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Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Ozaki, Yusuke; Hayano, Akira; Ono, Hirokazu; Tachi, Yukio
Nihon Genshiryoku Gakkai-Shi ATOMO, 67(6), p.354 - 358, 2025/06
Japan Atomic Energy Agency launched the Horonobe International Project (HIP) utilizing the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory. The main objectives of this project are to develop and demonstrate advanced technologies to be used in repository design, operation and closure and a realistic safety assessment in deep geological disposal, and to encourage and train the next generation of engineers and researchers. In this review, an overview of the HIP is presented.
Nagata, Shohei*; Ichida, Toshiyuki*; Fujieda, Daigo; Aoyagi, Kazuhei
Tunnelling into a Sustainable Future; Methods and Technologies; Proceedings of the ITA-AITES World Tunnel Congress 2025 (WTC 2025), p.3517 - 3524, 2025/05
We performed three-dimensional excavation analysis of three shafts and intersection of horizontal tunnel excavated to 500 m depth at Horonobe URL, and evaluated stress acting on concrete lining under various conditions such as differences in diameter of shafts, lining shape, lining thickness, concrete strength, and installation interval of the lining. The design of the support was determined based on the analysis results, and then the construction of the shafts and horizontal galleries were started. Considering the measured stress acting on the concrete lining of the shaft and sprayed mortar installed at the intersection of shaft and horizontal gallery, we could successfully excavate the shaft to 500 m depth and intersection of horizontal gallery at 420 m depth. We also concluded that appropriate support pattern can be selected based on the measured stress acting on the concrete lining and numerical analysis performed prior to the excavation. This can contribute to enhance the reliability of the appropriate observational construction technology targeting excavation of shaft.
Ishii, Eiichi; Ozaki, Yusuke; Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Sugawara, Kentaro*
Hydrogeology Journal, 33(1), p.63 - 85, 2025/02
Times Cited Count:0 Percentile:0.00(Geosciences, Multidisciplinary)This study performed virtual packer tests on modeled single fractures on computer and derived the relationship between flow dimension and mappable indicator, DI, which is defined by the mean stress, groundwater pressure, and rock tensile strength. The greater DI results in the smaller flow area in faults or fractures, subject to fracture-normal closure. Comparing the derived relationship with results from in situ hydraulic tests on natural faults in rock with few fracture-mineral-fillings revealed that flow-path connectivity is high (flow dimension 1.5) when DI was
2.0 while was low (flow dimension
1.5) when DI was
2.0. This relationship was valid even when DI was varied, or faults were sheared, during injection tests on faults, and even in rock with abundant fracture-mineral-fillings. However, flow-path connectivity in minor fractures far from faults could be also low even when DI was
2.0 probably due to poor connection to the main fault network or sealing effects of fracture-mineral-fillings. When the permeability of intact rock is high, flow-path connectivity in fractures was high even when DI was
2.0. These findings can be helpful to map the spatial distribution of flow-path connectivity in faults or fractures from limited borehole data.
Suetake, Koya*; Ogata, Sho*; Yasuhara, Hideaki*; Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Inui, Toru*; Kishida, Kiyoshi*
Dai-16-Kai Iwa No Rikigaku Kokunai Shimpojiumu Koen Rombunshu (Internet), p.304 - 309, 2025/01
It is very important to predict the extent of EDZ (excavation disturbed zone) and the behavior of hydraulic conductivity after excavation of shafts and tunnels for geological disposal of radioactive waste. In this study, we attempted to reproduce the in-situ tunnel excavation test and the subsequent permeability test at the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory (URL) using a three-dimensional tunnel excavation simulator. As a result, similar results to the in-situ tests were obtained for the extent of EDZ propagation by excavation and the results of permeability tests. The simulator is effective in predicting the mechanical effects of excavation, coupled phenomena such as deformation and seepage, and hydraulic conductivity in deep mudstones in Japan.
Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Ozaki, Yusuke; Ono, Hirokazu; Ishii, Eiichi
Dai-16-Kai Iwa No Rikigaku Kokunai Shimpojiumu Koen Rombunshu (Internet), p.269 - 274, 2025/01
We investigated the development of the excavation damaged zone (EDZ) induced by the excavation of modeled disposal pit which was excavated as a part of the full-scale engineering barrier experiment at 350 m depth. Seismic and electric tomography surveys, observation of rock core samples, borehole televiewer surveys and three-dimensional excavation analysis were performed to evaluate the extent of the EDZ around the pit. It was clarified that the EDZ was developed 0.8 to 1.6 m from the wall of the pit at a relatively shallower depth caused by the effect of the EDZ induced around the floor of the gallery. The extent of the EDZ was gradually reduced along the depth, and the maximum extension was 0.3 m from the wall of the pit at the deeper section.
Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Tachi, Yukio
Genshiryoku Bakkuendo Kenkyu (CD-ROM), 31(2), p.124 - 127, 2024/12
Japan Atomic Energy Agency launched "Horonobe International Project (HIP)" utilizing the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory. Currently, 11 organizations from 8 countries/regions are joining this project. The main objective of this project is to develop and demonstrate advanced technologies to be used in repository design, operation and closure and a realistic safety assessment in deep geological disposal, and to encourage and train the next generation of engineers and researchers. The research tasks consist of 1) Solute transport experiment with model testing, 2) Systematic integration of repository technology options, and 3) Full-scale EBS dismantling experiment. In these tasks, experimental galleries will be excavated and in situ experiments will be performed at these galleries, then the analysis and investigation methods will be validated. This is a unique and original aspect of the HIP and three research tasks described above are challenging from an international perspective. Thus, HIP can be a good practice of international collaboration utilizing the underground facility.
Niunoya, Sumio*; Hata, Koji*; Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Matsui, Hiroya
Tonneru Kogaku Hokokushu (CD-ROM), 34, p.IV-1_1 - IV-1_6, 2024/12
A multi-optical measurement probe consisting of an optical fiber AE sensor, a pore pressure sensor, and a thermometer was installed at a depth from 350 to 370 m of the East access shaft. Using this measurement system, we continuously monitored the EDZ around the shaft and changes in pore water pressure. In this report, we summarized the measured AE and pore pressure data during the maintenance period after the completion of excavation to a depth of 350 m, and analyze the waveform data when earthquake occurred. We also investigated whether the measurement system can capture the effect of seismic motion to the EDZ. As a result, the AE count was slightly increased and pore pressure was slightly changed owing to the seismic motion, however, there is little impact to the EDZ.
Hata, Koji*; Niunoya, Sumio*; Aoyagi, Kazuhei
International Journal of the JSRM (Internet), 20(1), p.240104_1 - 240104_4, 2024/11
Japan Atomic Energy Agency has been conducting R&D activities to enhance the reliability of high-level radioactive waste deep geological disposal technology. In this project, one of the challenges is the development of methods for long-term monitoring of rock mass behavior. Therefore, in January 2014, the long-term measurements of the hydro-mechanical behavior of the rock mass were launched using the three types of optical sensors in the vicinity of the shaft excavated deeper than 350 m at the Horonobe Underground Research Center. The measurement results show that Acoustic emission occur frequently up to 1.5 m from the wall during excavation. In addition, hydraulic conductivity increased by 2-4 orders of magnitude. Elastoplastic analysis revealed that the hydraulic behavior of the rock mass affected the pore pressure fluctuations and caused micro-fractures. Based on this, a conceptual model is developed to represent the excavation damaged zone, which contributes to the safe geological disposal of radioactive waste.
Ozaki, Yusuke; Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Ono, Hirokazu; Kimura, Shun
Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Coupled Processes in Fractured Geological Media; Observation, Modeling, and Application (CouFrac2024) (Internet), 10 Pages, 2024/11
Electrical resistivity tomography was repeatedly carried out to investigate the changes of the electrical resistivity distribution around 350m Niche No. 2 and No. 4 in the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory. The electrical resistivity around Niche No. 2 did not change so much after the high resistive zone appeared around the tunnel by the excavation under opened condition during the studied period. Around Niche No. 4, the electrical resistivity was investigated under closed condition by engineered barrier system (EBS) where the EBS and surrounding rocks were disturbed artificially by water injection and heating. Our results could capture the change in the distribution of electrical resistivity due to the artificial disturbances in and around of Niche No. 4. These results would help us to understand the time lapse behavior of excavation damaged zone and re-saturation process in and around the EBS from the construction to the closure.
Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Ozaki, Yusuke; Tamura, Tomonori; Ishii, Eiichi
Proceedings of 4th International Conference on Coupled Processes in Fractured Geological Media; Observation, Modeling, and Application (CouFrac2024) (Internet), 10 Pages, 2024/11
In high-level radioactive waste disposal, it is crucial to estimate the transmissivity of gallery excavation-induced fractures, i.e., excavation damaged zone (EDZ) fractures, because EDZ fractures can be a radionuclide migration pathway after the backfilling of the facility is completed. From previous research, the transmissivity of the fracture can be estimated through the empirical equation using the parameter ductility index (DI), which corresponds to the effective mean stress normalized to the tensile strength of the rock. In this research, we performed a hydromechanical coupling analysis of a gallery excavation at the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory to estimate the transmissivity of the EDZ fracture before the excavation. At first, we simulated the gallery excavation at 350 m and showed that the measured transmissivity was within the range of the estimated transmissivity using the DI. After that, we also predicted the excavation of a gallery at 500 m by setting the hydromechanical parameters acquired from the laboratory tests before the excavation. The estimated transmissivity at 500 m was one order of magnitude less than that at 350 m. This result might be related to the closure of the fracture under high-stress conditions and low rock strength.
Sakurai, Akitaka; Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Murakami, Hiroaki; Tamura, Tomonori; Fujieda, Daigo; Togase, Kazuki
JAEA-Data/Code 2024-005, 48 Pages, 2024/07
We currently focus on the three tasks that were identified as "key R&D challenges to be tackled" in the "Horonobe Underground Research Plan for the fiscal year 2020 Onwards". These tasks include "Study on near-field system performance in geological environment", "Demonstration of repository design options", and "Understanding of buffering behaviour of sedimentary rocks to natural perturbations". To implement these tasks, we will excavate shafts and galleries to the 500 m depth. From fiscal year 2023, we will start extension of the 350 m gallery excavating 3 horizontal gallery (Niches No.6, No.7, and Niche of the East Shaft No.1) and excavation of the shaft to the 500 m depth and excavation of 500 m gallery. This report summarizes the measurement data acquired at Niches No.6, No.7, and Niche of the East Shaft No.1 in fiscal year 2023 to accumulate the basic data for carrying out the Observational Construction Program for the excavation of the shaft to the 500 m depth and galleries at the 500 m depth.
Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Sugawara, Kentaro*; Kamemura, Katsumi*; Nago, Makito*
International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, 178, p.105776_1 - 105776_11, 2024/06
Times Cited Count:0 Percentile:0.00(Engineering, Geological)A method for estimating the stress state during the construction of underground facilities such as deep geological disposal repositories is necessary to enhance the reliability of their design, construction, and long-term performance. For this purpose, numerous in situ measurements of variables such as hydraulic fracturing or the stress relief method have been typically performed to estimate the stress state. However, it is difficult in some cases to validate the stress state, particularly in sedimentary rock, because of the variation related to heterogeneous rock masses and topography. This study developed a new method for reliably estimating the in situ stress state of rocks using the measured initial elastic displacement of the loop gallery at 350 m depth in the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory (URL), Japan. The estimated magnitudes of the maximum and minimum horizontal stresses are 11.25 and 6.25 MPa, respectively, which are similar to the stresses measured using the hydraulic fracturing method performed before excavating the facility. Although the proposed method could only be applied after excavation of the gallery in the studied case, it yielded an estimate of the stress state over a region of hundreds of square meters with high accuracy, as assessed by comparison with measured results. We conclude that the method can be applied to optimizing the design, construction, and performance of large underground facilities, such as deep geological repositories.
Nara, Yoshitaka*; Kashiwaya, Koki*; Oketani, Kazuki*; Fujii, Hirokazu*; Zhao, Y.*; Kato, Masaji*; Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Ozaki, Yusuke; Matsui, Hiroya; Kono, Masanori*
Zairyo, 73(3), p.220 - 225, 2024/03
The fractures in the rock are the main pass of groundwater flow and solute transport. The filling of fine-grained particle, such as clay minerals, was confirmed to decrease the permeability of rock by laboratory experiment. This research aimed to verify the occurrence of the phenomena in the field. The water containing the clay minerals was injected into the rock at the 200m stage of the Mizunami Underground research laboratory. The hydraulic conductivity decreased two order before and after the injection. This result suggested that the decrease of hydraulic conductivity by the filling of fine-grained particle in the fractures occurred in the real field.
Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Ishii, Eiichi
Environmental Earth Sciences, 83(3), p.98_1 - 98_15, 2024/02
Times Cited Count:2 Percentile:65.56(Environmental Sciences)The long-term geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste relies on predictions of future changes in a disposal facility's hydro-mechanical characteristics to assess potential leakage through fractures in the excavation damaged zone (EDZ) after backfilling the facility. This study evaluated the transmissivity of EDZ fractures using in situ hydraulic tests around the area of a full-scale, experimental, engineered barrier system in the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory, Hokkaido, Japan. After their installation, the buffer blocks swelled, altering the stresses within the EDZ fractures. The effects of these changing stresses on the fractures' transmissivity were assessed over a period of 4 years. The transmissivity continuously decreased in this period to about 41% of its value measured prior to the swelling. Using the Barton-Bandis normal-stress-dependent fracture-closure model, the decrease in transmissivity is quantitatively attributed to closure of the EDZ fractures, which was caused by the swelling pressure increasing up to 0.88 MPa. Evidence of fracture closure came from seismic tomography surveying, which revealed a slight increase in seismic velocity in the study area with increasing swelling pressure. The results show that EDZ fractures were closed by swelling of the full-scale buffer material. They also demonstrate the applicability of the Barton-Bandis model to preliminary estimation of the long-term transmissivity of EDZ fractures in facilities for the geological disposal of radioactive waste.
Hata, Koji*; Niunoya, Sumio*; Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Miyara, Nobukatsu*
Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 16(2), p.365 - 378, 2024/02
Times Cited Count:4 Percentile:74.66(Engineering, Geological)Excavation of underground caverns, such as mountain tunnels and energy-storage caverns, may cause the damages to the surrounding rock as a result of the stress redistribution. In this influenced zone, new cracks and discontinuities are created or propagate in the rock mass. Therefore, it is effective to measure and evaluate the acoustic emission (AE) events generated by the rocks, which is a small elastic vibration, and permeability change. The authors have developed a long-term measurement device that incorporates an optical AE (O-AE) sensor, an optical pore pressure sensor, and an optical temperature sensor in a single multi-optical measurement probe (MOP). Japan Atomic Energy Agency has been conducting R&D activities to enhance the reliability of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) deep geological disposal technology. In a high-level radioactive disposal project, one of the challenges is the development of methods for long-term monitoring of rock mass behavior. Therefore, in January 2014, the long-term measurements of the hydro-mechanical behavior of the rock mass were launched using the developed MOP in the vicinity of 350 m below the surface at the Horonobe Underground Research Center. The measurement results show that AEs occur frequently up to 1.5 m from the wall during excavation. In addition, hydraulic conductivity increased by 2 to 4 orders of magnitude. Elastoplastic analysis revealed that the hydraulic behavior of the rock mass affected the pore pressure fluctuations and caused micro-fractures. Based on this, a conceptual model is developed to represent the excavation damaged zone (EDZ), which contributes to the safe geological disposal of radioactive waste.
Ozaki, Yusuke; Ono, Hirokazu; Aoyagi, Kazuhei
Shigen, Sozai Koenshu (Internet), 6 Pages, 2023/09
In the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory, the in-situ experiment for performance confirmation of engineered barrier system was performed at the 350 m stage to develop the technology for geological disposal. Several measurements have been conducted in and around the test drift to investigate the time dependent impact of the experiment on the rock and backfilled tunnel. Some measurement results are introduced in this presentation.
Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Ishii, Eiichi; Chen, Y.*; Ishida, Tsuyoshi*
Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, 55(4), p.1855 - 1869, 2022/04
Times Cited Count:5 Percentile:39.79(Engineering, Geological)Safety assessments related to the long-term migration of radionuclides in high-level radioactive waste disposal repositories need to consider the evolution of permeability associated with excavation-damaged-zone (EDZ) fractures. We observed EDZ fractures preserved by resin injection around a gallery in the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory in Japan with the aim of assessing the sensitivity of aperture to shear displacement (i.e., dilation angle) in EDZ fractures. To date, shear displacement along EDZ fractures has not been quantified despite its importance for estimating the evolution of fracture aperture around excavations after the repository is backfilled. Enlarged photographs of EDZ fractures fixed by resin were examined to obtain reliable and accurate measurements of the shear displacement and aperture of EDZ fractures without additional disturbance. Measured shear displacement and fracture aperture are poorly correlated, meaning that fracture aperture is insensitive to shear displacement after fracture formation. This insensitivity is closely reproduced by a previously reported empirical relationship and is attributed to the relatively high levels of normal stress acting on fracture surfaces at 350 m depth, which suppress shear-induced dilatation. Considering this insensitivity between fracture aperture and shear displacement, shear-induced dilation of EDZ fractures is estimated to be negligible even if the fractures are shear-displaced after the repository is backfilled, so long as the normal stress acting on fracture surfaces does not reduce substantially. The applied resin injection and fracture observations constitute a useful tool for helping to assess the likelihood of shear-induced dilation after the repository is backfilled.
Miyakawa, Kazuya; Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Akaki, Toshifumi*; Yamamoto, Hajime*
JAEA-Data/Code 2021-002, 26 Pages, 2021/05
Investigations employing numerical simulation have been conducted to study the mechanisms of desaturation and oxygen infusion into sedimentary formations. By mimicking the conditions of the Horonobe underground research laboratory, numerical simulations aided geoscientific investigation of the effects of dissolved gas content and rock permeability on the desaturation (Miyakawa et al., 2019) and mechanisms of oxygen intrusion into the host rock (Miyakawa et al., 2021). These simulations calculated multi-phase flow, including flows of groundwater and exsolved gas, and conducted sensitivity analysis changing the dissolved gas content, rock permeability, and humidity at the gallery wall. Only the most important results from these simulations have been reported previously, because of publishers' space limitations. Hence, in order to provide basic data for understanding the mechanisms of desaturation and oxygen infusion into rock, all data for 27 output parameters (e.g., advective fluxes of heat, gas, and water, diffusive fluxes of water, CH, CO
, O
, and N
, saturation degree, water pressure, and mass fraction of each component) over a modeling period of 100 years are presented here.
Miyakawa, Kazuya; Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Akaki, Toshifumi*; Yamamoto, Hajime*
Dai-15-Kai Iwa No Rikigaku Kokunai Shimpojiumu Koen Rombunshu (Internet), p.609 - 614, 2021/01
Desaturation is expected due to excavation of an underground repository, especially in the newly created fractures zone (EDZ). During the construction and operation of facilities, the air in the gallery infuses into the rock around the gallery though the excavation affected area and causes oxidation of host rock and groundwater, which increase nuclide mobilities. In the Horonobe underground research laboratory (HURL), which is excavated in the Neogene sedimentary formations, no pyrite dissolution or precipitation of calcium sulfates was found from the cores drilled in the rock around the gallery. The reason for no oxidation is estimated that the release of dissolved gases from groundwater due to pressure decrease flows against the air infusion. In this research, the mechanism of O intrusion into the rock was investigated by numerical multiphase flow simulation considering advection and diffusion of groundwater and gases. In the simulation, only Darcy's and Henry's laws were considered, that is, chemical reaction related to oxidation was not handled. The effects of dissolved gas and rock permeability on O
infusion into the rock were almost identical. Decreasing humidity with relatively low permeability leads to extensive accumulation of O
into the EDZ even though with a relatively large amount of dissolved gas. In the HURL, the shotcrete attenuates O
concentration and keeps 100% humidity at the boundary of the gallery wall, which inhibits O
infusion. Without the shotcrete, humidity at the gallery wall decreases according to seasonal changes and ventilation, which promotes O
intrusion into the EDZ but the chemical reaction related to O
buffering such as pyrite oxidation consumes O
.
Mishima, Seiki*; Ogata, Sho*; Inui, Toru*; Yasuhara, Hideaki*; Kishida, Kiyoshi*; Aoyagi, Kazuhei
Dai-15-Kai Iwa No Rikigaku Kokunai Shimpojiumu Koen Rombunshu (Internet), p.215 - 220, 2021/01
When the durability of the geological repository of high-level radioactive waste is evaluated, understanding the cracking behavior within the crystalline/sedimentary rocks during excavation of waste disposal cavities is important. In this study, we performed a numerical analysis that expressed the tunnel excavation carried out 350 m underground at the Horonobe Underground Research Center of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency. Simulated results are agreement with actual trends of fracture propagation, and the measured horizontal convergence of the tunnel was reproduced by the numerical analysis relatively well.