• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.333-359
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• 2021

Gases such as hydrogen and radon can be generated around the canister in high-level radioactive waste disposal systems due to several reasons including the corrosion of metal materials. When the gas generation rate exceeds the gas diffusion rate in the low-permeability bentonite buffer, the gas phase will form and accumulate in the engineered barrier system. If the gas pressure exceeds the gas entry pressure, gas can migrate into the bentonite buffer, resulting in pathway dilation flow and advective flow. Because a sudden occurrence of dilation flow can cause radionuclide leakage out of the engineered barrier of the radioactive waste disposal system, it is necessary to understand the gas migration behavior in the bentonite buffer to quantitatively evaluate the long-term safety of the engineered barrier. Experimental research investigating the characteristics of gas migration in saturated bentonite and research developing numerical models capable of simulating such behaviors are being actively conducted worldwide. In this technical note, previous gas injection experiments and the numerical models proposed to verify such behaviors are introduced, and the future challenges necessary for the investigation of gas migration are summarized.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.39 no.12
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• pp.115-125
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• 2023

In this study, we evaluated the behavior of frozen soil using an electrical resistivity survey method-a nondestructive technique-and examined its characteristics through field experiments. Frozen soil was artificially prepared by injecting fluid to accelerate the freezing process, and naturally frozen soil was selected in a nearby area for comparison. A dynamic cone penetration test (DCPT) was performed to compare the reliability of the electrical resistivity survey, and time-domain reflectometry surveys were performed to assess the moisture content of the ground. Field experiments were conducted in February-when the atmosphere temperature was below freezing-and May-when the temperature was above freezing. This temperature-compensated method was used to determine reliability because the behavior of frozen soil depends on the underlying temperature. In the resistivity survey method, a section of high electrical resistivity was observed under freezing conditions due to the frozen water and converted into porosity. The converted porosity was compared with the porosity inferred from the DCPT, and the results showed that the measured electrical resistivity was valid.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.295-302
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• 2014

This study demonstrates a double-path CDI as an alternative of advanced wastewater treatment process. While the CDI typically consists of many pairs of electrodes connected in parallel, the new double-path CDI is designed to have series flow path by dividing the module into two stages. The CFD model showed that the double-path had uniform flow distribution with higher velocity and less dead zone compared with the single-path. However, the double-path was predicted to have higher pressure drop(0.7 bar) compared the single-path (0.4 bar). From the unit cell test, the highest TDS removal efficiencies of single- and double-path were up to 88% and 91%, respectively. The rate of increase in pressure drop with an increase of flow rate was higher in double-path than single-path. At 70 mL/min of flow rate, the pressure drop of double-path was 1.67 bar, which was two times higher than single-path. When the electrode spacing was increased from 100 to $200{\mu}m$, the pressure drop of double-path decreased from 1.67 to 0.87 bar, while there was little difference in TDS removal. When proto type double-path CDI was operated using sewage water, TDS, $NH_4{^+}$-N, $NO_3{^-}$-N and $PO_4{^{3-}}$-P removal efficiencies were up to 78%, 50%, 93% and 50%, respectively.