Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Modelling of an Underground Radioactive Wastes Disposal in Clayey Formation

The analysis of the thermal, hydraulic, and mechanical (THM) responses of a saturated medium, subjected to a thermal load attached at the underground evacuation of exothermal radioactif wastes, gives rise to numerous complex problems: the tridimensionality of the storage structure, the strong THM couplings and the eminently transient character of the process. This study illustrates the importance of these THM phenomena, and presents results which are useful to the dimensioning of underground storage in clayey formations.