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For the deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste in argillaceous rocks, the heat production of the waste is an important driver for thermal–hydraulic-mechanical (THM)-coupled processes. These THM processes influence the properties and conditions of the near field that in many repository designs contains bentonite as a clay buffer. One task in the DECOVALEX-2015 (DEvelopment of COupled models and their VALidation against Experiments) project was the modelling of a heated bentonite column (Villar et al. in Long-term THM tests reports: THM cells for the HE-E test: update of results until February 2014. Deliverable-no: D2.2-7.3. CIEMAT Technical Report IEMAT/DMA/2G210/03/2014, 2014) in preparation for the in situ heater experiment HE-E at the underground rock laboratory Mont Terri. DECOVALEX is an international cooperative project that focuses on the development and validation of mathematical models for simulating such coupled processes associated with disposal in deep geological repositories. Eight modelling teams developed their own THM-coupled models for the bentonite column experiment, using six different simulation codes. Each of the teams individually calibrated the THM parameters for the bentonite material. The eight resulting parameter sets agree well and allow a satisfactory reproduction of the TH measurements by all models. The modelling results for the evolution of temperature and relative humidity over time at three sensors in the bentonite column are in good agreement between the teams and with the measured data. Also, changes of the temperature due to modifications of the insulation and the adjustment of the heating power during the course of the experiment are well reproduced. The models were thus able to reproduce the main physical processes of the experiment, both for vapour-dominated diffusion during the heating phase and combined liquid and vapour transport during a subsequent heating and hydration phase. Based on the parameter sets, the teams predict a penetration of the water infiltration front in the 48-cm column filled with bentonite pellets to a depth between 25 and 35 cm over the 15,000 h (i.e. over 20 months) of the hydration phase of the experiment.

Coupled thermal–hydrological–mechanical (THM) processes in the near field of deep geological repositories can influence several safety features of the engineered and geological barriers. Among those features are: the possibility of damage in the host rock, the time for re-saturation of the bentonite, and the perturbations in the hydraulic regime in both the rock and engineered seals. Within the international cooperative code-validation project DECOVALEX-2015, eight research teams developed models to simulate an in situ heater experiment, called HE-D, in Opalinus Clay at the Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory in Switzerland. The models were developed from the theory of poroelasticity in order to simulate the coupled THM processes that prevailed during the experiment and thereby to characterize the in situ THM properties of Opalinus Clay. The modelling results for the evolution of temperature, pore water pressure, and deformation at different points are consistent among the research teams and compare favourably with the experimental data in terms of trends and absolute values. The models were able to reproduce the main physical processes of the experiment. In particular, most teams simulated temperature and thermally induced pore water pressure well, including spatial variations caused by inherent anisotropy due to bedding.

Process understanding and parameter identification using numerical methods based on experimental findings are key aspects of the international cooperative project DECOVALEX (DEvelopment of COupled models and their VALidation against Experiments http://www.decovalex.org). Comparing the long-term predictions from numerical models against experimental results increases confidence in the site selection and site evaluation process for a radioactive waste repository in deep geological formations. In the present phase of the project, DECOVALEX2015, eight research teams have developed and applied models for simulating the HE-E in situ heater experiment in the Opalinus Clay in the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory in Switzerland. The modelling task was divided into two study stages, related to prediction and interpretation of the experiment. A blind prediction of the HE-E experiment was performed based on calibrated parameter values for both the Opalinus Clay, which were derived from the modelling of another in situ experiment (HE-D experiment in the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory), and calibrated parameters for MX80 granular bentonite and a sand/bentonite mixture, which were derived from modelling of laboratory column tests. After publication of the HE-E experimental data, additional functions for coupled processes were analysed and considered in the different models. Moreover, parameter values were varied to interpret the measured temperature, relative humidity and pore pressure evolution. Generally, the temperature field can be well reproduced and is mainly controlled by thermal conductivity in the heat conduction process; the thermal conductivities of buffer materials and Opalinus Clay strongly depend on the degree of water saturation. The distribution of relative humidity is acceptable as it is reproduced by using both the Richards’ flow model and the multiphase flow model. Important here is to consider the vapour diffusion process. The analysis of the predictive and interpretative modelling confirms that the main processes in the system have been understood at least for the short-term experimental duration and captured using the models developed and associated parameters with respect to the thermal and hydraulic aspects in the high-level nuclear waste disposal in clay formations. The additional experimental results will help to increase confidence in the THM models and in process understanding.