Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 September 2012
A coupled model concept which may be used for performance assessment of anuclear repository is presented. The tool is developed by integration of twomodels, one near field and one far field model. A compartment model,NUCTRAN, is used to calculate the near field release from a damagedcanister. The far field transport through fractured rock is simulated byusing CHAN3D, based on a three-dimensional stochastic channel networkconcept. The near field release depends on the local hydraulic properties ofthe far field. The transport in the far field in turn depends on where thedamaged canister(s) is located. The very large heterogeneities in the rockmass makes it necessary to study both the near field release properties andthe location of release at the same time. In order to demonstrate thecapabilities of the coupled model concept it is applied on a hypotheticalrepository located at the Hard Rock Laboratory in Äspö, Sweden. Two mainitems were studied; the location of a damaged canister in relation tofracture zones and the barrier function of the host rock. In the study ofthe near field rock as a transport barrier the effect of different tunnelexcavation methods which may influence the damage level of the rock aroundthe tunnel was addressed.