Grouting experiment with colloidal silica at 300 m depth of the Mizunami URL

Kobayashi, Shinji*; Nobuto, Jun*; Sugiyama, Hirokazu*; Kusano, Takashi*; Tsuji, Masakuni*; Mikake, Shinichiro ; Matsui, Hiroya 

JAEA (Japan Atomic Energy Agency) has been conducting geoscientific research and development at underground research laboratory under construction, in crystalline rock at Mizunami, Gifu. Considering water treatment expense, the water inflow should be minimized. Although cement grout has been applied to reduce the inflow at 460 m depth at the MIU (Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory), water inflow through narrow fractures which cement grout cannot penetrate might be a problem at deeper underground. Colloidal silica grout, which is liquid-type grout, has high durability as well as good penetrability and is therefore tested at a depth of 300 m. The results indicated that liquid-type grout could sufficiently reduce the hydraulic conductivity of rock mass with less than 1 Lu. In the water pressure resistance test, the ultra-high-pressure packer was set in the pilot hole. The results indicated that liquid-type grout could keep sealing effect even under high water pressures over 9 MPa.