Thermo-hydromechanical behaviour

In HADES, we study the safety and feasibility of disposal of radioactive waste in deep clays. The clay surrounding the repository will act as a natural barrier,  greatly slowing down the dispersion of any radioactive substances that could leach from the waste packages and the underground facility. 

Clay is chosen because of its favourable properties: its plastic behaviour, low water permeability and retention of certain radioactive substances. 

At the HADES Underground Research Laboratory, we focus on the excavation-damaged zone around disposal galleries and the effect of heat on the clay’s favorable properties. Heat from high-level waste can temporarily influence:

• Hydraulic properties (permeability and porewater pressure)
• Mechanical behavior (stress and deformation)

These processes are interconnected in a complex way, known as Thermo-Hydromechanical (THM) behaviour.