Studying Subsurface Geology #2
Horonobe Underground Research Center

No.8
January 2016

Japan Atomic Energy Agency

Aerial photo

To Toyotomi
Drainage watertreatment plant
Ventilation shaft
Full-scale demonstration facility

Public Information House"Yume Chiso-kan"West accessshaft

East accessshaft

Researchfacility

Muck Yard

Administration
facility

To Horonobe downtown

The Horonobe Underground Research Center conducts scientific research on geological strata
and R&D on geological disposal, as part of R&D on geological disposal technologies for highlevel radioactive waste.
For details, please visit the home page ⇒ http://www.jaea.go.jp/english/04/horonobe/index.html

Appearance in winter2

The underground facility for this research
Geological environment of the Horonobe
Underground Research Center(Horonobe, Hokkaido)

Mineralparticles

Mudstone(Sedimentary rock)
Soft rock
Saline ground water
Ground water

Illustration of geologicalenvironment

Diagram of underground facilities[Shafts] As of Jan. 2016
Ventilation shaft

East access shaft
Excavation depth 380.0m
Ventilation shaft
Excavation depth 380.0m
West access shaft
Excavation depth 365.0m

West accessshaft

140m drift[Experiment drifts] As of Jan. 2016140m drift
Excavation length 186.1m
250m drift
Excavation length 190.6m
350m drift
Excavation length 757.1m

East access
shaft

250m drift

350m drift

Shape of experimental drifts

Already excavated*This diagram may change depending on theresults of future surveys and research.

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West access shaft(350ｍ in depth)

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At penetration of gallery (350m in depth)Setup of simulated overpack

Installation of plug (cover)Full-scale engineered barrier (simulated overpack andshock absorbing material) has been installed in the 350m
drift, and its performance is being verified based on dataobtained from a variety of sensors.

5Backfill complete

A simulated overpack made of carbon steel
machined into rod form was buried in the Niche
No.3 of 350m drift, with heat applied via anelectric heater, and the corrosion situation of thecarbon steel is being checked.

Test hole

6350m Niche No.3

Situation of in-situ test

In the 350m drift, a mass transport test is being conducted
to measure the behavior of materials inside the naturalbarrier (bedrock) and engineered burrier (buffer material).
The photo shows the scene of the in-situ tracer test forunderstanding the situation of mass transport within asingle fracture.

7Boreholes for testMonument of Latitude 45 Degrees
North and Mt. Rishiri (Rishiri Fuji)

When you visit Hokkaido,
why not take a tour of an actual underground facility at our center?
To apply for an underground facility tour,↓↓↓
please visit the following linkh t t p : / / www. ja e a . go . jp / e nglish/ 0 4/ horo nobe / access. h t ml↓↓↓Otonrui Wind Farm where 28 wind turbines are lined upin the north-south direction over a distance of 3.1km

8The JAEA is committed to studying geologicaldisposal technologies
Horonobe Underground Research Center
Here, research is focused on sedimentary rockand saline ground water. This center is thesubject of this issue.

Nuclear Fuel Cycle
Engineering Laboratories

Here, we conduct laboratory simulations toinvestigate ground water quality and water
quality change mechanisms.

Tono Geoscience Center
Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory,
Toki Research Institute of Isotope Geology and Geochronology
Research at the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory is focusedon crystalline rocks and fresh ground water. The Toki Research Institute ofIsotope Geology and Geochronology is investigating the geologicalenvironment in the past. The photo below shows a system for measuringage, featured in the previous issue.

9graph JAEA
02

Horonobe Underground Research Center04

Scenes of drift excavation

05

Introduction to surveys and research

08

Scenery around the center

09

Research by the JAEA on geologicaldisposal technology

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Geological disposal of high-level
radioactive waste(Cover photo)
Descending into the underground facility in a “kibble,” aconstruction elevator that looks like a birdcage. This isthe scene when descending to the 350m drift.

[Public Information House "Yume Chiso-kan"]

Geological disposal of high-level
radioactive wastes
Please follow the link below for a general explanationof geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste.
http://www.jaea.go.jp/04/tisou/english/brochure/pdf/jaea_gir
dd_e.pdf

graph JAEA
Public Relations Section, Japan Atomic Energy Agency
Funaishikawa 765-1, Tokaimura
Naka County, Ibaraki Prefecture
Postal code: 319-1184
Telephone: 029-282-0749

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