Modeling Contaminant Diffusion in Highly Complex Rock Structures

N. Diaz[1], A. Jakob[1], L. Van Loon[1], and D. Grolimund[2]
[1]Paul Sherrer Institut NES/LES, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
[2]Paul Sherrer Institut NES/SLS, Villigen PSI, Switzerland
Published in 2009

Opalinus clay is currently being proposed as a potential host rock for radioactive waste repository in deep geological formation. It is then important for performance assessments to understand the transport properties of such rocks. Clay materials are characterized by low hydraulic conductivities and diffusion is assumed to be the main transport mechanism. The studied rock is a complex assembly of several minerals and the influence of the microstructure (spatial distribution of the minerals in the rock) on solute transport is still an open issue.

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