Geomechanical Performance of Salt Formation for NuclearWaste Repository in Thailand

摘要

A series of laboratory testing and numerical modeling has been performed to assess the geomechanical performance of rock salt formation in the northeast of Thailand for the nuclear waste repository. The characterization, cyclic loading, and uniaxial and triaxial creep tests have been performed on the salt specimens under isothermal conditions. Finite element analyses use the laboratory-calibrated properties to assist in the design of the repository dimensions. The results indicate that the repository should invoke the long-wall pillar concept and should be located at about 500 metres depth. The repository rooms are 4 m wide, 4 m high and 50 m long, separated by 16 m wide abutment pillar. The width for the barrier and protective pillars is 50 metres. Under these design parameters, the predicted room convergence is about 15 cm, and the surface subsidence is about 20 cm through 500 years of isolation.