588-7054)
- R. Abhishek
- Thomas Nagel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8459-4616)
- Asta Narkūnienė (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9589-4486)
- Miguel A. Mánica (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0520-6951)
- Simon Raude
- Rocio Paola Leon-Vargas
Institutions
- Tongji University (CN)
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (DE)
- University of Liège (BE)
- Lithuanian Energy Institute (LT)
- Dbe Technology (Germany) (DE)
- Agence Nationale pour la Gestion des Déchets Radioactifs (FR)
- Laboratoire d'Informatique Gaspard-Monge (FR)
- TU Bergakademie Freiberg (DE)
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX)
- Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Acta Geotechnica
- Published
- 2025-07-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-025-02683-y
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Rock Mechanics and Modeling
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.86
Funders
- European Commission
- Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
- Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg
- HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme