Publications related to Gorleben

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

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

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

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

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

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

A numerical study on the coupled hydro-mechanical behaviour of compacted bentonite

Lyesse Laloui, Alessio Ferrari, Jose Antonio Bosch Llufriu

Understanding the mechanical behaviour of compacted bentonite upon re-saturation is of outmost importance in most designs of nuclear waste disposal repositories. The behaviour of bentonite is characterized by its stress-path dependency and it is typically ...

EDP SCIENCES2020

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

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

H2-fuelled microbial metabolism in Opalinus Clay

Rizlan Bernier-Latmani, Luca Loreggian, Niels Burzan, Aislinn Ann Boylan, Carla Perez Mon

In Switzerland, the Opalinus Clay formation is considered the most likely host rock for a deep geological repository for nuclear waste. In deep geological repositories, H2 is expected to be the most abundant gas formed from the degradation of waste and fro ...

2019

Anisotropic behaviour of shallow opalinus clay

Lyesse Laloui, Alessio Ferrari, Eleonora Crisci, Alberto Minardi

Opalinus Clay shale, the selected host geomaterial of a high-level radioactive waste repository in Switzerland, was sourced at shallow depth in a borehole in the northern part of the country. Pairs of specimens, retrieved from the same depth were prepared ...

Springer Verlag2019

Frictional and transport properties of faults zones in the Opalinus Clay formation

Luis Felipe Orellana Espinoza

Deep geological repositories in clay formations are a promising option to ensure the long-term isolation of nuclear waste from the population and the environment. In Switzerland, the Opalinus Clay (OPA) formation is a shale whose favorable barrier properti ...

EPFL2018

Fifteen years of microbiological investigation in Opalinus Clay at the Mont Terri rock laboratory (Switzerland)

Rizlan Bernier-Latmani, Alexandre Bagnoud

Microbiological studies related to the geological disposal of radioactive waste have been conducted at the Mont Terri rock laboratory in Opalinus Clay, a potential host rock for a deep geologic repository, since 2002. The metabolic potential of microorgani ...

Springer Basel Ag2017

Testing of the hydro-mechanical behaviour of shales

Lyesse Laloui, Alessio Ferrari, Valentina Favero

Shales are among the most commonly considered geomaterials in current energy-related geomechanical investigations, as they are involved in engineering applications such as the unconventional extraction of natural gas, CO2 sequestration and nuclear waste ge ...

Taylor & Francis2016

Constitutive and numerical modeling of anisotropic quasi-brittle shales

Francesco Parisio

Understanding the hydro-mechanical behavior of shale is fundamental to assess the safety of deep geological nuclear repository sites. Several countries have adopted argillaceous formations as host geological media for the repository. In Switzerland, the ca ...

EPFL2016

Reconstructing a hydrogen-driven microbial metabolic network in Opalinus Clay rock

Rizlan Bernier-Latmani, Alexandre Bagnoud

The Opalinus Clay formation will host geological nuclear waste repositories in Switzerland. It is expected that gas pressure will build-up due to hydrogen production from steel corrosion, jeopardizing the integrity of the engineered barriers. In an in situ ...

Nature Research2016

Numerical analysis of canister movements in an engineered barrier system

Lyesse Laloui, Fabrice Dupray

The mid-term safety of deep geological nuclear waste repositories is based in part on the presence of a buffer, the main role of which is to isolate the environment from radionuclides. A design evaluation of such a repository is necessary to assess the pot ...

Springer Verlag2016

Rates of microbial hydrogen oxidation and sulfate reduction in Opalinus Clay rock

Rizlan Bernier-Latmani, Alexandre Bagnoud

Hydrogen gas (H2) may be produced by the anoxic corrosion of steel components in underground structures, such as geological repositories for radioactive waste. In such environments, hydrogen was shown to serve as an electron donor for autotrophic bacteria. ...

Elsevier2016

A minimalistic microbial food web in an excavated deep subsurface clay rock

Rizlan Bernier-Latmani, Alexandre Bagnoud

Clay rocks are being considered for radioactive waste disposal, but relatively little is known about the impact of microbes on the long-term safety of geological repositories. Thus, a more complete understanding of microbial community structure and functio ...

Wiley-Blackwell2016