BEACON

Figure 1: Schematic diagram of the CFM LIT (Long-Term In Situ) Test running over 1100 days with different swelling pressures in the upper (1400-1850 kPa) and lower regions (850-950 kPa) of the packer and spontaneous pressure release (homogenization?) of ca. 300 kPa after approx. 500 days in the upper packer area
Figure 1: Schematic diagram of the CFM LIT (Long-Term In Situ) Test running over 1100 days with different swelling pressures in the upper (1400-1850 kPa) and lower regions (850-950 kPa) of the packer and spontaneous pressure release (homogenization?) of ca. 300 kPa after approx. 500 days in the upper packer area
Picture: CFM Konsortium 2017

Projekt BEACON (Bentonite Mechanical Evolution)

Grant number 745942

Duration: 01.06.2017 - 31.05.2022

Project leader: Prof. Thorsten SchäferExternal link

Person in charge: Janis Pingel de & Franz Rinderknecht (KIT-INE)

Description:
The overall objective of the project is to develop and test the tools necessary for the assessment of the mechanical evolution of an installed bentonite barrier and the resulting performance of the barrier. This will be achieved by cooperation between design and engineering, science and performance assessment. The evolution from an installed engineered system to a fully functioning barrier will be assessed. This will require a more detailed understanding of material properties, of the fundamental processes that lead to homogenization via water saturation, of the role of scale effects and improved capabilities for numerical modelling. The goal is to verify the performance of current designs for buffers, backfills, seals and plugs. For some repository designs mainly in crystalline host rock, the results can also be used for the assessment of consequences of mass loss from a bentonite barrier in long-term perspective.

Funding:
The BEACON project is funded under the Euratom research and training programme 2014-2018 Grant Agreement No 745 942.