ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Using fracture data from Sellafield, UK, a modelling-based approach to characterising the contribution of hydro-mechanical processes to large scale flow and transport reveals three important hydrogeological issues for the performance assessment of a repository host rock. First, inference of the statistical model of fracture length distribution using power law distribution models can lead to large uncertainty in fracture density. Second, fracture length is less important than fracture density in determining the flow characteristics of the rock mass. Third, the depth dependence of permeability can be isolated using hydro-mechanical models but the major uncertainty in the analysis is the characterisation of the rock mass mechanical properties.
