NTBs 1985 – 1986

Nagra – general

1. Staff

   Nagra employs around one hundred people. Image: Comet.
   

1. Executive Board

   From left to right: Thomas Ernst, Chief Executive Officer; Markus Fritschi, Division Head Repository Programmes, Public Information; Piet Zuidema, Head of Science and Technology. Image: Comet.
   

1. Headquarters

   Nagra, Hardstrasse 73, CH-5430 Wettingen, Switzerland, telephone: +41 (0) 56 437 11 11, e-mail: info@nagra.ch. Image: Comet.
   

Nagra on the move

1. The TIME RIDE exhibit in Zürich main railway station

   Image: Nagra.
   

1. A group of visitors taking a tour of the special exhibit

   Image: Nagra.
   

1. Virtual journey through time into the geological past

   Image: Nagra.
   

1. Aargau trade fair in Aarau in 2011

   Image: Nagra.
   

1. Trade exhibition in Kloten in 2011

   Image: Nagra.
   

1. The 2011 Thurgau spring trade fair in Frauenfeld

   Image: Nagra.
   

1. The 2010 «Winti» trade fair in Winterthur

   Image: Nagra.
   

1. The REGA 2010 trade fair in Kleindöttingen

   Image: Nagra.
   

1. Competition at the 2010 autumn fair in Laufenburg

   Image: Nagra.
   

1. Polishing stones at the 2010 autumn fair in Laufenburg

   Image: Nagra.
   

1. RÜGA in Rümlang in 2010

   Image: Nagra.
   

1. BEA in Bern in 2010

   Image: Nagra.
   

1. Information boards and exhibits at the 2010 Aargau trade fair

   Image: Nagra.
   

1. Aargau trade fair in Aarau in 2010

   Image: Nagra.
   

1. Interest in the electronic quiz in Winterthur during the 2009 information tour

   Image: Nagra.
   

1. Information tour in Winterthur in 2009

   Image: Nagra.
   

1. Rhii Mäss in Eglisau in 2009

   Image: Nagra.
   

1. Trade exhibition in Kloten in 2008

   Image: Foto Fokus Kloten.
   

1. Geology exhibit at the Nagra stand

   Image: Nagra.
   

1. Discussion at a trade exhibition in Kloten in 2008

   Image: Nagra.
   

Managing radioactive waste

1. Gösgen-Däniken nuclear power plant

   The majority of radioactive waste in Switzerland is produced in the five nuclear power plants Mühleberg, Beznau I and II, Gösgen-Däniken and Leibstadt. Image: Comet.
   

1. Transport containers for spent fuel assemblies

   Spent fuel is delivered to the interim storage facility in massive transport containers. Image: Comet.
   

1. Old fire alarm: an example of industrial radioactive waste

   Old fire alarms used radioactive sources. Image: Nagra.
   

1. Operational waste from the nuclear power plants

   Operation of the nuclear power plants produces low-level waste such as protective suits, shoes, cleaning materials, contaminated metal components and air filters. Some low-level waste can be incinerated in the ZWILAG plasma furnace and solidified to form a slag-like mass, as seen in the photograph. Image: Nagra.
   

1. ZWILAG

   Spent fuel assemblies and all types of radioactive waste can be stored in the halls of the ZWILAG centralised interim storage facility in Würenlingen. Image: Comet.
   

1. Checking welding seams

   The technique called gammagraphy uses radioactive sources to check welding seams. These sources then have to be disposed of. Image: Qualitech.
   

1. Research reactors

   When research reactors are dismantled, some components have to be disposed of as radioactive waste. The photograph shows the Saphir research reactor at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI); the reactor was shut down in 1993. Image: PSI.
   

Potential repository siting regions

1. Zürich Nordost

   Image: Comet.
   

1. North of Lägern

   Image: Comet.
   

1. Jura Ost

   Image: Comet.
   

1. Südranden

   Image: Comet.
   

1. Jura-Südfuss

   Image: Comet.
   

1. Wellenberg

   Image: Comet.
   

Seismic investigations

1. Geophone

   A geophone is a highly sensitive microphone that alters the smallest vibrations in the earth into electric signals. Image: Nagra.
   

1. Geophone array

   Workers laying out a geophone array in the snow during an earlier seismic campaign in the Mettau valley, Canton Aargau. Image: Nagra.
   

1. Laying out geophones

   To investigate a region using seismics, geologists lay out a large number of so-called geophones. The photograph shows preparations being made for the seismic measurements in Northern Switzerland in winter 2011/2012. Image: B. Müller.
   

1. Vibration seismics

   Seismic waves can be generated using vibrator vehicles where paths and roads are sufficiently stable. Image: B. Müller.
   

1. Vibrator vehicles

   Image: B. Müller.
   

1. Vibration measurements

   The vibrator vehicles maintain a safe distance from buildings. Vibrations are also measured directly at surrounding houses to ensure that the limits specified in Swiss construction standards are being met. If necessary, the strength of the vibrations can be reduced. Image: B. Müller.
   

1. Blasting seismics

   Seismic waves can also be generated by igniting explosive charges placed in shotholes several metres deep. The equipment for drilling the shotholes is mounted on tractors or small crawler vehicles. Image: B. Müller.
   

1. Guided tours

   The interested public can visit the field locations during the seismic campaigns. The photograph shows a guided tour during the seismic measurements in winter 2011/2012. Image: B. Müller.
   

Boreholes

1. Backfilling

   Once investigations are complete and boreholes can no longer be used, they have to be backfilled to isolate groundwater levels from one another and from the surface. The photograph shows backfilling of the Schafisheim borehole in October 1997. Image: Comet.
   

1. Backfilling

   In 2003, the measurement systems installed in the boreholes at Wellenberg were removed and the boreholes were backfilled. The photograph top right shows an abandoned drillsite after recultivation (immediately to the right of the road). Image: Nagra.
   

1. Drillsite

   Aerial view of the drillsite for the Leuggern deep borehole (Canton Aargau). Drilling was carried out between 9th July 1984 and 10th February 1985. Image: Comet.
   

1. Drillsite

   Drillsite for an exploratory borehole at Oberrickenbach (Wellenberg region). Drilling was carried out between 12th November 1990 and 4th December 1991. Image: Comet.
   

1. Drilling rig

   Rig for the Benken borehole in the Zürcher Weinland. Drilling began on 3rd September 1998, reaching a final depth of 1007 metres in the crystalline basement on 4th May 1999. Image: Comet.
   

1. Changing the drill pipe

   Each time the drilling head is exchanged, the entire drill pipe has to be removed and then re-installed. Image: Comet.
   

1. Guided tour

   Guided tour of the Benken drillsite during the open day in September 1998. Image: Comet.
   

1. Drillcores

   Drillcores from the Siblingen borehole (Canton Schaffhausen, 1st September 1988 to 2nd April 1989). Image: Comet.
   

1. Leioceras opalinum

   Ammonite found at a depth of 652 metres in the Opalinus Clay of the Benken borehole. The remains of this creature that once lived in the ocean have been preserved and protected by the clay from external influences for more than 180 million years. Image: Comet.
   

1. Fossil fern

   Imprint of a fossil fern (Percopteris subelegans, around 285 million years old) from a drillcore from the Weiach borehole (10th January to 12th November 1983). Coal deposits with a total thickness of around 30 metres were encountered in this borehole. Image: Nagra.
   

Grimsel Test Site

1. Grimsel region

   View of the Juchlistock between the Grimsel (left) and Räterichsboden (right) reservoirs. The Test Site is located at an altitude of 1730 metres above sea-level, around 450 metres beneath the east flank of the Juchlistock. Image: Nagra.
   

1. Grimsel Test Site

   Section of the tunnel system at the Test Site. The laboratory has been operated by Nagra since 1984 as a facility for conducting research into the disposal of radioactive waste. The diameter of the tunnels is 3.5 metres. Image: Comet.
   

1. Grimsel Test Site

   The tunnel system at the Grimsel Test Site has a total length of around 1100 metres. The facility also has various caverns and around 5000 metres of cored boreholes. Image: Nagra.
   

1. Access to the Test Site

   The Test Site is accessed from the road leading over the Grimsel Pass. Image: Nagra.
   

1. Tunnel boring machine

   The tunnel boring machine shown here was used to construct the tunnels of the Test Site in 1983. Image: Nagra.
   

1. Tunnel boring machine

   A full-face tunnel boring machine was used in 1996 to excavate a tunnel 70 metres long and 2.3 metres in diameter for the large-scale FEBEX (Full-scale High Level Waste Engineered Barriers Experiment) project. Image: Comet.
   

1. Installation of the FEBEX (Full-scale High Level Waste Engineered Barriers Experiment) components

   The FEBEX experiment allows researchers to test a possible emplacement concept for spent fuel assemblies on a 1:1 scale. The heat produced by the spent fuel is simulated by two heating elements embedded in bentonite. Image: Comet.
   

1. Dismantling the first FEBEX heating element

   After a test duration of five years, the first heating element was removed at the beginning of 2002. Image: Comet.
   

1. Installation of the Gas Migration Test (GMT)

   Gas may be generated in a backfilled repository, for example by the corrosion of metals. In the GMT experiment, which was completed in 2006, researchers were able to investigate how gas migrates through the engineered barrier system. The test involved a large-scale demonstration of an emplacement concept for low- and intermediate-level waste. The photograph shows the concrete disposal silo and the test instrumentation. Image: Comet.
   

1. HPF (Hyperalkaline Plume in Fractured Rock)

   The HPF experiment was completed in 2005. Scientists investigated the influence of high-pH cement porewaters on the retention of radioactive substances in the rock. Cement porewaters are solutions containing dissolved cementitious substances. The photograph shows researchers removing rock material at the end of the experiment for closer investigation. Image: Comet.
   

1. Drilling as part of Criepi’s Fractured Rock Studies (C-FRS) project

   Research institutes from both Switzerland and abroad use the GTS as a platform for scientific experiments. Boreholes are drilled for collecting samples and installing measuring equipment. Image: Comet.
   

1. Setting up the Colloid Formation and Migration (CFM) experiment

   In the CFM experiment, researchers are investigating the effects of colloids on the retention of radioactive materials. Colloids are microscopically small particles suspended in water contained in the rock. Highly radioactive substances in a repository will come into contact with water only when the engineered barriers no longer completely fulfil their protective function. Image: Comet.
   

1. The Colloid Formation and Migration (CFM) experiment

   The aim of the CFM project is to investigate the influence of colloids in the vicinity of fractures and shear zones on the mobility of radionuclides. Complex in situ experiments are realised under boundary conditions as close to reality as possible. Image: Comet.
   

1. Gerstenegg mineral fracture

   The now protected mineral fracture was discovered in 1974 during construction of an access tunnel of the Oberhasli hydropower company. The “crystal cave” can be visited during tours of the hydropower plant and the Grimsel Test Site. Image: Comet.
   

1. 25-year anniversary of the Grimsel Test Site

   In September 2009, research partners and guests from both Switzerland and abroad joined Nagra to celebrate 25 years of research at the Test Site. Image: Comet.
   

1. Guided tours

   Nagra offers guided tours of the Grimsel Test Site for interested groups from the middle of June to the middle of October (registration with Renate Spitznagel on 056 437 12 82). Image: Nagra.
   

1. Rock structures at the Grimsel Test Site

   Image: Comet.
   

Mont Terri Rock Laboratory

1. Jura landscape

   The Mont Terri region in Canton Jura, with the medieval town of St-Ursanne on the Doubs river in the foreground. Image: Comet.
   

1. St-Ursanne

   The former limestone factory in St-Ursanne, where the offices of the Mont Terri Project are located. Image: Comet.
   

1. Mont Terri Rock Laboratory

   Tunnels and niches of the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory. The Laboratory is located around 200 metres below ground surface; access is via the security gallery of the Mont Terri motorway tunnel. Image: Nagra.
   

1. Mont Terri Rock Laboratory

   The Rock Laboratory is located in the Opalinus Clay. Thirteen partners (including Nagra) from Switzerland, other European countries, Japan and Canada are involved in the experiments. The objective of Nagra’s activities in the Laboratory is to supplement its site-related investigations in the Opalinus Clay in Northern Switzerland. Image: Comet.
   

1. Drill-head

   Drill-head of a roadheader used to extend the Laboratory facilities in 2008. Image: Comet.
   

1. Roadheader

   Roadheader used to extend the Laboratory facilities in 2004. Image: Comet.
   

1. Geological mapping

   A scientist mapping clay strata in the field. Image: Comet.
   

1. Drill-bit

   Drill-bits are used to excavate cores from the rock. The cores are used for various purposes, for example detailed investigation of rock formations located deep underground. Image: Comet.
   

1. Large drillcore from the Opalinus Clay

   This large drillcore from the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory shows that the Opalinus Clay underground is a compact rock formation. At the earth’s surface it is often crumbly or loamy due to the influences of weathering. Image: M. Thury.
   

1. HG-A experiment (Gas Path Host Rock & Seals)

   In the HG-A experiment, researchers are investigating gas flowpaths through the Opalinus Clay. The photograph shows an engineer testing measuring equipment installed in the microtunnel by a technician. Image: Pixsil.
   

1. HG-A experiment

   A microtunnel being reinforced before installation of a packer system. Packers are plugs used to isolate observation zones in a borehole or a small tunnel. Image: Comet.
   

1. HG-A experiment

   Installing the packer system. Image: Comet.
   

1. EB (Engineered Barriers) experiment

   The EB experiment is investigating the technical feasibility of realising an emplacement concept for radioactive waste. The photograph shows a waste container (blue) lying on a plinth of bentonite blocks. The remaining voids are backfilled with bentonite granulate. There is no radioactive waste in the container. Image: Comet.
   

1. Ventilation Test (VE)

   Microtunnel where a ventilation test is being carried out. The clay is dried out by blowing in dry air and its swelling behaviour is then tested by introducing humid air. Image: Comet.
   

1. Guided tours

   Every Mont Terri project partner can organise guided tours of the Laboratory. Nagra offers tours for groups of up to 30 persons (registration with Renate Spitznagel 056 437 12 82). Image: Comet.
   

1. Visitor group

   During a tour, experts explain the experiments in the Rock Laboratory to visitors. Image: TimeLineFilm.
   

1. Visitor group

   Image: Kristof Koch (University of Lausanne).
   

Nature's example – natural analogues

1. Oklo

   Around 1.8 billion years ago, natural nuclear reactors were formed in a uranium ore deposit in Oklo (Gabon, Africa). Chain reactions occurred, producing several tonnes of highly active fission products; these fission products are still retained in the rock today. Nature thus created the first high-level waste repository at Oklo. Image: Nagra.
   

1. Leioceras opalinum

   Ammonite found at a depth of 652 metres in the Opalinus Clay of the Benken borehole. The remains of this creature that once lived in the ocean have been preserved and protected by the clay from external influences for more than 180 million years. Image: Comet.
   

1. Preserved wood at Dunarobba

   The isolation capacity of clay is shown clearly by this example of a tree-trunk that was preserved for two million years – in the form of wood – in a clay-pit at Dunarobba in Italy. Image: Chapman.
   

1. Roman helmet from Augst

   High-level waste and spent fuel are packaged in steel containers for disposal in a deep repository. Archaeological finds such as this Roman helmet from Augst (Canton Basel) show that iron corrodes very slowly in clay material. Image: Nagra.
   

1. Maqarin research project

   In Maqarin (Jordan), the influence of natural highly alkaline waters on fractured limestone was investigated as an analogue for the effects of cement porewaters from a repository on the surrounding host rock. Image: Nagra.