• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.04a
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• pp.341-345
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• 2004

An attempt has been made in this study to evaluate an applicability of Relative Effective Porosity Model (REPM) as a method for estimating saturated hydraulic conductivity (K$_{s}$) for homogeneous coarse, medium, and fine sands. The saturated hydraulic conductivities obtained from REPM are converted into average linear velocities using Darcy's Law and compared with the results from experimental tracer tests for homogeneous coarse, medium, and fine sand layer. Two types of tracer tests analyses, analytical solution using CXTFIT and moment methods, are performed to obtain reasonable linear velocity range for each layer. For the coarse and medium sands, the converted average linear velocity from REPM is in the velocity range obtained from tracer tests. However, small difference between the results from REPM and tracer tests is found for the fine sands. These results show that REPM gives reasonable estimates of saturated hydraulic conductivity.y.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.135-142
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• 2010

To obtain the input data for the design and long-term performance assessment of a high-level waste repository, the thermal conductivities of several granite rocks which were taken from the rock cores from the declined borehole were measured. The thermal conductivities of granite were measured under the different conditions of water content to investigate the effects of the water content on the thermal conductivity. A simple empirical correlation was proposed to predict the thermal conductivity of granite as a function of effective porosity and water content which can be measured with relative ease while neglecting the possible effects of mineralogy, structure and anisotropy. The correlation could predict the thermal conductivity of granite with the effective porosity below 2.7% from the KURT site with an estimated error below 10%.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.629-639
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• 2011

Based on Maxwell-Eucken(ME) model, which is one of structural models, a new model for predicting the effective thermal conductivity of variably saturated porous materials is proposed. The new model is a linear combination of three ME models having matrix, water, and air as a continuous phase. The coefficient of the corresponding linear equation is defined by a parameter referred to as 'the continuity coefficient', which provides a relative degree of continuity of each phase. The continuity coefficient of matrix is assumed to be linearly proportional to porosity. The model can be linear or nonlinear depending on how the continuity coefficients of water and air vary with water saturation. The feasibility of the proposed model was examined by both numerical and experimental results. Both linear and nonlinear models showed a high accuracy of prediction with $R^2$ values of 0.86-0.98 and 0.88-0.99, respectively. The numerical and experimental results also showed that the continuity coefficient of matrix was linearly proportional to porosity. Therefore, the proposed prediction model can be effectively used to estimate effective thermal conductivity of unsaturated porous materials by measuring porosity, water content and mineralogical compositions of matrix.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.305-318
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• 2022

Permeable reactive barriers used for groundwater treatment require proper estimation of the reactive material behavior regarding the emplacement method. This study evaluates the dry emplacement of zeolite (clinoptilolite) to be used as a reactive material in the barrier by carrying out several geotechnical laboratory tests. Dry zeolite samples, exhibited higher wetting-induced compression strains at the higher vertical stresses, up to 12% at 400 kN/m². The swelling potential was observed to be limited with a 3.5 swell index and less than 1% free swelling strain. Direct shear tests revealed that inundation reduces the shear strength of a dry zeolite column by a maximum of 10%. Falling head permeability tests indicate decreasing permeability values with increasing the vertical effective stress. Regarding self-loading and inundation, the porosity along the zeolite column was calculated using a proposed 1D numerical model to predict the permeability with depth considering the laboratory tests. The calculated discharge efficiency was significantly decreased with depth and less than 2% relative to the top for barrier depths deeper than 20 m. Finally, the importance of directional dependence in the permeability of the zeolite medium for calibrating 2D finite element flow analysis was highlighted by bench-scale tests performed under 2D flow conditions.