It allows large-scale integrated experiments in representative disposal conditions to confirm results obtained from investigations on clay cores in the surface laboratory. Programme The daily and medium-term operation of the URF under safe conditions requires maintenance and assistance works. Technical assistance helps the investigators get access to the experimental areas in representative conditions and manage the data acquisition.
Electrical heaters simulate the heat generation.
Bentonite-based blocks fill the gap between the central tube and the concrete lining. The excavation of the connecting gallery will provide a unique opportunity to monitor the behaviour of the Boom Clay formation around such works. An instrumentation programme and the related desk studies will enable to improve the current models on the hydromechanical behaviour of the clay. A steel liner will keep the backfill under pressure when the blocks start swelling due to water uptake. A new building is being constructed to house the mock-up, which will be on display for the public, together with other prototype equipment.