A finite element formulation for brine transport in rock salt

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Abstract
A set of coupled field equations is developed for transport of liquid brine in natural rock salt. The natural rock salt consists of individual crystals brought together so that only a portion of the crystal faces or grain boundaries contribute to the hydraulically connected pore space. Transport of brine inclusions within individual crystals is considered to be thermally driven; whereas transport along crystal interfaces or grain boundaries is considered to be pressure driven. The field equations for both transport mechanisms are developed and incorporated in a finite element program. An analytical solution to a one‐dimensional boundary value problem is derived and compared to the finite element solution. An application of the finite element code to radioactive waste emplacement is briefly discussed.