Publications Details

Thermophysical properties of the Ghareb formation relevant for nuclear waste disposal

Kibikas, William; Ghassemi, Ahmad; Choens, Robert C.; Bauer, Stephen; Shalev, Eyal; Lyakhovsky, Vladimir

The Ghareb formation, a shallowly buried porous chalk in Israel, is currently a candidate for nuclear waste disposal. The potential repository is somewhat unique for its host rock and emplacement in shallow (500 m) engineered large diameter boreholes. Herein, the thermal properties of the Ghareb are determined to support design and performance assessment; the relevant properties measured are thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, thermal diffusivity, and thermal expansion coefficient along with their relationship with varying temperature. For the temperature range of 40 to 275 °C, the thermal conductivity ranges from 0.30 to 1.10 W/m·K, the thermal diffusivity ranges from 0.20 to 0.72 mm2/s, and volumetric heat capacity ranges from 0.86 to 2.00 MJ/m3·K. Thermal strain measurements were used to estimate the linear thermal expansion coefficient to be 6·10–4–9·10–2 °C−1 from 40 to 300 °C. These measured properties were used in a thermomechanical model to estimate near-field stresses an hour and 10 years after waste emplacement; the borehole was found to be stable. Thermal loading after 10 years was predicted to elevate local pore pressures by 1–1.5 MPa. The laboratory measurements coupled with analyses are the first attempts at performance assessment characterization for this first of its kind potential repository setting with this chosen host rock.