Three-dimensional behaviour of a prototype radioactive waste repository in fractured granitic rock

An investigation of the three-dimensional coupled thermohydromechanical behaviour of a prototype repository in fractured granitic rock is presented. The pre-placement behaviour of the repository is first considered, making use of a full three-dimensional simulation of the problem. An effective continuum approach, augmented with discrete features with a high hydraulic conductivity, is employed. The method adopted is found to be able to simulate accurately the highly anisotropic flow regime observed at the pre-placement phase. The major features of the full repository experiment under applied heating conditions were then successfully simulated. The range of buffer hydration rates, the thermal response of the repository, and the associated mechanical response were successfully simulated. Approaches to capture both the transient microstructural behaviour of the compacted bentonite (MX-80 type) and a MX-80 pellet material are incorporated. The repository behaviour was shown to be strongly influenced by complex coupled processes, including interactions between the system components. The adoption of a three-dimensional modelling approach proved to be essential to realistically simulate the behaviour of a repository incorporating anisotropic flow behaviour. Finally, potential impacts of the processes considered on performance of the barrier system and in safety assessment are considered

Heat losses in ATES systems: The impact of processes, storage geometry and temperature

The technical and economic success of an Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) system depends strongly on its thermal recovery efficiency, i.e. the ratio of the amount of energy that is recovered to the energy that was injected. Typically, conduction most strongly determines the thermal recovery efficiency of ATES systems at low storage temperatures (50 °C). To date, however, it is unclear how the relative contribution of these processes and mechanical dispersion to heat losses across a broad temperature range is affected by their interaction for the wide range of storage conditions that can be encountered in practice. Since such process-based insights are important to predict ATES performance and support the design phase, numerical thermo-hydraulic ATES simulations were conducted for a wide range of realistic operational storage conditions ([15–90 °C], [50,000–1,000,000 m3/year]) and hydrogeological conditions (aquifer thickness, horizontal hydraulic conductivity, anisotropy). The simulated heat loss fractions of all scenarios were evaluated with respect to analytical solutions to assess the contribution of the individual heat loss processes. Results show that the wide range of heat losses (10–80 % in the 5th year) is the result of varying contributions of conduction, dispersion and buoyancy-driven flow, which are largely determined by the geometry of the storage volume (ratio of screen length / thermal radius, L/Rth) and the potential for buoyancy-driven flow (q0) as affected by the storage temperature and hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer. For ATES systems where conduction dominates the heat losses, a L/Rth ratio of 2 minimizes the thermal area over volume ratio (A/V) and resulting heat losses for a given storage volume. In contrast however, the impact of dispersion decreases with L/Rth and particularly for ATES systems with a high potential for buoyancy-driven flow (q0 > 0.05 m/d), increasingly smaller L/Rth ratios (<1) strongly reduce the heat losses due to tilting. Overall, the results of this study support the assessment of thermal recovery efficiencies for particular aquifer and storage conditions, thereby aiding the optimization of initial ATES designs

Numerical modelling of slope–vegetation–atmosphere interaction: an overview

The behaviour of natural and artificial slopes is controlled by their thermo-hydro-mechanical conditions and by soil–vegetation–atmosphere interaction. Porewater pressure changes within a slope related to variable meteorological settings have been shown to be able to induce soil erosion, shrinkage–swelling and cracking, thus leading to an overall decrease of the available soil strength with depth and, ultimately, to a progressive slope collapse. In terms of numerical modelling, the stability analysis of partially saturated slopes is a complex problem and a wide range of approaches from simple limit equilibrium solutions to advanced numerical analyses have been proposed in the literature. The more advanced approaches, although more rigorous, require input data such as the soil water retention curve and the hydraulic conductivity function, which are difficult to obtain in some cases. The quantification of the effects of future climate scenarios represents an additional challenge in forecasting slope–atmosphere interaction processes. This paper presents a review of real and ideal case histories regarding the numerical analysis of natural and artificial slopes subjected to different types of climatic perturbations. The limits and benefits of the different numerical approaches adopted are discussed and some general modelling recommendations are addressed

Increasing frailty is associated with higher prevalence and reduced recognition of delirium in older hospitalised inpatients: results of a multi-centre study

Purpose: Delirium is a neuropsychiatric disorder delineated by an acute change in cognition, attention, and consciousness. It is common, particularly in older adults, but poorly recognised. Frailty is the accumulation of deficits conferring an increased risk of adverse outcomes. We set out to determine how severity of frailty, as measured using the CFS, affected delirium rates, and recognition in hospitalised older people in the United Kingdom. Methods: Adults over 65 years were included in an observational multi-centre audit across UK hospitals, two prospective rounds, and one retrospective note review. Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), delirium status, and 30-day outcomes were recorded. Results: The overall prevalence of delirium was 16.3% (483). Patients with delirium were more frail than patients without delirium (median CFS 6 vs 4). The risk of delirium was greater with increasing frailty [OR 2.9 (1.8–4.6) in CFS 4 vs 1–3; OR 12.4 (6.2–24.5) in CFS 8 vs 1–3]. Higher CFS was associated with reduced recognition of delirium (OR of 0.7 (0.3–1.9) in CFS 4 compared to 0.2 (0.1–0.7) in CFS 8). These risks were both independent of age and dementia. Conclusion: We have demonstrated an incremental increase in risk of delirium with increasing frailty. This has important clinical implications, suggesting that frailty may provide a more nuanced measure of vulnerability to delirium and poor outcomes. However, the most frail patients are least likely to have their delirium diagnosed and there is a significant lack of research into the underlying pathophysiology of both of these common geriatric syndromes

Reactive Transport of Chemicals in Unsaturated Soils: Numerical Model Development and Verification

This paper presents the development of a numerical model for reactive transport of multicomponent chemicals in unsaturated soils. The model has been developed based on a coupled thermal, hydraulic, chemical, and mechanical (THCM) formulation, and extended by the inclusion of geochemical processes under mixed equilibrium and kinetically controlled reactions in–between the solid, aqueous, and gas phases in soil. This has been achieved by coupling the transport model, COMPASS, with the geochemical model, PHREEQC. Key coupling between the geochemical modelling and the flow of chemicals has been established via the inclusion of porosity modification from mineral precipitation–dissolution reactions and the consequential effects on flow processes. Verification of the developed model is addressed via a series of benchmark simulations with a focus on testing the coupling between the transport model and geochemical model. Good results have been achieved for the verification of the theoretical and numerical implementation of the new developments in the model. A simulation is presented to demonstrate the effects of mineral reactions on porosity evolution and chemical diffusion in a low porosity soil. The model developed is an advanced tool for studying the hydrogeochemical processes in unsaturated soils under variable THCM conditions

Diffusive Reactive Transport of Multicomponent Chemicals Under Coupled Thermal, Hydraulic, Chemical and Mechanical Conditions

This paper presents an investigation of the reactive transport of multicomponent chemicals in clays under coupled thermal, hydraulic, chemical and mechanical framework, considering the diffusion processes in detail. More specifically, combined effects due to the electrochemical and the thermal diffusion potentials are investigated. A theoretical framework for coupling thermal diffusion, i.e. the Soret effect, with electrochemical diffusion in a multi-ionic system is provided. An explicit form of a definition for the thermal diffusion coefficient in a multicomponent chemical transport model is developed. Chemical transport is linked to an advanced geochemical model, PHREEQC (version 2), in order to include chemical reactions. The effects of the combined diffusion potentials on the reactive transport of multicomponent chemicals are investigated by a series of numerical simulations of coupled thermal, hydraulic and chemical behaviour

Example calculation sheet for Thermal Cone Penetration Test (T-CPT)

This is an example calculation sheet for the Thermal Cone Penetration Test (T-CPT), based on the paper tentatively recommended for publication on 22 May 2018: Journal: Geotechnique; Article number: 17-P-214R1; Title: Interpreting and validating the Thermal Cone Penetration Test (T-CPT); Author(s): Philip J Vardon, Dimitris Baltoukas, Joek Peuche