• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.556-567
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• 2015

The evaluation of THM coupling behavior in deep underground repository condition is essential for the long term safety and stability assessment of high-level radioactive waste repository. In order to develop reliable THM analysis techniques effectively, an international cooperation project, DECOVALEX, is carried out. In DECOVALEX-2015 Task B2, the in situ THM experiment planned to be conducted by JAEA was modeled by the research teams from the participating countries. In this study, a THM coupling technique combining TOUGH2 and FLAC was developed and applied to 1 dimensional THM modeling, in which rock, buffer, and heater are considered. The results were compared with those from other research teams.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.363-373
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• 2018

The evaluation of Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical (THM) coupling behavior is important for the development of underground space for various purposes. For a high-level radioactive waste repository excavated in a deep underground rock mass, the accurate prediction of the complex THM behavior is essential for the long-term safety and stability assessment. In order to develop reliable THM analysis techniques effectively, an international cooperation project, Development of Coupled models and their Validation against Experiments (DECOVALEX), was carried out. In DECOVALEX-2015 Task B2, the in situ THM experiment that was conducted at Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory(URL) by Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), was modeled by the research teams from the participating countries. In this study, a THM coupling technique that combined TOUGH2 and FLAC3D was developed and applied to the THM analysis for the in situ experiment, in which rock, buffer, backfill, sand, and heater were installed. With the assistance of an artificial neural network, the boundary conditions for the experiment could be adequately implemented in the modeling. The thermal, hydraulic, and mechanical results from the modeling were compared with the measurements from the in situ THM experiment. The predicted buffer temperature from the THM modelling was about $10^{\circ}C$ higher than measurement near by the overpack. At the other locations far from the overpack, modelling predicted slightly lower temperature than measurement. Even though the magnitude of pressure from the modeling was different from the measurements, the general trends of the variation with time were found to be similar.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1999.05a
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• pp.333-333
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• 1999

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.26-36
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• 1998

To assess the groundwater flow near high-level radioactive waste repositories, it is important to understand the effect of coupling among thermal, hydraulic, and mechanical effects. In this paper, detailed mathematical approach to model the groundwater flow near the waste form surrounded by buffer, influenced by decay heat of radioactive waste along with stress change is developed. Two cases(1) before the full expansion of buffer and (2) after the full expansion of buffer are modelled. Based on the mathematical models in this paper, detailed numerical study shall be pursued later.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.09a
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• pp.808-812
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• 2010

A great deal of attention is focused on coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical (THM) behavior of multiphase porous media in diverse geo-mechanical and geo-environmental areas. This paper presents general governing equations for coupled THM processes in unsaturated porous media. Coupled partial differential equations are derived from 3 mass balances equations (solid, water, and air), energy balance equation, and force equilibrium equation. Finite element code is developed from the Galerkin formulation and time integration of these governing equations for 4 main variables (displacement $\underline{u}$, gas pressure $P_g$, liquid pressure $P_l$), and temperature T). The code is validated with theoretical solutions for linear material with simple boundary conditions.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.323-338
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• 2007

For the assessment of the performance and safety of a deep underground radioactive repository system, the thermal, hydraulic, mechanical, and chemical behaviors and their coupling should be studied. In order to analyze the THMC coupling behavior more effectively, which requires complex mathematical models and modelling techniques, DECOVALEX international cooperation project was launched in 1992. Since its beginning, four major stages of the project were successfully completed and THMC modelling techniques for various conditions could be developed. In this study, the current status and major achievements from the project were reviewed and possible benefits of the participation to the project were discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.55-69
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• 2011

The importance of unsaturated state in various geo-engineering problems has led to the advance of mechanical constitutive model emulating behavior of unsaturated soils in response to thermo-hydro-mechanical loading. Elasto-plastic mechanical constitutive model for unsaturated soil is formulated based on Bishop's effective stress. Effective stress and temperature are main variables in constitutive equation, and incremental formulation of constitutive relationship is derived to compute stress update and stiffness tensor. Numerical simulations involving coupled THM processes are conducted to discuss numerical stability and applicability of developed constitutive model: one-dimensional test, tri-axial compression test, and clay-buffering at high level radioactive waste disposal. Numerical results demonstrated that developed model can predict very complex behavior of coupled THM phenomena and is applicable to geo-engineering problems under various environmental conditions, as well as interpret typical behavior of unsaturated soils.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.85-94
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• 2012

Recently, growing interests in frozen ground have stimulated us to advance fundamental theories and systematic researches on soil behavior under freezing conditions. Unlike the well-established soil mechanics theory, temperature variation and phase change of pore-water cause water migration to cold side, ground heaving, sharp increase in earth pressure, etc., which bring about serious problems in frozen geotechnical structures. Elasto-plastic mechanical constitutive model for frozen/unfrozen soil subjected to fully coupled THM phenomena is formulated based on a new stress variable that is continuous in frozen-unfrozen transitional regions. Numerical simulations are conducted to discuss numerical reliability and applicability of the developed constitutive model: one-dimensional heaving pressure, tri-axial compression test, and one-side freezing tests. The numerical results show that developed model can efficiently describe complex THM phenomena of frozen soil, and they can be utilized to analyze and design the geotechnical structures under freezing conditions, and predict their long-term behavior.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.75-83
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• 2011

Emerging issues related with fully coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical (THM) behavior of unsaturated soil demand the development of a numerical tool in diverse geo-mechanical and geo-environmental areas. This paper presents general governing equations for coupled THM processes in unsaturated porous media. Coupled partial differential equations are derived from three mass balances equations (solid, water, and air), energy balance equation, and force equilibrium equation. With Galerkin formulation and time integration of these governing equations, finite element code is developed to find nonlinear solution of four main variables (displacement-u, gas pressure-$P_g$), liquid pressure-$P_1$), and temperature-T) using Newton's iterative scheme. Three cases of numerical simulations are conducted and discussed: one-dimensional drainage experiments (u-$P_g-P_1$), thermal consolidation (u-$P_1$-T), and effect of pile on surrounding soil due to surface temperature variation (u-$P_1$-T).

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.66 no.4
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• pp.505-513
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• 2018

Steam flooding is widely used in heavy oil reservoir with coupling effects among the formation temperature change, fluid flow and solid deformation. The effective stress, porosity and permeability in this process can be affected by the multi-physical coupling of thermal, hydraulic and mechanical processes (THM), resulting in a complex interaction of geomechanical effects and multiphase flow in the porous media. Quantification of the state of deformation and stress in the reservoir is therefore essential for the correct prediction of reservoir efficiency and productivity. This paper presents a coupled fluid flow, thermal and geomechanical model employing a program (MATLAB interface code), which was developed to couple conventional reservoir (ECLIPSE) and geomechanical (ABAQUS) simulators for coupled THM processes in multiphase reservoir modeling. In each simulation cycle, time dependent reservoir pressure and temperature fields obtained from three dimensional compositional reservoir models were transferred into finite element reservoir geomechanical models in ABAQUS as multi-phase flow in deforming reservoirs cannot be performed within ABAQUS and new porosity and permeability are obtained using volumetric strains for the next analysis step. Finally, the proposed approach is illustrated on a complex coupled problem related to steam flooding in an oil reservoir. The reservoir coupled study showed that permeability and porosity increase during the injection scenario and increasing rate around injection wells exceed those of other similar comparable cases. Also, during injection, the uplift occurred very fast just above the injection wells resulting in plastic deformation.