Permeability changes in Boom clay with temperature

Pierre Delage (1) , Nabil Sultan (2) , Yu-Jun Cui (1) , Li Xiang Ling (3)

1 cermes - Géotechnique
2 IFREMER - Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer
3 Euridice

In the framework of research into radioactive waste disposal, this paper presents some tests carried out to investigate the effects of temperature on the changes in permeability of Boom between 20 and 90°C. Constant head permeability tests were carried out in a high pressure isotropic compression tests at various temperature and isotropic stresses. The results show that the changes in permeability of Boom clay with temperature are only due to the changes in viscosity of free water with temperaure. This demonstrates on the one hand that the water involved in transfer at various temperatures is free water and on the other hand that there is apparently only few changes in the status of adsorbed water with respect to temperature between 20 and 90°C.

Keywords: Boom clay; temperature; permeability; constant head test; free water

Domains: Materials and structures in mechanics [physics.class-ph]; Materials and structures in mechanics [physics.class-ph]

Pierre Delage, Nabil Sultan, Yu-Jun Cui, Li Xiang Ling. Permeability changes in Boom clay with temperature. International Conference and Workshop "Impact of Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical-Chemical (THMC) processes on the safety of underground radioactive waste repositories", European Union, Luxembourg, 29 September - 1 October 2009, Sep 2009, http://static.archives-ouvertes.fr/images/calendar.gif, Luxembourg. ⟨hal-00655504⟩