Abstract In a deep geological repository (DGR) for the long-term containment of radioactive waste, gases could be generated through a number of processes. If gas production exceeds the containment capacity of the engineered barriers or host rock, these gases could migrate through these barriers and potentially expose people and the environment to radioactivity. Expansive soils, such as bentonite-based materials, are currently the preferred choice of seal materials. Understanding the long-term performance of these seals as barriers against gas migration is an important component in the design and long-term safety assessment of a DGR. This study proposes a hydro-mechanical linear poro-elastic visco-capillary mathematical model for advective-diffusive controlled two-phase flow through a low-permeability expansive soil. It is based on the theoretical framework of poromechanics, incorporates Darcy’s Law for both the porewater and poregas, and a modified Bishop’s effective stress principle. Using the finite element method (FEM), the model was used to numerically simulate 1D flow through a low-permeability expansive soil. The results were verified against experimental results found in the current literature. Parametric studies were performed to determine the influence on the flow behaviour. Based on the results, the mathematical model looks promising and will be improved to model flow through preferential pathways.

Abstract: Petroleum systems represent complex multiphase subsurface environments. The properties of the noble gases as conservative physical tracers allow them to be used to gain insight into the physical behaviour occurring within hydrocarbon systems. This can be used to better understand the mechanisms of hydrocarbon migration, residence time of fluids, and measurement of the scale of the subsurface fluid system involved in the transport and trapping of the hydrocarbon phase. The noble gases in the subsurface derive from different sources with distinct isotopic compositions, allowing them to be resolved in any crustal fluid. We discuss the processes within petroleum systems that incorporate the noble gases from each of these sources into hydrocarbon accumulations. The dominant mechanism controlling the introduction of air-derived noble gases into petroleum systems is via subsurface groundwater, and this records key information about the interaction of the petroleum system with the hydrogeological regime. Radiogenic noble gases accumulate over time, recording information about the age and relative timing of processes within the petroleum system. We review the conceptual framework and quantitative models describing these processes using examples from previous studies, and discuss both their current limitations and the potential for their application to unconventional hydrocarbon systems.