ABSTRACT
This work is focused on the numerical analysis of thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) coupled processes in a hypothetical nuclear waste repository hosted in salt rock. Creep behavior of the salt rock is an important aspect of the present study. A temperature dependent quasi-stationary creep model, based on the BGR model, is utilized to represent time dependent deformation effects in salt rock induced by mechanical and thermal processes. The finite element method is employed for modeling the resulting THM coupled problem. Two comparative case studies (accounting to and neglecting creep effects) are carried out for a two-dimensional model of a nuclear waste repository scenario undergoing THM coupled processes. The importance of the creep processes in salt rock and crushed salt buffer materials is highlighted by comparing the results of the two scenario simulations.
