Crack healing in rocksalt via diffusion in adsorbed aqueous films: Microphysical modelling versus experiments

Microcracks within the excavation damaged or disturbed zone (EDZ) in a salt-based radioactive waste repository (or an energy storage facility) can heal/seal by mechanical closure driven by compaction creep, by surface-energy-driven processes like diffusive mass transfer, and by recrystallization. It follows that permeability evolution in the excavation damaged zone around a backfilled or plugged cavity will in the short term be dominated by mechanical closure of the cracks, while in the longer term diffusive mass transfer effects are expected to become more important. This paper describes a contribution to assessing the integrity of radioactive waste repositories sited in rocksalt formations by developing a microphysical model for single crack healing in rocksalt. More specifically, single crack healing models for cracks containing a thin adsorbed water film are developed. These microphysical models are compared with single crack healing experiments, which conclusively demonstrate diffusion controlled healing. Calibration of unknown model parameters, related to crack surface diffusivity, against the experimental data enable crack healing rates under repository conditions to be estimated. The results show that after the stress re-equilibration that follows repository sealing, crack disconnection can be expected on a timescale of a few years at laboratory humidity levels. However, much longer times are needed under very dry conditions where adsorbed aqueous films are very thin.