Hydrothermal field test with french candidate clay embedding steel heater in the Stripa mine

摘要

Field experiments with French kaolinite/smectite clay heated up to 170 degrees C in boreholes in granite were conducted for 8 months and 4 years. The clay heated for 8 months has a considerably higher water content and it had undergone much less changes in mineralogy and physical properties than the clay exposed to heating for 4 years. The drying of the latter clay was probably caused by hydrogen gas from corrosion of the heater. The clay next to the heater turned into clay-stone despite conversion of the kaolinite component to smectite. (42 refs). (Atomindex citation 24:075669)