Water retention properties of two deep Tertiary clay formations within the context of radioactive waste disposal.

Belgium investigates the design for disposal of its ‘High-Level Radioactive Waste’ in two deep clay formations; the Boom clay at Mol, considered the reference host formation, and Ypresian clay at Kallo as the alternative one. The water retention properties of these deep low-porosity formations have been investigated for two main reasons. High suctions develop as a consequence of sample retrieval (at depths between 223 and 350 m), which affect the hydro-mechanical response of these materials, especially at low stress levels. In addition, water retention properties have also been studied to bett... Mehr ...