• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.439-448
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• 2001

A two-dimensional finite difference numerical model was developed in order to simulate two-phase fluid flow in a single fracture. In the model, variation of viscosity with pressure and that of relative permeability with water saturation can be treated. For the numerical solution, IMPES method was used, from which the pressure and the saturation of water and gas were computed one by one. Seven cases of model test using parallel plates for a single fracture were performed in order to obtain the characteristic equation of relative permeability which would be used in the numerical model. it was difficult to match the characteristic curves of relative permeability from the model tests with the existing emperical equations, consequently a logistic equation was proposed. As the equation is composed of the parameters involving aperture size, it can be applied to any fracture.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.79-92
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• 1996

In a repository containing low-level waste, gas generation will occur principally by the coupled processes of metal corrosion and microbial degradation of cellulosic waste. This paper describes a mathematical model designed to address gas generation by these mechanisms and assesses the potential effects of gas generation on the performance of a radioactive waste repository. The metal corrosion model incorporates a three-stage process encompassing aerobic and anaerobic corrosion regimes ; the microbial degradation model simulates the activities of eight different microbial populations, which are maintained as functions both of pH and of the concentrations of particular chemical species. A prediction is made for gas concentrations and generation rates over an assessment period of ten thousand years in a radioactive waste repository. The results suggest that H$_2$will be the principal gas generated within the radioactive waste cavern.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.75-81
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• 2018

At present research on mining backfill materials is being carried out to prevent ground subsidence and breaking by underground cavern of exhausted mines. However, backfill materials can cause secondary environmental issues such as ground pollution. To solve these issues, liner and cover materials are constructed before backfill materials constructed, to inhibit toxic substances form moving to the surroundings. Liner and cover materials, however, should have an accelerating performance after construction and when the accelerating performance is degraded, the work efficiency can be lowered, and the construction cost can be increased, by many rebound content. Therefore, this study develops mining liner and cover materials, and evaluates their accelerating performance and physical properties of liner and cover materials by types and content of accelerating agent. In case of aluminate accelerating agent, it is mixed with more than 5% of liner and cover materials(binder/ratio); thus an accelerating performance satisfying Korean Industrial Standards(KS) occurs, and in case of alkali-free accelerating agent, when it is mixed with more than 7%(binder/ratio), accelerating performance satisfying KS occurs. The more the accelerating agent capacity increases, the more compressive strength decreases. In addition, it is confirmed that compressive strength of aluminate accelerating agent is more degraded than compressive strength of the alkali-free accelerating agent. It is also confirmed that drying shrinkage stability of the alkali-free accelerating agent is better than the drying shrinkage stability of the aluminate accelerating agent.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.16 no.1 s.47
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• pp.69-83
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• 2006

This study aims to evaluate a complex groundwater flow system around the underground oil storage caverns using the concept of hydraulic compartment. For the hydrogeological analysis, the hydraulic testing data, the evolution of groundwater levels in 28 surface monitoring boreholes and pressure variation of 95 horizontal and 63 vertical water curtain holes in the caverns were utilized. At the cavern level, the Hydraulic Conductor Domains(fracture zones) are characterized one local major fracture zone(NE-1)and two local fracture zones between the FZ-1 and FZ-2 fracture zones. The Hydraulic Rock Domain(rock mass) is divided into four compartments by the above local fracture zones. Two Hydraulic Rock Domains(A, B) around the FZ-2 zone have a relatively high initial groundwater pressures up to $15kg/cm^2$ and the differences between the upper and lower groundwater levels, measured from the monitoring holes equipped with double completion, are in the range of 10 and 40 m throughout the construction stage, indicating relatively good hydraulic connection between the near surface and bedrock groundwater systems. On the other hand, two Hydraulic Rock Domains(C, D) adjacent to the FZ-1, the groundwater levels in the upper and lower zones are shown a great difference in the maximum of 120 m and the high water levels in the upper groundwater system were not varied during the construction stage. This might be resulted from the very low hydraulic conductivity$(7.2X10^{-10}m/sec)$ in the zone, six times lower than that of Domain C, D. Groundwater recharge rates obtained from the numerical modeling are 2% of the annual mean precipitation(1,356mm/year) for 20 years.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.133-141
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• 2007

The excavation damaged zone (EDZ) is an area around an excavation where in situ rock mass properties, stress condition, displacement, groundwater flow conditions have been altered due to the processes induced by the excavation. Various studies have been carried out on EDZ, but most studies have focused on the mechanical bahavior of EDZ by in situ experiment. Even though the EDZ could potentially form a high permeable pathway of groundwater flow, only a few studies were performed on the analysis of groundwater flow in EDZ. In this study, the 'hydraulic EDZ' was defined as the rock zone adjacent to the excavation where the hydraulic aperture has been changed due to the excavation by using H-M coupling analysis. Fundamental principles of distinct element method (DEM) were used in the analysis. In the same groundwater level, the behavior of hydraulic aperture near the cavern was analyzed for different stress ratios, initial apertures, fracture angles and fracture spacings by using a two-dimensional DEM program. We evaluate the excavation induced hydraulic aperture change. Using the results of the study, hydraulic EDZ was defined as an elliptical shape model perpendicular to the joint.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.111-119
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• 1999

The purpose of this study is the simulation of discontinuous rockmass and identification of characteristics of discontinuity network as a branch of the study on characteristics of groundwater system in discontinuous rockmass for evaluation of safety on disposal site of radioactive waste. In this study the site for LPG underground storage was selected for the similarities of the conditions which were required for disposal site of radioactive waste. Through the identification of hydraulic properties. characteristics of discontinuities and selection of discontinuity model around LPG underground storage facility. the applications of discrete fracture network model were evaluated for the analysis of pathway. The orientation and spatial density of discontinuities are primarily important elements for the simulation of groundwater and solute transportation in discrete fracture network model. In this study three fracture sets identified and the spatial intensity (P$_{32}$) of discontinuities is revealed as 0.85 $m^2$/㎥. The conductive fracture intensity (P$_{32c}$) estimated for the simulation area around propane cavern (200${\times}$200${\times}$200) is 0.536 $m^2$/㎥. Truncated conductive fracture intensity (T-P$_{32c}$) is calculated as 0.26 $m^2$/㎥ by eliminating the fracture with the iowest transmissivity and based on this value the pathway from the water curtain to PC 2. PC 3 analyzed.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.107-119
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• 2022

Excavation-Disturbed Zone (EDZ) is an important design factor in constructing final disposal facilities for spent nuclear fuel, since EDZ affects mechanical stability including a spacing between disposal holes, and the hydraulic properties within EDZ plays a significant role in estimating in-flow rate of groundwater as well as a subsequent corrosion rate of a canister. Thus, it is highly required to characterize in-situ EDZ with precision and control the EDZ occurrence while excavating disposal facilities and constructing relevant underground research facilities. In this report, we not only reviewed EDZ-related researches carried out in the ONKALO facility of Finland but also examined appropriate methods for field inspection and quality control of EDZ occurrence. From the review, GPR can be the most efficient method for in-situ characterization of EDZ since it does not demand drilling a borehole that may disturb a surrounding environment of caverns. And the EDZ occurrence was dominant at a cavern floor and it ranged from 0 to 70 cm. These can provide useful information in developing necessary EDZ-related regulations for domestic disposal facilities.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.69-81
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• 2001

The constitutive relation among capillary pressure, saturation and relative permeability should be predetermined in order to simulate immiscible water-gas flow in porous media. The relation between saturation and relative permeability becomes more important when the capillary force can be disregarded and viscous friction force governs the flow. In this study, a 2-dimensional finite difference numerical model was developed, in which the variation of viscosity with pressure and that of relative permeability with water saturation can be treated. Seven cases of parallel plate tests were performed in order to obtain the characteristic equation of relative permeability which would be used in. the developed numerical model. It was not possible, however, to match the curves of relative permeability from the plate tests with the existing emperical models. Consequently a logistic equation was proposed as a new emperical model. As this model was composed of the parameter involving aperture size, any aperture size of fracture can be applied to the model. For the purpose of verification, the characteristic equation of relative permeability was applied to the developed numerical model and the computed results were compared with those of plate test. As a result of application of numerical model, in order to check the field applicability, to single fracture surrounding an underground storage cavern, the simultaneous flow of water and propane gas was able to be simulated properly by the model.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.201-211
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• 2014

In the present study, the thermal performance of multiple rock caverns for large-scale thermal energy storage (TES) was numerically investigated for different separation distances between the caverns through heat transfer analysis using a computational fluid dynamics code, FLUENT. The thermal performance of multiple caverns was assessed in terms of the thermal stratification within the caverns and the heat loss to the surroundings, and the heating characteristics of the rock around the caverns were investigated. The results of numerical simulation showed that there was little difference in thermal performance between multiple TES caverns with different separation distances when the surrounding rock was less heated and it reached thermal steady-state, which represent the thermal states of the surrounding rock at the early and long-term operational stages of the TES caverns, respectively. However, as the separation distance decreased, the rock between the caverns reached thermal steady-state more quickly, and thus the heat loss from the caverns tended to converge rapidly to the value of heat loss occurred under thermal steady-state conditions in the surrounding rock. This result implies that the operating cost of heating the surrounding rock (i.e., rock heating) can be reduced with a reduction in the separation distance between multiple caverns, and suggests that the separation distance should be determined by considering the operating cost of rock heating as well as the construction cost of the caverns.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.149-162
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• 2010

The most serious problem in oil stockpiles with artificial underground cavern is maintaining the stability of ground water system. In order to understand the ground water system around K-1 site, we determined the regional flow direction and level distribution of groundwater, and investigated the major geologic factors influencing their flow system. Reactivated surface along the contact between granite and gneiss, and fractures and faults along the long acidic dyke may contribute as important pathways for groundwater flow. Within K-1 site, groundwater level fluctuation is closely related to the rainfall events and injection from surface or influx water. In this project, the effect of groundwater pumping from the southern wells was examined. Based on equations relating water level drawdown to pumping rate at those wells, their pumped outflow of groundwater ranged from $80\;m^3$/day to less than $250\;m^3$/day. The modeling results with MODFLOW imply that the previous groundwater pumping at distance of 1.2 km may not affect the groundwater level variations of the K-1 site. However, continuous pumping work at quantity over $250\;m^3$/day in this area will be able to affect the groundwater system of the K-1 site, particularly along the acidic dyke.