// Long-term Safety Studies

REPOPERM

Residual porosity and permeability of compacted salt gravel backfill in a high-level radioactive waste repository

When directly disposing of spent fuel elements in BSK3 molds in deep vertical boreholes, the long-term complete containment within the host rock is aimed for. To achieve this, the disposal boreholes are filled with salt gravel backfill of the same type. 
The demonstration of the long-term safe isolation of the disposed waste is generally performed computationally using simulation models. From the perspective of long-term safety, the area of very low porosities plays a crucial role in demonstrating complete containment, as there are significant gaps in the data basis for the compaction processes occurring in this area. These data were of secondary relevance in the previous safety concept, based on dilution and permissible concentration limits. 
Our services:
- Analysis of compacted salt gravel backfill samples in thin sections and using computer tomography for porosity determination
- Calibration of material models for computational modeling of repository development