Description
After full water saturation and when the hydrostatic water pressure is reached, the plug has no sealing function and very little water will flow past the plug due to the low hydraulic gradient. The plug will thus be an integrated part of the backfill and will have one very tight section with the bentonite seal and two highly permeable sections (the filter and the concrete plug). However, the permeable sections are only local and will not influence the overall hydraulic behaviour of the tunnel backfill.
SKB Number
SKB FEP Number
Pg04
Main Category
Main category for FEP
Internal process
System Component
System component to which the FEP applies
Tunnel plugs
Handling
Explanation of how the FEP is treated
Intact canister, Resaturation/ "thermal" period: Assumed to be part of the tunnel with high hydraulic conductivity.
Intact canister, Long-term after saturation and "thermal" period: Assumed to be part of the tunnel with high hydraulic conductivity.
References
Bibliographic references to obtain more information
SR-Site Buffer, backfill and closure process report, TR-10-47, Section(s) 2.4.3, 5.2.2