Design study of underground facility of the Underground Research Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hibiya, Keisuke; Akiyoshi, Kenji; Ishizuka, Mineo; Anezaki, Susumu

1998-03-01

Geoscientific research program to study deep geological environment has been performed by Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC). This research is supported by 'Long-Term Program for Research, Development and Utilization of Nuclear Energy'. An Underground Research Laboratory is planned to be constructed at Shoma-sama Hora in the research area belonging to PNC. A wide range of geoscientific research and development activities which have been previously studied at the Tono Area is planned in the laboratory. The Underground Research Laboratory is consisted of Surface Laboratory and Underground Research Facility located from the surface down to depth between several hundreds and 1,000 meters. Based on the results of design study in last year, the design study performed in this year is to investigate the followings in advance of studies for basic design and practical design: concept, design procedure, design flow and total layout. As a study for the concept of the underground facility, items required for the facility are investigated and factors to design the primary form of the underground facility are extracted. Continuously, design methods for the vault and the underground facility are summarized. Furthermore, design procedures of the extracted factors are summarized and total layout is studied considering the results to be obtained from the laboratory. (author)

The Effect of the Different Frequency on Skin Depth of GPR Detection

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Mohammed Mejbel Salih

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Today the utilization of Ground Penetration Radar are increasing with development civil works , the requirement is increase a low cost technique, time and accuracy, all these should be founded in same time to achieve the project with fullest. In this study will use GPR instrument with three frequency(500,800,1000 MHz,and applying the experiments in various medium with different object's materials for pipe that expected founded object underground for the purpose of extract the fixed data that serve who work interest in this field. This technique will help in solve problem of underground detection ,such as water leakage in underground pipe for different depth that considered complex and expensive problem in same time in urban life .The study contribute in solve issue of utilizing the suitable frequency with penetration for detection, this is clarify through the result gotten that refer to excellent outcome.

[The Research Advancement and Conception of the Deep-underground Medicine].

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, He-Ping; Liu, Ji-Feng; Gao, Ming-Zhong; Wan, Xue-Hong; Liu, Shi-Xi; Zou, Jian; Wu, Jiang; Ma, Teng-Fei; Liu, Yi-Lin; Bu, Hong; Li, Wei-Min

2018-03-01

The 21th century is the century of exploring and utilizing the underground space. In the future, more and more people will spend more and more time living or/and working in the underground space. However,we know little about the effect on the health of human caused by the underground environment. Herein,we systematically put forward the strategic conception of the deep-underground medicine,in order to reveal relative effects and mechanism of the potential factors in the deep underground space on human's physiological and psychological healthy,and to work out the corresponding countermeasures. The original deep-underground medicine includes the following items. ①To model different depth of underground environment according to various parameters (such as temperature,radiation,air pressure, rock,microorganism), and to explore their quantitative character and effects on human health and mechanism. ② To study the psychological change, maintenance of homeostasis and biothythm of organism in the deep underground space. ③ To learn the association between psychological healthy of human and the depth, structure, physical environment and working time of underground space. ④ To investigate the effect of different terrane and lithology on healthy of human and to deliberate their contribution on organism growth. ⑤ To research the character and their mechanism of growth,metabolism,exchange of energy,response of growth, aging and adaptation of cells living in deep underground space. ⑥ To explore the physiological feature,growth of microbiome and it's interaction with host in the deep underground space. ⑦ To develop deep-underground simulation space, the biologically medical technology and equipments. As a research basis,a deep-underground medical lab under a rock thickness of about 1 470 m has been built,which aims to operate the research of the effect on living organism caused by different depth of underground environment. Copyright© by Editorial Board of Journal

Design study of the underground facilities, the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishizuka, Mineo; Noda, Masaru; Shiogama, Yukihiro; Adachi, Tetsuya

1999-02-01

Geoscientific research on the deep geological environment has been performed by Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC). This research is supported by the 'Long-Term Program for Research, Development and Utilization of Nuclear Energy'. The Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (MIU) is planned to be constructed at the Shobasama-bora site belonging to JNC. A wide range of geoscientific research and development activities which have been previously performed in and around the Tono mine is planned to be expanded in the laboratory. The MIU consisted of surface and underground facilities excavated to a depth of about 1,000 meters. In this design study, the overall layout and basic design of the underground facility and the composition of the overall research program, includes the construction of the underground facility are studied. Based on the concept of the underground facility which have been developed in 1998, the research activities which will be performed in the MIU are selected and the overall research program is revised in this year. The basic construction method and the construction equipment are also estimated. (author)

Design study of underground facility of the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishizuka, Mineo; Noda, Masaru; Shiogama, Yukihiro; Adachi, Tetsuya

1999-02-01

Geoscientific research on deep geological environment has been performed by Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC). This research is supported by the 'Long-Term Program for Research, Development and Utilization of Nuclear Energy'. The Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (MIU) is planned to be constructed at Shobasama-bora site belonging to JNC. A wide range of geoscientific research and development activities which have been previously performed in and around the Tono mine is planned to be expanded in the laboratory. The MIU is consisted of surface and underground facilities down to the depth of about 1,000 meters. In this design study, the overall layout and basic design of the underground facility and the composition of the overall research program which includes the construction of the underground facility are studied. Based on the concept of the underground facility which have been developed last year, the research activities which will be performed in the MIU are selected and the overall research program is revised in this year. The basic construction method and the construction equipment are also estimated. (author)

Prediction of underground argon content for dark matter experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mei, D.-M.; Spaans, J.; Keller, C.; Yin, Z.-B.; Koppang, M.; Hime, A.; Gehman, V. M.

2010-01-01

In this paper, we demonstrate the use of physical models to evaluate the production of 39 Ar and 40 Ar underground. Considering both cosmogenic 39 Ar production and radiogenic 40 Ar production in situ and from external sources, we can derive the ratio of 39 Ar to 40 Ar in underground sources. We show for the first time that the 39 Ar production underground is dominated by stopping negative muon capture on 39 K and (α,n) induced subsequent 39 K(n,p) 39 Ar reactions. The production of 39 Ar is shown as a function of depth. We demonstrate that argon depleted in 39 Ar can be obtained only if the depth of the underground resources is greater than 500 m.w.e. below the surface. Stopping negative muon capture on 39 K dominates over radiogenic production at depths of less than 2000 m.w.e., and that production by muon-induced neutrons is subdominant at any depth. The depletion factor depends strongly on both radioactivity level and potassium content in the rock. We measure the radioactivity concentration and potassium concentration in the rock for a potential site of an underground argon source in South Dakota. Depending on the probability of 39 Ar and 40 Ar produced underground being dissolved in the water, the upper limit of the concentration of 39 Ar in the underground water at this site is estimated to be in a range of a factor of 1.6 to 155 less than the 39 Ar concentration in the atmosphere. The calculation tools presented in this paper are also critical to the dating method with 39 Ar.

Legal considerations for urban underground space development in Malaysia

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F. Zaini

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In 2008, the Malaysia land code, named the National Land Code 1965 (NLC 1965, was amended to add Part Five (A to deal with the disposal of underground space. In addition, the Circular of the Director General of Lands and Mines No. 1/2008 was issued to assist the application of Part Five (A of the NLC 1965. However, the legislation is still questionable and has instigated many arguments among numerous actors. Therefore, this research was undertaken to examine legal considerations for the development of underground space. The focus is on four legal considerations, namely underground space ownership, the bundle of rights, depth, and underground space utilization. Rooted in qualitative methods, interviews were conducted with respondents involved in the development of underground space in Malaysia. The obtained data were then analyzed descriptively. The findings differentiated the rights of landowners for surface land and underground space, and their liability for damages and the depth. It was indicated that the current legislation in Malaysia, namely Part Five (A of the NLC 1965 and the Circular of the Director General of Lands and Mines No. 1/2008, is adequate to facilitate the development of underground space in terms of legal considerations. However, to further facilitate the development of underground land in the future, based on the research, four enhancements are recommended for legal considerations pertaining to the development of underground space in Malaysia. Keywords: Underground space, Legal consideration, Land right, Urban development

Compensation of Environmental Natural Underground Cavities in Environmental Licensing: The Hollow of Fixing the Possibility of Testimony for Impacts of Irreversible Developments in Underground Cavities Degree of Relevance Average

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dioclides José Maria

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This study aims to analyze the Decree. 99.556 of 10.1º.1990 with the wording given by Decree. 6640, of 11.07.2008 dealing on protection of speleological heritage. The hypothesis is application of compensatory measure of permanent preservation cavities testimony in irreversible impacts of projects of medium significance level of underground cavities. By qualitative method and bibliographic research, it presented considerations about the possibility of preserving permanently underground cavities testimony by project impacts on medium relevance degree of natural underground cavities.

Earthquake damage to underground facilities and earthquake related displacement fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pratt, H.R.; Stephenson, D.E.; Zandt, G.; Bouchon, M.; Hustrulid, W.A.

1982-01-01

The potential seismic risk for an underground facility is considered in the evaluation of its location and design. The possible damage resulting from either large-scale displacements or high accelerations should be considered in evaluating potential sites of underground facilities. Scattered through the available literature are statements to the effect that below a few hundred meters shaking and damage in mines is less than at the surface; however, data for decreased damage underground have not been completely reported or explained. In order to assess the seismic risk for an underground facility, a data base was established and analyzed to evaluate the potential for seismic disturbance. Substantial damage to underground facilities is usually the result of displacements primarily along pre-existing faults and fractures, or at the surface entrance to these facilities. Evidence of this comes from both earthquakes as a function of depth is important in the evaluation of the hazard to underground facilities. To evaluate potential displacements due to seismic effects of block motions along pre-existing or induced fractures, the displacement fields surrounding two types of faults were investigated. Analytical models were used to determine relative displacements of shafts and near-surface displacement of large rock masses. Numerical methods were used to determine the displacement fields associated with pure strike-slip and vertical normal faults. Results are presented as displacements for various fault lengths as a function of depth and distance. This provides input to determine potential displacements in terms of depth and distance for underground facilities, important for assessing potential sites and design parameters

Effect of geological medium on seismic signals from underground ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

underground nuclear explosion event in a composite media with faults and complex ... faults, in situ stresses and tectonic strains, location of the free surface with respect .... at the elastic radius are the local geological formations, porosity, water con- ... the problem for a longer duration Sommerfeld (1949) radiation boundary ...

Radon study in underground buildings in Chongqing, China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng Wen; Jiang Rende; Liu Yigang

1993-01-01

Radon concentration measurements using a scintillation detector were conducted in 51 large underground buildings, which have been used as hotels, entertainment halls, restaurants, shops and factories, etc, in Chongqing, China. The results showed that the radon concentrations in these underground buildings ranged from 3.2 to 616.2 Bqm -3 . The arithmetic mean was 57.6 Bqm -3 , which was about 4 times as much as the mean radon concentration in ground buildings in Chongqing. The underground buildings with the highest radon concentrations were correlated with the high content of radium-226 in building materials, mechanical ventilation through interior circulatory ducts, underground depth of the building, and particularly, fissures in the walls. Measures of radon mitigation in underground buildings were recommended. (orig.). (3 refs., 5 tabs.)

A Method of Calculating Critical Depth of Burial of Explosive Charges to Generate Bulging and Cratering in Rock

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Mingyang Wang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available For underground explosions, a thin to medium thickness layer near the cavity of an explosion can be considered a theoretical shell structure. Detonation products transmit the effective energy of explosives to this shell which can expand thus leading to irreversible deformation of the surrounding medium. Based on mass conservation, incompressible conditions, and boundary conditions, the possible kinematic velocity fields in the plastic zone are established. Based on limit equilibrium theory, this work built equations of material resistance corresponding to different possible kinematic velocity fields. Combined with initial conditions and boundary conditions, equations of motion and material resistance are solved, respectively. It is found that critical depth of burial is positively related to a dimensionless impact factor, which reflects the characteristics of the explosives and the surrounding medium. Finally, an example is given, which suggests that this method is capable of calculating the critical depth of burial and the calculated results are consistent with empirical results.

General phenomenology of underground nuclear explosions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Derlich, S.; Supiot, F.

1969-01-01

An essentially qualitatively description is given of the phenomena related to underground nuclear explosions (explosion of a single unit, of several units in line, and simultaneous explosions). In the first chapter are described the phenomena which are common to contained explosions and to explosions forming craters (formation and propagation of a shock-wave causing the vaporization, the fusion and the fracturing of the medium). The second chapter describes the phenomena related to contained explosions (formation of a cavity with a chimney). The third chapter is devoted to the phenomenology of test explosions which form a crater; it describes in particular the mechanism of formation and the different types of craters as a function of the depth of the explosion and of the nature of the ground. The aerial phenomena connected with explosions which form a crater: shock wave in the air and focussing at a large distance, and dust clouds, are also dealt with. (authors) [fr

Subsidence caused by an underground nuclear explosion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hakala, W W [Environmental Research Corp., Alexandria, VA (United States)

1970-05-15

An underground nuclear detonation creates a cavity, which may be followed by the formation of a rubble chimney and possibly by a surface subsidence crater. A knowledge of the mechanisms of surface and subsurface subsidence is valuable not only because of the potential engineering uses of the chimneys and craters that may form, but also for the prevention of surface damage. Some of the parameters that are of interest in the subsidence phenomenon are the height and volume of the chimney, the porosity of the chimney, the crater size (depth and radius) and shape, and the time required after detonation for formation of the chimney or crater. The influence of the properties of the subsidence medium on the geometry of the subsidence crater must be considered. The conditions under which partial or complete subsidence is prevented must also be studied. The applicability of the relations that have been developed for the flow of bulk solids for relatively small masses and low pressures to the subsidence problem associated with nuclear explosions is examined. Rational modifications are made to describe the subsidence problem. Sensitivity of the subsidence parameters to material properties and the prevailing geometry is shown. Comparison with observed results at the Nevada Test Site is made and the variations encountered are found to be within reasonable limits. The chimney size and subsidence crater dimensions are found to be a function of the bulking characteristics of the medium, the strength parameters, the dimensions of the subsurface cavity, and the depth of the cavity. The great influence of the strength parameters on the collapse times is shown. For a given medium, the prevention of subsidence is dependent on the cavity size. (author)

Physics of multiple muons in underground detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaisser, T.K.; Stanev, T.

1982-01-01

We summarize results of Monte Carlo simulations of underground muons with a set of parametrizations for number and lateral distribution of muons at various detector depths. We also describe the size distributions of accompanying showers at the surface. We give some illustrations of the use of these results to study the surface-underground correlation and to interpret preliminary results of the Soudan-I detector presented at this conference

Shaft extension design at the Underground Research Laboratory, Pinawa, Manitoba

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuzyk, G.W.; Ball, A.E.

1991-01-01

AECL Research has constructed an underground laboratory for the research and development required for the Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program. The experimental program in the laboratory will contribute to the assessment of the feasibility and safety of nuclear fuel waste disposal deep in stable plutonic rock. In 1988, AECL extended the shaft of the Underground Research Laboratory (URL) from the existing 255 m depth to a depth of 443 m in cooperation with the United States Department of Energy. The project, which involved carrying out research activities while excavation and construction work was in progress, required careful planning. To accommodate the research programs, full-face blasting with a burn cut was used to advance the shaft. Existing facilities at the URL had to be modified to accommodate an expanded underground facility at a new depth. This paper discusses the design criteria, shaft-sinking methods and approaches used to accommodate the research work during this shaft extension project. (11 refs., 11 figs.)

Stability of underground excavations in a repository system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calash, A.Y.; Greer, J.C.; Andrea, S.J.; Chowdhury, A.H.; Nguyen, V.V.

1988-01-01

The DOE is investigating the feasibility of constructing a deep geologic repository at the Hanford Site, Washington, for the permanent disposal of nuclear waste. The underground openings associated with the repository design include shafts, tunnels, emplacement rooms and boreholes. The stability of these underground openings, the extent and characteristics of the disturbed zones due to excavation, and their effects on groundwater flow path and travel time have a primary influence on the performance assessment of the Hanford Site as a nuclear waste repository. This study is being done in accordance with the requirements of the NRC. Results of structural analyses of shafts and tunnels under in situ stresses and/or medium weight are presented in this paper. Four different analyses were carried out to analyze the shaft: a plane strain model, axisymmetric model, 3-D model of a single material medium, and 3-D model of a three material medium

Engineering geology study of demo plant radioactive waste final disposal site of medium depth NSD type at Puspiptek, Serpong

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heri Syaeful; Sucipta; Imam Achmad Sadisun

2014-01-01

Final disposal of radioactive waste intended to keep radioactive substances does not released to the environment until the substance activity decreased to the safe level. Storage concept of radioactive waste (RAW) final disposal that will be developed at the area of Puspiptek, Serpong is near surface disposal (NSD). Based on depth, NSD divided on two type, near surface NSD and medium depth NSD. Concept NSD in this research is medium depth NSD, which is between 30 – 300 meters. During NSD construction in medium-depth required the works of sub-surface excavation or tunneling. Analysis of in-situ stresses and sub-surface deformation performed to recognize the stress magnitude and its distribution that developed in soil/rock as well as the deformation occurred when sub-surface excavation takes place. Based on the analysis, acknowledged the magnitude of tensional and compression stress and its distribution that range from -441 kPa to 4,028 kPa with values of natural deformation or without reinforcement between 4.4 to 13.5 cm. A rather high deformation value which is achieved 13.5 cm leads to necessity of engineering reinforcement during excavation. The designs of engineering reinforcement on every excavation stage refer to the result of modeling analysis of stress and deformation distribution pattern. (author)

Simulation of Daylighting Conditions in a Virtual Underground City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristiano Merli Alcini

2015-06-01

Full Text Available From the Piranesi fantastic architectures to the animation movies and video games of the last thirty years, a new design approach has been introduced and developed: the design of the virtual space. Designing the "virtual" means experiencing a multidisciplinary approach where architecture, engineering, and urban planning meet the new horizons of information and communication technology. This study is focused on virtual space, which is an underground city. Mankind have always made and used underground environments: the possibilities of unlimited spaces to potential development, the reduced needs for raw materials for the construction and the protection from outdoor weather are some of the reasons that prompted humans to the realization of underground spaces in the past. These reasons and the availability of innovative technologies could encourage a breakthrough in the realization of new underground environments. A recent example is represented by the Underground City of Montreal (RÉSO. We present the architectural design of a virtual underground city, which is called Arch[ane], and its evaluation. The underground city is modular and the studied module is composed of eight floors with a total depth of 400 m and dimensions of 800 m × 800 m. The study comprises the evaluation of the effect of sunlight on each eight floors of the city. Daylighting simulations were performed considering different cities at different latitudes, days, and hours. The results have shown that the particular design of the underground city with skylights gives significant values of illuminance at a certain depth. Furthermore, the simulation results show how huge can be the potentialities of software to simulate extremely big environments.

Application of a simplified calculation for full-wave microtremor H/ V spectral ratio based on the diffuse field approximation to identify underground velocity structures

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Hao; Masaki, Kazuaki; Irikura, Kojiro; Sánchez-Sesma, Francisco José

2017-12-01

Under the diffuse field approximation, the full-wave (FW) microtremor H/ V spectral ratio ( H/ V) is modeled as the square root of the ratio of the sum of imaginary parts of the Green's function of the horizontal components to that of the vertical one. For a given layered medium, the FW H/ V can be well approximated with only surface waves (SW) H/ V of the "cap-layered" medium which consists of the given layered medium and a new larger velocity half-space (cap layer) at large depth. Because the contribution of surface waves can be simply obtained by the residue theorem, the computation of SW H/ V of cap-layered medium is faster than that of FW H/ V evaluated by discrete wavenumber method and contour integration method. The simplified computation of SW H/ V was then applied to identify the underground velocity structures at six KiK-net strong-motion stations. The inverted underground velocity structures were used to evaluate FW H/ Vs which were consistent with the SW H/ Vs of corresponding cap-layered media. The previous study on surface waves H/ Vs proposed with the distributed surface sources assumption and a fixed Rayleigh-to-Love waves amplitude ratio for horizontal motions showed a good agreement with the SW H/ Vs of our study. The consistency between observed and theoretical spectral ratios, such as the earthquake motions of H/ V spectral ratio and spectral ratio of horizontal motions between surface and bottom of borehole, indicated that the underground velocity structures identified from SW H/ V of cap-layered medium were well resolved by the new method.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Study of the muon spectrum at a depth 570 m.w.e. underground by means of the 100-ton scintillation detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enikeev, R.I.; Zatsepin, G.T.; Korol'kova, E.V.; Kudryavtsev, V.A.; Mal'gin, A.S.; Ryazhskaya, O.G.; Khal'chukov, F.F.

1988-01-01

The experiment was carried out using the 100-ton apparatus at the Artemovsk Scientific Station of the Institute of Nuclear Research, USSR Academy of Sciences, located in a salt mine at a depth 570 m.w.e. underground. The spectrum of the energy release in the electromagnetic cascades which are generated by muons underground was measured. The electromagnetic and nuclear cascades were separated on the basis of the number of neutrons in these cascades. The spectrum of the energy release obtained is consistent with a spectrum of π and K mesons with γ/sub π//sub ,//sub K/ = 1.75 +- 0.08 for muon energies at sea level E 0 /sub μ/ >0.7 TeV. The experimental data recalculated to the vertical spectrum of muons at sea level agree with the results of other studies. Up to energies of about 100 TeV neither the spectrum of the primary cosmic rays nor the characteristics of the pA interaction undergo changes which could lead to an increase of γ/sub π//sub ,//sub K/ to a value exceeding 1.85

Quantitative considerations in medium energy ion scattering depth profiling analysis of nanolayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zalm, P.C.; Bailey, P. [International Institute for Accelerator Applications, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH (United Kingdom); Reading, M.A. [Physics and Materials Research Centre, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT (United Kingdom); Rossall, A.K. [International Institute for Accelerator Applications, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH (United Kingdom); Berg, J.A. van den, E-mail: j.vandenberg@hud.ac.uk [International Institute for Accelerator Applications, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH (United Kingdom)

2016-11-15

The high depth resolution capability of medium energy ion scattering (MEIS) is becoming increasingly relevant to the characterisation of nanolayers in e.g. microelectronics. In this paper we examine the attainable quantitative accuracy of MEIS depth profiling. Transparent but reliable analytical calculations are used to illustrate what can ultimately be achieved for dilute impurities in a silicon matrix and the significant element-dependence of the depth scale, for instance, is illustrated this way. Furthermore, the signal intensity-to-concentration conversion and its dependence on the depth of scattering is addressed. Notably, deviations from the Rutherford scattering cross section due to screening effects resulting in a non-coulombic interaction potential and the reduction of the yield owing to neutralization of the exiting, backscattered H{sup +} and He{sup +} projectiles are evaluated. The former mainly affects the scattering off heavy target atoms while the latter is most severe for scattering off light target atoms and can be less accurately predicted. However, a pragmatic approach employing an extensive data set of measured ion fractions for both H{sup +} and He{sup +} ions scattered off a range of surfaces, allows its parameterization. This has enabled the combination of both effects, which provides essential information regarding the yield dependence both on the projectile energy and the mass of the scattering atom. Although, absolute quantification, especially when using He{sup +}, may not always be achievable, relative quantification in which the sum of all species in a layer adds up to 100%, is generally possible. This conclusion is supported by the provision of some examples of MEIS derived depth profiles of nanolayers. Finally, the relative benefits of either using H{sup +} or He{sup +} ions are briefly considered.

The Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory at Homestake

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lesko, Kevin T [Department of Physics, University of California Berkeley and the Institute for Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, MS50R5239, Berkeley, CA 94720-8146 (United States)], E-mail: KTLesko@lbl.gov

2008-11-01

The National Science Foundation and the international underground science community are well into establishing a world-class, multidisciplinary Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL) at the former Homestake mine in Lead South Dakota. The NSF's review committee, following the first two NSF solicitations, selected the Homestake Proposal and site as the prime location to be developed into an international research facility. Homestake DUSEL will provide much needed underground research space to help relieve the worldwide shortage, particularly at great depth, and will develop research campuses at several different depths to satisfy the research requirements for the coming decades. The State of South Dakota has demonstrated remarkable support for the project and has secured the site with the transfer from the Homestake Mining Corp. The State, through its Science and Technology Authority with state funds and those of a philanthropic donor has initiated rehabilitation of the surface and underground infrastructure including the Ross and Yates hoists accessing the 4850 Level (feet below ground, 4100 to 4200 mwe). The scientific case for DUSEL and the progress in establishing the preliminary design of the facility and the associated suite of experiments to be funded along with the facility by the NSF are presented.

Neutron albedo effects of underground nuclear explosion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Bo; Ying Yangjun; Li Jinhong; Bai Yun

2013-01-01

The neutron field distribution is affected by the surrounding medium in the underground nuclear explosion. It will influence the radiation chemical diagnosis. By Monte Carlo simulation, the fuel burnup induced by device and neutron albedo was calculated. The analysis method of albedo effect on radiation chemical diagnosis result under special environment was proposed. Neutron albedo should be considered when capture reaction burnup fraction is used, and then correct analysis can be carried out on the nuclear device.The neutron field distribution is affected by the surrounding medium in the underground nuclear explosion. It will influence the radiation chemical diagnosis. By Monte Carlo simulation, the fuel burnup induced by device and neutron albedo was calculated. The analysis method of albedo effect on radiation chemical diagnosis result under special environment was proposed. Neutron albedo should be considered when capture reaction burnup fraction is used, and then correct analysis can be carried out on the nuclear device. (authors)

The deep underground science and engineering laboratory at Homestake

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lesko, Kevin T, E-mail: ktlesko@lbl.go [Department of Physics, University of California Berkeley and Institute for Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, MS 50R5239, Berkeley, CA 94720-8156 (United States)

2009-06-01

The US National Science Foundation and the US underground science community are well into the campaign to establish a world-class, multi-disciplinary deep underground science and engineering laboratory - DUSEL. The NSF's review committee, following the first two NSF solicitations, selected Homestake as the prime site to be developed into an international, multidisciplinary, world-class research facility. Homestake DUSEL will provide much needed underground research space to help relieve the worldwide shortage, particularly at great depth, and will develop research campuses at different depths to satisfy the research requirements for the coming decades. The State of South Dakota has demonstrated remarkable support for the project and has secured the site with the transfer of the former Homestake Gold Mine and has initiated re-entry and rehabilitation of the facility to host a modest interim science program with state funds and those from a substantial philanthropic donor. I review the scientific case for DUSEL and the progress in developing the preliminary design of DUSEL in Homestake and the initial suite of experiments to be funded along with the facility.

Evaluation of Three Dimensional Underground Structure at SAFOD Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malin, Peter

2014-01-01

In the SAFOD project, the imaging of the fault zone was implemented using data acquired by a pilot hole array of a vertical depth of 2 km and then a main hole was drilled using these data. The trajectory of the main hole below vertical depth of 1.5 km was angled toward/through the fault zone up to a vertical depth of 3 km. An sensor array was located in the hole. As a result, the hypocenter locations of small earthquakes within the fault zone were determined with high accuracy (location error within 10 meters) and the location of the fault zone was able to be identified with high accuracy. Using this data, high resolution underground structure around the San Andreas fault zone was obtained. It was reported that this underground structure revealed the deep structure of the San Andreas Fault at the Parkfield site as well as the branch fault. (author)

Research on communication system of underground safety management based on leaky feeder cable

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

CHEN Jian-hong; ZHANG Tao; CHENG Yun-cai; ZHANG Han

2007-01-01

According to the current working status of underground safety management and production scheduling, the importance and existed problem of underground mine radio communication were summarized, and the basic principle and classification of leaky feeder cable were introduced and the characteristics of cable were analyzed specifically in depth, and the application model of radio communication system for underground mine safety management was put forward. Meanwhile, the research explanation of the system component, function and evaluation was provided. The discussion result indicates that communication system of underground mine safety management which is integrated two-way relay amplifier and other equipment has many communication functions, and underground mine mobile communication can be achieved well.

Sebuah Kajian Cultural Criminology Atas Moshing di dalam Konser Underground

OpenAIRE

Muhamad Robbyansyah

2011-01-01

This minithesis discussed about moshing phenomenon in an underground music concert as a considerable study about criminalization of popular culture’s product in society, and how to deconstruct the meaning of it. This study has been done in qualitative approach with researcher being a medium for data references to get the ”first person” view for seeing the true meaning of moshing in an underground community. They are suffered with culture constructiont made by the dominant cu...

Detection and delineation of underground septic tanks in sandy terrain using ground penetrating radar

Science.gov (United States)

Omolaiye, Gabriel Efomeh; Ayolabi, Elijah A.

2010-09-01

A ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey was conducted on the Lekki Peninsula, Lagos State, Nigeria. The primary target of the survey was the delineation of underground septic tanks (ST). A total of four GPR profiles were acquired on the survey site using Ramac X3M GPR equipment with a 250MHz antenna, chosen based on the depth of interest and resolution. An interpretable depth of penetration of 4.5m below the surface was achieved after processing. The method accurately delineated five underground ST. The tops of the ST were easily identified on the radargram based on the strong-amplitude anomalies, the length and the depths to the base of the ST were estimated with 99 and 73 percent confidence respectively. The continuous vertical profiles provide uninterrupted subsurface data along the lines of traverse, while the non-intrusive nature makes it an ideal tool for the accurate mapping and delineation of underground utilities.

Dynamic response of underground openings in discontinuous rock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asmis, H.W.

1984-02-01

This report examines the behaviour of underground openings in discontinuous rock in response to seismic waves associated with either earthquakes or rock bursts. A literature search revealed that well-constructed underground structures, such as would be expected for nuclear fuel waste disposal vaults, underground pumped-storage or nuclear plants, have an extremely high resistance to damage from seismic motion. To complement these qualitative results, it was necessary to examine the basic mechanisms of the entire progression of seismic motion, from wave generation and propagation, to wave interaction with the underground opening. From these investigations, it was found that unless a seismic event occurs very close to the installation, the stresses generated will be low with respect to the excavation stresses, because high stress waves are rapidly attenuated in travelling through rock. As well, an earthquake may generate extremely high accelerations, but is limited in the maximum amount of stress that it can create. The question, however, of the actual specific nature of underground seismic motions still remains essentially unanswered, although it is expected that there is a reduction in peak motions with depth due to the effect of the free surface of the earth

Two Sources of Nonisotropic Radiation From Underground Explosions in Granite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vorobiev, O. Yu.

2017-01-01

Significant tangential ground motion observed during underground explosions makes it difficult to distinguish them from natural earthquakes. Such motion can be generated by the source geometry and emplacement conditions, by the heterogeneous nature of the rock mass (mechanical properties may vary in space due to the presence of cracks, joints, faults, and various geologic layers) and also by the nonuniform in situ stress state. The last mechanism is increasingly important with depth when the difference in main principal stresses becomes significant. This paper is focused on the role of material strength of the rock mass in generation of nonradial motion during explosions in prestressed media. Numerical modeling of underground chemical explosions in granite at various depths has been conducted to compare two possible mechanisms of shear wave generation. The first, caused by rock mass anisotropy, is important at shallow depth. The second is related to elastic-plastic relaxation around the cavity created by the explosion. As a result, tangential motions for these two mechanisms have different signatures.

Sanford Underground Research Facility - The United State's Deep Underground Research Facility

Science.gov (United States)

Vardiman, D.

2012-12-01

/LIDAR), surveying instruments, and surveying benchmarks and optical survey points. Currently an array of single and multipoint extensometers monitors the Davis Campus. A facility-wide micro seismic monitoring system is anticipated to be deployed during the latter half of 2012. This system is designed to monitor minor events initiated within the historical mined out portions of the facility. The major science programs for the coming five years consist of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR (MJD) neutrinoless double beta decay experiment; the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) dark matter search, the Center for Ultralow Background Experiments at DUSEL (CUBED), numerous geoscience installations, Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE), a nuclear astrophysics program involving a low energy underground particle accelerator, second and third generation dark matter experiments, and additional low background counting facilities. The Sanford Lab facility is an active, U.S. based, deep underground research facility dedicated to science, affording the science community the opportunity to conduct unprecedented scientific research in a broad range of physics, biology and geoscience fields at depth. SURF is actively interested in hosting additional research collaborations and provides resources for full facility design, cost estimation, excavation, construction and support management services.

A mobile detector for measurements of the atmospheric muon flux in underground sites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mitrica, Bogdan, E-mail: mitrica@nipne.ro [Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, P.O.B. MG-6, 077125 Magurele (Romania); Margineanu, Romul; Stoica, Sabin; Petcu, Mirel; Brancus, Iliana [Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, P.O.B. MG-6, 077125 Magurele (Romania); Jipa, Alexandru; Lazanu, Ionel; Sima, Octavian [Department of Physics, University of Bucharest, P.O.B. MG-11 (Romania); Haungs, Andreas; Rebel, Heinigerd [Institut fur Kernphysik, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology - Campus North, 76021 Karlsruhe (Germany); Petre, Marian; Toma, Gabriel; Saftoiu, Alexandra; Stanca, Denis; Apostu, Ana; Gomoiu, Claudia [Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, P.O.B. MG-6, 077125 Magurele (Romania)

2011-10-21

Muons comprise an important contribution of the natural radiation dose in air (approx. 30 nSv/h of a total dose rate of 65-130 nSv/h), as well as in underground sites even when the flux and relative contribution are significantly reduced. The flux of muons observed underground can be used as an estimator for the depth in mwe (meter water equivalent) of the underground site. The water equivalent depth is important information to devise physics experiments feasible for a specific site. A mobile detector for performing measurements of the muon flux was developed in IFIN-HH, Bucharest. Consisting of two scintillator plates (approx. 0.9 m{sup 2}) which measure in coincidence, the detector is installed on a van which facilitates measurements at different locations at the surface or underground. The detector was used to determine muon fluxes at different sites in Romania. In particular, data were taken and the values of meter water equivalents were assessed for several locations at the salt mine in Slanic-Prahova, Romania. The measurements have been performed in two different galleries of the Slanic mine at different depths. In order to test the stability of the method, also measurements of the muon flux at the surface at different elevations were performed. The results were compared with predictions of Monte-Carlo simulations using the CORSIKA and MUSIC codes.

A mobile detector for measurements of the atmospheric muon flux in underground sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitrica, Bogdan; Margineanu, Romul; Stoica, Sabin; Petcu, Mirel; Brancus, Iliana; Jipa, Alexandru; Lazanu, Ionel; Sima, Octavian; Haungs, Andreas; Rebel, Heinigerd; Petre, Marian; Toma, Gabriel; Saftoiu, Alexandra; Stanca, Denis; Apostu, Ana; Gomoiu, Claudia

2011-01-01

Muons comprise an important contribution of the natural radiation dose in air (approx. 30 nSv/h of a total dose rate of 65-130 nSv/h), as well as in underground sites even when the flux and relative contribution are significantly reduced. The flux of muons observed underground can be used as an estimator for the depth in mwe (meter water equivalent) of the underground site. The water equivalent depth is important information to devise physics experiments feasible for a specific site. A mobile detector for performing measurements of the muon flux was developed in IFIN-HH, Bucharest. Consisting of two scintillator plates (approx. 0.9 m 2 ) which measure in coincidence, the detector is installed on a van which facilitates measurements at different locations at the surface or underground. The detector was used to determine muon fluxes at different sites in Romania. In particular, data were taken and the values of meter water equivalents were assessed for several locations at the salt mine in Slanic-Prahova, Romania. The measurements have been performed in two different galleries of the Slanic mine at different depths. In order to test the stability of the method, also measurements of the muon flux at the surface at different elevations were performed. The results were compared with predictions of Monte-Carlo simulations using the CORSIKA and MUSIC codes.

Study on the muon spectra at the depth of 570 m.w.e. underground with 100t scintillation detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enikeev, R.I.; Zatsepin, G.T.; Korol'kova, E.V.; Kudryavtsev, V.A.; Mal'gin, A.S.; Ryazhskaya, O.G.; Khal'chugov, F.F.

1988-01-01

The experiment was carried out with 100-ton scintillation detector placed in the salt mine at the depth of 570 m.w.e. Detector measured the spectrum of energy release of electromagnetic cascades generated by muons underground. Electromagnetic and nuclear cascades were separated by the number of neutrons contained in the cascades. The measured spectrum of energy releases agrees with π- and K-meson spectrum with γ π,K =1.75±0.08 for muon energies at sea level E μ 0 > 0.7 TeV. The experimental data transformed to the vertical muon spectrum at sea level are in good agreement with the results of other works. The primary cosmic ray spectrum and the characteristics of pA-interactions up to energies of ∼ 100 TeV have not a changes which would lead to the increase of the γ π,K value higher than 1.85

Characterization of the seismic environment at the Sanford Underground Laboratory, South Dakota

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harms, J; Dorsher, S; Kandhasamy, S; Mandic, V [University of Minnesota, 116 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (United States); Acernese, F; Barone, F [Universita degli Studi di Salerno, Fisciano (Saudi Arabia) (Italy); Bartos, I; Marka, S [Columbia University, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Beker, M; Van den Brand, J F J; Rabeling, D S [Nikhef, National Institute for Subatomic Physics, Science Park 105, 1098 XG Amsterdam (Netherlands); Christensen, N; Coughlin, M [Carleton College, Northfield, MN 55057 (United States); DeSalvo, R [California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Heise, J; Trancynger, T [Sanford Underground Laboratory, 630 East Summit Street, Lead, SD 57754 (United States); Mueller, G [University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States); Naticchioni, L [Department of Physics, University of Rome ' Sapienza' , P.le Aldo Moro 2, 00185 Rome (Italy); O' Keefe, T [Saint Louis University, 3450 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103 (United States); Sajeva, A, E-mail: janosch@caltech.ed [Dipartimento di Fisica ' Enrico Fermi' , Universita di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo, Pisa (Italy)

2010-11-21

An array of seismometers is being developed at the Sanford Underground Laboratory, the former Homestake mine, in South Dakota to study the properties of underground seismic fields and Newtonian noise, and to investigate the possible advantages of constructing a third-generation gravitational-wave detector underground. Seismic data were analyzed to characterize seismic noise and disturbances. External databases were used to identify sources of seismic waves: ocean-wave data to identify sources of oceanic microseisms and surface wind-speed data to investigate correlations with seismic motion as a function of depth. In addition, sources of events contributing to the spectrum at higher frequencies are characterized by studying the variation of event rates over the course of a day. Long-term observations of spectral variations provide further insight into the nature of seismic sources. Seismic spectra at three different depths are compared, establishing the 4100 ft level as a world-class low seismic-noise environment.

Plan of deep underground construction for investigations on high-level radioactive waste storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mayanovskij, M.S.

1996-01-01

The program of studies of the Japanese PNC corporation on construction of deep underground storage for high-level radioactive wastes is presented. The program is intended for 20 years. The total construction costs equal about 20 billion yen. The total cost of the project is equal to 60 billion yen. The underground part is planned to reach 1000 m depth

Design and operation problems related to water curtain system for underground water-sealed oil storage caverns

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhongkui Li

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The underground water-sealed storage technique is critically important and generally accepted for the national energy strategy in China. Although several small underground water-sealed oil storage caverns have been built in China since the 1970s, there is still a lack of experience for large-volume underground storage in complicated geological conditions. The current design concept of water curtain system and the technical instruction for system operation have limitations in maintaining the stability of surrounding rock mass during the construction of the main storage caverns, as well as the long-term stability. Although several large-scale underground oil storage projects are under construction at present in China, the design concepts and construction methods, especially for the water curtain system, are mainly based on the ideal porosity medium flow theory and the experiences gained from the similar projects overseas. The storage projects currently constructed in China have the specific features such as huge scale, large depth, multiple-level arrangement, high seepage pressure, complicated geological conditions, and high in situ stresses, which are the challenging issues for the stability of the storage caverns. Based on years' experiences obtained from the first large-scale (millions of cubic meters underground water-sealed oil storage project in China, some design and operation problems related to water curtain system during project construction are discussed. The drawbacks and merits of the water curtain system are also presented. As an example, the conventional concept of “filling joints with water” is widely used in many cases, as a basic concept for the design of the water curtain system, but it is immature. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of the conventional concept are pointed out, with respect to the long-term stability as well as the safety of construction of storage caverns. Finally, new concepts and principles

Arsenic contamination of underground water in Bangladesh: cause, effect, separation, determination and remedy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, M.J.

2003-01-01

Arsenic contamination of underground water of Bangladesh has become the gravest concern for the lives of millions of people of this land. Probable causes and effects of arsenic contamination of underground water of Bangladesh have been extensively discussed. The extent of current knowledge regarding the specification of arsenic in environmental waters in delineated. A simple, non-extractive, highly sensitive and selective quench photometric methods for the rapid determination of arsenic at trace levels in aqueous medium has been developed. This paper also presents a short review of the technologies used for arsenic removal of underground water in Bangladesh. (author)

Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory project. Synthesis of phase II (construction phase) investigations to a depth of 350 m

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Toshinori; Sasamoto, Hiroshi; Ishii, Eiichi; Matsuoka, Toshiyuki; Hayano, Akira; Miyakawa, Kazuya; Fujita, Tomoo; Tanai, Kenji; Nakayama, Masashi; Takeda, Masaki; Yokota, Hideharu; Aoyagi, Kazuhei; Ohno, Hirokazu; Shigeta, Naotaka; Hanamuro, Takahiro; Ito, Hiroaki

2017-03-01

The Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory (URL) Project is being pursued by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to enhance the reliability of relevant disposal technologies through investigations of the deep geological environment within the host sedimentary formations at Horonobe, northern Hokkaido. The project consists of two major research areas, 'Geoscientific Research' and 'R and D on Geological Disposal', and proceeds in three overlapping phases, 'Phase I: Surface-based investigation', 'Phase II: Construction' and 'Phase III: Operation', over a period of 20 years. This report summarizes the results of the Phase II investigations carried out from April 2005 to June 2014 to a depth of 350 m. Integration of work from different disciplines into a 'geosynthesis' ensures that the Phase II goals have been successfully achieved and identifies key issues that need to be addressed in the Phase II investigations. Efforts are made to summarize as many lessons learnt from the Phase II investigations and other technical achievements as possible to form a 'knowledge base' that will reinforce the technical basis for both implementation and the formulation of safety regulations. (author)

30 CFR 77.902 - Low- and medium-voltage ground check monitor circuits.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... medium-voltage resistance grounded systems to portable and mobile equipment shall include a fail safe... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Low- and medium-voltage ground check monitor... OF UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Low- and Medium-Voltage Alternating Current Circuits § 77.902 Low- and...

Characteristic behavior of underground and semi-underground structure at earthquake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sawada, Yoshihiro; Komada, Hiroya

1985-01-01

An appropriate earthquake-resistant repository design is required to ensure the safety of the radioactive wastes (shallow or deep ground disposal of low- and high-level wastes, respectively). It is particularly important to understand the propagation characteristics of seismic waves and the behaviors of underground hollow structures at the time of an earthquake. This report deals with seismologic observations of rock beds and undergound structures. The maximum acceleration deep under the ground is found to be about 1/2 - 1/3 of that at the ground surface or along the rock bed in the horizontal direction and about 1/1 - 1/2 in the longitudinal direction. A large attenuation cannot be expected in shallow ground. The decrease in displacement amplitude is small compared to that in acceleration. The attenuation effect is larger for a small earthquake and at a short hypocentral distance. The attenuation factor reaches a maximum at a depth of several tens of meters. The seismic spectrum under the ground is flatter than that at the surface. The maximum acceleration along the side wall of a cavity is almost the same as that in the surrounding rock bed. An underground cavity shows complicated phase characteristics at the time of a small earthquake at a short hypocentral distance. (Nogami, K.)

Underground waste disposal; the time to go ahead

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fitzpatrick, J.

1979-01-01

The findings and status of several national and international research programmes were recently reported at an International Symposium on the Underground Disposal of Radioactive Wastes. A brief review is presented of the situation. Attention is drawn to the flexibility in design emerging to allow for differences in fuel cycle policy, and to the bias of countries towards research into geologic host formations available within their own borders. International co-operation in this field is good. Collaborative work in the nine Community countries is divided between them by geologic type. Disposal of low and medium active waste is discussed. Research into salt domes, crystalline rods, and argillaceous sediments is briefly summarised. Aspects of underground disposal of high-level waste and radionuclide migration are also considered. (U.K.)

Measurement of Rn-222 concentration in underground water in Osaka stratum group in Sennan area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fukui, Masami; Katsurayama, Kosuke

1977-01-01

The Rn-222 concentration in underground water is reported as follows, which is the result obtained when the ground inspection was carried out in the Research Reactor Institute of Kyoto University located at Kumatori area in Osaka stratum group. Underground water, at different depth, well water and rain water were taken, and the contained Rn-222 was extracted with toluene to measure by liquid scintillation technique. Rn-222 concentration in rain water was 3.5 - 8.0 pCi/l, while the concentration in well water was 130 - 250 pCi/l, and that in underground water was 240 - 313 pCi/l. The seasonal change, geographical difference and variation according to depth of Rn-222 concentration were examined. Rn-222 behavior in soil should be investigated more in detail in reference to Rn-222 dispersion, transport and equilibrium problems in soil-water system in the future. (Kobatake, H.)

Engineering effects of underground nuclear explosions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boardman, Charles R.

1970-01-01

Useful effects of contained underground nuclear explosions are discussed in light of today's most promising potential applications. Relevant data obtained through exploration of explosion environments of nine U.S. tests in competent rock are summarized and presented as a practical basis for estimating magnitudes of effects. Effects discussed include chimney configuration, permeability, and volume as well as rubble particle size distributions and extents of permeability change in the chimney wall rock. Explosion mediums include shale, granite, dolomite, and salt. (author)

Engineering effects of underground nuclear explosions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boardman, Charles R [CER Geonuclear Corporation, Las Vegas, NV (United States)

1970-05-01

Useful effects of contained underground nuclear explosions are discussed in light of today's most promising potential applications. Relevant data obtained through exploration of explosion environments of nine U.S. tests in competent rock are summarized and presented as a practical basis for estimating magnitudes of effects. Effects discussed include chimney configuration, permeability, and volume as well as rubble particle size distributions and extents of permeability change in the chimney wall rock. Explosion mediums include shale, granite, dolomite, and salt. (author)

Pro and con decision criteria to underground nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buchhardt, F.

1981-01-01

In general, basic design criteria for underground siting define increased safety margins which are mostly step-wise augmentated. The larger those postulated additional impacts become, the more the general concept might already be previously determined. Depending on site availability in general two ways may be practised - the berm-contained concept as well as mined rock caverns. According to the present technical feasibility the cut-and-cover burial seems to be favoured more. If increased external (artificial) impacts are postulated underground facilities have considerable advantages since the earth coverage provides an excellent stopping medium. In case of internal influences the features suggested mostly are additional pressure relief systems which cannot be considered typical for undergrounding. The problem of the access-way sealing is a key-point of a 'real' supplemental underground containment. With a very high safety degree a reliable closure of the penetrations must be guaranteed in case extreme external as well as internal events occur. To come to a final conclusion wheter the benefits or penalties predominate, valuation criteria and matrices are elaborated from the view of different initial points. At this time period it still seems too early to give a definite judgement of pro or con for the underground concept. (orig./HP)

Underground disposal of radioactive wastes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1979-08-15

Disposal of low- and intermediate-level radioactive wastes by shallow land burial, emplacement in suitable abandoned mines, or by deep well injection and hydraulic fracturing has been practised in various countries for many years. In recent years considerable efforts have been devoted in most countries that have nuclear power programmes to developing and evaluating appropriate disposal systems for high-level and transuranium-bearing waste, and to studying the potential for establishing repositories in geological formations underlaying their territories. The symposium, organized jointly by the IAEA and OECD's Nuclear Energy Agency in cooperation with the Geological Survey of Finland, provided an authoritative account of the status of underground disposal programmes throughout the world in 1979. It was evidence of the experience that has been gained and the comprehensive investigations that have been performed to study various options for the underground disposal of radioactive waste since the last IAEA/NEA symposium on this topic (Disposal of Radioactive Waste into the Ground) was held in 1967 in Vienna. The 10 sessions covered the following topics: National programme and general studies, Disposal of solid waste at shallow depth and in rock caverns, underground disposal of liquid waste by deep well injection and hydraulic fracturing, Disposal in salt formations, Disposal in crystalline rocks and argillaceous sediments, Thermal aspects of disposal in deep geological formations, Radionuclide migration studies, Safety assessment and regulatory aspects.

On-site underground background measurements for the KASKA reactor-neutrino experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furuta, H.; Sakuma, K.; Aoki, M.; Fukuda, Y.; Funaki, Y.; Hara, T.; Haruna, T.; Ishihara, N.; Katsumata, M.; Kawasaki, T.; Kuze, M.; Maeda, J.; Matsubara, T.; Matsumoto, T.; Miyata, H.; Nagasaka, Y.; Nakagawa, T.; Nakajima, N.; Nitta, K.; Sakai, K.; Sakamoto, Y.; Suekane, F.; Sumiyoshi, T.; Tabata, H.; Tamura, N.; Tsuchiya, Y.

2006-01-01

On-site underground background measurements were performed for the planned reactor-neutrino oscillation experiment KASKA at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station in Niigata, Japan. A small-diameter boring hole was excavated down to 70m underground level, and a detector unit for γ-ray and cosmic-muon measurements was placed at various depths to take data. The data were analyzed to obtain abundance of natural radioactive elements in the surrounding soil and rates of cosmic muons that penetrate the overburden. The results will be reflected in the design of the KASKA experiment

Seismic wave interaction with underground cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Felix M.; Esterhazy, Sofi; Perugia, Ilaria; Bokelmann, Götz

2016-04-01

Realization of the future Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) will require ensuring its compliance, making the CTBT a prime example of forensic seismology. Following indications of a nuclear explosion obtained on the basis of the (IMS) monitoring network further evidence needs to be sought at the location of the suspicious event. For such an On-Site Inspection (OSI) at a possible nuclear test site the treaty lists several techniques that can be carried out by the inspection team, including aftershock monitoring and the conduction of active seismic surveys. While those techniques are already well established, a third group of methods labeled as "resonance seismometry" is less well defined and needs further elaboration. A prime structural target that is expected to be present as a remnant of an underground nuclear explosion is a cavity at the location and depth the bomb was fired. Originally "resonance seismometry" referred to resonant seismic emission of the cavity within the medium that could be stimulated by an incident seismic wave of the right frequency and observed as peaks in the spectrum of seismic stations in the vicinity of the cavity. However, it is not yet clear which are the conditions for which resonant emissions of the cavity could be observed. In order to define distance-, frequency- and amplitude ranges at which resonant emissions could be observed we study the interaction of seismic waves with underground cavities. As a generic model for possible resonances we use a spherical acoustic cavity in an elastic full-space. To solve the forward problem for the full elastic wave field around acoustic spherical inclusions, we implemented an analytical solution (Korneev, 1993). This yields the possibility of generating scattering cross-sections, amplitude spectrums and synthetic seismograms for plane incident waves. Here, we focus on the questions whether or not we can expect resonant responses in the wave field scattered from the cavity. We show

Underground Gas Storage in the World 2013 (fifth edition)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cornot-Gandolphe, Sylvie

2013-06-01

Since its first publication in 1990, 'Underground Gas Storage in the World' has been the industry's reference on underground gas storage (UGS). The updated 2013 edition includes in-depth CEDIGAZ's analyses of the latest developments and trends in the storage industry all over the world as well as extensive country analyses with complete datasets including current, under construction and planned Underground Gas Storage facilities in 48 countries. It describes the 688 existing storage facilities in the world and the 236 projects under construction and planned. Future storage demand and its main drivers are presented at global and regional levels. The study builds on the CEDIGAZ Underground Gas Storage Database, the only worldwide Underground Gas Storage database to be updated every year. This document summarizes the key findings of the Survey which includes four main parts: The first part gives an overview of underground gas storage in the world at the beginning of 2013 and analyzes future storage needs by 2030, at regional and international levels. The second part focuses on new trends and issues emerging or developing in key storage markets. It analyzes the emerging storage market in China, reviews the storage business climate in Europe, examines Gazprom's storage strategy in Europe, and reviews recent trends in storage development in the United States. The third part gives some fundamental background on technical, economic and regulatory aspects of gas storage. The fourth part gives a countrywide analysis of the 48 countries in the world holding underground gas storage facilities or planning storage projects. 48 countries are surveyed with 688 existing UGS facilities, 256 projects under construction or planned

Examination of earthquake Ground Motion in the deep underground environment of Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goto, J.; Tsuchi, H.; Mashimo, M.

2009-01-01

Among the possible impacts of earthquakes on the geological disposal system, ground motion is not included in the criteria for selecting a candidate repository site because, in general, ground motion deep underground is considered to be smaller than at the surface. Also, after backfilling/closure, the repository moves together with the surrounding rock. We have carried out a detailed examination of earthquake ground motion deep underground using extensive data from recent observation networks to support the above assumption. As a result, it has been reconfirmed that earthquake ground motion deep underground is relatively smaller than at the surface. Through detailed analysis of data, we have identified the following important parameters for evaluating earthquake ground motion deep underground: depth and velocity distribution of the rock formations of interest, the intensity of the short period component of earthquakes and incident angle of seismic waves to the rock formations. (authors)

Radionuclides in an underground environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, J.L.

1996-01-01

In the 100 years since Becquerel recognized radioactivity, mankind has been very successful in producing large amounts of radioactive materials. We have been less successful in reaching a consensus on how to dispose of the billions of curies of fission products and transuranics resulting from nuclear weapons testing, electrical power generation, medical research, and a variety of other human endeavors. Many countries, including the United States, favor underground burial as a means of disposing of radioactive wastes. There are, however, serious questions about how such buried wastes may behave in the underground environment and particularly how they might eventually contaminate water, air and soil resources on which we are dependent. This paper describes research done in the United States in the state of Nevada on the behavior of radioactive materials placed underground. During the last thirty years, a series of ''experiments'' conducted for other purposes (testing of nuclear weapons) have resulted in a wide variety of fission products and actinides being injected in rock strata both above and below the water table. Variables which seem to control the movement of these radionuclides include the physical form (occlusion versus surface deposition), the chemical oxidation state, sorption by mineral phases of the host rock, and the hydrologic properties of the medium. The information gained from these studies should be relevant to planning for remediation of nuclear facilities elsewhere in the world and for long-term storage of nuclear wastes

Precise Detection of Buried Underground Utilities by Non-destructive Electromagnetic Survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shon, Ho Woong; Lee, Seung Hee; Lee, Kang Won

2002-01-01

To detect the position and depth of buried underground utilities, method of Ground Penetrating Radar(GPR) survey is the most commonly used. However, the skin-depth of GPR is very shallow, and in the places where subsurface materials are not homogeneous and are compose of clays and/or salts and gravels, GPR method has limitations in application and interpretation. The aim of this study is to overcome these limitations of GPR survey. For this purpose the site where the GPR survey is unsuccessful to detect the underground big pipes is selected, and soil tests were conducted to confirm the reason why GPR method was not applicable. Non-destructive high-frequency electromagnetic (HFEM) survey was newly developed and was applied in the study area to prove the effectiveness of this new technique. The frequency ranges 2kHz∼4MHz and the skin depth is about 30m. The HFEM measures the electric field and magnetic field perpendicular to each other to get the impedance from which vertical electric resistivity distribution at the measured point can be deduced. By adopting the capacitive coupled electrodes, it can make the measuring time shorter, and can be applied to the places covered by asphalt an and/or concrete. In addition to the above mentioned advantages, noise due to high-voltage power line is much reduced by stacking the signals. As a result, the HFEM was successful in detecting the buried underground objects. Therefore this method is a promising new technique that can be applied in the lots of fields, such as geotechnical and archaeological surveys

The feasibility of underground coal gasification in developing countries with abundant coal reserves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lakay, P.; Van Den Panhuyzen, W.

1993-01-01

The feasibility of underground coal gasification is evaluated on the basis of a case study for India. India has immense coal reserves at relatively shallow depths compared to Europe, has low wages, an urgent need to expand its power capacity, a strongly rising energy demand and has shown interest in underground coal gasification. Three scenarios including the cases of continued, declining and a strong economic growth were considered. Model calculations allow to compare the cost of the electric power generated by the combustion of the gas produced by underground coal gasification with the cost of the power produced by classic thermal power plants in India for -the reference year 2000. (A.S.) 4 figs. 1 tab

UNDERGROUND

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

1993-11-15

Full text: Cossetted deep underground, sheltered from cosmic ray noise, has always been a favourite haunt of neutrino physicists. Already in the 1930s, significant limits were obtained by taking a geiger counter down in Holborn 'tube' station, one of the deepest in London's underground system. Since then, neutrino physicists have popped up in many unlikely places - gold mines, salt mines, and road tunnels deep under mountain chains. Two such locations - the 1MB (Irvine/ Michigan/Brookhaven) detector 600 metres below ground in an Ohio salt mine, and the Kamiokande apparatus 1000m underground 300 km west of Tokyo - picked up neutrinos on 23 February 1987 from the famous 1987A supernova. Purpose-built underground laboratories have made life easier, notably the Italian Gran Sasso Laboratory near Rome, 1.4 kilometres below the surface, and the Russian Baksan Neutrino Observatory under Mount Andyrchi in the Caucasus range. Gran Sasso houses ICARUS (April, page 15), Gallex, Borexino, Macro and the LVD Large Volume Detector, while Baksan is the home of the SAGE gallium-based solar neutrino experiment. Elsewhere, important ongoing underground neutrino experiments include Soudan II in the US (April, page 16), the Canadian Sudbury Neutrino Observatory with its heavy water target (January 1990, page 23), and Superkamiokande in Japan (May 1991, page 8)

Underground gas storage in the World - 2013 (fifth Edition)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cornot-Gandolphe, Sylvie

2013-07-01

Since its first publication in 1990, 'Underground Gas Storage in the World' has been the industry's reference on underground gas storage (UGS). The updated 2013 edition includes in-depth CEDIGAZ's analyses of the latest developments and trends in the storage industry all over the world as well as extensive country analyses with complete datasets including current, under construction and planned Underground Gas Storage facilities in 48 countries. It describes the 688 existing storage facilities in the world and the 236 projects under construction and planned. Future storage demand and its main drivers are presented at global and regional levels. 'Underground Gas Storage in the World 2013' builds on the CEDIGAZ Underground Gas Storage Database, the only worldwide Underground Gas Storage database to be updated every year. The Survey includes four main parts: The first part gives an overview of underground gas storage in the world at the beginning of 2013 and analyzes future storage needs by 2030, at regional and international levels. The second part focuses on new trends and issues emerging or developing in key storage markets. It analyzes the emerging storage market in China, reviews the storage business climate in Europe, examines Gazprom's storage strategy in Europe, and reviews recent trends in storage development in the United States. The third part gives some fundamental background on technical, economic and regulatory aspects of gas storage. The fourth part gives a countrywide analysis of the 48 countries in the world holding underground gas storage facilities or planning storage projects. 48 countries surveyed, 688 existing UGS facilities, 256 projects under construction or planned. The document includes 70 tables, 72 charts and figures, 44 country maps. The countries surveyed are: Europe : Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland

Radon and NO2 levels and related environmental factors in 100 underground subway platforms over two-year period.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Sung Ho; Park, Jae Bum; Park, Wha Me

2018-01-01

In this study, the environmental factors that affect radon (Rn) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) levels in subway-station underground platforms are evaluated, and the outdoor NO 2 levels are compared with those obtained for the underground platforms. The Rn and NO 2 levels from May 2013 to September 2015 are determined for lines 1-4 of the Seoul Metro, via calculation of the arithmetic means of the Rn and NO 2 levels with their standard deviations (SDs). The underground Rn levels in 2013 are found to be significantly higher than those recorded in 2015 for the Seoul Metro. In addition, the Rn levels are related to the station depth and construction year. Further, the underground NO 2 levels are shown to be significantly higher than the outdoor levels for all four Seoul Metro subway lines. The Rn levels are also found to vary significantly between months, and are shown to increase gradually with depth from 8 to 20 m. The Rn levels are also higher for stations constructed in the 1980s. Therefore, stricter monitoring of Rn level may be required for stations constructed in the 1980s and/or having platform depths within the 8-20 m range. Island-type platform stations based on granite areas may also require careful attention. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Earthquake behavior at deep underground observed by three-dimensional array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komada, Hiroya; Sawada, Yoshihiro; Aoyama, Shigeo.

1989-01-01

The earthquake observation has been carried out using an eight point three-dimensional array between on-ground and the depth of about 400 m at Hosokura Mine in Miyagi prefecture, for the purpose of obtaining the basic datum on the characteristics of the seismic waves for the earthquake resistance design of the deep underground disposal facility of high level waste. The following results ware obtained. (1) The maximum accelerations at the underground are damped to about 60 % of those at on-ground horizontal and to about 70 % vertical. (2) Although the frequency characteristics of the seismic waves varies for each earthquake, the transfer characteristics of seismic waves from deep underground to on-ground is the same for each earthquake. (3) The horizontal dirrections of seismic wave incidence are similar to the directions from epicenters of each earthquake. The vertical directions of seismic wave incidence are in the range of about 3deg to 35deg from vertical line. (author)

In Situ Observation of Rock Spalling in the Deep Tunnels of the China Jinping Underground Laboratory (2400 m Depth)

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Xia-Ting; Xu, Hong; Qiu, Shi-Li; Li, Shao-Jun; Yang, Cheng-Xiang; Guo, Hao-Sen; Cheng, Yuan; Gao, Yao-Hui

2018-04-01

To study rock spalling in deep tunnels at China Jinping Underground Laboratory Phase II (CJPL-II), photogrammetry method and digital borehole camera were used to quantify key features of rock spalling including orientation, thickness of slabs and the depth of spalling. The failure mechanism was analysed through scanning electron microscope and numerical simulation based on FLAC3D. Observation results clearly showed the process of rock spalling failure: a typical spalling pattern around D-shaped tunnels after top-heading and bottom bench were discovered. The orientation and thickness of the slabs were obtained. The slabs were parallel to the excavated surfaces of the tunnel and were related to the shape of the tunnel surface and orientation of the principal stress. The slabs were alternately thick and thin, and they gradually increased in thickness from the sidewall inwards. The form and mechanism of spalling at different locations in the tunnels, as influenced by stress state and excavation, were analysed. The result of this study was helpful to those rethinking the engineering design, including the excavation and support of tunnels, or caverns, at high risk of spalling.

UNDERGROUND

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

Full text: Cossetted deep underground, sheltered from cosmic ray noise, has always been a favourite haunt of neutrino physicists. Already in the 1930s, significant limits were obtained by taking a geiger counter down in Holborn 'tube' station, one of the deepest in London's underground system. Since then, neutrino physicists have popped up in many unlikely places - gold mines, salt mines, and road tunnels deep under mountain chains. Two such locations - the 1MB (Irvine/ Michigan/Brookhaven) detector 600 metres below ground in an Ohio salt mine, and the Kamiokande apparatus 1000m underground 300 km west of Tokyo - picked up neutrinos on 23 February 1987 from the famous 1987A supernova. Purpose-built underground laboratories have made life easier, notably the Italian Gran Sasso Laboratory near Rome, 1.4 kilometres below the surface, and the Russian Baksan Neutrino Observatory under Mount Andyrchi in the Caucasus range. Gran Sasso houses ICARUS (April, page 15), Gallex, Borexino, Macro and the LVD Large Volume Detector, while Baksan is the home of the SAGE gallium-based solar neutrino experiment. Elsewhere, important ongoing underground neutrino experiments include Soudan II in the US (April, page 16), the Canadian Sudbury Neutrino Observatory with its heavy water target (January 1990, page 23), and Superkamiokande in Japan (May 1991, page 8)

Dimensional analysis for the mechanical effects of some underground explosions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Delort, Francis [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Centre d' Etudes de Bruyeres-le-Chatel (France)

1970-05-15

The influence of the medium properties upon the effects of underground nuclear and high explosive explosions is studied by dimensional analysis methods. A comparison is made with the experimental data from the Hoggar contained nuclear shots, specially with the particle motion data and the cavity radii. Furthermore, for example, crater data from explosions in Nevada have been examined by statistical methods. (author)

Innovating Technological Process for Expanding the Service Life of Underground Power Cables

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tabacaru V.

2016-08-01

Full Text Available As a public power distribution operator on low voltage (023/0.4 kV, medium voltage (6 and 20 kV, and high voltage (110 kV in the territory of Galati County, SDEE Galati serves approximately 240,000 consumers (captive and eligible, domestic and non-domestic For this purpose, in the field of medium voltage underground distribution lines, SDEE Galati manages and operates a volume of approx. 500 km UDL/6kV circuit and approximately 630 km UDL/20 kV circuit. Many of these cables which are still in operation, were manufactured with materials and on the technological level of the ’60s,’70s and ‘80s decades and have reached the end of their service life. Evidence does and incident statistics from these networks in which, every year, one of the "tips" is the medium voltage cables damaged "technical wear" normal operating conditions. The current paper will present the main features of an innovating technological process called SPR (Sustained Pressure Rejuvenation, designed for on-site refurbishing of underground power cable insulation medium and high voltage. The process offers a viable alternative that has proven, over the 25 years of application initially on the American content and now on the worldwide, substantially more cost effective than replacing cables. The paper does not propose detailed presentation of the technological process, but to inform the family of energetics NPS about the existence and the benefits of applying this new technological process to the old cable medium and high voltage.

Underground communications and tracking technology advances

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fiscor, S

2007-03-15

As the June 2009 deadline set by the MINER Act grows near, several technologies have emerged as possible options for communicating and tracking underground coal miners in the event of an emergency or disaster. NIOSH is currently deciding how best to invest $10 million assigned by Congress under an Emergency Supplementary Appropriations Act (ESA) to research and develop mine safety technology. Medium and ultra high frequency (UHF) systems seem to be leading the pack with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags serving as the tracking system. Wireless mesh systems can serve as a communications infrastructure and they can do much more. Even more technologies continue to emerge, such as inertial navigation tracking systems. Mines are discovering the wonders of modern voice and data communications underground. Still no one know if it is economically practical to design a system that will function after a coal mine explosion. From the nineteen systems submitted to MSHA's request for information (RFI), six systems were selected that represented most of the technologies that had been proposed: the Rajant Breadcrumb, Innovative Wireless, Concurrent Technologies/Time Domain, Transtek, Gamma Services, and the Kutta Consulting systems. They were tested at CONSOL Energy's McElroy mine in April 2006. MSHA felt that all of those systems needed a significant amount of work before they were ready for use in a underground coal mining environment. The agency continues to work with these, and other manufacturers, to assist in arranging for field demonstration and then to gain MSHA approval.

Underground characterisation and research facility ONKALO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikonen, Antti; Ylae-Mella, Mia; Aeikaes, Timo

2006-01-01

Posiva's repository for geological disposal of the spent fuel from Finnish nuclear reactors will be constructed at Olkiluoto. The selection of Olkiluoto was made based on site selection research programme conducted between 1987-2001. The next step is to carry out complementary investigations of the site and apply for the construction license for the disposal facility. The license application will be submitted in 2012. To collect detailed information of the geological environment at planned disposal depth an underground characterisation and research facility will be built at the site. This facility, named as ONKALO, will comprise a spiral access tunnel and two vertical shafts. The excavation of ONKALO is in progress and planned depth (400 m) will be reached in 2009. During the course of the excavation Posiva will conduct site characterisation activities to assess the structure and other properties of the site geology. The aim is that construction will not compromise the favourable conditions of the planned disposal depth or introduce harmful effects in the surrounding bedrock which could jeopardize the long-term safety of the geological disposal. (author)

Underground storage tanks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

Environmental contamination from leaking underground storage tanks poses a significant threat to human health and the environment. An estimated five to six million underground storage tanks containing hazardous substances or petroleum products are in use in the US. Originally placed underground as a fire prevention measure, these tanks have substantially reduced the damages from stored flammable liquids. However, an estimated 400,000 underground tanks are thought to be leaking now, and many more will begin to leak in the near future. Products released from these leaking tanks can threaten groundwater supplies, damage sewer lines and buried cables, poison crops, and lead to fires and explosions. As required by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA), the EPA has been developing a comprehensive regulatory program for underground storage tanks. The EPA proposed three sets of regulations pertaining to underground tanks. The first addressed technical requirements for petroleum and hazardous substance tanks, including new tank performance standards, release detection, release reporting and investigation, corrective action, and tank closure. The second proposed regulation addresses financial responsibility requirements for underground petroleum tanks. The third addressed standards for approval of state tank programs

Underground pipeline corrosion

CERN Document Server

Orazem, Mark

2014-01-01

Underground pipelines transporting liquid petroleum products and natural gas are critical components of civil infrastructure, making corrosion prevention an essential part of asset-protection strategy. Underground Pipeline Corrosion provides a basic understanding of the problems associated with corrosion detection and mitigation, and of the state of the art in corrosion prevention. The topics covered in part one include: basic principles for corrosion in underground pipelines, AC-induced corrosion of underground pipelines, significance of corrosion in onshore oil and gas pipelines, n

EMMA: A new underground cosmic-ray experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enqvist, T; Foehr, V; Joutsenvaara, J; Jaemsen, T; Keraenen, P; Kuusiniemi, P; Laitala, H; Lehtola, M; Mattila, A; Narkilahti, J; Peltoniemi, J; Remes, H; Reponen, M; Raeihae, T; Sarkamo, J; Shen, C; Vaittinen, M; Zhang, Z; Ding, L; Zhu, Q; Roos, M; Dzaparova, I; Karpov, S; Kurenya, A; Petkov, V; Yanin, A; Fynbo, H

2006-01-01

A cosmic-ray experiment of new type is under construction in the Pyhaesalmi mine in the underground laboratory of the University of Oulu, Finland. It aims to study the composition of cosmic rays at and above the knee region (energy above 1 PeV). The experiment, called EMMA, covers about 150 m 2 of detector area, and the setup is capable of measuring the multiplicity and the lateral distribution of underground muons, and the arrival direction of the air shower. The detector is placed at the depth of about 85 metres (corresponding about 240 mwe) which gives a threshold energy of muons of about 45 GeV. The rock overburden filters out all other particles of the air shower except the high-energy muons. These high-energy muons originate at high altitudes close to the first interaction of the primary cosmic ray and they carry more information about the primary than low-energy muons. The full-size detector is supposed to run by the end of 2007

A new segmentation strategy for processing magnetic anomaly detection data of shallow depth ferromagnetic pipeline

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Shuo; Liu, Dejun; Cheng, Xing; Fang, Huafeng; Li, Caifang

2017-04-01

Magnetic anomalies produced by underground ferromagnetic pipelines because of the polarization of earth's magnetic field are used to obtain the information on the location, buried depth and other parameters of pipelines. In order to achieve a fast inversion and interpretation of measured data, it is necessary to develop a fast and stable forward method. Magnetic dipole reconstruction (MDR), as a kind of integration numerical method, is well suited for simulating a thin pipeline anomaly. In MDR the pipeline model must be cut into small magnetic dipoles through different segmentation methods. The segmentation method has an impact on the stability and speed of forward calculation. Rapid and accurate simulation of deep-buried pipelines has been achieved by exciting segmentation method. However, in practical measurement, the depth of underground pipe is uncertain. When it comes to the shallow-buried pipeline, the present segmentation may generate significant errors. This paper aims at solving this problem in three stages. First, the cause of inaccuracy is analyzed by simulation experiment. Secondly, new variable interval section segmentation is proposed based on the existing segmentation. It can help MDR method to obtain simulation results in a fast way under the premise of ensuring the accuracy of different depth models. Finally, the measured data is inversed based on new segmentation method. The result proves that the inversion based on the new segmentation can achieve fast and accurate inversion of depth parameters of underground pipes without being limited by pipeline depth.

Near-surface velocity modeling at Yucca Mountain using borehole and surface records from underground nuclear explosions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Durrani, B.A. [Texas Univ., El Paso, TX (United States). Dept. of Geological Sciences; Walck, M.C. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1996-09-01

The Department of Energy is investigating Yucca Mountain, Nevada as a potential site for commercial radioactive waste disposal in a mined geologic repository. One critical aspect of site suitability is the tectonic stability of the repository site. The levels of risk from both actual fault displacements in the repository block and ground shaking from nearby earthquakes are being examined. In particular, it is necessary to determine the expected level of ground shaking at the repository depth for large seismic sources such as nearby large earthquakes or underground nuclear explosions (UNEs). Earthquakes are expected to cause the largest ground motions at the site, however, only underground nuclear explosion data have been obtained at the repository depth level (about 350m below the ground level) to date. In this study we investigate ground motion from Nevada Test Site underground nuclear explosions recorded at Yucca Mountain to establish a compressional velocity model for the uppermost 350m of the mountain. This model is useful for prediction of repository-level ground motions for potential large nearby earthquakes.

Near-surface velocity modeling at Yucca Mountain using borehole and surface records from underground nuclear explosions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durrani, B.A.

1996-09-01

The Department of Energy is investigating Yucca Mountain, Nevada as a potential site for commercial radioactive waste disposal in a mined geologic repository. One critical aspect of site suitability is the tectonic stability of the repository site. The levels of risk from both actual fault displacements in the repository block and ground shaking from nearby earthquakes are being examined. In particular, it is necessary to determine the expected level of ground shaking at the repository depth for large seismic sources such as nearby large earthquakes or underground nuclear explosions (UNEs). Earthquakes are expected to cause the largest ground motions at the site, however, only underground nuclear explosion data have been obtained at the repository depth level (about 350m below the ground level) to date. In this study we investigate ground motion from Nevada Test Site underground nuclear explosions recorded at Yucca Mountain to establish a compressional velocity model for the uppermost 350m of the mountain. This model is useful for prediction of repository-level ground motions for potential large nearby earthquakes

A Parametric Study of Stability of Geotextile-Reinforced Soil Above an Underground Cavity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

poor, Abbas Tahmasebi; Noorzad, R.; Shooshpasha, E.

2012-01-01

A study based on two-dimensional finite element analyses under plane strain condition was performed by PLAXIS code to investigate the behavior of geotextilereinforced soil above an underground cavity. The effects of depth of single layer, tensile stiffness, number and length of reinforcement layers...

Close-in airblast from underground explosions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vortman, L J [Sandia Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1970-05-15

Air overpressures as a function of time have been measured from surface zero to about 170 ft/lb{sup 1/3} along the ground from nuclear and chemical explosions. Charge depths varied from the surface to depths below which explosion gases are contained. A ground-shock-induced air pressure pulse is clearly distinguishable from the pulse caused by venting gases. Measured peak overpressures show reasonable agreement with the theoretical treatment by Monta. In a given medium the suppression of blast with explosion burial depth is a function of the relative distance at which the blast is observed. Rates of suppression of peak overpressure with charge burial are different for the two pulses. Rates are determined for each pulse over the range of distances at which measurements have been made of air overpressure from chemical explosions in several media. Nuclear data are available from too few shots for similar dependence on burial depth and distance to be developed, but it is clear that the gas venting peak overpressure from nuclear explosions is much more dependent on medium than that from chemical explosions. For above-ground explosions, experiment has shown that airblast from a I-kiloton nuclear explosion is equal to that from a 0.5-kiloton TNT explosion. Data on ground-shock-induced airblast is now sufficient to show that a similar relationship may exist for buried explosions. Because of medium dependence of the gas venting pulse from nuclear explosions, data from additional nuclear events will be required before a chemical/nuclear airblast equivalence can be determined for the gas-venting pulse. (author)

Tritium in the underground waters of the Karazheera coal deposit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panin, M.S.; Artamonova, H.N.

2001-01-01

. Established concentrations of 3 H in underground waters of the Karazheera deposit proves the influence of thermo-nuclear explosions and further nuclear tests on underground waters of the deposit ground. Low concentration of 3 H in underground hydrosphere of the deposit is explained by depth of explosions' epicenter (300-500 m), while the waters researched are deposited on the depth of 200 m. But under the lasting deposit pumping, the deep waters polluted under nuclear tests can pull to the deposit. It can cause the pollution of other components of surrounding by radio-active isotopes. Consequently the further research of the Karazheera deposit's underground waters is necessary. Taking into account the unique geo-ecological situation and perspectives of economic developing of SNP, the research has a great scientific and practical importance from the point of working out the ways and preventing measures for negative influence of nuclear tests on objects of environment

The Canfranc Underground Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amare, J.; Beltran, B.; Carmona, J.M.; Cebrian, S.; Garcia, E.; Irastorza, I.G.; Gomez, H.; Luzon, G.; Martinez, M.; Morales, J.; Ortiz de Solorzano, A.; Pobes, C.; Puimedon, J.; Rodriguez, A.; Ruz, J.; Sarsa, M.L.; Torres, L.; Villar, J.A.

2005-01-01

This paper describes the forthcoming enlargement of the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC) which will allow to host new international Astroparticle Physics experiments and therefore to broaden the European underground research area. The new Canfranc Underground Laboratory will operate in coordination (through the ILIAS Project) with the Gran Sasso (Italy), Modane (France) and Boulby (UK) underground laboratories

Booster fans : some considerations for their usage in underground coal mines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gillies, S.; Slaughter, C. [Missouri Univ. of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO (United States); Calizaya, F. [Utah Univ., Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Wu, H.W. [Gillies Wu Mining Technology Pty Ltd., Brisbane, QLD (Australia)

2010-07-01

This paper reported on a study that investigated the conditions under which booster fans can be used safely and efficiently in underground coal mines. Booster fans are installed in series with a main surface fan and are used to boost the air pressure of the ventilation air passing through it. Several coal mining countries use booster fans, but in the United States, they are only used in metal/non-metal mines due to concerns of uncontrolled recirculation. This study investigated installations of booster fans in non-US underground coal mines where safe and efficient atmospheric conditions are achieved. The purpose was to collect reliable information on airway resistances and flow requirements typical in large US coal mines. The study showed that safe booster fan installations are found in both high and low gas conditions, and sometimes where workings are located at great depths. The interlocking systems within the booster fan can control the underground fans and avoid recirculation when surface fans are unexpectedly turned off. Another purpose of the study was to determine when booster fans become a more viable solution in coal mines due to increases in air requirements at higher production rates. It was concluded that a new fan selection algorithm to produce recirculation-free ventilation designs will be developed to enable US coal mine operators to develop ventilation designs to extract coal seams from depths greater than 1000 m. 17 refs., 1 fig.

Markov chain modelling of pitting corrosion in underground pipelines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caleyo, F. [Departamento de Ingenieri' a Metalurgica, ESIQIE, IPN, UPALM Edif. 7, Zacatenco, Mexico D. F. 07738 (Mexico)], E-mail: fcaleyo@gmail.com; Velazquez, J.C. [Departamento de Ingenieri' a Metalurgica, ESIQIE, IPN, UPALM Edif. 7, Zacatenco, Mexico D. F. 07738 (Mexico); Valor, A. [Facultad de Fisica, Universidad de La Habana, San Lazaro y L, Vedado, 10400 La Habana (Cuba); Hallen, J.M. [Departamento de Ingenieri' a Metalurgica, ESIQIE, IPN, UPALM Edif. 7, Zacatenco, Mexico D. F. 07738 (Mexico)

2009-09-15

A continuous-time, non-homogenous linear growth (pure birth) Markov process has been used to model external pitting corrosion in underground pipelines. The closed form solution of Kolmogorov's forward equations for this type of Markov process is used to describe the transition probability function in a discrete pit depth space. The identification of the transition probability function can be achieved by correlating the stochastic pit depth mean with the deterministic mean obtained experimentally. Monte-Carlo simulations previously reported have been used to predict the time evolution of the mean value of the pit depth distribution for different soil textural classes. The simulated distributions have been used to create an empirical Markov chain-based stochastic model for predicting the evolution of pitting corrosion depth and rate distributions from the observed properties of the soil. The proposed model has also been applied to pitting corrosion data from pipeline repeated in-line inspections and laboratory immersion experiments.

Markov chain modelling of pitting corrosion in underground pipelines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caleyo, F.; Velazquez, J.C.; Valor, A.; Hallen, J.M.

2009-01-01

A continuous-time, non-homogenous linear growth (pure birth) Markov process has been used to model external pitting corrosion in underground pipelines. The closed form solution of Kolmogorov's forward equations for this type of Markov process is used to describe the transition probability function in a discrete pit depth space. The identification of the transition probability function can be achieved by correlating the stochastic pit depth mean with the deterministic mean obtained experimentally. Monte-Carlo simulations previously reported have been used to predict the time evolution of the mean value of the pit depth distribution for different soil textural classes. The simulated distributions have been used to create an empirical Markov chain-based stochastic model for predicting the evolution of pitting corrosion depth and rate distributions from the observed properties of the soil. The proposed model has also been applied to pitting corrosion data from pipeline repeated in-line inspections and laboratory immersion experiments.

Deep underground exploration in the Asse salt mine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinberg, S.; Schmidt, M.W.

1992-01-01

The activities reported here under the project task entitled ''Deep underground exploration up to the 925 m level'' opened up depths and salt formations in the Asse salt mine which are intended sites for R and D work for investigating and determining the conditions of radioactive waste disposal in a repository of the Gorleben type. The newly developed experimental levels will thus allow to directly apply research results obtained in the Asse mine to the Gorleben project. The activities reported included among other tasks work for increasing the depth of exploration in the Asse mine 2 down to 950 m, using a newly developed cutting method. The work was performed in cooperation with a mining corporation specializing in this sort of tasks. (orig.) With 18 maps [de

A Simplified Procedure for Reliability Estimation of Underground Concrete Barriers against Normal Missile Impact

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. A. Siddiqui

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Underground concrete barriers are frequently used to protect strategic structures like Nuclear power plants (NPP, deep under the soil against any possible high velocity missile impact. For a given range and type of missile (or projectile it is of paramount importance to examine the reliability of underground concrete barriers under expected uncertainties involved in the missile, concrete, and soil parameters. In this paper, a simple procedure for the reliability assessment of underground concrete barriers against normal missile impact has been presented using the First Order Reliability Method (FORM. The presented procedure is illustrated by applying it to a concrete barrier that lies at a certain depth in the soil. Some parametric studies are also conducted to obtain the design values which make the barrier as reliable as desired.

Using underground mine Karst water to solve water supply problem in underground mine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, W. [Wanbei Mining Administration (China). Liuqiao No. 2 Mine

1995-05-01

There is a very rich karst water resource under the Liuqiao No. 2 underground mine. Under normal mining conditions the drainage is 546 m{sup 3}/h while the maximum drainage is up to 819 m{sup 3}/h. If water inrush occurred from a broken zone of a fault or a sinkhole of the karst, the flow could be up to 3269 m{sup 3}/h. The karst water is of good quality and high in pressure. The water head pressure at -400 m level is about 3.5 MPa. To save mine construction cost, it was decided that the water supply for coal production equipment, mining operation and mine fire control was to be changed from the surface to the underground by drilling a water well to tap the karst water resource. A water well with a depth of 63.3 m was drilled in the -400 m transportation roadway. The diameter of the well is 127 mm and it has a casing pipe with a diameter of 108 mm which is connected to the water supply pipeline. The pressure of the water supply is measured at 23.5 MPa and the water flow rate is 252 m{sup 3}/h. The establishment of the water supply system has achieved great cost saving for Liuqiao No. 2 Mine. 2 figs.

Depth imaging system for seismic reflection data. Part 1. Outline of system; Hanshaho jishin tansa data no tame no shindo imaging system. 1. System no gaiyo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shimizu, N [Japex Jeoscience Institute, Tokyo (Japan); Matsuoka, T [Japan Petroleum Exploration Corp., Tokyo (Japan); Tsuru, T [Japan National Oil Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

1996-10-01

Structures of oil and gas fields to be recently explored have changed from simple structures represented by anticline into more complicated and more delicate structures in the deeper underground. In order to discover and develop prospective oil and gas fields among such geological structures, it is indispensable to construct a system which can treat seismic exploration date collectively before stacking and can easily perform imaging of underground structures accurately. Based on the advancement of hardware, Japan National Oil Corporation and Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd. have developed a depth imaging system as an interactive tool for constructing underground structures accurately through a cooperation of highly accurate imaging technology. Using this system, two-dimensional underground structure models can be easily given and modified by interactively referring to results of depth migration velocity analysis and stacking velocity analysis, well data, cross sections after depth transform, etc. 1 fig.

Underground measurements of seismic vibrations at the SSC site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiltsev, V.D.; Parkhomchuk, V.V.; Weaver, H.J.

1995-01-01

The results of underground measurements of seismic vibrations at the tunnel depth of the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) site are presented. Spectral analysis of the data obtained in the frequency band from 0.05 Hz to 1500 Hz is performed. It is found that amplitudes of ambient ground motion are less than requirements for the Collider, but cultural vibrations are unacceptably large and will cause fast growth of transverse emittance of the SSC beams

Does underground storage still require sophisticated studies?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marsily, G. de

1997-01-01

Most countries agree to the necessity of burying high or medium-level wastes in geological layers situated at a few hundred meters below the ground level. The advantages and disadvantages of different types of rock such as salt, clay, granite and volcanic material are examined. Sophisticated studies are lead to determine the best geological confinement but questions arise about the time for which safety must be ensured. France has chosen 3 possible sites. These sites are geologically described in the article. The final place will be proposed after a testing phase of about 5 years in an underground facility. (A.C.)

Thermohydromechanical stability analysis upon joint characteristics and depth variations in the region of an underground repository for the study of a disposal concept of high level radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jhin Wung; Bae, Dae Suk; Kang, Chul Hyung; Choi, Jong Won

2003-02-01

The objective of the present study is to understand a long term(500 years) thermohydromechanical interaction behavior in the vicinity of a repository cavern upon joint location and repository depth variations, and then, to contribute to the development of a disposal concept. The model includes a saturated rock mass, PWR spent fuels in a disposal canister surrounded by compacted bentonite inside a deposition hole, and mixed bentonite backfilled in the rest of the space within a cavern. It is assumed that two joint sets exist within a model. A joint set 1 includes 56 .deg. dip joints, 20m spaced, and a joint set 2 is in the direction perpendicular to a joint set 1 and includes 34 .deg. dip joints, 20m spaced. In order to understand the behavior change upon joint location variations, 5 different models of 500m depth are analyzed, and additional 3 different models of 1km depth are analyzed to understand the effect of a depth variation. The two dimensional distinct element code, UDEC is used for the analysis. To understand the joint behavior adjacent to a repository cavern, Barton-Bandis joint model is used. Effect of the decay heat for PWR spent fuels on a repository model is analyzed, and a steady state algorithm is used for a hydraulic analysis. According to the thermohydromechanical interaction behavior of a repository model upon variations of joint locations and a repository depth, during the period of 500 years from waste emplacement, the effect of a depth variation on the stress and displacement behavior of a model is comparatively smaller than the effect of decay heat from radioactive materials. From the study of the joint location variation effect, it is advisable not to locate an underground opening in the region very close to the joint crossings

The principle of measuring unusual change of underground mass by optical astrometric instrument

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Jiancheng

2012-11-01

In this study, we estimate the deflection angle of the plumb line on a ground site, and give a relation between the angle, abnormal mass and site distance (depth and horizontal distance. Then we derive the abnormality of underground material density using the plumb lines measured at different sites, and study the earthquake gestation, development and occurrence. Using the deflection angles of plumb lines observed at two sites, we give a method to calculate the mass and the center of gravity of underground materials. We also estimate the abnormal masses of latent seismic zones with different energy, using thermodynamic relations, and introduce a new optical astrometric instrument we had developed.

Environment Of Underground Water And Pollution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, Jeong Sang

1998-02-15

This book deals with environment of underground water and pollution, which introduces the role of underground water in hydrology, definition of related study of under water, the history of hydro-geology, basic conception of underground water such as origin of water, and hydrogeologic characteristic of aquifers, movement of underground water, hydrography of underground water and aquifer test analysis, change of an underground water level, and water balance analysis and development of underground water.

Stochastic modeling of pitting corrosion in underground pipelines using Markov chains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Velazquez, J.C.; Caleyo, F.; Hallen, J.M.; Araujo, J.E. [Instituto Politecnico Nacional (IPN), Mexico D.F. (Mexico). Escuela Superior de Ingenieria Quimica e Industrias Extractivas (ESIQIE); Valor, A. [Universidad de La Habana, La Habana (Cuba)

2009-07-01

A non-homogenous, linear growth (pure birth) Markov process, with discrete states in continuous time, has been used to model external pitting corrosion in underground pipelines. The transition probability function for the pit depth is obtained from the analytical solution of the forward Kolmogorov equations for this process. The parameters of the transition probability function between depth states can be identified from the observed time evolution of the mean of the pit depth distribution. Monte Carlo simulations were used to predict the time evolution of the mean value of the pit depth distribution in soils with different physicochemical characteristics. The simulated distributions have been used to create an empirical Markov-chain-based stochastic model for predicting the evolution of pitting corrosion from the observed properties of the soil in contact with the pipeline. Real- life case studies, involving simulated and measured pit depth distributions are presented to illustrate the application of the proposed Markov chains model. (author)

EXPERIMENTAL CALIBRATION OF UNDERGROUND HEAT TRANSFER MODELS UNDER A WINERY BUILDING IN A RURAL AREA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesco Tinti

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Ground temperature and hydrogeological conditions are key parameters for many engineering applications, such as the design of building basements and underground spaces and the assessment of shallow geothermal energy potential. Especially in urban areas, in the very shallow depths, it is diffi cult to fi nd natural undisturbed underground thermal conditions because of anthropic interventions. The assessment of underground behaviour in disturbed conditions will become more and more relevant because of increasing awareness to energy effi ciency and renewable energy topics. The purpose of this paper is to show a three-dimensional representation - based on models calibrated on experimental data - of the underground thermal behaviour aff ected by a building in a rural area in Italy. Temperature varies in space and time and it depends on ground, climate and building characteristics, and all these parameters are taken into account by the seasonal periodic modelling implemented. The results obtained in a context of low urbanization indirectly suggest the importance of these eff ects in dense urban areas; taking greater account of these aspects could lead to improvements in the design of underground spaces and geo-exchanger fi elds for geothermal energy exploitation.

A Complementary Vision Strategy for Autonomous Robots in Underground Terrains using SRM and Entropy Models

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Omowunmi Isafiade

2013-09-01

Full Text Available This work investigates robots' perception in underground terrains (mines and tunnels using statistical region merging (SRM and the entropy models. A probabilistic approach based on the local entropy is employed. The entropy is measured within a fixed window on a stream of mine and tunnel frames to compute features used in the segmentation process, while SRM reconstructs the main structural components of an imagery by a simple but effective statistical analysis. An investigation is conducted on different regions of the mine, such as the shaft, stope and gallery, using publicly available mine frames, with a stream of locally captured mine images. Furthermore, an investigation is also conducted on a stream of dynamic underground tunnel image frames, using the XBOX Kinect 3D sensors. The Kinect sensors produce streams of red, green and blue (RGB and depth images of 640 × 480 resolution at 30 frames per second. Integrating the depth information into drivability gives a strong cue to the analysis, which detects 3D results augmenting drivable and non-drivable regions in 2D. The results of the 2D and 3D experiment with different terrains, mines and tunnels, together with the qualitative and quantitative evaluations, reveal that a good drivable region can be detected in dynamic underground terrains.

Underground laboratories in Asia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Shin Ted; Yue, Qian

2015-01-01

Deep underground laboratories in Asia have been making huge progress recently because underground sites provide unique opportunities to explore the rare-event phenomena for the study of dark matter searches, neutrino physics and nuclear astrophysics as well as the multi-disciplinary researches based on the low radioactive environments. The status and perspectives of Kamioda underground observatories in Japan, the existing Y2L and the planned CUP in Korea, India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) in India and China JinPing Underground Laboratory (CJPL) in China will be surveyed

Underground laboratories in Asia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lin, Shin Ted, E-mail: linst@mails.phys.sinica.edu.tw [College of Physical Science and Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064 China (China); Yue, Qian, E-mail: yueq@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Particle and Radiation Imaging (Ministry of Education) and Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 China (China)

2015-08-17

Deep underground laboratories in Asia have been making huge progress recently because underground sites provide unique opportunities to explore the rare-event phenomena for the study of dark matter searches, neutrino physics and nuclear astrophysics as well as the multi-disciplinary researches based on the low radioactive environments. The status and perspectives of Kamioda underground observatories in Japan, the existing Y2L and the planned CUP in Korea, India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) in India and China JinPing Underground Laboratory (CJPL) in China will be surveyed.

Orpheus in the Underground

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Puskás Dániel

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In my study I deal with descents to the underworld and hell in literature in the 20th century and in contemporary literature. I will focus on modem literary reinterpretations of the myth of Orpheus, starting with Rilke’s Orpheus. Eurydice. Hermes. In Seamus Heaney’s The Underground. in the Hungarian Istvan Baka’s Descending to the Underground of Moscow and in Czesław Miłosz’s Orpheus and Eurydice underworld appears as underground, similarly to the contemporary Hungarian János Térey’s play entitled Jeramiah. where underground will also be a metaphorical underworld which is populated with the ghosts of the famous deceased people of Debrecen, and finally, in Péter Kárpáti’s Everywoman the grave of the final scene of the medieval Everyman will be replaced with a contemporary underground station. I analyse how an underground station could be parallel with the underworld and I deal with the role of musicality and sounds in the literary works based on the myth of Orpheus.

Neutron background measurements in the underground laboratory of Modane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chazal, V.; Chambon, B.; De Jesus, M.; Drain, D.; Pastor, C.; Vagneron, L.; Brissot, R.; Cavaignac, J.F.; Stutz, A.; Giraud-Heraud, Y.

1997-07-01

Measurements of the background neutron environment, at a depth of 1780 m (4800 mWe) in the Underground Laboratory of Modane (L.S.M) are reported. Using a 6 Li liquid scintillator, the energy spectrum of the fast neutron flux has been determined. Monte-Carlo calculations of the (α,n) and spontaneous fission processes in the surrounding rock has been performed and compared to the experimental result. In addition, using two 3 He neutron counters, the thermal neutron flux has been measured. (author)

Underground muons from the direction of Cygnus X-3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johns, K.; Marshak, M.L.; Peterson, E.A.; Ruddick, K.; Shupe, M.

1989-01-01

We report on 3.2 years live time of underground muon observations taken between 1981 and 1989 using the Soudan 1 proportional tube detector, located at a depth of 1800 m water equivalent. The post-1984 observations are consistent with our earlier data on an excess signal apparently correlated with the Cygnus X-3 orbital period. The signal-to-background ratio in the entire data sample is 1 to 3 percent, depending on phase width. 10 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab

Underground Layout Configuration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A. Linden

2003-01-01

The purpose of this analysis was to develop an underground layout to support the license application (LA) design effort. In addition, the analysis will be used as the technical basis for the underground layout general arrangement drawings

Rock stress measurements in ONKALO underground characterisation facility at Olkiluoto at depth of 120 m

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fecker, E.

2007-04-01

In November and December 2006 overcoring stress measurements have been conducted in the boreholes ONK-PP74, ONK-PP75 and ONK-PP77 in a niche of the access tunnel of the ONKALO underground characterisation facility at the Olkiluoto site. Measurements have been done using the CSIRO 3D stress measuring cell. This cell is one of the mostly used cells in the whole world for estimation of the state of stress in rock when doing the borehole measurements. The boreholes are at a depth of about 120 m under the ground surface. The rock where the measurements have been conducted is a foliated migmatitic gneiss (subtypes veined and diatexitic gneiss). Parallel to the overcoring measurements a glue test has been conducted in the laboratory to check the quality of the bonding of the stress cells to the rock. The result showed that the glue makes a good contact between the rock and the stress cell, but air bubbles, which have normally been observed within the glue and at the edges, proved this time to be disadvantageous. Normally such air bubbles have dimensions of about one millimetre, but sometimes certain bubbles may become notably bigger. In the ONKALO overcored probes sawn apart such air bubbles were found both in wet and dry probe conditions. In the test series eight stress measurements have been provided, three of them failed for technical reasons. At one of these three tests the glue has extruded too early, at the other two tests the overcoring was not conducted deep enough. At the remaining five tests in spite of the glue test results a calculation of the stress tensor could be made. Four of these five measurements can be seen as relatively successful. The results of these measurements show a major principal stress of 14.8 MPa in average, trending northwest - southeast, and with a dipping of 11 degrees in average. (orig.)

40 CFR 280.220 - Ownership of an underground storage tank or underground storage tank system or facility or...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... tank or underground storage tank system or facility or property on which an underground storage tank or underground storage tank system is located. 280.220 Section 280.220 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... underground storage tank or underground storage tank system or facility or property on which an underground...

Numerical modeling of underground openings behavior with a viscoplastic approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kleine, A.

2007-01-01

Nature is complex and must be approached in total modesty by engineers seeking to predict the behavior of underground openings. The engineering of industrial projects in underground situations, with high economic and social stakes (Alpine mountain crossings, nuclear waste repository), mean striving to gain better understanding of the behavioral mechanisms of the openings to be designed. This improvement necessarily involves better physical representativeness of macroscopic mechanisms and the provision of prediction tools suited to the expectations and needs of the engineers. The calculation tools developed in this work is in step with this concern for satisfying industrial needs and developing knowledge related to the rheology of geo-materials. These developments led to the proposing of a mechanical constitutive model, suited to lightly fissured rocks, comparable to continuous media, while integrating more particularly the effect of time. Thread of this study, the problematics ensued from the subject of the thesis is precisely about the rock mass delayed behavior in numerical modeling and its consequences on underground openings design. Based on physical concepts of reference, defined in several scales (macro/meso/micro), the developed constitutive model is translated in a mathematical formalism in order to be numerically implemented. Numerical applications presented as illustrations fall mainly within the framework of nuclear waste repository problems. They concern two very different configurations of underground openings: the AECL's underground canadian laboratory, excavated in the Lac du Bonnet granite, and the GMR gallery of Bure's laboratory (Meuse/Haute-Marne), dug in argillaceous rock. In this two cases, this constitutive model use highlights the gains to be obtained from allowing for delayed behavior regarding the accuracy of numerical tunnel behavior predictions in the short, medium and long terms. (author)

A Fiber Bragg Grating-Based Monitoring System for Roof Safety Control in Underground Coal Mining

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yiming Zhao

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Monitoring of roof activity is a primary measure adopted in the prevention of roof collapse accidents and functions to optimize and support the design of roadways in underground coalmines. However, traditional monitoring measures, such as using mechanical extensometers or electronic gauges, either require arduous underground labor or cannot function properly in the harsh underground environment. Therefore, in this paper, in order to break through this technological barrier, a novel monitoring system for roof safety control in underground coal mining, using fiber Bragg grating (FBG material as a perceived element and transmission medium, has been developed. Compared with traditional monitoring equipment, the developed, novel monitoring system has the advantages of providing accurate, reliable, and continuous online monitoring of roof activities in underground coal mining. This is expected to further enable the prevention of catastrophic roof collapse accidents. The system has been successfully implemented at a deep hazardous roadway in Zhuji Coal Mine, China. Monitoring results from the study site have demonstrated the advantages of FBG-based sensors over traditional monitoring approaches. The dynamic impacts of progressive face advance on roof displacement and stress have been accurately captured by the novel roadway roof activity and safety monitoring system, which provided essential references for roadway support and design of the mine.

Underground laboratories in Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coccia, E

2006-01-01

The only clear evidence today for physics beyond the standard model comes from underground experiments and the future activity of underground laboratories appears challenging and rich. I review here the existing underground research facilities in Europe. I present briefly the main characteristics, scientific activity and perspectives of these Laboratories and discuss the present coordination actions in the framework of the European Union

Stability numerical analysis of soil cave in karst area to drawdown of underground water level

Science.gov (United States)

Mo, Yizheng; Xiao, Rencheng; Deng, Zongwei

2018-05-01

With the underground water level falling, the reliable estimates of the stability and deformation characteristics of soil caves in karst region area are required for analysis used for engineering design. Aimed at this goal, combined with practical engineering and field geotechnical test, detail analysis on vertical maximum displacement of top, vertical maximum displacement of surface, maximum principal stress and maximum shear stress were conducted by finite element software, with an emphasis on two varying factors: the size and the depth of soil cave. The calculations on the soil cave show that, its stability of soil cave is affected by both the size and depth, and only when extending a certain limit, the collapse occurred along with the falling of underground water; Additionally, its maximum shear stress is in arch toes, and its deformation curve trend of maximum displacement is similar to the maximum shear stress, which further verified that the collapse of soil cave was mainly due to shear-failure.

Seismic signal in Olkiluoto. Preliminary comparison of underground and surface recordings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saari, J.; Malm, M.

2015-02-01

Seismic hazard studies in Finland relate to nuclear power plant sites on the Earth's surface. The impact of seismic waves is different on structures on the surface than underground. The purpose of this study is to approximate how ground motions recorded in the ONKALO compare with those on the surface above the ONKALO. Broadband seismometers were installed on the surface and at the depth of 400 m inside the ONKALO in November 2013. The operation time of the seismometers was about nine months. The analysed signals included background noise, teleseismic earthquakes, regional earthquake, local explosions and explosions from the ONKALO site. The studies in Olkiluoto demonstrated that, in general, there is a de-amplification of ground motions in the ONKALO relative to those on the surface, or there is no significant difference between the recordings. The result is likely associated with the type of the seismic source and the relatively shallow depth (400 m) of the underground station. Observed relative amplification related only to nearfield events: the recorded velocity amplitudes on the surface were 2 - 10 times larger than underground. One opposite relation was found in the study: the vertical component of the velocity amplitude of a regional earthquake seems to be about three times larger in ONKALO than on the surface between frequencies 50 Hz and 80 Hz. Definite conclusions concerning amplification or de-amplification cannot be based on the result of this study. In practice, any set of recordings cannot give a comprehensive description of the possible variations, like how the wavefield reflected from the surface interacts with the wavefield coming towards the surface. Numerical modeling is suggested for further studies of this subject. (orig.)

Wireless Underground Sensor Networks: Channel Modeling and Operation Analysis in the Terahertz Band

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mustafa Alper Akkaş

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Wireless underground sensor networks (WUSNs are networks of sensor nodes operating below the ground surface, which are envisioned to provide real-time monitoring capabilities in the complex underground environments consisting of soil, water, oil, and other components. In this paper, we investigate the possibilities and limitations of using WUSNs for increasing the efficiency of oil recovery processes. To realize this, millimeter scale sensor nodes with antennas at the same scale should be deployed in the confined oil reservoir fractures. This necessitates the sensor nodes to be operating in the terahertz (THz range and the main challenge is establishing reliable underground communication despite the hostile environment which does not allow the direct use of most existing wireless solutions. The major problems are extremely high path loss, small communication range, and high dynamics of the electromagnetic (EM waves when penetrating through soil, sand, and water and through the very specific crude oil medium. The objective of the paper is to address these issues in order to propose a novel communication channel model considering the propagation properties of terahertz EM waves in the complex underground environment of the oil reservoirs and to investigate the feasible transmission distances between nodes for different water-crude-oil-soil-CO2 compositions.

Study on dinamic behavior and least burying depth of underground protective pipe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kataoka, Tetsuyuki; Kokusyo, Goji; Tanaka, Yukihisa; Kobayashi, Seiichi

1988-03-30

Effect of unit load per travel wheel on the protective pipe was studied when electricity cable distribution lines were buried in the depth less than the present standard for electric equipment, and logical burying depth was investigated. Test items were material test of the protective pipe, indoor load test, and field test at loamy ground. Impact resistance hard PVC pipe was used as the protective pipe, and its strength and elastic modulus were measured. Along with these tests, it was confirmed that there was no problem of cracking by repeated flattening or breakage by fatigue. By indoor test, it was observed that, in case of shallow burying, creap deformation was small, stress concentrate occured at the middle of axial direction, and that flattening ratio was seriously affected by the method of backfilling. Field test was conducted by applying the static load of a 20 ton dump truck, and the deformation, stress, and subsidence of the protective pipe, were measured. As the conclusion of those experiments, it was found that burying of protective pipe in the depth of not less than 30 cm is allowable, as long as sufficient bakfilling is made. (14 figs, 3 tabs, 3 refs)

Survey of existing underground openings for in-situ experimental facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wollenberg, H.; Graf, A.; Strisower, B.; Korbin, G.

1981-07-01

In an earlier project, a literature search identified 60 underground openings in crystalline rock capable of providing access for an in-situ experimental facility to develop geochemical and hydrological techniques for evaluating sites for radioactive waste isolation. As part of the current project, discussions with state geologists, owners, and operators narrowed the original group to 14. Three additional sites in volcanic rock and one site in granite were also identified. Site visits and application of technical criteria, including the geologic and hydrologic settings and depth, extent of the rock unit, condition, and accessibility of underground workings, determined four primary candidate sites: the Helms Pumped Storage Project in grandiodorite of the Sierra Nevada, California; the Tungsten Queen Mine in Precambrian granodiorite of the North Carolina Piedmont; the Mount Hope Mine in Precambrian granite and gneiss of northern New Jersey; and the Minnamax Project in the Duluth gabbro complex of northern Minnesota

Underground space planning in Helsinki

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilkka Vähäaho

2014-10-01

Full Text Available This paper gives insight into the use of underground space in Helsinki, Finland. The city has an underground master plan (UMP for its whole municipal area, not only for certain parts of the city. Further, the decision-making history of the UMP is described step-by-step. Some examples of underground space use in other cities are also given. The focus of this paper is on the sustainability issues related to urban underground space use, including its contribution to an environmentally sustainable and aesthetically acceptable landscape, anticipated structural longevity and maintaining the opportunity for urban development by future generations. Underground planning enhances overall safety and economy efficiency. The need for underground space use in city areas has grown rapidly since the 21st century; at the same time, the necessity to control construction work has also increased. The UMP of Helsinki reserves designated space for public and private utilities in various underground areas of bedrock over the long term. The plan also provides the framework for managing and controlling the city's underground construction work and allows suitable locations to be allocated for underground facilities. Tampere, the third most populated city in Finland and the biggest inland city in the Nordic countries, is also a good example of a city that is taking steps to utilise underground resources. Oulu, the capital city of northern Finland, has also started to ‘go underground’. An example of the possibility to combine two cities by an 80-km subsea tunnel is also discussed. A new fixed link would generate huge potential for the capital areas of Finland and Estonia to become a real Helsinki-Tallinn twin city.

Underground design Laxemar, Layout D2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2009-11-15

Laxemar candidate area is located in the province of Smaaland, some 320 km south of Stockholm. The area is located close to the shoreline of the Baltic Sea and is within the municipality of Oskarshamn, and immediately west of the Oskarshamn nuclear power plant and the Central interim storage facility for spent fuel (Clab). The easternmost part (Simpevarp subarea) includes the Simpevarp peninsula, which hosts the power plants and the Clab facility. The island of Aespoe, containing the Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory is located some three kilometres northeast of the central parts of Laxemar. The Laxemar subarea covers some 12.5 km2, compared with the Simepvarp subarea, which is approximately 6.6 km2. The Laxemar candidate area has been investigated in stages, referred to as the initial site investigations (ISI) and the complete site investigations (CSI). These investigations commenced in 2002 and were completed in 2008. During the site investigations, several studies and design steps (D0, D1 and D2) were carried out to ensure that sufficient space was available for the 6,000-canister layout within the target volume at a depth of approximately 500 m. The findings from design Step D2 for the underground facilities including the access ramp, shafts, rock caverns in a Central Area, transport tunnels, and deposition tunnels and deposition holes are contained in this report. The layout for these underground excavations at the deposition horizon requires an area of 5.7 km2, and the total rock volume to be excavated is 3,008 x 103 m3 using a total tunnel length of approximately 115 km. The behaviour of the underground openings associated with this layout is expected to be similar to the behaviour of other underground openings in the Scandinavian shield at similar depths. The dominant mode of instability is expected to be structurally controlled wedge failure. Stability of the openings will be achieved with traditional underground rock support and by orienting the openings

Underground openings production line 2012. Design, production and initial state of the underground openings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-08-01

The Underground Openings Line Production Line report describes the design requirements, the design principles, the methods of construction and the target properties for the underground rooms required for the final repository. It is one of five Production Line reports, namely the: Underground Openings Line report, Canister report, Buffer report, Backfill report, Closure report. Together, these reports cover the lifespan of the underground phases of the final repository from the start of construction of the underground rooms to their closure. Posiva has developed reference methods for constructing the underground rooms. Tunnels will be constructed using the drill and blast technique, shafts will be constructed using raise boring and the deposition holes will be constructed by reverse down reaming. Underground openings will be made safe by reinforcement by using rock bolts, net or shotcrete, depending on which type of opening is being considered, and groundwater inflows will be limited by grouting. Posiva's requirements management system (VAHA) sets out the specifications for the enactment of the disposal concept at Olkiluoto under five Levels - 1 to 5, from the most generic to the most specific. In this report, the focus is on Level 4 and 5 requirements, which provide practical guidance for the construction of the underground openings. The design requirements are presented in Level 4 and the design specification in Level 5 In addition to the long-term safety-related requirements included in VAHA, there are additional requirements regarding the operation of underground openings, e.g. space requirements due to the equipment used and its maintenance, operational and fire safety. The current reference design for the disposal facility is presented based on the design requirements and design specifications. During the lifespan of the repository the reference design will be revised and updated according to the design principles as new information is available. Reference

Effects of earthquakes on underground facilities. Literature review and discussion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carpenter, D.W.; Chung, D.H.

1986-06-01

A review of literature concerning effects of ground motion on underground facilities has been completed, and an annotated bibliography has been prepared. This information provides useful background for the science and engineering of underground nuclear waste management facility development. While some conflicts are evident in the literature reviewed, the following tentative conclusions may be drawn from the available information: (1) damage is expectable if fault displacement occurs through a site, but damage from shaking alone is generally confined to facilities located within the epicentral region and may be less than to surface facilities at the same site. (2) Seismic data are mixed, but favors reduction of amplitude with depth; observations appear quite dependent upon station characteristics. (3) The frequency content of earthquake mitions is important to the stability of underground openings and the applicability of attenuation relationships developed in areas where geologic and tectonic characteristics favor high attenuation rates to mid-continental sites is questionable. (4) Model studies indicate problems for shafts and the potential for problems with waste-handling equipment in shafts. The results of the review indicate the need to assure that site-specific response spectra and attenuation relationships are developed for proposed sites, and that detailed assessments of seismic aspects of shaft designs, hoists and in-shaft waste-handling equipment are required

Integrated Earth Science Research in Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratories

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, J. S.; Hazen, T. C.; Conrad, M. E.; Johnson, L. R.; Salve, R.

2004-12-01

There are three types of sites being considered for deep-underground earth science and physics experiments: (1) abandoned mines (e.g., the Homestake Gold Mine, South Dakota; the Soudan Iron Mine, Minnesota), (2) active mines/facilities (e.g., the Henderson Molybdenum Mine, Colorado; the Kimballton Limestone Mine, Virginia; the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant [in salt], New Mexico), and (3) new tunnels (e.g., Icicle Creek in the Cascades, Washington; Mt. San Jacinto, California). Additional sites have been considered in the geologically unique region of southeastern California and southwestern Nevada, which has both very high mountain peaks and the lowest point in the United States (Death Valley). Telescope Peak (along the western border of Death Valley), Boundary Peak (along the California-Nevada border), Mt. Charleston (outside Las Vegas), and Mt. Tom (along the Pine Creek Valley) all have favorable characteristics for consideration. Telescope Peak can site the deepest laboratory in the United States. The Mt. Charleston tunnel can be a highway extension connecting Las Vegas to Pahrump. The Pine Creek Mine next to Mt. Tom is an abandoned tungsten mine. The lowest levels of the mine are accessible by nearly horizontal tunnels from portals in the mining base camp. Drainage (most noticeable in the springs resulting from snow melt) flows (from the mountain top through upper tunnel complex) out of the access tunnel without the need for pumping. While the underground drifts at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, have not yet been considered (since they are relatively shallow for physics experiments), they have undergone extensive earth science research for nearly 10 years, as the site for future storage of nation's spent nuclear fuels. All these underground sites could accommodate different earth science and physics experiments. Most underground physics experiments require depth to reduce the cosmic-ray-induced muon flux from atmospheric sources. Earth science experiments can be

Construction experiences from underground works at Oskarshamn. Compilation report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlsson, Anders; Christiansson, Rolf

2007-12-01

The main objective with this report is to compile experiences from the underground works carried out at Oskarshamn, primarily construction experiences from the tunnelling of the cooling water tunnels of the Oskarshamn nuclear power units 1,2 and 3, from the underground excavations of Clab 1 and 2 (Central Interim Storage Facility for Spent Nuclear Fuel), and Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory. In addition, an account is given of the operational experience of Clab 1 and 2 and of the Aespoe HRL on primarily scaling and rock support solutions. This report, as being a compilation report, is in its substance based on earlier published material as presented in the list of references. Approximately 8,000 m of tunnels including three major rock caverns with a total volume of about 550,000 m 3 have been excavated. The excavation works of the various tunnels and rock caverns were carried out during the period of 1966-2000. In addition, minor excavation works were carried out at the Aespoe HRL in 2003. The depth location of the underground structures varies from near surface down to 450 m. As an overall conclusion it may be said that the rock mass conditions in the area are well suited for underground construction. This conclusion is supported by the experiences from the rock excavation works in the Simpevarp and Aespoe area. These works have shown that no major problems occurred during the excavation works; nor have any stability or other rock engineering problems of significance been identified after the commissioning of the Oskarshamn nuclear power units O1, O2 and O3, BFA, Clab 1 and 2, and Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory. The underground structures of these facilities were built according to plan, and since than been operated as planned. Thus, the quality of the rock mass within the construction area is such that it lends itself to excavation of large rock caverns with a minimum of rock support

Construction experiences from underground works at Oskarshamn. Compilation report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carlsson, Anders (Vattenfall Power Consultant AB, Stockholm (SE)); Christiansson, Rolf (Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co., Stockholm (SE))

2007-12-15

The main objective with this report is to compile experiences from the underground works carried out at Oskarshamn, primarily construction experiences from the tunnelling of the cooling water tunnels of the Oskarshamn nuclear power units 1,2 and 3, from the underground excavations of Clab 1 and 2 (Central Interim Storage Facility for Spent Nuclear Fuel), and Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory. In addition, an account is given of the operational experience of Clab 1 and 2 and of the Aespoe HRL on primarily scaling and rock support solutions. This report, as being a compilation report, is in its substance based on earlier published material as presented in the list of references. Approximately 8,000 m of tunnels including three major rock caverns with a total volume of about 550,000 m3 have been excavated. The excavation works of the various tunnels and rock caverns were carried out during the period of 1966-2000. In addition, minor excavation works were carried out at the Aespoe HRL in 2003. The depth location of the underground structures varies from near surface down to 450 m. As an overall conclusion it may be said that the rock mass conditions in the area are well suited for underground construction. This conclusion is supported by the experiences from the rock excavation works in the Simpevarp and Aespoe area. These works have shown that no major problems occurred during the excavation works; nor have any stability or other rock engineering problems of significance been identified after the commissioning of the Oskarshamn nuclear power units O1, O2 and O3, BFA, Clab 1 and 2, and Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory. The underground structures of these facilities were built according to plan, and since than been operated as planned. Thus, the quality of the rock mass within the construction area is such that it lends itself to excavation of large rock caverns with a minimum of rock support

Observation of the moon shadow in deep underground muon flux

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allison, W. W. M.; Alner, G. J.; Ayres, D. S.; Cobb, J. H.; Fields, T. H.; Goodman, M. C.; Joffe-Minor, T.; Marshak, M. L.; Price, L. E.; Seidlein, R.; Thron, J. L.

1999-01-01

A shadow of the moon, with a statistical significance of 5σ, has been observed in the underground muon flux at a depth of 2090 mwe using the Soudan 2 detector. The angular resolution of the detector is well described by a Gaussian with σ le0.3degree. The position of the shadow confirms the alignment of the detector to better than 0.15degree. This alignment has remained stable during 10 years of data taking from 1989 through 1998

Measurement of underground water-soil radioactivity at different depths in arsenic prone areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, D.; Deb, A.; Patra, K.K.; Sengupta, R.; Nag, S.K.

2007-01-01

Studies on the presence of alpha emitting nuclides in the environment assume importance since they are found to be carcinogenic. Measurement of radioactivity in arsenic contaminated drinking water has already been reported. To perform a detail study we have undertaken a programme to measure radioactivity in drinking water and soil samples in three different places of North 24 Parganas in West Bengal, India, where arsenic contamination is severe. A detail investigation on soil samples at different depths and soil-water samples at same depth have been made with CR-39 plates -a Solid State Nuclear Track Detector (SSNTD) -a commonly used detector for alpha radiation. The data indicates high alpha activity in soil than water and this ratio is different at different places varying from 1.22 to 2.63. The dependence of the alpha activity in soil on depth is also different at different sites. The data shows some interesting results. (author)

Report on the Depth Requirements for a Massive Detector at Homestake

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bernstein,A.; Blucher, E.; Cline, D. B.; Diwan, M. V.; Fleming, b.; Kadel, R.; Kearns, E.; Klein, J.; Lande, K.; Lanni, F.; Lissauer, D.; McKeown, R.; Morse, W.; Radeika, R.; Scholberg, K.; Smy, M.; Sobel, H.; Sullivan, G.; Svoboda, R.; Vagins, M.; Walter, C.; Zwaska, R.

2008-12-22

This report provides the technical justification for locating a large detector underground in a US based Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory. A large detector with a fiducial mass greater than 100 kTon will most likely be a multipurpose facility. The main physics justification for such a device is detection of accelerator generated neutrinos, nucleon decay, and natural sources of neutrinos such as solar, atmospheric and supernova neutrinos. The requirement on the depth of this detector will be guided by the rate of signals from these sources and the rate of backgrounds from cosmic rays over a very wide range of energies (from solar neutrino energies of 5 MeV to high energies in the range of tens of GeV). For the present report, we have examined the depth requirement for a large water Cherenkov detector and a liquid argon time projection chamber. There has been extensive previous experience with underground water Cherenkov detectors such as IMB, Kamioka, and most recently, Super-Kamiokande which has a fiducial mass of 22 kTon and a total mass of 50 kTon at a depth of 2700 meters-water-equivalent. Projections for signal and background capability for a larger and deeper (or shallower) detectors of this type can be scaled from these previous detectors. The liquid argon time projection chamber has the advantage of being a very fine-grained tracking detector, which provides enhanced capability for background rejection. In the current work we have taken the approach that the depth should be sufficient to suppress the cosmogenic background below predicted signal rates for either of the above two technologies. Nevertheless, it is also clear that the underground facility that we are examining must have a long life and will most likely be used either for future novel uses of the currently planned detectors or new technologies. Therefore the depth requirement also needs to be made on the basis of sound judgment regarding possible future use. In particular, the

Appraisal of hard rock for potential underground repositories of radioactive wastes. LBL-7004

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, N.G.W.

1978-01-01

Underground burial of radioactive wastes in hard rock may be an effective and safe means of isolating them from the environment and from man. The mechanical safety and stability of such an underground repository depends largely on the virgin state of stress in the rock, groundwater pressures, the strengths of the rocks, heating by the decay of the radioactive wastes, and the layout of the excavations and the disposition of waste cannisters within them. A large body of pertinent data exists in the literature, and each of these factors has been analyzed in the light of this information. The results indicate that there are no fundamental geological nor mechanical reasons why repositories capable of storing radioactive wastes should not be excavated at suitable sites in hard rock. However, specific tests to determine the mechanical and thermal properties of the rocks at a site would be needed to provide the data for the engineering design of a repository. Also, little experience exists of the effects on underground excavations of thermal loads, so that this aspect requires theoretical study and experimental validation. The depths of these potential repositories would lie in the range from 0.5 km to 2.0 km below surface, depending upon the strength of the rock. Virgin states of stress have been measured at such depths which would retard the ingress of groundwater and obviate the incidence of faulting. A typical repository comprising three horizons each with a total area of 5 km 2 would have the capacity to store wastes with thermal output of 240 MW

A Global Survey and Interactive Map Suite of Deep Underground Facilities; Examples of Geotechnical and Engineering Capabilities, Achievements, Challenges: (Mines, Shafts, Tunnels, Boreholes, Sites and Underground Facilities for Nuclear Waste and Physics R&D)

Science.gov (United States)

Tynan, M. C.; Russell, G. P.; Perry, F.; Kelley, R.; Champenois, S. T.

2017-12-01

This global survey presents a synthesis of some notable geotechnical and engineering information reflected in four interactive layer maps for selected: 1) deep mines and shafts; 2) existing, considered or planned radioactive waste management deep underground studies, sites, or disposal facilities; 3) deep large diameter boreholes, and 4) physics underground laboratories and facilities from around the world. These data are intended to facilitate user access to basic information and references regarding deep underground "facilities", history, activities, and plans. In general, the interactive maps and database [http://gis.inl.gov/globalsites/] provide each facility's approximate site location, geology, and engineered features (e.g.: access, geometry, depth, diameter, year of operations, groundwater, lithology, host unit name and age, basin; operator, management organization, geographic data, nearby cultural features, other). Although the survey is not all encompassing, it is a comprehensive review of many of the significant existing and historical underground facilities discussed in the literature addressing radioactive waste management and deep mined geologic disposal safety systems. The global survey is intended to support and to inform: 1) interested parties and decision makers; 2) radioactive waste disposal and siting option evaluations, and 3) safety case development as a communication tool applicable to any mined geologic disposal facility as a demonstration of historical and current engineering and geotechnical capabilities available for use in deep underground facility siting, planning, construction, operations and monitoring.

Global Pursuits: The Underground Railroad

Science.gov (United States)

School Arts: The Art Education Magazine for Teachers, 2004

2004-01-01

This brief article describes Charles T. Webber's oil on canvas painting, "The Underground Railroad, 1893." The subject of this painting is the Underground Railroad, which today has become an American legend. The Underground Railroad was not a systematic means of transportation, but rather a secretive process that allowed fugitive slaves…

Rokibaar Underground = Rock bar Underground

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

2008-01-01

Rokibaari Underground (Küütri 7, Tartu) sisekujundus, mis pälvis Eesti Sisearhitektide Liidu 2007. a. eripreemia. Sisearhitekt: Margus Mänd (Tammat OÜ). Margus Männist, tema tähtsamad tööd. Plaan, 5 värv. vaadet, foto M. Männist

Exploration on feasibility of mining under pressure in depth at uranium mine No.711

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie Jun

1993-01-01

Through the analysis of mining practice in the mine No.711, it was found that it was technically feasible to mine the depth of the deposit suffering plenty underground hot water under pressure, and good economic benefits and environmental effects were obtained

Sinkhole development induced by underground quarrying, and the related hazard

Science.gov (United States)

Parise, M.; Delle Rose, M.

2009-04-01

Sinkholes are extremely widespread in Apulia, a very flat and carbonate region, that acted as the foreland during the phases of building up of the Southern Apenninic Chain in Miocene time. This is due to the presence of soluble rocks throughout the region, that highly predispose the area to this very subtle natural hazard. In addition to the natural setting, which favours their development, sinkholes may also be induced by anthropogenic activities. In the latter sense, underground quarrying represents one of the most dangerous activities in karst areas. Apulia has a long history of quarrying. Since the roman time, the local rocks, from the Cretaceous micritic limestones to the Quaternary calcarenites, have been intensely quarried and used as building and ornamental materials. In several settings of the region, the rocks with the best petrographic characteristics are located at depths ranging from a few to some tens of meters. This caused the opening of many underground quarries, and the development of a complex network of subterranean galleries. Underground quarrying had a great impulse at the turn between the XIX and the XX century, when a large number of quarries was opened. Later on, after the Second World War, most of the quarries were progressively abandoned, even because of the first signs of instability, both underground and at the ground surface. With time, the memory of the presence and development of the underground quarries was progressively lost, with severe repercussions on the safety of the land above the excavated areas. Lack of knowledge of the subterranean pattern of galleries, combined with the expansion of the built-up areas at the surface, resulted in increasing significantly the vulnerability of exposed elements at risk. Events such as the 29 March, 2007, at Gallipoli only by chance did not result in any casualties, when a 15-mt wide and 5-mt deep sinkhole opened in a few hours at a road crossing, above the site of an old underground quarry

The underground economy in Romania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Veronica LITRA

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The paper aims at covering issues related to the underground economy, activities that compound this phenomenon, its magnitude in Romania and reported to the European average. Underground economy in Romania consists of undeclared work (2/3 from the total and unreported income; it decreased from 33.6% of GDP in 2003 to 28% in 2014, but remained over EU-28 average with about 10 p.p. Among EU-28 countries, only Bulgaria exceeds the size of the underground economy of Romania. The underground economy is a challenge for the leadership of the state which must act simultaneously to stop illegal activities, and to discourage non-declaration of the legal activities. Corruption favours maintaining the underground economy, delays economic development, obstructs democratic processes and affects justice and the law state.

Locating underground uranium deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Felice, P.E.

1979-01-01

Underground uranium deposits are located by placing wires of dosimeters each about 5 to 18 mg/cm 2 thick underground in a grid pattern. Each dosimeter contains a phosphor which is capable of storing the energy of alpha particles. In each pair one dosimeter is shielded from alpha particles with more than 18 mg/cm 2 thick opaque material but not gamma and beta rays and the other dosimeter is shielded with less than 1 mg/cm 2 thick opaque material to exclude dust. After a period underground the dosimeters are heated which releases the stored energy as light. The amount of light produced from the heavily shielded dosimeter is subtracted from the amount of light produced from the thinly shielded dosimeter to give an indication of the location and quantity of uranium underground

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for Detection of Underground Objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amry Amin Abas; Mohd Kamal Shah Shamsuddin; Wan Zainal Abidin; Awang Sarfarudin Awang Putra

2011-01-01

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) utilizes an electromagnetic microwave that is transmitted into the matter under investigation. Any objects with different dielectric properties from the medium of the matter under investigation will reflect the waves and will be picked up by the receivers embedded in the antenna. We have applied GPR in various application such as concrete inspection, underground utility detection, grave detection, archaeology, oil contamination of soil, soil layer thickness measurement and etc. This paper will give general findings of the application of GPR to provide solutions to the industry and public. The results of the GPR surveys will be discussed. (author)

Damage caused to houses and equipment by underground nuclear explosions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delort, F.; Guerrini, C.

1969-01-01

A description is given of the damaged caused to various structures, buildings, houses, mechanical equipment and electrical equipment by underground nuclear explosions in granite. For each type of equipment or building are given the limiting distances for a given degree of damage. These distances have been related to a parameter characterizing the movement of the medium; it is thus possible to generalize the results obtained in granite, for different media. The problem of estimating the damage caused at a greater distance from the explosion is considered. (authors) [fr

A research on the excavation and maintenance of underground energy storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, Hee-Soon; Chung, So-Keul; Ryu, Chang-Ha [Korea Institute of Geology Mining and Materials, Taejon (KR)] (and others)

1999-12-01

CAES which is called as a compressed air energy storage was firstly developed at Huntorf, Gen-nan in 1978. The capacity of that system was 290MW, and it can be treated as a first commercial power plant. CAES has a lot of merits, such as saving the unit price of power generation, averaging the peak demand, improvement of maintenance, enlarging the benefit of dynamic use. According to the literature survey, the unlined rock cavern should be proposed to be a reasonable storing style as a method of compressed air storage in Korea. In this study, the most important techniques were evaluated through the investigation of the foreign construction case studies, especially on the unlined rock caverns in hard rock mass. We decided the hill of the Korea Institute of Geology, Mining and Materials as CAES site. If we construct the underground spaces in this site, the demand for electricity nearby Taejon should be considered. So we could determine the capacity of the power plant as a 350MW. This capacity needs a underground space of 200,000, and we can conclude 4 parallel tunnels 550m deep from the surface through the numerical studies. Design parameters were achieved from 300m depth boring job and image processing job. Moreover the techniques for determination of joint characteristics from the images could be obtained. Blasting pattern was designed on the underground spaces, and automatic gas control system and thermomechanical characteristics on caverns were also studied. And finally the following research items could be proposed for future researches. (1) Establishment of criteria for selection of optimal tunnel type. (2) Evaluation of water tightening ability. (3) Investigation of Lining type. (4) Development of techniques for site investigation in deep underground project. (5) Evaluation of construction techniques for underground space and shaft. (6) Investigation of long-term maintenance for pressured tunnel. (author). 14 refs.

Results of single borehole hydraulic tests in the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory project. FY 2012 - FY 2015

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onoe, Hironori; Takeuchi, Ryuji

2016-11-01

This report summarize the results of the single borehole hydraulic tests of 151 sections carried out at the -300 m Stage and the -500 m Stage of the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory from FY 2012 to FY 2015. The details of each test (test interval depth, geology, etc.) as well as the interpreted hydraulic parameters and analytical methods used are presented in this report. Furthermore, the previous results of the single borehole hydraulic tests carried out in the Regional Hydrogeological Study Project and the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory Project before FY 2012 are also summarized in this report. (author)

A simple statistical signal loss model for deep underground garage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nguyen, Huan Cong; Gimenez, Lucas Chavarria; Kovacs, Istvan

2016-01-01

In this paper we address the channel modeling aspects for a deep-indoor scenario with extreme coverage conditions in terms of signal losses, namely underground garage areas. We provide an in-depth analysis in terms of path loss (gain) and large scale signal shadowing, and a propose simple...... propagation model which can be used to predict cellular signal levels in similar deep-indoor scenarios. The proposed frequency-independent floor attenuation factor (FAF) is shown to be in range of 5.2 dB per meter deep....

Wireless Transmission of Monitoring Data out of an Underground Repository: Results of Field Demonstrations Performed at the HADES Underground Laboratory - 13589

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schroeder, T.J.; Rosca-Bocancea, E.; Hart, J.

2013-01-01

As part of the European 7. framework project MoDeRn, Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG) performed experiments in order to demonstrate the feasibility of wireless data transmission through the subsurface over large distances by low frequency magnetic fields in the framework of the geological disposal of radioactive waste. The main objective of NRG's contribution is to characterize and optimize the energy use of this technique within the specific context of post-closure monitoring of a repository. For that, measurements have been performed in the HADES Underground Research Laboratory (URL) located at Mol, Belgium, at 225 m depth. The experimental set-up utilizes a loop antenna for the transmitter that has been matched to the existing infrastructure of the HADES. Between 2010 and 2012 NRG carried out several experiments at the HADES URL in order to test the technical set-up and to characterize the propagation behavior of the geological medium and the local background noise pattern. Transmission channels have been identified and data transmission has been demonstrated at several frequencies, with data rates up to 10 bit/s and bit error rates <1%. A mathematical model description that includes the most relevant characteristics of the transmitter, transmission path, and receiver has been developed and applied to analyze possible options to optimize the set-up. With respect to the energy-efficiency, results so far have shown that data transmission over larger distances through the subsurface is a feasible option. To support the conclusions on the energy need per bit of transmitted data, additional experiments are foreseen. (authors)

Concept of underground nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onishi, Sotoaki

1976-01-01

The concept of constructing nuclear power plants on the sea or underground as the future sitting is based on moving the present power plants on the ground with actual results to the sea or underground without changing the design. The underground nuclear power plants have many similar points to underground hydro-electric power stations with many achievements in the construction viewpoint, though they have their proper difficult problems. Of course, it requires to excavate larger underground caves than the case of underground hydro-electric power plants. The maximum dimensions of the caves have been determined through experience in practice. Therefore the developments of design theory and construction technique are desirable in this field. In discussing underground construction, two evaluating methods are considered for the shielding effect of base rocks. The minimum vertical distance up to ground surface from the center of the cave differs depending upon the in-cave pressure, and the conditions of base rock, soil and underground water in case of the accident assumed in the design, and is approximately 60m, if the cave is assumed to be an indefinite cylindrical shape, by the safer side calculation in the above two evaluations. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

Underground water stress release models

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yong; Dang, Shenjun; Lü, Shaochuan

2011-08-01

The accumulation of tectonic stress may cause earthquakes at some epochs. However, in most cases, it leads to crustal deformations. Underground water level is a sensitive indication of the crustal deformations. We incorporate the information of the underground water level into the stress release models (SRM), and obtain the underground water stress release model (USRM). We apply USRM to the earthquakes occurred at Tangshan region. The analysis shows that the underground water stress release model outperforms both Poisson model and stress release model. Monte Carlo simulation shows that the simulated seismicity by USRM is very close to the real seismicity.

Simulation study of a hydrostat design for detecting underground leakage of water supply using neutron backscattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurosawa, Tadahiro; Nakamura, Takashi; Suzuki, Takashi; Okano, Yasuhiro; Chisaka, Haruo

1998-01-01

We have embarked upon the development of a new detection method for underground water leakage using a neutron backscattering system. We have estimated the performance capabilities of such a system using Monte Carlo simulation. It is indicated that a leak which results in 40% water content in the surrounding soils could be detected at depths of up to 40 cm from the surface to the center of the source of leakage. This new detection system could be useful as a hydrostat of underground water supply in noisy areas such as Tokyo, in place of presently-used hydrostats which are based on detection of changes in sound

Siting technology of underground nuclear power station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Motojima, M.; Hibino, S.

1989-01-01

For the site of a nuclear power station, it may be possible to select a seaside mountain area, if the condition is suitable to excavate large rock caverns in which a reactor and other equipments are installed. As the case study on the siting technology for an underground nuclear power station, the following example was investigated. The site is a seaside steep mountain area, and almost all the equipments are installed in plural tunnel type caverns. The depth from the ground surface to the top of the reactor cavern is about 150 m, and the thickness of the rock pillar between the reactor cavern of 33 m W x 82 mH x 79 mD and the neighboring turbine cavern is 60 m. In this paper, the stability of rock caverns in this example, evaluated by numerical analysis, is described. The numerical analysis was carried out on the central cross section of the reactor cavern, taking the turbine cavern, geostress, the mechanical properties of rock mass and the process of excavation works in consideration. By the analysis, the underground caverns in this example were evaluated as stable, if the rock quality is equivalent to C H class or better according to the CRIEPI rock classification. (K.I.)

The Mizunami underground research laboratory in Japan - programme for study of the deep geological environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakuma, Hideki; Sugihara, Kozo; Koide, Kaoru; Mikake, Shinichiro

1998-01-01

This paper is an overview of the PNC's Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory project in Mizunami City, central Japan. The Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory now will succeed the Kamaishi Mine as the main facility for the geoscientific study of the crystalline environment. The site will never be considered as a site for a repository. The surface-based investigations, planned to continue for some 5 years commenced in the autumn 1997. The construction of the facility to the depth of 1000 m is currently planned to: Develop comprehensive investigation techniques for geological environment; Acquire data on the deep geological environment and to; Develop a range of engineering techniques for deep underground application. Besides PNC research, the facility will also be used to promote deeper understanding of earthquakes, to perform experiments under micro-gravity conditions etc. The geology of the site is shortly as follows: The sedimentary overburden some 20 - 100 m in thickness is of age 2 - 20 million years. The basement granite is approx. 70 million years. A reverse fault is crosscutting the site. The identified fault offers interesting possibilities for important research. Part of the work during the surface-based investigations, is to drill and test deep boreholes to a planned depth up to 2000 m. Based on the investigations, predictions will be made what geological environment will be encountered during the Construction Phase. Also the effect of construction will be predicted. Methodology for evaluation of predictions will be established

Fokker-Planck modeling of pitting corrosion in underground pipelines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Camacho, Eliana Nogueira [Risco Ambiental Engenharia, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Melo, Paulo F. Frutuoso e [Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao de Engenharia (COPPE/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Programa de Engenharia Nuclear; Saldanha, Pedro Luiz C. [Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CGRC/CNEN), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao Geral de Reatores e Ciclo do Combustivel; Silva, Edson de Pinho da [Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropedica, RJ (Brazil). Dept. of Physics

2011-07-01

Full text: The stochastic nature of pitting corrosion has been recognized since the 1930s. It has been learned that this damage retains no memory of its past. Instead, the future state is determined only by the knowledge of its present state. This Markovian property that underlies the stochastic process governing pitting corrosion has been explored as a discrete Markovian process by many authors since the beginning of the 1990s for underground pipelines of the oil and gas industries and nuclear power plants. Corrosion is a genuine continuous time and space state Markovian process, so to model it as a discrete time and/or state space is an approximation to the problem. Markovian chains approaches, with an increasing number of states, could involve a large number of parameters, the transition rates between states, to be experimentally determined. Besides, such an increase in the number of states produces matrices with huge dimensions leading to time-consuming computational solutions. Recent approaches involving Markovian discrete process have overcome those difficulties but, on the other hand, a large number of soil and pipe stochastic variables have to be known. In this work we propose a continuous time and space state approach to the evolution of pit corrosion depths in underground pipelines. In order to illustrate the application of the model for defect depth growth a combination of real life data and Monte Carlo simulation was used. The process is described by a Fokker-Planck equation. The Fokker-Planck equation is completely determined by the knowledge of two functions known as the drift and diffusion coefficients. In this work we also show that those functions can be estimated from corrosion depth data from in-line inspections. Some particular forms of drift and diffusion coefficients lead to particular Fokker-Planck equations for which analytical solutions are known, as is the case for the Wiener process, the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process and the Brownian motion

Results of single borehole hydraulic testing in the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory project. Phase 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daimaru, Shuji; Takeuchi, Ryuji; Onoe, Hironori; Saegusa, Hiromitsu

2012-09-01

This report summarize the results of the single borehole hydraulic tests of 79 sections conducted as part of the Construction phase (Phase 2) in the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (MIU) Project. The details of each test (test interval depth, geology, etc.) as well as the interpreted hydraulic parameters and analytical method used are presented in this report. (author)

[Characteristic of ammonia nitrogen adsorption on karst underground river sediments].

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Fang; Chen, Kun-Kun; Jiang, Guang-Hui

2011-02-01

Karst aquifers are one of the most important aquifers in Southwestern China. One of the characteristics of karst aquifers is the enhanced permeability permits high flow velocities are capable of transporting suspended and bedload sediments. Mobile sediment in karst may act as a vector for the transport of contaminates. 14 sediment samples were collected from two underground rivers in two typical karst areas in Liuzhou city, Guangxi Autonomous Region, China. According to simulated experiment methods, characteristic of adsorption of ammonia nitrogen on sediment was studied. The results of ammonia nitrogen adsorption dynamics on sediments showed that the maximum adsorption velocity was less than 2 h. The adsorption balance quantity in 5 h accounted for 71% - 98% of the maximum adsorption quantity. The maximum adsorption quantity of ammonia nitrogen was 385.5 mg/kg, which was sediment from a cave in the middle areas of Guancun underground river system. The study of isotherm adsorption indicated adsorption quantity of NH4+ increase followed by incremental balance concentration of NH4+ in the aquatic phase. Adsorption quantity of ammonia nitrogen in sediments has a relative linear relationship with adsorption balance concentrations. Adsorption-desorption balance concentrations were all low, indicating sediments from underground rivers have great adsorption potential. Under the condition of low and high concentrations of ammonia nitrogen in overlying water, Langmuir and Tempkin couldn't simulate or simulate results couldn't reach remarkable level, whilst Linear and Freundlich models could simulate well. Research on different type sediments, sampling times and depths from two underground rivers shows characteristic of ammonia nitrogen adsorption on karst underground river sediments doesn't have good correspondence with the type of sediments. One of the reasons is there is no big difference between sediments in the development of climate, geology, hydrological conditions

GIOVE: a new detector setup for high sensitivity germanium spectroscopy at shallow depth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heusser, G.; Weber, M.; Hakenmüller, J.; Laubenstein, M.; Lindner, M.; Maneschg, W.; Simgen, H.; Stolzenburg, D.; Strecker, H.

2015-01-01

We report on the development and construction of the high-purity germanium spectrometer setup GIOVE (Germanium Inner Outer VEto), recently built and now operated at the shallow underground laboratory of the Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg. Particular attention was paid to the design of a novel passive and active shield, aiming at efficient rejection of environmental and muon induced radiation backgrounds. The achieved sensitivity level of ≤100 μBq kg -1 for primordial radionuclides from U and Th in typical γ ray sample screening measurements is unique among instruments located at comparably shallow depths and can compete with instruments at far deeper underground sites

GIOVE: a new detector setup for high sensitivity germanium spectroscopy at shallow depth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heusser, G., E-mail: gerd.heusser@mpi-hd.mpg.de; Weber, M., E-mail: marc.weber@mpi-hd.mpg.de; Hakenmüller, J. [Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117, Heidelberg (Germany); Laubenstein, M. [Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Via G. Acitelli 22, 67100, Assergi, AQ (Italy); Lindner, M.; Maneschg, W.; Simgen, H.; Stolzenburg, D.; Strecker, H. [Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117, Heidelberg (Germany)

2015-11-09

We report on the development and construction of the high-purity germanium spectrometer setup GIOVE (Germanium Inner Outer VEto), recently built and now operated at the shallow underground laboratory of the Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg. Particular attention was paid to the design of a novel passive and active shield, aiming at efficient rejection of environmental and muon induced radiation backgrounds. The achieved sensitivity level of ≤100 μBq kg{sup -1} for primordial radionuclides from U and Th in typical γ ray sample screening measurements is unique among instruments located at comparably shallow depths and can compete with instruments at far deeper underground sites.

GIOVE: a new detector setup for high sensitivity germanium spectroscopy at shallow depth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heusser, G.; Weber, M.; Hakenmueller, J.; Lindner, M.; Maneschg, W.; Simgen, H.; Stolzenburg, D.; Strecker, H. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Laubenstein, M. [Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Assergi (Italy)

2015-11-15

We report on the development and construction of the high-purity germanium spectrometer setup GIOVE (Germanium Inner Outer VEto), recently built and now operated at the shallow underground laboratory of the Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg. Particular attention was paid to the design of a novel passive and active shield, aiming at efficient rejection of environmental and muon induced radiation backgrounds. The achieved sensitivity level of ≤ 100μBq kg{sup -1} for primordial radionuclides from U and Th in typical γ ray sample screening measurements is unique among instruments located at comparably shallow depths and can compete with instruments at far deeper underground sites. (orig.)

Report on the Depth Requirements for a Massive Detector at Homestake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kadel, Richard W.; Bernstein, Adam; Blucher, Edward; Cline, David B.; Diwan, Milind V.; Fleming, Bonnie; Kearns, Edward; Klein, Joshua; Lande, Kenneth; Lanni, Francesco; Lissauer, David; McKeown, Robert; Morse, William; Rameika, Regina; Scholberg, Kate; Smy, Michael; Sobel, Henry; Sullivan, Gregory; Svoboda, Robert; Vagins, Mark; Walter, Christopher; Zwaska, Robert

2008-01-01

This report provides the technical justification for locating a large detector underground in a US based Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory. A large detector with a fiducial mass greater than 100 kTon will most likely be a multipurpose facility. The main physics justification for such a device is detection of accelerator generated neutrinos, nucleon decay, and natural sources of neutrinos such as solar, atmospheric and supernova neutrinos. The requirement on the depth of this detector will be guided by the rate of signals from these sources and the rate of backgrounds from cosmic rays over a very wide range of energies (from solar neutrino energies of 5 MeV to high energies in the range of hundreds of GeV). For the present report, we have examined the depth requirement for a large water Cherenkov detector and a liquid argon time projection chamber. There has been extensive previous experience with underground water Cherenkov detectors such as IMB, Kamioka, and most recently, Super-Kamiokande which has a fiducial mass of 22 kTon and a total mass of 50 kTon at a depth of 2700 meters-water-equivalent in a mountain. Projections for signal and background capability for a larger and deeper(or shallower) detectors of this type can be scaled from these previous detectors. The liquid argon time projection chamber has the advantage of being a very fine-grained tracking detector, which should provide enhanced capability for background rejection. We have based background rejection on reasonable estimates of track and energy resolution, and in some cases scaled background rates from measurements in water. In the current work we have taken the approach that the depth should be sufficient to suppress the cosmogenic background below predicted signal rates for either of the above two technologies. Nevertheless, it is also clear that the underground facility that we are examining must have a long life and will most likely be used either for future novel uses of the

Report on the Depth Requirements for a Massive Detector at Homestake

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kadel, Richard W.; Bernstein, Adam; Blucher, Edward; Cline, David B.; Diwan, Milind V.; Fleming, Bonnie; Kearns, Edward; Klein, Joshua; Lande, Kenneth; Lanni, Francesco; Lissauer, David; McKeown, Robert; Morse, William; Rameika, Regina; Scholberg, Kate; Smy, Michael; Sobel, Henry; Sullivan, Gregory; Svoboda, Robert; Vagins, Mark; Walter, Christopher; Zwaska, Robert

2008-12-23

This report provides the technical justification for locating a large detector underground in a US based Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory. A large detector with a fiducial mass greater than 100 kTon will most likely be a multipurpose facility. The main physics justification for such a device is detection of accelerator generated neutrinos, nucleon decay, and natural sources of neutrinos such as solar, atmospheric and supernova neutrinos. The requirement on the depth of this detector will be guided by the rate of signals from these sources and the rate of backgrounds from cosmic rays over a very wide range of energies (from solar neutrino energies of 5 MeV to high energies in the range of hundreds of GeV). For the present report, we have examined the depth requirement for a large water Cherenkov detector and a liquid argon time projection chamber. There has been extensive previous experience with underground water Cherenkov detectors such as IMB, Kamioka, and most recently, Super-Kamiokande which has a fiducial mass of 22 kTon and a total mass of 50 kTon at a depth of 2700 meters-water-equivalent in a mountain. Projections for signal and background capability for a larger and deeper(or shallower) detectors of this type can be scaled from these previous detectors. The liquid argon time projection chamber has the advantage of being a very fine-grained tracking detector, which should provide enhanced capability for background rejection. We have based background rejection on reasonable estimates of track and energy resolution, and in some cases scaled background rates from measurements in water. In the current work we have taken the approach that the depth should be sufficient to suppress the cosmogenic background below predicted signal rates for either of the above two technologies. Nevertheless, it is also clear that the underground facility that we are examining must have a long life and will most likely be used either for future novel uses of the

EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON DIFFICULTY OF EVACUATION FROM UNDERGROUND SPACES UNDER INUNDATED SITUATIONS USING REAL SCALE MODELS

Science.gov (United States)

Baba, Yasuyuki; Ishigaki, Taisuke; Toda, Keiichi; Nakagawa, Hajime

Many urbanized cities in Japan are located in alluvial plains, and the vulnerability of urbanized areas to flood disaster is highlighted by flood attacks due to heavy rain fall or typhoons. Underground spaces located in the urbanized area are flood-prone areas, and the intrusion of flood watar into underground space inflicted severe damages on urban functions and infrastructures. In a similar way, low-lying areas like "bowl-shaped" depression and underpasses under highway and railroad bridges are also prone to floods. The underpasses are common sites of accidents of submerged vehicles, and severe damage including human damage occasionally occurs under flooding conditions. To reduce the damage due to inundation in underground space, needless to say, early evacuation is one of the most important countermeasures. This paper shows some experimental results of evacuation tests from underground spaces under inundated situations. The difficulities of the evacuation from underground space has been investigated by using real scale models (door, staircase and vehicle), and the limit for safety evacuation is discussed. From the results, it is found that water depth of 0.3 - 0.4m would be a critical situation for the evacuation from underground space through staircases and door and that 0.7 - 0.8m deep on the ground would be also a critical situation for safety evacuation though the doors of the vehicle. These criteria have some possibility to vary according to different inundated situations, and they are also influenced by the individual variation like the difference of physical strength. This means that these criteria requires cautious stance to use although they show a sort of an index of the limitation for saftty evacuation from underground space.

Underground risk management information systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsuyama, S.; Inoue, M.; Sakai, T.

2006-03-15

JCOAL has conducted Joint Research on an Underground Communication and Risk Management Information System with CSIRO of Australia under a commissioned study project for the promotion of coal use starting in fiscal 2002. The goal of this research project is the establishment of a new Safety System focusing on the comprehensive risk management information system by the name of Nexsys. The main components of the system are the Ethernet type underground communication system that represents the data communication base, and the risk management information system that permits risk analysis in real-time and provides decision support based on the collected data. The Nexsys is an open system and is a core element of the underground monitoring system. Using a vast amount of underground data, it is capable of accommodating a wide range of functions that were not available in the past. Because of it, it is possible to construct an advanced underground safety system. 14 figs., 4 tabs.

Tritium dating of underground water from the Jian River valley and Houjialiang loess platform in the basin side-band of the East-Mountain Region of Taiyuan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Songsheng; Wu Qinghua

1991-01-01

The tritium content is measured in underground water from the basin side-band of the East-Mountain Region of Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, and hence the age, i.e. resident time, of underground water is estimated. The region belongs to deep water-poor zone in a long loess ridge situated in a loess hill plateau. The level of underground water is 40-80 m deep hidden. In the runway and the scouring channel the aqueous bed is of river pebble and cobble, with a level of 2-10 m in depth. The age of underground water from different wells were determined to be 23a, 14a, 25a, 41a and 53a respectively

Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory project. Investigation program for the 2008 fiscal year

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakayama, Masashi; Sanada, Hiroyuki; Yamaguchi, Takehiro; Sugita, Yutaka

2008-09-01

As part of the research and development program on geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW), the Horonobe Underground Research Center, a division of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), is implementing the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory Project (Horonobe URL Project) with the aim at investigating sedimentary rock formations. According to the research plan described in the Midterm Plan of JAEA, geological investigations are to be carried out during the drilling of a shaft down to intermediate depth, while research and development in the areas of engineering technology and safety assessment are to be promoted by collaboration with other research organizations. The results of the R and D activities will be systematized as a 'knowledge base' that supports a wide range of arguments related to the safety of geological disposal. The Horonobe URL Project is planned to extend over a period of 20 years. The investigations will be conducted in three phases, namely 'Phase 1: Surface-based investigations', 'Phase 2: Construction phase' (investigations during construction of the underground facilities) and 'Phase 3: Operation phase' (research in the underground facilities). This report summarizes the investigation program for the 2008 fiscal year (2008/2009), the 4th year of the Phase 2 investigations. In the 2008 fiscal year, investigations in geoscientific research', including 'development of techniques for investigating the geological environment', 'development of techniques for long-term monitoring of the geological environment', 'development of engineering techniques for use in the deep underground environment' and studies on the long-term stability of the geological environment', are continuously carried out. Investigations in 'research and development on geological disposal technology', including 'improving the reliability of disposal technologies' and 'enhancement of safety assessment methodologies', are also continuously carried out

Seismic effects on underground openings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marine, I.W.; Pratt, H.R.; Wahi, K.K.; Science Applications, Inc., La Jolla, CA; Science Applications, Inc., Albuquerque, NM)

1982-01-01

Numerical modeling techniques were used to determine the conditions required for seismic waves generated by an earthquake to cause instability to an underground opening or create fracturing and joint movement that would lead to an increase in the permeability of the rock mass. Three different rock types (salt, granite, and shale) were considered as host media for the repository located at a depth of 600 m. Special material models were developed to account for the nonlinear material behavior of each rock type. The sensitivity analysis included variations in the in situ stress ratio, joint geometry, and pore pressures, and the presence or absence of large fractures. Three different sets of earthquake motions were used to excite the rock mass. The methodology applied was found to be suitable for studying the effects of earthquakes on underground openings. In general, the study showed that moderate earthquakes (up to 0.41 g) did not cause instability of the tunnel or major fracturing of the rock mass; however, a tremor with accelerations up to 0.95 g was amplified around the tunnel, and fracturing occurred as a result of the seismic loading in salt and granite. In situ stress is a critical parameter in determining the subsurface effects of earthquakes but is nonexistent in evaluating the cause for surface damage. In shale with the properties assumed, even the moderate seismic load resulted in tunnel instability. These studies are all generic in nature and do not abrogate the need for site and design studies for specific facilities. 30 references, 14 figures, 8 tables

30 CFR 75.804 - Underground high-voltage cables.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Underground High-Voltage Distribution § 75.804 Underground high-voltage cables. (a) Underground high-voltage cables used in resistance... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Underground high-voltage cables. 75.804 Section...

Safety distance between underground natural gas and water pipeline facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohsin, R.; Majid, Z.A.; Yusof, M.Z.

2014-01-01

A leaking water pipe bursting high pressure water jet in the soil will create slurry erosion which will eventually erode the adjacent natural gas pipe, thus causing its failure. The standard 300 mm safety distance used to place natural gas pipe away from water pipeline facilities needs to be reviewed to consider accidental damage and provide safety cushion to the natural gas pipe. This paper presents a study on underground natural gas pipeline safety distance via experimental and numerical approaches. The pressure–distance characteristic curve obtained from this experimental study showed that the pressure was inversely proportional to the square of the separation distance. Experimental testing using water-to-water pipeline system environment was used to represent the worst case environment, and could be used as a guide to estimate appropriate safety distance. Dynamic pressures obtained from the experimental measurement and simulation prediction mutually agreed along the high-pressure water jetting path. From the experimental and simulation exercises, zero effect distance for water-to-water medium was obtained at an estimated horizontal distance at a minimum of 1500 mm, while for the water-to-sand medium, the distance was estimated at a minimum of 1200 mm. - Highlights: • Safe separation distance of underground natural gas pipes was determined. • Pressure curve is inversely proportional to separation distance. • Water-to-water system represents the worst case environment. • Measured dynamic pressures mutually agreed with simulation results. • Safe separation distance of more than 1200 mm should be applied

Draft Underground Test Plan for site characterization and testing in an exploratory shaft facility in salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-05-01

An exploratory shaft facility (ESF) at the Deaf Smith County, Texas is a potential candidate repository site in salt. This program of underground testing constitutes part of the effort to determine site suitability, provide data for repository design and performance assessment, and prepare licensing documentation. This program was developed by defining the information needs, as derived from the governing regulatory requirements and associated performance issues; evaluating the efficacy of available tests in satisfying the information needs; and selecting the suite of underground tests that are most cost-effective and timely, considering the other surface-based, surface borehole, and laboratory test programs. Tests are described conceptually, categorized in terms of geology, geomechanics, thermomechanics, geohydrology, or geochemistry, and range in scope from site characterization to site/engineered system interactions. The testing involves construction testing, conducted in the shafts during construction, and in situ testing at depth, conducted in the shafts and in the at-depth test facility at the repository horizon after shaft connection. 41 refs., 67 figs., 16 tabs

Studies on engineering technologies in the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory. FY 2007 (Contract research)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noda, Masaru; Suyama, Yasuhiro; Nobuto, Jun; Ijiri, Yuji; Mikake, Shinichiro; Matsui, Hiroya

2009-07-01

The Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (MIU) of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency is a major site for geoscientific research to advance the scientific and technological basis for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste in crystalline rock. Studies on relevant engineering technologies in the MIU consist of a) research on design and construction technology for very deep underground applications, and b) research on engineering technology as a basis of geological disposal. In the Second Phase of the MIU project (the construction phase), engineering studies have focused on research into design and construction technologies for deep underground. The main subjects in the study of very deep underground structures consist of the following: 'Demonstration of the design methodology', 'Demonstration of existing and supplementary excavation methods', 'Demonstration of countermeasures during excavation' and 'Demonstration of safe construction'. In the FY 2007 studies, identification and evaluation of the subjects for study of engineering technologies in the construction phase were carried out to optimize future research work. Specific studies included: validation of the existing design methodology based on data obtained during construction; validation of existing and supplementary rock excavation methods for very deep shafts; estimation of rock stability under high differential water pressures, methodology on long-term maintenance of underground excavations and risk management systems for construction of underground structures have been performed. Based on these studies, future research focused on the four subject areas, which are 'Demonstration of the design methodology', 'Demonstration of existing and supplementary excavation methods', 'Demonstration of countermeasures during excavation' and 'Demonstration of safe construction', has been identified. The design methodology in the first phase of the MIU Project (surface-based investigation phase) was verified to

Mine robotics for the extraction of minerals at great depths

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chaikovskii, Eh G; Poller, B V; Konyukh, V L

1983-09-01

An article is discussed which was written by A.A. Bovin, N.V. Kurleni and E.I. Shemyakin on Problems in mining mineral deposits at great depth, printed in issue No. 2 of this journal in 1983. First the authors define the problems, then discuss the construction of automatic systems for the control of underground extraction and haulage and end with the basic problems and organizational measures connected with the development and construction of mining robots. They also deal with systems of control and radio communications for underground winning and hauling operations. The article represents a complex study of the need for full automation of mining and the gradual introduction of robots to replace men in hazardous work places. The authors suggest equipment for the automatic extraction and hauling of minerals based on the use of microcomputers underground and computers located on the surface, videosensors and pressure transducers. The authors state that in order to solve the problems of automation and remote control of mining operations it is necessary to involve more specialists in robotics and remote control at the mining scientific research institutes and to increase the number of graduates in this field. 28 references.

Search for underground openings for in situ test facilities in crystalline rock

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wollenberg, H.A.; Strisower, B.; Corrigan, D.J.; Graf, A.N.; O' Brien, M.T.; Pratt, H.; Board, M.; Hustrulid, W.

1980-01-01

With a few exceptions, crystalline rocks in this study were limited to plutonic rocks and medium to high-grade metamorphic rocks. Nearly 1700 underground mines, possibly occurring in crystalline rock, were initially identified. Application of criteria resulted in the identification of 60 potential sites. Within this number, 26 mines and 4 civil works were identified as having potential in that they fulfilled the criteria. Thirty other mines may have similar potential. Most of the mines identified are near the contact between a pluton and older sedimentary, volcanic and metamorphic rocks. However, some mines and the civil works are well within plutonic or metamorphic rock masses. Civil works, notably underground galleries associated with pumped storage hydroelectric facilities, are generally located in tectonically stable regions, in relatively homogeneous crystalline rock bodies. A program is recommended which would identify one or more sites where a concordance exists between geologic setting, company amenability, accessibility and facilities to conduct in situ tests in crystalline rock.

Search for underground openings for in situ test facilities in crystalline rock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wollenberg, H.A.; Strisower, B.; Corrigan, D.J.; Graf, A.N.; O'Brien, M.T.; Pratt, H.; Board, M.; Hustrulid, W.

1980-01-01

With a few exceptions, crystalline rocks in this study were limited to plutonic rocks and medium to high-grade metamorphic rocks. Nearly 1700 underground mines, possibly occurring in crystalline rock, were initially identified. Application of criteria resulted in the identification of 60 potential sites. Within this number, 26 mines and 4 civil works were identified as having potential in that they fulfilled the criteria. Thirty other mines may have similar potential. Most of the mines identified are near the contact between a pluton and older sedimentary, volcanic and metamorphic rocks. However, some mines and the civil works are well within plutonic or metamorphic rock masses. Civil works, notably underground galleries associated with pumped storage hydroelectric facilities, are generally located in tectonically stable regions, in relatively homogeneous crystalline rock bodies. A program is recommended which would identify one or more sites where a concordance exists between geologic setting, company amenability, accessibility and facilities to conduct in situ tests in crystalline rock

Chemical tailoring of steam to remediate underground mixed waste contaminents

Science.gov (United States)

Aines, Roger D.; Udell, Kent S.; Bruton, Carol J.; Carrigan, Charles R.

1999-01-01

A method to simultaneously remediate mixed-waste underground contamination, such as organic liquids, metals, and radionuclides involves chemical tailoring of steam for underground injection. Gases or chemicals are injected into a high pressure steam flow being injected via one or more injection wells to contaminated soil located beyond a depth where excavation is possible. The injection of the steam with gases or chemicals mobilizes contaminants, such as metals and organics, as the steam pushes the waste through the ground toward an extraction well having subatmospheric pressure (vacuum). The steam and mobilized contaminants are drawn in a substantially horizontal direction to the extraction well and withdrawn to a treatment point above ground. The heat and boiling action of the front of the steam flow enhance the mobilizing effects of the chemical or gas additives. The method may also be utilized for immobilization of metals by using an additive in the steam which causes precipitation of the metals into clusters large enough to limit their future migration, while removing any organic contaminants.

Method of operator safety assessment for underground mobile mining equipment

Science.gov (United States)

Działak, Paulina; Karliński, Jacek; Rusiński, Eugeniusz

2018-01-01

The paper presents a method of assessing the safety of operators of mobile mining equipment (MME), which is adapted to current and future geological and mining conditions. The authors focused on underground mines, with special consideration of copper mines (KGHM). As extraction reaches into deeper layers of the deposit it can activate natural hazards, which, thus far, have been considered unusual and whose range and intensity are different depending on the field of operation. One of the main hazards that affect work safety and can become the main barrier in the exploitation of deposits at greater depths is climate threat. The authors have analysed the phenomena which may impact the safety of MME operators, with consideration of accidents that have not yet been studied and are not covered by the current safety standards for this group of miners. An attempt was made to develop a method for assessing the safety of MME operators, which takes into account the mentioned natural hazards and which is adapted to current and future environmental conditions in underground mines.

Method of operator safety assessment for underground mobile mining equipment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Działak Paulina

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents a method of assessing the safety of operators of mobile mining equipment (MME, which is adapted to current and future geological and mining conditions. The authors focused on underground mines, with special consideration of copper mines (KGHM. As extraction reaches into deeper layers of the deposit it can activate natural hazards, which, thus far, have been considered unusual and whose range and intensity are different depending on the field of operation. One of the main hazards that affect work safety and can become the main barrier in the exploitation of deposits at greater depths is climate threat. The authors have analysed the phenomena which may impact the safety of MME operators, with consideration of accidents that have not yet been studied and are not covered by the current safety standards for this group of miners. An attempt was made to develop a method for assessing the safety of MME operators, which takes into account the mentioned natural hazards and which is adapted to current and future environmental conditions in underground mines.

High resolution seismic survey (of the) Rawlins, Wyoming underground coal gasification area. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Youngberg, A.D.; Berkman, E.; Orange, A.S.

1983-01-01

In October 1982, a high resolution seismic survey was conducted at the Gulf Research and Development Company's underground coal gasification test site near Rawlins, Wyoming. The objectives of the survey were to utilize high resolution seismic technology to locate and characterize two underground coal burn zones. Seismic data acquisition and processing parameters were specifically designed to emphasize reflections at the shallow depths of interest. A three-dimensional grid of data was obtained over the Rawlins burn zones. Processing included time varying filters, trace composition, and two-dimensional areal stacking of the data in order to identify burn zone anomalies. An anomaly was discernable resulting from the rubble-collapse cavity associated with the burn zone which was studied in detail at the Rawlins 1 and 2 test sites. 21 refs., 20 figs.

Background radiation measurements at 400 meter underground for dark matter search study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, T. Y.; Kim, H. J.; Lee, Y. C.; Won, E.; Kim, S. K.; Kim, Y. D.; So, W. Y.

1999-01-01

Recently we have performed measurements of background radiation, which is crucial for any dark matter search experiments. We measured muons, neutrons, and gamma backgrounds at approximately 400 meter underground tunnel in the electric generating facility located about 120 km east of Seoul. We believe this may be the first measurement at this depth in Korea. The muon flux measured with triple coincidence between 3 scintillating plates was reduced by a factor of 10 4 compared with the flux at ground level as expected at this depth. The unshielded gamma background measured with 15% relative efficiency germanium detector was rather high due to the surrounding rocks. Shielded with 15 cm normal lead and 2.5 cm electrode copper gave about 0.5 counts/second. (author)

Effects of Sowing Media and Sowing Depth on Germination and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study examines the effect of sowing media and sowing depth on the germination and growth of Lecanodiscus cupanoides (Planch.Ex Benth). The germination of L. cupanoides seed was significantly affected by sowing depth and sowing medium at p=0.05. The result of various sowing media and sowing depth showed ...

A Psychosocial Approach to Understanding Underground Spaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eun H. Lee

2017-03-01

Full Text Available With a growing need for usable land in urban areas, subterranean development has been gaining attention. While construction of large underground complexes is not a new concept, our understanding of various socio-cultural aspects of staying underground is still at a premature stage. With projected emergence of underground built environments, future populations may spend much more of their working, transit, and recreational time in underground spaces. Therefore, it is essential to understand the challenges and advantages that such environments have to improve the future welfare of users of underground spaces. The current paper discusses various psycho-social aspects of underground spaces, the impact they can have on the culture shared among the occupants, and possible solutions to overcome some of these challenges.

Study of high energy physics underground. Technical progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-10-01

The Homestake Large Area Scintillation Detector consists of 140 tons of liquid scintillator in a hollow 8 m x 8 m x 16 m box surrounding the Brookhaven 37 Cl solar neutrino detector. The experiment is located at a depth of 4850 ft. (4200 m.w.e.) in the Homestake Gold Mine. Half of the detector is currently running; the full detector will be taking data by the fall of 1984. An extensive air shower array is also currently under construction on the earth's surface above the underground detector, consisting of 100 scintillators, each 3 m 2 , covering approximately 0.8 km 2 ; the first portion of the surface array will also be providing data this fall. Together, the new Homestake detectors will be used to search for slow, massive magnetic monopoles; study the zenith angle distribution of neutrino-induced muons; search for neutrino bursts from the gravitational collapse of massive stars; measure the multiplicity and transverse momentum distributions of cosmic ray muons; and study the composition of the primary cosmic rays. The underground device and its capabilities as a monopole detector are described, followed by the surface array and the cosmic ray studies

Appraisal of hard rock for potential underground repositories of radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, N.G.W.

1977-10-01

The mechanical safety and stability of such an underground repository depends largely on the virgin state of stress in the rock, groundwater pressures, the strengths of the rocks, heating by the decay of the radioactive wastes, and the layout of the excavations and the disposition of waste cannisters within them. A large body of pertinent data exists in the literature, and each of these factors has been analyzed in the light of this information. The results indicate that there are no fundamental geological nor mechanical reasons why repositories capable of storing radioactive wastes should not be excavated at suitable sites in hard rock. However, specific tests to determine the mechanical and thermal properties of the rocks at a site would be needed to provide the data for the engineering design of a repository. Also, little experience exists of the effects on underground excavations of thermal loads, so that this aspect requires theoretical study and experimental validation. The depths of these potential repositories would lie in the range from 0.5 to 2.0 km below surface, depending upon the strength of the rock. Virgin states of stress have been measured at such depths which would retard the ingress of groundwater and obviate the incidence of faulting. A typical repository comprising three horizons each with a total area of 5 km 2 would have the capacity to store wastes with thermal output of 240 MW

Underground Storage Tanks in Iowa

Data.gov (United States)

Iowa State University GIS Support and Research Facility — Underground storage tank (UST) sites which store petroleum in Iowa. Includes sites which have been reported to DNR, and have active or removed underground storage...

Homestake surface-underground scintillators: Initial results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cherry, M.L.; Corbato, S.; Daily, T.; Fenyves, E.J.; Kieda, D.; Lande, K.; Lee, C.K.

1986-01-01

The first 70 tons of the 140-ton Large Area Scintillation Detector (LASD) have been operating since Jan. 1985 at a depth of 4850 ft. (4200 m.w.e.) in the Homestake Gold Mine, Lead, S.D. A total of 4 x 10(4) high-energy muons (E sub mu is approx. 2.7 TeV at the surface) have been detected. The remainder of the detector is scheduled to be in operation by the Fall of 1985. In addition, a surface air shower array is under construction. The first 27 surface counters, spaced out over an area of 270' x 500', began running in June, 1985. The LASD performance, the potential of the combined shower array and underground muon experiment for detecting point sources, and the initial results of a search for periodic emission from Cygnus X-3 are discussed

Underground nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Hideo.

1997-01-01

In an underground-type nuclear power plant, groups of containing cavities comprising a plurality of containing cavities connected in series laterally by way of partition walls are disposed in parallel underground. Controlled communication tunnels for communicating the containing cavities belonging to a control region to each other, and non-controlled communication tunnels for communicating containing cavities belonging to a non-controlled area to each other are disposed underground. A controlled corridor tunnel and a non-controlled corridor tunnel extended so as to surround the containing cavity groups are disposed underground, and the containing cavities belonging to the controlled area are connected to the controlled corridor tunnel respectively, and the containing cavities belonging to the non-controlled area are connected to the non-controlled corridor tunnel respectively. The excavating amount of earth and sand upon construction can be reduced by disposing the containing cavity groups comprising a plurality of containing cavities connected in series laterally. The time and the cost for the construction can be reduced, and various excellent effects can be provided. (N.H.)

Influence of rock spalling on concrete lining in shaft sinking at the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsusaka, Kimikazu; Inagaki, Daisuke; Nago, Makito; Koike, Masashi; Matsubara, Makoto; Sugawara, Kentaro

2013-01-01

A shaft is the shortest way to access the deep underground. In shaft sinking through large-scale faults or under low competence factor, spalling of shaft walls is likely to occur. Although earlier studies indicated that rock spalling is an undesirable phenomenon that threatens safety in excavation work and causes delay in construction schedule, there have been few studies which discussed damage to concrete lining induced by spalling. Japan Atomic Energy Agency has been constructing three shafts (one for ventilation and the others for access) to a depth of 500 m in the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory. During the construction of the Ventilation Shaft (4.5 m diameter) below a depth of 250 m, rock spalling occurred at several depths and an open crack developed in the concrete lining installed just above the location of the rock spalling. In this study, the geometry of the shaft wall was measured using a three-dimensional laser scanner. Numerical analysis was also conducted to estimate changes in stress distribution and deformation induced by rock spalling in both the concrete lining and the surrounding rock. As a result, it was clarified that rock spalling induced a vertical tensile stress in the concrete lining. Especially, the tensile stress in a concrete lining was likely to exceed the tensile strength of the concrete lining when it developed more than 100 cm into the wall rock. (author)

The effect of spatially varying velocity field on the transport of radioactivity in a porous medium.

Science.gov (United States)

Sen, Soubhadra; Srinivas, C V; Baskaran, R; Venkatraman, B

2016-10-01

In the event of an accidental leak of the immobilized nuclear waste from an underground repository, it may come in contact of the flow of underground water and start migrating. Depending on the nature of the geological medium, the flow velocity of water may vary spatially. Here, we report a numerical study on the migration of radioactivity due to a space dependent flow field. For a detailed analysis, seven different types of velocity profiles are considered and the corresponding concentrations are compared. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

UNDERGROUND ECONOMY, GDP AND STOCK MARKET

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caus Vasile Aurel

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Economic growth is affected by the size and dynamics of underground economy. Determining this size is a subject of research for many authors. In this paper we present the relationship between underground economy dynamics and the dynamics of stock markets. The observations are based on regression used by Tanzi (1983 and the relationship between GDP and stock market presented in Tudor (2008. The conclusion of this paper is that the dynamics of underground economy is influenced by dynamic of financial markets. Thus, using specific stock market mathematical tools analysis, one can analyze the dynamic of underground economy

Capital Subsidies and the Underground Economy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Busato, Francesco; Chiarini, Bruno; Angelis, Pasquale de

In this paper we investigate the effects of different fiscal policies on the firm choice to produce underground. We consider a tax evading firm operating simultaneously both in the regular and in the underground economy. We suggest that such a kind of firm, referred to as moonlighting firm, is able...... allocation in the underground production. In fact, a strong and inverse relationship is found, and tax reduction is the best policy to reduce the convenience to produce underground. Wealso confirm the depressing effect on investment of taxation (see, for instance, Summers,1981), so that tax reduction has...

An outline of 1994-1996 geological studies for underground laboratory siting in the Charroux-Civray sediment-capped granitic massif-(southern Vienne-Poitou-France)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Virlogeux, D. [ANDRA, Chatenay-Malabry (France)

1998-09-01

Following the selection of four potentially favourable districts, ANDRA carried out a comprehensive geological investigation in the cantons of Charroux and Civray in order to assess the suitability of a large volume of granitic rocks to host an underground laboratory according to safety regulations. Surface mapping, regional aeromagnetic and gravimetric surveys, seismic reflection lines and 16 cored boreholes led to the selection of a tonalitic unit near La Chapelle-Baton as the target formation to be proposed for detailed study. This volume extends over an area of more than 3x4 km at the surface and at least 800m vertically. There appears to be no prohibitive factors to installation of an underground laboratory for further exploration, particularly from the hydrogeological standpoint. Magmatic joint-type small fracturing shows no variation with depth and polyphasic hydrothermal history has led to plugging the fractures with clays and carbonates. Alkaline fluids crystallising Adular (-126 My) has led to a strong reduction in the initial permeability of basement paleo-weathering zone. The horizontal and relatively fault-free sedimentary cover reveals a simple tectonic history during the last 200 My. One of the objectives of the laboratory study program will be to confirm the conceptual model of slow, shallow circulation in depth, based on the following data: Low frequency water inflows, obtained in the boreholes by pumping and testing, show the very low permeability of (pluri)hectometric blocks delineated by conducting faults. Low hydraulic gradients recorded in the boreholes are consistent with regional topography, and hydraulic heads in the granite similar or lower than those recorded in the overlying sedimentary aquifers. The chemical composition of granitic waters exhibits significant salinity at depth, and is different from the Lias and Dogger aquifer waters, indicating limited hydraulic relationships. The origin and age of the salinity is still under debate

Monitoring underground movements

CERN Multimedia

Antonella Del Rosso

2015-01-01

On 16 September 2015 at 22:54:33 (UTC), an 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Chile. 11,650 km away, at CERN, a new-generation instrument – the Precision Laser Inclinometer (PLI) – recorded the extreme event. The PLI is being tested by a JINR/CERN/ATLAS team to measure the movements of underground structures and detectors.   The Precision Laser Inclinometer during assembly. The instrument has proven very accurate when taking measurements of the movements of underground structures at CERN.    The Precision Laser Inclinometer is an extremely sensitive device capable of monitoring ground angular oscillations in a frequency range of 0.001-1 Hz with a precision of 10-10 rad/Hz1/2. The instrument is currently installed in one of the old ISR transfer tunnels (TT1) built in 1970. However, its final destination could be the ATLAS cavern, where it would measure and monitor the fine movements of the underground structures, which can affect the precise posi...

Cavities produced by underground nuclear explosions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butkovich, T.R.

1976-01-01

This investigation studied the displacement of rock that formerly occupied cavities produced by underground nuclear explosions. There are three possible explanations for this displacement: the volume could be displaced to the free surface; it could occupy previously air-filled pores removed from the surrounding rock through compaction; or it could be accounted for by persisting compressive stresses induced by the outgoing shock wave. The analysis shows it unlikely that stored residual elastic stresses account for large fractions of cavity volumes. There is limited experimental evidence that free surface displacement accounts for a significant portion of this volume. Whenever the explosion mediums contain air-filled pores, the compaction of these pores most likely accounts for all the volume. Calculations show that 4 percent air-filled porosity can account for all the cavity volume within about 4 cavity radii and that even 1 percent can account for a significant fraction of the volume

A review of international underground laboratory developments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng Jianping; Yue Qian; Wu Shiyong; Shen Manbin

2011-01-01

Underground laboratories are essential for various important physics areas such as the search for dark matter, double beta decay, neutrino oscillation, and proton decay. At the same time, they are also a very important location for studying rock mechanics, earth structure evolution,and ecology. It is essential for a nation's basic research capability to construct and develop underground laboratories. In the past, China had no high-quality underground laboratory,in particular no deep underground laboratory,so her scientists could not work independently in major fields such as the search for dark matter,but had to collaborate with foreign scientists and share the space of foreign underground laboratories. In 2009, Tsinghua university collaborated with the Ertan Hydropower Development Company to construct an extremely deep underground laboratory, the first in China and currently the deepest in the world, in the Jinping traffic tunnel which was built to develop hydropower from the Yalong River in Sichuan province. This laboratory is named the China Jinping Underground Laboratory (CJPL) and formally opened on December 12, 2010. It is now a major independent platform in China and can host various leading basic research projects. We present a brief review of the development of various international underground laboratories,and especially describe CJPL in detail. (authors)

DaMaSCUS: the impact of underground scatterings on direct detection of light dark matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Emken, Timon; Kouvaris, Chris, E-mail: emken@cp3.sdu.dk, E-mail: kouvaris@cp3.sdu.dk [CP3-Origins, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense (Denmark)

2017-10-01

Conventional dark matter direct detection experiments set stringent constraints on dark matter by looking for elastic scattering events between dark matter particles and nuclei in underground detectors. However these constraints weaken significantly in the sub-GeV mass region, simply because light dark matter does not have enough energy to trigger detectors regardless of the dark matter-nucleon scattering cross section. Even if future experiments lower their energy thresholds, they will still be blind to parameter space where dark matter particles interact with nuclei strongly enough that they lose enough energy and become unable to cause a signal above the experimental threshold by the time they reach the underground detector. Therefore in case dark matter is in the sub-GeV region and strongly interacting, possible underground scatterings of dark matter with terrestrial nuclei must be taken into account because they affect significantly the recoil spectra and event rates, regardless of whether the experiment probes DM via DM-nucleus or DM-electron interaction. To quantify this effect we present the publicly available Dark Matter Simulation Code for Underground Scatterings (DaMaSCUS), a Monte Carlo simulator of DM trajectories through the Earth taking underground scatterings into account. Our simulation allows the precise calculation of the density and velocity distribution of dark matter at any detector of given depth and location on Earth. The simulation can also provide the accurate recoil spectrum in underground detectors as well as the phase and amplitude of the diurnal modulation caused by this shadowing effect of the Earth, ultimately relating the modulations expected in different detectors, which is important to decisively conclude if a diurnal modulation is due to dark matter or an irrelevant background.

DaMaSCUS: the impact of underground scatterings on direct detection of light dark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emken, Timon; Kouvaris, Chris

2017-01-01

Conventional dark matter direct detection experiments set stringent constraints on dark matter by looking for elastic scattering events between dark matter particles and nuclei in underground detectors. However these constraints weaken significantly in the sub-GeV mass region, simply because light dark matter does not have enough energy to trigger detectors regardless of the dark matter-nucleon scattering cross section. Even if future experiments lower their energy thresholds, they will still be blind to parameter space where dark matter particles interact with nuclei strongly enough that they lose enough energy and become unable to cause a signal above the experimental threshold by the time they reach the underground detector. Therefore in case dark matter is in the sub-GeV region and strongly interacting, possible underground scatterings of dark matter with terrestrial nuclei must be taken into account because they affect significantly the recoil spectra and event rates, regardless of whether the experiment probes DM via DM-nucleus or DM-electron interaction. To quantify this effect we present the publicly available Dark Matter Simulation Code for Underground Scatterings (DaMaSCUS), a Monte Carlo simulator of DM trajectories through the Earth taking underground scatterings into account. Our simulation allows the precise calculation of the density and velocity distribution of dark matter at any detector of given depth and location on Earth. The simulation can also provide the accurate recoil spectrum in underground detectors as well as the phase and amplitude of the diurnal modulation caused by this shadowing effect of the Earth, ultimately relating the modulations expected in different detectors, which is important to decisively conclude if a diurnal modulation is due to dark matter or an irrelevant background.

Locating and defining underground goaf caused by coal mining from space-borne SAR interferometry

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Zefa; Li, Zhiwei; Zhu, Jianjun; Yi, Huiwei; Feng, Guangcai; Hu, Jun; Wu, Lixin; Preusse, Alex; Wang, Yunjia; Papst, Markus

2018-01-01

It is crucial to locate underground goafs (i.e., mined-out areas) resulting from coal mining and define their spatial dimensions for effectively controlling the induced damages and geohazards. Traditional geophysical techniques for locating and defining underground goafs, however, are ground-based, labour-consuming and costly. This paper presents a novel space-based method for locating and defining the underground goaf caused by coal extraction using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) techniques. As the coal mining-induced goaf is often a cuboid-shaped void and eight critical geometric parameters (i.e., length, width, height, inclined angle, azimuth angle, mining depth, and two central geodetic coordinates) are capable of locating and defining this underground space, the proposed method reduces to determine the eight geometric parameters from InSAR observations. Therefore, it first applies the Probability Integral Method (PIM), a widely used model for mining-induced deformation prediction, to construct a functional relationship between the eight geometric parameters and the InSAR-derived surface deformation. Next, the method estimates these geometric parameters from the InSAR-derived deformation observations using a hybrid simulated annealing and genetic algorithm. Finally, the proposed method was tested with both simulated and two real data sets. The results demonstrate that the estimated geometric parameters of the goafs are accurate and compatible overall, with averaged relative errors of approximately 2.1% and 8.1% being observed for the simulated and the real data experiments, respectively. Owing to the advantages of the InSAR observations, the proposed method provides a non-contact, convenient and practical method for economically locating and defining underground goafs in a large spatial area from space.

On the determination of the thermal comfort conditions of a metropolitan city underground railway.

Science.gov (United States)

Katavoutas, George; Assimakopoulos, Margarita N; Asimakopoulos, Dimosthenis N

2016-10-01

Although the indoor thermal comfort concept has received increasing research attention, the vast majority of published work has been focused on the building environment, such as offices, residential and non-residential buildings. The present study aims to investigate the thermal comfort conditions in the unique and complex underground railway environment. Field measurements of air temperature, air humidity, air velocity, globe temperature and the number of passengers were conducted in the modern underground railway of Athens, Greece. Environmental monitoring was performed in the interior of two types of trains (air-conditioned and forced air ventilation cabins) and on selected platforms during the summer period. The thermal comfort was estimated using the PMV (predicted mean vote) and the PPD (predicted percentage dissatisfied) scales. The results reveal that the recommended thermal comfort requirements, although at relatively low percentages are met only in air-conditioned cabins. It is found that only 33% of the PPD values in air-conditioned cabins can be classified in the less restrictive comfort class C, as proposed by ISO-7730. The thermal environment is "slightly warm" in air-conditioned cabins and "warm" in forced air ventilation cabins. In addition, differences of the thermal comfort conditions on the platforms are shown to be associated with the depth and the design characteristics of the stations. The average PMV at the station with small depth is 0.9 scale points higher than that of the station with great depth. The number of passengers who are waiting at the platforms during daytime reveals a U-shaped pattern for a deep level station and an inverted course of PMV for a small depth station. Further, preliminary observations are made on the distribution of air velocity on the platforms and on the impact of air velocity on the thermal comfort conditions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Concept Design and Development Model of Underground Villas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xinrong Liu

2015-08-01

Full Text Available With the rapid development of society, modern buildings have been consuming excessive amount of energy and resources. Eco-friendly building is going to be the leading style of architecture in the future. Underground villa, as a type of energy efficient architecture, has widely drawn humans’ attention. However, Chinese are still at an exploratory stage in terms of the development of underground construction. This paper describes several typical underground villas in western developed countries; briefly states the advantages and shortcomings of underground villas; discusses the design of style-planning, inner-space design, lighting and ventilation, and waterproof and fireproof of underground villas; also puts forward how to improve the living environment of underground villas. Besides, the paper suggests an innovative concept of underground living that best suits China’s market based on the merits of underground villas and the analysis upon China’s traditional cave-house. In addition, it roughly analyzes the prospect of this innovate style of dwelling in China.

Cathode protection for underground steel tanks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Angelovski, Zoran

1998-01-01

Cathodic protection of underground petroleum storage tanks and piping systems is acceptable for both economic and ecological reasons. With out the cathodic protection of underground steel reservoirs, short time after the exploitation, there was a bore as a result of underground corrosion. The bore causes ecological consequences and at the same time its repair needs big investments. Furthermore, there are great number of tanks placed near cities, so in the future this problem needs a special attention in order to preserve ecological surrounding. The topic of this paper is underground corrosion as well as cathodic protection of steel tanks for oil derivatives storage. (author)

Modelling of Gas Flow in the Underground Coal Gasification Process and its Interactions with the Rock Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomasz Janoszek

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The main goal of this study was the analysis of gas flow in the underground coal gasification process and interactions with the surrounding rock mass. The article is a discussion of the assumptions for the geometric model and for the numerical method for its solution as well as assumptions for modelling the geochemical model of the interaction between gas-rock-water, in terms of equilibrium calculations, chemical and gas flow modelling in porous mediums. Ansys-Fluent software was used to describe the underground coal gasification process (UCG. The numerical solution was compared with experimental data. The PHREEQC program was used to describe the chemical reaction between the gaseous products of the UCG process and the rock strata in the presence of reservoir waters.

30 CFR 57.8519 - Underground main fan controls.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Underground main fan controls. 57.8519 Section... Ventilation Surface and Underground § 57.8519 Underground main fan controls. All underground main fans shall have controls placed at a suitable protected location remote from the fan and preferably on the surface...

40 CFR 280.230 - Operating an underground storage tank or underground storage tank system.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... underground storage tank or underground storage tank system. (a) Operating an UST or UST system prior to...) Operating an UST or UST system after foreclosure. The following provisions apply to a holder who, through..., the purchaser must decide whether to operate or close the UST or UST system in accordance with...

Underground disposal of radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

This report is an overview document for the series of IAEA reports dealing with underground waste disposal to be prepared in the next few years. It provides an introduction to the general considerations involved in implementing underground disposal of radioactive wastes. It suggests factors to be taken into account for developing and assessing waste disposal concepts, including the conditioned waste form, the geological containment and possible additional engineered barriers. These guidelines are general so as to cover a broad range of conditions. They are generally applicable to all types of underground disposal, but the emphasis is on disposal in deep geological formations. Some information presented here may require slight modifications when applied to shallow ground disposal or other types of underground disposal. Modifications may also be needed to reflect local conditions. In some specific cases it may be that not all the considerations dealt with in this book are necessary; on the other hand, while most major considerations are believed to be included, they are not meant to be all-inclusive. The book primarily concerns only underground disposal of the wastes from nuclear fuel cycle operations and those which arise from the use of isotopes for medical and research activities

Underground mining long-term impacts on forest lands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liblik, V.; Toomik, A.; Rull, E.; Pensa, M.

2000-01-01

Underground mining of oil shale in northeastern Estonia causes changes in the exterior of the local landscape in the form of depression with a depth up to 1.7 metres. As a result of the changing water regime (formation of small water-bodies and marshy areas) the environmental conditions in subsided areas will be affected as well, influencing the development and alternation of local plant communities. Researches and surveys in the subsided area, which was formed 20 years ago in the area of room-and-pillar mining, prove that the former forest has become a poor fen that may further develop to a swamp forest or a transitional bog forest. The affected areas are of great interest from the viewpoint of landscape diversity. (author)

Wireless transmission of monitoring data out of the Hades underground laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schroeder, T.J.; Hart, J.

2012-01-01

Document available in extended abstract form only. For the monitoring of geological waste disposal in the post-closure phase, data acquired by the underground monitoring system inside the repository need to be transmitted wirelessly through the underground to the surface. Low frequency magneto-induction techniques as applied in mine communication and rescue can potentially be used for the wireless transmission of data from the repository to the surface. However, the propagation of magnetic fields through porous argillaceous rocks like the Boom Clay is hindered by the high electrical conductivity of the rock. As part of the European 7. framework project MoDeRn, Monitoring Developments for safe Repository operation and staged closure, NRG is conducting tests on the wireless transmission of monitoring data under conditions representative for a generic Dutch disposal in Boom Clay. This should help to judge the general feasibility of long-term wireless data transmission from an underground repository through the enclosing host rock and the overlying geosphere to the surface. Experimental work As contribution to the MoDeRn Work Package 3, In-situ demonstration of innovative monitoring techniques, NRG conducts tests on the wireless transmission of signals and data. The wireless data transmission experiments of NRG are being performed at the HADES Underground Research Laboratory (URL) in Mol, Belgium, situated at 225 m depth in a 100 m thick layer of Boom Clay. The main objective of the contribution is to quantify and optimise the energy efficiency of the transmission technique used. Because the Boom Clay and the overlying aquifers attenuate the magnetic fields more strongly than other host rocks, it is assumed that transmission experiments performed in the HADES give a more realistic picture on field propagation than experiments performed e.g. in granite, salt rock or Opalinus clay. Although the generic depth for the Dutch disposal design is 500 m, the experiments

Buried Object Detection Method Using Optimum Frequency Range in Extremely Shallow Underground

Science.gov (United States)

Sugimoto, Tsuneyoshi; Abe, Touma

2011-07-01

We propose a new detection method for buried objects using the optimum frequency response range of the corresponding vibration velocity. Flat speakers and a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (SLDV) are used for noncontact acoustic imaging in the extremely shallow underground. The exploration depth depends on the sound pressure, but it is usually less than 10 cm. Styrofoam, wood (silver fir), and acrylic boards of the same size, different size styrofoam boards, a hollow toy duck, a hollow plastic container, a plastic container filled with sand, a hollow steel can and an unglazed pot are used as buried objects which are buried in sand to about 2 cm depth. The imaging procedure of buried objects using the optimum frequency range is given below. First, the standardized difference from the average vibration velocity is calculated for all scan points. Next, using this result, underground images are made using a constant frequency width to search for the frequency response range of the buried object. After choosing an approximate frequency response range, the difference between the average vibration velocity for all points and that for several points that showed a clear response is calculated for the final confirmation of the optimum frequency range. Using this optimum frequency range, we can obtain the clearest image of the buried object. From the experimental results, we confirmed the effectiveness of our proposed method. In particular, a clear image of the buried object was obtained when the SLDV image was unclear.

The application of alpha-card measurement to search underground water resources in bedrock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiong Fulin; Liang Jinhua

1986-01-01

The alpha-card measurement is a new kind of nuclear technique to evaluate the concentration of the radium and thorium emanations with a short-time accumulation. It has shown the wonderful characteristics of higher sensitivity, greater detective depth, less interference and shorter work period when applied to search underground water resources in bedrock. The satisfactory result of its application in Pingyin limestone area is described. The principle of the alpha-card measurement and the foundation of its application are briefly discussed

Regulating and Combating Underground Banking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Borgers, M.J.

2009-01-01

In combating and regulating underground banking, a choice can be made of roughly two models, the risk model and the assimilation model. The risk model comes down to a complete prohibition of underground banking combined with an active investigation and prosecution policy. In the assimilation model,

Unsaturated medium hydrocarbons pollution evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Di Luise, G.

1991-01-01

When the so called porous unsaturated medium, that's the vertical subsoil section between both the ground and water-table level, is interested by a hydrocarbons spill, the problem to evaluate the pollution becomes difficult: considering, essentially, the natural coexistence in it of two fluids, air and water, and the interactions between them. This paper reports that the problems tend to increase when a third fluid, the pollutant, immiscible with water, is introduced into the medium: a three-phases flow, which presents several analogies with the flow conditions present in an oil-reservoir, will be established. In such a situation, it would be very useful to handle the matter by the commonly used parameters in the oil reservoirs studies such as: residual saturation, relative permeability, phases mobility, to derive a first semiquantitative estimation of the pollution. The subsoil pollution form hydrocarbons agents is one of the worldwide more diffused causes of contamination: such events are generally referable to two main effects: accidental (oil pipeline breakdowns, e.g.), and continuous (underground tanks breaks, industrial plants leakages, e.g.)

Underground Politics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Galis, Vasilis; Summerton, Jane

Public spaces are often contested sites involving the political use of sociomaterial arrangements to check, control and filter the flow of people (see Virilio 1977, 1996). Such arrangements can include configurations of state-of-the-art policing technologies for delineating and demarcating borders...... status updates on identity checks at the metro stations in Stockholm and reports on locations and time of ticket controls for warning travelers. Thus the attempts by authorities to exert control over the (spatial) arena of the underground is circumvented by the effective developing of an alternative...... infrastructural "underground" consisting of assemblages of technologies, activists, immigrants without papers, texts and emails, homes, smart phones and computers. Investigating the embedded politics of contested spatial arrangements as characteristic of specific societies one can discover not only the uses...

Groundwater and underground coal gasification in Alberta

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haluszka, A.; MacMillan, G.; Maev, S.

2010-01-01

Underground coal gasification has potential in Alberta. This presentation provided background information on underground coal gasification and discussed groundwater and the Laurus Energy demonstration project. A multi-disciplined approach to project assessment was described with particular reference to geologic and hydrogeologic setting; geologic mapping; and a hydrogeologic numerical model. Underground coal gasification involves the conversion of coal into synthesis gas or syngas. It can be applied to mined coal at the surface or applied to non-mined coal seams using injection and production wells. Underground coal gasification can effect groundwater as the rate of water influx into the coal seams influences the quality and composition of the syngas. Byproducts created include heat as well as water with dissolved concentrations of ammonia, phenols, salts, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and liquid organic products from the pyrolysis of coal. A process overview of underground coal gasification was also illustrated. It was concluded that underground coal gasification has the potential in Alberta and risks to groundwater could be minimized by a properly designed project. refs., figs.

Monitoring underground water leakage pattern by ground penetrating radar (GPR) using 800 MHz antenna frequency

Science.gov (United States)

Amran, T. S. T.; Ismail, M. P.; Ahmad, M. R.; Amin, M. S. M.; Ismail, M. A.; Sani, S.; Masenwat, N. A.; Basri, N. S. M.

2018-01-01

Water is the most treasure natural resources, however, a huge amount of water are lost during its distribution that leads to water leakage problem. The leaks meant the waste of money and created more economic loss to treat and fix the damaged pipe. Researchers and engineers have put tremendous attempts and effort, to solve the water leakage problem especially in water leakage of buried pipeline. An advanced technology of ground penetrating radar (GPR) has been established as one of the non-destructive testing (NDT) method to detect the underground water pipe leaking. This paper focuses on the ability of GPR in water utility field especially on detection of water leaks in the underground pipeline distribution. A series of laboratory experiments were carried out using 800-MHz antenna, where the performance of GPR on detecting underground pipeline and locating water leakage was investigated and validated. A prototype to recreate water-leaking system was constructed using a 4-inch PVC pipe. Different diameter of holes, i.e. ¼ inch, ½ inch, and ¾ inch, were drilled into the pipe to simulate the water leaking. The PVC pipe was buried at the depth of 60 cm into the test bed that was filled with dry sand. 15 litres of water was injected into the PVC pipe. The water leakage patterns in term of radargram data were gathered. The effectiveness of the GPR in locating the underground water leakage was ascertained, after the results were collected and verified.

Estimation of underground structures in the Osaka-Kobe area by array-network observations of microtremors; Bido no array kansoku ni yoru Osaka-Hyogo chiiki no chika kozo no suitei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Okada, H; Ishikawa, K; Ling, S [Hokkaido University, Sapporo (Japan); Sasabe, K [Ministry of Construction, Tokyo (Japan)

1997-05-27

Microtremor observations have been carried out with an objective to estimate underground structures including the foundation depth in the Osaka-Kobe area which has been greatly damaged by the Hyogoken-nanbu earthquake in 1995. Different organizations have made seismic surveys and boring investigations in this area, by which elucidation has been made on the underground structures. The present observations are intended to identify S-wave velocity distribution in a wide area from the ground surface to the foundation, which is difficult to be verified by using conventional surveys and investigations. Methods to detect surface waves which are contained in microtremors include the frequency-wave number method (the F-K method) and the spatial autocorrelation method (the SPAC method). The SPAC method can estimate phase velocities of longer waves for the size of an array than with the F-K method, and is more advantageous in estimating ground structures at greater depths. S-wave velocity structure was estimated down to the foundation rocks existing in depths of about 0.5 to 2.0 km. For estimating the phase velocities in Raleigh waves, the SPAC method and the expanded spatial autocorrelation method were used. The underground structures thus derived showed a good agreement with the results of explorations using other methods. 8 figs., 1 tab.

Depths of controlled drillings by means of underground drives; Teufen von gesteuerten Bohrungen mittels Untertageantrieben

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hengevoss, Charly [Weatherford Ukraine LLC, Kiev (Ukraine); Homrighausen, Reiner [BAUER Resources GmbH, Schrobenhausen (Germany)

2013-03-01

Today, the most modern directional drilling technology not only is used in case of very deep drillings (deeper or longer than 2,000 meter) by means of deep-level drilling rigs, but also with small, highly mobile universal drilling rigs. Thus, drilling costs are reduced, and unconventional hydrocarbons (methane gas - oil shale and shale gas) deposits are explores economically. Furthermore, known near-surface petroleum deposits in Northern Germany as well as in other parts of the Earth (such as in Romania, the U.S.A. or in Canada) which extraction of petroleum is very low already are interesting economically. Furthermore, today it is possible to investigate with controlled drillings more economically and with more safe sites for a possibly final storage of highly radioactive wastes. Controlled drillings may give an answer to geotechnical questions on highly inaccessible on optimum points for drilling wells in order to plan underground cavities or to investigate tunnel axes geotechnical or hydrological.

Experience acquired with the realisation of a geotechnical measurement campaign in a deep clay formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manfroy, P.; Neerdael, B.; Buyens, M.

1985-01-01

Belgium has selected clay as a possible disposal medium for conditioned radioactive waste. CEN/SCK has launched an important research and development programme to evaluate the disposal potential of the Boom clay formation present under the nuclear site Mol-Dessel. An underground facility has been built at 220 m. depth in order to proceed to geomechanical, corrosion, migration and heat transfer experiments. During its construction numerous geotechnical measuring instruments were emplaced on the lining and in the clay medium. Successful realization of such measurement campaigns was hampered by the very difficult underground working conditions. This paper describes what can be learned from the experience gained so far. 5 refs.; 5 figs

Underground Pumped Storage Hydropower using abandoned open pit mines: influence of groundwater seepage on the system efficiency

Science.gov (United States)

Pujades, Estanislao; Bodeux, Sarah; Orban, Philippe; Dassargues, Alain

2016-04-01

Pumped Storage Hydropower (PSH) plants can be used to manage the production of electrical energy according to the demand. These plants allow storing and generating electricity during low and high demand energy periods, respectively. Nevertheless, PSH plants require a determined topography because two reservoirs located at different heights are needed. At sites where PSH plants cannot be constructed due to topography requirements (flat regions), Underground Pumped Storage Hydropower (UPSH) plants can be used to adjust the electricity production. These plants consist in two reservoirs, the upper one is located at the surface (or at shallow depth) while the lower one is underground (or deeper). Abandoned open pit mines can be used as lower reservoirs but these are rarely isolated. As a consequence, UPSH plants will interact with surrounding aquifers exchanging groundwater. Groundwater seepage will modify hydraulic head inside the underground reservoir affecting global efficiency of the UPSH plant. The influence on the plant efficiency caused by the interaction between UPSH plants and aquifers will depend on the aquifer parameters, underground reservoir properties and pumping and injection characteristics. The alteration of the efficiency produced by the groundwater exchanges, which has not been previously considered, is now studied numerically. A set of numerical simulations are performed to establish in terms of efficiency the effects of groundwater exchanges and the optimum conditions to locate an UPSH plant.

Radon-222 signatures of natural ventilation regimes in an underground quarry.

Science.gov (United States)

Perrier, Frédéric; Richon, Patrick; Crouzeix, Catherine; Morat, Pierre; Le Mouël, Jean Louis

2004-01-01

Radon-222 activity concentration has been monitored since 1999 in an underground limestone quarry located in Vincennes, near Paris, France. It is homogeneous in summer, with an average value of 1700 Bq m(-3), and varies from 730 to 1450 Bq m(-3) in winter, indicating natural ventilation with a rate ranging from 0.5 to 2.4 x 10(-6) s(-1) (0.04-0.22 day(-1)). This hypothesis is supported by measurements in the vertical access pit where, in winter, a turbulent air current produces a stable radon profile, smoothly decreasing from 700 Bq m(-3) at 20 m depth to 300 Bq m(-3) at surface. In summer, a thermal stratification is maintained in the pit, but the radon-222 concentration jumps repeatedly between 100 and 2000 Bq m(-3). These jumps are due to atmospheric pressure pumping, which induces ventilation in the quarry at a rate of about 0.1 x 10(-6) s(-1) (0.009 day(-1)). Radon-222 monitoring thus provides a dynamical characterisation of ventilation regimes, which is important for the assessment of the long-term evolution of underground systems.

Depth of source from long period P-waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roy, Falguni

1986-01-01

Short period (SP) seismograms are much better than long period (LP) seismograms to get the time resolution needed for the focal depth estimation. However, complex scattering effects due to crustal inhomogeneities and also the multi-pathing of signals usually complicate the short period records. On the other hand the seismograms from long period signals demonstrate clear coherent body waves. Therefore, for intermediate depths (15-60 km) prediction error filtering of LP signals will be useful for identifying the depth phases. Such a study has been carried out in the first part of this report. In a group of 7 events, the p p phases have been extracted from LP signals and the depths so estimated compared well with the published data. For explosions at shallow depths (depth p phases will tend to cancel each other in LP seismograms. As the source depth increases, the cancellation becomes less effective. This feature can be used for the identification of an event as well as for getting an estimate of the source depth. This phenomenon can be successfully exploited for identifying multiple explosions, because at teleseismic distances (Δ > 30 o ) no LP (around 20s period) P waves will be seen in the seismogram due to such events whereas relatively strong SP signals and LP Rayleigh waves will be observed. This phenomenon has been studied for 16 events. For three of these events having m b as high as 6.1 and presumed to be underground explosions, one could not see any P wave on remaining 13 events (which were classified as earthquakes), it was possible to set a threshold value of m b above which an earthquake should produce LP P-wave signals at a given distance. (author)

Underground reactor containments: An option for the future?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsberg, C.W.; Kress, T.

1997-01-01

Changing world conditions and changing technologies suggest that serious consideration should be given to siting of nuclear power plants underground. Underground siting is not a new concept. Multiple research reactors, several weapons production reactors, and one power reactor have been built underground. What is new are the technologies and incentives that may now make underground siting a preferred option. The conditions and technologies, along with their implications, are discussed herein. Underground containments can be constructed in mined cavities or pits that are then backfilled with thick layers of rock and soil. Conventional above-ground containments resist assaults and accidents because of the strength of their construction materials and the effectiveness of their safety features that are engineered to reduce loads. However, underground containments can provide even more resistance to assaults and accidents because of the inertia of the mass of materials over the reactor. High-technology weapons or some internal accidents can cause existing strong-material containments to fail, but only very-high energy releases can move large inertial masses associated with underground containments. New methods of isolation may provide a higher confidence in isolation that is independent of operator action

Underground infrastructure damage for a Chicago scenario

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dey, Thomas N [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Bos, Rabdall J [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2011-01-25

Estimating effects due to an urban IND (improvised nuclear device) on underground structures and underground utilities is a challenging task. Nuclear effects tests performed at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) during the era of nuclear weapons testing provides much information on how underground military structures respond. Transferring this knowledge to answer questions about the urban civilian environment is needed to help plan responses to IND scenarios. Explosions just above the ground surface can only couple a small fraction of the blast energy into an underground shock. The various forms of nuclear radiation have limited penetration into the ground. While the shock transmitted into the ground carries only a small fraction of the blast energy, peak stresses are generally higher and peak ground displacement is lower than in the air blast. While underground military structures are often designed to resist stresses substantially higher than due to the overlying rocks and soils (overburden), civilian structures such as subways and tunnels would generally only need to resist overburden conditions with a suitable safety factor. Just as we expect the buildings themselves to channel and shield air blast above ground, basements and other underground openings as well as changes of geology will channel and shield the underground shock wave. While a weaker shock is expected in an urban environment, small displacements on very close-by faults, and more likely, soils being displaced past building foundations where utility lines enter could readily damaged or disable these services. Immediately near an explosion, the blast can 'liquefy' a saturated soil creating a quicksand-like condition for a period of time. We extrapolate the nuclear effects experience to a Chicago-based scenario. We consider the TARP (Tunnel and Reservoir Project) and subway system and the underground lifeline (electric, gas, water, etc) system and provide guidance for planning this scenario.

Geostatistical Characteristic of Space -Time Variation in Underground Water Selected Quality Parameters in Klodzko Water Intake Area (SW Part of Poland)

Science.gov (United States)

Namysłowska-Wilczyńska, Barbara

2016-04-01

This paper presents selected results of research connected with the development of a (3D) geostatistical hydrogeochemical model of the Klodzko Drainage Basin, dedicated to the spatial and time variation in the selected quality parameters of underground water in the Klodzko water intake area (SW part of Poland). The research covers the period 2011÷2012. Spatial analyses of the variation in various quality parameters, i.e, contents of: ammonium ion [gNH4+/m3], NO3- (nitrate ion) [gNO3/m3], PO4-3 (phosphate ion) [gPO4-3/m3], total organic carbon C (TOC) [gC/m3], pH redox potential and temperature C [degrees], were carried out on the basis of the chemical determinations of the quality parameters of underground water samples taken from the wells in the water intake area. Spatial and time variation in the quality parameters was analyzed on the basis of archival data (period 1977÷1999) for 22 (pump and siphon) wells with a depth ranging from 9.5 to 38.0 m b.g.l., later data obtained (November 2011) from tests of water taken from 14 existing wells. The wells were built in the years 1954÷1998. The water abstraction depth (difference between the terrain elevation and the dynamic water table level) is ranged from 276÷286 m a.s.l., with an average of 282.05 m a.s.l. Dynamic water table level is contained between 6.22 m÷16.44 m b.g.l., with a mean value of 9.64 m b.g.l. The latest data (January 2012) acquired from 3 new piezometers, with a depth of 9÷10m, which were made in other locations in the relevant area. Thematic databases, containing original data on coordinates X, Y (latitude, longitude) and Z (terrain elevation and time - years) and on regionalized variables, i.e. the underground water quality parameters in the Klodzko water intake area determined for different analytical configurations (22 wells, 14 wells, 14 wells + 3 piezometers), were created. Both archival data (acquired in the years 1977÷1999) and the latest data (collected in 2011÷2012) were analyzed

Ecology and economic estimate of using of the underground excavation space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umnov, V.A.; Tarasov, V.F.; Tret'yakov, I.O.; Sheloumov, A.A.

1995-01-01

Stages of ecological and economic estimates of utilizing underground space, including evaluation of underground space resources, selection of its utilization trends and substantiation of optimal parameters for selected trends, are considered. Certain directions of possible repeated utilization of mining excavations are shown, including underground hydropower stations, underground energy storages, underground nuclear stations. Underground waste disposal is one of the most available directions in utilization of the underground space presently. Evaluation of the underground space utilization at all stages envisages complete account of all economical, social and ecological results

Underground gasification of coal - possibilities and trends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dushanov, D.; Minkova, V.

1994-01-01

A detailed historical review is given on the problem of underground coal gasification (UCG) with emphasis on its physical, chemical, technological and financial aspects. The experience of USA, Japan, former USSR, Belgium, UK and France is described. The feasibility of UCG in the Dobrudzhan Coal Bed in Bulgaria is discussed. The deposit has reserves of about 1.5 billion tones at relatively shallow depths. Almost the whole scale from long flame to dry coal is covered. According to its coalification degree the bed belongs to gas coal - V daf 35-40%; C daf 80-83%, eruption index = 1. Enriched samples has low sulfur content - 0.6-1.5% and low mineral content - 6-12%. Having in mind the lack of domestic natural gas and petroleum resources, the authors state that the utilisation of the bed will alleviate the energy problems in Bulgaria. 24 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab

Radiation and propagation of short acoustical pulses from underground explosions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banister, J.R.

1982-06-01

Radiation and propagation of short acoustical pulses from underground nuclear explosions were analyzed. The cone of more intense radiation is defined by the ratio of sound speeds in the ground and air. The pressure history of the radiated pulse is a function of the vertical ground-motion history, the range, the burial depth, and the velocity of longitudinal seismic waves. The analysis of short-pulse propagation employed an N-wave model with and without enegy conservation. Short pulses with initial wave lengths less than 100 m are severely attenuated by the energy loss in shocks and viscous losses in the wave interior. The methods developed in this study should be useful for system analysis

30 CFR 57.4461 - Gasoline use restrictions underground.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Gasoline use restrictions underground. 57.4461... Prevention and Control Flammable and Combustible Liquids and Gases § 57.4461 Gasoline use restrictions underground. If gasoline is used underground to power internal combustion engines— (a) The mine shall be...

Multidimensional flow of radioactive gases through the soil surrounding an underground nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dinkelacker, A.

1980-01-01

In connection with the underground siting of nuclear power plants the spreading of radioactive gases that are released into the soil coverage after a hypothetical accident is investigated. A physical model is presented that includes the isothermal one- and two-component flow of ideal gases through an inhomogeneous porous medium on the basis of Darcy's law. Based on this model a computer code has been developed that permits the calculation of transient pressure and concentration distributions in inhomogeneous porous media in one to three dimensions, as well as the determination of retention times. (orig.) [de

Construction and maintenance of underground mine roads

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Logan, A.S.; Seedsman, R.W. [Coffey Partners International Pty. Ltd. (Australia)

1995-12-31

Good roads are essential in moving men and materials to and from the underground workplace. An underground coal industry funded project was recently completed on underground mine road construction and maintenance. This paper discusses practical approaches to construction and maintenance of underground mine roads using transferable civil technologies and innovative techniques. Mine pavements are generally low-cost (relative to civil roads), constructed to varying standards using locally available materials to best meet the mobility needs of the mine. Performance of pavements is thus largely dependent on the environmental conditions, quality of the available road making materials, maintenance policies and available resources. This paper explains the causes of bad roads in various underground environments. It details available management strategies, construction and water control techniques, road maintenance and vehicle considerations. It concludes that the trend to larger rubber tires mining equipment needs to be matched with construction and maintenance of high quality road surfaces. For large operations, the total cost due to poor roads may equate to in excess of $A1 million per annum. The strategies outlined in this paper provide the basis for construction and maintenance of underground mine roads to help achieve desired production targets. (author). 2 tabs., 4 figs., 7 refs.

Underground ventilation remote monitoring and control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strever, M.T.; Wallace, K.G. Jr.; McDaniel, K.H.

1995-01-01

This paper presents the design and installation of an underground ventilation remote monitoring and control system at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. This facility is designed to demonstrate safe underground disposal of U.S. defense generated transuranic nuclear waste. To improve the operability of the ventilation system, an underground remote monitoring and control system was designed and installed. The system consists of 15 air velocity sensors and 8 differential pressure sensors strategically located throughout the underground facility providing real-time data regarding the status of the ventilation system. In addition, a control system was installed on the main underground air regulators. The regulator control system gives indication of the regulator position and can be controlled either locally or remotely. The sensor output is displayed locally and at a central surface location through the site-wide Central Monitoring System (CMS). The CMS operator can review all sensor data and can remotely operate the main underground regulators. Furthermore, the Virtual Address Extension (VAX) network allows the ventilation engineer to retrieve real-time ventilation data on his personal computer located in his workstation. This paper describes the types of sensors selected, the installation of the instrumentation, and the initial operation of the remote monitoring system

Women and men coal miners: coping with gender integration underground

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yount, K.R.

1986-01-01

The central purpose of this research is to initiate a theoretical understanding of the integration of women into traditionally-male, physical-labor jobs. The primary sources of data consist of in depth interviews with women and men underground coal miners and company personnel, and field notes collected during participant observation work in mining communities. Part I addresses the relationship between conditions of production and modes of interaction in underground mines. Personality traits conceived as aspects of masculinity are traced to efforts to cope with the stressors of engaging in physical labor in a work setting characterized by lack of work autonomy, a high degree of threat, and a high degree of interdependence for task accomplishment. Part II focuses on situational and individual factors affecting the integration of women in the workplace. Although most women miners are satisfied with their work, a gender based division of labor has arisen in which women are concentrated in low-prestige laborer positions. The processes involved in undermining a woman's work reputation and self-concept are summarized and forms of discrimination that recreate aspects of the female sterotype and lead to the development of sex segregation in the workplace are to the development of sex segregation in the workplace are discussed.

Studies and researches in the underground laboratory at Pasquasia mine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tassoni, E.; Cautilli, F.; Polizzano, C.; Zarlenga, F.

1989-01-01

The reliability of the geological disposal of radioactive wastes has to be verified both by laboratory and on site researches, under both surface and underground conditions. The tests carried out under high lithostatic stress can allow extrapolations to be made having absolute value at the depths planned for the construction of the repository. An underground laboratory was excavated at the Pasquasia mine (Enna-Sicilia). On the selected area a detailed geological survey (1:5000 scale) was carried out; for the purpose of studying the effects induced by the advancement of the excavation's face into the clayey mass and over the cross section of the transversal tunnel, several geotechnical measurement stations were installed. Structural observations were made on both the fronts and the walls of the tunnel for the purpose of characterizing the mechanical behaviour of the clayey mass. The 37 cubic blocks and the 72 samples collected during the excavation were analyzed from different point of view (sedimentological, mineralogical, geotechnical, etc.). After the excavation of the tunnel and the installation of the geotechnical stations, the measurements were carried out up to March 1987. At this date the work programme was unfortunately stopped by local authorities, unfoundly suspecting Pasquasia mine would be used as waste repository

Age of underground waters: isotopes contribution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chery, L.; Olive, Ph.

2006-01-01

Does water has an age? The age of underground waters can be the duration of their underground travel between their infiltration inside the ground and their captation at a spring or a drilled well. The isotopic geochemistry comes to the support of classical geochemistry to estimate these residence times. Radio-isotopes, like tritium for young waters or carbon 14 for old waters, are used as chronometers to interpret the recharge ways, the flow mechanisms and the residence times of underground waters. Their use is presented in this article with some theoretical recalls and some examples of application. (J.S.)

Power converters for medium voltage networks

CERN Document Server

Islam, Md Rabiul; Zhu, Jianguo

2014-01-01

This book examines a number of topics, mainly in connection with advances in semiconductor devices and magnetic materials and developments in medium and large-scale renewable power plant technologies, grid integration techniques and new converter topologies, including advanced digital control systems for medium-voltage networks. The book's individual chapters provide an extensive compilation of fundamental theories and in-depth information on current research and development trends, while also exploring new approaches to overcoming some critical limitations of conventional grid integration te

Review of underground siting of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1974-01-01

A review of the potential for the underground siting of nuclear power generating plants has been undertaken. The review comprised a survey and assessment of relevant published documents currently available, together with discussions with Government sponsored agencies and other bodies, to evaluate the current status of technology related to the design and construction of underground nuclear power plants. It includes a review of previous work related to the underground siting of power plants and other facilities; a preliminary evaluation of the relative merits of the various concepts of undergrounding which have been proposed or constructed; a review of current technology as it relates to the requirements for the design, construction and operation of underground nuclear power plants; an examination of the safety and environmental aspects; and the identification of areas of further study which will be required if the underground is to be established as a fully viable alternative to surface siting. No attempt has been made to draw final conclusions at this stage. Nothing has been found to suggest that the underground siting concept could not provide a viable alternative to the surface concept. It is also apparent that no major technological developments are required. It is not clear, however, whether the improvements in safety and containment postulated for the underground can be realized at an economic cost; or even whether any additional cost is in fact involved. The problem is essentially site dependent and requires further study for which recommendations are made. (auth)

Possible application of underground leaching of uranium in ''sandstone'' deposits by drilling method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bareja, E.

1988-01-01

Underground leaching as the method for excavation of uranium from its sandstone deposits is applied in many countries. A preliminary examination of a possible use of this method to sandstone deposits in Poland suggests it to be analysed against the uranium mineralization, noted within sediments of the Lower Triassic age in the Peribaltic Syneclise in the Krynica Morska - Paslek area. Before a definite decision on such exploitation of uranium, geologic and hydrogeologic conditions should be studied of individual uranium-bearing beds, particularly their permeability and insulation by impermeable claystone series as well as extraction of uranium from its bearing sandstones. The depth at which uranium-bearing beds occur, forms a very important item. The depth at which uranium ores described in literature and exploited by this method occur, does not exceed 700 m. 7 refs. (author)

Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory project investigation program for the 2007 fiscal year (Translated document)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsui, Hiroya; Nakayama, Masashi; Sanada, Hiroyuki; Yamaguchi, Takehiro

2008-09-01

As past of the research and development program on the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW), the Horonobe Underground Research Center, a division of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), is implementing the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory Project (Horonobe URL Project) with the aim at investigating sedimentary rock formations. According to the research plan described in the Midterm Plan of JAEA, geological investigations are to be carried out during the drilling of a shaft down to intermediate depth, while research and development in the areas of engineering technology and safety assessment are to be promoted by collaboration with other research organizations. The results of the R and D activities will be systematized as a 'knowledge base' that supports a wide range of arguments related to the safety of geological disposal. The Horonobe URL Project is planned to extend over a period of 20 years. The investigations will be conducted in three phases, namely 'Phase 1: Surface-based investigations', 'Phase 2: Construction phase' (investigations during construction of the underground facilities) and 'Phase 3: Operation phase' (research in the underground facilities). This report summarizes the investigation program for the 2007 fiscal year (2007/2008), the third year of the Phase 2 investigations. In the 2007 fiscal year, investigations in geoscientific research', including 'development of techniques for investigating the geological environment', 'development of techniques for use in the deep underground environment' and 'studies on the long-term stability of the geological environment', is continuously carried out. Investigations in 'research and development on geological disposal technology', including improving the reliability of disposal technologies' and 'enhancement of safety assessment methodologies' are also continuously carried out. Construction of the underground facilities is ongoing at the Ventilation Shaft and the East Shaft

30 CFR 57.4761 - Underground shops.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR METAL AND NONMETAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH SAFETY AND HEALTH STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND METAL AND NONMETAL MINES Fire Prevention and... toxic gases from a fire originating in an underground shop where maintenance work is routinely done on...

Side-looking underground radar (SLUR): Physical modeling and case history

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daniels, J.J.; Brower, J.

1998-01-01

A modification of conventional surface ground-penetrating radar (GPR) was conceived, tested, and successfully applied in the field at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) to investigate waste pits. The modified GPR method consists of making measurements along a traverse line in a sloping trench with the radar's antenna oriented at an angle of up to 45 degree from the horizontal. The direction of propagation of the electromagnetic field for this configuration is not vertical, and the amount of energy scattered from objects that are oriented vertically relative to the energy scattered from horizontal layers is increased. This fundamental feature of side-looking underground radar (SLUR) measurements is illustrated by physical modeling. Measurements made along parallel trenches that are offset at different distances from a vertically oriented object provides GPR cross-sections with a primary plane of investigation that intersects the vertical feature at different depths. SLUR was used at BNL in conjunction with conventional surface GPR measurements (displayed as 3-D blocks and plan-view time slices) to enhance the vertical definition and improve the depth estimates of the waste pits

THE ANALYSIS OF INTENSE-DEFORMED MONOLITHIC CONCRETE STRIP STATE OF UNDERGROUND STRUCTURES OF NONCIRCULAR OUTLINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Aleksandrovna Bauer

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The research results of intense deformed state (IDS of the crepe and soil massif of un-derground structures having a non-circular outline with a depth of laying up to 50 m in unstable al-luvial rocks with dumps from 0.3 to 0.7 m are presented. The study was carried out by means of modeling the IDS of the soil massif and the hardening concrete of the monolithic support, erected after slaughter moving. To implement the proposed technological solutions ensuring the fixing of underground structures with monolithic concrete, it is necessary to use particularly fast solidifying compounds to exclude the use of temporary crepe. Based on the studies of a number of modifiers, various changes in mechanical properties of the most effective compositions have been established, which are used to simulate the concrete crepe of structures with time-varying characteristics. Purpose: the basis for using resource-saving technology for the construction of underground structures in a non-circular outline in a soil massif. Methods and methodology of the work: the studies were carried out by means of the finite element method (FEM using the optimal design of the experiment. Results: stress distributions were obtained in the hardening concrete crepe structures, stress concentration zones were established, displacement values in the soil massif and their spread on the surface were recieved. Areas of the result application: the results of research work can be used in the design of options for the construction of underground structures.

Deeper underground

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brearley, D. [Pantek Ltd. (United Kingdom)

2005-12-01

The paper describes how efficient data gathering has led to production and uptime improvements in UK Coal's Daw Mill colliery in Warwickshire. Software called FactorySuite A{sup 2} from Wonderware is being used to control and monitor all underground production and conveying. 3 photos.

Cigeo. The French deep geological repository for radioactive waste. Excavation techniques and technologies tested in underground laboratory and forecasted for the future construction of the project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chauvet, Francois; Bosgiraud, Jean-Michel

2015-01-01

Cigeo is the French project for the repository of the high activity and intermediate long-lived radioactive waste. It will be situated at a depth of 500 m, In a clayish rock formation. An underground laboratory was built in the year 2000 and numerous tests are performed since 15 years, in order to know in detail the behavior of the rock and its ability to confine radioactive elements. In addition, this underground laboratory has brought and will continue to bring many lessons on the excavation methods to be chosen for the construction of Cigeo.

Application of underground microseismic monitoring for ground failure and secure longwall coal mining operation: A case study in an Indian mine

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, G. K.; Sivakumar, C.

2018-03-01

Longwall mining technique has been widely used around the globe due to its safe mining process. However, mining operations are suspended when various problems arise like collapse of roof falls, cracks and fractures propagation in the roof and complexity in roof strata behaviors. To overcome these colossal problems, an underground real time microseismic monitoring technique has been implemented in the working panel-P2 in the Rajendra longwall underground coal mine at South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), India. The target coal seams appears at the panel P-2 within a depth of 70 m to 76 m. In this process, 10 to 15 uniaxial geophones were placed inside a borehole at depth range of 40 m to 60 m located over the working panel-P2 with high rock quality designation value for better seismic signal. Various microseismic events were recorded with magnitude ranging from -5 to 2 in the Richter scale. The time-series processing was carried out to get various seismic parameters like activity rate, potential energy, viscosity rate, seismic moment, energy index, apparent volume and potential energy with respect to time. The used of these parameters helped tracing the events, understanding crack and fractures propagation and locating both high and low stress distribution zones prior to roof fall occurrence. In most of the cases, the events were divided into three stage processes: initial or preliminary, middle or building, and final or falling. The results of this study reveal that underground microseismic monitoring provides sufficient prior information of underground weighting events. The information gathered during the study was conveyed to the mining personnel in advance prior to roof fall event. This permits to take appropriate action for safer mining operations and risk reduction during longwall operation.

Geostatistical analysis of space variation in underground water various quality parameters in Kłodzko water intake area (SW part of Poland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Namysłowska-Wilczyńska Barbara

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This paper presents selected results of research connected with the development of a (3D geostatistical hydrogeochemical model of the Kłodzko Drainage Basin, dedicated to the spatial variation in the different quality parameters of underground water in the water intake area (SW part of Poland. The research covers the period 2011-2012. Spatial analyses of the variation in various quality parameters, i.e., contents of: iron, manganese, ammonium ion, nitrate ion, phosphate ion, total organic carbon, pH redox potential and temperature, were carried out on the basis of the chemical determinations of the quality parameters of underground water samples taken from the wells in the water intake area. Spatial variation in the parameters was analyzed on the basis of data obtained (November 2011 from tests of water taken from 14 existing wells with a depth ranging from 9.5 to 38.0 m b.g.l. The latest data (January 2012 were obtained (gained from 3 new piezometers, made in other locations in the relevant area. A depth of these piezometers amounts to 9-10 m.

Applicability of initial stress measurement methods to Horonobe Siliceous rocks and initial stress state around Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanada, Hiroyuki; Niunoya, Sumio; Matsui, Hiroya; Fujii, Yoshiaki

2009-01-01

Understanding initial stress condition in deep underground is important for such construction as rock cavern for geological disposal of HLW and underground power plant. Neogene sedimentary rock is widely distributed in Japan. There are only a few studies of initial stress measurement in Neogene sedimentary rock mass in Japan due to difficulty of measurement. Evaluation of initial stress condition around Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory Project was carried out in order to understand initial stress condition and applicability of AE, DSCA and hydraulic fracturing (HF) methods to Neogene sedimentary rock. Initial stress values obtained from AE method is smaller than overburden pressure due to time dependency of Kaizer effect. It would be difficult to use AE method as initial stress measurement method for Horonobe Siliceous rocks. Principal stress values by DSCA are similar to those by HF tests. Directions of maximum horizontal principal stresses are approximately in E-W and corresponded to HF results. In HF, rod type and wire-line type systems were compared. Workability of rod type was much better than wire-line type. However, re-opening pressure were not able to be precisely measured in case of rod type system due to the large compliance of the packers and rods. Horizontal maximum and minimum principal stresses increase linearly in HF results. Deviatoric stress is acting at shallow depth. Initial stress condition approaches hydrostatic condition with depth. Direction of maximum horizontal principal stress was in E-W direction which was similar to tectonic movement around Horonobe URL by triangular surveying. (author)

Underground science initiatives at Los Alamos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simmons, L.M. Jr.

1985-01-01

Recently, the Los Alamos National Laboratory has proposed two major new initiatives in underground science. Following the dissolution of the original gallium solar neutrino collaboration, Los Alamos has formed a new North American collaboration. We briefly review the rationale for solar neutrino research, outline the proposal and new Monte Carlo simulations, and describe the candidate locations for the experiment. Because there is no dedicated deep underground site in North America suitable for a wide range of experiments, Los Alamos has conducted a survey of possible sites and developed a proposal to create a new National Underground Science Facility. This paper also reviews that proposal

OCENER, a one-dimensional computer code for the numerical simulation of the mechanical effects of peaceful underground nuclear explosions in rocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, S.C.; Sikka, S.K.; Chidambaram, R.

1979-01-01

An account is given of a one-dimensional spherical symmetric computer code for the numerical simulation of the effects of peaceful underground nuclear explosions in rocks (OCENER). In the code, the nature of the stress field and response of the medium to this field are modelled numerically by finite difference form of the laws of continuum mechanics and the constitutive relations of the rock medium in which the detonation occurs. It enables to approximate well the cavity growth and fracturing of the surrounding rock for contained explosions and the events upto the time the spherical symmetry is valid for cratering-type explosions. (auth.)

Utilization of the noble gases in studies of underground nuclear detonations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, C.F.

1973-01-01

The Livermore Gas Diagnostics Program employs a number of rare gas isotopes, both stable and radioactive, in its investigations of the phenomenology of underground nuclear detonations. Radioactive gases in a sample are radiochemically purified by elution chromatography, and the separated gases are radioassayed by gamma-ray spectrometry and by internal or thin-window beta proportional counting. Concentrations of the stable gases are determined by mass-spectrometry, following chemical removal of the reactive gases in the sample. The most general application of the noble gases is as device fraction indicators to provide a basis for estimating totals of chimney-gas components. All of the stable rare gases, except argon, have been used as tracers, as have xenon-127 and krypton-85. Argon-37 and krypton-85 have proven to be of particular value in the absence of a good tracer material as reference species for studies of chimney-gas chemistry. The rate of mixing of chimney gases, and the degree to which the sampled gas truly represents the underground gas mixture, can be studied with the aid of the fission-product gases. Radon-222 and helium are released to the cavity from the surrounding rock, and are, therefore, useful in studies of the interaction of the detonation with the surrounding medium

Homogenization of a storage and/or disposal site in an underground damage or fractured medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khvoenkova, N.

2007-07-01

The aim of this work was to model the flow and the transport of a radionuclide in a fractured rock. In order to be able to simulate numerically these phenomena in an industrial context, it has been chosen to apply the homogenization method. The theoretical study has consisted in 1)determining a microscopic model in the fractured medium 2)homogenizing the microscopic model. In this study, two media have been studied: a granitic medium and a calcareous medium. With the obtained experimental data, six possible microscopic models have been deduced for each type of medium and in terms of the choice of the fracturing (thin or thick) and of the relation between the porosities and the delay coefficients. With the homogenization, three types of exchange of pollutant between the fractures and the porous blocks have been revealed: 1)the instantaneous exchange for which the presence of the porous blocks has no influence on the global behaviour of the system 2)the instantaneous exchange for which the porous blocks absorb a non-negligible quantity of pollutant. This influence is only determined by the fractures system 3)the non-instantaneous exchange. These homogenized models have been numerically studied (resolution with the Cast3M code). The simulation of the homogenized models has given results similar to those of the direct models. Moreover, the study of the homogenized diffusion tensor has shown that the homogenized model takes into account the dispersion produced by the fractures system. By all these results, it can be concluded that the risk estimation of the contamination of the fractured rock is possible for long times by the use of homogenized models. (O.M.)

Transmission line undergrounding : rate impact investigation and analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

In response to concerns expressed by the residents of Markham, Ontario regarding the possible environmental and health impacts of a proposed 230 kV overhead transmission line, Hydro One Networks Inc. (HONI) has proposed to place the line underground as an alternative. This analysis was prepared to evaluate the potential impacts on transmission rates and consumer prices related to changes in the level of underground construction of transmission lines by HONI, as opposed to overhead construction. The report presents the approach to data collection; cost estimates and projections; the modeling and projecting of HONI's regulated rate base and revenue requirement on a basis that reflects the manner in which its future transmission rates are expected to be established; estimates of the incremental cost of undergrounding reflecting a range of reasonable assumptions; and a comparison of the resulting transmission costs and total customer bill. To address the issue of potential demand in other municipalities for additional undergrounding, the study also examined the cumulative effects of ten years' incremental undergrounding costs (i.e. effects on 2014 rates). It was concluded that if HONI were to implement an undergrounding program beginning in 2005, resulting in the installation of 80 km of underground lines by 2014, and shared costs by all users of HONI's system through the network transmission charges, the 2014 transmission rates would be higher. 5 tabs

UNDERGROUND ECONOMY, INFLUENCES ON NATIONAL ECONOMIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CEAUȘESCU IONUT

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The purpose of research is to improve the understanding of nature underground economy by rational justification of the right to be enshrined a reality that, at least statistically, can no longer be neglected. So, we propose to find the answer to the question: has underground economy to stand-alone?

Dynamic Underground Stripping Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aines, R.; Newmark, R.; McConachie, W.; Udell, K.; Rice, D.; Ramirez, A.; Siegel, W.; Buettner, M.; Daily, W.; Krauter, P.; Folsom, E.; Boegel, A.J.; Bishop, D.; Udell, K.

1992-01-01

LLNL is collaborating with the UC Berkeley College of Engineering to develop and demonstrate a system of thermal remediation and underground imaging techniques for use in rapid cleanup of localized underground spills. Called ''Dynamic Stripping'' to reflect the rapid and controllable nature of the process, it will combine steam injection, direct electrical heating, and tomographic geophysical imaging in a cleanup of the LLNL gasoline spill. In the first 8 months of the project, a Clean Site engineering test was conducted to prove the field application of the techniques before moving the contaminated site in FY 92

Analysis, comparison, and modeling of radar interferometry, date of surface deformation signals associated with underground explosions, mine collapses and earthquakes. Phase I: underground explosions, Nevada Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foxall, W; Vincent, P; Walter, W

1999-01-01

We have previously presented simple elastic deformation modeling results for three classes of seismic events of concern in monitoring the CTBT-underground explosions, mine collapses and earthquakes. Those results explored the theoretical detectability of each event type using synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) based on commercially available satellite data. In those studies we identified and compared the characteristics of synthetic interferograms that distinguish each event type, as well the ability of the interferograms to constrain source parameters. These idealized modeling results, together with preliminary analysis of InSAR data for the 1995 mb 5.2 Solvay mine collapse in southwestern Wyoming, suggested that InSAR data used in conjunction with regional seismic monitoring holds great potential for CTBT discrimination and seismic source analysis, as well as providing accurate ground truth parameters for regional calibration events. In this paper we further examine the detectability and ''discriminating'' power of InSAR by presenting results from InSAR data processing, analysis and modeling of the surface deformation signals associated with underground explosions. Specifically, we present results of a detailed study of coseismic and postseismic surface deformation signals associated with underground nuclear and chemical explosion tests at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). Several interferograms were formed from raw ERS-1/2 radar data covering different time spans and epochs beginning just prior to the last U.S. nuclear tests in 1992 and ending in 1996. These interferograms have yielded information about the nature and duration of the source processes that produced the surface deformations associated with these events. A critical result of this study is that significant post-event surface deformation associated with underground nuclear explosions detonated at depths in excess of 600 meters can be detected using differential radar interferometry. An

CALCULATION OF LONG-TERM FILTRATION IN A POROUS MEDIUM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ludmila I. Kuzmina

2018-03-01

Full Text Available he filtration problem in a porous medium is an important part of underground hydromechanics. Filtration of suspensions and colloids determines the processes of strengthening the soil and creating waterproof walls in the ground while building the foundations of buildings and underground structures. It is assumed that the formation of a deposit is dominated by the size-exclusion mechanism of pore blocking: solid particles pass freely through large pores and get stuck at the inlet of pores smaller than the diameter of the particles. A one-dimensional mathematical model for the filtration of a monodisperse suspension includes the equation for the mass balance of suspended and retained particles and the kinetic equation for the growth of the deposit. For the blocking filtration coefficient with a double root, the exact solution is given implicitly. The asymptotics of the filtration problem is constructed for large time. The numerical calculation of the problem is carried out by the finite differences method. It is shown that asymptotic approximations rapidly converge to a solution with the increase of the expansion order.

The underground macroeconomics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marin Dinu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Like Physics, which cannot yet explain 96% of the substance in the Universe, so is Economics, unprepared to understand and to offer a rational explicative model to the underground economy.

Verification and characterization of continuum behavior of fractured rock at AECL Underground Research Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Long, J.C.S.

1985-02-01

The purposes of this study are to determine when a fracture system behaves as a porous medium and what the corresponding permeability tensor is. A two-dimensional fracture system model is developed with density, size, orientation, and location of fractures in an impermeable matrix as random variables. Simulated flow tests through the models measure directional permeability, K/sub g/. Polar coordinate plots of 1/√K/sub g/, which are ellipses for equivalent anistropic homogeneous porous media, are graphed and best fit ellipses are calculated. Fracture length and areal density were varied such that fracture frequency was held constant. The examples showed the permeability increased with fracture length. The modeling techniques were applied to data from the Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.'s Underground Research Laboratory facility in Manitoba, Canada by assuming the fracture pattern at the surface persists at depth. Well test data were used to estimate the aperture distribution by both correlating and not correlating the aperture with fracture length. The permeability of models with uncorrelated length and aperture were smaller than those for correlated models. A Monte Carlo type study showed that analysis of steady state packer tests consistently underestimate the mean aperture. Finally, a three-dimensional model in which fractures are discs randomly located in space, interactions between the fractures are line segments, and the solution of the steady state flow equations is based on image theory was discussed

78 FR 73471 - Refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-06

... Refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health Administration, Labor... Agency's Request for Information (RFI) on Refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines. This extension...), MSHA published a Request for Information on Refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines. The RFI...

Are underground coal miners satisfied with their work boots?

Science.gov (United States)

Dobson, Jessica A; Riddiford-Harland, Diane L; Bell, Alison F; Steele, Julie R

2018-01-01

Dissatisfaction with work boot design is common in the mining industry. Many underground coal miners believe their work boots contribute to the high incidence of lower limb injuries they experience. Despite this, the most recent research to examine underground coal mining work boot satisfaction was conducted over a decade ago. This present study aimed to address this gap in the literature by assessing current mining work boot satisfaction in relation to the work-related requirements for underground coal mining. 358 underground coal miners (355 men; mean age = 39.1 ± 10.7 years) completed a 54-question survey regarding their job details, work footwear habits, foot problems, lower limb and lower back pain history, and work footwear fit and comfort. Results revealed that underground coal miners were not satisfied with their current mining work boots. This was evident in the high incidence of reported foot problems (55.3%), lower back pain (44.5%), knee pain (21.5%), ankle pain (24.9%) and foot pain (42.3%). Over half of the underground coal miners surveyed believed their work boots contributed to their lower limb pain and reported their work boots were uncomfortable. Different working roles and environments resulted in differences in the incidence of foot problems, lower limb pain and comfort scores, confirming that one boot design cannot meet all the work-related requirements of underground coal mining. Further research examining the interaction of a variety of boot designs across the different underground surfaces and the different tasks miners perform is paramount to identify key boot design features that affect the way underground coal miners perform. Enhanced work boot design could improve worker comfort and productivity by reducing the high rates of reported foot problems and pain amongst underground coal miners. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Global Survey of Deep Underground Facilities; Examples of Geotechnical and Engineering Capabilities, Achievements, Challenges (Mines, Shafts, Tunnels, Boreholes, Sites and Underground Facilities for Nuclear Waste and Physics R&D): A Guide to Interactive Global Map Layers, Table Database, References and Notes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tynan, Mark C.; Russell, Glenn P.; Perry, Frank V.; Kelley, Richard E.; Champenois, Sean T.

2017-01-01

These associated tables, references, notes, and report present a synthesis of some notable geotechnical and engineering information used to create four interactive layer maps for selected: 1) deep mines and shafts; 2) existing, considered or planned radioactive waste management deep underground studies or disposal facilities 3) deep large diameter boreholes, and 4) physics underground laboratories and facilities from around the world. These data are intended to facilitate user access to basic information and references regarding “deep underground” facilities, history, activities, and plans. In general, the interactive maps and database provide each facility’s approximate site location, geology, and engineered features (e.g.: access, geometry, depth, diameter, year of operations, groundwater, lithology, host unit name and age, basin; operator, management organization, geographic data, nearby cultural features, other). Although the survey is not comprehensive, it is representative of many of the significant existing and historical underground facilities discussed in the literature addressing radioactive waste management and deep mined geologic disposal safety systems. The global survey is intended to support and to inform: 1) interested parties and decision makers; 2) radioactive waste disposal and siting option evaluations, and 3) safety case development applicable to any mined geologic disposal facility as a demonstration of historical and current engineering and geotechnical capabilities available for use in deep underground facility siting, planning, construction, operations and monitoring.

A Global Survey of Deep Underground Facilities; Examples of Geotechnical and Engineering Capabilities, Achievements, Challenges (Mines, Shafts, Tunnels, Boreholes, Sites and Underground Facilities for Nuclear Waste and Physics R&D): A Guide to Interactive Global Map Layers, Table Database, References and Notes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tynan, Mark C. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Russell, Glenn P. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Perry, Frank V. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Kelley, Richard E. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Champenois, Sean T. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2017-06-13

These associated tables, references, notes, and report present a synthesis of some notable geotechnical and engineering information used to create four interactive layer maps for selected: 1) deep mines and shafts; 2) existing, considered or planned radioactive waste management deep underground studies or disposal facilities 3) deep large diameter boreholes, and 4) physics underground laboratories and facilities from around the world. These data are intended to facilitate user access to basic information and references regarding “deep underground” facilities, history, activities, and plans. In general, the interactive maps and database provide each facility’s approximate site location, geology, and engineered features (e.g.: access, geometry, depth, diameter, year of operations, groundwater, lithology, host unit name and age, basin; operator, management organization, geographic data, nearby cultural features, other). Although the survey is not comprehensive, it is representative of many of the significant existing and historical underground facilities discussed in the literature addressing radioactive waste management and deep mined geologic disposal safety systems. The global survey is intended to support and to inform: 1) interested parties and decision makers; 2) radioactive waste disposal and siting option evaluations, and 3) safety case development applicable to any mined geologic disposal facility as a demonstration of historical and current engineering and geotechnical capabilities available for use in deep underground facility siting, planning, construction, operations and monitoring.

Closures for underground nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-10-01

This study demonstrates that, with the appropriate selection of an access concept on the underground nuclear power plant, it is possible to design a gate complying with the increased requirements of the construction of an underground nuclear power plant. The investigations revealed that a comparison leakage of 42 mm in diameter for the failure of seals is too conservative. When selecting suitable seals a leakage being more extensive than the above mentioned one can be prevented even in case of disturbance lasting several months. The closure structures of the personnel and material accesses do not represent any weak point within the concept of the construction method for underground nuclear power plants. (orig./HP)

Low energy neutron background in deep underground laboratories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Best, Andreas, E-mail: andreas.best@lngs.infn.it [INFN, Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), 67100 Assergi (Italy); Department of Physics and The Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (United States); Görres, Joachim [Department of Physics and The Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (United States); Junker, Matthias [INFN, Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), 67100 Assergi (Italy); Kratz, Karl-Ludwig [Department for Biogeochemistry, Max-Planck-Institute for Chemistry, 55020 Mainz (Germany); Laubenstein, Matthias [INFN, Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), 67100 Assergi (Italy); Long, Alexander [Department of Physics and The Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (United States); Nisi, Stefano [INFN, Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), 67100 Assergi (Italy); Smith, Karl; Wiescher, Michael [Department of Physics and The Joint Institute for Nuclear Astrophysics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (United States)

2016-03-11

The natural neutron background influences the maximum achievable sensitivity in most deep underground nuclear, astroparticle and double-beta decay physics experiments. Reliable neutron flux numbers are an important ingredient in the design of the shielding of new large-scale experiments as well as in the analysis of experimental data. Using a portable setup of {sup 3}He counters we measured the thermal neutron flux at the Kimballton Underground Research Facility, the Soudan Underground Laboratory, on the 4100 ft and the 4850 ft levels of the Sanford Underground Research Facility, at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory. Absolute neutron fluxes at these laboratories are presented.

Technical problems and future underground engineering experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Higgins, G H [Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, University of California, Livermore, CA (United States)

1969-07-01

The technical problems to be solved in future underground engineering experiments are of two kinds. One concerns adequate description of the variation of nuclear explosion effects with physical nd chemical properties of the explosion site. The other concerns engineering of the explosive detonation system to provide adequate safety and security, concurrently with minimum total costs per explosion. The semiempirical equations for explosion effects can be trusted only in the range of explosive energy, depth of burst, and rock type for which there is prior experience. Effects calculations based on the principles of continuum mechanics and measurable geophysical properties appear to work in the few test cases, such as Gasbuggy, to which they have been applied. These calculational methods must be tested in a variety of situations. The relevance of dynamic and static measurements on Dragon Trail, Bronco, Rulison, Stoop, Ketch, and Pinedale to proving the methods are discussed in this paper. The traditional methods of assembling and fielding nuclear explosives have evolved from practice at the Nevada Test Site. These provide great flexibility and assure maximum recovery of all data from each test, thus minimizing the time required to achieve desired results. Timing and firing, radiation monitoring, explosives assembly and emplacement, explosive performance, weather monitoring, and dynamic measurements of earth and building motion have all been handled traditionally as independent functions. To achieve lower costs in underground engineering experiments and projects, one prototype system combining all electronic, measurement, and communication functions is being built. Much further work will be required to complete this effort, including, especially, an examination of safety criteria and means for assuring operational and public safety at reduced costs. (author)

Technical problems and future underground engineering experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Higgins, G.H.

1969-01-01

The technical problems to be solved in future underground engineering experiments are of two kinds. One concerns adequate description of the variation of nuclear explosion effects with physical nd chemical properties of the explosion site. The other concerns engineering of the explosive detonation system to provide adequate safety and security, concurrently with minimum total costs per explosion. The semiempirical equations for explosion effects can be trusted only in the range of explosive energy, depth of burst, and rock type for which there is prior experience. Effects calculations based on the principles of continuum mechanics and measurable geophysical properties appear to work in the few test cases, such as Gasbuggy, to which they have been applied. These calculational methods must be tested in a variety of situations. The relevance of dynamic and static measurements on Dragon Trail, Bronco, Rulison, Stoop, Ketch, and Pinedale to proving the methods are discussed in this paper. The traditional methods of assembling and fielding nuclear explosives have evolved from practice at the Nevada Test Site. These provide great flexibility and assure maximum recovery of all data from each test, thus minimizing the time required to achieve desired results. Timing and firing, radiation monitoring, explosives assembly and emplacement, explosive performance, weather monitoring, and dynamic measurements of earth and building motion have all been handled traditionally as independent functions. To achieve lower costs in underground engineering experiments and projects, one prototype system combining all electronic, measurement, and communication functions is being built. Much further work will be required to complete this effort, including, especially, an examination of safety criteria and means for assuring operational and public safety at reduced costs. (author)

Underground treatment of combustible minerals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sarapuu, E

1954-10-14

A process is described for treating oil underground, consisting in introducing several electrodes spaced one from the other in a bed of combustibles underground so that they come in electric contact with this bed of combustibles remaining insulated from the ground, and applying to the electrodes a voltage sufficient to produce an electric current across the bed of combustibles, so as to heat it and create an electric connection between the electrodes on traversing the bed of combustibles.

30 CFR 75.811 - High-voltage underground equipment; grounding.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

...-voltage equipment supplying power to such equipment receiving power from resistance grounded systems shall... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false High-voltage underground equipment; grounding... COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Underground High-Voltage...

78 FR 58264 - Refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-23

... Refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health Administration, Labor... Agency's Request for Information (RFI) on Refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines. This extension... Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines. The RFI comment period had been scheduled to close on October 7, 2013...

Underground geologic evaluation of the Grossschloppen vein-uranium deposit, West Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, S.C.; Erickson, A.J.; Kolb, S.G.; Maclean, C.J.

1983-01-01

The Grossschloppen vein-uranium deposit, Bavaria, West Germany, was examined utilizing underground workings during 1980-82 by Esso Er/ZETA/ GMbH, an affiliate of Exxon Minerals Company (EMC). Geologic evaluation entailed dense drilling of a portion of the deposit from workings constructed specifically for the program. Discovered in 1977, the deposit was initially explored by surface diamond drillholes which allowed definition of a 30-60 m wide vein system discontinuously mineralized along a 1000 m strike length and to at least a 450 m depth. The underground program was conceived as a cost effective procedure to answer questions on vein correlation, grade continuity and variability. A 1200 m decline allowed access for detailed sampling of approximately 10% of the known area of mineralization. Fanned drillholes, logged by gamma probe, were spaced to provide intersections of veins at 10 to 20 m intervals. Six cross cuts also penetrate the pitchblende and uranophane mineralization which occurs in 0.1 to 2.5 m thick quartz veins. Detailed cross-sections and level plans were constructed for resource estimates of the intensively studied portion of the vein system. The program resulted in the discovery of local, high grade areas and an average grade in the evaluated area nearly double that expected from surface drilling

High Temperature Superconducting Underground Cable

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farrell, Roger A.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this Project was to design, build, install and demonstrate the technical feasibility of an underground high temperature superconducting (HTS) power cable installed between two utility substations. In the first phase two HTS cables, 320 m and 30 m in length, were constructed using 1st generation BSCCO wire. The two 34.5 kV, 800 Arms, 48 MVA sections were connected together using a superconducting joint in an underground vault. In the second phase the 30 m BSCCO cable was replaced by one constructed with 2nd generation YBCO wire. 2nd generation wire is needed for commercialization because of inherent cost and performance benefits. Primary objectives of the Project were to build and operate an HTS cable system which demonstrates significant progress towards commercial progress and addresses real world utility concerns such as installation, maintenance, reliability and compatibility with the existing grid. Four key technical areas addressed were the HTS cable and terminations (where the cable connects to the grid), cryogenic refrigeration system, underground cable-to-cable joint (needed for replacement of cable sections) and cost-effective 2nd generation HTS wire. This was the worlds first installation and operation of an HTS cable underground, between two utility substations as well as the first to demonstrate a cable-to-cable joint, remote monitoring system and 2nd generation HTS.

Diffusion of radionuclide chains through an adsorbing medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burkholder, H.C.; DeFigh-Price, C.

1977-01-01

The diffusion of radionuclide chains from an underground nuclear waste disposal site through the surrounding geologic medium to the surface is investigated for impulse and band releases. Numerical calculation of the analytical solutions shows that differences in adsorption characteristics among chain members and radioactive decay during transit reduce radionuclide discharges to the biosphere. Results suggest that molecular diffusion is unlikely to be an important transfer mechanism from geologic isolation, and that disposal of radionuclides in deep geologic formations and in the seabed under conditions of very low or nonexistent water flow is likely to be very effective in preventing radioactivity releases to the biosphere

Analysis on the Initial Cracking Parameters of Cross-Measure Hydraulic Fracture in Underground Coal Mines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yiyu Lu

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Initial cracking pressure and locations are important parameters in conducting cross-measure hydraulic fracturing to enhance coal seam permeability in underground coalmines, which are significantly influenced by in-situ stress and occurrence of coal seam. In this study, stress state around cross-measure fracturing boreholes was analyzed using in-situ stress coordinate transformation, then a mathematical model was developed to evaluate initial cracking parameters of borehole assuming the maximum tensile stress criterion. Subsequently, the influences of in-situ stress and occurrence of coal seams on initial cracking pressure and locations in underground coalmines were analyzed using the proposed model. Finally, the proposed model was verified with field test data. The results suggest that the initial cracking pressure increases with the depth cover and coal seam dip angle. However, it decreases with the increase in azimuth of major principle stress. The results also indicate that the initial cracking locations concentrated in the second and fourth quadrant in polar coordinate, and shifted direction to the strike of coal seam as coal seam dip angle and azimuth of maximum principle stress increase. Field investigation revealed consistent rule with the developed model that the initial cracking pressure increases with the coal seam dip angle. Therefore, the proposed mathematical model provides theoretical insight to analyze the initial cracking parameters during cross-measure hydraulic fracturing for underground coalmines.

Rock index properties for geoengineering in underground development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Rourke, J.E.

1989-01-01

This paper describes the use of index testing to obtain rock properties that are useful in the design and construction planning of an underground development for civil engineering or mining projects. The index properties discussed include: point load; Schmidt hammer hardness; abrasion hardness; and total hardness. The first two index properties correlate to uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and Young's modulus. Discussions are given on empirical, normalized relationships of UCS to rock mass properties and the integrated use with semi-empirical, geotechnical design methods. The hardness property indices correlate to construction performance parameters and some relevant experience is cited. Examples of data are presented from an index testing program carried out primarily on siltstone, sandstone and limestone rock core samples retrieved from depths up to 1005 m (3300 ft) in a borehole drilled in the Paradox Basin in eastern Utah. The borehole coring was done for a nuclear waste repository site investigation

30 CFR 57.4263 - Underground belt conveyors.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

....4263 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR METAL AND NONMETAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH SAFETY AND HEALTH STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND METAL AND NONMETAL MINES Fire Prevention and Control Firefighting Equipment § 57.4263 Underground belt conveyors. Fire protection shall be...

Deep reversible storage. Design options for the storage in deep geological formation - High-medium activity, long living wastes 2009 milestone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-09-01

This report aims at presenting a synthesis of currently studied solutions for the different components of the project of deep geological radioactive waste storage centre. For each of these elements, the report indicates the main operational objectives to be taken into account in relationship with safety functions or with reversibility. It identifies the currently proposed design options, presents the technical solutions (with sometime several possibilities), indicates industrial references (in the nuclear sector, in underground works) and comments results of technological tests performed by the ANDRA. After a description of functionalities and of the overall organisation of storage components, the different following elements and aspects are addressed: surface installations, underground architecture, parcel transfer between the surface and storage cells, storage container for medium-activity long-life (MAVL) waste, storage cell for medium-activity long-life waste, handling of MAVL parcels in storage cells, storage container for high-activity (HA) waste, storage cell for HA waste, handling of HA parcels in storage cells, and works for site closing

78 FR 48591 - Refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-08

... Administration 30 CFR Parts 7 and 75 Refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines; Proposed Rules #0;#0;Federal... Underground Coal Mines AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health Administration, Labor. ACTION: Limited reopening of the... for miners to deploy and use refuge alternatives in underground coal mines. The U.S. Court of Appeals...

De novo regeneration of Scrophularia yoshimurae Yamazaki (Scrophulariaceae) and quantitative analysis of harpagoside, an iridoid glucoside, formed in aerial and underground parts of in vitro propagated and wild plants by HPLC.

Science.gov (United States)

Sagare, A P; Kuo, C L; Chueh, F S; Tsay, H S

2001-11-01

A protocol for de novo regeneration and rapid micropropagation of Scrophularia yoshimurae (Scrophulariaceae) has been developed. Multiple shoot development was achieved by culturing the shoot-tip, leaf-base, stem-node and stem-internode explants on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 4.44 microM N6-benzyladenine (BA) and 1.07 microM alpha-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). Stem-node and shoot-tip explants showed the highest response (100%) followed by stem-internode (74.4%) and leaf-base (7.7%) explants. The shoots were multiplied by subculturing on the same medium used for shoot induction. Shoots were rooted on growth regulator-free MS basal medium and the plantlets were transplanted to soil and acclimatized in the growth chamber. The content of harpagoside, a quantitatively predominant iridoid glycoside, in different plant material was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The analysis revealed that the content of harpagoside in the aerial and underground parts of S. yoshimurae was significantly higher than the marketed crude drug (underground parts of Scrophularia ningpoensis).

The stress and underground environment

Science.gov (United States)

Chama, A.

2009-04-01

Currently,the program of prevention in occupational health needs mainly to identify occupational hazards and strategy of their prevention.Among these risks,the stress represents an important psycho-social hazard in mental health,which unfortunately does not spare no occupation.My Paper attempts to highlight and to develop this hazard in its different aspects even its regulatory side in underground environment as occupational environment.In the interest of better prevention ,we consider "the information" about the impact of stress as the second prevention efficient and no expensive to speleologists,hygienists and workers in the underground areas. In this occasion of this event in Vienna,we also highlight the scientific works on the stress of the famous viennese physician and endocrinologist Doctor Hans Selye (1907-1982),nicknamed "the father of stress" and note on relation between biological rhythms in this underground area and psychological troubles (temporal isolation) (Jurgen Aschoff’s works and experiences out-of time).

Depth of origin and angular spectrum of sputtered atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vicanek, M.; Jimenez Rodriguez, J.J.; Sigmund, P.

1989-01-01

A theoretical analysis is presented of the depth of origin of atoms sputtered from a random target. The physical model aims at high energy sputtering under linear cascade conditions and assumes a dilute source of recoil atoms. The initial distribution of the recoils is assumed isotropic, and their energy distribution is E -2 like without an upper or lower cutoff. The scattering medium is either infinite or bounded by a plane surface. Atoms scatter according to the m=0 power cross section. Electronic stopping is ignored. The sputtered flux, differential in depth of origin, ejection energy and ejection angle has been evaluated by Monte Carlo simulation and by five distinct methods of solution of the linear Boltzmann equation reaching from continuous slowing down neglecting angular scattering to the P 3 approximation and a Gram-Charlier expansion going over spatial moments. The continuous slowing down approximation used in previous work leads to results that are identical to those found from a scheme that only ignores angular scattering but allows for energy loss straggling. Moreover, these predictions match more closely with the Monte Carlo results than any of the approximate analytical schemes that take account of angular scattering. The results confirm the common assertion that the depth of origin of sputtered atoms is determined mainly by the stopping of low energy recoil atoms. The effect of angular scattering turns out to be astonishingly small. The distributions in depth of origin, energy, and angle do not depend significantly on whether the scattering medium is a halfspace or an infinite medium with a reference plane. The angular spectrum comes out only very slightly over cosine from the model as it stands, in agreement with previous experience, but comments are made on essential features that are not incorporated in the physical model but might influence the angular spectrum. (orig./WL)

Occurrence of radon in the Polish underground tourist routes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jerzy Olszewski

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Background: There are about 200 underground tourist routes in Poland. There are caves, mines or underground structures. This paper presents the results of the research intended to identify the extent of the occurrence of radon concentrations in underground areas of tourist routes. Material and Methods: We conducted the measurement of periodic concentrations of radon (1–2 months in the summer using type Tastrak trace detectors. We determined the average concentrations of radon in air in 66 underground tourist routes in Poland. Results: The research results comprise 259 determinations of average radon concentrations in 66 routes. The arithmetic average of the results was 1610 Bqm–3, and the maximum measured concentration was over 20 000 Bqm–3. The minimum concentration was 100 Bqm–3 (threshold method considering the arithmetic average of the measurements. It was found that in 67% of the routes, the average concentration of radon has exceeded 300 Bqm–3 and in 22 underground routes it exceeded 1000 Bqm–3. Conclusions: Radon which occurs in many Polish underground tourist routes may be an organizational, legal and health problem. It is necessary to develop a program of measures to reduce radon concentrations in underground routes, especially routes located in the former mines. Med Pr 2015;66(4:557–563

The arrangement of the seismic design method of the underground facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanai, Kenji; Horita, Masakuni; Dewa, Katsuyuki; Gouke, Mitsuo

2002-03-01

Earthquake resistance for the underground structure is higher than the ground structure. Therefore, the case of examining the earthquake resistance of underground structure was little. However, it carries out the research on the aseismic designing method of underground structure, since the tunnel was struck by Hyogo-ken Nanbu Earthquake, and it has obtained a much knowledge. However, an object of the most study was behavior at earthquake of the comparatively shallow underground structure in the alluvial plain board, and it not carry out the examination on behavior at earthquake of underground structure in the deep rock mass. In the meantime, underground disposal facility of the high level radioactive waste constructs in the deep underground, and it carries out the operation in these tunnels. In addition, it has made almost the general process of including from the construction start to the backfilling to be about 60 years (Japan Nuclear Fuel Cycle Development Institute, 1999). During these periods, it is necessary to also consider the earthquake resistance as underground structure from the viewpoint of the safety of facilities. Then, it extracted future problem as one of the improvement of the basis information for the decision of the safety standard and guideline of the country on earthquake-resistant design of the underground disposal facility, while it carried out investigation and arrangement of earthquake-resistant design cases, guidelines and analysis method on existing underground structure, etc. And, the research items for the earthquake resistance assessment of underground structure as case study of the underground research laboratory. (author)

Prototype development or multi-cavity ion chamber for depth dose measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nayak, M.K.; Sahu, T.K.; Haridas, G.; Bandyopadhyay, Tapas; Tripathi, R.M.; Nandedkar, R.V.

2016-01-01

In high energy electron accelerators, when the electrons interact with vacuum chamber or surrounding structural material, Bremsstrahlung x-rays are produced. It is having a broad spectrum extending up to the electron energies. Dose measured as a function of depth due to electromagnetic cascade will give rise to depth dose curve. To measure the online depth dose profile in an absorber medium, when high energy electron or Bremsstrahlung is incident, a prototype Multi-Cavity Ion Chamber (MCIC) detector is developed. The paper describes the design and development of the MCIC for measurement of depth dose profile

Underground siting of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bender, F.

1982-01-01

The symposium gave the opportunity for an international exchange of views on the concepts of underground nuclear power plants, which are presently world wide under consideration. The results of investigations into the advantages and disadvantages with regard to the technical safety aspects of the underground plants in comparison to plants on the surface led to open and sometimes controversal discussions. As a result of the symposium (32 contributions) a general agreement can be stated on the judgement concerning the advantages and the disadvantages of underground nuclear power plants (nnp). The advantages are: increased protection against external events; delayed release of fission products in accident situations, if the closures operate properly. The disadvantages are: increased costs of the construction of underground and restrictions to such sites where either large caverns or deep pits can be constructed, which also requires that certain technical problems must be solved beforehand. Also, additional safety certificates related to the site will be required within the licensing procedures. The importance of these advantages and disadvantages was in some cases assessed very differently. The discussions also showed, that there are a number of topics where some questions have not been finally answered yet. (orig./HP) [de

Evaluating the potential for large-scale fracturing at a disposal vault: an example using the underground research laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martin, C D; Chandler, N A; Brown, Anton

1994-09-01

The potential for large-scale fracturing (> 10 m{sup 2}) around a nuclear fuel waste disposal vault is investigated in this report. The disposal vault is assumed to be located at a depth of 500 m in the plutonic rocks of the Canadian Shield. The rock mass surrounding the disposal vault is considered to have similar mechanical properties and in situ stress conditions to that found at a depth of 420 m at the Underground Research Laboratory. Theoretical, experimental and field evidence shows that Mode I fractures propagate in a plane perpendicular to {sigma}{sub 3} and only if the tensile stress at the tip of the advancing crack is sufficient to overcome the tensile strength of the rock. Because the stress state at a depth of 500 m or more is compressive, and will very probably stay so during the 10,000 year life of the disposal vault, there does not appear to be any mechanism which could propagate large-scale Mode I fracturing in the rock mass surrounding the vault. In addition because {sigma}{sub 3} is near vertical any Mode I fracture propagation that might occur would be in a horizontal plane. The development of either Mode I or large-scale shear fractures would require a drastic change in the compressive in situ stress state at the depth of the disposal vault. The stresses developed as a result of both thermal and glacial loading do not appear sufficient to cause new fracturing. Glacial loading would reduce the shear stresses in the rock mass and hence improve the stability of the rock mass surrounding the vault. Thus, it is not feasible that large-scale fracturing would occur over the 10,000 year life of a disposal vault in the Canadian Shield, at depths of 500 m or greater, where the compressive stress state is similar to that found at the Underground Research Laboratory. 107 refs., 44 figs.

Evaluating the potential for large-scale fracturing at a disposal vault: an example using the underground research laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, C.D.; Chandler, N.A.; Brown, Anton.

1994-09-01

The potential for large-scale fracturing (> 10 m 2 ) around a nuclear fuel waste disposal vault is investigated in this report. The disposal vault is assumed to be located at a depth of 500 m in the plutonic rocks of the Canadian Shield. The rock mass surrounding the disposal vault is considered to have similar mechanical properties and in situ stress conditions to that found at a depth of 420 m at the Underground Research Laboratory. Theoretical, experimental and field evidence shows that Mode I fractures propagate in a plane perpendicular to σ 3 and only if the tensile stress at the tip of the advancing crack is sufficient to overcome the tensile strength of the rock. Because the stress state at a depth of 500 m or more is compressive, and will very probably stay so during the 10,000 year life of the disposal vault, there does not appear to be any mechanism which could propagate large-scale Mode I fracturing in the rock mass surrounding the vault. In addition because σ 3 is near vertical any Mode I fracture propagation that might occur would be in a horizontal plane. The development of either Mode I or large-scale shear fractures would require a drastic change in the compressive in situ stress state at the depth of the disposal vault. The stresses developed as a result of both thermal and glacial loading do not appear sufficient to cause new fracturing. Glacial loading would reduce the shear stresses in the rock mass and hence improve the stability of the rock mass surrounding the vault. Thus, it is not feasible that large-scale fracturing would occur over the 10,000 year life of a disposal vault in the Canadian Shield, at depths of 500 m or greater, where the compressive stress state is similar to that found at the Underground Research Laboratory. 107 refs., 44 figs

Assessment of the underground construction details of a road pavement using GPR antenna systems with different frequencies

Science.gov (United States)

Alani, Amir M.; Tosti, Fabio; Bianchini Ciampoli, Luca; Benedetto, Francesco; Benedetto, Andrea

2017-04-01

intervals in the direction of the road started from the reference (first) transversal axis located 5m behind the drain at the side of the road. The results obtained using the 2000 MHz antenna showed that the road construction consisted of an asphalt layer of 10 cm thickness overlaying a reinforced concrete block with two layers of rebar mesh. In addition, significant moisture damage and evidence of subsidence within the road were identified. The 900 MHz frequency antenna confirmed the above results as well as suggesting the existence of subsidence at the lower areas of the road foundation. Furthermore, results revealed the existence of an unidentified object at the deeper depth. This was not detected by the higher frequency antenna. The maximum depth of penetration was achieved by using the 600 MHz and the 200 MHz antennas (maximum of 3 m). To that effect this investigation did not identify or confirm the existence of any underground watercourse. Acknowledgement The authors acknowledge the COST Action TU1208 "Civil Engineering Applications of Ground Penetrating Radar" for providing networking and discussion opportunities throughout its activity and operation as well as facilitating prospect for publishing research outputs.

Underground muons from Cygnus X-3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, L.E.

1985-01-01

Underground detectors, intended for searches for nucleon decay and other rare processes, have recently begun searching for evidence of astrophysical sources, particularly Cygnus X-3, in the cosmic ray muons they record. Some evidence for signals from Cygnus X-3 has been reported. The underground observations are reported here in the context of previous (surface) observations of the source at high energies. 25 refs., 8 figs

Collection of URL measurement data in 2006 at the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumagai, Yasuhito; Funaki, Hironori; Yamasaki, Masanao; Yamaguchi, Takehiro; Sanada, Hiroyuki; Abe, Hironobu; Orukawa, Go

2008-07-01

The Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory (URL) Project is being pursued by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to enhance the reliability of relevant disposal technologies through investigations of the deep geological environment within the host sedimentary formations at Horonobe, northern Hokkaido. The project consists two major research area, Geoscientific Research' and 'R and D on Geological Disposal', and proceeds in three overlapping phases, 'Phase I: Surface-based investigation', 'Phase II: Construction' and 'Phase III: Operation', over a period of 20 years. The Phase I geoscientific research was carried out from March 2001 to March 2005 in parallel with design and execution scheme on URL facilities. In addition, identifying key issues that need to be addressed in the Phase II/III investigations was carried out. At the inception of the Phase II investigations, an investigation report titled 'Measurement Plan and Observational Construction Program on Shaft Excavation at the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory Project' (hereinafter referred to as Observational Construction Program') was published. The Observational Construction Program summarizes followings lessons learnt from the Phase I investigations: measurements for safety/reasonable construction, measurements for R and D on enhancement of shaft design/construction technology, and measurements for verification of the deep geological environment estimated before shaft excavation. This report summarizes the measurements data acquired at the Ventilation Shaft (to approx. 50m depth) and the East Shaft (to approx. 40m depth) in 2006 based on the Observational Construction Program. CD-ROM and DVD-ROM are attached as an appendix. (J.P.N.)

Design, construction and initial state of the underground openings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-12-01

The report is included in a set of Production reports, presenting how the KBS-3 repository is designed, produced and inspected. The set of reports is included in the safety report for the KBS-3 repository and repository facility. The report provides input on the initial state of the underground openings for the assessment of the long-term safety, SR-Site. The initial state refers to the properties of the underground openings at final disposal, backfilling or closure. In addition, the report provides input to the operational safety report, SR-Operation, on how the underground openings shall be constructed and inspected. The report presents the design premises and the methodology applied to design the underground openings and adapt them the to the site conditions so that they conform to the design premises. It presents the reference design at Forsmark and its conformity to the design premises. It also describes the reference methods to be applied to construct and inspect the different kinds of underground openings. Finally, the initial state of the underground openings and its conformity to the design premises is presented

Design, construction and initial state of the underground openings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2010-12-15

The report is included in a set of Production reports, presenting how the KBS-3 repository is designed, produced and inspected. The set of reports is included in the safety report for the KBS-3 repository and repository facility. The report provides input on the initial state of the underground openings for the assessment of the long-term safety, SR-Site. The initial state refers to the properties of the underground openings at final disposal, backfilling or closure. In addition, the report provides input to the operational safety report, SR-Operation, on how the underground openings shall be constructed and inspected. The report presents the design premises and the methodology applied to design the underground openings and adapt them the to the site conditions so that they conform to the design premises. It presents the reference design at Forsmark and its conformity to the design premises. It also describes the reference methods to be applied to construct and inspect the different kinds of underground openings. Finally, the initial state of the underground openings and its conformity to the design premises is presented

Transient Response of a Fluid-Filled, Thick-Walled Spherical Shell Embedded in an Elastic Medium

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bahari Ako

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The paper addresses the problem of transient elastodynamics analysis of a thick-walled, fluid-filled spherical shell embedded in an elastic medium with an analytical approach. This configuration is investigated at first step for a full-space case. Different constitutive relations for the elastic medium, shell material and filling fluid can be considered, as well as different excitation sources (including S/P wave or plane/spherical incident wave at different locations. With mapmaking visualisation, the wave propagation phenomena can be described and better understood. The methodology is going to be applied to analysis of the tunnels or other shell like structures under the effect of nearby underground explosion.

Establishing sustainable strategies in urban underground engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Curiel-Esparza, Jorge; Canto-Perello, Julian; Calvo, Maria A

2004-07-01

Growth of urban areas, the corresponding increased demand for utility services and the possibility of new types of utility systems are overcrowding near surface underground space with urban utilities. Available subsurface space will continue to diminish to the point where utilidors (utility tunnels) may become inevitable. Establishing future sustainable strategies in urban underground engineering consists of the ability to lessen the use of traditional trenching. There is an increasing interest in utility tunnels for urban areas as a sustainable technique to avoid congestion of the subsurface. One of the principal advantages of utility tunnels is the substantially lower environmental impact compared with common trenches. Implementing these underground facilities is retarded most by the initial cost and management procedures. The habitual procedure is to meet problems as they arise in current practice. The moral imperative of sustainable strategies fails to confront the economic and political conflicts of interest. Municipal engineers should act as a key enabler in urban underground sustainable development.

Proceedings of the third annual underground coal conversion symposium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1977-01-01

The Third Annual Underground Coal Conversion Symposium was held at Fallen Leaf Lake, CA, June 6--9, 1977. It was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and hosted by Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. Forty-one papers have been entered individually into EDB and ERA; ten papers had been entered previously from other sources. The papers cover the in-situ gasification of lignite, subbituminous coal and bituminous coal, in flat lying seams and a steeply dipping beds, at moderate and at greater depths, and describe various technologies of (borehole linking, well spacings, gasifying agents (air, oxygen, steam, hydrogen, including mixtures). Measuring instruments for diagnostic and process control purposes are described. Environmental impacts (ground subsidence and possible groundwater pollution) are the subject of several papers. Finally, mathematical modelling and projected economics of the process are developed. (LTN)

Calculation of the shock-wave in the region close to an underground nuclear explosion (method Cades); Calcul de l'onde de choc en zone proche d'une explosion nucleaire souterraine (methode cades)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Supiot, F; Brugies, J [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Bruyeres-le-Chatel (France). Centre d' Etudes

1969-07-01

The outline of a method is presented for calculating the characteristics of a shock wave produced by an underground nuclear explosion (pressure, wave velocity, velocity of the medium, energy left in the medium by the shock, etc.). By means of an application to a granitic medium and of a comparison with results obtained during French nuclear explosions, it has been possible to show the good agreement existing between the calculations and the experimental results. The advantages of such a method for studying the industrial applications of underground nuclear explosions are stressed. (authors) [French] On expose les grandes lignes d'une methode de calcul des caracteristiques de l'onde de choc issue d'une explosion nucleaire souterraine (pression, vitesse de l'onde, vitesse du milieu, energie deposee par le choc dans le milieu...). Une application a un milieu granitique et une comparaison aux resultats obtenus au cours d'explosions nucleaires francaises permet de montrer la bonne concordance entre le calcul et les resultats experimentaux. On souligne l'interet d'une telle, methode pour l'etude d'applications industrielles des explosions nucleaires souterraines. (auteurs)

Logistics background study: underground mining

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanslovan, J. J.; Visovsky, R. G.

1982-02-01

Logistical functions that are normally associated with US underground coal mining are investigated and analyzed. These functions imply all activities and services that support the producing sections of the mine. The report provides a better understanding of how these functions impact coal production in terms of time, cost, and safety. Major underground logistics activities are analyzed and include: transportation and personnel, supplies and equipment; transportation of coal and rock; electrical distribution and communications systems; water handling; hydraulics; and ventilation systems. Recommended areas for future research are identified and prioritized.

Master plan of Mizunami underground research laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-04-01

In June 1994, the Atomic Energy Commission of Japan reformulated the Long-Term Programme for Research, Development and Utilisation of Nuclear Energy (LTP). The LTP (item 7, chapter 3) sets out the guidelines which apply to promoting scientific studies of the deep geological environment, with a view to providing a sound basis for research and development programmes for geological disposal projects. The Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC) has been conducting scientific studies of the deep geological environment as part of its Geoscientific Research Programme. The LTP also emphasised the importance of deep underground research facilities in the following terms: Deep underground research facilities play an important role in research relating to geological disposal. They allow the characteristics and features of the geological environment, which require to be considered in performance assessment of disposal systems, to be investigated in situ and the reliability of the models used for evaluating system performance to be developed and refined. They also provide opportunities for carrying out comprehensive research that will contribute to an improved overall understanding of Japan's deep geological environment. It is recommended that more than one facility should be constructed, considering the range of characteristics and features of Japan's geology and other relevant factors. It is important to plan underground research facilities on the basis of results obtained from research and development work already carried out, particularly the results of scientific studies of the deep geological environment. Such a plan for underground research facilities should be clearly separated from the development of an actual repository. JNC's Mizunami underground research laboratory (MIU) Project will be a deep underground research facility as foreseen by the above provisions of the LTP. (author)

Sampling and treatment of rock cores and groundwater under reducing environments of deep underground

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebashi, Katsuhiro; Yamaguchi, Tetsuji; Tanaka, Tadao

2005-01-01

A method of sampling and treatment of undisturbed rock cores and groundwater under maintained reducing environments of deep underground was developed and demonstrated in a Neogene's sandy mudstone layer at depth of GL-100 to -200 m. Undisturbed rock cores and groundwater were sampled and transferred into an Ar gas atmospheric glove box with minimized exposure to the atmosphere. The reducing conditions of the sampled groundwater and rock cores were examined in the Ar atmospheric glove box by measuring pH and Eh of the sampled groundwater and sampled groundwater contacting with disk type rock samples, respectively. (author)

Underground neutrino astronomy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schramm, D.N.

1983-02-01

A review is made of possible astronomical neutrino sources detectable with underground facilities. Comments are made about solar neutrinos and gravitational-collapse neutrinos, and particular emphasis is placed on ultra-high-energy astronomical neutrino sources. An appendix mentions the exotic possibility of monopolonium

Monitoring and localization of buried plastic natural gas pipes using passive RF tags

Science.gov (United States)

Mondal, Saikat; Kumar, Deepak; Ghazali, Mohd. Ifwat; Chahal, Prem; Udpa, Lalita; Deng, Yiming

2018-04-01

A passive harmonic radio frequency (RF) tag on the pipe with added sensing capabilities is proposed in this paper. Radio frequency identification (RFID) based tagging has already emerged as a potential solution for chemical sensing, location detection, animal tagging, etc. Harmonic transponders are already quite popular compared to conventional RFIDs due to their improved signal to noise ratio (SNR). However, the operating frequency, transmitted power and tag efficiency become critical issues for underground RFIDs. In this paper, a comprehensive on-tag sensing, power budget and frequency analyses is performed for buried harmonic tag design. Accurate tracking of infrastructure burial depth is proposed to reduce the probability of failure of underground pipelines. Burial depth is estimated using phase information of received signals at different frequencies calculated using genetic algorithm (GA) based optimization for post processing. Suitable frequency range is determined for a variety of soil with different moisture content for small tag-antenna size. Different types of harmonic tags such as 1) Schottky diode, 2) Non-linear Transmission Line (NLTL) were compared for underground applications. In this study, the power, frequency and tag design have been optimized to achieve small antenna size, minimum signal loss and simple reader circuit for underground detection at up to 5 feet depth in different soil medium and moisture contents.

Behaviors of radionuclides in wet underground soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inoue, Y.; Morisawa, S.

Experimental studies were made of the variations of the distribution coefficient of 65 Zn, 60 Co, and /sup 110 m/Ag with Ca ion contents in sand--water and resin--water systems. It is concluded that: (1) The distribution coefficient of a radionuclide is not constant but varies greatly especially with calcium ion concentration in underground water. (2) The Saturation Index I=pH-pHs can be used as a parameter to indicate such variations. (3) Some radionuclides, existing as radiocolloids like (sup 110m/Ag and 59 Fe, are inactive toward ion exchange reactions as with hydroxide. In such cases, the nuclides migrate underground as fast as underground water

Resolution limits of migration and linearized waveform inversion images in a lossy medium

KAUST Repository

Schuster, Gerard T.; Dutta, Gaurav; Li, Jing

2017-01-01

The vertical-and horizontal-resolution limits Delta x(lossy) and Delta z(lossy) of post-stack migration and linearized waveform inversion images are derived for lossy data in the far-field approximation. Unlike the horizontal resolution limit Delta x proportional to lambda z/L in a lossless medium which linearly worsens in depth z, Delta x(lossy) proportional to z(2)/QL worsens quadratically with depth for a medium with small Q values. Here, Q is the quality factor, lambda is the effective wavelength, L is the recording aperture, and loss in the resolution formulae is accounted for by replacing lambda with z/Q. In contrast, the lossy vertical-resolution limit Delta z(lossy) only worsens linearly in depth compared to Delta z proportional to lambda for a lossless medium. For both the causal and acausal Q models, the resolution limits are linearly proportional to 1/Q for small Q. These theoretical predictions are validated with migration images computed from lossy data.

Resolution limits of migration and linearized waveform inversion images in a lossy medium

KAUST Repository

Schuster, Gerard T.

2017-03-10

The vertical-and horizontal-resolution limits Delta x(lossy) and Delta z(lossy) of post-stack migration and linearized waveform inversion images are derived for lossy data in the far-field approximation. Unlike the horizontal resolution limit Delta x proportional to lambda z/L in a lossless medium which linearly worsens in depth z, Delta x(lossy) proportional to z(2)/QL worsens quadratically with depth for a medium with small Q values. Here, Q is the quality factor, lambda is the effective wavelength, L is the recording aperture, and loss in the resolution formulae is accounted for by replacing lambda with z/Q. In contrast, the lossy vertical-resolution limit Delta z(lossy) only worsens linearly in depth compared to Delta z proportional to lambda for a lossless medium. For both the causal and acausal Q models, the resolution limits are linearly proportional to 1/Q for small Q. These theoretical predictions are validated with migration images computed from lossy data.

Modeling of Energy-saving System of Conditioning Mine Air for Shallow Underground Mines

Science.gov (United States)

Nikolaev, Alexandr; Miftakhov, Timur; Nikolaeva, Evgeniya

2017-11-01

Mines of Verkhnekamsk potassium-magnesium salt deposit in Perm Krai can be subsumed under shallow mines (depth less than 500 meters). At the present moment in shallow underground mines the are problem of condensate formation in large quantities, when ventilation warm seasons of the year. This problem is more actual for salt mine, where during contact between water and potassium-magnesium ore produced electrolyte, which give rise wear of equipment. For prevent/quantity reduction condensate formation in mine used system of conditioning (refrigerating and dehumidifying) mine air (ACS). However, application this system is limited by reason of tremendous costs of electric energy for their work.

Preliminary assessment of potential underground stability (wedge and spalling) at Forsmark, Simpevarp and Laxemar sites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martin, Derek [Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton (Canada). Geotechnical Engineering

2005-12-15

In SKB's Underground Design Premises the objective in the early design phase is to estimate if there is sufficient space for the repository at a site. One of the conditions that could limit the space available is stability of the underground openings, i.e., deposition tunnels and deposition boreholes. The purpose of this report is to provide a preliminary assessment of the potential for wedge instability and spalling that may be encountered at the Forsmark, Simpevarp and Laxemar sites based on information from the site investigations program up to July 30, 2004. The rock mass spalling strength was defined using the in-situ results from SKB's Aespoe Pillar Stability Experiment and AECL's Mine-by Experiment. These experiments suggest that the rock mass spalling strength for crystalline rocks can be estimated as 0.57 of the mean laboratory uniaxial compressive strength. A probability-based methodology utilizing this in-situ rock mass spalling strength has been developed for assessing the risk for spalling in a repository at the Forsmark, Simpevarp and Laxemar sites. The in-situ stresses and the uniaxial compressive strength data from these sites were used as the bases for the analyses. Preliminary findings from all sites suggest that, generally, the risk for spalling increases as the depth of the repository increases, simply because the stress magnitudes increase with depth. The depth at which the risk for spalling is significant, depends on the individual sites which are discussed below. The greatest uncertainty in the spalling analyses for Forsmark is related to the uncertainty in the horizontal stress magnitudes and associated stress gradients with depth. The confidence in these analyses can only be increased by increasing the confidence in the stress and geology model for the site. From the analyses completed it appears that spalling in the deposition tunnels can be controlled by orienting the tunnels approximately parallel to the maximum horizontal

Radon exposure in selected underground touring routes in Poland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olszewski, J.; Chruscielewski, W.; Jankowski, J.

2006-01-01

The radioactive elements abounding in the natural environment cause that the whole human population is exposed to radiation. In Poland, mean gamma radiation dose power is 45.4 n Gy h -1 , while atmospheric radon concentration is 4.4 Bq m -3 [1]. In closed rooms, where radon tends to accumulate, the concentrations may be many times higher.Underground touring routes located in caves, mines, ancient cellars, vaults may accumulate radon at concentrations several thousand times exceeding its atmospheric levels. Studies on natural radioactivity in underground touring routes, with particular reference to caves, have continued worldwide since the 80's. Current register of underground touring routes in Poland comprises over 30 items, which include caves (e.g. Niedzwiedzia), mines (Wieliczka), cellars and underground stores (Opatow City vaults) and military objects (underground factories of Walim). The Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine has for several years already continued determinations of periodical mean radon concentrations in four underground touring routes (starting date in parentheses): Niedzwiedzia Cave (1995); Kowary Drifts closed uranium mine (2001); closed uranium mine in Kletno (2004); Zloty Stok closed gold mine (2004); Osowka underground city in Gluszyca (2004).The results of our determinations of radon concentrations at five selected touring routes lead to the following conclusions. 1. The exposure in the Kowary Drifts touring route is at the level of 5% of the recommended maximum annual admissible limit of 20 mSv. 2. It is assessed that workers of the touring routes where exposures are estimated from the measured concentrations and the time spent underground may receive doses ranging from 0.01 to 5 mSv. (N.C.)

Radon exposure in selected underground touring routes in Poland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Olszewski, J.; Chruscielewski, W.; Jankowski, J. [Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Dept. of Radiation Protection, Lodz (Poland)

2006-07-01

The radioactive elements abounding in the natural environment cause that the whole human population is exposed to radiation. In Poland, mean gamma radiation dose power is 45.4 n Gy h{sup -1}, while atmospheric radon concentration is 4.4 Bq m{sup -3} [1]. In closed rooms, where radon tends to accumulate, the concentrations may be many times higher.Underground touring routes located in caves, mines, ancient cellars, vaults may accumulate radon at concentrations several thousand times exceeding its atmospheric levels. Studies on natural radioactivity in underground touring routes, with particular reference to caves, have continued worldwide since the 80's. Current register of underground touring routes in Poland comprises over 30 items, which include caves (e.g. Niedzwiedzia), mines (Wieliczka), cellars and underground stores (Opatow City vaults) and military objects (underground factories of Walim). The Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine has for several years already continued determinations of periodical mean radon concentrations in four underground touring routes (starting date in parentheses): Niedzwiedzia Cave (1995); Kowary Drifts closed uranium mine (2001); closed uranium mine in Kletno (2004); Zloty Stok closed gold mine (2004); Osowka underground city in Gluszyca (2004).The results of our determinations of radon concentrations at five selected touring routes lead to the following conclusions. 1. The exposure in the Kowary Drifts touring route is at the level of 5% of the recommended maximum annual admissible limit of 20 mSv. 2. It is assessed that workers of the touring routes where exposures are estimated from the measured concentrations and the time spent underground may receive doses ranging from 0.01 to 5 mSv. (N.C.)

Underground siting of nuclear power plants: potential benefits and penalties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allensworth, J.A.; Finger, J.T.; Milloy, J.A.; Murfin, W.B.; Rodeman, R.; Vandevender, S.G.

1977-08-01

The potential for improving nuclear power safety is analyzed by siting plants underground in mined cavities or by covering plants with fill earth after construction in an excavated cut. Potential benefits and penalties of underground plants are referenced to analogous plants located on the surface. Three representative regional sites having requisite underground geology were used to evaluate underground siting. The major factors which were evaluated for all three sites were: (1) containment of radioactive materials, (2) transport of groundwater contamination, and (3) seismic vulnerability. External protection, plant security, feasibility, operational considerations, and cost were evaluated on a generic basis. Additionally, the national availability of sites having the requisite geology for both underground siting concepts was determined

The Stranger Within: Dostoevsky's Underground

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Peter

2013-01-01

In Fyodor Dostoevsky's influential novel "Notes from underground", we find one of the most memorable characters in nineteenth century literature. The Underground Man, around whom everything else in this book revolves, is in some respects utterly repugnant: he is self-centred, obsessive and cruel. Yet he is also highly intelligent,…

Underground laboratories in Japan and North America

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sobel, Henry W

2006-01-01

There is a blossoming demand for deep underground laboratory space to satisfy the expanding interest in experiments that require significant cosmic-ray shielding. I'll briefly describe the existing deep facilities and their plans for expansion. I will also discuss the planning for a new major underground facility in the U.S

First ATLAS Events Recorded Underground

CERN Multimedia

Teuscher, R

As reported in the CERN Bulletin, Issue No.30-31, 25 July 2005 The ATLAS barrel Tile calorimeter has recorded its first events underground using a cosmic ray trigger, as part of the detector commissioning programme. This is not a simulation! A cosmic ray muon recorded by the barrel Tile calorimeter of ATLAS on 21 June 2005 at 18:30. The calorimeter has three layers and a pointing geometry. The light trapezoids represent the energy deposited in the tiles of the calorimeter depicted as a thick disk. On the evening of June 21, the ATLAS detector, now being installed in the underground experimental hall UX15, reached an important psychological milestone: the barrel Tile calorimeter recorded the first cosmic ray events in the underground cavern. An estimated million cosmic muons enter the ATLAS cavern every 3 minutes, and the ATLAS team decided to make good use of some of them for the commissioning of the detector. Although only 8 of the 128 calorimeter slices ('superdrawers') were included in the trigg...

Estimation of thawing cryolithic area with numerical modeling in 3D geometry while exploiting underground small nuclear power plant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melnikov N. N.

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The paper presents results on 3D numerical calculation of a thermal task related to assessing a thawing area when placing modules with reactor and steam-turbine facility of a small nuclear power plant in thickness of permafrost rocks. The paper discusses influence of the coefficient of thermal conductivity for large-scaled underground excavations lining and cryolithic area porosity on thawing depth and front movement velocity under different spatial directions

Research on prognostics and health management of underground pipeline

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Guangdi; Yang, Meng; Yang, Fan; Ni, Na

2018-04-01

With the development of the city, the construction of the underground pipeline is more and more complex, which has relation to the safety and normal operation of the city, known as "the lifeline of the city". First of all, this paper introduces the principle of PHM (Prognostics and Health Management) technology, then proposed for fault diagnosis, prognostics and health management in view of underground pipeline, make a diagnosis and prognostics for the faults appearing in the operation of the underground pipeline, and then make a health assessment of the whole underground pipe network in order to ensure the operation of the pipeline safely. Finally, summarize and prospect the future research direction.

Physics at the proposed National Underground Science Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nieto, M.M.

1983-01-01

The scientific, technical, and financial reasons for building a National Underground Science Facility are discussed. After reviewing examples of other underground facilities, we focus on the Los Alamos proposal and the national for its choice of site

Underground spaces/cybernetic spaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomaž Novljan

2000-01-01

Full Text Available A modern city space is a space where in the vertical and horizontal direction dynamic, non-linear processes exist, similar as in nature. Alongside the “common” city surface, cities have underground spaces as well that are increasingly affecting the functioning of the former. It is the space of material and cybernetic communication/transport. The psychophysical specifics of using underground places have an important role in their conceptualisation. The most evident facts being their limited volume and often limited connections to the surface and increased level of potential dangers of all kinds. An efficient mode for alleviating the effects of these specific features are artistic interventions, such as: shape, colour, lighting, all applications of the basic principles of fractal theory.

Case study of siting technology for underground nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hibino, Satoshi; Komada, Hiroya; Honsho, Shizumitsu; Fujiwara, Yoshikazu; Motojima, Mutsumi; Nakagawa, Kameichiro; Nosaki, Takashi

1991-01-01

Underground siting method is one of new feasible siting methods for nuclear power plants. This report presents the results on case studies on underground siting. Two sites of a steeply inclined and plateau like configurations were selected. 'Tunnel type cavern; all underground siting' method was applied for the steeply inclined configuration, and 'shaft type semi-cavern; partial underground siting' method was applied for the plateau like configuration. The following designs were carried out for these two sites as case studies; (1) conceptual designs, (2) geological surveys and rock mechanics tests, (3) stability analysis during cavern excavations, (4) seismic stability analysis of caverns during earthquake, (5) reinforcement designs for caverns, (6) drainage designs. The case studies showed that these two cases were fully feasible, and comparison between two cases revealed that the 'shaft type semi-cavern; partial underground siting' method was more suitable for Japanese islands. As a first step of underground siting, therefore, the authors recommend to construct a nuclear power plant by this method. (author)

THE JOSEF REGIONAL UNDERGROUND RESEARCH CENTRE (JOSEF URC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dana Pacovská

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The Josef Gallery, located in the central Bohemia region of the Czech Republic was first excavated in 1981 as an exploration complex for the potential mining of gold. In 2007, the gallery was substantially reconstructed to house the Josef Underground Educational Facility (Josef UEF, which subsequently became an autonomous workplace under the direction of the Czech Technical University in Prague. At the beginning of 2010, the UEF was renamed the Josef Regional Underground Research Centre (Josef URC which, along with the extensive underground complex, features modern above-ground facilities. One of the most important roles of this research center is to provide practical in-situ instruction in the fields of geotechnical engineering, geology, geochemistry, radiochemistry and radioecology. The training of future experts in this authentic underground setting involves the participation of several other Czech universities and numerous experienced specialists from outside the academic sphere. The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency has added the Josef URC to its prestigious list of international training canters involved in the “Training in and Demonstration of Waste Disposal Technologies in Underground Research Facilities – A Network of Centers of Excellence” project.

The matter power spectrum from the Ly alpha forest : an optical depth estimate

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zaroubi, S; Nusser, A; Haehnelt, M; Kim, TS; Viel, M.

2006-01-01

We measure the matter power spectrum from 31 Ly alpha spectra spanning the redshift range of 1.6-3.6. The optical depth, tau, for Ly alpha absorption of the intergalactic medium is obtained from the flux using the inversion method of Nusser & Haehnelt. The optical depth is converted to density by

The Mimetic Principle in the Underground Economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Voicu

2009-08-01

Full Text Available There has been in the recent years an increased preoccupation at international level for the research of the mechanism of development of the underground economy. The numerous vain attempts to measure the dimension of the underground economy persuaded us to embark on a qualitative research of this economic phenomenon. In our investigation on the roots of the underground economy we drew very close to the psychological and sociological aspects of the phenomenon itself. The process of humanizing that has at its origin components of the mimetic principle, like acquisitive mimesis, prompt us to ponder over J.M. Keynes’ words: „The avoidance of taxes is the only intellectual ambition that one feels rewarded for.”

RP delves underground

CERN Document Server

Anaïs Schaeffer

2011-01-01

The LHC’s winter technical stop is rapidly approaching. As in past years, technical staff in their thousands will be flocking to the underground areas of the LHC and the Linac2, Booster, PS and SPS injectors. To make sure they are protected from ionising radiation, members of the Radiation Protection Group will perform an assessment of the levels of radioactivity in the tunnels as soon as the beams have stopped.   Members of the Radiation Protection Group with their precision instruments that measure radioactivity. At 7-00 a.m. on 8 December the LHC and all of the upstream accelerators will begin their technical stop. At 7-30 a.m., members of the Radiation Protection Group will enter the tunnel to perform a radiation mapping, necessary so that the numerous teams can do their work in complete safety. “Before we proceed underground, we always check first to make sure that the readings from the induced radioactivity monitors installed in the tunnels are all normal,&rdqu...

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment: The precision era of neutrino physics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kemp, E. [Gleb Wataghin Institute of Physics, Universidade de Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas Brazil

2017-12-01

The last decade was remarkable for neutrino physics. In particular, the phenomenon of neutrino flavor oscillations has been firmly established by a series of independent measurements. All parameters of the neutrino mixing are now known, and we have the elements to plan a judicious exploration of new scenarios that are opened by these recent advances. With precise measurements, we can test the three-neutrino paradigm, neutrino mass hierarchy, and charge conjugation parity (CP) asymmetry in the lepton sector. The future long-baseline experiments are considered to be a fundamental tool to deepen our knowledge of electroweak interactions. The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) will detect a broadband neutrino beam from Fermilab in an underground massive liquid argon time-projection chamber at an L/E of about 103 km GeV-1 to reach good sensitivity for CP-phase measurements and the determination of the mass hierarchy. The dimensions and the depth of the far detector also create an excellent opportunity to look for rare signals like proton decay to study violation of the baryonic number, as well as supernova neutrino bursts, broadening the scope of the experiment to astrophysics and associated impacts in cosmology. In this paper, we discuss the physics motivations and the main experimental features of the DUNE project required to reach its scientific goals.

Underground nuclear energy complexes - technical and economic advantages

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Myers, Carl W [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Kunze, Jay F [IDAHO STATE UNIV; Giraud, Kellen M [BABECOCK AND WILCOX; Mahar, James M [IDAHO STATE UNIV

2010-01-01

Underground nuclear power plant parks have been projected to be economically feasible compared to above ground instalIations. This paper includes a thorough cost analysis of the savings, compared to above ground facilities, resulting from in-place entombment (decommissioning) of facilities at the end of their life. reduced costs of security for the lifetime of the various facilities in the underground park. reduced transportation costs. and reduced costs in the operation of the waste storage complex (also underground). compared to the fair share of the costs of operating a national waste repository.

Dynamic Underground Stripping Demonstration Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aines, R.; Newmark, R.; McConachie, W.; Rice, D.; Ramirez, A.; Siegel, W.; Buettner, M.; Daily, W.; Krauter, P.; Folsom, E.; Boegel, A.J.; Bishop, D.; udel, K.

1992-03-01

LLNL is collaborating with the UC Berkeley College of Engineering to develop and demonstrate a system of thermal remediation and underground imaging techniques for use in rapid cleanup of localized underground spills. Called ''Dynamic Stripping'' to reflect the rapid and controllable nature of the process, it will combine steam injection, direct electrical heating, and tomographic geophysical imaging in a cleanup of the LLNL gasoline spill. In the first 8 months of the project, a Clean Site engineering test was conducted to prove the field application of the techniques before moving to the contaminated site in FY 92

Poster presentation - a visual medium for academic and scientific meetings.

Science.gov (United States)

Rowe, Nicholas; Ilic, Dragan

2011-09-01

Academic poster presentations are used as a medium of knowledge transfer by a wide range of health professional groups. Posters also provide a means of publication for academic and professional contributors. Posters are designed to give a visual representation of an issue that firstly attracts attention, and then conveys an intended message. Whilst the poster medium has become adopted into the publication orthodoxy of the scientific and academic communities, there are acknowledged limitations regarding the depth of knowledge transfer, issues of compilation and production, and the related viewer conception. If treated as a standalone medium, the limitations of a two-dimensional, page limited format may not provide the ideal opportunity to deliver the depth of information required within the academic context. Despite these limitations however, the continued use of posters is justified when supported by author presentation or multi-media resources. This paper aims to provide an overview of the current concept and practicality of academic poster publications. It also outlines by example, some of the wider principles of poster compilation and presentation, for use by those who may utilise the medium at academic and scientific meetings. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diseases of uranium miners and other underground miners exposed to radon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samet, J.M.

1991-01-01

Excess lung cancer has been demonstrated in many groups of underground miners exposed to radon, including uranium miners and those mining other substances in radon-contaminated mines. In the United States, most underground uranium mines had shut down by the late 1980s, but occupational exposure to radon progeny remains a concern for many other types of underground miners and other underground workers. Worldwide, uranium mining continues, with documented production in Canada, South Africa and other African countries, and Australia. Thus, radon in underground mines remains a significant occupational hazard as the end of the twentieth century approaches.39 references

Underground laboratories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bettini, A., E-mail: Bettini@pd.infn.i [Padua University and INFN Section, Dipartimento di Fisca G. Galilei, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova (Italy); Laboratorio Subterraneo de Canfranc, Plaza Ayuntamiento n1 2piso, Canfranc (Huesca) (Spain)

2011-01-21

Underground laboratories provide the low radioactive background environment necessary to frontier experiments in particle and nuclear astrophysics and other disciplines, geology and biology, that can profit of their unique characteristics. The cosmic silence allows to explore the highest energy scales that cannot be reached with accelerators by searching for extremely rare phenomena. I will briefly review the facilities that are operational or in an advanced status of approval around the world.

Underground gasification and combustion brown with the use of groundwater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zholudyev S.V.

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The problems of coal excavation and environement protection are priority for Ukraine. Underground coal gasification (UCG and underground coal incineration (UCI are combining excavation with simultaneous underground processing in entire technological process, capable to solve this problem. Using an intermediate heat carrier - ground water may optimisating of these processes.

Design and Testing of an Agricultural Implement for Underground Application of Rodenticide Bait

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hugo Malón

2015-01-01

Full Text Available An agricultural implement for underground application of rodenticide bait to control the Mediterranean pocket gopher (Microtus Duodecimcostatus in fruit orchards has been designed and tested. The main objective of this research was to design and test the implement by using the finite element method (FEM and considering a range of loads generated on most commonly used furrow openers in agricultural implements. As a second step, the prototype was tested in the field by analysing the effects of forward speed and application depth on the mechanical behaviour of the implement structure. The FEM was used in the design phase and a prototype was manufactured. The structural strains on the prototype chassis under working conditions were tested by using strain gauges to validate the design phase. Three forward speeds (4.5, 5.5, and 7.0 km/h, three application depths (0.12, 0.15, and 0.17 m, and two types of soil (clayey-silty-loam and clayey-silty-sandy were considered. The prototype was validated successfully by analysing the information obtained from the strain gauges. The Von Mises stresses indicated a safety coefficient of 1.9 for the most critical load case. Although both forward speed and application depth had a significant effect on the stresses generated on the chassis, the latter parameter critically affected the structural behaviour of the implement. The effects of the application depth on the strains were linear such that strains increased with depth. In contrast, strains remained roughly constant regardless of variation in the forward speed.

Structural design and dynamic analysis of underground nuclear reactor containments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kierans, T.W.; Reddy, D.V.; Heale, D.G.

1975-01-01

Present actual experience in the structural design of undeground containments is limited to only four rather small reactors all located in Europe. Thus proposals for future underground reactors depend on the transposition of applicable design specifications, constraints and criteria from existing surface nuclear power plants to underground, and the use of many years of experience in the structural design of large underground cavities and cavity complexes for other purposes such as mining, hydropower stations etc. An application of such considerations in a recent input for the Underground Containment sub-section of the Seismic Task Group Report to the ASCE Committee for Nuclear Structures and Materials is presented as follows: underground concept considerations, siting criteria and structural selection, structural types, analytical and semi-analytical approaches, design and other miscellaneous considerations

Numerical Approach of a Water Flow in an Unsaturated Porous Medium by Coupling Between the Navier–Stokes and Darcy–Forchheimer Equations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hami K.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In the present research, simulations have been conducted to determine numerically the dynamic behaviour of the flow of underground water fed by a river. The basic equations governing the problem studied are those of Navier–Stokes equations of conservation of momentum (flows between pores, coupled by the Darcy–Forchheimer equations (flows within these pores. To understand the phenomena involved, we first study the impact of flow rate on the pressure and the filtration velocity in the underground medium, the second part is devoted to the calculation of the elevation effect of the river water on the flow behaviour in the saturated and unsaturated zone of the aquifer.

About working of the research program on development of underground space of Russia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kartoziya, B.A.

1995-01-01

Basic proposition relative to the developed federal program on scientific research in the area of assimilating underground space in Russia are presented. The underground objects are divided by their purpose into four groups: 1) underground objects of house-hold purpose (energy and mining complex, industrial enterprises, storages, garages, etc); 2) underground objects of social purpose (libraries, shops, restaurants, etc); 3) underground objects of ecological purpose (storages, disposal sites for radioactive wastes and hazardous substances, dangerous productions, etc); 4) underground objects of defense purpose. Trends in the scientific-research program formation, relative to underground space assimilation are enumerated. 7 refs

Background intercomparison with escape-suppressed germanium detectors in underground mines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Szuecs, Tamas; Bemmerer, Daniel [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Dresden (Germany)

2014-07-01

A key requirement for underground nuclear astrophysics experiments is the very low background level in germanium detectors underground. The reference for these purposes is the world's so far only underground accelerator laboratory for nuclear astrophysics, LUNA. LUNA is located deep underground in the Gran Sasso laboratory in Italy, shielded from cosmic rays by 1400 m of rock. The background at LUNA was studied in detail using an escape-suppressed Clover-type HPGe detector. Exactly the same detector was subsequently transported to the Felsenkeller underground laboratory in Dresden, shielded by 45 m of rock, and the background was shown to be only a factor of three higher than at LUNA when comparing the escape-suppressed spectra, with interesting consequences for underground nuclear astrophysics. As the next step of a systematic study of the effects of a combination of active and passive shielding on the cosmic ray induced background, this detector is now being brought to the ''Reiche Zeche'' mine in Freiberg/Sachsen, shielded by 150 m of rock. The data from the Freiberg measurement are shown and discussed.

Site selection under the underground geologic store plan. Procedures of selecting underground geologic stores as disputed by society, science, and politics. Site selection rules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aebersold, M.

2008-01-01

The new Nuclear Power Act and the Nuclear Power Ordinance of 2005 are used in Switzerland to select a site of an underground geologic store for radioactive waste in a substantive planning procedure. The ''Underground Geologic Store Substantive Plan'' is to ensure the possibility to build underground geologic stores in an independent, transparent and fair procedure. The Federal Office for Energy (BFE) is the agency responsible for this procedure. The ''Underground Geologic Store'' Substantive Plan comprises these principles: - The long term protection of people and the environment enjoys priority. Aspects of regional planning, economics and society are of secondary importance. - Site selection is based on the waste volumes arising from the five nuclear power plants currently existing in Switzerland. The Substantive Plan is no precedent for or against future nuclear power plants. - A transparent and fair procedure is an indispensable prerequisite for achieving the objectives of a Substantive Plan, i.e., finding accepted sites for underground geologic stores. The Underground Geologic Stores Substantive Plan is arranged in two parts, a conceptual part defining the rules of the selection process, and an implementation part documenting the selection process step by step and, in the end, naming specific sites of underground geologic stores in Switzerland. The objective is to be able to commission underground geologic stores in 25 or 35 years' time. In principle, 2 sites are envisaged, one for low and intermediate level waste, and one for high level waste. The Swiss Federal Council approved the conceptual part on April 2, 2008. This marks the beginning of the implementation phase and the site selection process proper. (orig.)

Connected Cities : Guide to good practice underground space

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van der Hoeven, F.D.; Hobma, W.

2007-01-01

This guide to good practice underground space is developed within the framework of the EU-funded INTERREG IIIC project ‘Connected Cities’. It focuses on how a strategic use of underground space can facilitate sustainable modes of transportation and mobility in urban and rural areas. Twelve strategic

77 FR 56717 - Specifications for Medical Examinations of Underground Coal Miners

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-13

... CFR Part 37 Specifications for Medical Examinations of Underground Coal Miners; Final Rule #0;#0... 0920-AA21 Specifications for Medical Examinations of Underground Coal Miners AGENCY: Centers for... medical examinations of underground coal miners. Existing regulations established specifications for...

Simulation of the three-dimensional dispersion of radioactive gases through layers of ground in connection with underground design of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dinkelacker, A.

1979-01-01

In connection with underground design of nuclear power plants there is studied the dispersion of radioactive gases released from the underground plant into the ground covering, following a hypothetical accident. For this purpose there was developed a model of dispersion describing the one-and two-component flow of ideal gases in an inhomogeneous porous medium. The description of the gas flow is based on Darcy's Law. The flow process is assumed to be isothermal. The model is completed by simulation of radioactive tracer particles for determining retention times. Based on the mathematical dispersion model the computer code FLOG3D was developed. It permits to calculate the unsteady distributions of pressure and concentration in an inhomogeneous porous medium in cartesian coordinates as well as the location of radioactive tracer particles. According to the choice of boundary conditions the calculation can be performed in up to three dimensions. For numerical solution of the model equations a special wide-mesh method was used. This method applies polymonial set-ups for the behavior of the solution in the individual meshes. For verification of the code FLOG3D there were performed comparative and test computations. One- and multidimensional calculating examples demonstrate the overall applicability for this code. (orig.) [de

Evaluation method of radon preventing effect in underground construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo Shaodong; Deng Yuequan; Dong Faqin; Qu Ruixue; Xie Zhonglei

2014-01-01

Background: It's difficult to evaluate the radon prevention effect because of the short operating time of measuring instrument under the circumstances of high humidity in underground construction. Purpose: A new rapid method to evaluate the radon prevention efficiency of underground construction was introduced. Methods: The radon concentrations before and after shielding operation were determined, and according to the regularity of radon decay, the shielding rate can be calculated. Results: The results showed that radon shielding rate in underground construction remains generally stable with variation of time, and the actual relatively standard deviation was 3.95%. So the rapid determination and evaluation of radon preventing effect under special conditions in underground construction can be realized by taking shielding rate in a short time for the final shielding rate. Compared with those by the local static method in ground lab, the results were similar. Conclusion: This paper provided a prompt, accurate and practicable way for the evaluation of radon prevention in underground construction, having a certain reference value. (authors)

Hybrid Technology of Hard Coal Mining from Seams Located at Great Depths

Science.gov (United States)

Czaja, Piotr; Kamiński, Paweł; Klich, Jerzy; Tajduś, Antoni

2014-10-01

Learning to control fire changed the life of man considerably. Learning to convert the energy derived from combustion of coal or hydrocarbons into another type of energy, such as steam pressure or electricity, has put him on the path of scientific and technological revolution, stimulating dynamic development. Since the dawn of time, fossil fuels have been serving as the mankind's natural reservoir of energy in an increasingly great capacity. A completely incomprehensible refusal to use fossil fuels causes some local populations, who do not possess a comprehensive knowledge of the subject, to protest and even generate social conflicts as an expression of their dislike for the extraction of minerals. Our times are marked by the search for more efficient ways of utilizing fossil fuels by introducing non-conventional technologies of exploiting conventional energy sources. During apartheid, South Africa demonstrated that cheap coal can easily satisfy total demand for liquid and gaseous fuels. In consideration of current high prices of hydrocarbon media (oil and gas), gasification or liquefaction of coal seems to be the innovative technology convergent with contemporary expectations of both energy producers as well as environmentalists. Known mainly from literature reports, underground coal gasification technologies can be brought down to two basic methods: - shaftless method - drilling, in which the gasified seam is uncovered using boreholes drilled from the surface, - shaft method, in which the existing infrastructure of underground mines is used to uncover the seams. This paper presents a hybrid shaft-drilling approach to the acquisition of primary energy carriers (methane and syngas) from coal seams located at great depths. A major advantage of this method is the fact that the use of conventional coal mining technology requires the seams located at great depths to be placed on the off-balance sheet, while the hybrid method of underground gasification enables them to

Experimental Characterization of Ultra-Wideband Channel Parameter Measurements in an Underground Mine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Nkakanou

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Experimental results for an ultra-wideband (UWB channel parameters in an underground mining environment over a frequency range of 3 GHz to 10 GHz are reported. The measurements were taken both in LOS and NLOS cases in two different size mine galleries. In the NLOS case, results were acquired for different corridor obstruction angles. The results were obtained during an extensive measurement campaign in the UWB frequency, and the measurement procedure allows both the large- and small-scale parameters such as the path loss exponent, coherence bandwidth, and so forth, to be quantified. The capacity of the UWB channel as a function of the physical depth of the mine gallery has also been recorded for comparison purposes.

30 CFR 57.4161 - Use of fire underground.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Use of fire underground. 57.4161 Section 57.4161 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR METAL AND NONMETAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH SAFETY AND HEALTH STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND METAL AND NONMETAL MINES Fire Prevention...

Polysubstance Use Patterns in Underground Rave Attenders: A Cluster Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez-Calderon, Fermin; Lozano, Oscar M.; Vidal, Claudio; Ortega, Josefa Gutierrez; Vergara, Esperanza; Gonzalez-Saiz, Francisco; Bilbao, Izaskun; Caluente, Marta; Cano, Tomas; Cid, Francisco; Dominguez, Celia; Izquierdo, Emcarni; Perez, Maria I.

2011-01-01

Drug use in mainstream rave parties has been widely documented in a large number of studies. However, not much is known about drug use in underground raves. The purpose of this study is to find out the polysubstance use patterns at underground raves. Two hundred and fifty-two young people between the ages of 18 and 30 who went to underground raves…

Location of leaks in pressurized underground pipelines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eckert, E.G.; Maresca, J.W. Jr.

1993-01-01

Millions of underground storage tanks (UST) are used to store petroleum and other chemicals. The pressurized underground pipelines associated with USTs containing petroleum motor fuels are typically 2 in. in diameter and 50 to 200 ft in length. These pipelines typically operate at pressures of 20 to 30 psi. Longer lines, with diameters up to 4 in., are found in some high-volume facilities. There are many systems that can be used to detect leaks in pressurized underground pipelines. When a leak is detected, the first step in the remediation process is to find its location. Passive-acoustic measurements, combined with advanced signal-processing techniques, provide a nondestructive method of leak location that is accurate and relatively simple, and that can be applied to a wide variety of pipelines and pipeline products

TYBO/BENHAM: Model Analysis of Groundwater Flow and Radionuclide Migration from Underground Nuclear Tests in Southwestern Pahute Mesa, Nevada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andrew Wolfsberg; Lee Glascoe; Guoping Lu; Alyssa Olson; Peter Lichtner; Maureen McGraw; Terry Cherry; Guy Roemer

2002-09-01

Recent field studies have led to the discovery of trace quantities of plutonium originating from the BENHAM underground nuclear test in two groundwater observation wells on Pahute Mesa at the Nevada Test Site. These observation wells are located 1.3 km from the BENHAM underground nuclear test and approximately 300 m from the TYBO underground nuclear test. In addition to plutonium, several other conservative (e.g. tritium) and reactive (e.g. cesium) radionuclides were found in both observation wells. The highest radionuclide concentrations were found in a well sampling a welded tuff aquifer more than 500m above the BENHAM emplacement depth. These measurements have prompted additional investigations to ascertain the mechanisms, processes, and conditions affecting subsurface radionuclide transport in Pahute Mesa groundwater. This report describes an integrated modeling approach used to simulate groundwater flow, radionuclide source release, and radionuclide transport near the BENHAM and TYBO underground nuclear tests on Pahute Mesa. The components of the model include a flow model at a scale large enough to encompass many wells for calibration, a source-term model capable of predicting radionuclide releases to aquifers following complex processes associated with nonisothermal flow and glass dissolution, and site-scale transport models that consider migration of solutes and colloids in fractured volcanic rock. Although multiple modeling components contribute to the methodology presented in this report, they are coupled and yield results consistent with laboratory and field observations. Additionally, sensitivity analyses are conducted to provide insight into the relative importance of uncertainty ranges in the transport parameters.

Research on application of mobile diesel equipment in underground mines (IV)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-12-01

This research commenced in 1994 for the purpose of providing safety and environmental measures of underground mines where the mobile diesel equipment are operating. In this last research year, researches on filtering of diesel particulate matter, design of underground layout and disaster prevention have been carried out. 1) A study to reduce DPM(Diesel Particulate Matter) emission: It was known that water scrubber is only one practical way to reduce DPM emission as of now. There are several kinds of the sophisticated DPM filters, but it is not practical yet to be used in underground equipment due to the many adverse effects of the devices such as tremendous increase of SOx, NOx and back pressure etc. 2) Design of underground layout and their maintenance: Layout of underground structure has to be designed based on rock mechanical analysis and the concept of active support has to be adopted considering the large openings are requested to accommodate heavy duty diesel equipment in underground. Rock bolt and shotcrete will be the most applicable method to support such a large dimensional tunnels. 3) A study for disaster prevention in the case of the underground fire: There are two categories of possible disaster or hazard in workings where diesel equipment are operating. One is the disasters by exhaust pollutants and the other is the underground fire. (author). 35 refs., 27 tabs., 56 figs.

Monte Carlo simulation of muon-induced background of an anti-Compton gamma-ray spectrometer placed in a surface and underground laboratory

CERN Document Server

Vojtyla, P

2005-01-01

Simulations of cosmic ray muon induced background of an HPGe detector placed inside an anti-Compton shield on the surface and in shallow underground is described. Investigation of several model set-ups revealed some trends useful for design of low-level gamma-ray spectrometers. It has been found that background spectrum of an HPGe detector can be scaled down with the shielding depth. No important difference is observed when the same set-up of the anti-Compton spectrometer is positioned horizontally or vertically. A cosmic-muon rejection factor of at least 40 (at around 1 MeV) can be reached when the anti-Compton suppression is operational. The cosmicmuon background can be reduced to such a level that other background components prevail, like those from the residual contamination of the detector and shield materials and/or from radon, especially for the underground facilities.

Tidal tilts observations in the Gran Sasso underground laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iafolla, V.; Nozzoli, S.; Milyukov, V.

2001-01-01

A new tilt meter, based on the technology for building a space-borne high-sensitivity accelerometer and manufactured at IFSI/CNR, has a been operating during several years in the INFN Gran Sasso underground laboratory. The results of the analysis of a three-year data set, processed with the program package ETERNA, to estimate earth tidal parameters are reported. For the best series of data (1998) tide measurement accuracies are: 0.5-1% for the M 2 (lunar principal) amplitude and 3-4% for the O 1 (lunar declination) amplitude. The tilt meter installed at a depth of 1400 m shows no clear evidence of meteorological effects. Observed tidal parameters are compared with theoretical tidal parameters predicted for a non-hydrostatic inelastic Earth model and demonstrate good agreement for the M 2 component. Due to the high accuracy of the tidal components prediction (better than 1%) tidal measurements were used to estimate the long-term stability of the instrument response

General phenomenology of underground nuclear explosions; Phenomenologie generale des explosions nucleaires souterraines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Derlich, S; Supiot, F [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Bruyeres-le-Chatel (France). Centre d' Etudes

1969-07-01

An essentially qualitatively description is given of the phenomena related to underground nuclear explosions (explosion of a single unit, of several units in line, and simultaneous explosions). In the first chapter are described the phenomena which are common to contained explosions and to explosions forming craters (formation and propagation of a shock-wave causing the vaporization, the fusion and the fracturing of the medium). The second chapter describes the phenomena related to contained explosions (formation of a cavity with a chimney). The third chapter is devoted to the phenomenology of test explosions which form a crater; it describes in particular the mechanism of formation and the different types of craters as a function of the depth of the explosion and of the nature of the ground. The aerial phenomena connected with explosions which form a crater: shock wave in the air and focussing at a large distance, and dust clouds, are also dealt with. (authors) [French] On donne une description essentiellement qualitative des phenomenes lies aux explosions nucleaires souterraines (explosion d'un seul engin, d'engins en ligne et explosions simultanees). Dans un premier chapitre sont decrits les phenomenes communs aux explosions contenues et aux explosions formant un cratere (formation et propagation d'une onde de choc provoquant la vaporisation, la fusion et la fracturation du milieu). Le deuxieme chapitre decrit les phenomenes lies aux tirs contenus (formation d'une cavite et d'une cheminee). Le troisieme chapitre est consacre a la phenomenologie des tirs formant un cratere et decrit notamment le mecanisme de formation et les differents types de crateres en fonction de la profondeur d'explosion et de la nature du terrain. Les phenomenes aeriens lies aux explosions formant un cratere: onde de pression aerienne et focalisation a grande distance, nuages de poussieres, sont egalement abordes. (auteurs)

Geothermal probes for the development of medium-deep geothermal heating; Erdwaermesonden zur Erschliessung der mitteltiefen Geothermie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stuckmann, Uwe [REHAU AG + Co, Erlangen (Germany)

2012-07-01

Compared to the near-surface geothermal energy, in the medium-deep geothermal between between 400 and 1,000 meters higher temperature levels may opened up. Thus the efficiency of geothermal power plants can be increased. The possibly higher installation costs are significantly higher yield compared to the yields and withdrawal benefits. At higher thermal gradient of the underground it even is possible to dispense entirely on the heat pump and to heat directly.

Organ nic pollutants in underground water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussein, H. H.

1998-01-01

Many organic compounds have been diagnosed in underground and surface waters, and there are many theories that explain the source of the dangerous materials on Punic health. The source of pollution could be the underground stored fuel or the polluted water in farms saturated with agricultural insecticides and chemical fertilizers, or there could be leaks in sewage water wastes. The source of pollution could also be the water surfaces in the areas of garbage disposal or industrial and home waste discharge. Due to the fact that the underground water is separated from oxygen in the air, its ability on self-purification is very low, in that the micro-organism that will do the dismantling and decomposition of the organic materials that pollute the water are in need for oxygen. In the event that underground water is subject to pollution m there are many methods for t resting the polluted water including the chemical decomposition method by injecting the polluted areas with neutralizing or oxidizing chemicals, such as Ozone, Chlorine or Hydrogen Peroxide. The mechanical methods could be used for getting rid of the volatile organic materials. As to biological decomposition, it is done with the use of bacteria in dismantling the poisonous materials into un poisonous materials. The preliminary analysis of water samples in one of the water wells in Sar ir and Tazarbo in Great Jamahirieh indicated that the concentration of total organic compounds (TOC) exceeded the internationally allowed limits. This indicates a deterioration of quality of some of underground water resources. It is well known that some of the organic pollutants have a great role in causing dangerous diseases, such as the polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and some halogenated compounds that cause cancer. Therefore, much research is required in this field for diagnosing the polluting organic compounds and determining the suitability of this water for drinking or for human consumption. (author). 21 refs., 6 figs

Potential Advantages of Underground Nuclear Parks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myers, Carl W.; Elkins, Ned Z.; Kunze, Jay F.; Mahar, James M.

2006-01-01

In this paper we argue that an underground nuclear park (UNP) could potentially lead to lower capital and operating cost for the reactors installed in the UNP compared to the traditional approach, which would be to site the reactors at the earth's surface at distributed locations. The UNP approach could also lead to lower waste management cost. A secondary benefit would be the increased margins of safety and security that would be realized simply as a consequence of siting the reactors underground. Lowered capital and operating cost for a UNP relative to traditional reactor siting is possible through the aggregate effect of the elimination of containment structures, in-place decommissioning, reduced physical security costs, reduced weather-related costs, reduced cost of liability insurance and reduced unit-cost for the nth reactor made possible through the continuous construction of multiple reactors at the same underground location. Other cost reductions might be possible through the transfer of the capital cost for part of the underground construction from the reactor owners to the owners of the UNP. Lower waste management cost is possible by siting the UNP at a location where there are geological and hydrological conditions suitable for hosting both the reactors and the repository for the waste from those reactors. After adequate storage and cooling, and assuming direct disposal, this would enable the spent fuel from the reactors to be transported directly to the repository and remain entirely underground during the transport process. Community concerns and transportation costs would be significantly reduced relative to current situations where the reactors are separated from the repository by long distances and populated areas. The concept for a UNP in bedded salt is used to develop a rough order of magnitude cost estimate for excavation of the reactor array portion of a UNP. Excavation costs appear to be only a small fraction of the overall power plant costs

K- nuclear potentials from in-medium chirally motivated models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cieply, A.; Gazda, D.; Mares, J.; Friedman, E.; Gal, A.

2011-01-01

A self-consistent scheme for constructing K - nuclear optical potentials from subthreshold in-medium KN s-wave scattering amplitudes is presented and applied to analysis of kaonic atoms data and to calculations of K - quasibound nuclear states. The amplitudes are taken from a chirally motivated meson-baryon coupled-channel model, both at the Tomozawa-Weinberg leading order and at the next to leading order. Typical kaonic atoms potentials are characterized by a real part -Re V K - chiral =85±5 MeV at nuclear matter density, in contrast to half this depth obtained in some derivations based on in-medium KN threshold amplitudes. The moderate agreement with data is much improved by adding complex ρ- and ρ 2 -dependent phenomenological terms, found to be dominated by ρ 2 contributions that could represent KNN→YN absorption and dispersion, outside the scope of meson-baryon chiral models. Depths of the real potentials are then near 180 MeV. The effects of p-wave interactions are studied and found secondary to those of the dominant s-wave contributions. The in-medium dynamics of the coupled-channel model is discussed and systematic studies of K - quasibound nuclear states are presented.

The Underground Economy and Tax Evasion in Pakistan. A Fresh Assessment

OpenAIRE

Zafar Iqbal; Sarfraz Khan Qureshi; Riaz Mahmood

1998-01-01

This paper assesses the size of the underground ~conomy and tax evasion in Pakistan for the period 1973-96. Using monetary approach, the results confirm the existence of large underground economy and higher tax evasion over the period under analysis. The overall underground economy has remarkably increased from 20 percent of GDP in 1973 to 51 percent of GDP in 1996. The evidence also suggests that the rate of growth in th~ underground economy has been higher than the rate of growth of the for...

Sensitivity analysis on mechanical stability of the underground excavations for an high-level radioactive waste repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jeong Hwa; Kwon, Sang Ki; Choi, Jong Won; Kang, Chul Hyung

2001-01-01

For the safe design of an underground nuclear waste repository, it is necessary to investigate the influence of the major parameters on the tunnel stability. In this study, sensitivity analysis was carried out to find the major parameters on the mechanical stability point of view. Fourteen parameters consisted of 10 site parameters and 4 design parameters were included in the FLAC3D. From the numerical analyses employing single parameter variation, it was possible to determine important parameters. In order to investigate the interaction between the parameters, fractional factorial design for the parameters, such as in situ stress ratio, depth, tunnel dimensions, joint spacing, joint stiffness, friction angle, and rock strength, was carried out. And in order to investigate the interaction between design parameters, fractional factorial design for parameters, such as in situ stress, depth, tunnel size, tunnel spacing and borehole spacing, was carried out

Characteristics of PM10 and CO2 concentrations on 100 underground subway station platforms in 2014 and 2015

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Sung Ho; Park, Wha Me; Park, Jae Bum; Nam, Taegyun

2017-10-01

In this study, the concentrations of particulate matter 10 μm or less in diameter (PM10) and carbon dioxide (CO2) were measured in 100 underground subway stations, and the potential health risks of PM10, and environmental factors affecting these concentrations were analyzed. The concentrations were measured from May 2014 to September 2015 in stations along Seoul Metro lines 1-4. There were significantly different PM10 concentrations among the underground subway stations along lines 1, 2, 3, and 4. The PM10 concentrations were associated with the CO2 concentrations, construction years, station depths, and numbers of passengers. The underground PM10 concentrations were significantly higher than the outdoor PM10 concentrations. In addition, the PM10 concentrations were higher in the stations that were constructed in the 1970s than in those constructed after the 1970s. The PM10 and CO2 concentrations varied significantly, depending on the construction year and number of passengers. The hazard quotient is higher than the acceptable level of 1.0 μg kg-1 day for children, indicating that they are at risk of exposure to unsafe PM10 levels when travelling by the metro. Therefore, stricter management may be necessary for the stations constructed in the 1970s as well as those with higher numbers of passengers.

Underground storage of carbon dioxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanaka, Shoichi [Univ. of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku (Japan)

1993-12-31

Desk studies on underground storage of CO{sub 2} were carried out from 1990 to 1991 fiscal years by two organizations under contract with New Energy and Indestrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). One group put emphasis on application of CO{sub 2} EOR (enhanced oil recovery), and the other covered various aspects of underground storage system. CO{sub 2} EOR is a popular EOR method in U.S. and some oil countries. At present, CO{sub 2} is supplied from natural CO{sub 2} reservoirs. Possible use of CO{sub 2} derived from fixed sources of industries is a main target of the study in order to increase oil recovery and storage CO{sub 2} under ground. The feasibility study of the total system estimates capacity of storage of CO{sub 2} as around 60 Gton CO{sub 2}, if worldwide application are realized. There exist huge volumes of underground aquifers which are not utilized usually because of high salinity. The deep aquifers can contain large amount of CO{sub 2} in form of compressed state, liquefied state or solution to aquifer. A preliminary technical and economical survey on the system suggests favorable results of 320 Gton CO{sub 2} potential. Technical problems are discussed through these studies, and economical aspects are also evaluated.

International activities concerning seismic effects on underground structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hakala, W.W.

1982-01-01

At the 5th Annual Meeting of the ITA in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 15-17, 1979, the General Assembly approved the formation of the Working Group Seismic Effects on Underground Structures. The objectives of this Working Group are to: (1) collect data on earthquake damage to underground facilities throughout the world; (2) collect information on aseismic design procedures used within the various countries; and (3) synthesize the information and disseminate the results to the member nations of ITA. William W. Hakala of the US was designated the Animateur of the Working Group. The Working Group decided on the following sequential course of action to achieve the stated objectives: (1) continue to develop a bibliograhy on damages to underground structures by dynamic forces. This will be an ongoing activity of the Working Group; (2) each country is to develop a summary of case histories of earthquake damage to underground structures. These case histories will be discussed at the next meeting of the Working Group in order to identify those parameters that permit or prevent such damage; (3) the state-of-the-art paper on earthquake damage to underground opening being prepared in the US (John A. Blume and Associates, Engineers) is presently being printed and will then be distributed to the membership for comment. This report will form the basis for the activities described below; (4) the above activities should lead to a textbook - like document that provides a design philosophy for underground structures subjected to seismic forces; (5) the work tasks will suggest needed research to solve the identified problems. At each Working Group meeting the member nation delegates will provide a summary of research progress in their countries. These research needs will be documented, reviewed, revised, and disseminated on an annual basis

Reducing lighting electricity use in underground metro stations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Casals, Miquel; Gangolells, Marta; Forcada, Núria; Macarulla, Marcel

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Lighting systems are big energy consumers in underground metro stations. • An adaptive lighting system strategy is developed for underground stations. • Dimming controls are based on station occupancy levels and maintenance cycles. • The k-means clustering technique is used to identify stations’ occupancy patterns. • Savings were found to amount to 255.47 MW h in 2 years for a case study metro network. - Abstract: Lighting systems are usually one of the largest electrical end-uses in underground metro stations. Taking into account that budget restrictions in publicly owned companies hinder energy efficiency retrofit projects that require high initial investments, affordable energy saving strategies are needed. This paper presents a low-cost approach for reducing lighting electricity use in underground stations, without affecting passengers’ comfort or the metro operator’s service. For this purpose, an adaptive lighting strategy of dimming the illuminance levels of artificial light sources has been developed. Dimming controls are based on the occupancy of the station, and the preventive maintenance and cleaning cycles of the luminaires. The stations’ monthly occupancy patterns are defined through the k-means clustering technique. To illustrate its effectiveness, the method was applied to 115 underground stations of the Barcelona metro network. The results revealed overall electricity savings of 255.47 MW h on a biannual basis, which represents 36.22% of the stations’ baseline lighting consumption. Individual energy savings were found to range from 25 to 87.5 MW h/year in the stations of the Barcelona metro network, depending on the number and profile of station users. The research findings will undoubtedly be useful for the future energy efficiency project plans of worldwide metro operators and managers of other underground spaces.

Applications of radio frequency identification systems in underground mining

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Knights, P F; Kairouz, J; Daneshmend, L K; Pathak, J [McGill University, Montreal, PQ (Canada). Canadian Centre for Automation and Robotics in Mining

1994-12-31

The paper describes the application of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems in underground hardrock mines. The operating principles and some of the applications of RDIF systems are described. The system operates by the exchange of information between transponder tags and an antenna and controller device. The suitability of RFID systems for process control, inventory control, materials handling, control of access, security, and transportation in underground coal and hardrock mines is discussed. An ore tonnage tracking system is under development that uses RDIF transponder tags to locate vehicles in an underground mine. 6 refs., 4 figs.

A Corrosion Risk Assessment Model for Underground Piping

Science.gov (United States)

Datta, Koushik; Fraser, Douglas R.

2009-01-01

The Pressure Systems Manager at NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) has embarked on a project to collect data and develop risk assessment models to support risk-informed decision making regarding future inspections of underground pipes at ARC. This paper shows progress in one area of this project - a corrosion risk assessment model for the underground high-pressure air distribution piping system at ARC. It consists of a Corrosion Model of pipe-segments, a Pipe Wrap Protection Model; and a Pipe Stress Model for a pipe segment. A Monte Carlo simulation of the combined models provides a distribution of the failure probabilities. Sensitivity study results show that the model uncertainty, or lack of knowledge, is the dominant contributor to the calculated unreliability of the underground piping system. As a result, the Pressure Systems Manager may consider investing resources specifically focused on reducing these uncertainties. Future work includes completing the data collection effort for the existing ground based pressure systems and applying the risk models to risk-based inspection strategies of the underground pipes at ARC.

SuperCDMS Underground Detector Fabrication Facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Platt, M.; Mahapatra, R.; Bunker, Raymond A.; Orrell, John L.

2018-03-01

The SuperCDMS SNOLAB dark matter experiment processes Ge and Si crystals into fully tested phonon and ionization detectors at surface fabrication and test facilities. If not mitigated, it is anticipated that trace-level production of radioisotopes in the crystals due to exposure to cosmic rays at (or above) sea level will result in the dominant source of background events in future dark matter searches using the current SuperCDMS detector technology. Fabrication and testing of detectors in underground facilities shielded from cosmic radiation is one way to directly reduce production of trace levels of radioisotopes, thereby improving experimental sensitivity for the discovery of dark matter beyond the level of the current experiment. In this report, we investigate the cost and feasibility to establish a complete detector fabrication processing chain in an underground location to mitigate cosmogenic activation of the Ge and Si detector substrates. For a specific and concrete evaluation, we explore options for such a facility located at SNOLAB, an underground laboratory in Sudbury, Canada hosting the current and future experimental phases of SuperCDMS.

The underground storages of carbon dioxide. Juridical aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bersani, F.

2006-04-01

In the framework of the reduction of the carbon dioxide emissions in the air, the underground storage of the CO 2 is studied. Some experimentation are already realized in the world and envisaged in France. This document aims to study the juridical aspects of these first works in France. After a presentation of the realization conditions and some recalls on the carbon dioxide its capture and storage, the natural CO 2 underground storages and the first artificial storages are discussed. The CO 2 waste qualification, in the framework of the environmental legislation is then detailed with a special task on the Lacq region. The problem of the sea underground storages is also presented. (A.L.B.)

30 CFR 75.313 - Main mine fan stoppage with persons underground.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Main mine fan stoppage with persons underground... mine fan stoppage with persons underground. (a) If a main mine fan stops while anyone is underground and the ventilating quantity provided by the fan is not maintained by a back-up fan system— (1...

Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory project. Plans of investigations during shaft and drift excavation (Construction of underground facilities: Phase II)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-06-01

Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory Project is planned for over 20 years to establish the scientific and technical basis for the underground disposal of high-level radioactive wastes in Japan. The investigations are conducted by JNC in three phases, from the surface (Phase I), during the construction of the underground facilities (Phase II), and using the facilities (Phase III). This report concerns the investigation plans for Phase II. During excavation of shafts and drifts, detailed geological and borehole investigation will be conducted and the geological model constructed in Phase I is evaluated and revised by newly acquired data of geophysical and geological environment. Detailed in-situ experiments, as well as the effects of shaft excavation, are also done to study long-term changes, rock properties, groundwater flow and chemistry to ensure the reliability of repository technology and establish safety assessment methodology. (S. Ohno)

Network-level architecture and the evolutionary potential of underground metabolism.

Science.gov (United States)

Notebaart, Richard A; Szappanos, Balázs; Kintses, Bálint; Pál, Ferenc; Györkei, Ádám; Bogos, Balázs; Lázár, Viktória; Spohn, Réka; Csörgő, Bálint; Wagner, Allon; Ruppin, Eytan; Pál, Csaba; Papp, Balázs

2014-08-12

A central unresolved issue in evolutionary biology is how metabolic innovations emerge. Low-level enzymatic side activities are frequent and can potentially be recruited for new biochemical functions. However, the role of such underground reactions in adaptation toward novel environments has remained largely unknown and out of reach of computational predictions, not least because these issues demand analyses at the level of the entire metabolic network. Here, we provide a comprehensive computational model of the underground metabolism in Escherichia coli. Most underground reactions are not isolated and 45% of them can be fully wired into the existing network and form novel pathways that produce key precursors for cell growth. This observation allowed us to conduct an integrated genome-wide in silico and experimental survey to characterize the evolutionary potential of E. coli to adapt to hundreds of nutrient conditions. We revealed that underground reactions allow growth in new environments when their activity is increased. We estimate that at least ∼20% of the underground reactions that can be connected to the existing network confer a fitness advantage under specific environments. Moreover, our results demonstrate that the genetic basis of evolutionary adaptations via underground metabolism is computationally predictable. The approach used here has potential for various application areas from bioengineering to medical genetics.

An empirical study of the underground economy in the Kingdom of Belgium

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rezaei, Shahamak; Goli, Marco; Dana, Léo-Paul

2013-01-01

This article investigates the underground economy in Belgium. Although several government initiatives are attempting to combat underground economic activities, we found illegal foreign workers identifying opportunities and fulfilling market needs. Underground employment thus thrives in a variety...

Design Criteria for Wireless Mesh Communications in Underground Coal Mines

OpenAIRE

Griffin, Kenneth Reed

2009-01-01

The Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006 was enacted in response to several coal mining accidents that occurred in the beginning of 2006. The MINER Act does not just require underground mines to integrate wireless communication and tracking systems, but aims to overall enhance health and safety in mining at both surface and underground operations. In 2006, the underground communication technologies available to the mining industry had inherent problems that limited ...

76 FR 51970 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Underground...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-19

... Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program under the Safe Drinking Water Act established a Federal and State... Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Underground Injection Control (UIC) Program AGENCY... Water Protection Division/Underground Injection Control Program, Mailcode: 4606M, Environmental...

Magneto-Inductive Underground Communications in a District Heating System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meybodi, Soroush Afkhami; Nielsen, Jens Frederik Dalsgaard; Bendtsen, Jan Dimon

2011-01-01

Feasibility of underground data communications is investigated by employing magnetic induction as the key technology at physical layer. Realizing an underground wireless sensor network for a district heating plant motivates this research problem. The main contribution of the paper is to find the ...

Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory project. Plan for fiscal year 2017

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishibashi, Masayuki; Hama, Katsuhiro; Iwatsuki, Teruki; Matsui, Hiroya; Takeuchi, Ryuji; Ikeda, Koki; Mikake, Shinichiro; Iyatomi, Yosuke; Sasao, Eiji; Koide, Kaoru

2017-10-01

The Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (MIU) Project is being pursued by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to enhance the reliability of geological disposal technologies through investigations of the deep geological environment in the crystalline host rock (granite) at Mizunami, Gifu Prefecture, central Japan. On the occasion of the reform of the entire JAEA organization in 2014, JAEA identified three important issues on the geoscientific research program: 'Development of countermeasure technologies for reducing groundwater inflow', 'Development of modelling technologies for mass transport' and 'Development of drift backfilling technology', based on the latest results of the synthesizing research and development (R and D). The R and D on three remaining important issues has been carrying out on the MIU Project. This report summarizes the R and D activities planned for fiscal year 2017 on the basis of the MIU Master Plan updated in 2015 and Investigation Plan for the Third Medium to Long-term Research Phase. (author)

System for remote control of underground device

Science.gov (United States)

Brumleve, T.D.; Hicks, M.G.; Jones, M.O.

1975-10-21

A system is described for remote control of an underground device, particularly a nuclear explosive. The system includes means at the surface of the ground for transmitting a seismic signal sequence through the earth having controlled and predetermined signal characteristics for initiating a selected action in the device. Additional apparatus, located with or adjacent to the underground device, produces electrical signals in response to the seismic signals received and compares these electrical signals with the predetermined signal characteristics.

System for remote control of underground device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brumleve, T.D.; Hicks, M.G.; Jones, M.O.

1975-01-01

A system is described for remote control of an underground device, particularly a nuclear explosive. The system includes means at the surface of the ground for transmitting a seismic signal sequence through the earth having controlled and predetermined signal characteristics for initiating a selected action in the device. Additional apparatus, located with or adjacent to the underground device, produces electrical signals in response to the seismic signals received and compares these electrical signals with the predetermined signal characteristics

Radon Progeny in Egyptian Underground Phosphate Mines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Hady, M.A.; Mohammed, A.; El-Hussein, A.; Ali, A.E.; Ahmed, A.A.

2001-01-01

In addition to the workers in uranium mines, the staff of other underground mines, such as workers in underground phosphate mines, can be exposed to 222 Rn and its progeny. In this study the individual radon progeny concentrations were measured in three Egyptian underground phosphate mines to estimate the occupational exposure of the workers at those sites. A filter method was used to measure individual radon progeny concentrations ( 218 Po, 214 Pb and 214 Po). The reported mean values of radon progeny concentrations exceed the action levels which are recommended by ICRP 65 (1993). Based on the measured individual radon progeny concentrations ( 218 Po, 214 Pb and 214 Po) in these mines, the annual effective dose for the workers has been calculated using the lung dose model of ICRP 66 (1994). According to the obtained results, some countermeasures were recommended in this study to minimise these exposure levels. (author)

Underground nuclear astrophysics at the Dresden Felsenkeller

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bemmerer, Daniel; Ilgner, Christoph; Junghans, Arnd R.; Mueller, Stefan; Rimarzig, Bernd; Schwengner, Ronald; Szuecs, Tamas; Wagner, Andreas [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Dresden (Germany); Cowan, Thomas E.; Gohl, Stefan; Grieger, Marcel; Reinicke, Stefan; Roeder, Marko; Schmidt, Konrad; Stoeckel, Klaus; Takacs, Marcell P.; Wagner, Louis [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Dresden (Germany); Technische Universitaet Dresden (Germany); Reinhardt, Tobias P.; Zuber, Kai [Technische Universitaet Dresden (Germany)

2015-07-01

Favored by the low background underground, accelerator-based experiments are an important tool to study nuclear astrophysics reactions involving stable charged particles. This technique has been used with great success at the 0.4 MV LUNA accelerator in the Gran Sasso laboratory in Italy. However, the nuclear reactions of helium and carbon burning and the neutron source reactions for the astrophysical s-process require higher beam energies, as well as the continuation of solar fusion studies. As a result, NuPECC strongly recommended the installation of one or more higher-energy underground accelerators. Such a project is underway in Dresden. A 5 MV Pelletron accelerator is currently being refurbished by installing an ion source on the high voltage terminal, enabling intensive helium beams. The preparation of the underground site is funded, and the civil engineering project is being updated. The science case, operational strategy and project status are reported.

A simple formula for depth dose calculation for Co-60 teletherapy beam dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tripathi, U.B.; Kelkar, N.Y.

1979-01-01

Knowledge of dose at all points of interest in the plane of tumour is essential for treatment planning. A very simple formula for scatter dose calculation along the central axis of a Co-60 beam has been derived. This formula uses primary dose at depth d, scatter air ratio at the depth of maximum ionisation and the effective depth of the volume, irradiating the medium. The method for calculation of percentage depth dose at any point in the principal plane has been explained in detail. The simple form of the formulation will help in improving the treatment plans for treatments of lesions using Co-60 teletherapy machines. (orig.) [de

Detection and depth determination of corrosion defects in embedded bolts using ultrasonic testing technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Shan; Fukutomi, Hiroyuki; Yuya, Hideki; Ito, Keisuke

2011-01-01

A great number of anchor bolts are used to fix various components to concrete foundation in thermal and nuclear power plants. As aging power plants degrade, it is feared that defects resulted from corrosion may occur underground. In this paper, a measurement method utilizing the phased array technique is developed to detect such defects. Measurement results show that this method can detect local and circumferential corrosion defects introduced artificially, but defect echo position appears to be farther away from the bolt head than is actually the case. A finite element simulation of wave propagation shows that longitudinal waves excited by a phased array probe are mode converted and reflected at the defect and at bolt wall, which results in the position of the defect echo appearing to be farther away than the defect actually is. Moreover, an approach for determining the depth of defects using measurement results is also proposed based on numerical results. The depths determined by the proposed approach agree with the actual depths with a maximum error of 1.8 mm and a RMSE of 1.06 mm. (author)

Hydrogeological characterization, modelling and monitoring of the site of Canada's Underground Research Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davison, C.C.; Guvanasen, V.

1985-01-01

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) is constructing an Underground Research Laboratory (URL) to a depth of 250 m in a previously undisturbed granitic pluton located near Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba, as one of the major research projects within the Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program. This paper discusses the hydrogeological characterization of the URL site, the modelling approach used to represent this information, the hydrogeological monitoring system installed to monitor the actual drawdown conditions that develop in response to the excavation, and the procedures employed to calibrate the numerical model. Comparisons between the drawdown predictions made by the model prior to any excavation and the actual drawdowns that have been measured since shaft excavation began in May 1984 are also discussed

Water quality changes of a closed underground coal mine in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheong, Young Wook; Yim, Gil-Jae; Ji, Sang Woo; Kang, Sang Soo; Skousen, Jeffery

2012-01-01

The objective of this study was to assess the changes in mine water quality as an underground mine flooded from July 2005 to October 2008. The effect of air injection with a blower into the water was used to evaluate the potential to convert ferrous to ferric iron and to provide in situ treatment and precipitation. Mine flooding averaged 31 cm/day with a linear shape until November 2007, when it flattened out due to outflow. During flooding, mine water pH remained around 6, but Eh shifted from 200 to -150 mV. After the mine water level stabilized, contents of elements such as Fe and SO(4) tended to decrease as time passed. Air was injected by diffusers (150 L/min/each) at three different depths of 2, 3, and 5 m below the water level in the shaft. Dissolved oxygen eventually increased to 4 or 5 mg/L depending on the depth of the diffusers. Aeration caused conversion of ferrous iron to ferric iron and about 30 mg/l of iron was removed from the mine water. Therefore, air injection shows potential as a semi-active treatment or part of conventional treatment to precipitate iron in the mine pool.

Status and prospects of a deep underground laboratory in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, K J; Cheng, J P; Li, Y J; Yue, Q; Chen, Y H; Shen, M B; Wu, S Y

2010-01-01

An excellent candidate location for a deep underground laboratory with more than 2500 m of rock overburden has been identified at Sichuan Province in China. It can be accessed through a road tunnel of length 17.5 km, and is supported by services and amenities near the entrance provided by the local Ertan Hydropower Plant. The particle physics community in China is actively pursuing the construction of an underground laboratory at this location, under the leadership of Tsinghua University. Memorandum has been signed with Ertan Hydropower Plant which permits access to and construction of the underground laboratory - China JinPing Deep Underground Laboratory (CJPL). The basic features of this underground site, as well as the status and schedules of the construction of the first laboratory cavern are presented. The immediate goal is to have the first experiment operational in 2010, deploying an Ultra-Low-Energy Germanium detector for WIMP dark matter searches, with emphasis on the mass range of 1-10 GeV. The conceptual design of the experiment, as well as the future plans and prospects of the laboratory, will be surveyed.

CASPAR - Nuclear Astrophysics Underground

Science.gov (United States)

Senarath, Chamaka; Caspar Collaboration

2017-09-01

The CASPAR mainly focuses on Stellar Nucleosynthesis, its impact on the production of heavy elements and study the strength of stellar neutron sources that propels the s-process, 13C(α,n)16O and 22Ne(α,n)25Mg. Currently, implementation of a 1MV fully refurbished Van de Graaff accelerator that can provide a high intensity Î+/- beam, is being done at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF). The accelerator is built among a collaboration of South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, University of Notre Dame and Colorado School of Mines. It is understood that cosmic ray neutron background radiation hampers experimental Nucleosynthesis studies, hence the need to go underground in search for a neutron free environment, to study these reactions at low energies is evident. The first beam was produced in the middle of summer 2017. The entire accelerator will be run before the end of this year. A detailed overview of goals of CASPAR will be presented. NFS Grant-1615197.

78 FR 68783 - Refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-15

... Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health Administration, Labor. ACTION: Reopen... coal mines. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit remanded a training... for refuge alternatives in underground coal mines. On January 13, 2009, the United Mine Workers of...

Nuclear plant undergrounding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, R.C.; Bastidas, C.P.

1978-01-01

Under Section 25524.3 of the Public Resources Code, the California Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (CERCDC) was directed to study ''the necessity for '' and the effectiveness and economic feasibility of undergrounding and berm containment of nuclear reactors. The author discusses the basis for the study, the Sargent and Lundy (S and L) involvement in the study, and the final conclusions reached by S and L

Posture estimation system for underground mine vehicles

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Hlophe, K

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Page 1 of 8 25th International Conference of CAD/CAM, Robotics & Factories of the Future Conference, 13-16 July 2010, Pretoria, South Africa A POSTURE ESTIMATION SYSTEM FOR UNDERGROUND MINE VEHICLES Khonzumusa Hlophe1, Gideon Ferreira2... and the transmitter. The main difference between the three systems is their implementation. This paper describes an implementation of a posture estimation system for underground mine vehicles. The paper is organized as follows. In the next section, a brief...

Risk analysis of underground infrastructures in urban areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cagno, Enrico; De Ambroggi, Massimiliano; Grande, Ottavio; Trucco, Paolo

2011-01-01

The paper presents an integrated approach for vulnerability and resilience analysis for underground infrastructures, i.e. a societal risk analysis of the failures of underground services for an urban area. The approach is based on the detailed study of (1) domino-effects for the components of a single infrastructure and for a given set of infrastructures interoperated and/or belonging to the same area; (2) risk and vulnerability analysis of a given area; (3) identification of a set of intervention guidelines, in order to improve the overall system resilience. The use of an integrated (interoperability and area) approach, breaking down the analysis area extent into sub-areas and assessing the dependencies among sub-areas both in terms of interoperability and damage propagation of critical infrastructures, demonstrates a useful advantage in terms of resilience analysis, more consistent with the 'zoned' nature of failures of the underground infrastructures. An applied case, describing the interoperability and damage propagation analysis with the evaluation of time-dependency for the infrastructures and targets and of different kinds of interventions of the underground infrastructures of a town, is presented for this purpose.

Energy Policy Act of 2005 and Underground Storage Tanks (USTs)

Science.gov (United States)

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 significantly affected federal and state underground storage tank programs, required major changes to the programs, and is aimed at reducing underground storage tank releases to our environment.

STRESSED STATE OF ROCKY SUBSOIL IN THE VICINITY OF A CIRCULAR SECTION HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING TUNNEL TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE ANISOTROPY OF THE GROUND MEDIUM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. T. Bautdinov

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives. The aim of this study consists ina parametric analysis of the stress state of transversely isotropic rocky ground in the vicinity of a circular cross-sectional hydraulic tunnel taking into account the dead load of the subsoil medium under various relations of the elastic characteristics of the subsoil environment in orthogonal directions and at different angles of inclination of the plane of isotropy. Methods. A transversely isotropic medium model (a special case of an anisotropic medium is applied, in which the subsoil in one plane has the characteristics of an isotropic medium (isotropic plane but in a perpendicular direction – in contradistinction to the characteristics of an isotropic medium.The angle of isotropic planar inclination models the oblique bedding of subsoil layers. Results. The determination of tangential stresses on the contour generation allows the strength of the subsoil medium to be estimated at different depths of emplacement. The calculation of extensive hydraulic engineering tunnels, constructed in strong, transversely isotropic rocky ground, is reduced to a problem of plane strain elasticity theory for a transversely isotropic medium surrounding the tunnel construction. Since the solution of this problem cannot be achieved using analytical methods, the analysis of the stress state was carried out by finite element method using the ANSYS software complex. The type and size of the finite element appropriate for the calculation were pre-identified based on solutions to the task of verification. For the verificatory task, the Kirsch problem was adopted. Conclusion.When designing underground structures, it is necessary to determine the physical and mechanical properties of rocky soils in greater detail and to pay special attention to the elastic characteristics. The absence of tensile stresses in the upper section of development with some relations of the moduli of deformation and Poisson's ratios benefit the

Application of Electrical Resistivity Imaging and Land Surveying in the Analysis of Underground Construction Impact on the Warsaw Scarp

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaczmarek Łukasz

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the analysis of the II Underground Line construction’s impact on the Warsaw Scarp with the use of the electrical resistivity imaging (ERI, also known as the electrical resistivity tomography and further total station position measurements.The underground passes under the scarp perpendicular in the area of Dynasy Street 6, in Down-town district.The electrical resistivity imaging was performed for recognition of the geological structure and a potential land slide surface or zone.The gradient system was used during the prospection. In these analyses, the longitudinal section was 40 m long, and the depth of survey amounted to 6 m. In the case of the 200 m long transverse section, the resulted depth of survey was 30 m.The geophysical image of the longitudinal section,does not contain loosening soil zones,which could indicates lip surface.Next, total station measurements, which were tied to the archival geodetic observations’ results, were carried out. The aim of the measurements was to verify the activity of the horizontal and vertical displacements. The TBM excavation process led to summary vertical displacements up to approx. 24 mm and horizontal displacements amounting to approx. 13 mm. To sum up, the current land surveys reveals minor under ground line’ s construction impact on the scarp displacement. Nevertheless, the sensitive urban environment requires further monitoring, especially that the operation loads can result in displacement rate change.

Seasonal analysis of the thermal behaviour of traditional underground wine cellars in Spain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mazarron, Fernando R.; Canas, Ignacio [Departamento de Construccion y Vias Rurales, Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieros Agronomos, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

2009-11-15

Traditional underground wine cellars are a good example of bioclimatic construction, providing optimum conditions for maturing wine with no energy consumption. This article studies the annual thermal behaviour of traditional underground wine cellars in one of the most well-known wine producing areas in Spain, the Ribera del Duero. For this we have applied a method based on multiple regression analysis using experimental data monitored for 1 year. The results show that the interior air temperature is fundamentally conditioned by the undisturbed temperature of the ground at the average depth of the wine cellar and by the temperature of the outside air (R{sup 2} varies between 0.937 and 0.974, with an average of 0.964 for the three wine cellars studied). However, the stability of the wine cellar during changes of outside temperature differs according to the time of year. In the spring and summer, the stability is excellent and the influence of the ground temperature is much greater than that of the outside air temperature (beta coefficient for the ground temperature is 0.85 compared to 0.17 for the outside air temperature). In the autumn and winter, the stability of the wine cellar is reduced by the increased ventilation, reducing the influence of the ground temperature ({beta} = 0.70) and increasing that of the outside air ({beta} = 0.42). (author)

Recovery of oil from underground drill sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Streeter, W.S.; Hutchinson, T.S.; Ameri, S.; Wasson, J.A.; Aminian, K.

1991-01-01

This paper reports that a significant quantity of oil is left in reservoirs after conventional oil recovery techniques have been applied. In West Virginia and Pennsylvania alone, this oil has been estimated at over 4.5 billion barrels (0.72 billion m 3 ). Conventional recovery methods are already being used when applicable. But a new recovery method is needed for use in reservoirs that have been abandoned. One alternative method for recovery of the residual oil is known as oil recovery from underground drill sites. This recovery technology is a combination of proven methods and equipment from the petroleum, mining, and civil construction industries. Underground oil recovery can be an economically viable method of producing oil. This has been shown in producing fields, field tests, and feasibility, studies. Faced with decreasing domestic oil production, the petroleum industry should give serious consideration to the use of oil recovery from underground drill sites as a safe, practical, and environmentally sensitive alternative method of producing oil from many reservoirs

Calculations on seismic coupling of underground explosions in salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heusinkveld, M.E.

1981-01-01

This report details the results of a theoretical study of seismic coupling and decoupling of underground explosions in a salt medium. A series of chemical and nuclear explosions was carried out years ago in salt domes for the Cowboy and the Dribble programs to provide experimental data on seismic coupling for both tamped explosions and explosions in cavities. The Cowboy program consisted of a series of chemical explosions, and the Dribble program consisted of the tamped nuclear Salmon event, the Sterling nuclear event in the Salmon cavity, and an associated site calibration effort. This report presents the results of extensive computer calculations, which are in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data. The calculations were extended to give general results on seismic coupling in salt. The measure of seismic coupling for most of this work was the residual reduced displacement potential (residual RDP). The decoupling associated with a shot in a cavity was expressed as the ratio of the resulting residual RDP to that of an equal-sized tamped shot

Horonobe underground research program. Research report of 2002 FY investigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-06-01

Main results of investigation about Horonobe deep underground research center in 2002 FY were reported. It consists of six chapters: introduction, main results, selection of research center area, underground science research, R and D of geological disposal, and the environmental survey and research center on the ground. The research center area at about 3 km north of Horonobe (B1) was selected in the four areas: A, B1, B2 and C on the basis of data, researches in the sky, aboveground and underground and other conditions. The model of geological environment was constructed by physical, geological, surface water supply researches. Development of geological environment monitoring techniques, investigation of long stabilization of geological environment and design of underground facilities are reported. The basic design of preparation of research center was investigated. (S.Y.)

Analysis on one underground nuclear waste repository rock mass in USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ha Qiuling; Zhang Tiantian

2012-01-01

When analyzing the rock mass of a underground nuclear waste repository, the current studies are all based on the loading mechanical condition, and the unloading damage of rock mass is unconsidered. According to the different mechanical condition of actual engineering rock mass of loading and unloading, this paper implements a comprehensive analysis on the rock mass deformation of underground nuclear waste repository through the combination of present loading and unloading rock mass mechanics. It is found that the results of comprehensive analysis and actual measured data on the rock mass deformation of underground nuclear waste repository are basically the same, which provide supporting data for the underground nuclear waste repository. (authors)

High-temperature acquifer thermal storage and underground heat storage; IEA ECES Annex 12: Hochtemperatur-Erdwaermesonden- und Aquiferwaermespeicher

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanner, B.; Knoblich, K. [Giessen Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Angewandte Geowissenschaften; Koch, M.; Adinolfi, M. [Stuttgart Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Siedlungswasserbau, Wasserguete und Abfallwirtschaft

1998-12-31

Heat storage is essential for the reconciliation of heat supply and demand. The earth has already proved to be an excellent medium for storing large amounts of heat over longer periods of time, for instance during the cold and hot season. The efficiency of the storage is the better the lower storage losses are at high temperature levels. Unfortunately this can not be easily achieved. While thermal underground stores, which are widely used for cold storage, have proved to perform quite well at temperatures between 10 C - 40 C, it has been rather difficult to achieve similar results at higher temperatures up to 150 C as test and demonstration plants of the 1980s proved. This issue has again attracted so much interest that the IEA launched a project on high temperature underground storage in December 1998. (orig.) [Deutsch] Waermespeicherung ist von entscheidender Bedeutung, wenn es darum geht, ein Waermeangebot mit einer Waermenachfrage zeitlich zur Deckung zu bringen. Der Untergrund hat sich schon seit vielen Jahren als ein geeignetes Medium erwiesen, groessere Waermepumpen ueber laengere Zeitraeume wie etwa die kalten und warmen Jahreszeiten zu speichern. Die Effizienz eines solchen Speichers steigt mit der Hoehe des erreichten Temperaturniveaus und mit sinkenden Speicherverlusten, was leider eher gegenlaeufige Erscheinungen sind. Waehrend thermische Untergrundspeicher im Temperaturbereich von 10-40 C inzwischen erfolgreich demonstriert wurden und vor allem zur Kaeltespeicherung auch bereits vielfach eingesetzt werden, haben hoehere Temperaturen bis etwa 150 C in den Versuchs- und Demonstrationsanlagen der 80er Jahre vielfaeltige Probleme bereitet. Im Gefolge eines erneuten Interesses an unterirdischer thermischer Energiespeicherung wurde im Dezember 1997 ein Vorhaben des IEA Energiespeicherprogramms zu Untergrund-Waermespeichern hoeherer Temperatur eingerichtet. (orig.)

To the issue about negative consequences of underground nuclear explosions in the salt domes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belyashov, D.N.; Mokhov, V.A.; Murzadilov, T.D.

1998-01-01

I. From 1970 to 1984, 26 underground explosions were conducted at Azgir test site salt domes and Karachaganak gas-condensate deposit (KGKD) of Kazakhstan. Consequence, 9 and 6, relatively, underground cavities were created. At Azgir test site 5 cavities were filled by water and brines. Some of them were destroyed with surface spotting formation. It is noticed the spreading of radionuclides out of cavities bounds. At the KGKD gas-condensate is loaded into 4 cavities, another 2 cavities are in the accident condition, the last one (5TK) was filled by brine. There are characters of radioecological situation degradation above the last cavity. Radioactive logging in the cavity shown that the γ-activity of rock was increased more then 8 times in the distance of depths 0-64 m for 3 years. Apparently, outbreak of radioactive brines takes place along the zones of fissuring on the bound of casing tubes into the 5TK borehole and along enclosing rocks with sorption of radioactive isotopes in clay rocks. 2. There are examples of negative evolution of events at the Astrakhan gas-condensate deposit, where 15 nuclear cavities were created from 1980 to 1984 years. In 1986 year, 13 of them stopped to exist because of tectonic shearing, triggering by underground nuclear explosion in the salt dome. Many of them are flooded and they throw out the radioactive brines, reaching the surface. 3. Negative development of radioecological situation is occurred because of depressurization of cavities, their flooding, displacement of radionuclides with salt into the brines, destroying of cavities, extrusion of radioactive brines along the permeable zones, more often along the militant and observation boreholes. It is possible to spread of radioactive contamination along horizontal at the distance for l,5-3 km. In 2 years after the underground nuclear explosion at the Grachev oil deposit of Bashkiria radioactive tritium was detected in underground water and in the ground more then 3 km far from

A Testbed of Magnetic Induction-based Communication System for Underground Applications

OpenAIRE

Tan, Xin; Sun, Zhi; Akyildiz, Ian F.

2015-01-01

Wireless underground sensor networks (WUSNs) can enable many important applications such as intelligent agriculture, pipeline fault diagnosis, mine disaster rescue, concealed border patrol, crude oil exploration, among others. The key challenge to realize WUSNs is the wireless communication in underground environments. Most existing wireless communication systems utilize the dipole antenna to transmit and receive propagating electromagnetic (EM) waves, which do not work well in underground en...

Underground gasification of coal. [Newman Spinney

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1950-06-16

This article gives an account of the experimental work on underground gasification at Newman Spinney near Sheffield, England. An attempt was made to develop the percolation technique in flat coal seams but to demonstrate first that gas can be made underground. A borehole system was created on an opencast site where an exposed seam face would allow horizontal drilling to be carried out. Details of trails are given, and drilling techniques, electromagnetic device developed by the Great Britain Post Office Research Branch and radioactive location developed by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. An account is given of the inauguration of a series of experiments on May 22, 1950.

Proceedings of the 6th underground operators conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golosinski, T.S.

1995-01-01

This conference presents recent development in underground mining operations. A large number of papers reported on underground mining practice in the Eastern Goldfields area of Western Australia and in the traditional mining centres of Mount Isa and Broken Hill. These are supplemented by papers reporting on other underground mining developments all throughout Australia and in several overseas countries known for advanced mining expertise. Apart from papers dealing with metalliferous mining, a number of papers related to coal mining present recent developments related to the topic. The papers are grouped into sessions relating to ground control, rock mechanics, management and human resources, mining methods, mining equipment, control and communications, mine backfill, mining operations, drilling and blasting and coal mining. Relevant papers have been individually indexed/abstracted. Tabs., figs., refs

Underground laboratories for rock mechanics before radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duffaut, P.

1985-01-01

Many rock mechanics tests are performed in situ, most of them underground since 1936 at the Beni Bahdel dam. The chief tests for understanding the rock mass behaviour are deformability tests (plate test and pressure cavern test, including creep experiments) and strength tests (compression of a mine pillar, shear test on rock mass or joint). Influence of moisture, heat, cold and freeze are other fields of investigation which deserve underground laboratories. Behaviour of test galleries, either unsupported or with various kinds of support, often is studied along time, and along the work progression, tunnel face advance, enlargement or deepening of the cross section. The examples given here help to clarify the concept of underground laboratory in spite of its many different objectives. 38 refs.; 1 figure; 1 table

Multi-scale fracture damage associated with underground chemical explosions

Science.gov (United States)

Swanson, E. M.; Sussman, A. J.; Wilson, J. E.; Townsend, M. J.; Prothro, L. B.; Gang, H. E.

2018-05-01

Understanding rock damage induced by explosions is critical for a number of applications including the monitoring and verification of underground nuclear explosions, mine safety issues, and modeling fluid flow through fractured rock. We use core observations, televiewer logs, and thin section observations to investigate fracture damage associated with two successive underground chemical explosions (SPE2 and SPE3) in granitic rock at both the mesoscale and microscale. We compare the frequency and orientations of core-scale fractures, and the frequency of microfractures, between a pre-experiment core and three post-experiment cores. Natural fault zones and explosion-induced fractures in the vicinity of the explosive source are readily apparent in recovered core and in thin sections. Damage from faults and explosions is not always apparent in fracture frequency plots from televiewer logs, although orientation data from these logs suggests explosion-induced fracturing may not align with the pre-existing fracture sets. Core-scale observations indicate the extent of explosion-induced damage is 10.0 m after SPE2 and 6.8 m after SPE3, despite both a similar size and location for both explosions. At the microscale, damage is observed to a range distance of 10.2 ± 0.9 m after SPE2, and 16.6 ± 0.9 and 11.2 ± 0.6 in two different cores collected after SPE3. Additional explosion-induced damage, interpreted to be the result of spalling, is readily apparent near the surface, but only in the microfracture data. This depth extent and intensity of damage in the near-surface region also increased after an additional explosion. This study highlights the importance of evaluating structural damage at multiple scales for a more complete characterization of the damage, and particularly shows the importance of microscale observations for identifying spallation-induced damage.

Spent fuel disposal: is the underground the sole solution?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nachmilner, L.

1997-01-01

The following 4 major approaches to spent fuel disposal are discussed: permanent storage in an underground repository, reprocessing, partitioning and transmutation, and accelerator driven transmutation. It is concluded that underground disposal will remain the basic option for the near future, although pursuing the other methods is certainly worth while. (P.A.)

Background Models for Muons and Neutrons Underground

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Formaggio, Joseph A.

2005-01-01

Cosmogenic-induced activity is an issue of great concern for many sensitive experiments sited underground. A variety of different arch-type experiments - such as those geared toward the detection of dark matter, neutrinoless double beta decay and solar neutrinos - have reached levels of cleanliness and sensitivity that warrant careful consideration of secondary activity induced by cosmic rays. This paper reviews some of the main issues associated with the modeling of cosmogenic activity underground. Comparison with data, when such data is available, is also presented

Solution of tasks concerning protection of underground waters and environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dubinchuk, V.T.; Polyakov, V.A.

1988-01-01

Use of environment isotopes and indicators in solving problems concerning protection of underground waters and environment is discussed. The applied methods permit to study dynamics of underground waters and to estimate risk of their contamination; to follow the surface and underground waters interrelations using data on infiltration recharge estimation etc. Complex nuclear-geophysical and isotope studies may be applied to detect hindered water exchange zones where liquid industrial waste disposals could be placed with minimum damage to environment. 48 refs.; 74 figs.; 22 tabs

Ground Source Heat Supply in Moscow Oblast: Temperature Potential and Sustainable Depth of Heat Wells

Science.gov (United States)

Vasil'ev, G. P.; Gornov, V. F.; Dmitriev, A. N.; Kolesova, M. V.; Yurchenko, V. A.

2018-01-01

The paper is devoted to a problem of increasing the efficiency of low-potential geothermal heat in heat pump systems of residential buildings the Moscow oblast of Russia, including Moscow. Estimates of a natural geothermal potential in the Moscow oblast (based on climatological data for the period from 1982 to 2011) are presented and a "Typical climatic year of natural soil temperature variations for the geoclimatic conditions of the Moscow oblast, including the city of Moscow" is proposed. Numerical simulation of the influence of geothermal energy potential and the depth of heat wells on the efficiency of ground source heat pump systems for the heat supply of residential buildings is carried out. Analysis of the numerical simulation showed that the operation of a heat pump system in a house heating mode under the geoclimatic conditions of the Moscow oblast leads to a temperature drop of the heat-exchange medium circulating through heat wells to 5-6°C by the end of the first 10 years of operation, and the process stabilizes by the 15th year of operation, and further changes in the heat-exchange medium temperature do not any longer significantly affect the temperature of the heat-exchange medium in the heat well. In this case, the exact dependence of the heat-exchange medium temperature drop on the depth is not revealed. Data on the economically expedient heat well depth for the conditions of the Moscow oblast ensuring a net present value for the whole residential building life cycle are presented. It is found that the heat well depth of 60 m can be considered as an endpoint for the Moscow oblast, and a further heat well deepening is economically impractical.

Shave-off depth profiling: Depth profiling with an absolute depth scale

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nojima, M.; Maekawa, A.; Yamamoto, T.; Tomiyasu, B.; Sakamoto, T.; Owari, M.; Nihei, Y.

2006-01-01

Shave-off depth profiling provides profiling with an absolute depth scale. This method uses a focused ion beam (FIB) micro-machining process to provide the depth profile. We show that the shave-off depth profile of a particle reflected the spherical shape of the sample and signal intensities had no relationship to the depth. Through the introduction of FIB micro-sampling, the shave-off depth profiling of a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) tip was carried out. The shave-off profile agreed with a blue print from the manufacturing process. Finally, shave-off depth profiling is discussed with respect to resolutions and future directions

Underground storage of radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dietz, D.N.

1977-01-01

An introductory survey of the underground disposal of radioactive wastes is given. Attention is paid to various types of radioactive wastes varying from low to highly active materials, as well as mining techniques and salt deposits

Indiana Underground Railroad Folklore: Western Route and Daviess County.

Science.gov (United States)

Shelton, Lois G.

Materials for teaching a unit about the Underground Railroad (the system set up to assist fleeing, runaway slaves heading north) in Indiana are presented. Specifically, the Western Route that passed through Daviess County in Indiana is examined. The materials provide background on the Underground Railroad and the Western Route, plans for teaching…

Permanent Closure of the TAN-664 Underground Storage Tank

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bradley K. Griffith

2011-12-01

This closure package documents the site assessment and permanent closure of the TAN-664 gasoline underground storage tank in accordance with the regulatory requirements established in 40 CFR 280.71, 'Technical Standards and Corrective Action Requirements for Owners and Operators of Underground Storage Tanks: Out-of-Service UST Systems and Closure.'

Material movement of medium surrounding an underground nuclear explosion; Mouvement materiel du milieu environnant une explosion nucleaire souterraine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guerrini, C; Garnier, J L [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Bruyeres-le-Chatel (France). Centre d' Etudes

1969-07-01

The results of measurements of the mechanical effects in the, intermediate zone around underground nuclear explosions in Sahara granite are presented. After a description of the main characteristics of the equipment used, the laws drawn up using experimental results for the acceleration, the velocity, and the material displacement are presented. These laws are compared to those published in other countries for nuclear tests in granite, in tuff and in alluvial deposits. (authors) [French] Les resultats de mesures d'effets mecaniques en zone intermediaire autour d'essais nucleaires souterrains dans le granite du Sahara sont exposes. Apres avoir decrit, dans leurs grandes lignes, les materiels utilises, on presente les lois etablies avec les resultats experimentaux pour l'acceleration, la vitesse et le deplacement materiel. Ces lois sont comparees a celles publiees a l'etranger pour des essais nucleaires dans le granite, le tuf et les alluvions. (auteur)

Underground gasification in Britain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1952-08-29

A report of the discussion held on the paper Underground Gasification in Britain, by C.A. Masterman (Iron and Coal Trades Rev., Vol. 165, Aug. 22, 1952, pp. 413-422). The water question, preheating the air, controlling the gas, using the product, choosing the site, thickness of seam and faulted areas are discussed.

Analysis and design of SSC underground structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, G.T.

1993-01-01

This paper describes the analysis and design of underground structures for the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) Project. A brief overview of the SSC Project and the types of underground structures are presented. Engineering properties and non-linear behavior of the geologic materials are reviewed. The three-dimensional sequential finite element rock-structure interaction analysis techniques developed by the author are presented and discussed. Several examples of how the method works, specific advantages, and constraints are presented. Finally, the structural designs that resulted from the sequential interaction analysis are presented

High radon exposure in a Brazilian underground coal mine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veiga, L H S; Melo, V; Koifman, S; Amaral, E C S

2004-01-01

The main source of radiation exposure in most underground mining operations is radon and radon decay products. The situation of radon exposure in underground mining in Brazil is still unknown, since there has been no national regulation regarding this exposure. A preliminary radiological survey in non-uranium mines in Brazil indicated that an underground coal mine in the south of Brazil had high radon concentration and needed to be better evaluated. This paper intends to present an assessment of radon and radon decay product exposure in the underground environment of this coal mining industry and to estimate the annual exposure to the workers. As a product of this assessment, it was found that average radon concentrations at all sampling campaign and excavation sites were above the action level range for workplaces of 500-1500 Bq m -3 recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection-ICRP 65. The average effective dose estimated for the workers was almost 30 times higher than the world average dose for coal miners

Moura tragedy the model for this year's underground exercise

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-10-01

Mines Rescue teams in the 1991 E.K. Healy cup competition handled an underground exercise based on the Moura No. 4 colliery explosion which killed 12 miners on July 16, 1986. The contest organisers and hosts went to great lengths to achieve realism. This included underground water barriers and ventilation tubes being tossed around, meat, offal and bullock's blood being strewn and using trickel dusters to produce a smoke effect restricting visibility to 20 metres. The other exercises in the contest were: a theory test; and exercise involving gas monitoring, power isolation and fire fighting; and a first aid section dealt with an electrical accident near water. The task in the underground exercise was to retrieve information. The Chairman of the Assessors reported that the theory and fire fighting were handled fairly well. Handling of the electrical incident was not too bad, with the life saving techniques being very well done. The underground exercise revealed different ways of gathering information. While leadership styles and team member interaction varied this was not detrimental to efficiency. 9 photos.

Increasing shaft depth with rock hoisting to the surface. [USSR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Durov, E.M.

1982-06-01

Schemes of shaft construction with increasing shaft depth depend on: shaft depth, shaft diameter, types of hoisting systems, schemes of shaft reinforcement. Investigations carried out in underground coal mines in the USSR show that waste rock haulage to the surface by an independent hoisting system is most economical. Installation of this system depends on the existing hoisting scheme. When one of the operating cages or skips can be removed without a negative influence on mine operation the system of rock waste hoisting is used. The hoisting bucket used for rock removal from the shaft bottom moves in the shaft section from which one of the cages or skips has been removed. Examples of using this scheme in Donbass, Kuzbass and other coal basins are given. Economic aspects of waste material hoisting to the surface are analyzed. The system is economical when the remaining hoisting system can accept additional loads after removal of a cage or skip from the shaft. Investigations show that use of a bucket with a capacity from 2.5 to 3.0 m/sup 3/ for waste rock removal from the shaft being modernized and deepened is most economical.

Glimos Instructions for CMS Underground Guiding - in english

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva; Dupont, Niels; Esposito, William

2016-01-01

In this presentation in english, the basic safety rules for CMS underground visits are explained. The trainees are taught how to plan/organize a CMS underground visit along important safety aspects of the CMS underground (Point 5). Content owners and presenters (CMS safety team) : Niels Dupont (in french), Michael Brodski (in german), William Esposito (in english) A pdf document on the subject is available as material from the indico event page. (TO BE DONE from https://twiki.cern.ch/Edutech/CMSGlimosInstructions!)   Tell us what you think via e-learning.support at cern.ch More tutorials in the e-learning collection of the CERN Document Server (CDS) http://cds.cern.ch/collection/E-learning%20modules?ln=en All info about the CERN rapid e-learning project is linked from http://twiki.cern.ch/ELearning  

Glimos Instructions for CMS Underground Guiding - in french

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva; Dupont, Niels; Brodski, Michael

2016-01-01

In this presentation in french, the basic safety rules for CMS underground visits are explained. The trainees are taught how to plan/organize a CMS underground visit along important safety aspects of the CMS underground (Point 5). Content owners and presenters (CMS safety team) : Niels Dupont (in french), Michael Brodski (in german), William Esposito (in english) A pdf document on the subject is available as material from the indico event page. (TO BE DONE from https://twiki.cern.ch/Edutech/CMSGlimosInstructions!)   Tell us what you think via e-learning.support at cern.ch More tutorials in the e-learning collection of the CERN Document Server (CDS) http://cds.cern.ch/collection/E-learning%20modules?ln=en All info about the CERN rapid e-learning project is linked from http://twiki.cern.ch/ELearning  

Detectability of underground electrical cables junction with a ground penetrating radar: electromagnetic simulation and experimental measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiang; serhir, mohammed; kameni, abelin; lambert, marc; pichon, lionel

2016-04-01

For a company like Electricity De France (EDF), being able to detect accurately using non-destructive methods the position of the buried junction between two underground cables is a crucial issue. The junction is the linking part where most maintenance operations are carried out. The challenge of this work is to conduct a feasibility study to confirm or deny the relevance of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to detect these buried junctions in their actual environment against clutter. Indeed, the cables are buried in inhomogeneous medium at around 80cm deep. To do this, the study is conducted in a numerical environment. We use the 3D simulation software CST MWS to model a GPR scenario. In this simulation, we place the already optimized bowtie antennas operating in the frequency band [0.5 GHz - 3 GHz] in front of wet soil (dispersive) and dry soil where the underground cable is placed at 80cm deep. We collect the amplitude and phase of the reflected waves in order to detect the contrast provoked by the geometric dimensions variation of the cable [1] (diameter of the cable is 48mm and the diameter of the junction 74mm). The use of an ultra-wideband antenna is necessary to reconcile resolution and penetration of electromagnetic waves in the medium to be characterized. We focus on the performance of the GPR method according to the characteristics of the surrounding medium in which the electric cables are buried, the polarization of the Tx and Rx antennas. The experimental measurement collected in the EDF site will be presented. The measured data are processed using the clutter reduction method based on digital filtering [2]. We aim at showing that using the developed bowtie antennas that the GPR technique is well adapted for the cable junction localization even in cluttered environment. References [1] D. J. Daniels, "Surface-Penetrating Radar", London, IEE 1996. [2] Potin, D.; Duflos, E.; Vanheeghe, P., "Landmines Ground-Penetrating Radar Signal Enhancement by Digital

Seismodynamics of extended underground structures and soils: Statement of the problem and self-similar solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Georgievskii, D. V.; Israilov, M. Sh.

2015-07-01

In the problems of common vibrations of extended underground structures (pipelines and tunnels) and soil, an approach of the one-dimensional deformation of the medium is developed; this approach is based on the assumption that the soil deformation in the direction of seismic wave propagation coinciding with the pipeline axis is prevailing. The analytic solutions are obtained in the cases where the wave velocity in the soil is respectively less or greater than the wave velocity in the pipeline. The parameters influencing the pipeline fracture are revealed and methods for increasing the seismic stability of such structures are given. The possibility of the pipeline fatigue fracture is pointed out. The statements and solutions of parabolic problems modeling the physical phenomena in soils in the case of discontinuous velocity on the boundaries at the initial time are given. The notion of generalized vorticity diffusion is introduced and the cases of self-similarity existence are classified. A detailed analysis is performed for the non-Newtonian polynomial fluid, the medium close in properties to the rigidly ideally plastic body, and the viscoplastic Shvedov—Bingham body. In the case of physically linear medium, new self-similar solutions are obtained which describe the process of unsteady axially symmetric shear in spherical coordinates. The first approximation to the asymptotic solution of the problem of the vortex sheet diffusion is constructed in a medium with small polynomial nonlinearity. The solutions polynomially decreasing to zero as the self-similar variable increases are proposed in the class of two-constant fluids.

Online monitoring of Accessories for Underground Electrical Installations through Acoustics Emissions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Casals-Torrens P.

2012-04-01

Full Text Available The acoustic waves caused by Partial Discharges inside the dielectric materials, can be detected by acoustic emission (AE sensors and analyzed in the time domain. The experimental results presented, show the online detection capability of these sensors in the environment near a cable accessory, such as a splice or terminal. The AE sensors are immune to electromagnetic interference and constitute a detection method non-intrusive and non-destructive, which ensures a galvanic decoupling with respect to electric networks, this technique of partial discharge detection can be applied as a test method for preventive or predictive maintenance (condition-based maintenance to equipments or facilities of medium and high voltage in service and represents an alternative method to electrical detection systems, conventional or not, that continue to rely on the detection of current pulses. This paper presents characterization tests of the sensors AE through comparative tests of partial discharge on accessories for underground power cables.

Going Underground in Singapore

CERN Multimedia

John Osborne (GS/SEM)

2010-01-01

Singapore has plans to build a massive Underground Science City (USC) housing R&D laboratories and IT data centres. A delegation involved in the planning to build the subterranean complex visited CERN on 18 October 2010 to learn from civil engineers and safety experts about how CERN plans and constructs its underground facilities.   The delegation from Singapore. The various bodies and corporations working on the USC project are currently studying the feasibility of constructing up to 40 caverns (60 m below ground) similar in size to an LHC experiment hall, in a similar type of rock. Civil engineering and geotechnical experts are calculating the maximum size of the cavern complex that can be safely built. The complex could one day accommodate between 3000 and 5000 workers on a daily basis, so typical issues of size and number of access shafts need to be carefully studied. At first glance, you might not think the LHC has much in common with the USC project; as Rolf Heuer pointed out: &ldq...

Study of the Pasquasia underground cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

The reliability of the geological disposal of radioactive wastes have to be verified both by laboratory and on site research, under both surface and underground conditions. The tests carried out under high lithostatic stress can allow extrapolations to be made having absolute value at the depths planned for the construction of the repository. On the area around the Pasquasia mine, a detailed geological mapping (1: 5000 scale) has been carried out. For the purpose of studying the effects induced by the advancement of the excavation's face into the clayey mass and over the cross section of the transversal tunnel, several measurement stations were installed (multibase straingauges, convergency rods, pressure cells, centering and concrete straingauges). Structural observations were made on both the fronts and the walls of the tunnel for the purpose of characterizing the mechanical behaviour of a clayey mass. The 37 cubic blocks, their sides measuring measurement 30cm, along 72 samples collected during the excavation, have been analyzed from different point of view (sedimentological, mineralogical, geochemical, micropaleontological, interstitial water content, thermal properties, etc). After the excavation of the tunnel and the installation of the geotechnical stations, the measurements have been carried on up to March 1987. At this date the work programme has been unfortunately stopped by local authorities unfoundly suspecting Pasquasia mine would be used as waste repository

Modeling Groundwater Flow and Transport of Radionuclides at Amchitka Island's Underground Nuclear Tests: Milrow, Long Shot, and Cannikin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahmed Hassan; Karl Pohlmann; Jenny Chapman

2002-11-19

Since 1963, all United States nuclear tests have been conducted underground. A consequence of this testing has been the deposition of large amounts of radioactive material in the subsurface, sometimes in direct contact with groundwater. The majority of this testing occurred on the Nevada Test Site (NTS), but a limited number of experiments were conducted in other locations. One of these locations, Amchitka Island, Alaska is the subject of this report. Three underground nuclear tests were conducted on Amchitka Island. Long Shot was an 80-kiloton-yield test conducted at a depth of 700 meters (m) on October 29, 1965 (DOE, 2000). Milrow had an announced yield of about 1,000 kilotons, and was detonated at a depth of 1,220 m on October 2, 1969. Cannikin had an announced yield less than 5,000 kilotons, and was conducted at a depth of 1,790 m on November 6, 1971. The purpose of this work is to provide a portion of the information needed to conduct a human-health risk assessment of the potential hazard posed by the three underground nuclear tests on Amchitka Island. Specifically, the focus of this work is the subsurface transport portion, including the release of radionuclides from the underground cavities and their movement through the groundwater system to the point where they seep out of the ocean floor and into the marine environment. This requires a conceptual model of groundwater flow on the island using geologic, hydrologic, and chemical information, a numerical model for groundwater flow, a conceptual model of contaminant release and transport properties from the nuclear test cavities, and a numerical model for contaminant transport. Needed for the risk assessment are estimates of the quantity of radionuclides (in terms of mass flux) from the underground tests on Amchitka that could discharge to the ocean, the time of possible discharge, and the location in terms of distance from shoreline. The radionuclide data presented here are all reported in terms of normalized

Geotechnical design of underground slate mines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iglesias Comesaña, C.; Taboada Castro, J.; Arzúa Touriño, J.; Giráldez Pérez, E.; Martín Suárez, J.M.

2017-01-01

Slate is one of the most important natural materials in Spain, with a potent extractive and processing industry concentrated in the autonomous communities of Galicia, Castile and León. Thanks to its resistance to external agents, its impermeability and its excellent cleavability, slate is used as for roofing and tiling. Almost all the active exploitations in our country where this resource is extracted are open pit mines, where the exploitation ratios have nearly reached their economic limit, making it necessary to look for alternatives that will allow the mining works to be continued. Underground mining is a solution that offers low exploitation ratios, with low spoil generation. The room-and-pillar method with barrier pillars is usually applied for the exploitation of slate deposits. There are several factors to be taken into account when designing a mine (economic, logistical, geotechnical, technical, environmental…), especially for an underground mine. This study focuses on the geotechnical design process of a room-and-pillar underground mine, based on the tributary area theory, the analysis of the tensions in the ground with numerical methods and the choice of an appropriate reinforcement in view of the expected instabilities. This explanation is completed with an example of a design that includes the estimate exploitation rates and production. [es

Isotope hydrogeological study of the underground repository for radioactive wastes at Morsleben

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gellermann, R.; Hebert, D.

1991-01-01

As a contribution of safety assessment of the underground repository for radioactive wastes (ERA) in Morsleben isotope investigations in the hydrosphere has been carried out. The measured tritium concentrations of brines infiltrating into the mine cannot be interpreted in a conventional way due to contamination of mine air with tritium. However, modelling the isotope exchange allows conclusions regarding the water balance of the dripping brines. A complex interpretation which includes hydrogeochemical data results in a qualitative assessment of the infiltrating brines in regard to their hazard potential. An acute danger cannot be derived from the data available up to the present. The natural input of cosmogenic radionuclides (tritium, radiocarbon) into the aquifers above the salt level permits to study radionuclide migration at the ERA site. Tritium from the nuclear weapon tests is detectable up to a depth of 50 m below groundwater level with a maximum in about 20 m. From these data infiltration velocities of 1.6 m/a at maximum and 0.9 m/a in average are derived. The 14 C measurements of samples from more than 100 m depth yield model ages in the order of 10 4 years. This indicates a significantly reduced groundwater dynamic in the deeper horizons. (orig.) [de

Assessment of the underground disposal of tailings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hutt, N M [Morwijk Enterprises Ltd., (Canada); Morin, K A [Normar Enterprises, (Canada)

1995-06-01

The Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB) of Canada is facing the issue of long-term disposal of uranium tailings. One option that has not been examined in sufficient detail for the AECB is the retrieval of tailings from surface impoundments and subsequent placement of those tailings in underground workings of mines. This report is structured like a catalogue of facts and information, with each paragraph presenting some concept, concern, theory, or case study involving the retrieval or placement of tailings. All relevant information, findings, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations gathered during the course of this study are included. The Table of Contents illustrates the striking number of relevant topics and acts like a flowchart or checklist to ensure that an underground-disposal submission by a mining company has addressed relevant topics. This report explains in detail the implications of disturbing surface-impounded tailings for the purpose of placing only some of the volume underground. The cumulative environmental, safety, and monetary liabilities of such a partial scheme can be discouraging in some cases. (author). 244 refs., 47 tabs., 17 figs.

Assessment of the underground disposal of tailings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hutt, N.M.; Morin, K.A.

1995-06-01

The Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB) of Canada is facing the issue of long-term disposal of uranium tailings. One option that has not been examined in sufficient detail for the AECB is the retrieval of tailings from surface impoundments and subsequent placement of those tailings in underground workings of mines. This report is structured like a catalogue of facts and information, with each paragraph presenting some concept, concern, theory, or case study involving the retrieval or placement of tailings. All relevant information, findings, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations gathered during the course of this study are included. The Table of Contents illustrates the striking number of relevant topics and acts like a flowchart or checklist to ensure that an underground-disposal submission by a mining company has addressed relevant topics. This report explains in detail the implications of disturbing surface-impounded tailings for the purpose of placing only some of the volume underground. The cumulative environmental, safety, and monetary liabilities of such a partial scheme can be discouraging in some cases. (author). 244 refs., 47 tabs., 17 figs

Underground storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1965-06-10

A procedure is described for making an underground storage cavity in a soluble formation. Two holes are drilled, and fluid is pumped into the first hole. This fluid is a non-solute for the formation material. Then pressure is applied to the fluid until the formation is fractured in the direction of the second hole. More non-solute fluid is injected to complete the fracture between the 2 holes. A solute fluid is then circulated between the 2 holes, which results in removal of that part of the formation next to the fracture and the forming of a chamber.

Safety consideration and economic advantage of a new underground nuclear power plant design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyczkowski, R.W.; Ching, J.T.

1979-01-01

A conceptual design of an underground nuclear power plant is proposed to make undergrounding of nuclear reactors not only environmentally desirable but also economically feasible. Expedient to the underground environment, this design capitalizes on the pressure-containing and radiation filtering characteristics of the new underground boundary conditions. Design emphasis is on the containment of a catastrophic accident - that of a reactor vessel rupture caused by external means. The High Capacity Rapid Energy Dissipation Underground Containment (HiC-REDUCE) system which efficiently contains loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCAs) and small break conditions is described. The end product is a radiation-release-proof plant which, in effect, divorces the public from the safety of the reactor. (Auth.)

Nevada National Security Site Underground Radionuclide Inventory, 1951-1992: Accounting for Radionuclide Decay through September 30, 2012

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Finnegan, David Lawrence [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Bowen, Scott Michael [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Thompson, Joseph L. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Miller, Charles M. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Baca, Phyllis L. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Olivas, Loretta F. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Geoffrion, Carmen G. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Smith, David K. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Goishi, Wataru [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Esser, Bradley K. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Meadows, Jesse W. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Namboodiri, Neil [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Wild, John F. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2016-03-16

This report is an update of report LA-13859-MS (Bowen et al., 2001). In that original report, the underground radionuclide inventory at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) was decay corrected to September 23, 1992, the date of the last underground nuclear test at the NNSS. In this report, the inventory is updated to account for the decay of radionuclides over two additional decades (1992-2012) and revised tritium, fission product and actinide inventory figures and tables are presented. The maximum contaminant levels for radionuclides were also updated to Safe Drinking Water Act Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) (CFR, 2013). Also, a number of minor errata found in the original publication were corrected. An inventory of radionuclides produced by 828 underground nuclear tests conducted at the NNSS by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Department of the Defense from 1951 to 1992 includes tritium, fission products, actinides, and activation products. The inventory presented in this report provides an estimate of radioactivity remaining underground at the NNSS after nuclear testing. The original test inventory is decayed to September 30, 2012, and predictions of inventory decay over the subsequent 1000 years are presented. For the purposes of summary and publication, the Los Alamos National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory authors of this report subdivided the inventory into five areas corresponding to the principal geographic test centers at the NNSS. The five areas roughly correspond to Underground Test Area “Corrective Action Units” (CAUs) for remediation of groundwater. In addition, the inventory is further subdivided for the Yucca Flat region by tests where the working point depth is more than 328 feet (100 meters) above the water table and tests that were detonated below that level. Water levels used were those from the U. S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office (1997

Measurement of californium-252 gamma photons depth dose distribution in tissue equivalent material. Vol. 4

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fadel, M A; El-Fiki, M A; Eissa, H M; Abdel-Hafez, A; Naguib, S H [National Institute of Standards, Cairo (Egypt)

1996-03-01

Phantom of tissue equivalent material with and without bone was used measuring depth dose distribution of gamma-rays from californium-252 source. The source was positioned at center of perspex walled phantom. Depth dose measurements were recorded for X, Y and Z planes at different distances from source. TLD 700 was used for measuring the dose distribution. Results indicate that implantation of bone in tissue equivalent medium cause changes in the gamma depth dose distribution which varies according to variation in bone geometry. 9 figs.

The Meuse-Haute Marne underground research laboratory. A scientific research tool for the study of deep geologic disposal of radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

The Meuse-Haute Marne underground research laboratory, is an essential scientific tool for the achievement of one of the ANDRA's mission defined in the framework of the law from December 30, 1991 about the long-term management of high-level and long-living radioactive wastes. This document presents this laboratory: site characterization, characteristics of the Callovo-Oxfordian clay, and laboratory creation, coordinated experiments carried out at the surface and in depth, and the results obtained (published in an exhaustive way in the 'Clay 2005' dossier). (J.S.)

Radioactivity source terms for underground engineering application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tewes, H A [Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, Livermore, CA (United States)

1969-07-01

The constraints on nuclide production are usually very similar in any underground engineering application of nuclear explosives. However, in some applications the end product could be contaminated unless the proper nuclear device is used. This fact can be illustrated from two underground engineering experiments-Gasbuggy and Sloop. In the Gasbuggy experiment, appreciable tritium has been shown to be present in the gas currently being produced. However, in future gas stimulation applications (as distinct from experiments), a minimum production of tritium by the explosive is desirable since product contamination by this nuclide may place severe limitations on the use of the tritiated gas. In Sloop, where production of copper is the goal of the experiment, product contamination would not be caused by tritium but could result from other nuclides: Thus, gas stimulation could require the use of fission explosives while the lower cost per kiloton of thermonuclear explosives could make them attractive for ore-crushing applications. Because of this consideration, radionuclide production calculations must be made for both fission and for thermonuclear explosives in the underground environment. Such activation calculations materials of construction are performed in a manner similar to that described in another paper, but radionuclide production in the environment must be computed using both fission neutron and 14-MeV neutron sources in order to treat the 'source term' problem realistically. In making such computations, parameter studies including the effects of environmental temperature, neutron shielding, and rock types have been carried out. Results indicate the importance of carefully evaluating the radionuclide production for each individual underground engineering application. (author)

Radioactivity source terms for underground engineering application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tewes, H.A.

1969-01-01

The constraints on nuclide production are usually very similar in any underground engineering application of nuclear explosives. However, in some applications the end product could be contaminated unless the proper nuclear device is used. This fact can be illustrated from two underground engineering experiments-Gasbuggy and Sloop. In the Gasbuggy experiment, appreciable tritium has been shown to be present in the gas currently being produced. However, in future gas stimulation applications (as distinct from experiments), a minimum production of tritium by the explosive is desirable since product contamination by this nuclide may place severe limitations on the use of the tritiated gas. In Sloop, where production of copper is the goal of the experiment, product contamination would not be caused by tritium but could result from other nuclides: Thus, gas stimulation could require the use of fission explosives while the lower cost per kiloton of thermonuclear explosives could make them attractive for ore-crushing applications. Because of this consideration, radionuclide production calculations must be made for both fission and for thermonuclear explosives in the underground environment. Such activation calculations materials of construction are performed in a manner similar to that described in another paper, but radionuclide production in the environment must be computed using both fission neutron and 14-MeV neutron sources in order to treat the 'source term' problem realistically. In making such computations, parameter studies including the effects of environmental temperature, neutron shielding, and rock types have been carried out. Results indicate the importance of carefully evaluating the radionuclide production for each individual underground engineering application. (author)

Underground disposal for radioactive wastes: study of the thermal impact in a fractured medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coudrain, A.; Hosanski, J.M.; Ledoux, E.; Vouille, G.

1982-01-01

Radioactive waste storage in deep geologic formations, like granitic rocks, is one of the solutions studied for long-life radioactive wastes disposal. The study, presented in this document, has been developed in five stages: (1) theorical analysis of heat transfer in a fractured medium; bench-scale experiments (2) to study the convection in an artificial fracture with a punctual heat source, and, (3) in a real fracture with a spread heat source; (4) influence of the thermal stresses on the permeability of a fracture; (5) and finally, the mathematical model, validated in laboratory, used to simulate water and heat transfer, allows to discuss the radionuclides migration from an hydrodynamical point of view

Conceptual study on deep-underground energy generation base

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayano, M.; Okawa, T.

1992-01-01

Mitsubishi Atomic Power Industries, Inc. (MAPI) and Taisei Corporation have started a conceptual study on a deep-underground energy generation base for future cities in the 21st century around the metropolitan area, which will be increasingly important from viewpoints of the autonomy and sharing of the energy supply to the future cities. The energy generation base consists of a gas cooled reactor with naturally safety features as the energy source, an electric generation base using the Alkali Metal Thermo-electric Converter (AMTEC), a hydrogen production plant with the Solid Polymer Electrolyte (SPE), a hydrogen storage plant with the Metal Hydride (MH), and a desalination plant. This paper describes a concept of the energy generation base and the structure in the deep-underground, in soft soil, then the basic system of each plant, and finally discusses the feasibility of the deep-underground energy generation base. (author)

Enlarging the underground hydroelectric plant at Villarino, Spain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oriard, L.L.

1997-05-01

Near the village of Villarino de los Aires, in the province of Salamanca, Spain, was an existing underground hydroelectric power plant. A major enlargement was undertaken to increase the electrical generating capacity, under a contract awarded to a joint venture of Dragados y Construcciones, S. A. (Spain), Entrecanales y Tavora, S. A. (Spain), and S.A. Conrad Zschokke (Switzerland). The enlargement required the excavation of a large and complex underground system of tunnels, shafts and chambers adjacent to existing facilities and interconnected with these facilities. The existing machine hall and transformer chamber were both extended, requiring the blasting of the existing end walls. The drilling, blasting and excavating of the underground system had to be done without damage to existing underground chambers and tunnels, or any of the existing structures, equipment or instrumentation facilities, often within just a few feet of the blasting. This required careful control of vibrations, airblast overpressures and dust. Because the only available non-electric detonating systems were found to be unreliable and unsafe, electric systems would be preferred if they could be used in a safe manner at this site. High electrical potentials existed at the site, and the facilities could not be shut down. Electrical fields were studied carefully, both in the underground environment and above the ground surface. Based on these results, it was concluded that electric detonators could be used if special blasting procedures were developed and followed. In accord with contracting practices of this Spanish agency, the contract was not awarded to the lowest bidder, but to the bidder who demonstrated the best understanding of the project and who presented the best technical proposal for conducting the work to a conclusion that would be satisfactory to the owner. The development of the technical proposal was a two-month effort for a technical group and support staff, prepared in Madrid.

75 FR 17529 - High-Voltage Continuous Mining Machine Standard for Underground Coal Mines

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-06

... High-Voltage Continuous Mining Machine Standard for Underground Coal Mines AGENCY: Mine Safety and... of high-voltage continuous mining machines in underground coal mines. It also revises MSHA's design...-- Underground Coal Mines III. Section-by-Section Analysis A. Part 18--Electric Motor-Driven Mine Equipment and...

Research on Joint Parameter Inversion for an Integrated Underground Displacement 3D Measuring Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nanying Shentu

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Underground displacement monitoring is a key means to monitor and evaluate geological disasters and geotechnical projects. There exist few practical instruments able to monitor subsurface horizontal and vertical displacements simultaneously due to monitoring invisibility and complexity. A novel underground displacement 3D measuring sensor had been proposed in our previous studies, and great efforts have been taken in the basic theoretical research of underground displacement sensing and measuring characteristics by virtue of modeling, simulation and experiments. This paper presents an innovative underground displacement joint inversion method by mixing a specific forward modeling approach with an approximate optimization inversion procedure. It can realize a joint inversion of underground horizontal displacement and vertical displacement for the proposed 3D sensor. Comparative studies have been conducted between the measured and inversed parameters of underground horizontal and vertical displacements under a variety of experimental and inverse conditions. The results showed that when experimentally measured horizontal displacements and vertical displacements are both varied within 0 ~ 30 mm, horizontal displacement and vertical displacement inversion discrepancies are generally less than 3 mm and 1 mm, respectively, under three kinds of simulated underground displacement monitoring circumstances. This implies that our proposed underground displacement joint inversion method is robust and efficient to predict the measuring values of underground horizontal and vertical displacements for the proposed sensor.

Evaluation of the feasibility, economic impact, and effectiveness of underground nuclear power plants. Final technical report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-05-01

Information on underground nuclear power plants is presented concerning underground nuclear power plant concepts; public health impacts; technical feasibility of underground concepts; economic impacts of underground construction; and evaluation of related issues

47 CFR 32.2422 - Underground cable.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES Instructions for Balance Sheet Accounts § 32.2422 Underground cable... manholes and ducts in connection with construction work and the cost of permits and privileges for the...

State Certification of Underground Storage Tanks

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Granetto, Paul

1998-01-01

.... The audit was performed in response to a Senate Armed Services Committee inquiry about whether state environmental regulatory agencies would be able to certify that DoD underground storage tanks...

Geological-Technical and Geo-engineering Aspects of Dimensional Stone Underground Quarrying

Science.gov (United States)

Fornaro, Mauro; Lovera, Enrico

Underground exploitation of dimensional stones is not a novelty, being long since practised, as proved by a number of historical documents and by a certain number of ancient quarrying voids throughout the world. Anyway, so far, open cast quarrying has been the most adopted practice for the excavation of dimensional stones. One primary reason that led to this situation is of course connected to the lower production costs of an open cast exploitation compared to an underground one. This cheapness has been supported by geological and technical motives: on the one hand, the relative availability of surface deposits and, on the other, the development of technologies, which often can be used only outdoor. But, nowadays, general costs of quarrying activities should be re-evaluated because new, and often proper, restrictions have been strongly rising during recent years. As a consequence of both environmental and technical restrictions, pressure will more and more arise to reduce open cast quarrying and to promote underground exploitations. The trend is already well marked for weak rocks - for instance in the extractive basin of Carrara, where about one hundred quarries are active, 30 per cent is working underground, but also in Spain, Portugal and Greece the number of underground marble quarries is increasing - but not yet for hard rock quarrying, where only few quarries are working underground all around the world. One reason has to be found in cutting technologies traditionally used. In weak rocks, diamond wire saw and chain cutter are usable, with few adaptations, in underground spaces, while drilling and blasting, the traditional exploitation method for hard stone, is not easily usable in a confined space, where often only one free face is available. Many technicians and researchers agree that two technologies will probably open the door to underground quarrying in hard rocks: diamond wire and water jet. The first one is already available; the second should still be

THE UNDERGROUND ECONOMY,THE CORRUPTION . A WAY OF MANIFESTING THE FISCAL EVASION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Din Alina Valentina

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Fiscal evasion is mainly found within the underground economy, came to the specialists’ attention within the 1960s, moment in which it took a great extent. The main cause which leads to activities within the underground economy is represented by the increase of direct taxes, which has the largest influence, followed by the intensity of the regulations and the complexity of the fiscal system. The imposed taxes determine more and more countries to act within the underground economy, as long as there is not a proper offer of public goods and infrastructure. In his study, Vito Tanzi indicated as the main cause of the underground economy the level of taxes.(Tanzi,1983:11-15 He adds the instability of the legislative framework, legislative restrictions imposed within certain states, corruption and bureaucracy. Corruption and the activities specific to the underground economy are realities all the states confront with. Gathering information about the dimensions of corruption and the connection with the underground economy proves to be a task which is impossible to achieve, because all the people involved within these mechanisms prefer not to be identified. Even if the underground economy and corruption are considered as being twins, the questions which appear are: who needs them and who fights against them? Theoretically speaking, corruption and the underground economy can be complementary or substitutable.The anticorruption efforts have to focus on a real reform of the administrative system, whereas the citizen’s perception on corruption is mainly based on his personal experiences in direct connection with the state institutions. Both the public sector as well as the private sector should become more responsible, so that the public institutions to be able to carry out their obligations under integrity conditions and without external pressure or implication. Corruption attracts the economic agents to the underground economy, which leads

30 CFR 75.1312 - Explosives and detonators in underground magazines.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... magazines. 75.1312 Section 75.1312 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF... Blasting § 75.1312 Explosives and detonators in underground magazines. (a) The quantity of explosives kept..., explosives and detonators taken underground shall be kept in— (1) Separate, closed magazines at least 5 feet...

30 CFR 819.21 - Auger mining: Protection of underground mining.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Auger mining: Protection of underground mining. 819.21 Section 819.21 Mineral Resources OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING RECLAMATION AND ENFORCEMENT... STANDARDS-AUGER MINING § 819.21 Auger mining: Protection of underground mining. Auger holes shall not extend...

Underground economy modelling: simple models with complicated dynamics

OpenAIRE

Albu, Lucian-Liviu

2003-01-01

The paper aims to model the underground economy using two different models: one based on the labor supply method and a generalized model for the allocation of time. The model based on the labor supply method is conceived as a simulating one in order to determine some reasonable thresholds of the underground sector extension based only on the available macroeconomic statistical data. The generalized model for the allocation of time is a model based on direct approach which estimates the underg...

THE UNDERGROUND ECONOMY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE TRIAD ECONOMICS, SOCIOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Corneliu\tSorin\tBAICU

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Underground economy, in view of researchers, economists and jurists, is a theoretical complex construct, a phenomenon with profound social and economic reverberations. This study argues multidisciplinary integrative the sociological, psychological and socio-psychological approach of underground economy. The premises of this study are given by methodological individualism and rational choice theory through building in neoclassical version of Homo economicus able to interact in a multidisciplinary and multifaceted manner with the area of social sciences. For the nonce, we submit to analysis an integrative model of Homo Oeconimicus with Homo Sociologicus, aggregated with elements of social psychology. Synergistic effects of this integrative approach consist of the ability to give an answer as relevant on symptoms and forms of deviant behavior and thus to explain the development of underground economy. The finality of this paper, starting from the stated premises, resides in the explanation and analysis of deviant behavior in the framework of the morphology and causality of underground economy. Deviant behavior in the context of our analysis reveals the coherence perspective on the following issues: anatomy and etiology of underground economy (informal and underground activities, illegal labor, tax fraud, etc.; attitude towards rules, society and the state (tax mentality, tax morality, moral conscience; tax compliance or non-compliance (willingness to pay tax liabilities. This paper is intended to constitute a pleading for an interdependent approach, multi-causal and interdisciplinary of underground economy

Effect of via depth on the TSV filling process for different current densities

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Feng; Zhao, Zhipeng; Nie, Nantian; Wang, Fuliang; Zhu, Wenhui

2018-04-01

Through-silicon-via (TSV) filling with optimum electrodeposition parameters is still a challenge in the industry, especially for via with different depths. Herein, the effects of via depth on optimum current density and filling patterns were investigated. It was found that the deeper the via, the lower the optimum current density. At low current density (4 mA cm-2), the via depth only affects the size of the defect, but does not change the filling pattern. However, at medium current density (7 mA cm-2), the filling pattern changes from super-conformal filling to sub-conformal filling with the increase of via depth, the pinch-off position remaining constant at a depth of about 70 µm from the top surface. Simulations of the TSV filling process using COMSOL modeling software revealed that the local concentration of additives, which is affected by the via depth, determine the morphology of the electrodeposition, matching well the experimental results.

Hydrogeochemical investigations at the ANDRA Meuse/Haute-Marne underground research laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vinsot, A.; Delay, J.; Rebours, H.

2006-01-01

In November 1999 Andra began building an Underground Research Laboratory (URL) in eastern France. The geological formation selected for this laboratory is a 130-meter thick argillaceous rock level. This clay rich layer is located at a 400 to 600 meter depth. To characterize the confining properties of the clay, pore water composition had to be studied. For this purpose an innovative device was designed for gas equilibration and direct sampling of the pore water. The experimental device consists of a vertical ascending borehole with a 5 meter long test interval at its far end in which a gas circulation is established. After a few weeks, due to the hydraulic gradient between the test interval and the rock formation, the water flows freely at a rate of 0.5 to 1.3 litters per month in the borehole and it is sampled. The chemical composition of this water is compared with a theoretical composition deduced from core analyses and thermodynamic modelling. (author)

Geological and Rock Mechanics Perspectives for Underground Coal Gasification in India

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Ajay K.; Singh, Rajendra

2017-07-01

The geological resources of coal in India are more than 308 billion tonnes upto a depth of 1200 m, out of which proved reserve has been reported at around 130 billion tonnes. There is an increasing requirement to increase the energy extraction efficiency from coal as the developmental prospects of India increase. Underground coal gasification (UCG) is a potential mechanism which may be utilized for extraction of deep-seated coal reserves. Some previous studies suggest that lignites from Gujarat and Rajasthan, along with tertiary coals from northeastern India can be useful from the point of view of UCG. We discuss some geological literature available for these areas. Coming to the rock mechanics perspectives, during UCG the rock temperature is considerable high. At this temperature, most empirical models of rock mechanics may not be applied. In this situation, the challenges for numerical modelling of UCG sites increases manifold. We discuss some of the important modelling geomechanical issues related to UCG in India.

Simulation of Seismic Waves from Underground Explosions in Geologic Media: FY2009 Progress Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodgers, A; Vorobiev, O; Sjogreen, B; Petersson, N A

2009-11-09

This report summarizes work done after one year on project LL09-Sim-NDD-02 entitled 'Exploratory Research: Advanced Simulation of Low Yield Underground Nuclear Explosions To Improve Seismic Yield Estimation and Source Identification'. Work on this effort proceeded in two thrusts: (1) parametric studies of underground explosion generated motions with GEODYN; and (2) coupling of GEODYN to WPP. GEODYN is a code for modeling hydrodynamic (shock-wave) motions in a wide variety of materials, including earth materials. WPP is an anelastic finite difference code for modeling seismic motions. The sensitivity of seismic motions to emplacement conditions was investigated with a series of parametric studies of low-yield (0.2-4 kiloton) chemical high-explosive shots at a range of burial depths in four canonical geologic media (granite, limestone, tuff and alluvium). Results indicate that the material has a strong impact on the seismic motions consistent with previous reports. Motions computed with GEODYN in realistically complex material models are very consistent with reported motions from nuclear tests by Perret and Bass (1975). The amplitude, frequency content and cavity size resulting from explosions are all strongly sensitive to the material strength. Explosions in high-strength (granite) resulted in the highest amplitude, shortest duration pulse and smallest cavities, whereas explosions in low-strength material (alluvium) resulted in the lowest amplitudes, longest duration pulse and larger cavities. The corner frequencies of P-wave motions at take-off angles corresponding to propagation to teleseismic distances show corresponding behavior, with high-strength materials having the highest corner frequency and low-strength materials having low corner frequency. Gravity has an important effect on the cavity size and outgoing motions due work done against lithostatic stress. In fact without gravity the cavity radius and elastic motions are largely insensitive to

Simulation studies of muon-produced background events deep underground and consequences for double beta decay experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Massarczyk, Ralph; Majorana Collaboration

2015-10-01

Cosmic radiation creates a significant background for low count rate experiments. The Majorana demonstrator experiment is located at the Sanford Underground Research Facility at a depth of 4850ft below the surface but it can still be penetrated by cosmic muons with initial energies above the TeV range. The interaction of muons with the rock, the shielding material in the lab and the detector itself can produce showers of secondary particles, like fast neutrons, which are able to travel through shielding material and can produce high-energy γ-rays via capture or inelastic scattering. The energy deposition of these γ rays in the detector can overlap with energy region of interest for the neutrino-less double beta decay. Recent studies for cosmic muons penetrating the Majorana demonstrator are made with the Geant4 code. The results of these simulations will be presented in this talk and an overview of the interaction of the shower particles with the detector, shielding and veto system will be given. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics, the Particle Astrophysics Program of the National Science Foundation, and the Sanford Underground Research Facility. Supported by U.S. Department of Energy through the LANL/LDRD Program.

Simulation techniques of medium or small sized coal mining; Sistema de simulacion de labores de minas subterraneas de carbon de tamano mediano o pequeno

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-12-01

Usually an underground mining company designs new production systems in order to reach higher productivity levels, but there is always some uncertainty about reaching the planned figures. This research project, so called Project SimCAR, applies to medium or small sized coal mining companies and tries to become a powerful tool in helping technical staff to answer questions about how future systems will behave. The project`s paradigm is to use computer simulation techniques in order to diminish the implicit uncertainty associated to coal mining activities. As a result, this implies to obtain the best possible scenarios for real economic investments in mine planning. The final programs we have built help technical staff to: 1. Study existing systems in depth. The precision of the resulting model exclusively depends on the correctness of input data and a perfect understanding of the system`s logic processes. 2. Perform several changes on the input system variables over the simulated models in order to allow the technical staff to know the system will react under several conditions. 3. Introduce new strategies on the model construction in order to get a complete optimization under productive and economic viewpoints. (Author)

WASTAGE OF UNDERGROUND WATER - STEPS TOWARDS A TRAP?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shibabrata Pattanayak

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Underground water is used indiscriminately for the purposes like agriculture, serving purposes of urban people, cold drink and mineral water manufacturing etc. As a matter of policy, the rural areas are supplied with underground water in India without considering the factors like actual requirement of water in a particular area, season of scarcity of water etc. It is very common to see the ever open taps of water supplying lines in rural India thronging water continuously and nobody is there to use it. The discharge rate of underground water is far more than the charging rate. This may lead to a very serious condition of water scarcity in near future. Various steps like holding of rain water in the water bodies, selection of crop with requirement of lesser amount of water during the dry months as well as use of Forward Osmosis (FO technology for Cold drinks or Bottled Drinking Water manufacturing from the sea water are advocated.

Welcome to USA 15, the first large underground hall for the LHC

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

The first of the four huge underground halls for LHC is ready. USA 15 will be the service hall for ATLAS. It has taken three years to finish the first underground hall for LHC. It is 62 metres long and 20 metres diameter. USA 15 could be called the 'new world' for LHC construction. Although the acronym has nothing to do with the United States. In the terminology of the underground construction for the future accelerator, USA stands for Underground Service ATLAS. This is the first of the four big underground halls for LHC to be finished. Wednesday 8 August, it was officially handed over to the ST division by the collaboration of contractors and consultants who carried out the work. These are CCC (CERN civil contractors) composed of the companies Porr-Asdag (Austria), Baresel (Germany) and Zschokke-Locher (Switzerland) and the consultant EDF-KP composed of EDF (France) and Knight and Piésold (United Kingdom). For three years these firms excavated and concreted the undergro...

Solubility studies of Np(V) in simulated underground water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yingjie; Ren Lilong; Jiao Haiyang; Yao Jun; Su Xiguang; Fan Xianhua

2004-01-01

The solubility of Np(V) in simulated underground water has been measured with the variation of pH, storage time (0-100 days). All experiments were performed in an Ar glove box which contained high purity Ar, with an oxygen content of less than 5ppm. Experimental results show that the solubility of Np(V) in simulated underground water decreased with increasing pH value of solution; the solubility of Np(V) in simulated underground water determined at different pH is : pH=6.96, [Np(V)]=(3.52±0.37) x 10 -4 mol/L; pH=8.04, [Np(V)]=(8.24±0.32) x 10 -5 mol/L; pH=9.01, [Np(V)]=(3.04±0.48) x 10'- 5 mol/L, respectively. (author)

Epidemiologic studies of underground miners: New information from an old source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samet, J.

1997-01-01

Over 100 years have passed since Harting and Hesse first described an unusual pattern of thoracic malignancy in the underground metal miners of Schneeberg. It is now known that these miners had primary cancer of the lung, caused by exposure to radon progeny released into the air of the mines from the ore. The early case series of Harting and Hesse, based on the Schneeberg miners, and of Pirchan and Sikl, based on the Joachamisthal mines, have been followed by epidemiologic studies of more formal design of uranium and other underground miners exposed to radon throughout the world. These studies have confirmed the causal association of radon and its progeny with lung cancer and provided quantification of the risk of lung cancer in relation to exposure to radon progeny. These studies have also provided insights concerning the effect of radon progeny on smokers and on nonsmokers. The findings of the epidemiologic studies have provided a clear imperative for reducing exposures of miners to radon progeny. Consequently, exposures of underground uranium miners to radon progeny have been lowered substantially over the last 50 years in countries reporting exposures of underground miners. The epidemiologic studies have also documented the substantial burden of radon-caused lung cancers among miners of uranium and other ores. While the causal link of radon with lung cancer in underground miners is now established and unquestioned, the risk of radon in indoor air remains a highly controversial issue. During the last few decades, there has been increasing recognition that radon is ubiquitous in indoor environments, in some instances at concentrations as high as measured in underground mines. As a foundation for risk management, the epidemiologic evidence from underground miners has been the primary basis for estimating the risk of indoor radon

Blast damage predictions from vibration measurements at the SKB underground laboratories at Aespoe in Sweden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ouchterlony, F.; Sjoeberg, C.; Jonsson, B.A.

1993-01-01

This contribution reports an investigation of the blasting damage in the contour of an access ramp to a Swedish underground laboratory for nuclear waste related studies. Near zone vibration measurements were made for 7 rounds and the results converted to a site specific scaling law. A simple engineering correction for the influence of the charge length was developed and the resulting equations used to predict the damage zone depths of three different drilling and charging patterns. These predictions were then compared with actual blast damage measurements. The agreement with geophysical borehole logging results is remarkably good. This gives good support to the engineering method in which a critical vibration velocity is used to predict the zones of blast damage around bore holes

Impact of climate change on the stability of underground cavities. Status of knowledge. Investigation report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Didier, C.; Al Heib, M.; Gombert, P.; Charmoille, A.; Watelet, Jean-Marc

2010-01-01

After having described the impact of global warming on climate parameters (possible climate evolution, impact on temperatures and precipitations in France) and presented underground cavities in France (nature and localisation, expected instability), this report discusses the impact of climate change on underground waters: impact on water cycle, on underground water level variation, and on the power of dissolution by underground waters. Then, it more particularly addresses the impact of water on underground cavity stability: impact of water on the behaviour of underground works, examples (iron mines, water sheet rising, quarry collapsing, and so on, in France, Belgium and USA), development of natural cavities. It finally outlines the perspectives, knowledge gaps, and required researches

Underground Storage Tanks - Storage Tank Locations

Data.gov (United States)

NSGIC Education | GIS Inventory — A Storage Tank Location is a DEP primary facility type, and its sole sub-facility is the storage tank itself. Storage tanks are aboveground or underground, and are...

Measurement of cosmic ray flux in the China Jinping underground laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Yucheng; Hao Xiqing; Yue Qian

2013-01-01

The China JinPing underground Laboratory (CJPL) is the deepest underground laboratory running in the world at present. In such a deep underground laboratory, the cosmic ray flux is a very important and necessary parameter for rare-event experiments. A plastic scintillator telescope system has been set up to measure the cosmic ray flux. The performance of the telescope system has been studied using the cosmic rays on the ground laboratory near the CJPL. Based on the underground experimental data taken from November 2010 to December 2011 in the CJPL, which has an effective live time of 171 days, the cosmic ray muon flux in the CJPL is measured to be (2.0±0.4)×10 -10 /(cm 2 ·s). The ultra-low cosmic ray background guarantees an ideal environment for dark matter experiments at the CJPL. (authors)

Underground gas storage in the World - Cedigaz survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benquey, R.

2010-01-01

The 2010 edition of 'Underground Gas Storage in the World' provides an update to the previous survey released by CEDIGAZ in 2006. At that time, 610 underground gas storage (UGS) facilities were in operation worldwide, with a working capacity of 319 billion cubic metres (bcm). As of 1 January 2010, this number had reached 642 facilities with a working gas capacity of 333 bcm, or 10.8% of world gas consumption. By 2020, the global UGS demand is expected to grow at a pace of 3.3% per year, and according to the projects identified, more than 760 UGS sites could be active in the world with a total working capacity of approximately 465 bcm. In this survey, CEDIGAZ analyses the following trends which characterise the rapid development of underground gas storage in the world: - the strong dynamics of the European storage market, where 127 projects could add 75 bcm of working capacity by 2020, - the continued development of the UGS market in the United States (49 projects), encouraged by market-based rates allowed by the FERC, and rapid permitting processes, - the development of facilities in countries with little or no storage capacities at present, in Asia/Oceania, the C.I.S., and Eastern Europe in particular. This survey provides an analysis of the recent evolutions in the technic-economic aspects of the underground gas storage business, as well as an overview of the UGS markets and their developments in the world, country by country. A specific section is dedicated to the analysis of future UGS needs in Europe by 2020: - Technic-economic aspects of UGS: This part of the survey analyses the latest technical improvements and research axes in the field of underground gas storage. As it is more difficult to build greenfield storage facilities, a lot of work has been done to improve the performance and flexibility of existing storage sites. This section also deals with the evolution of investment and operational costs in storage over the last few years. Furthermore, the

Study of underground radon transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Csige, I.; Hakl, J.; Lenart, L.

1990-01-01

The soil gas radon content measurements with solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs) are widely used in geoscience, for instance in uranium exploration and earthquake prediction. In these applications the radon frequently is used as a natural tracer of underground fluid transport processes. Obviously, to get the soil radon measuring method more and more effective the study of these transport processes in deeper part of the Earth is fundamental. The Track Detector Group in the Institute of Nuclear Research of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Debrecen has been performing environmental radon activity concentration measurements since 1977 with alpha sensitive SSNTDs. These types of measurements were initiated and widely used by the late head of the group Dr. G. Somogyi, who devoted his life to better understanding of the nature. The measurements in caves, springs and drilled wells proved to be effective to study these underground radon transport processes. We are glad to present some results of our investigations. 7 refs, 7 figs

Radon in an underground excavation site in Helsinki

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venelampi, E.

2004-01-01

The paper reports on radon measurements and actions taken in a large underground excavation site in Helsinki, where a coal store was excavated underneath an existing power plant. The measurements were carried out by taking grab samples using Lucas type scintillation cells. Large variations in radon concentrations were observed during the three-year study. The reasons for variations are discussed and recommendations are given for radon monitoring procedures in underground excavation sites. The importance of ventilation to reduce the radon level is stressed. (P.A.)

Giant Magnet goes underground at CERN

CERN Document Server

2007-01-01

"At 5:00 am GMT, 28th February 2007, the heaviest piece of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) particle detector began a momentous journey into its experimental cavern, 100 metres underground at CERN, Geneva

77 FR 4834 - Proposed Extension of Existing Information Collection; Refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-31

... Extension of Existing Information Collection; Refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines AGENCY: Mine... Underground Coal Mines DATES: Submit comments on or before April 2, 2012. ADDRESSES: Comments must be.... Title: Refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines. OMB Number: 1219-0146. Affected Public: Business...

76 FR 70075 - Proximity Detection Systems for Continuous Mining Machines in Underground Coal Mines

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-10

... Detection Systems for Continuous Mining Machines in Underground Coal Mines AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health... proposed rule addressing Proximity Detection Systems for Continuous Mining Machines in Underground Coal... Detection Systems for Continuous Mining Machines in Underground Coal Mines. MSHA conducted hearings on...

Leak detection for underground storage tanks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durgin, P.B.; Young, T.M.

1993-01-01

This symposium was held in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 29, 1992. The purpose of this conference was to provide a forum for exchange of state-of-the-art information on leak detection for underground storage tanks that leaked fuel. A widespread concern was protection of groundwater supplies from these leaking tanks. In some cases, the papers report on research that was conducted two or three years ago but has never been adequately directed to the underground storage tank leak-detection audience. In other cases, the papers report on the latest leak-detection research. The symposium was divided into four sessions that were entitled: Internal Monitoring; External Monitoring; Regulations and Standards; and Site and Risk Evaluation. Individual papers have been cataloged separately for inclusion in the appropriate data bases

Uranium extraction from underground deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolfe, C.R.

1982-01-01

Uranium is extracted from underground deposits by passing an aqueous oxidizing solution of carbon dioxide over the ore in the presence of calcium ions. Complex uranium carbonate or bicarbonate ions are formed which enter the solution. The solution is forced to the surface and the uranium removed from it

Slavery and the Underground Railroad.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Nancy Comfort

2000-01-01

Presents a bibliography of sources to help children understand slavery and the Underground Railroad and recommends a combination of fiction and nonfiction for a better understanding. Includes picture books, biographies of people who played prominent roles during the time of slavery, nonfiction books for older readers, and videotape. (LRW)

Evaluation of the radionuclide tracer test conducted at the project Gnome Underground Nuclear Test Site, New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pohll, G.; Pohlmann, K.

1996-08-01

A radionuclide tracer test was conducted in 1963 by the U.S. Geological Survey at the Project Gnome underground nuclear test site, approximately 40 km southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico. The tracer study was carried out under the auspices of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) to study the transport behavior of radionuclides in fractured rock aquifers. The Culebra Dolomite was chosen for the test because it was considered to be a reasonable analogue of the fractured carbonate aquifer at the Nevada Test Site (NTS), the principal location of U.S. underground nuclear tests. Project Gnome was one of a small number of underground nuclear tests conducted by the AEC at sites distant from the NTS. The Gnome device was detonated on December 10, 1961 in an evaporate unit at a depth of 360 m below ground surface. Recently, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) implemented an environmental restoration program to characterize, remediate, and close these offsite nuclear test areas. An early step in this process is performance of a preliminary risk analysis of the hazard posed by each site. The Desert Research Institute has performed preliminary hydrologic risk evaluations for the groundwater transport pathway at Gnome. That evaluation included the radioactive tracer test as a possible source because the test introduced radionuclides directly into the Culebra Dolomite, which is the only aquifer at the site. This report presents a preliminary evaluation of the radionuclide tracer test as a source for radionuclide migration in the Culebra Dolomite. The results of this study will assist in planning site characterization activities and refining estimates of the radionuclide source for comprehensive models of groundwater transport st the Gnome site

Fault location in underground cables using ANFIS nets and discrete wavelet transform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shimaa Barakat

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an accurate algorithm for locating faults in a medium voltage underground power cable using a combination of Adaptive Network-Based Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS and discrete wavelet transform (DWT. The proposed method uses five ANFIS networks and consists of 2 stages, including fault type classification and exact fault location. In the first part, an ANFIS is used to determine the fault type, applying four inputs, i.e., the maximum detailed energy of three phase and zero sequence currents. Other four ANFIS networks are utilized to pinpoint the faults (one for each fault type. Four inputs, i.e., the maximum detailed energy of three phase and zero sequence currents, are used to train the neuro-fuzzy inference systems in order to accurately locate the faults on the cable. The proposed method is evaluated under different fault conditions such as different fault locations, different fault inception angles and different fault resistances.

Construction of high-rise building with underground parking in Moscow

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilyichev Vyacheslav

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Paper presents results of scientific support to construction of unique residential building 108 m high with one storey underground part under high-rise section and 3-storey underground parking connected by underground passage. On-site soils included anthropogenic soil, clayey soils soft-stiff, saturated sands of varied grain coarseness. Design of retaining structure and support system for high-rise part excavation was developed. It suggested installation of steel pipes and struts. Construction of adjacent 3-storey underground parking by “Moscow method” is described in the paper. This method involves implementation of retaining wall consisted of prefabricated panels, truss structures (used as struts and reinforced concrete slabs. Also design and construction technology is provided for foundations consisted of bored piles 800 MM in diameter joined by slab with base widening diameter of 1500 MM. Experiment results of static and dynamic load testing (ELDY method are considered. Geotechnical monitoring data of adjacent building and utility systems settlement caused by construction of presented high-rise building were compared to numerical modelling results, predicted and permissible values.

Construction of high-rise building with underground parking in Moscow

Science.gov (United States)

Ilyichev, Vyacheslav; Nikiforova, Nadezhda; Konnov, Artem

2018-03-01

Paper presents results of scientific support to construction of unique residential building 108 m high with one storey underground part under high-rise section and 3-storey underground parking connected by underground passage. On-site soils included anthropogenic soil, clayey soils soft-stiff, saturated sands of varied grain coarseness. Design of retaining structure and support system for high-rise part excavation was developed. It suggested installation of steel pipes and struts. Construction of adjacent 3-storey underground parking by "Moscow method" is described in the paper. This method involves implementation of retaining wall consisted of prefabricated panels, truss structures (used as struts) and reinforced concrete slabs. Also design and construction technology is provided for foundations consisted of bored piles 800 MM in diameter joined by slab with base widening diameter of 1500 MM. Experiment results of static and dynamic load testing (ELDY method) are considered. Geotechnical monitoring data of adjacent building and utility systems settlement caused by construction of presented high-rise building were compared to numerical modelling results, predicted and permissible values.

Underground test area subproject waste management plan. Revision No. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-08-01

The Nevada Test Site (NTS), located in southern Nevada, was the site of 928 underground nuclear tests conducted between 1951 and 1992. The tests were performed as part of the Atomic Energy Commission and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear weapons testing program. The NTS is managed by the DOE Nevada Operations Office (DOE/NV). Of the 928 tests conducted below ground surface at the NTS, approximately 200 were detonated below the water table. As an unavoidable consequence of these testing activities, radionuclides have been introduced into the subsurface environment, impacting groundwater. In the few instances of groundwater sampling, radionuclides have been detected in the groundwater; however, only a very limited investigation of the underground test sites and associated shot cavities has been conducted to date. The Underground Test Area (UGTA) Subproject was established to fill this void and to characterize the risk posed to human health and the environment as a result of underground nuclear testing activities at the NTS. One of its primary objectives is to gather data to characterize the deep aquifer underlying the NTS

Development of excavation technologies at the Canadian underground research laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuzyk, Gregory W.; Martino, Jason B.

2008-01-01

Several countries, Canada being among them, are developing concepts for disposal of used fuel from power generating nuclear reactors. As in underground mining operations, the disposal facilities will require excavation of many kilometres of shafts and tunnels through the host rock mass. The need to maintain the stability of excavations and safety of workers will be of paramount importance. Also, excavations required for many radioactive waste repositories will ultimately need to be backfilled and sealed to maintain stability and minimize any potential for migration of radionuclides, should they escape their disposal containers. The method used to excavate the tunnels and shafts, and the rock damage that occurs due to excavation, will greatly affect the performance characteristics of repository sealing systems. The underground rock mechanics and geotechnical engineering work performed at the Canadian Underground Research Laboratory (URL) has led to the development of excavation technologies that reduce rock damage in subsurface excavations. This paper discusses the excavation methods used to construct the URL and their application in planning for the construction of similar underground laboratories and repositories for radioactive wastes. (author)

GPS-deprived localisation for underground mines

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Hlophe, K

2010-08-31

Full Text Available robots. Opencast mines utilise the global positioning system (GPS) to obtain location information. The unavailability of this technology in underground mining has actuated numerous researchers to investigate possible alternatives. These attempts exploit...

Preliminary simulation of degassing of natural gases dissolved in groundwater during shaft excavation in Horonobe underground research project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamamoto, Hajime; Shimo, Michito; Kunimaru, Takanori; Kurikami, Hiroshi

2007-01-01

In Neogene-Quaternary sedimentary basins, natural gases such as methane are often dissolved in groundwater significantly. In this paper, two-phase flow simulations incorporating the degassing of methane, and carbon dioxide, were performed for the shaft excavation in Horonobe underground research project. The results drawn from the simulations are summarized as follows. 1) As depth increases, degassing and gas inflow occurs significantly. 2) Degassing increases the compressibility of pore fluids, resulting in slow changes in groundwater pressures. 3) Although the occurrence of gas phase decreases water mobility, the influence of the dissolved gas on the groundwater inflow rate to the shaft was small. (author)

Performance of underground coal mines during the 1976 Tangshan earthquake

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, C.F.

1987-01-01

The Tangshan earthquake of 1976 costs 242 000 lives and was responsible for 164 000 serious injuries and structural damage of immense proportion. The area has eight coal mines, which together form the largest underground coal mining operation in China. Approximately 10 000 miners were working underground at the time of the earthquake. With few exceptions they survived and returned safely to the surface, only to find their families and belongings largely destroyed. Based on a comprehensive survey of the miners' observations, subsurface intensity profiles were drawn up. The profiles clearly indicated that seismic damage in the underground mines was far less severe than at the surface. 16 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.

Difficulties with interpretation of underground muons from Cygnus X-3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berezinskij, V.S.; Ioffe, B.L.

1986-01-01

A possibility are analysed to explain the underground muon flux detected from Cygnus X-3, using new particles (cygnets). The following constraints on the cygnet properties are obtained: on the life-time τ>1.3x10 6 (Γ/10 6 )s where Γ is the cygnet Lorentz factor, on the mass, m 7 e and on the mean scattering angle (due to an arbitrary process) on the way from Cygnus X-3 to the Sun Θ -3 grad. It is shown that the NUSEX data (the angular spread of muons within 10 0 x10 0 box of observation and the dependence of the Cygnus X-3 exposition time on the depth of the matter along the observation line) contradict muon generation in the atmosphere and require muon generation in the ground. These data determine narrow boundaries for the cygnet-nucleon interaction cross section 2μb 10(E c /1TeV) 1.1 μb where E c is the energy of cygnets responsible for the muon flux observed by NUSEX

Conceptual design for relocation of the underground monitoring systems to ground surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toya, Naruhisa; Ogawa, Ken; Iwatsuki, Teruki; Ohnuki, Kenji

2015-09-01

One of the major subjects of the ongoing geoscientific research program, the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory (MIU) Project in the Tono area, central Japan, is accumulation of knowledge on a recovery of the geological environment during and after the facility closure. Then it is necessary to plan the observation system which can be use of after the backfill of research tunnels. The main purpose of this report is contribution to the detailed design for relocation of the underground monitoring systems to ground surface. We discussed the restriction and requirement for the underground monitoring systems which can be use of after the backfill. Furthermore, we made the conceptual design for relocation of the current underground monitoring systems to ground surface. (author)

Experimental test of depth dependence of solutions for time-resolved diffusion equation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laidevant, A.; Da Silva, A.; Moy, J.P.; Berger, M.; Dinten, J.M

2004-07-01

The determination of optical properties of a semi-infinite medium such as biological tissue has been widely investigated by many authors. Reflectance formulas can be derived from the diffusion equation for different boundary conditions at the medium-air interface. This quantity can be measured at the medium surface. For realistic objects, such as a mouse, tissue optical properties can realistically only be determined at the object surface. However, near the surface diffusion approximation is weak and boundary models have to be considered. In order to investigate the validity of the time resolved reflectance approach at the object boundary, we have estimated optical properties of a liquid semi-infinite medium by this method for different boundary conditions and different fiber's position beneath the surface. The time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) technique is used to measure the reflectance curve. Our liquid phantoms are made of water, Intra-lipid and Ink. Laser light is delivered by a pulsed laser diode. Measurements are then fitted to theoretical solutions expressed as a function of source and detector's depth and distance. By taking as reference the optical properties obtained from the infinite model for fibers deeply immersed, influence of the different boundary conditions and bias induced are established for different fibers' depth and a variety of solutions. This influence is analysed by comparing evolution of the reflectance models, as well as estimations of absorption and scattering coefficients. According to this study we propose a strategy for determining optical properties of a solid phantom where measurements can only be realized at the surface. (authors)

Underground dams for irrigation supplies in coastal limestone aquifer, Okinawa, Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Yasumoto, J.; Nakano, T.; Nawa, N.

2011-12-01

The use of underground dams to store water in regions with arid or tropical climates is a method that has received considerable attention in the last few decades. And now, for the tropical and subtropical islands that are highly vulnerable to climate change underground dams have been attracting attention again as a method of groundwater management. Okinawa Prefecture is Japan's southernmost prefecture, which consists of hundreds of islands in a chain over 1,000 km long, called the Ryukyu Islands which extend southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan. The national irrigation project of the Ryukyu Islands has been carried out, and several underground dams have been constructed. The Komesu and Giiza underground dams are first full scale underground dam facilities constructed for irrigation in Japan. The Komesu underground dam is a salt-water proof type. It prevents salt-water intrusion and provides storage fresh-water for irrigation in coastal limestone aquifer. Giiza underground dam is a dam up type for storage of fresh-water. These groundwater reservoirs are located in the coastal region of southern part of Okinawa (main island), where Ryukyu limestone is extensively distributed. We studied the behaviour of groundwater flow, saltwater intrusion and nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) in groundwater in this region by using observation data of groundwater and springs through long term (from 1993 to 2010) monitoring. And, a groundwater flow and salt-water intrusion analysis have been conducted with three dimensional numerical model applied to these dam reservoir areas. The MODFLOW-NWT with SWI code and PEST was used to simulate the complex groundwater flow patterns. Through the comparison with simulation and observed data, it was concluded that the cut off wall of underground dams effectively stores the groundwater and prevents the salt-water intrusion in the reservoir areas. The observed groundwater levels at the reservoir areas were almost reproduced by the numerical model, but there

Extreme depth-of-field intraocular lenses

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Kenneth M.

1996-05-01

A new technology brings the full aperture single vision pseudophakic eye's effective hyperfocal distance within the half-meter range. A modulated index IOL containing a subsurface zeroth order coherent microlenticular mosaic defined by an index gradient adds a normalizing function to the vergences or parallactic angles of incoming light rays subtended from field object points and redirects them, in the case of near-field images, to that of far-field images. Along with a scalar reduction of the IOL's linear focal range, this results in an extreme depth of field with a narrow depth of focus and avoids the focal split-up, halo, and inherent reduction in contrast of multifocal IOLs. A high microlenticular spatial frequency, which, while still retaining an anisotropic medium, results in a nearly total zeroth order propagation throughout the visible spectrum. The curved lens surfaces still provide most of the refractive power of the IOL, and the unique holographic fabrication technology is especially suitable not only for IOLs but also for contact lenses, artificial corneas, and miniature lens elements for cameras and other optical devices.

Drawing from past experience to improve the management of future underground projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laughton, Christopher; Fermilab

2004-01-01

The high-energy physics community is currently developing plans to build underground facilities as part of its continuing investigation into the fundamental nature of matter. The tunnels and caverns are being designed to house a new generation of particle accelerators and detectors. For these projects, the cost of constructing the underground facility will constitute a major portion of the told capital cost and project viability can be greatly enhanced by paying careful attention to design and construction practices. A review of recently completed underground physics facilities and related literature has been undertaken to identify some management principles that have proven successful in underground practice. Projects reviewed were constructed in the United States of America and Europe using both Design-Build and more traditional Engineer-Procure-Construct contract formats. Although the physics projects reviewed tend to place relatively strict tolerances on alignment, stability and dryness, their overall requirements are similar to those of other tunnels and it is hoped that some of the principles promoted in this paper will be of value to the owner of any underground project

Virtual Reality in Presentation of the Underground Mine Technological Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kodym Oldøich

2003-09-01

Full Text Available Virtual Reality in Presentation of the Underground Mine Technological Process focuses on methods of presentation of an underground mine technologies in intranet technology. It shows usage of platform independent VRML client for presentation of static and dynamic information about technological process. Bi-directional interactions between client and process information database are solved.Based on analysis of technological process of underground mine a database structure was designed. It is skeleton for storing all information about any underground mine. This skeleton can be modified in any direction. Data in this "static model" of underground mine can be applied for visualization in VRML environment. In this way it is possible to simplify and unify a user's front-end for all kinds of tasks.All designed scenes can be interactively displayed in full view or in any detail view, so that a user is able to recognize every important part of installed equipment, its stage, technical parameters and other information. If manufacturers of mining equipment will supply VRML model of their real products everybody would be able to place it into VRML scene and learn everything about it.This work explores and tries to enlighten some of the areas and available approaches compliant with VRML 97 specification of modifying static scene by its browser. Concepts of animation pipeline, inside and outside scripting in scene displayed and authoring of VRML targeted geometry are discussed including database connectivity.

Displacement Parameter Inversion for a Novel Electromagnetic Underground Displacement Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nanying Shentu

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Underground displacement monitoring is an effective method to explore deep into rock and soil masses for execution of subsurface displacement measurements. It is not only an important means of geological hazards prediction and forecasting, but also a forefront, hot and sophisticated subject in current geological disaster monitoring. In previous research, the authors had designed a novel electromagnetic underground horizontal displacement sensor (called the H-type sensor by combining basic electromagnetic induction principles with modern sensing techniques and established a mutual voltage measurement theoretical model called the Equation-based Equivalent Loop Approach (EELA. Based on that work, this paper presents an underground displacement inversion approach named “EELA forward modeling-approximate inversion method”. Combining the EELA forward simulation approach with the approximate optimization inversion theory, it can deduce the underground horizontal displacement through parameter inversion of the H-type sensor. Comprehensive and comparative studies have been conducted between the experimentally measured and theoretically inversed values of horizontal displacement under counterpart conditions. The results show when the measured horizontal displacements are in the 0–100 mm range, the horizontal displacement inversion discrepancy is generally tested to be less than 3 mm under varied tilt angles and initial axial distances conditions, which indicates that our proposed parameter inversion method can predict underground horizontal displacement measurements effectively and robustly for the H-type sensor and the technique is applicable for practical geo-engineering applications.

THE GENERATING AND COMPLEMENTARY EFFECTS OF THE UNDERGROUND ECONOMY PHENOMENON

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Corneliu Sorin BAICU

2016-12-01

Full Text Available For a comprehensive understanding of the informal sector, an analysis addressing the relationships and links between the morphology and etiology of the underground economy, on the one hand, and its effects on the economic, social or legal, on the other hand is required. The double identity, that of cause phenomenon and effect phenomenon, that the underground economy has, gives it a special status in explaining certain phenomena which vitiates the economic and social life. The generating and complementary effects of the underground area covered in this study are analyzed in terms of the following vectors of analysis: tax evasion, illegal work and money laundering. Tax evasion represents the central core of the underground economy and faithfully expresses the fiscal monetary policies ,the fiscal mortality and the degree of compliance of the taxpayer. Undeclared work is an indicator of the labor market in the informal economy and is a good barometer for analyzing the demand and supply of labor in the visible economy. Money laundering defines the level of economic and financial crime and reflects the level of illegal use of capital on the black market. Tax evasion, money laundering and illegal work can only develop on a framework provided by illicit markets for goods, services and labor. Beyond the, unidirectional or bidirectional relationships between phenomena, the paper consists in a plea for an interdependent, multi-causal analysis of the phenomena and operating mechanisms of the relationships within and outside the underground economy.

A New Application of Photogrammetry in the Underground Pipe Network Survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Li

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This paper mainly introduces a device that can be used for underground pipeline survey task. Through the cameras installed on the device, we can obtain stereo synchronous shooting images, and then use the method of close range photogrammetry to investigate and measure underground objects. During working process, the staff put the camera into the well and to control camera shooting from the ground. Greatly improve work efficiency, at the same time to avoid the underground toxis gas damage to people. The main content of this paper includes three parts: hardware design, software development and test production.

A Comparative Study of Ground and Underground Vibrations Induced by Bench Blasting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiuzhi Shi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Ground vibrations originating from bench blasting may cause damage to slopes, structures, and underground workings in close proximity to an operating open-pit mine. It is important to monitor and predict ground vibration levels induced by blasting and to take measures to reduce their hazardous effects. The aims of this paper are to determine the weaker protection objects by comparatively studying bench blasting induced vibrations obtained at surface and in an underground tunnel in an open-pit mine and thus to seek vibration control methods to protect engineering objects at the site. Vibrations arising from measurement devices at surface and in an underground tunnel at the Zijinshan Open-Pit Mine were obtained. Comparative analysis of the peak particle velocities shows that, in the greatest majority of cases, surface values are higher than underground values for the same vibration distance. The transmission laws of surface and underground vibrations were established depending on the type of rock mass, the explosive charge, and the distance. Compared with the Chinese Safety Regulations for Blasting (GB6722-2014, the bench blasting induced vibrations would not currently cause damage to the underground tunnel. According to the maximum allowable peak particle velocities for different objects, the permitted maximum charges per delay are obtained to reduce damage to these objects at different distances.

Studies on muon showers underground

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bergamasco, L; Castagnoli, C; Dardo, M; D' Ettorre Piazzoli, B; Mannocchi, G [Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Turin (Italy). Lab. di Cosmo-Geofisica; Picchi, P; Visentin, R [Comitato Nazionale per l' Energia Nucleare, Frascati (Italy). Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati; Sitte, K [Freiburg Univ. (Germany, F.R.). Fakultaet fuer Physik

1976-08-21

The 4 m/sup 2/ spark chamber telescope array of the Mt. Cappuccini Laboratory, Torino, At 40 m w.e. underground was operated for about 830 h recording muon showers. The data were analysed with respect to the multiplicity distribution of the shower particles, and to local interactions initiated in the chamber absorbers. Regarding the multiplicity analysis a semi-empirical expression for the likely shower size dependence of a structure function of the analytical form proposed by Vernov et al., was derived and applied with systematically varied parameters. The comparison of the observed rates of multiples with those calculated with a variety of parameters showed that a satisfactory agreement can be attained only if one admits a variation with the shower size of the parameters, and an enhanced muon/electron ratio at the lower primary energies, possibly indicative of an increased abundance of primary heavy nuclei. This would conform with the idea of a two-component primary composition in which a pulsar-produced fraction, enriched in heavy nuclei, dominated only at medium energies. The records on multiplicative interactions, and on large-angle scattering, were analysed by comparing their rates observed for shower particles with those found in single-muon check runs. The results are consistent with the assumption that all shower particle interactions are electromagnetic in nature, and that nonconventional components like mandelas are absent. Only making extreme allowances for statistical fluctuations the data can be made compatible with a mandela flux as large as that suggested by Baruch et al., provided that the mandela attenuation length is less than 1 500g/cm/sup 2/ of rock.

Studies on muon showers underground

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergamasco, L.; Castagnoli, C.; Dardo, M.; D'Ettorre Piazzoli, B.; Mannocchi, G.; Picchi, P.; Visentin, R.; Sitte, K.

1976-01-01

The 4 m 2 spark chamber telescope array of the Mt. Cappuccini Laboratory, Torino, At 40 m w.e. underground was operated for about 830 h recording muon showers. The data were analysed with respect to the multiplicity distribution of the shower particles, adn to local interactions initiated in the chamber absorbers. Regarding the multiplicity analysis a semi-empirical expression for the likely shower size dependence of a structure function of the analytical form proposed by Vernov et al., was derived and applied with systematically varied parameters. The comparison of the observed rates of multiples with those calculated with a variety of parameters showed that a satisfactory agreement can be attained only if one admits a variation with the shower size of the parameters, and an enhanced muon/electron ratio at the lower primary energies, possibly indicative of an increased abundance of primary heavy nuclei. This would conform with the idea of a two-component primary composition in which a pulsar-produced fraction, enriched in heavy nuclei, dominated only at medium energies. The records on multiplicative interactions, and on large-angle scattering, were analysed by comparing their rates observed for shower particles with those found in single-muon check runs. The results are consistent with the assumption that all shower particle interactions are electromagnetic in nature, and that nonconventional components like mandelas are absent. Only making extreme allowances for statistical fluctuations the data can be made compatible with a mandela flux as large as that suggested by Baruch et al., provided that the mandela attenuation length is less than 1 500g/cm 2 of rock

30 CFR 75.1907 - Diesel-powered equipment intended for use in underground coal mines.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... underground coal mines. 75.1907 Section 75.1907 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Diesel-Powered Equipment § 75.1907 Diesel-powered equipment intended for use in underground coal mines. (a) As of...

The dynamic deformation of a layered viscoelastic medium under surface excitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aglyamov, Salavat R; Karpiouk, Andrei B; Emelianov, Stanislav Y; Wang, Shang; Li, Jiasong; Larin, Kirill V; Twa, Michael

2015-01-01

In this study the dynamic behavior of a layered viscoelastic medium in response to the harmonic and impulsive acoustic radiation force applied to its surface was investigated both theoretically and experimentally. An analytical solution for a layered viscoelastic compressible medium in frequency and time domains was obtained using the Hankel transform. A special incompressible case was considered to model soft biological tissues. To verify our theoretical model, experiments were performed using tissue-like gel-based phantoms with varying mechanical properties. A 3.5 MHz single-element focused ultrasound transducer was used to apply the radiation force at the surface of the phantoms. A phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography system was used to track the displacements of the phantom surface. Theoretically predicted displacements were compared with experimental measurements. The role of the depth dependence of the elastic properties of a medium in its response to an acoustic pulse at the surface was studied. It was shown that the low-frequency vibrations at the surface are more sensitive to the deep layers than high-frequency ones. Therefore, the proposed model in combination with spectral analysis can be used to evaluate depth-dependent distribution of the mechanical properties based on the measurements of the surface deformation. (paper)

Underground Milling of High-Grade Uranium Ore

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Edwards, C., E-mail: chuck.edwards@amec.com [AMEC Americas Limited, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Canada)

2014-05-15

There are many safety and technical issues involved in the mining and progressing of high grade uranium ores such as those exploited in Northern Canada at present. With more of this type of mine due to commence production in the near future, operators have been looking at ways to better manage the situation. The paper describes underground milling of high-grade uranium ore as a means of optimising production costs and managing safety issues. In addition the paper presents some examples of possible process flowsheets and plant layouts that could be applicable to such operations. Finally an assessment of potential benefits from underground milling from a variety of viewpoints is provided. (author)

Estimating floodwater depths from flood inundation maps and topography

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Sagy; Brakenridge, G. Robert; Kettner, Albert; Bates, Bradford; Nelson, Jonathan M.; McDonald, Richard R.; Huang, Yu-Fen; Munasinghe, Dinuke; Zhang, Jiaqi

2018-01-01

Information on flood inundation extent is important for understanding societal exposure, water storage volumes, flood wave attenuation, future flood hazard, and other variables. A number of organizations now provide flood inundation maps based on satellite remote sensing. These data products can efficiently and accurately provide the areal extent of a flood event, but do not provide floodwater depth, an important attribute for first responders and damage assessment. Here we present a new methodology and a GIS-based tool, the Floodwater Depth Estimation Tool (FwDET), for estimating floodwater depth based solely on an inundation map and a digital elevation model (DEM). We compare the FwDET results against water depth maps derived from hydraulic simulation of two flood events, a large-scale event for which we use medium resolution input layer (10 m) and a small-scale event for which we use a high-resolution (LiDAR; 1 m) input. Further testing is performed for two inundation maps with a number of challenging features that include a narrow valley, a large reservoir, and an urban setting. The results show FwDET can accurately calculate floodwater depth for diverse flooding scenarios but also leads to considerable bias in locations where the inundation extent does not align well with the DEM. In these locations, manual adjustment or higher spatial resolution input is required.

Reliability assessment of underground shaft closure