Characteristics of the Disturbed Rock Zone in salt at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

摘要

The disturbed rock zone surrounding underground openings in salt provides a path of increased permeability, which could bypass seals or closure systems. Compliance application performance assessment calculations include characteristics and parameters of the disturbed rock zone which model brine influx into the disposal room and influence important evolutionary processes. Quantification of spatial and temporal characteristics plays a vital role in verification and validation of calculational and predictive methodologies. This paper presents petrophysical evidence derived from laboratory observations and compares the results to hydrological and geophysical measurements. The composite of related studies, when completed, will provide a hydrologic profile for model validation.