Alteration of fractured cementitious materials

The alteration of cement materials in a fractured repository was investigated by experimental and modelling techniques to predict the long-term evolution of a cementitious repository for the safety assessment of radioactive waste disposal. A flow-through experiment with an artificially fractured cement column sample was carried out, and the evolution of a chemical composition in discharged water and the distribution of mineral components in a solid matrix, which was dominated by the dissolution of portlandite and calcium-silicate hydrate (C-S-H), were observed. A coupling transport and chemical equilibrium calculation code, which includes a thermodynamic incongruent dissolution model of C-S-H, was developed to predict the alteration of the fractured cement materials. The advection transport of a component in a solution within a crack and the diffusion of a component in a solid matrix were modelled in the calculations. With the proposed model, the possible alteration of cement materials along a crack was described.