Thermal conductivity of bentonite/quartz high-level-waste-package backfill

A mixture of bentonite clay and quartz sand is being considered for use as a waste-package backfill, the material placed between a radioactive-waste canister and the repository host rock. Compacts of bentonite/quartz with weight-percent ratios of 100/0, 70/30, 50/50 and 30/70 were made at room temperature under a pressure of 100 MPa (15 ksi). Upon initial heating, the thermal conductivity of the 70/30 compact rose from 1.20 W/m.K at 2980K to 1.32 W/m.K at 3730K. After further heating to 4730K, it fell to 1.10 W/m.K, reflecting the loss of interlamellar water from the bentonite. The conductivity of the now-dehydrated compact was reproducible through several heating and cooling cycles, varying from 1.15 W/m.K at 5730K to 1.03 W/m.K at 2980K. The other mixtures were qualitatively similar to the 70/30: the 100/0, 50/50 and 30/70 dehydrated compacts displayed conductivities of 0.59, 1.06 and 0.83 W/m.K, respectively, at 2980K. Measured densities ranged from 1.98 to 2.12 g/cc. Combined geometric-mean and Maxwell models for thermal conduction in composite systems predict the measured results reasonably well. An analysis of the impact of backfills on high-level waste (HLW) package design indicates that no significant thermal penalty is imposed. 4 figures