Heat and water mass transfer in unsaturated swelling clay based buffer: discussion on the effect of the thermal gradient and on the diffusion of water vapour

The modelling of heat, mass transfer and the behaviour coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical in swelling clay require the development of appropriate constitutive laws as well as experimental data. This former approach, allows the quantitative validation of the theoretical models. In general modelling approaches consider dominant mechanisms, (i) Fourier law for diffusion of heat, (ii) generalized Darcy law for convection of liquid water, (iii) Flick law for diffusion of water vapour, and elastic-plastic models wit h hydric hardening and thermal damage/expansion for strain-stress behaviour. Transfer of dry air and water under thermal gradient and capillary (e.g. suction) gradient in unsaturated compacted swelling clays consider evaporation, migration and condensation. These transfers take into account the capillary effect. This effect is an evaporation of liquid water in the hot part for temperature higher than 100 C associated with a, diffusion of water vapor towards cold part then condensation, and convection of liquid water with gradient of suction in the opposite direction of the water vapour diffusion. High values of the diffusion coefficient of the vapour water are considered about 10-7m2/s. Some thermal experiments related (i) low values of the water vapour diffusion coefficient in compacted swelling clays, 2004) and (ii) a significant drying associated with a water transfer even for temperature lower than 100 C. Other enhancement phenomena are used to explain these data and observations: the vaporization is a continuous process. At short term the mechanism of drying at short term is the thermal effect on the capillary pressure (e.g. surface tension depending of temperature); the thermal gradient is a driving force. When a temperature gradient is applied, diffusion occurs in order to reach equilibrium, e.g. to make the chemical potential (m) of each component uniform throughout. This mechanism is called thermal diffusion. This paper proposes a discussion on (i) the effect of the temperature and the gradient of temperature o n the water transfer and (ii) the diffusion of water vapour, in unsaturated compacted swelling clays. This discussion is based on experimental data and modelling data. Simulations using Soret effect and low values of water vapour diffusion coefficient give profiles of water saturation similar to those obtained with classical approach. (author)