Large scale Vertical SEALing (VSEAL) test: Impact of gas migration on bentonite based vertical seals

Nadia Mokni (1) , Justo Cabrera (1) , F. Deleruyelle (2)

1 IRSN/PSE-ENV/SEDRE/LETIS - Laboratoire d'étude et de recherche sur les transferts et les interactions dans les sous-sols
2 IRSN/PSE-ENV/SEDRE/UEMIS - Unité d'expertise et de modélisation des installations de stockage

The Institute for Radiological protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) has launched the VSEAL project to investigate the impact of gas migration on the long-term performance of bentonite based vertical sealing systems. This project relies on in-situ experiments emplaced in IRSN´s Underground ResearchLaboratory (URL) in Tournemire (South France) and small-scale tests conducted in laboratory. The studied material is mixture of MX80 bentonite high density pellets and powder which are being evaluated as possible sealing materials in deep geological repositories. The test is still in progress, but the collected set of data provides already valuable information of the hydro mechanical behavior of Vertical sealing systems during hydration.

Domaines: Sciences de l'environnement

Nadia Mokni, Justo Cabrera, F. Deleruyelle. Large scale Vertical SEALing (VSEAL) test: Impact of gas migration on bentonite based vertical seals. UNSAT2023 - 8th international conference on unsaturated soil, The Hellenic Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (HSSMGE), May 2023, Milos Island, Greece. pp.14005, ⟨10.1051/e3sconf/202338214005⟩. ⟨irsn-04311765⟩