Improved predictions of thermal fluid pressurization in hydro-thermal models based on consistent incorporation of thermo-mechanical effects - Application study of the FE-Experiment at Mt. Terri

In deep underground storage facilities, coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical models are used to simulate the changes in temperature, pore pressure, and stress surrounding canisters containing high-level radioactive waste. Their numerical modeling is often computationally highly demanding, especially if an investigation is conducted that requires many model evaluations, like a sensitivity analysis or a parameter identification. In these analyses, the thermally driven pore pressure evolution and the subsequently altered flow processes are usually the primary targets of interest. 
In our contribution, we show the derivation of a hydro-thermal (HT) model with consistent incorporation of thermo-mechanical effects, allowing it to profit from its computational efficiency while maintaining most of its accuracy. We show its applicability to a 3D model of the FE experiment, a full-scale multiple heater experiment at the URL site in Mt. Terri.