Mix design of low pH cement shotcrete in high level radioactive waste repositories

Noguchi, Akira; Kishi, Hirokazu; Hatanaka, Koichiro; Naito, Morimasa 

A standardized method for choosing a mix design of low pH shotcrete is proposed for their intended use in the construction of a High Level Radioactive Waste (HLW) repository in order to be applied to the various geological environment of the location of the HLW repositories. There are two improvement in this method. One is estimating binder composition to satisfy low pH. The other is estimating water bender ratio to satisfy the strength of sprayed concrete. The method uses a sequential development process with consideration given to a number of physicochemical requirements, incorporates current shotcrete technology. The method is demonstrated in its entirety through a series of experiments and tests using a low pH cement binder comprised of a mixture of ordinary Portland cement, fly ash (FA) and silica fume (SF), referred to here as high-volume FA SF cement (HFSC). Moreover, the method is referred from the demonstration of HFSC shotcrete in Horonobe underground research laboratory.