RADIATION PROTECTION ›› 2019, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (2): 137-149.

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Key issues and research progress of excavation damagezone in surrounding rocks of high-levelradioactive waste disposal repositories

CHEN Shiwan1,2, WANG Guibin3, YANG Chunhe3, WANG Yong1, SHI Wenbing1   

  1. 1.College of Resources and Environment Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025;
    2.College of Resources and Environmental Science, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044;
    3.Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071
  • Received:2017-09-15 Online:2019-03-20 Published:2019-11-08

Abstract: Geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) is to dispose HLW in a zone of 500 to 1 000 m beneath ground surface and isolate HLW from biosphere for a long period. The key issue of safety assessment is the long term capability of a geological disposal repository for isolating nuclides. It is inevitable to induce Excavation Damage Zone (EDZ) for surrounding rocks during underground engineering construction process, and the induced damage in EDZ will change physical and mechanical properties of surrounding rocks and potentially affect long term safety of the repository. Underground Research Laboratories (URLs) have been built in many countries such as Sweden (ASPO), Canada (URL), Finland (ONKALO), etc. Systematic field tests have been conducted to study the EDZ. In this paper, researches about EDZ built in crystalline rock in URLs are summarized, some key issues in EDZ study are discussed, and the prospect of EDZ studies in our URL is proposed. Overall researches in URL regarding EDZ are comprehensive and may be of great reference value for other underground engineering construction projects such as diversion tunnels and highway tunnels.

Key words: excavation damage zone, high-level radioactive waste, field experiment

CLC Number: 

  • TU443