Rapid sealing of bed rock flow paths by a synthetic concentration forming solvent

Yoshida, Hidekazu*; Yamamoto, Koshi*; Asahara, Yoshihiro*; Karukaya, Koichi*; Matsui, Hiroya; Metcalfe, R.*

no journal, , 

The ability of synthetic concretion-forming solvents to seal groundwater flow-paths by rapid precipitation of CaCO in bed rock flow-paths has been tested by an in-situ experiment in the underground research laboratory (URL) located in Horonobe, northern Hokkaido, Japan. The experiment showed a decrease in permeability to as low as 1/100 to 1/1,000 of the initial permeability over a period of one year. This sealing process can be applied to various activities that require long-term containment of materials underground, for example abandonment of boreholes connected with hydrocarbon extraction, or CO injection, or sealing of facilities for geological disposal of nuclear wastes.