arma-nsf-ness workshop some needs and potential benefits related to a national underground science...
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ARMA-NSF-NeSS Workshop
Some Needs and Potential Benefits Related to a
National Underground Science Laboratory
NUSL–Geo-Hydrology–Engineering-Team OverviewScientific Rationale
Societal ImperativesScience and Engineering Needs
ApproachAnticipated Benefits
ARMA-NSF-NeSS Workshop
Resource RecoveryPetroleum and Natural Gas Recovery in Conventional & Unconventional ReservoirsIn Situ MiningHDR/EGSPotable Water SupplyMining Hydrology
Waste Containment/DisposalDeep Waste InjectionNuclear Waste Disposal
CO2 SequestrationCryogenic Storage/Petroleum/Gas
Site RestorationAcid-Rock DrainageAquifer Remediation
Scientific RationaleSocietal Imperatives
ARMA-NSF-NeSS Workshop
Scientific Rationale (Cont’d)Science & Engineering Needs
1. Mechanical & Transport Behavior (momentum, fluid, mass, & energy fluxes)
2. Solid- and Fluid-Environment Interaction3. Characterization of Mechanical and Transport
Properties4. Sensing, Data Fusion, and Modeling
Natural fracture
Artificial fracture
ARMA-NSF-NeSS Workshop
Science & Engineering Needs (Cont’d)
1. Mechanical and Transport BehaviorConnectivity of Fracture NetworksMulti-phase FlowParticulate (Colloid/Bacterial) Transport
ARMA-NSF-NeSS Workshop
8000 FEET
http://mocha.phys.washington.edu/NUSL/
8000 FEET
http://mocha.phys.washington.edu/NUSL/
Percolation
Remote Sensing
Solute flux(Dagan et al. 1992)
ARMA-NSF-NeSS Workshop
Science & Engineering Needs (Cont’d)
2. Solid- & Fluid-Environment InteractionModels of Fracture DevelopmentCoupled Processes
THM CB THMCB
Time (h)
0 50 100 150 200 400 600 800 1000
Fra
ctur
e ap
ertu
re (
m)
0
10
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30
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50
800C 1200C
1200C 1500C
800C
ARMA-NSF-NeSS Workshop
Importance of Large-Scale In-Situ
Experiments Validation of coupled reaction-transport conceptual and numerical models requires well-controlled in-situ experiments (not found in nature)Effective reaction rates are controlled by the hierarchy of scale of fluid flow - e.g., flow in a fracture, through the fracture network, and flow between the rock matrix and the adjacent fracturesReaction-transport processes can be strongly coupled to permeability changes from rock mechanical processes and can affect rock deformation as a result of changing mineralogy, permeability, and the chemical environment at fracture tipsThe Drift-Scale Test at Yucca Mountain has been used to study coupled thermal-hydrological-chemical-mechanical processes in unsaturated fractured tuffHowever, different geological and chemical environments can result in different system evolutions
Example of thermal-hydrological-chemical processes in boiling unsaturated fractured rock
ARMA-NSF-NeSS Workshop
Coupled Thermal, Hydrological, and Chemical Processes in the Drift Scale Test at Yucca Mountain
Purpose of the test is to evaluate coupled thermal, hydrological, mechanical and chemical processes surrounding the potential repositoryDimensions: ~ 50 meters long by 5 meters in diameterElectric heaters activated Dec. 1997, turned off Jan. 2002Maximum drift wall temperature reached ~ 200°CWater, gas, and rock samples collected from boreholes for geochemical and isotopic studiesReaction-transport modeling performed prior to and during test (examples on following slides)
ObservationDrift
ConnectingDrift
HeatedDrift
Wing HeatersThermalMechanicalHydrologicalChemical
ARMA-NSF-NeSS Workshop
Science & Engineering Needs (Cont’d)
3. Characterization of Mechanical & Transport Properties
Hydraulic MethodsTracer Methods
Natural Forced
Aqueous (Conservative/Reactive) Thermal Particulate
Geophysical MethodsDrilling Methods
ARMA-NSF-NeSS Workshop
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7%
We think that this image might be telling us something about fracture orientations and intensity, but it is not clear
what
ARMA-NSF-NeSS Workshop
Science & Engineering Needs (Cont’d)
4. Sensing, Data Fusion, and ModelingSensingData FusionModeling
ARMA-NSF-NeSS Workshop
Science & Engineering Needs (Cont’d)
ImperativesStrong scale dependenceTHMCB processes incompletely understoodThe role of serendipity in scientific advance
ApproachRun-of-Mine Experiments (HCB)Experiments Concurrent with Excavation of the Detector Caverns (THM)Purpose-Built Experiments (THMCB)
Large Block Tests Mine-By and Drift Structure
TestsEducational Opportunities
ARMA-NSF-NeSS Workshop
Science & Engineering Needs (Cont’d)
Anticipated Benefits and ApplicationsResource Recovery and SecurityWaste Containment/DisposalSite RestorationEducation