SELFRAC: Experiments and conclusions on fracturing, self-healing and self-sealing processes in clays

Bastiaens, Wim; Bernier, Frédéric; Li, Xiang Ling

doi:10.1016/j.pce.2006.04.026

Cited by 94 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…This is common with the observations of the Selfrac project, which observed partial healing in Boom clay, but not in Opalinus Clay (Bastiaens et al, 2007). During active shear the transmissivity data shows an initial reduction, which then evolved to a quasi steady state.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Fracture transmissivity as a function of normal and shear stress: First results in Opalinus Clay

Cuss

Milodowski

Harrington

2011

Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Fracture transmissivity as a function of normal and shear stress: First results in Opalinus Clay

Cuss

Milodowski

Harrington

2011

Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C

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“…Boom clay is a plastic clay located in the north of Belgium. Boom clay formation is being studied as an candidate for this purpose considering its low hydraulic conductivity [2] and important self-sealing capacities (sealing is defined as the reduction of fracture permeability by any of hydro-mechanical, hydro-chemical, or hydro-biochemical processes [5]). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coupled modeling of Excavation Damaged Zone in Boom clay: Strain localization in rock and distribution of contact pressure on the gallery’s lining

Salehnia

Collin

et al. 2015

Computers and Geotechnics

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a b s t r a c tAround galleries excavated at depth in geological media, the creation of a damaged zone with significant irreversible deformation is generally unavoidable. In the case of a geological disposal system for high-level radioactive waste, the resulting change in the host rock properties in this damaged zone may potentially be important with respect to the long-term evolution and the performance of that system. In this context, predicting the extent of the so-called Excavation Damaged Zone (EDZ) and, possibly, the fractures' network topology remains a challenge. This study is aimed to simulate numerically the extension of this zone at the large scale's excavation, around the Connecting gallery (HADES URL, Mol, Belgium), in Boom clay host rock through analyzing the evolution of strain localization in shear bands mode. To realistically model the involved phenomena, the concrete lining is considered on the gallery wall highlighting its impacts on the evolution of convergence and EDZ around the gallery. The focus of the current paper is made on analyzing the coupled hydro-mechanical behavior of Boom clay host rock during and after the gallery excavation with respect to the evolution of localized shear bands around the gallery. This study is accompanied by the analysis of the contact mechanism on the interface between the clay massive and the lining. The obtained results reveal some interesting features regarding the contact phenomenon relatively to the evolution pattern of shear bands within the clay around the gallery. To assess the reliability of the proposed approach, a discussion on some in-situ observations during the gallery's construction is also performed based on which a good agreement is found between the in-situ evidence and simulated results.

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“…Such processes are of particular importance for mechanically weak geomaterials such as clays and shales. As a further complication, fractures can exhibit transient behavior as a result of self-sealing processes (Bastiaens et al, 2007). Such issues are important, e.g., for geo-environmental issues related to nuclear waste disposal (Bossart et al, 2004), geologic carbon sequestration (Chiaramonte et al, 2008), and hydraulic fracturing (Kim and Moridis, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydro-mechanical model for wetting/drying and fracture development in geomaterials

Asahina

Houseworth

Birkhölzer

et al. 2014

Computers & Geosciences

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Abstract:This paper presents a modeling approach for studying hydro-mechanical coupled processes, including fracture development, within geological formations. This is accomplished through the novel linking of two codes: TOUGH2, which is a widely used simulator of subsurface multiphase flow based on the finite volume method; and an implementation of the Rigid-BodySpring Network (RBSN) method, which provides a discrete (lattice) representation of material elasticity and fracture development. The modeling approach is facilitated by a Voronoi-based discretization technique, capable of representing discrete fracture networks. The TOUGH-RBSN simulator is intended to predict fracture evolution, as well as mass transport through permeable media, under dynamically changing hydrologic and mechanical conditions. Numerical results are compared with those of two independent studies involving hydro-mechanical coupling: (1) numerical modeling of swelling stress development in bentonite; and (2) experimental study of desiccation cracking in a mining waste. The comparisons show good agreement with respect to moisture content, stress development with changes in pore pressure, and time to crack initiation.The observed relationship between material thickness and crack patterns (e.g., mean spacing of cracks) is captured by the proposed modeling approach.

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SELFRAC: Experiments and conclusions on fracturing, self-healing and self-sealing processes in clays

Cited by 94 publications

References 4 publications

Fracture transmissivity as a function of normal and shear stress: First results in Opalinus Clay

Fracture transmissivity as a function of normal and shear stress: First results in Opalinus Clay

Coupled modeling of Excavation Damaged Zone in Boom clay: Strain localization in rock and distribution of contact pressure on the gallery’s lining

Hydro-mechanical model for wetting/drying and fracture development in geomaterials

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