New equations for swelling characteristics of bentonite-based buffer materials

2003 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 460-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideo Komine ◽  
Nobuhide Ogata
Keyword(s):  
Double Layer ◽  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Van Der Waals ◽  
Swelling Pressure ◽  
Van Der Waals Force ◽  
Diffuse Double Layer ◽  
Mass Ratio ◽  
Compacted Bentonite ◽  
Buffer Material ◽  
Swelling Characteristics

Compacted bentonite and sand–bentonite mixtures are attracting greater attention as buffer material for repositories of high-level nuclear waste. This buffer material is expected to fill up the space between the canisters containing the waste and the surrounding ground by swelling. To produce the specifications, such as dry density, sand–bentonite mass ratio, and dimensions, of the buffer material, the swelling characteristics of compacted bentonite and sand–bentonite mixtures must be evaluated quantitatively. New equations for evaluating the swelling behavior of compacted bentonite and sand–bentonite mixtures are presented that can accommodate the influences of the sand–bentonite mass ratio and the exchangeable-cation composition of bentonite. The new method for predicting swelling characteristics is presented by combining the new equations with the theoretical equations of the Gouy–Chapman diffuse double layer theory and of the van der Waals force, which can evaluate the repulsive and attractive forces of montmorillonite mineral (i.e., the swelling clay mineral in bentonite). Furthermore, the applicability of the new prediction method has been confirmed by comparing the predicted results with laboratory test results on the swelling deformation and swelling pressure of compacted bentonites and sand–bentonite mixtures.Key words: bentonite, diffuse double layer theory, van der Waals force, nuclear waste disposal, swelling deformation, swelling pressure.

Experimental study on swelling characteristics of compacted bentonite

1994 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 478-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideo Komine ◽  
Nobuhide Ogata
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Volumetric Strain ◽  
Swelling Pressure ◽  
Dry Density ◽  
Initial Water Content ◽  
Initial Water ◽  
Compacted Bentonite ◽  
Swelling Characteristics ◽  
High Level

Compacted bentonites are attracting greater attention as back-filling (buffer) materials for repositories of high-level nuclear waste. However, since there are few studies about the swelling characteristics of compacted bentonites, it is first necessary to clarify the fundamental swelling characteristics in detail. For this purpose, various laboratory tests on the swelling deformation and swelling pressure of compacted bentonites were performed and the results analyzed. The following conclusions were drawn from the study. (i) The curve of swelling deformation versus time is strongly dependent on the initial dry density, vertical pressure, and initial water content. The maximum swelling deformation, however, is almost independent of initial water content, and the maximum swelling deformation increases in proportion to the initial dry density, (ii) The maximum swelling pressure increases exponentially with increasing initial dry density, whereas the maximum swelling pressure is almost independent of initial water content. (iii) The swelling mechanism of compacted bentonite was considered on the basis of the swelling behavior of swelling clay particles such as montmorillonite. Furthermore, a model of the swelling characteristics and a new parameter (swelling volumetric strain of montmorillonite), which were able to evaluate the swelling characteristics of compacted bentonite, were proposed. Key words : bentonite, laboratory test, nuclear waste disposal, swelling deformation, swelling pressure.

Prediction for swelling characteristics of compacted bentonite

1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideo Komine ◽  
Nobuhide Ogata
Keyword(s):  
Prediction Method ◽  
Swelling Pressure ◽  
Ion Concentration ◽  
Diffuse Double Layer ◽  
Compacted Bentonite ◽  
Laboratory Test Results ◽  
Swelling Characteristics ◽  
High Level Nuclear Waste ◽  
High Level ◽  
Waste Repositories

Compacted bentonites are attracting greater attention as back-filling (buffer) materials for high-level nuclear waste repositories. For this purpose, it is very important to quantitatively evaluate the swelling characteristics of compacted bentonite. New equations for evaluating the relationship between the swelling deformation of compacted bentonite and the distance between two montmorillonite layers are derived. New equations for evaluating the ion concentration of pore water and the specific surface of bentonite, which significantly influence the swelling characteristics of compacted bentonite, are proposed. Furthermore, a prediction method for the swelling characteristics of compacted bentonite is presented by combining the new equations with the well-known theorectical equations of repulsive and attractive forces between two montmorillonite layers. The applicability of this method was investigated by comparing the predicted results with laboratory test results on the swelling deformation and swelling pressure of compacted bentonites. Key words: bentonite, diffuse double-layer theory, van der Waals force, nuclear wastes disposal, swelling deformation, swelling pressure.

Clay mineralogical investigations related to nuclear waste disposal

Clay Minerals ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. T. Madsen
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Swelling Pressure ◽  
Nuclear Waste Repository ◽  
Apparent Diffusion Coefficients ◽  
Compacted Bentonite ◽  
Geotechnical Investigations ◽  
Buffer Material ◽  
Swelling Capacity ◽  
Apparent Diffusion ◽  
Swelling Strain

AbstractMineralogical and geotechnical investigations on the possible use of compacted bentonite as a buffer material in nuclear waste repositories are reported. The swelling capacity is highly dependent on the density of the compacted bentonite. Swelling pressures >30 MPa were measured for dry densities of ~2.0 g/cm3. Added iron or magnetite powder up to 20 wt% had no influence on the swelling capacity. Compacted mixtures of 20 wt% ground set cement and bentonite showed higher swelling pressures but lower swelling strain capability than compacted bentonite alone. Steam lowered the swelling pressure of compacted bentonite to ~60% of the original value. The influence was, however, reversible by ultrasonic treatment. The thermal conductivity of saturated compacted bentonite at a density of 2.0-2.1 g/cm3is ~1.35-1.45 W/m°K The volumetric heat capacity ranges from 3.1 x 106to 3.4 x 106j/m3°C The saturated hydraulic conductivity of the compacted bentonite is <10-12m/s. The apparent diffusion coefficients for various ions in compacted bentonite for water contents in the range of 20 to 25 wt% are: K+: 5 x 10-11, Cs+: 6 x 10-12, Sr2+: 3 x 10-11, UO22+: <10-13, Th4+: <10-13, Fe2+: 4 x 10-11, Fe3+: 4 x 10-11, Cl-: 1 x 10-10and I-: 1 x 10-10m2/s. The 'breakthrough time' for an apparent diffusion coefficient of 10-11m2/s in compacted bentonite 1 m thick was estimated to be ~3000 years. The mineralogical longevity was investigated on natural K-bentonites from Kinnekulle, Sweden, and Montana, USA. Although these materials have undergone considerable changes during diagenesis and contain various amounts of mixed-layer illite-smectite, they still have a substantial swelling and adsorption capacity. The investigations demonstrate that although the properties of bentonite are negatively influenced to a certain extent by heat, hot steam, iron and cement, compacted bentonite is still the best choice to act as a buffer material in a nuclear waste repository.

Coupling Swelling and Water Retention Processes in Compacted Bentonite

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antti Lempinen
Keyword(s):  
Water Retention ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Effective Strain ◽  
Swelling Pressure ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Confined Water ◽  
Swelling Properties ◽  
Compacted Bentonite ◽  
Buffer Material ◽  
Swelling Factor

Compacted bentonite is the main candidate for buffer material in several plans for spent nuclear fuel repositories. One of its important properties is high swelling capacity, which is caused by interaction between water molecules and exchangeable cations. This interaction makes bentonite behave differently from capillary materials. In this article, a model for thermo-hydro-mechanical state of partially water saturated bentonite is presented. It couples the water retention and swelling properties with introduction of the swelling factor in effective strain. The Helmholz energy density determines the state with a relatively small set of independent parameters: swelling pressure, swelling factor, maximum confined water content and the reference state. The model parameters are determined from experimental data for FEBEX bentonite, and as a simple consistency check, confined suction curves are calculated and compared to test results. Consistency of the model with observations on nano- and microscale of bentonite is also discussed.

A Study on Gas Migration Behavior in Buffer Material using X-ray CT Method

2006 ◽  
Vol 932 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Tanai ◽  
M. Yui
Keyword(s):  
Water Saturation ◽  
Gas Injection ◽  
Swelling Pressure ◽  
Digital Data ◽  
Migration Behavior ◽  
Gas Migration ◽  
Migration Test ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Compacted Bentonite ◽  
Buffer Material

ABSTRACTThis paper presents a study on gas migration behavior in a bentonite specimen with the aid of X-ray computer tomography (CT) scan data. The laboratory experiment was carried out to clarify gas migration behavior through saturated, compacted bentonite. X-ray CT was used to estimate the spatial distribution of gas and water saturation during gas migration test in the bentonite. For the gas migration test, the controlled flow rate of gas injection was adopted for pre-compacted samples of Kunigel V1 bentonite using helium gas, which is safer than hydrogen gas.A specimen was isotropically consolidated and saturated by synthetic seawater, simultaneously, by applying a backpressure. This was followed by injecting the gas using a syringe pump. Inlet and outlet gas fluxes were monitored. This test exhibited a significant threshold pressure for breakthrough, somewhat larger than the sum of the swelling pressure and the backpressure.The procedure of the X-ray CT measurement is as follows; i) measurement of the initial condition (saturated condition) of the compacted bentonite, ii) measurement of the gas injection condition as a function of time. The digital data obtained from the X-ray CT usually includes some noise. The stacking method can reduce the noise in CT values and enables to identify the gas migration area. The results indicate that gas is transported through preferential pathways in compacted bentonite, and is not homogenous.

Modeling Hydraulic Conductivity and Swelling Pressure of Several Kinds of Bentonites Affected by Salinity of Water

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukihisa Tanaka ◽  
Takuma Hasegawa ◽  
Kunihiko Nakamura
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Ground Water ◽  
Quantitative Evaluation ◽  
Coastal Area ◽  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Saline Water ◽  
Swelling Pressure ◽  
Compacted Bentonite ◽  
Swelling Characteristics

In case of construction of repository for radioactive waste near the coastal area, the effect of salinity of water on hydraulic conductivity as well as swelling pressure of bentonite as an engineered barrier should be considered because it is known that the hydraulic conductivity of bentonite increases and swelling pressure decreases with increasing salinity of water. Though the effect of salinity of water on hydraulic conductivity and swelling pressure of bentonite has been investigated experimentally, it is necessary to elucidate and to model the mechanism of the phenomenon because various kinds of bentonites may possibly be placed in various salinities of ground water. Thus, in this study, a model for evaluating hydraulic conductivity as well as swelling pressure of compacted bentonite is proposed considering the effect of salinity of water as follows: a) Change in number of flakes of a stack of montmorillonite because of cohesion. b) Change in viscosity of water in interlayer between flakes of montmorillonite. Quantitative evaluation method for hydraulic conductivity and swelling characteristics of several kinds of bentonites under saline water is proposed based on the model mentioned above.

Swelling characteristics of bentonites in artificial seawater

2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideo Komine ◽  
Kazuya Yasuhara ◽  
Satoshi Murakami
Keyword(s):  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Swelling Pressure ◽  
Radioactive Waste Disposal ◽  
Exchangeable Cation ◽  
Deformation Characteristics ◽  
High Level Radioactive Waste ◽  
Disposal Facility ◽  
Buffer Material ◽  
Swelling Characteristics ◽  
High Level

Bentonite is currently designated for use as a buffer material for the repository of high-level radioactive waste because such a material requires swelling characteristics to seal the waste. A high-level radioactive waste disposal facility may be built in a coastal area of Japan because transportation of this waste by ships is feasible. Therefore, it is important to investigate the effects of seawater on a bentonite-based buffer. This study is intended to investigate the influence of seawater on the swelling pressure and swelling deformation characteristics of five common types of bentonite. The experiments described herein clarify the relations between the influence of seawater grade and compaction density, type of exchangeable cation, montmorillonite content of the bentonite, and vertical pressure condition. Based on experimental results, suitable specifications have been defined for a bentonite-based buffer that can withstand the effects of seawater.

The effect of temperature on the swelling of montmorillonite

Clay Minerals ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Zhang ◽  
Z. Z. Zhang ◽  
P. F. Low ◽  
C. B. Roth
Keyword(s):  
Double Layer ◽  
Electric Double Layer ◽  
Swelling Pressure ◽  
Interlayer Spacing ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Thermal Breakdown ◽  
Mass Ratio ◽  
Interlayer Region ◽  
Double Layer Theory ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe effect of temperature on the swelling of clay was studied by determining (1) the relation between the interlayer spacing, λ, and the swelling pressure,Π, at different values of the temperature, T, using the method of Viani et al. (1983) as modified by Wu et al. (1989); (2) the relation between λ and T at different values of Π; and (3) the relationship between Π and mw/mc, the mass ratio of water to clay, at different values of T using the method of Low (1980). The results showed that λ was essentially independent of T but that mw/mc decreased slightly with T at any value of Π. Such results are not consistent with electric double-layer theory. Therefore, it was concluded that the decrease in mw/mc with increasing T was due primarily to the thermal breakdown and consequent loss of water from the larger pores outside of the interlayer region.

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