EURIDICE

The expert group EURIDICE takes care of the SCK•CEN contribution concerning geological disposal to the activities of the Economic Interest Group (EIG) EURIDICE, a collaboration set up between NIRAS/ONDRAF (the Belgian radioactive waste agency) and SCK•CEN.

This expert group is composed of a team of engineers and a technical staff specialised in

• Mining and underground constructions
• Geomechanics of clays
• Geomechanical modelling
• Instrumentation and monitoring
• The safety, maintenance and exploitation of the underground research infrastructure HADES

HADES, constructed at a depth of 225 m in the Boom Clay underneath SCK•CEN, allows the study of plastic clay as potential host formation for long-lived and high-active nuclear waste.

Research activities

In the field of underground construction, EURIDICE studies and demonstrates the optimisation of excavation techniques whilst minimising the excavation induced disturbance of the Boom Clay (fractures). The research is focused on developing the understanding of self-sealing of fractures, the hydro-mechanical behaviour and the thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour of the Boom Clay. The PRACLAY large scale heater test is the main project in this domain.

Website of the EIG EURIDICE: http://www.euridice.be/

Leaflet

EURIDICE (1 MB)

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