ABSTRACT
In the last decade the safety concept in Germany for the geologic disposal of HLW in rock salt has been refined. The change in the philosophy of safety assessment to the concept of the “Containment Providing Rock Zone” influenced the importance of different components in a salt repository. In particular, the role of crushed salt as the intended buffer/backfill material around the emplaced casks and canisters became more prominent. An increase of understanding of the compaction process is required for this material. Therefore, the project REPOPERM was initiated to address the question about the hydraulic and mechanical behaviour of the salt backfill at low porosities.
