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Coupled Modelling of Gas Migration in Host Rock and Application to a Potential Deep Geological Repository for Nuclear Wastes in OntarioWei, Xue 27 May 2022 (has links)
With the widening and increasing use of nuclear energy, it is very important to design and build long-term deep geological repositories (DGRs) to manage radioactive waste. The disposal of nuclear waste in deep rock formations is currently being investigated in several countries (e.g., Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan and Switzerland). In Canada, a repository for low and intermediate level radioactive waste is being proposed in Ontario’s sedimentary rock formations. During the post-closure phase of a repository, significant quantities of gas will be generated from several processes, such as corrosion of metal containers or microbial degradation of organic waste. The gas pressure could influence the engineered barrier system and host rock and might disturb the pressure-head gradients and groundwater flows near the repository. An increasing gas pressure could also cause damage to the host rock by inducing the development of micro-/macro-cracks. This will further cause perturbation to the hydrogeological properties of the host rock such as desiccation of the porous media, change in degree of saturation and hydraulic conductivity. In this regard, gas generation and migration may affect the stability or integrity of the integrate barriers and threaten the biosphere through the transmitting gaseous radionuclides as long-term contaminants. Thus, from the safety perspective of DGRs, gas generation and migration should be considered in their design and construction. The understanding and modelling of gas migration within the host rock (natural barrier) and the associated potential impacts on the integrity of the natural barrier are important for the safety assessment of a DGR. Therefore, the key objectives of this Ph.D. study include (i) the development of a simulator for coupled modelling of gas migration in the host rock of a DGR for nuclear waste; and (ii) the numerical investigation of gas migration in the host rock of a DGR for nuclear waste in Ontario by using the developed simulator. Firstly, a new thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) simulator (TOUGHREACT-COMSOL) has been developed to address these objectives. This simulator results from the coupling of the well-established numerical codes, TOUGHREACT and COMSOL. A series of mathematical models, which include an elastoplastic-damage model have been developed and then implemented into the simulator. Then, the predictive ability of the simulator is validated against laboratory and field tests on gas migration in host rocks. The validation results have shown that the developed simulator can predict well the gas migration in host rocks. This agreement between the predicted results and the experimental data indicates that the developed simulator can reasonably predict gas migration in DGR systems. The new simulator is used to predict gas migration and its effects in a potential DGR site in Ontario. Valuable results regarding gas migration in a potential DGR located in Ontario have been obtained. The research conducted in this Ph.D. study will provide a useful tool and information for the understanding and prediction of gas migration and its effect in a DGR, particularly in Ontario.
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Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis of the Pile Foundation Behavior in Unsaturated Expansive SoilWu, Xingyi 22 April 2021 (has links)
Expansive soils, which are widely referred to as problematic soils are extensively found in many countries of the world, especially in semi-arid and arid regions. Several billions of dollars are spent annually for maintenance or for repairs to the structures constructed with and within expansive soils. The major problems of expansive soils can be attributed to the volume changes associated with the alternate wetting and drying conditions due to the influence of environmental factors. Pile foundations have been widely accepted by practicing engineers as a reasonably good solution to reduce the damages to the structures constructed on expansive soils. Typically, piles foundations are extended through the active layer of expansive soil to reach the bedrock or placed on a soil-bearing stratum of good quality. Such a design and construction approach typically facilitates pile foundations to safely carry the loads from the superstructures and reduce the settlement. However, in many scenarios, damages associated with the pile foundations are due to the expansion of the soil that is predominantly in the active zone that contributes to the pile uplift. Such a behavior can be attributed to the water infiltration into the expansive soil, which is a key factor that is associated with the soil swelling. Due to this phenomenon, expansive soil typically moves upward with respect to the pile. This generates extra positive friction on the pile because of the relative deformation. If the superstructure is light or the applied normal stress on the head of the piles is not significant, it is likely that there will be an uplift of the pile contributing to the damage of the superstructure.
In conventional engineering practice, the traditional design methods that include the rigid pile method and the elastic pile method are the most acceptable in pile foundation design. These methods are typically based on a computational technique that uses simplified assumptions with respect to soil and water content profile and the stiffness and shear strength properties. In other words, the traditional design method has limitations, as they do not take account of the complex hydromechanical behavior of the in-situ expansive soils. With the recent developments, it is possible to alleviate these limitations by using numerical modeling techniques such as finite element methods. In this thesis, a three-dimensional finite element method was used to study the hydro-mechanical behavior of a single pile in expansive soils during the infiltration process.
In this thesis, a coupled hydro-mechanical model for the unsaturated expansive soil is implemented into Abaqus software for analysis of the behavior of single piles in expansive soils during water infiltration. A rigorous continuum mechanics based approach in terms of two independent stress state variables; namely, net normal stress and suction are used to form two three-dimensional constitutive surfaces for describing the changes in the void ratio and water content of unsaturated expansive soils. The elasticity parameters for soil structure and water content in unsaturated soil were obtained by differentiating the mathematical equations of constitutive surfaces. The seepage and stress-deformation of expansive soil are described by the coupled hydro-mechanical model and the Darcy’s law. To develop the subroutines, the coupled hydro-mechanical model is transferred into the coupled thermal-mechanical model. Five user-material subroutines are used in this program. The user-defined field subroutine (USDFILD) in Abaqus is used to change and transfer parameters. Three subroutines including user-defined material subroutine (UMAT), user-defined thermal material subroutine (UMATHT), and user-defined thermal expansion subroutine (UEXPAN) are developed and used to calculate the stress-deformation, the hydraulic behavior, and the expansion strain, respectively. Except for the coupled hydro-mechanical model of unsaturated expansive soils, a soil-structure interface model is implemented into the user-defined friction behavior subroutine (FRIC) to calculate the friction between soil and pile. The program is verified by using an experimental study on a single pile in Regina clay. The results show that for the single pile in expansive soil under a vertical load, water infiltration can cause a reduction in the pile shaft friction. More pile head load is transferred to the pile at greater depth, which increases the pile head settlement and pile base resistance. In future, the proposed method can also be extended for verification of other case studies from the literature. In addition, complex scenarios can be investigated to understand the behavior of piles in expansive soils.
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Exploring the Geomechanics of Sinkholes: A Preliminary Numerical StudyRawal, Kishor January 2016 (has links)
No description available.
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On the hydro-mechanical behavior of ancient railway flatforms in term of reinforcement by soil-mixingDuong, Trong Vinh, Duong, Trong Vinh 25 November 2013 (has links) (PDF)
The present work deals with the behavior of ancient railway sub-structure in France. A statistical study was firstly undertaken on problems occurred in the whole ancient French railway network. The analysis evidenced the particular importance of sub-grade quality for the performance of the sub-structure and the track geometry. Afterwards, an ancient railway line in the West of France was investigated. The analysis showed that the degradation speed of this line was correlated with different parameters such as the nature of sub-grades and the thickness of different layers. An increase trend of degradation speed with the increase in interlayer thickness was identified. The interlayer has a positive impact since it reduces the train-induced stress applied to the sub-grade. The hydro-mechanical behavior of interlayer soil under different conditions (water content, fines content, stress, number of cycles) was investigated. A set of triaxial tests and infiltration tests were performed for this purpose. By analyzing the shear strength properties, the permanent axial strain and the resilient modulus of interlayer soil, we found that the water content and the fines content must be considered together. Adding more fines into the interlayer presents a positive impact under unsaturated conditions thanks to the suction effect, but a negative impact under saturated conditions. The infiltration column tests with drying/wetting cycles showed that the hydraulic conductivity of interlayer soil is governed by fines fraction but did not change significantly with fines content. In order to study the mechanism of interlayer creation and mud pumping, a physical model of 550 mm inner diameter was developed. Soil samples representing the ancient French railway substructure with a ballast layer overlying an artificial silt layer (mixture of crushed sand and kaolin were tested. The effects of monotonic and cyclic loadings, water content and dry unit mass of sub-soil were investigated. It was found that the pore water pressure developed in the sub-soil and the sub-soil stiffness are the key factors for the migration of fine particles or the creation of interlayer/mud pumping. Water is the necessary condition, but it is the soil compressibility that governs the phenomenon to occur
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Phénomènes d'interaction sol-structure vis-à-vis de l'aléa retrait-gonflement pour l’évaluation de la vulnérabilité des ouvrages / Soil-structure interaction phenomenon against the shrink-swell hazard for evaluation of buildings vulnerabilityJahangir, Emad 15 November 2011 (has links)
Les sols argileux peuvent présenter des variations importantes de volume lors d’un changement hydrique, tel une période de sécheresse. Ce phénomène de retrait-gonflement des sols argileux est à l’origine de nombreux préjudices aux bâtis ce qui le situe, après les inondations, au second rang des aléas naturels français en matière de coût des dommages : 5 milliard d’euros entre 1988 et 2007. Les maisons individuelles sont les plus touchées par ce phénomène qui provoque un tassement différentiel du bâti à l’origine de sa dégradation (fissures dans les éléments de maçonnerie non armée en particulier). L’objectif de cette thèse est d’étudier la vulnérabilité des bâtis vis-à-vis de l’aléa retrait-gonflement à travers une analyse de l’interaction sol-structure. Ce travail s’est porté sur les trois grands volets suivants : 1 - le comportement hydromécanique des sols argileux, 2 - l’interaction sol-structure, 3 - l’évaluation des dommages structuraux. Le comportement hydromécanique des sols argileux a été modélisé par le concept de surface d’état et intégré dans un modèle d’interaction sol-structure inspiré du modèle de Winkler, avec des approches de plus en plus complexes : cas unidimensionnel tout d’abord, 2D ensuite en assimilant la structure à une poutre, puis en 3D en représentant la structure par une plaque. Ces modèles d’interaction sol-structure permettent de calculer la déflexion relative d’un bâti, en fonction d’une valeur de succion imposée et des propriétés mécaniques ou hydromécaniques de la structure et du sol d’assise. La déflexion relative du bâti est alors comparée à des valeurs seuils afin d’évaluer le dommage.La dernière partie de cette thèse consiste en une étude de faisabilité pour le développement de courbes de vulnérabilités adaptées à la problématique du retrait gonflement. Ces courbes représentent la moyenne des dommages d’un type de bâti conçu sur un type de sol gonflant pour une valeur de succion imposée. Ces courbes ont été développées à partir d’une typologie des sols gonflants et d’une typologie des bâtis issue des bases de données des maisons sinistrées. La moyenne des dommages est calculée par la méthode de Monte-Carlo, en prenant en compte la variabilité des paramètres du bâti. / Clayey soils can present large volumetric deformations in response of water content change. This phenomenon of shrinkage and swelling of clayey soils is recognized as a costly natural hazard throughout the world. In France, this cost is reported between 1988 and 2007 to 5 million Euros, ranking in second class of the French natural hazards in terms of cost of damage after the floods. The individual masonry buildings with shallow foundations are the most affected by this phenomenon that causes a differential settlement of the building leading to cracks in facades and structural elements, especially in unreinforced masonry elements.The objective of this thesis was to study the vulnerability of the building, against the shrink-swell hazard through an analysis of soil-structure interaction. This work was focused on three major points: - Hydro-mechanical behavior of clay soils - Soil-structure interaction - Evaluation of structural damage.The hydro-mechanical behavior of clay soils was considered by the concept of state surface and integrated into a soil-structure interaction model, based on the Winkler model, with increasingly complex approaches: 1D, 2D and 3D by modeling the building behavior respectively by a spring system, the beam element and the plate element. These models of soil-structure interaction are able to calculate the relative deflection of the building, according to the values of imposed suction, mechanical properties of the structure and hydro-mechanical properties of the soil. The relative deflection of the building is then compared to threshold values of the classical damage categories to assess the building damage.Finally a feasibility study was conducted on the development of vulnerability curves adapted to the problem of shrinkage – swelling of clayey soils. These curves represent the average of structural damage versus suction, for each type of building. These curves were developed based on a classification of expansive soils and a building typology outcome from databases of affected buildings. The average damage is calculated by the Monte-Carlo method, taking into account the variability of the building parameters.
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Comportement hydromécanique différé des barrières ouvragées argileuses gonflantes / Hydro-mechanical behaviour of bentonite-sand mixture used as sealing materials in radioactive waste disposal galleriesSaba, Simona 09 December 2013 (has links)
Dans le but de vérifier l'efficacité des dispositifs de scellement ou des barrières ouvragées dans le stockage géologique des déchets radioactifs, l'Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) a mis en œuvre le projet expérimental SEALEX (SEALing performance EXperiments) auquel ce travail est étroitement lié. Dans le cadre de ce projet, des essais in-situ sont effectués à l'échelle représentative et dans des conditions naturelles sur un mélange compacté de bentonite et de sable. Ce matériau de mélange a été choisi pour sa faible perméabilité et surtout pour sa capacité de gonflement qui permet de colmater les vides existant dans le système, notamment le vide technologique correspondant au vide radial entre le noyau de scellement et la roche hôte et qui est inévitable au cours de l'installation du noyau dans le forage. Une fois les vides scellés, le gonflement à volume constant engendre une pression de gonflement aussi bien sur la roche hôte (radiale) que sur les structures de confinement en béton (axiale). Le comportement de ce matériau dans ces conditions de couplages hydromécaniques est alors étudié dans ce travail. La microstructure du matériau à son état initial a été premièrement examinée par micro-tomographie rayons-X. Ceci a permis de voir la distribution des grains de bentonite et de sable ainsi que le réseau de pores dans l'échantillon. Des macro-pores se sont retrouvés concentrés à la périphérie de l'échantillon ainsi qu'entre les grains de sable, ce qui pourra affecter à court terme la perméabilité. L'hydratation du même matériau en condition de gonflement limité a été ensuite observée par une photographie 2D et par la micro-tomographie aux rayons-X. Le mécanisme de gonflement par production de gel de bentonite, la cinétique de gonflement, la diminution de densité et l'homogénéisation du matériau final on été analysés. L'hydratation en conditions de gonflement empêché a été aussi étudiée par des essais où la pression de gonflement a été mesurée dans deux directions : radialement et axialement. La différence retrouvée entre les pressions de gonflement axiales et radiales a évoqué la présence d'une anisotropie de microstructure qui a été analysée en fonction de la masse volumique sèche de bentonite dans le mélange. Des essais en modèle réduit reproduisant à une échelle 1/10ème les essais in situ (SEALEX) ont été également effectués afin d'étudier le comportement du noyau compacté après la reprise des vides au cas d'un accident détruisant les éléments de confinement. Des mesures locales de pression de gonflement le long des échantillons ont permis de mettre en évidence l'évolution du gradient de densité durant le gonflement axial. Finalement une comparaison entre les résultats obtenus dans ce travail et ceux d'un essai in situ (SEALEX) a été faite. Une bonne correspondance entre les valeurs d'humidités relatives a été retrouvée pour les mêmes longueurs d'hydratation tout en prenant en compte la saturation par le vide technologique radial. Par contre, la comparaison des évolutions et des valeurs de pressions de gonflement était plus compliquée vu les différences de configurations des essais / In order to verify the effectiveness of the geological high-level radioactive waste disposal, the French Institution of Radiation protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) has implemented the SEALEX project to control the long-term performance of swelling clay-based sealing systems, and to which this work is closely related. Within this project, In-situ tests are carried out on compacted bentonite-sand mixture in natural conditions and in a representative scale. This material is one of the most appropriate sealing materials because of its low permeability and good swelling capacity. Once installed, this material will be hydrated by water from the host-rock and start swelling to close all gaps in the system, in particular the internal pores, rock fractures and technological voids. Afterwards, swelling pressure will develop. In the present work, laboratory experiments were performed to investigate the sealing properties under this complex hydro-mechanical conditions taking into consideration the effect of technological voids. The microstructure of the material in its initial state was first examined by microfocus X-ray computed tomography (µCT). This allowed identification of the distribution of grains of sand and bentonite as well as the pores in the sample. Macro-pores are found concentrated at the periphery of the sample and between the grains of sand, which could affect in the short term the permeability. The hydration of the same material in limited swelling conditions was then observed by 2D photography and 3D µCT. The swelling mechanism with bentonite gel production, the swelling kinetics, the density decrease and the homogenisation of the material were analyzed. The hydration in the conditions of prevented swelling was also studied by swelling pressure tests with radial and axial measurements of swelling pressure. The difference found between the axial and radial swelling pressures suggested the presence of an anisotropic microstructure. Mock-up tests at a 1/10 scale of the in situ SEALEX tests were carried out for the study of the recovery capacity of the mixture in case of an accident causing the failure of the confining structures. Local measurements of swelling pressures along the sample allowed analysis of the density gradient evolution during axial swelling. Finally, a comparison between the laboratory results and those from an in-situ test was done, showing a good fitting in the relative humidity curves for the same infiltration length while considering the saturation effect from the technological void. The swelling pressure comparison was more complex because of the different configurations of the tests (existence of technological void in-situ that could affect the kinetics)
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Numerical Modeling of Hydraulic Fracture Propagation Using Thermo-hydro-mechanical Analysis with Brittle Damage Model by Finite Element MethodMin, Kyoung 16 December 2013 (has links)
Better understanding and control of crack growth direction during hydraulic fracturing are essential for enhancing productivity of geothermal and petroleum reservoirs. Structural analysis of fracture propagation and impact on fluid flow is a challenging issue because of the complexity of rock properties and physical aspects of rock failure and fracture growth. Realistic interpretation of the complex interactions between rock deformation, fluid flow, heat transfer, and fracture propagation induced by fluid injection is important for fracture network design. In this work, numerical models are developed to simulate rock failure and hydraulic fracture propagation. The influences of rock deformation, fluid flow, and heat transfer on fracturing processes are studied using a coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) analysis.
The models are used to simulate microscopic and macroscopic fracture behaviors of laboratory-scale uniaxial and triaxial experiments on rock using an elastic/brittle damage model considering a stochastic heterogeneity distribution. The constitutive modeling by the energy release rate-based damage evolution allows characterizing brittle rock failure and strength degradation. This approach is then used to simulate the sequential process of heterogeneous rock failures from the initiation of microcracks to the growth of macrocracks. The hydraulic fracturing path, especially for fractures emanating from inclined wellbores and closed natural fractures, often involves mixed mode fracture propagation. Especially, when the fracture is inclined in a 3D stress field, the propagation cannot be modeled using 2D fracture models. Hence, 2D/3D mixed-modes fracture growth from an initially embedded circular crack is studied using the damage mechanics approach implemented in a finite element method.
As a practical problem, hydraulic fracturing stimulation often involves fluid pressure change caused by injected fracturing fluid, fluid leakoff, and fracture propagation with brittle rock behavior and stress heterogeneities. In this dissertation, hydraulic fracture propagation is simulated using a coupled fluid flow/diffusion and rock deformation analysis. Later THM analysis is also carried out. The hydraulic forces in extended fractures are solved using a lubrication equation. Using a new moving-boundary element partition methodology (EPM), fracture propagation through heterogeneous media is predicted simply and efficiently. The method allows coupling fluid flow and rock deformation, and fracture propagation using the lubrication equation to solve for the fluid pressure through newly propagating crack paths.
Using the proposed model, the 2D/3D hydraulic fracturing simulations are performed to investigate the role of material and rock heterogeneity. Furthermore, in geothermal and petroleum reservoir design, engineers can take advantage of thermal fracturing that occurs when heat transfers between injected flow and the rock matrix to create reservoir permeability. These thermal stresses are calculated using coupled THM analysis and their influence on crack propagation during reservoir stimulation are investigated using damage mechanics and thermal loading algorithms for newly fractured surfaces.
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Hydro-mechanical behaviour of bentonite-based materials used for high-level radioactive waste disposalWang, Qiong 10 December 2012 (has links) (PDF)
This study deals with the hydro-mechanical behaviour of compacted bentonite-based materials used as sealing materials in high-level radioactive waste repositories. The pure MX80 bentontie, mixtures of MX80/crushed claystone and MX80/sand were used in the investigation. An experimental study on the swelling pressure of the bentonite-based materials was first performed. The results evidenced the effects of water chemistry, hydration procedure and duration, pre-existing technological void and experimental methods. Emphasis was put on the relationship between the swelling pressure and the final dry density of bentonite. Afterwards, the water retention test, hydration test and suction controlled oedometer test were conducted on samples with different voids including the technological void and the void inside the soil. By introducing the parameters as bentonite void ratio and water volume ratio, an overall analysis of the effects of voids on the hydro-mechanical response of the compacted material was performed. To get better insight into the seal evolution in case of technological void, the effects of final dry density and hydration time on the microstructure features were also characterized. Then, the hydraulic properties under unsaturated state were investigated by carrying out water retention test and infiltration test as well as the microstructure observation. The results obtained allowed relating the variation of hydraulic conductivity to the microstructure changes. A small scale (1/10) mock up test of the SEALEX in situ experiment was also performed to study the recovery capacity of bentonite-based material with consideration of a technological void. The results were used for interpreting the in-situ observations. With a reduced time scale, it provides useful information for estimating the saturation duration and sealing effectiveness of the field design. Finally, the experimental data obtained in the laboratory on bentonite/sand mixture were interpreted in the framework of the Barcelona Expansive Model (BExM). By comparing the model with the experimental results, the performance and limitation of the model were analyzed
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Analyse expérimentale et numérique de la fabrication de pièces composites par le procédé RTM / Experimental and numerical study of the manufacturing of composite parts using the RTM processAgogué, Romain 17 February 2011 (has links)
Cette thèse s’intéresse à la fabrication de pièces composites par le procédé Resin Transfert Molding (ou RTM), appliquée à des tubes de protection thermiques. Plus particulièrement, cette thèse vise à démontrer la faisabilité d’utiliser ce procédé pour la fabrication cette pièce complexe. La phase d’imprégnation de préformes sèches est plus particulièrement étudiée. Après mise en oeuvre, cette pièce peut présenter des défauts tels que de la porosité ou des déplacements de plis constituant la préforme. L’objectif de cette thèse est donc de comprendre l’origine de ces défauts et de minimiser voire de d’empêcher leur apparition. Pour cela, une démarche expérimentale a été mise en place. Celle ci comprend la réalisation d’un pilote de laboratoire permettant d’appliquer différentes conditions d’imprégnation aux préformes considérées. La perméabilité des renforts considérés a aussi été évaluée à différentes échelles grâce à l’utilisation de moyen dédiés à l’échelle macroscopique (banc de perméabilité planaire et transverse), et grâce à l’utilisation d’un code de calcul se basant sur des images de tomographie synchrotron à l’échelle microscopique. Enfin, une analyse de la qualité des prototypes réalisés a été menée en suivant des procédures mises en place lors de ce projet et les résultats analysés et mis en relation avec les conditions de mise en oeuvre. Cette approche expérimentale est couplée aux simulations numériques de la phase d’imprégnation que nous avons aussi mise en oeuvre au cours de cette thèse. Par l’utilisation combinée de la simulation numérique et des essais expérimentaux, nous avons défini des critères estimant le risque d’apparition des défauts. Ces critères ont montré leur efficacité sur les solutions innovantes que nous avons proposées puisque répondant aux exigences du cahier des charges industriel. / This work concerns the manufacturing of composite parts using the Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) process. A major goal of this study is to test the feasibility of using this process to manufacture a thick tubular part with a complex shape. This study concerns the different stages of the process with an important focus on the injection step of dry preforms. The goal of this thesis is to understand the generation of manufacturing defect (mainly porosity and preform deformation) that possibly takes place during the injection step to avoid them. An experimental procedure is proposed. An experimental setup was developed to study the influence of the different process parameters on the quality of the composite parts. The determination of the longitudinal and through the thickness permeabilities was conducted experimentally on sheared and un-sheared samples. An alternative technique to estimate the permeability is presented based on simulation software using X-ray tomography images at the microscale. At last, a quality control procedure was developed and applied to the tubes manufactured within this project. This experimental work was compared to numerical simulations of the injection stage. Using both numerical simulations and experiments, criteria on process and material parameters to predict the quality of the tailored parts are presented. Those criteria are successfully compared to experimental data and were applied to design innovative injection solutions that meet industrial specifications.
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Hydro-Mechanical Modelling of Preferential Gas Flow in Host Rocks for Nuclear Waste RepositoriesYang, Jianxiong 12 November 2021 (has links)
As a safe long-term management of nuclear wastes, deep geological repositories (DGRs) have been proposed or currently being constructed in several countries. The host rocks in DGRs are saturated with water after the geological disposal facilities (GDFs) are closed and sealed. Significant gas can be generated due to several processes, e.g., the metal corrosion, water radiolysis or microbial reaction of organic materials, etc. The generated gas is anticipated to span throughout the long-term disposal of waste, which may jeopardize the stability of host rocks. Correspondingly, the performance of GDF will be affected since the host rocks provide a final impediment to the radionuclide transport. As gas migration in saturated host rocks is a highly coupled hydro-mechanical (HM) process, either gas-induced micro-fracturing or macro-fracturing may contribute to the development of preferential gas pathways, which needs to be concerned to ensure the feasibility and safety of geological disposal.
Current numerical studies on the gas migration behavior devoted to explaining the experimental phenomena in the gas injection tests conducted on the rock materials, in which some behaviors still cannot be well represented, i.e., gas induced fracturing, volulme dilation, anisotropic radial deformation. Therefore, to better represent the actual physical process of preferential gas flow, two modelling frameworks, i.e., macroscopic HM framework and two-scale HM framework, are proposed in the PhD study.
For the macroscopic HM framework, a double porosity model is firstly developed based on the dual continuum method, in which the volumetric strains of the porous continuum (PC) and fractured continuum (FC) are work-conjugated to the respective effective stress level. The treatment in two types of porosity allows us to capture that the opening/closure of the fractures is caused by the interaction between the dilation of the PC and the dilation of the FPM, which is beneficial to describe the gas induced fracturing in an implicit way. Then, an enriched embedded fracture model (EFM) is proposed to address the mechanical behavior of fractures. A hyperbolic relation of fracture deformability is incorporated into the rock matrix, as a result the fractured rock shows a nonlinear elastic behavior, which can capture the stiffness degradation due to fracture opening. The equivalent continuum method is provided to derive the effective compliance tensor, which includes the transverse isotropic matrix and two fracture sets. Using the enriched EFM with a three-dimensional (3D) geometry is able to capture the anisotropic radial deformation during gas migration.
Although the macroscopic HM framework is able to capture the major HM behaviors related to preferential gas flow, the development of gas dilatant pathways is still represented in an implicit way. Therefore, a two-scale HM framework is developed to explicitly simulate the development of preferential gas pathways. Initiating from the periodically distributed microstructures with microcracks, the asymptotic homogenization method is used to derive the macroscopic governing equations coupled with the normalized damage variable. The time-dependent damage evolution law is obtained from the microscopic mechanical energy analysis for evolving microcracks. Both time effect and size effect are incorporated in the damage model that will affect the overall HM behavior of rocks.
The developed two-scale HM framework with single gas flow can qualitatively capture important behaviors, such as the discrete pathways, localized gas flow, unstabilized fracture branching. More specifically, the simulated results demonstrates that the inter-connection of fractures from gas inlet to outlet is a prerequisite for gas breakthrough, accompanied by large amounts of gas flowing out of the sample and a rapid drop in gas injection pressure.
Incorporating water flow in the two-scale framework allows the model to quantitatively reproduce the experimental phenomena observed in the laboratory air injection tests, such as gas pressure evolution and mechanical deformation. More importantly, the model exlpaines that the significant differences in controlling gas breakthrough and mechanical deformation are resulting from the arbitrary nature of microstructural heterogeneities.
To account for the gas-water interaction in the two-scale HM framework, a fully coupled two-phase flow and elaso-damage model is developed to simulate the laboratory and in-situ gas injection experiments. The model can quantitatively capture the experimental behaviors, e.g., gas pressure evolution and non-desaturation phenomenon. Furthermore, model results show that the highly localized fracture pathways are the major places where gas and water interacts each other, and as a result the rock is still kept fully saturated.
As a whole, the obtained numerical results are synthesized and analyzed, the pros and cons of the developed models are discussed. To better improve the model performance, some recommendations are proposed for the future studies.
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