Conasauga near-surface heater experiment. Final report

The Conasauga Experiment was undertaken to begin assessment of the thermomechanical and chemical response of a specific shale to the heat resulting from emplacement of high-level nuclear wastes. Canister-size heaters were implanted in Conasauga shale in Tennessee. Instrumentation arrays wee placed at various depths in drill holes around each heater. The heaters operated for 8 months and, after the first 4 days, were maintained at 3850C. Emphasis was on characterizing the thermal and mechanical response of the formation. Conduction was the major mode of heat transport; convection was perceptible only at temperatures above the boiling point of water. Despite dehydration of the shale at higher temperatures, in situ thermal conductivity was essentially constant and not a function of temperature. The mechanical response of the formation was a slight overall expansion, apparently resulting in a general decrease in permeability. Metallurgical observations were made, the stability of a borosilicate glass wasteform simulant was assessed, and changes in formation mineralogy and groundwater composition were documented. In each of these areas, transient nonequilibrium processes occur that affect material stability and may be important in determining the integrity of a repository. In general, data from the test reflect favorably on the use of shale as a disposal medium for nuclear waste