Investigation, testing and verification in support of advanced EDZ modelling

核废物管理组织（NWMO）调查加拿大管理使用过的核燃料（高放废物）的方法。所有生产核能的国家都在积极探索长期保护这种废物的计划，地下深层地质处置库是普遍首选的选择。长期以来，NWMO一直是基础和应用机构研究的关键支持者，这些研究涉及开挖引起的损伤区（EDZ）的机械演化，包括对岩石力学测试协议和技术的关键增强，在许多尺度上的监测方法，新模拟工具的开发，以及损伤演化所有阶段的预测工具的改进。这种合作研究是必不可少的，因为对我们预测包含这些储存库的岩体热-水-力学（THM）响应的能力的要求远远超过了地下基础设施的传统设计预期，并要求开发新的工具和理解。这项工作的结果将用于提高我们解决与核废料处置库有关的许多长期问题的能力，并为深层处置库的地下设计制定协议和损害管理战略。这项工作的重点是推进和整合现场调查，样品选择，力学测试和先进的连续/不连续混合分析岩石的协议和工具，以更准确地模拟EDZ力学在所有规模的晶体，实验室样品和完整的存储库规模。THM耦合是一个复杂的问题，低孔隙度沉积岩和多晶火成岩，两个主要的地质环境被认为是在加拿大的高放废物处置库。与所有这些问题相关的是在这些固体内的非连通排水不良孔隙空间内的水和饱和度的作用。所有这些复杂的基本力学和相关的二次效应，包括时间变化的超长期设计寿命的地下处置库将在这个项目中进行研究。本项目将资助7名硕士、6名博士和1名研究助理。

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) investigates approaches for managing used nuclear fuel (high level waste) in Canada. All countries that produce nuclear energy are actively exploring plans to secure this waste for the long term and underground deep geological repositories (DGR) are the universally preferred option. NWMO has long been a key supporter of fundamental and applied institutional research regarding the mechanical evolution of excavation induced damage zones (EDZ) including crucial enhancements to rock mechanics testing protocols and techniques, monitoring approaches at numerous scales, development of new simulation tools, and the improvement of predictive tools for all stages of damage evolution. This collaborative research is essential as the requirements placed on our ability to forecast the rock mass thermal-hydro-mechanical (THM) response containing these repositories far exceed traditional design expectations for underground infrastructure and mandate the development of new tools and understanding. The results from this work will be used to advance our ability to address many of the long-term issues associated with nuclear waste repositories and establish protocols and damage management strategies for underground design of deep repositories. The focus of this work is to advance and integrate protocols and tools for site investigation, sample selection, mechanical testing and advanced continuum/ discontinuum hybrid analysis of rock to more accurately simulate EDZ mechanics at all scales from the crystalline, laboratory sample and full repository scales. THM coupling is a complex issue for low porosity sedimentary rocks and poly-crystalline igneous rocks, the two primary geological environments being considered for high level waste repositories in Canada. Related to all of these issues is the role of water and saturation levels within non-connected poorly drained pore spaces within these solids. All of these complications to fundamental mechanics and associated secondary effects including temporal changes over the ultra-long term design life of an underground repository will be studied in this project. 7 MSc's, 6PhD's and 1 research assistant will be funded by this project.