WP 2:Data review & priorities set-up for end users

Workpackage number

WP2

Start date or starting event:

Month 0

Activity type

Data review and priority set-up for end users - RTD

Participant id

1

2

3

4

7

8

9

10

Person-months per participant:

4

1

1

1

2

2

1

1

Objectives

The objective of this workpackage is to integrate the acquired knowledge in previous European projects and national activities about the THM behaviour of clays (especially Boom Clay, Opalinus Clay and Callovo-Oxordian Clay) and the influence of the temperature on the chemical properties. Within this workpackage priorities for end-users will be set-up, so that researchers understand the specific problems for which their research is targeted. The review work and the definition of the end-user needs will allow to optimise the experimental program and to chose the most appropriate constitutive laws for modelling. The review will also include the existing information and results concerning the acceptable thermal limits that the host rock could sustain during the thermal period.

Description of work

A synthesis will be reported integrating the work previously performed on Boom Clay, Opalinus Clay and Callovo-Oxordian Clay. The report will be a literature review of the state of the art in the field of the thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour of clays and the acceptable thermal limits that the host rock could sustain. Quantitative evidence for stress dependent permeability under isothermal and non-isothermal conditions will be collected. The survey will be mainly based on:

1. Isothermal hydro-mechanical tests at ambient and elevated temperatures in laboratory on natural and reconstructed clays
2. in-situ tests realised at Mont Terri and at Mol: ATLAS, HG-A, EZ-A, HE, GP-A/GS
3. results from previous and ongoing EC projects CATSIUS CLAY, SELFRAC, EB, SAFETI and NF-PRO

This work will allow

• - Delineate the most important temperature-dependent material properties
• - Define the most important coupled governing processes and parameters
• - To assess the effect of discrete fractures and fracture connectivity on the effective hydraulic properties of the DZ.
• - To assess the importance of the chemical impact for each type of rock
• - To establish the state of the art in the constitutive models

In the frame of this workpackage the terminology EDZ and EdZ as defined during the EC Cluster Conference Workshop, Luxembourg, 3 to 5 Nov. 2003 will be extended to the TDZ/TdZ and the CDZ/CdZ.

Deliverables

D.2 Report on the state of the art on THMC
D.3 Summary of the end-user needs for the project

Milestones and expected result

The results of this workpackage will be a synthesis of the experimental work (in lab and in-situ) performed up to now on Boom Clay, Opalinus Clay and Callovo-Oxordian Clay about the THM behaviour and the influence of temperature on the chemical properties.