Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory Project, Plan for fiscal year 2016

Hama, Katsuhiro ; Takeuchi, Ryuji  ; Iwatsuki, Teruki  ; Sasao, Eiji   ; Mikake, Shinichiro ; Ikeda, Koki; Matsui, Hiroya ; Osawa, Hideaki  

The Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (MIU) project is being pursued by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to enhance the reliability of geological disposal technologies through investigations of the deep geological environment in the crystalline host rock (granite rock) at Mizunami City in Gifu Prefecture, central Japan. On the occasion of the reform of the entire JAEA organization in 2014, JAEA identified three important issues on the geoscientific research program: "Development of countermeasure technologies for reducing groundwater inflow", "Development of modelling technologies for mass transport" and "Development of drift backfilling technologies", based on the latest results of the synthesizing research and development (R&D). These R&D on three remaining important issues have been carrying out on the MIU project. This report summarizes the R&D activities planned for fiscal year 2016 based on the MIU Master Plan updated in 2015 and so on.