How will the gas migration through the Engineered Barrier System (EBS) influence its integrity ?
The GMT experiment considers the following events, which could influence the performance of the disposal system: • Excess gas pressure could cause high stresses on the concrete silo and other EBS components leading to mechanical failures. • Gas pressure could push contaminated water out from the waste packages and the disposal cavern into the geosphere. • Escaping gas could transport volatile radionuclides through the EBS and the surrounding geological barrier. Aims • Assess the function of the whole system (EBS plus adjacent geosphere) with respect to gas migration. • Evaluate models of gas migration through the engineered barriers and into the geosphere. • Provide data for further improvement of the EBS design and emplacement procedures. • Demonstrate the construction and EBS emplacement for an L/ILW silo-type repository.
