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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.
Nara, Yoshitaka*; Kato, Masaji*; Sato, Tsutomu*; Kono, Masanori*; Sato, Toshinori
Journal of MMIJ, 138(4), p.44 - 50, 2022/04
It is important to understand the long-term migration of radionuclides when considering rock engineering projects such as the geological disposal of radioactive waste. The network of fractures and pores in a rock mass plays a major role in fluid migration as it provides a pathway for fluid flow. The geometry of a network can change due to fracture sealing by some fine-grained materials over long-term periods. In the present study, we use a macro-fractured granite sample to investigate the change of permeability that occurs under the flow of water that includes two different amounts of clay. Findings showed that clay accumulated in a fracture and that the permeability (hydraulic conductivity) of the granite sample decreased over time, which was greater in for the higher clay content. We concluded that the accumulation of clay minerals in the fracture decreased the permeability of the rock. Furthermore, we consider that the filling and closure of fractures in rock is possible under the flow of groundwater that includes clay minerals.
Kamata, Kento*; Nara, Yoshitaka*; Matsui, Hiroya; Ozaki, Yusuke
Dai-15-Kai Iwa No Rikigaku Kokunai Shimpojiumu Koen Rombunshu (Internet), p.205 - 209, 2021/01
When considering the projects such as radioactive waste disposal, it is important to evaluate the confinement performance of underground substances in rock mass. However, the change in permeability of macro-fractured mudstone has not been sufficiently studied. Therefore, in this study, we investigated its effect on permeability by introducing a macro-fracture into a cylindrical specimen of mudstone distributed in the Horonobe area, Hokkaido. First, the hydraulic conductivity was measured by subjecting a specimen with a macro-fracture introduced by a brazilian test to a falling head permeability test. After that, it was compared with the hydraulic conductivity of the intact specimen measured by the transient pulse method. As a result, it was confirmed that the hydraulic conductivity was increased by about one order due to the introduction of macro-fracture. The increase rate of hydraulic conductivity obtained from the results of this research was smaller than that of previous researches using granite and basalt.
Nara, Yoshitaka*; Kato, Masaji*; Sato, Tsutomu*; Kono, Masanori*; Sato, Toshinori
Proceedings of 5th ISRM Young Scholars' Symposium on Rock Mechanics and International Symposium on Rock Engineering for Innovative Future (YSRM 2019 and REIF 2019) (USB Flash Drive), 6 Pages, 2019/12
It is important to understand the long-term migration of radionuclides considering carious rock engineering projects such as the geological disposal of radioactive wastes. The network of fractures and pores in a rock mass can play important roles as the pathway of the fluid flow of rock. Usually groundwater contains fine-grained minerals such as clays. It is probable that the accumulation of the fine-grained minerals occurs in a fracture if the groundwater flows in a fracture in a rock. In this study, we have conducted the permeability measurement using water including clays. Specifically, we used a macro-fractured granite as a rock sample, and investigated the change of the permeability under the flow of the water including clays. It was shown that the hydraulic conductivity decreased with elapsed time.
Kato, Masaji*; Nara, Yoshitaka*; Okazaki, Yuki*; Kono, Masanori*; Sato, Toshinori; Sato, Tsutomu*; Takahashi, Manabu*
Materials Transactions, 59(9), p.1427 - 1432, 2018/09
Times Cited Count：7 Percentile：32.60(Materials Science, Multidisciplinary)To ensure the safe geological disposal of radioactive waste, it is important to determine the permeability (hydraulic conductivity) of clays. The transient pulse method is suitable for low-permeability materials because it requires a relatively short time to determine their permeability. Upstream pore pressure typically increases in the measurement conducted via the transient pulse method. However, this procedure cannot be used to determine the permeability of clays due to the increase in pore pressure. Therefore, the transient pulse method has never been applied to determine clay permeability. In this study, we applied the transient pulse method to a clay sample to determine its permeability while decreasing the downstream pore pressure.
Nara, Yoshitaka*; Kuwatani, Ryuta*; Kono, Masanori*; Sato, Toshinori; Kashiwaya, Koki*
Zairyo, 67(7), p.730 - 737, 2018/07
Information of confining ability of rock is important for the geological disposal of radioactive wastes. To maintain or improve the confining ability of rocks, it is important to seal pores and cracks. In this study, we investigated the precipitation of minerals on the rock surface. As rock samples, we used Berea sandstone and Toki granite in this study. It was shown that precipitation occurred on the surface of rock specimens kept in calcium hydroxide solution for 1 month if the concentration was high. Specifically, if the concentration of calcium hydroxide solution was higher than 300 mg/l, the precipitation occurred obviously. After keeping rock specimens in calcium hydroxide solution, the weight of the rock samples increased and the concentration of calcium ion decreased by the precipitation. It is considered that the calcium ion in water was used for the precipitation on rock surfaces. Since the precipitation has been recognized for rock surfaces, it is possible to seal pores and cracks in rocks. Therefore, it is also possible to keep or decrease the permeability of rocks by the precipitation of calcium compounds.
Nara, Yoshitaka*; Kato, Masaji*; Niri, Ryuhei*; Kono, Masanori*; Sato, Toshinori; Fukuda, Daisuke*; Sato, Tsutomu*; Takahashi, Manabu*
Pure and Applied Geophysics, 175(3), p.917 - 927, 2018/03
Times Cited Count：16 Percentile：57.84(Geochemistry & Geophysics)Information on the permeability of rock is essential for various geoengineering projects. It is especially important to investigate how fractures and pores influence the physical and transport properties of rock. Infiltration of groundwater through the damage zone fills fractures in granite with fine-grained minerals. However, the permeability of rock possessing a fracture naturally filled with fine-grained mineral grains has yet to be investigated. In this study, the permeabilities of granite samples, including a macro-fracture filled with clay and a mineral vein, are investigated. The permeability of granite with a fine-grained mineral vein agrees well with that of the intact sample, whereas the permeability of granite possessing a macro-fracture filled with clay is lower than that of the macro-fractured sample. The decrease in the permeability is due to the filling of fine-grained minerals and clay in the macro-fracture. It is concluded that the permeability of granite increases due to the existence of the fractures, but decreases upon filling them with fine-grained minerals.
Kato, Masaji*; Nara, Yoshitaka*; Okazaki, Yuki*; Kono, Masanori*; Sato, Toshinori; Sato, Tsutomu*; Takahashi, Manabu*
Zairyo, 67(3), p.318 - 323, 2018/03
To ensure the safe geological disposal of radioactive wastes, it is important to determine the permeability of clays. The transient pulse test is suitable to apply to the low permeability materials, because it takes relatively short term to determine the permeability. Usually we increase the upstream pore pressure in the measurement with the transient pulse test. However, it is impossible to determine the permeability of clay in this procedure because of the increase of pore pressure. Therefore, the transient pulse test has never been applied to the determination of permeability of clays. In this study, we tried to apply the transient pulse test to a clay obtained in Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory to determine the permeability with decreasing the downstream pore pressure. It was clarified that the transient pulse test with decreasing downstream pore pressure is appropriate from the measurements of granite and sandstone. It was shown that the permeability of a clay was determined by the transient pulse test with decreasing the downstream pore pressure, which agreed with the permeability determined from the falling head test. The measurement time of the transient pulse test is much shorter than that of the falling head test. It is concluded that the transient pulse test is appropriate for the determination of the permeability of clays.
Kato, Masaji*; Nara, Yoshitaka*; Fukuda, Daisuke*; Kono, Masanori*; Sato, Toshinori; Sato, Tsutomu*; Takahashi, Manabu*
Zairyo, 65(7), p.489 - 495, 2016/07
Rock masses serve a vital function as natural barriers for geological disposal of radioactive waste; therefore, information on rock permeability is essential. Highly accurate measurement of permeability requires understanding of how temperature changes in the surrounding environment influence measurement results. We performed permeability measurement under conditions with dramatic changes of temperature in the surrounding environment to investigate the influence of such changes on the experimental results. Measurement of permeability with no temperature change was also conducted as reference. All measurements were conducted using the transient pulse method, and the sample material used was Toki granite obtained from Gifu Prefecture in central Japan. We found that temperature changes in the surrounding environment remarkably affected the pressure in reservoirs upstream and downstream, the pressure difference between them, and the confining pressure; all increased when temperature increased for our experimental system. Notably, pressure difference was affected immediately. This difference directly relates to estimation of permeability.
Nara, Yoshitaka*; Cho, S. H.*; Yoshizaki, Takaya*; Kaneko, Katsuhiko*; Sato, Toshinori*; Nakama, Shigeo; Matsui, Hiroya
International Journal of the JCRM (Internet), 7(1), p.1 - 9, 2011/01
This study presents a back analysis based on three-dimensional finite element analysis in order to estimate the regional stress fields and the elastic moduli of a rock mass simultaneously from in situ measurements. In order to improve the accuracy of the estimation of three-dimensional stress field, heterogeneities in a rock mass consisting of geological layers with different elastic properties was considered. Back analysis was applied to determine the regional stresses for a broad field study that includes Tono Mine, the Shobasama Site and the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (MIU) Construction Site.
Nara, Takayuki; Agematsu, Takashi; Ishibori, Ikuo; Kurashima, Satoshi; Yoshida, Kenichi; Yuyama, Takahiro; Ishizaka, Tomohisa; Okumura, Susumu; Miyawaki, Nobumasa; Kashiwagi, Hirotsugu; et al.
JAEA-Review 2007-060, JAEA Takasaki Annual Report 2006, P. 204, 2008/03
no abstracts in English
Nara, Takayuki; Agematsu, Takashi; Ishibori, Ikuo; Kurashima, Satoshi; Yoshida, Kenichi; Okumura, Susumu; Miyawaki, Nobumasa; Kashiwagi, Hirotsugu; Yuri, Yosuke; Yokota, Wataru; et al.
JAEA-Review 2006-042, JAEA Takasaki Annual Report 2005, P. 196, 2007/02
no abstracts in English
Nara, Takayuki; Agematsu, Takashi; Ishibori, Ikuo; Kurashima, Satoshi; Yoshida, Kenichi; Fukuda, Mitsuhiro; Okumura, Susumu; Miyawaki, Nobumasa; Kashiwagi, Hirotsugu; Nakamura, Yoshiteru; et al.
JAEA-Review 2005-001, TIARA Annual Report 2004, P. 370, 2006/01
no abstracts in English
Nara, Takayuki; Agematsu, Takashi; Ishibori, Ikuo; Kurashima, Satoshi; Yoshida, Kenichi; Fukuda, Mitsuhiro; Okumura, Susumu; Miyawaki, Nobumasa; Nakamura, Yoshiteru; Akaiwa, Katsuhiro*; et al.
Proceedings of 1st Annual Meeting of Particle Accelerator Society of Japan and 29th Linear Accelerator Meeting in Japan, p.209 - 211, 2004/08
no abstracts in English
Nakamura, Yoshiteru; Nara, Takayuki; Agematsu, Takashi; Ishibori, Ikuo; Tamura, Hiroyuki; Kurashima, Satoshi; Yokota, Wataru; Okumura, Susumu; Fukuda, Mitsuhiro; Akaiwa, Katsuhiro*; et al.
Proceedings of 13th Symposium on Accelerator Science and Technology, p.193 - 195, 2001/00
The AVF cyclotron system at JAERI Takasaki has been smoothly operated without serious troubles since the first beam extraction in March, 1991. A yearly operation time is about 3200 hours on an average for recent eight years. In last two years, we performed some improvements and developments as followings: stabilization of the cyclotron beam by addition on an exclusive cooling system, designing and investigation of the flat-top system using fifth-harmonic RF, reconstruction of the rotary shutter for radiation shielding and reinforcement of the magnetic channel and its power supply. Furthermore, the renewal of main circulation pump for cooling system, replacement of shunt resistor in the power supplies and re-alignment of the several magnets along the trunk beam transport line were also carried out.
Oketani, Kazuki*; Nara, Yoshitaka*; Matsui, Hiroya; Fujii, Hirokazu*
no journal, ,
For the geological disposal of radioactive wastes, it is important to understand the long-term migration of radionuclides. The network of fractures and pores in a rock mass, which have a role as the pathway of the fluid flow of materials, may change due to sealing of a material in the long term. We measured changes in hydraulic conductivity of crystalline rock mass using water mixed with clays sampled from a fault in the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory, Japan Atomic Energy Agency. This result indicates that permeability of in-situ rock mass is possible to decrease by fracture filling with a clay material in a fault.
Nara, Yoshitaka*; Kuwatani, Ryuta*; Kono, Masanori*; Sato, Toshinori
no journal, ,
Precipitation of calcium compound to silicate rock was studied.
Kamata, Kento*; Nara, Yoshitaka*; Fujii, Hirokazu*; Zhao, Y.*; Matsui, Hiroya; Ozaki, Yusuke
no journal, ,
The precipitation of carbonate minerals in rock is expected to close the fracture opening. In Horonobe URL, we perform the carbonated water injection test to heal the EDZ by the carbonate mineral precipitation. We compare the permeability before and after the injection to evaluate the closure of fractures in the EDZ. The significant change in permeability is not recognized at the present due to the short injection period and continuous injection would be required to change the permeability of EDZ by the precipitation.
Nara, Takayuki; Agematsu, Takashi; Ishibori, Ikuo; Kurashima, Satoshi; Yoshida, Kenichi; Yokota, Wataru; Fukuda, Mitsuhiro*; Okumura, Susumu; Miyawaki, Nobumasa; Kashiwagi, Hirotsugu; et al.
no journal, ,
no abstracts in English
Kamata, Kento*; Nara, Yoshitaka*; Kashiwaya, Koki*; Tada, Yohei*; Fujii, Hirokazu*; Zhao, Y.*; Matsui, Hiroya; Ozaki, Yusuke
no journal, ,
We conducted a carbonated water injection experiment at 350m stage in Horonobe URL. Two boreholes with 1m were drilled from drift wall and carbonated water was injected. The cement material powder was added one of the boreholes. The hydraulic conductivity around the borehole where only carbonated water was injected slightly decreased. The hydraulic conductivity around the borehole where both cement material powder and carbonated water decreased and increased because of the clogging of fracture by the powder and dissipation of it.
