Evaluating the geochemically induced swelling/shrinkage of the near-field host clay rock using a THC model and the diffuse double layer theory

One advantage of emplacing nuclear waste in a clay formation is the potential self-sealing capability due to clay swelling. The swelling properties of the near-field host clay rock can be altered due to geochemical factors, including changes in groundwater geochemistry, proportions of exchangeable cations, and swelling clay mineral abundances. The clay host rock can also undergo geochemical changes due to the interaction with the engineered barrier system (EBS) materials. In this paper, coupled thermal, hydrological, and chemical (THC) models are linked with a swelling model based on diffuse double layer (DDL) theory and changes in the swelling properties of clay host rocks in the near field area are evaluated. Findings based on THC simulations using the reaction-transport code TOUGHREACT include: 1) Significant changes in the swelling pressure could be expected depending on various hydrogeologic and geochemical conditions. The change of hydration rate of the EBS (via the adjustment of tortuosity) could have significant effect on the swelling pressure. 2) Geochemically-induced swelling/shrinkage only occurs in the near-field area, within a few meters from the EBS interface. 3) Swelling/shrinkage induced porosity change is generally much smaller than that caused by mineral precipitation/dissolution. 4) The geochemically-induced swelling/shrinkage of host clay rock is the combined effect of variation in the pore water geochemistry, exchangeable cations, and smectite abundance. Neglecting any of these three latter factors might lead to a miscalculation of the geochemically-induced swelling pressure.