Abstract:
For the long-term isolation of hazardous nuclear waste the sedimentary soft rock can be utilized as a host rock. This hazardous waste can be stored in deeply excavated tunnels. However, the formation of high permeable Excavation Damaged Zone (EDZ) around the storage tunnel may seep out the hazardous nuclides after the closure of disposal site. Therefore, precise estimation of unsaturated hydraulic properties (UHP) is needed for this type of rocks to estimate the drying process and to assure the safety of the disposal.
