The Stochastic-Deterministic Transition in Discrete Fracture Network Models and its Implementation in a Safety Assessment Application by Means of Conditional Simulation

Abstract:

In 2011 the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) applied for a license to start construction of a final repository for spent nuclear fuel at Forsmark in Northern Uppland, Sweden. The repository is to be built at approximately 500 m depth in crystalline rock. A stochastic, discrete fracture network (DFN) concept was chosen for interpreting the surface-based (incl. boreholes) data, and for assessing the safety of the repository in terms of groundwater flow and flow pathways to and from the repository.

Once repository construction starts, also underground data such as tunnel pilot borehole and tunnel trace data will become available. It is deemed crucial that DFN models developed at this stage honors the mapped structures both in terms of location and geometry, and in terms of flow characteristics. The originally fully stochastic models will thus increase determinism towards the repository. Applying the adopted probabilistic framework, predictive modeling to support acceptance criteria for layout and disposal can be performed with the goal of minimizing risks associated with the repository.  

This presentation describes and illustrates various methodologies that have been developed to condition stochastic realizations of fracture networks around underground openings using borehole and tunnel trace data, as well as using hydraulic measurements of inflows or hydraulic interference tests. The methodologies, implemented in the numerical simulators ConnectFlow and FracMan/MAFIC, are described in some detail, and verification tests and realistic example cases are shown. Specifically, geometric and hydraulic data are obtained from numerical synthetic realities approximating Forsmark conditions, and are used to test the constraining power of the developed methodologies by conditioning unconditional DFN simulations following the same underlying fracture network statistics. Various metrics are developed to assess how well the conditional simulations compare to the synthetic realities.