Evidence for gas-induced pathways in clay using a nanoparticle injection technique
Harrington, J.F.; Milodowski, A.E.; Graham, C.C.; Rushton, J.C. 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5931-7537; Cuss, R.J..
2012
Evidence for gas-induced pathways in clay using a nanoparticle injection technique.
Mineralogical Magazine, 76 (8).
3327-3336.
10.1180/minmag.2012.076.8.45
Abstract/Summary
Corrosion, water radiolysis and microbial degradation will result in the generation of gas within repositories designed for the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste. It is therefore crucial in the design of such facilities that the relevant mechanisms allowing gas migration through repository materials, both engineered barriers and clay-based candidate host rocks, are correctly identified. In Belgium, the Boom Clay represents a candidate host material for which the advective gas breakthrough characteristics and transport properties have been extensively tested and are well defined by numerous studies. The Boom Clay displays a significant capacity for self-sealing and both laboratory and field tests indicate that advective gas transport occurs not by visco-capillary flow, but instead through the formation of pressure-induced dilatant pathways. In this study, we present results from a gas injection test designed to demonstrate the presence of these features by injecting nanoparticulate tracers with helium gas into a sample of Boom Clay. The results provide conclusive evidence for the formation of transient, dilatant gas pathways within a candidate clay-based host rock. This technique provides a novel diagnostic tool for the identification of processes governing multi-phase flow, supporting robust long-term assessments of repository performance.
| Item Type: | Publication - Article |
|---|---|
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI): | 10.1180/minmag.2012.076.8.45 |
| Programmes: | BGS Programmes 2010 > Minerals and waste |
| Date made live: | 12 Feb 2013 13:48 +0 (UTC) |
| URI: | https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/500065 |
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
Document Downloads
Downloads for past 30 days
Downloads per month over past year
Tools
Tools
