Design and construction of two major experiments at the URL

The Underground Research Laboratory (URL) in Manitoba is the site of a comprehensive geotechnical research program providing data to assess the concept of disposal of nuclear fuel waste deep within plutonic rock of the Canadian Shield. This paper describes the planning, design, implementation and current status of two major experiments at the URL. The Buffer/Container Experiment is designed to examine the full-scale thermal-hydraulic-mechanical performance of the silica sand/bentonite clay buffer material in a single emplacement borehole environment. The Mine-by-Experiment is designed to investigate the detailed response of the rock mass to excavation