Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
3.9
2.5
Journals
Minerals
Special Issues
The Hydro-Mechanics of Crystalline Rocks
share announcement

The Hydro-Mechanics of Crystalline Rocks

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (6 August 2021) | Viewed by 19894

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Thanh Son Nguyen

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), Ottawa, ON K1P 5S9, Canada
Interests: geomechanics; hydrogeology; radioactive waste disposal; safety assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Julio Infante-Sedano

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
Interests: geomechanics; hydrogeology; radioactive waste disposal

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Geological disposal of radioactive waste is currently being implemented or planned in many countries. Geological disposal relies on multiple engineered and natural barriers to contain and isolate the waste for very long periods. Among these barriers, the host rock plays an important role. Crystalline rocks are one potentially suitable host formation since they are characterized by high strength, thereby providing excavation stability, low heat sensitivity, low permeability, and low dissolution properties. On the other hand, fractures are in general omnipresent in crystalline rocks, resulting in higher permeability of the rock mass as compared to the intact rock. Additionally, in a high stress environment, crystalline rocks can fail in a brittle manner, generating seismic events (rockbursts). Therefore, the design and safety assessment of geological repositories in crystalline rocks should take the above factors into account, through an understanding of, among others, the following topics:

  • Intact rock, fractures and fractured rock mass hydromechanical behaviour;
  • Rockburst potential;
  • Short and long-term stability of excavations in crystalline rocks;
  • Flow and radionuclides transport in crystalline rock mass;
  • Hydromechanical interaction of crystalline rock mass with engineered seals.

We would like to call for contributions on the above topics, or any other topic relevant to the safety of geological disposal of radioactive waste in crystalline rocks. These subject areas are also of common interest to other spheres of activities, such as mining and tunnel development. Therefore, we would like to also solicit contributions from researchers from these other domains of application where the understanding of the hydromechanics of crystalline rocks is crucial.

Dr. Thanh Son Nguyen
Dr. Julio Infante-Sedano
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • crystalline rock
  • brittle
  • fracture
  • rockburst
  • hydromechanics

Published Papers (7 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

17 pages, 4280 KiB  
Article
Quantifying the Porosity of Crystalline Rocks by In Situ and Laboratory Injection Methods
by Andreas Möri, Martin Mazurek, Kunio Ota, Marja Siitari-Kauppi, Florian Eichinger and Markus Leuenberger
Minerals 2021, 11(10), 1072; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11101072 - 29 Sep 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1825
Abstract
The porosity and pore geometry of rock samples from a coherent granodioritic rock body at the Grimsel Test Site in Switzerland was characterised by different methods using injection techniques. Results from in situ and laboratory techniques are compared by applying innovative in situ [...] Read more.
The porosity and pore geometry of rock samples from a coherent granodioritic rock body at the Grimsel Test Site in Switzerland was characterised by different methods using injection techniques. Results from in situ and laboratory techniques are compared by applying innovative in situ resin impregnation techniques as well as rock impregnation and mercury injection under laboratory conditions. In situ resin impregnation of the rock matrix shows an interconnected pore network throughout the rock body, consisting mainly of grain-boundary pores and solution pores in magmatic feldspar, providing an important reservoir for pore water and solutes, accessible by diffusion. Porosity and pore connectivity do not vary as a function of distance to brittle shear zones. In situ porosity was found to be about 0.3 vol.%, which is about half the porosity value that was determined based on rock samples in the laboratory. Samples that were dried and impregnated in the laboratory were affected by artefacts created since core recovery, and thus showed higher porosity values than samples impregnated under in situ conditions. The extrapolation of laboratory measurements to in situ conditions requires great care and may not be feasible in all cases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Hydro-Mechanics of Crystalline Rocks)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 5147 KiB  
Article
On Hydromechanical Interaction during Propagation of Localized Damage in Rocks
by A.A. Jameei and S. Pietruszczak
Minerals 2021, 11(2), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11020162 - 03 Feb 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2051
Abstract
This paper provides a mathematical description of hydromechanical coupling associated with propagation of localized damage. The framework incorporates an embedded discontinuity approach and addresses the assessment of both hydraulic and mechanical properties in the region intercepted by a fracture. Within this approach, an [...] Read more.
This paper provides a mathematical description of hydromechanical coupling associated with propagation of localized damage. The framework incorporates an embedded discontinuity approach and addresses the assessment of both hydraulic and mechanical properties in the region intercepted by a fracture. Within this approach, an internal length scale parameter is explicitly employed in the definition of equivalent permeability as well as the tangential stiffness operators. The effect of the progressive evolution of damage on the hydro-mechanical coupling is examined and an evolution law is derived governing the variation of equivalent permeability with the continuing deformation. The framework is verified by a numerical study involving 3D simulation of an axial splitting test carried out on a saturated sample under displacement and fluid pressure-controlled conditions. The finite element analysis incorporates the Polynomial-Pressure-Projection (PPP) stabilization technique and a fully implicit time integration scheme. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Hydro-Mechanics of Crystalline Rocks)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

30 pages, 7780 KiB  
Article
Thermo-Mechanical Regime of the Greenland Ice Sheet and Erosion Potential of the Crystalline Bedrock
by Zhenze Li and Thanh Son Nguyen
Minerals 2021, 11(2), 120; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11020120 - 26 Jan 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2995
Abstract
Past glaciation is known to have caused a substantial morphological change to high latitude regions of the northern hemisphere. In the assessment of the long-term performance of deep geological repositories for radioactive wastes, future glaciation is a critical factor to take into consideration. [...] Read more.
Past glaciation is known to have caused a substantial morphological change to high latitude regions of the northern hemisphere. In the assessment of the long-term performance of deep geological repositories for radioactive wastes, future glaciation is a critical factor to take into consideration. This study develops a thermal-mechanical model to investigate ice sheet thermal evolution and the impact on bedrock erosion. The model is based on comprehensive field data resulting from international collaborative research on the Greenland Analogue Project. The ice sheet model considers surface energy balance and basal heat flux, as well as the temperature-dependent flow of ice that follows Glen’s law. The ice-bedrock interface is treated with a mechanical contact model, which solves the relative velocity and predicts the abrasional erosion and meltwater flow erosion. The numerical model is calibrated with measured temperature profiles and surface velocities at different locations across the glacier cross-section. The erosion rate is substantially larger near the glacier edge, where channel flow erosion becomes predominant. The abrasional erosion rate is averaged at 0.006 mm/a, and peaks at regions near the ridge divide. The mean meltwater flow erosion rate in the study area is estimated to be about 0.12 mm/a for the melted base region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Hydro-Mechanics of Crystalline Rocks)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 6918 KiB  
Article
Progressive Damage of a Canadian Granite in Laboratory Compression Tests and Underground Excavations
by Thanh Son Nguyen
Minerals 2021, 11(1), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/min11010010 - 24 Dec 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2126
Abstract
The crystalline rock formations of the Canadian Shield are currently one candidate rock type for the geological disposal of radioactive waste in Canada. This article starts with a critical review of past research results on the geomechanical behaviour of Lac du Bonnet granite, [...] Read more.
The crystalline rock formations of the Canadian Shield are currently one candidate rock type for the geological disposal of radioactive waste in Canada. This article starts with a critical review of past research results on the geomechanical behaviour of Lac du Bonnet granite, a rock type found at an Underground Research Laboratory (URL) in Pinawa, Manitoba, Canada. Based on the published data, a constitutive model was developed, based on Mohr-Coulomb plasticity, which includes the concept of asynchronous degradation of cohesion and mobilization of friction with progressive damage, as well as time-dependent degradation of strength. The constitutive model was used to simulate laboratory compression tests. It was then implemented in a coupled hydro-mechanical model to simulate the response of the rock mass induced by excavation of a test tunnel at 420 m depth at the URL. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Hydro-Mechanics of Crystalline Rocks)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 7296 KiB  
Article
Effect of Stress Path on the Failure Envelope of Intact Crystalline Rock at Low Confining Stress
by Shantanu Patel and C. Derek Martin
Minerals 2020, 10(12), 1119; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10121119 - 13 Dec 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2756
Abstract
Numerical modelling is playing an increasing role in the interpretation of geological observations. A similar phenomenon is occurring with respect to the interpretation of the stress–strain response of intact rock measured in laboratory tests. In this research, the three-dimensional (3D) bonded particle model [...] Read more.
Numerical modelling is playing an increasing role in the interpretation of geological observations. A similar phenomenon is occurring with respect to the interpretation of the stress–strain response of intact rock measured in laboratory tests. In this research, the three-dimensional (3D) bonded particle model (BPM) with flat-jointed (FJ) contact was used to investigate the impact of stress paths on rock failure. The modified FJ contact model used for these studies numerically captured most of the intact rock behavior of Lac du Bonnet granite observed in the laboratory. A numerical simulation was used to track the behavior of this rock for different stress paths, starting with uniaxial tension and compression loading conditions. The migration from uniaxial tension to triaxial compression is challenging to simulate in physical laboratory tests but commonly observed around underground excavations. The numerical modelling methodology developed for this research tracks this stress path and the impact of the intermediate stress on peak strength at low confinements, commonly found around underground excavations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Hydro-Mechanics of Crystalline Rocks)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 2801 KiB  
Article
Utilizing Temperature and Brine Inflow Measurements to Constrain Reservoir Parameters During a Salt Heater Test
by Richard S. Jayne and Kristopher L. Kuhlman
Minerals 2020, 10(11), 1025; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10111025 - 18 Nov 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2376
Abstract
Brine availability in salt has multiple implications for the safety and design of a nuclear waste storage facility. Brine availability includes both the distribution and transport of brine through a damaged zone around boreholes or drifts excavated into the salt. Coupled thermal, hydrological, [...] Read more.
Brine availability in salt has multiple implications for the safety and design of a nuclear waste storage facility. Brine availability includes both the distribution and transport of brine through a damaged zone around boreholes or drifts excavated into the salt. Coupled thermal, hydrological, mechanical, and chemical processes taking place within heated bedded salt are complex; as part of DECOVALEX 2023 Task E this study takes a parsimonious modeling approach utilizing analytical and numerical one-dimensional simulations to match field measurements of temperature and brine inflow around a heater. The one-dimensional modeling results presented arrive at best-fit thermal conductivity of intact salt, and the permeability and porosity of damaged salt of 5.74 W/m·K, 10−17 m2, and ≈ 0.02, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Hydro-Mechanics of Crystalline Rocks)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

33 pages, 9761 KiB  
Article
Estimates for the Effective Permeability of Intact Granite Obtained from the Eastern and Western Flanks of the Canadian Shield
by A. P. S. Selvadurai, A. Blain-Coallier and P. A. Selvadurai
Minerals 2020, 10(8), 667; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10080667 - 27 Jul 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4964
Abstract
Granitic rock from the western part of the Canadian Shield is considered as a potential host rock for the siting of a deep geological repository for the storage of heat-emitting high-level nuclear fuel waste. The research program focused on the use of surface [...] Read more.
Granitic rock from the western part of the Canadian Shield is considered as a potential host rock for the siting of a deep geological repository for the storage of heat-emitting high-level nuclear fuel waste. The research program focused on the use of surface permeability measurements conducted at 54 locations on a 300 mm cuboid of granite, obtained from the Lac du Bonnet region in Manitoba, to obtain an estimate for the effective permeability of the cuboid. Companion experiments are conducted on a 280 mm cuboid of granite obtained from Stanstead, Quebec, located in the eastern part of the Canadian Shield. The surface permeabilities for the cuboids of granite are developed from theoretical relationships applicable to experimental situations where steady flow is initiated at a sealed annular surface region with a pressurized central domain. The experimental values for the surface permeability are used with a kriging procedure to estimate the permeability variations within the cuboidal region. The spatial variations of permeability are implemented in computational models of the cuboidal regions to determine the one-dimensional permeabilities in three orthogonal directions. The effective permeability of the granite cuboids is estimated by appeal to the geometric mean. The research provides a non-destructive methodology for estimating the effective permeability of large specimens of rock and the experiments performed give estimates for the effective permeability of the two types of granitic rock obtained from the western and eastern flanks of the Canadian Shield. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Hydro-Mechanics of Crystalline Rocks)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-7
Back to TopTop