• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.107-119
• /
• 2022

Excavation-Disturbed Zone (EDZ) is an important design factor in constructing final disposal facilities for spent nuclear fuel, since EDZ affects mechanical stability including a spacing between disposal holes, and the hydraulic properties within EDZ plays a significant role in estimating in-flow rate of groundwater as well as a subsequent corrosion rate of a canister. Thus, it is highly required to characterize in-situ EDZ with precision and control the EDZ occurrence while excavating disposal facilities and constructing relevant underground research facilities. In this report, we not only reviewed EDZ-related researches carried out in the ONKALO facility of Finland but also examined appropriate methods for field inspection and quality control of EDZ occurrence. From the review, GPR can be the most efficient method for in-situ characterization of EDZ since it does not demand drilling a borehole that may disturb a surrounding environment of caverns. And the EDZ occurrence was dominant at a cavern floor and it ranged from 0 to 70 cm. These can provide useful information in developing necessary EDZ-related regulations for domestic disposal facilities.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.88-100
• /
• 1998

Since fractures may serve as major conduits of groundwater flow in crystalline rocks, characterization of conductive fractures is especially important for interpretation of flow system. In this study, characterization of fractures to investigate hydraulically conductive fractures in gneisses at an abandoned mine area was performed. The orientation, width, length, movement sense, infilling materials, spacing, aperture, roughness of both joints and faults and intersection and connectivity to other joints were measured on outcrops. In addition, characteristics of subsurface fractures were examined by core logging in five boreholes, of which the orientations were acquired by acoustic televiewer logging from three boreholes. The dominant fracture sets were grouped from outcrops; GSet 1: N50-82$^{\circ}$E/55-90$^{\circ}$SE, GSet 2: N2-8$^{\circ}$E/56-86$^{\circ}$SE, GSet 3: N46-72$^{\circ}$W/60-85$^{\circ}$NE, GSet 4:Nl2-38$^{\circ}$W/15-40$^{\circ}$SW and from subsurface; HSet 1: N50-90$^{\circ}$E/55-90$^{\circ}$SE, HSet 2: N10-30$^{\circ}$E/50-70$^{\circ}$SE, HSet 3: N20-60$^{\circ}$W/50-80$^{\circ}$NE, HSet 4: N10-50$^{\circ}$E/$\leq$40$^{\circ}$NW. Among them, GSet 1, GSet 3 and HSet 1, HSet 3 are the most intensely developed fracture sets in the study area. The mean fracture spacings of HSet 1 are 30-47cm and code 1 fractures, such as faults and open fractures, comprise 21.0-42.9 percent of the whole fractures in each borehole. HSet 3 shows the mean fracture spacings of 55-57cm and the ratio of code 1 fractures is 15.4-26.9 percent. In spite of the mean fracture spacing of 239cm, code 1 fractures of HSet 4 have the highest ratio of 54.5 percent. From the fact that faults or open fractures have high hydraulic conductivity, it can be inferred that the three fracture sets of N55-85$^{\circ}$E/50-80$^{\circ}$SE, N20-60$^{\circ}$W/50-75$^{\circ}$NE and N10-30$^{\circ}$E/$\leq$30$^{\circ}$NW from a fracture system of relatively high conductivity. It is indirectly verified with geophysical loggings and constant injection tests performed in the boreholes.