Publications related to Deep geological repository

Microbial hydrogen sinks in the sand-bentonite backfill material for the deep geological disposal of radioactive waste

Rizlan Bernier-Latmani, Manon Frutschi, Nicolas Louis Maurice Jacquemin, Simiao Wang, Camille Aude Rolland, Niels Burzan, Aislinn Ann Boylan

The activity of subsurface microorganisms can be harnessed for engineering projects. For instance, the Swiss radioactive waste repository design can take advantage of indigenous microorganisms to tackle the issue of a hydrogen gas (H2) phase pressure build ...

Frontiers Media SA2024

Evolution of water content and suction of Opalinus Clay from recovery at the drilling site to handling in the laboratory

Lyesse Laloui, Alessio Ferrari, Angelica Tuttolomondo

Advanced geotechnical engineering applications, such as shale gas extraction, CO2 geological sequestration, and geological radioactive waste storage, often involve various types of shales located at significant depths. Shales exhibit mechanical properties ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2024

A FEM modelling workflow to simulate THM effects in the rock around nuclear waste packages

Matthias Timothee Stanislas Wojnarowicz

High-level waste, stemming from nuclear electricity generation poses significant environmental and safety concerns. Currently, high-level wastes are stored in interim facilities needing constant monitoring and waiting for a definitive solution. Deep geolog ...

EPFL2024

Thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour of the Callovo-Oxfordian claystone under thermal changes

Héloïse Manon Fuselier

Underground storage of radioactive waste is consensually recognised as the safest storage solution by European and worldwide countries relying mainly or partially on nuclear energy production. Over twenty years of research led by the French national agency ...

EPFL2024

Insights from an extensive triaxial testing campaign on a shale for comparative site characterization of a deep geological repository

Lyesse Laloui, Alessio Ferrari, Eleonora Crisci

Several boreholes were drilled for site comparison of a deep geological repository (DGR) in Northern Switzerland. The main target of the exploration program was the >100m thick Opalinus Clay, the designated host rock encountered at approximately 450 to 100 ...

Elsevier2024

Thermo-hydro-mechanical analysis of the complete lifetime of the bentonite barrier in the FEBEX in-situ test

Lyesse Laloui, Alessio Ferrari, Jose Antonio Bosch Llufriu, Yafei Qiao

The FEBEX test was a large-scale demonstration project for the deep geological disposal concept of nuclear waste involving bentonite seals that lasted 18 years. One of the objectives of the test was to evaluate the capabilities of numerical methods to prov ...

2023

Hydro-Mechanical Characterization of a Shale by Unusually High-Pressure Oedometric Tests

Alessio Ferrari, Eleonora Crisci

The note presents selected results of an experimental campaign conducted with the aim to investigate the hydro-mechanical behaviour of a shale recovered at a depth of about 900 m below the ground. High-pressure oedometric tests were performed to investigat ...

Wei Wu, Universität für Bodenkultur2023

Shear strength and shear stiffness analysis of compacted Wyoming-type bentonite

Alessio Ferrari

Wyoming-type bentonite is one of the materials to be used as part of the Engineered Barrier System (EBS) in deep geological disposal facilities for the safe disposal of spent nuclear fuel.In the KBS-3 type repository, the canisters containing the spent fue ...

ELSEVIER2023

Experimental and Numerical Investigation on Water Exchange of Opalinus Clay Samples

Alessio Ferrari, Eleni Stavropoulou, Qazim Llabjani, Vincenzo Sergio Vespo

Opalinus Clay is a fine-grained sedimentary geomaterial with a mineral composition consisting mainly of silicates, carbonates and quartz. Due to its favourable barrier properties, this geomaterial has been selected as the host rock for the underground disp ...

Wei Wu, Universität für Bodenkultur2023

Growth and persistence of an aerobic microbial community in Wyoming bentonite MX-80 despite anoxic in-situ conditions

Rizlan Bernier-Latmani, Manon Frutschi, Niels Burzan, Roberta Murad Lima

Microbial activity has the potential to enhance the corrosion of high-level radioactive waste disposal canisters, which, in the proposed Swiss deep geological repository, will be embedded in bentonite and placed in the Opalinus Clay rock formation (OPA). T ...

Frontiers Media SA2022

Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment: Current Developments

Lyesse Laloui, Roba Houhou

Geomechanics is advancing our understanding of the multi-physical processes encountered in engineering practices involving energy storage and production and environmental protection for which the characterization of the behavior of relevant materials is es ...

2022

Physical characterization of fault rocks within the Opalinus Clay formation

Marie Estelle Solange Violay, Luis Felipe Orellana Espinoza, Christophe Nussbaum

Near-surface disposal of radioactive waste in shales is a promising option to safeguard the population and environment. However, natural faults intersecting these geological formations can potentially affect the long-term isolation of the repositories. Thi ...

Nature Research2022

Understanding JET-C quiescent phases with edge harmonic magnetohydrodynamic activity and comparison with behaviour under ITER-like wall conditioning

Wilfred Anthony Cooper, Jonathan Graves, Daniele Brunetti, Alberto Mariani, Andreas Kleiner, Guillermo Bustos Ramirez

An analysis of edge localised mode-free (quiescent) H-mode discharges exhibiting edge harmonic magnetoydrodynamic activity in the JET-carbon wall machine is presented. It is observed that the otherwise quiescent pulses with multiple-n harmonic oscillations ...

IOP Publishing Ltd2022

Studies on the mechanical evolution of compacted bentonite subjected to environmental actions

Jose Antonio Bosch Llufriu

Deep geological disposal is currently the most feasible option for the long-term isolation of radioactive waste, consisting in emplacing the waste into tunnels or drifts excavated at great depths in suitable geological formations. The use of bentonite, a h ...

EPFL2021

Growth and viability of microorganisms in bentonite and their potential activity in deep geological repository environments

Niels Burzan

Radioactive waste is among the most dangerous anthropogenic waste and its safe disposal is a challenging multi-generational task. Many nations have sought for the peaceful application of nuclear fission for the reliable production of electric energy to pow ...

EPFL2021

Effect of the mineralogical composition on the elastoplastic hydromechanical response of Opalinus Clay shale

Lyesse Laloui, Alessio Ferrari, Eleonora Crisci

Opalinus Clay is the shale currently under investigation as the host formation for geological radioactive waste disposal in Switzerland. Its hydromechanical response has been widely studied, and the experimental results show a range of values whose dispers ...

2021

Optimisation of used nuclear fuel canister loading using a neural network and genetic algorithm

Andreas Pautz, Hakim Ferroukhi, Dimitri Rochman, Alexander Vasiliev

This paper presents an approach for the optimisation of geological disposal canister loadings, combining high resolution simulations of used nuclear fuel characteristics with an articial neural network and a genetic algorithm. The used nuclear fuels (produ ...

SPRINGER LONDON LTD2021

Bentonite clay barriers in nuclear waste repositories

Lyesse Laloui, Alessio Ferrari, Jose Antonio Bosch Llufriu

Deep disposal of high-level radioactive waste is the preferred solution worldwide for the long-term disposal of nuclear waste. This concept involves a series of geological and engineered barriers that provide isolation of the waste from the biosphere. Most ...

EDP SCIENCES2020

Active sulfur cycling in the terrestrial deep subsurface

Rizlan Bernier-Latmani, Manon Frutschi, Emma Bell, Chen Qian

The deep terrestrial subsurface remains an environment where there is limited understanding of the extant microbial metabolisms. At Olkiluoto, Finland, a deep geological repository is under construction for the final storage of spent nuclear fuel. It is th ...

2020

A coupled hydro – mechanical approach for modelling the volume change behaviour of compacted bentonite

Lyesse Laloui, Alessio Ferrari, Jose Antonio Bosch Llufriu

The volumetric response of compacted bentonites against environmental actions is a key aspect in most designs of nuclear waste repositories. The safety assessment of such repositories must account for robust and reliable models of stress–strain for bentoni ...

EDP SCIENCES2020