ABSTRACT
Thermal-mechanical simulation of a generic salt repository is important in the current discussion about nuclear waste management strategy in the U.S., after cessation of the Yucca Mountain Project. The present need for information about disposal options in salt coincides with research objectives to develop medium-specific, fully coupled, multi-physics simulation capability. A thorough examination of features, events, and processes in a salt repository will rely on coupled models that include those processes important to performance, which may include thermal, mechanical, hydrologic (gas-or liquid-phase transport), and chemical behaviors. Previous studies have modeled these processes in different combinations, without explicitly coupling them all. Work toward that objective continues; this paper describes insights gained from thermal-mechanical modeling of a generic repository concept proposed by Carter et al. (2011), using tools that are being extended to include hydrologic and chemical processes.
