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ASC at THMC conference

55ASC will present two technical papers at EC's international conference on the impact of thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes on the safety of underground radioactive waste repositories. The conference will be held in Luxembourg on 29 September 2009 and is part of the framework of the European Comission TIMODAZ and THERESA projects. The posters present ASC's results in the investigation of the evolution of the Excavation Damage Zone (EDZ) in Boom Clay within the TIMODAZ project and the monitoring of thermal and pressurisation effects on a crystalline rock repository:

• Reyes-Montes, J.M., Areias, L., Li, X., Pettitt, W., Haycox, J. and R.P. Young. Ultrasonic Monitoring of the Excavation Damaged Zone in Boom Clay in the PRACLAY Experiment.

• Haycox, J., Pettitt, W., Reyes-Montes, J.M., Young, R.P. and L.E. Johanneson. Acoustic Emission and Ultrasonic Survey Monitoring at the SKB Prototype Experiment During Heating and Pressurisation.

The objectives for the conference and workshop are to update, synthesize and work towards a consensus on:

• State of the art in understanding and characterization of THMC processes in host rocks, buffer/rock and buffer/seal interfaces;
• State of the art in understanding the thermal impact on EDZ, TDZ (thermal induced damaged zone), on self sealing / healing capacities of host rocks;
• Lessons learnt from experiments;
• State of the art in capabilities of mathematical models and computer codes used for modelling coupled THMC processes at scale of lab and in-situ experiments and at scale of a disposal system;
• Assessment of impact of DZ and buffer evolution on performance of geological repositories;
• How to integrate DZ and THMC processes in PA (Performance Assessment);
• Priorities for future research.

Full abstract and information on the technical programme is available at ITC's website .

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