Enabling Digital Twins for geological radioactive waste disposal – Insights and recommendations from EURAD-2 DITOCO2030

The digital twin (DT) concept has recently attracted attention also in radioactive waste management (RWM). However, its current development and application, particularly in the field of radioactive waste disposal, are at an early stage as compared to other disciplines and industrial branches, such as the nuclear sector, manufacturing and healthcare. Therefore, a dedicated work package within the EJP EURAD-2 project (European partnership on radioactive waste, www.ejp-eurad.eu) was dedicated to DT. The EURAD-2 DITOCO2030 (Digital Twins (DT) to support Optimisation (including communication of safety), Construction and Operation of radioactive waste management facilities) work package aims to develop a roadmap to bridge the existing R&D gap between the currently fragmented DT applications across individual disciplines (e.g., engineering, safety, geology, infrastructure development) as well as data management systems and decision-making platforms. Digital twins can be developed for specific components as well as for the whole geological disposal facility of which the geological environment is an essential part in the safety approach. 

The work began with an overview of current practice, combining insights from the RAW community with relevant experience from other industries and research domains, and translating this knowledge to the context of nuclear waste management. Building on this foundation, gap analyses were performed to identify key gaps and opportunities, informing strategic recommendations for future digital twin (DT) development with a particular focus on end-user requirements. A specific challenge for a geological disposal ensuring the correct representation and setting of the underground engineering structures in a geological environment. This requires a combination of geological, hydrogeological, geochemical and geotechnical concepts, models and data via a geographic information system (GIS) and those related to building information modelling (BIM) as well as the coupling of BIM with numerical solvers for the physical modelling of repository components to facilitate the optimisation of the repository design. Considering geological systems, further difficulties are posed by the complexity of geological structures, strong coupling of THMC processes as well as uncertainties at different spatial and temporal scales. The presentation will - outline strategic pathways for DT development and identify high-value research opportunities, with particular focus on the geological environment and its role in shaping disposal system performance and long-term safety. The proposed directions are grounded in end-users needs, and are intended to deliver actionable recommendations that support practical decision-making.