The FEBEX benchmark test: case definition and comparison of modelling approaches

The FEBEX (Full-scale Engineered Barriers Experiment in Crystalline Host Rock) ‘‘in situ’’ test was installed at the Grimsel Test Site underground laboratory (Switzerland) and is a near-to-real scale simulation of the Spanish reference concept of deep geological storage in crystalline host rock. A modelling exercise, aimed at predicting field behaviour, was divided in three parts. In Part A, predictions for both the total water inflow to the tunnel as well as the water pressure changes induced by the boring of the tunnel were required. In Part B, predictions for local field variables, such as temperature, relative humidity, stresses and displacements at selected points in the bentonite barrier, and global variables, such as the total input power to the heaters were required. In Part C, predictions for temperature, stresses, water pressures and displacements in selected points of the host rock were required. Ten Modelling Teams from Europe, North America and Japan were involved in the analysis of the test. Differences among approaches may be found in the constitutive models used, in the simplifications made to the balance equations and in the geometric symmetries considered. Several aspects are addressed in the paper: the basic THM physical phenomena which dominate the test response are discussed, a comparison of different modelling results with actual measurements is presented and a discussion is given to explain the performance of the various predictions.Peer Reviewe

Application of direct-fitting, mass-integral, and multi-rate methods to analysis of flowing fluid electric conductivity logs from Horonobe, Japan

The flowing fluid electric conductivity (FFEC) logging method is an efficient way to provide information on the depths, salinities, and transmissivities of individual conductive features intercepted by a borehole, without the use of specialized probes. Using it in a multiple-flow-rate mode allows, in addition, an estimate of the inherent "far-field" pressure heads in each of the conductive features. The multi-rate method was successfully applied to a 500-m borehole in a granitic formation and reported recently. The present paper presents the application of the method to two zones within a 1000-m borehole in sedimentary rock, which produced, for each zone, three sets of logs at different pumping rates, each set measured over a period of about one day. The data sets involve a number of complications, such as variable well diameter, free water table decline in the well, and effects of drilling mud. To analyze data from this borehole, we apply various techniques that have been developed for analyzing FFEC logs: direct-fitting, mass-integral, and the multi-rate method mentioned above. In spite of complications associated with the tests, analysis of the data is able to identify 44 hydraulically conducting fractures distributed over the depth interval 150-775 meters below ground surface. The salinities (in FEC), and transmissivities and pressure heads (in dimensionless form) of these 44 features are obtained and found to vary significantly among one another. These results are compared with data from eight packer tests with packer intervals of 10-80 m, which were conducted in this borehole over the same depth interval. They are found to be consistent with these independent packer-test data, thus demonstrating the robustness of the FFEC logging method under non-ideal conditions

Radioactivity decontamination in and around school facilities in Fukushima

Approximately two months after the Fukushima nuclear accident, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) led off a series of demonstration tests to develop effective but easily applicable decontamination methods for various school facilities in Fukushima. This effort included (1) dose reduction measures in schoolyards, (2) purification of swimming pool water, and (3) removal of surface contamination from playground equipment. Through these demonstration tests, they established practical methods suitable for each situation: (1) In schoolyards, dose rates were drastically reduced by removing topsoil, which was then placed in 1-m-deep trenches at a corner of the schoolyard. (2) For the purification of pool water, the flocculation coagulation treatment was found to be effective for collecting radiocesium dissolved in the water. (3) Demonstration tests for playground equipment, such as horizontal bars and a sandbox wood frame indicated that the decontamination effectiveness considerably varied depending on the material, paint or coating condition of each equipment piece. These findings were summarized in reports, some of which were compiled in local/national guidelines or handbooks for decontaminating the living environment in Fukushima