Experimental and modeling study on long-term alteration of compacted bentonite with alkaline groundwater

Yamaguchi, Tetsuji; Sakamoto, Yoshifumi; Akai, Masanobu; Takazawa, Mayumi; Iida, Yoshihisa; Tanaka, Tadao; Nakayama, Shinichi

Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 32(1-7), p.298 - 310, 2007/00

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pce.2005.10.003

Dissolution rate of montmorillonite, diffusivity of hydroxide ion and permeability coefficient in compacted sand-bentonite mixtures were experimentally determined and formulated. A coupled mass-transport/chemical-reaction code was developed to predict variation in permeability of engineered bentonite barrier with alkaline fluid by using the formulae.

Long-term alteration of bentonite; For safety evaluation of deep geological disposal

Tanaka, Tadao; Sakamoto, Yoshifumi; Yamaguchi, Tetsuji; Takazawa, Mayumi; Akai, Masanobu; Negishi, Kumi; Iida, Yoshihisa; Nakayama, Shinichi

JAERI-Conf 2005-007, p.105 - 110, 2005/08

https://jopss.jaea.go.jp/pdfdata/JAERI-Conf-2005-007.pdf

Highly alkaline environments induced by cementitious materials in radioactive waste repositories are likely to dissolve and to alter montmorillonite, the main constituent of bentonite buffer materials. For the prediction of the long-term variations in permeability of compacted sand-bentonite mixtures, long-term alteration of bentonite should be quantified based on information accumulated by using the compacted or powdered bentonite materials, with batch experiments or column experiments. In this study, we summarize distinctive information obtained from various experimental systems, and propose functional and effective integration of experimental approaches to prediction of bentonite alteration.

Dissolution of montmorillonite in compacted bentonite by highly alkaline aqueous solutions and diffusivity of hydroxide ions

Nakayama, Shinichi; Sakamoto, Yoshifumi; Yamaguchi, Tetsuji; Akai, Masanobu; Tanaka, Tadao; Sato, Tsutomu*; Iida, Yoshihisa

Applied Clay Science, 27(1-2), p.53 - 65, 2004/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2003.12.023

Alkaline environments induced by cement in radioactive waste repositories are likely to alter montmorillonite, the main constituent of bentonite buffer materials. Over long time periods, the alteration may cause the physical and/or chemical properties of the buffer to deteriorate. For the purpose of acquiring numerical data to quantify the effect of alteration on permeability of bentonite buffer, dissolution rates of montmorillonite and diffusivity of hydroxide ions in compacted sand-bentonite mixture specimens have been measured under highly alkaline, simulated groundwater conditions. The dissolution rate of montmorillonite was given by the linear dependence on time under the employed experimental conditions of pH 13 to 14 and temperatures of 90 to 170C. The diffusivity of hydroxide ions was obtained in through-diffusion experiments combined with a pore diffusion model. The experiments were performed under relatively low temperatures of 10 to 50C to minimize the effect of alteration of bentonite. The effective diffusivity was on the order of 10 to 10 m/s.

Geochemistry research equipment for TRU waste elements

Akai, Masanobu; Ito, Nobuyuki*; Yamaguchi, Tetsuji; Tanaka, Tadao; Iida, Yoshihisa; Nakayama, Shinichi; Inagaki, Shingo*

JAERI-Tech 2004-058, 47 Pages, 2004/09

JAERI-Tech-2004-058.pdf:7.27MB

Geochemistry Research Equipment for TRU Waste Elements has been installed in Back-end Cycle Key Elements Research Facility (BECKY) of Nuclear Fuel Cycle Safety Engineering Research Facility (NUCEF). This equipment is designed to study geochemical behavior of TRU elements and other radionuclides contained in TRU waste (TRU waste elements) and to acquire data for safety assessments of radioactive wastes disposal. The equipment consists of anaerobic glove box systems, aerobic glove box systems equipped with built-in barrier performance testing apparatus, and analytical instruments. This report describes principles, structure, performance and safety designs of each component of the equipment, and results of research performed in the equipment.