2021 Volume 19 Issue 3 Pages 168-180
This experimental and numerical study aims to evaluate the penetration depth of contaminated water in the concrete structures involved in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear powerplant. The influence of the mortar mixture on water absorption was investigated by varying the composition: mortar containing aggregates from river sand and crushed limestone sand was compared, and 15% of the cement in the mixture was substituted with fly ash. The effect of temperature in nuclear conditions is also significant; therefore, water uptake at temperatures of 20 and 60°C was considered. Finally, pre-drying conditions were studied by drying the sample at two different conditions: at 105°C and at 40% RH (relative humidity) and 20°C. Water uptake was monitored using x-ray computed radiography in combination with mass measurements. In all cases, anomalous sorption, or a nonlinear relationship between penetration depth and the square root of exposure time was observed, with the sorption curves showing bimodal behavior. The aggregate type had no significant effect on the water uptake results. However, the samples containing fly ash clearly had lower water uptake rates, which can be explained by the differences in the calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) structures. With increasing temperature, the penetration was slightly accelerated at the beginning of the experiment, with the rate of penetration then decreasing rapidly. The densification of C-S-H at higher temperatures could contribute to this phenomenon. Microstructural rearrangements can also explain why the highest uptake rates occurred for samples that were exposed to severe drying conditions (105°C). The experimental results were consistent when the microstructural rearrangement was considered, further confirming these conclusions.
