The long-term functionality (stability) of the lining of disposal tunnels is a precondition for the safe removal and reprocessing of spent nuclear waste from deep underground repositories in the near or more distant future. The reason for removing containers with radioactive waste from such repositories lies in the potential development of presently unavailable "perfect" technology for its reprocessing. The stability problems of the tunnel lining exposed to the long-term thermal load generated by the waste in the disposal container is the subject of the European TIMODAZ project (Thermal Impact on the Damaged Zone around a Radioactive Waste Disposal in Clay Host Rocks). Research is being carried out by means of physical modelling. This paper describes the design, construction and currently available results of an "in-situ " model which has been built at the Josef Underground Educational Facility in the Czech Republic.
展开▼
