Study on model for bentonite buffer intrusion phenomenon

Modelling study on the extrusion phenomenon in a geological repository for the high-level radioactive is performed to enhance the reliability of existing model described in H12 report. Main conclusions of this study are as follows: (1) The methods and physical interpretation of bentonite gel viscosity measurements are clarified and input data of the viscosity for the solid diffusivity are obtained. (2) The input data of the swelling pressure and hydraulic conductivity of bentonite in the low- density region necessary for the solid diffusivity are determined. (3) The consolidation-type model proposed by Ahn et al. is surveyed and compared with that used in this study. The consolidation-type model is thought to be equivalent to the solid diffusion model used in this study. (4) The numerical analyses for BENTFLOW experiments and model experiments on extrusion in a pipe are performed. The analyses for the BENTFLOW reproduce the experimental results better than the past studies. The agreement between the calculated and experimental results of the model experiments is not good. Thus further study is required for the evaluation of density distribution in extruding bentonite gel. (author)