Thermal aspects of radioactive waste burial in hard rock

One of the possible methods that has been considered for the disposal of radioactive waste is deep burial in stable rock formations. This paper reviews recent work on modelling the way in which the heat emitted by the decaying radionuclides in the waste could affect this disposal option, emphasizing both the effects on depository design and on migration by flowing groundwater. It focuses particularly on research in the U.K. into the feasibility of burying high-level waste in fractured crystalline rock. After introductory sections on the characteristics of the waste and rock, there are three major sections on the temperature field in the surrounding rock, the stresses generated in the rock, and the groundwater flow.