SAFE Barriers – A Systems Approach to Engineered Barriers
This is a multidisciplinary project, funded by EPSRC and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), looking into the THMC evolution of Engineered Barrier Systems (EBS) under a range of environmental conditions. The programme takes a whole systems approach to the EBS, underpinned by the development of novel advanced monitoring techniques. The total cost of the project is £1.3M and will be running until September 2016.
SAFE Barriers is a joint project between the Universities of Strathclyde, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Nottingham and Oxford and the British Geological Survey. A series of laboratory experiments will be carried out in which advanced monitoring technologies will be deployed and refined for simultaneous imaging of THMC variables. The information obtained will be used to gain a predictive understanding of the THMC evolution of clay-based engineered barriers, and their interfaces. A team of researchers at the GRC is investigating the aspects of compacted clay behaviour under elevated temperatures up to 150°C through an extensive experimental and theoretical programme.
