MAIN ROCK MECHANICS ISSUES IN GEOLOGICAL DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES

Geological disposal of radioactive wastes is a multi-disciplinary issue of importance for national interest. It stimulated many challenging scientific and technical issues,and at a higher level,presented a series of demanding requirements for a country′s overall research and development programme,its implementation and engineering practice,about basic policies and legislature concerning nuclear energy,defense,waste management and environment. Rock mechanics and rock engineering are very important fields for geological disposal of radioactive wastes,and contribute significantly to the conceptual design,site investigation,engineering design and construction,operation and the long-term safety assessment of the waste repositories. It plays,therefore,a irreplaceable role in the research and development programme of geological disposal of radioactive wastes. In this paper,we first summarizes briefly the main steps about repository system,followed by the major demands for rock mechanics and rock engineering during feasibility study and site investigation,and the major international trends concerning these issues. The focus is placed on the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical and chemical(THMC)processes and the current status of research in international communities. At the end,the progresses in research and development works in the field of radioactive waste disposal in China are presented;and possible future working directions are discussed.