A Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Coupling Analysis for the Contaminant Transport in a Bentonite Barrier with Variable Saturation

Abstract

The migration of hazardous substances in a bentonite barrier layer is a key issue for the safety of nuclear waste storage. This study develops a thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling model to simulate the contaminant migration in a bentonite barrier layer of the nuclear waste storage chamber. In particular, the Richard’s equation is used to describe the groundwater flow in the bentonite barrier layer with variable saturation. Thermal diffusion and concentration diffusion are coupled with the layer deformation and fluid flow. The migration rate and diffusion range of hazardous substances in the bentonite barrier layer are numerically simulated. These numerical simulations show that the heat release from nuclear waste can induce a temperature gradient and deformation, and thus significantly affects both transfer rate and concentration distribution of dilute substances. These multi-physical couplings under different initial saturation may significantly modify the sealing efficiency of an unsaturated bentonite barrier layer and thus this model is of great significance in the safety evaluation of a nuclear waste disposal repository.