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2021 , Vol. 26 >Issue 2: 146 - 154

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12204-021-2268-6

Energy Engineering, Mechanics & Materials

Numerical Study of Sodium Bentonite Extrusion into a Planar Fracture

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  • (School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China)

Online published: 2021-03-24

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Abstract

 As a candidate buffer/backfill material for high-level radioactive waste geological repositories, bentonite has numerous favorable properties, such as low permeability, high expansibility, and a high sorption capacity for radionuclides. The radionuclide-isolating performance of a buffer is strongly influenced by its extrusion. In this study, the bentonite extrusion process is explored: its basic mechanism can be considered free swelling of the bentonite. A 2D extrusion model of bentonite that is based on the 1D free swelling model of bentonite is presented. A numerical method is proposed to investigate the extrusion process of Na-bentonite into fractures over time under no-seepage conditions based on the free swelling model. The influences of the electrolyte concentration and dry density on the extrusion depth and mass of the bentonite are discussed, and the distribution of montmorillonite inside the bentonite is analysed. The rationale of the proposed bentonite extrusion model is then illustrated in comparison with the results of the bentonite extrusion test.

Key words： bentonite; extrusion; buffer; free swell

Cite this article

LIU Miaomiao (刘苗苗), LI Xiaoyue (李晓月), XU Yongfu (徐永福) . Numerical Study of Sodium Bentonite Extrusion into a Planar Fracture[J]. Journal of Shanghai Jiaotong University(Science), 2021 , 26(2) : 146 -154 . DOI: 10.1007/s12204-021-2268-6

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