Numerical formulation for a simulator (CODE_BRIGHT) for the coupled analysis of saline media

Salt rocks are being considered as potential recipients for geologic disposal of nuclear waste because of their favourable hydraulic and mechanical properties. In essence, processes controlling the behaviour of salt rocks are similar to those occurring in other media, except that they take place at...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Olivella Pastallé, Sebastià|||0000-0003-3976-4027, Gens Solé, Antonio|||0000-0001-7588-7054, Carrera Ramírez, Jesús|||0000-0002-8054-4352, Alonso Pérez de Agreda, Eduardo|||0000-0003-2472-3951
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:1996
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/2210
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/2210
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Soils, Salts in
Radioactive waste disposal
Rock mechanics--Mathematical models
non-isothermal multiphase flow
saline media
nuclear waste
mass balance equations
CODE_BRIGHT
creep
Sòls salins
Residus radioactius -- Emmagatzematge
Mecànica de roques -- Models matemàtics
Code-bright
Descripción
Sumario:Salt rocks are being considered as potential recipients for geologic disposal of nuclear waste because of their favourable hydraulic and mechanical properties. In essence, processes controlling the behaviour of salt rocks are similar to those occurring in other media, except that they take place at unusually fast rates. The high solubility of salt in water is one of the causes of these high rates. In fact, creep deformation of wet salts takes place much faster than under dry conditions. This can be explained by means of a mechanism of creep deformation based on salt dissolution, molecular diffusion and precipitation at the pore scale caused by stress concentration[...]. The complex behaviour of saline media requires new theoretical and numerical developments. The study of the basic mechanisms has revealed that coupling between thermal, hydraulic and mechanical problems may be required in some cases. We have developed the governing equations for nonisothermal multiphase flow of brine and gas in deformable saline media. These include mass balance equations for the species in the system (salt, water and air), energy balance equation and stress equilibrium equation. Equilibrium restrictions complete the theoretical formulation. This paper presents a numerical formulation required for solving this complex problem in a practical way. An example of its application is also included.