Radial flow permeability testing of an argillaceous limestone.

Argillaceous Lindsay limestone is the geologic storage formation that will be encountered at the site for the construction of a deep ground repository in Ontario, Canada, for the storage of low to intermediate level nuclear waste. The permeability of the Lindsay limestone is a key parameter that will influence the long-term movement of radionuclides from the repository to the geosphere. This paper describes the use of both steady-state and transient radial flow laboratory tests to determine the permeability of this argillaceous limestone. The interpretation of the tests is carried out using both analytical results and computational models of flow problems that exhibit radial symmetry. The results obtained from this research investigation are compared with the data available in the literature for similar argillaceous limestones mainly found in the Lindsay (Cobourg) formation. The experiments give permeabilities in the range of 1.0 × 10(-22) to 1.68 × 10(-19) m(2) for radial flows that are oriented along bedding planes under zero axial stress. The factors influencing transient pulse tests in particular and the interpretation of the results are discussed.