Deep Geological Disposal

Organisation

Course Title	Type	Lecturer	Period
Deep Geological Disposal	Block Course	Various	Winter Term

Study Programs

Civil Engineering
Industrial and Civil Engineering
Environmental Engineering

Repositories and underground disposal sites: Characterisation of the materials essential for disposal and underground transfer, their formation and volumes as well as their hazard potential for the environment, description of the technical and safety-related requirements for the disposal containers and underground cavities and geological formations, repository concept and design for different host rocks (salt, clay, crystalline), mining and technical requirements for operation, retrieval, decommissioning and safeguards.

Rock mechanical aspects: Rock support behaviour of rock (clay, mudstone, crystalline) and salt, blasting, roadheaders, support, rock hydraulics, overburden, geotechnical barriers for drifts and shafts, construction material technology, cavity reduction, backfill material, metrology and measurement concepts.

System behaviour of deep geological repositories - long-term safety analysis: legal framework, safety case, radiation and radiation effects of radionuclides, properties of waste, barrier concepts and safety functions, long-term relevant properties of potential deep geological repository formations, processes in repositories (thermal, hydraulic, mechanical, geochemical and contaminant transport mechanisms), models for long-term safety analyses, final point of long-term safety analysis.

Objectives

Students acquire basic knowledge on the topic of the disposal of dangerous and environmentally hazardous substances by means of deep storage or transfer to underground cavities in geological formations. After successfully completing the module, they will be able to recognise the complex interrelationships involved in the disposal of hazardous substances, e.g. in order to be able to participate in the planning of these underground structures. The aspects of rock mechanics for the planning and construction of underground cavity structures are discussed. In addition to the technical aspects of creating and using suitable cavities, the various procedures and methods for the engineering characterisation of the geological ‘structure’ are taught. In addition, both the short-term and the long-term behaviour of the substances in the underground are dealt with, which is essential for the safety assessment of the technical concepts and the selected sites. This is based on the relevant legislation and administrative regulations, which are explained using practical examples. The highly interdisciplinary nature of the subject is particularly highlighted.