Laboratory Testing of a MEMS Sensor System for In-Situ Monitoring of the Engineered Barrier in a Geological Disposal Facility
Geological disposal facilities for radioactive waste pose significant challenges for robust monitoring of environmental conditions within the engineered barriers that surround the waste canister. Temperatures are elevated, due to the presence of heat generating waste, relative humidity varies from 2...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2017-05-01
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| Series: | Geosciences |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/7/2/38 |
| _version_ | 1828233667287187456 |
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| author | Wenbin Yang Rebecca J. Lunn Alessandro Tarantino Gráinne El Mountassir |
| author_facet | Wenbin Yang Rebecca J. Lunn Alessandro Tarantino Gráinne El Mountassir |
| author_sort | Wenbin Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Geological disposal facilities for radioactive waste pose significant challenges for robust monitoring of environmental conditions within the engineered barriers that surround the waste canister. Temperatures are elevated, due to the presence of heat generating waste, relative humidity varies from 20% to 100%, and swelling pressures within the bentonite barrier can typically be 2–10 MPa. Here, we test the robustness of a bespoke design MEMS sensor-based monitoring system, which we encapsulate in polyurethane resin. We place the sensor within an oedometer cell and show that despite a rise in swelling pressure to 2 MPa, our relative humidity (RH) measurements are unaffected. We then test the sensing system against a traditional RH sensor, using saturated bentonite with a range of RH values between 50% and 100%. Measurements differ, on average, by 2.87% RH, and are particularly far apart for values of RH greater than 98%. However, bespoke calibration of the MEMS sensing system using saturated solutions of known RH, reduces the measurement difference to an average of 1.97% RH, greatly increasing the accuracy for RH values close to 100%. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T19:43:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-74a8d589943844328bacba905bf04875 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3263 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T19:43:03Z |
| publishDate | 2017-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geosciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-74a8d589943844328bacba905bf048752022-12-22T03:19:01ZengMDPI AGGeosciences2076-32632017-05-01723810.3390/geosciences7020038geosciences7020038Laboratory Testing of a MEMS Sensor System for In-Situ Monitoring of the Engineered Barrier in a Geological Disposal FacilityWenbin Yang0Rebecca J. Lunn1Alessandro Tarantino2Gráinne El Mountassir3Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XJ, UKDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XJ, UKDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XJ, UKDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XJ, UKGeological disposal facilities for radioactive waste pose significant challenges for robust monitoring of environmental conditions within the engineered barriers that surround the waste canister. Temperatures are elevated, due to the presence of heat generating waste, relative humidity varies from 20% to 100%, and swelling pressures within the bentonite barrier can typically be 2–10 MPa. Here, we test the robustness of a bespoke design MEMS sensor-based monitoring system, which we encapsulate in polyurethane resin. We place the sensor within an oedometer cell and show that despite a rise in swelling pressure to 2 MPa, our relative humidity (RH) measurements are unaffected. We then test the sensing system against a traditional RH sensor, using saturated bentonite with a range of RH values between 50% and 100%. Measurements differ, on average, by 2.87% RH, and are particularly far apart for values of RH greater than 98%. However, bespoke calibration of the MEMS sensing system using saturated solutions of known RH, reduces the measurement difference to an average of 1.97% RH, greatly increasing the accuracy for RH values close to 100%.http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/7/2/38monitoringgeological disposalsensorrelative humiditybentoniteengineered barrier systemMEMSgeological disposal |
| spellingShingle | Wenbin Yang Rebecca J. Lunn Alessandro Tarantino Gráinne El Mountassir Laboratory Testing of a MEMS Sensor System for In-Situ Monitoring of the Engineered Barrier in a Geological Disposal Facility Geosciences monitoring geological disposal sensor relative humidity bentonite engineered barrier system MEMS geological disposal |
| title | Laboratory Testing of a MEMS Sensor System for In-Situ Monitoring of the Engineered Barrier in a Geological Disposal Facility |
| title_full | Laboratory Testing of a MEMS Sensor System for In-Situ Monitoring of the Engineered Barrier in a Geological Disposal Facility |
| title_fullStr | Laboratory Testing of a MEMS Sensor System for In-Situ Monitoring of the Engineered Barrier in a Geological Disposal Facility |
| title_full_unstemmed | Laboratory Testing of a MEMS Sensor System for In-Situ Monitoring of the Engineered Barrier in a Geological Disposal Facility |
| title_short | Laboratory Testing of a MEMS Sensor System for In-Situ Monitoring of the Engineered Barrier in a Geological Disposal Facility |
| title_sort | laboratory testing of a mems sensor system for in situ monitoring of the engineered barrier in a geological disposal facility |
| topic | monitoring geological disposal sensor relative humidity bentonite engineered barrier system MEMS geological disposal |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/7/2/38 |
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