Coupled transport/reaction modelling with ion-exchange: Study of the long-term properties of bentonite buffer in a final repository

Possible transformation of Na-montmorillonite to Ca-montmorillonite, by ion exchange, in the bentonite buffer in a final repository for spent nuclear fuel can lead to a drastic decrease in the swelling capacity and a significant increase in the permeability of the bentonite. The ion exchange mechanism has been studied, by using the coupled transport/reaction model. In most typical sites of the granite bedrock where there are no large fractures, groundwater flow is limited. The results of this study show that the ion-exchange process will be very slow in this case. Only a few percent of the total Na-montmorillonite is exchanged within 1 to 10 thousand years. When the groundwater flow in the bedrock is assumed to be unlimited, an upper bound of the conditions of the water flow, a sharp ion-exchange front can be formed and propagate within the bentonite buffer. When the groundwater is assumed to be the Aespoe water, with a high Ca concentration, the break-through time of the ion-exchange front can be a few thousand years. When the water is assumed to be Allard water with low Ca concentration, the break-through time can be as long as 105 to 106 years. When a canister has manufacturing defects, both the pyrite oxidation and the ion-exchange processes can occur simultaneously. A redox front and an ion-exchange front develop from both sides of the bentonite buffer. before the two fronts meet, they travel relatively independently in the bentonite. After they have met, they interact only marginally. Even if a large scale ion-exchange happens, the release of the dissolved uranium species from the bentonite to the rock can still be extremely small. The release is mainly controlled by the redox potential of pyrite oxidation