Dr. Ju Wang

Biography

Dr. Ju Wang, born in 1964, obtained his BS degree from the Nanjing University in 1984, majored in Uranium Geology and Geochemistry. He started his career in Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology (BRIUG) in 1987 and then held a PhD in geology from BRIUG in 1991. He served BRIUG as Chief Engineer during 2004-2008 and Vice-President during 2008-2023. He is now the Chief Scientist of China National Nuclear Corporation in the field of radioactive waste disposal, the Director of China Atomic Energy Authority’s Innovation Centre on Geological Disposal of High Level Radioactive Waste, and the Chief Designer of Beishan Underground Research Laboratory (URL) for Geological Disposal of High Level Radioactive Waste. He has been leading China’s program on geological disposal of high levels radioactive waste since 1999, including strategy development, site selection and site characterization, buffer material study, safety assessment of disposal system, design and construction of underground research laboratory. His achievements have resulted in the confirmation of Xinchang as the URL site and construction of Beishan URL, China’s first URL for geological disposal of high level radioactive waste. He is now also the President of Commission of Radioactive Waste Disposal of the International Society of Rock Mechanics and Engineering (ISRM) and the President of Commission of Underground Waste Disposal of Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering (CSRME). He has published more 100 scientific papers in geological disposal, and uranium geology.

Introduction of the Lecture

The Beishan Laboratory: a 3rd-generation underground research laboratory for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste

The Beishan Laboratory is China’s first underground research laboratory (URL) for high-level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal and represents a first-of-its-kind area-specific URL, different from both generic and site-specific URLs (1st and 2nd Generation URLs).

An area-specific URL is located at a site in the area that is considered as the potential area for a deep geological repository (DGR). When an area has been selected as the first priority area for a DGR, but a specific site has not yet been determined, an area-specific URL can be developed, as long as the site has similar and representative geological conditions to those of a future DGR site.

The area-specific URL has a potential benefit to promote the confirmation of a DGR site. If investigations at the URL confirm that the site is suitable for hosting a DGR, the siting process of the DGR will be accelerated owing to the necessary data already obtained. The data, investigation results and experience gained from an area-specific URL can be directly transferred to the future DGR in this area. Thus, the area-specific URL is also called a 3rd Generation URL.

The Beishan URL project was approved by the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) in May 2019, with an estimated total cost of CNY 2.72 billion. Construction is scheduled for the period 2021-2028. On June 17, 2021, a ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the Beishan URL was held at the site, marking the beginning of a new phase in China’s HLW disposal program, i.e., the URL development stage.

The Beishan URL was designed with one spiral ramp, two experimental levels and three shafts. The spiral ramp has a total length of about 7.5 km, a cross-sectional diameter of 7.03 m, a maximum inclination of 1:10, and a minimum turning radius of 255 m. The two experimental levels are located at depths of -280 m and -560 m, both excavated by using drilling and blast (D&B) method.

The -560 m level serves as the main experimental level, where most large-scale in situ tests will be conducted, including prototype repository tests, heating tests, long-term performance tests of buffer materials, redox tests, sealing tests, tracer tests, EDZ assessment tests, TBM penetration tests, microseismic monitoring, water inflow monitoring, in situ stress measurements, hydraulic interference tests, grouting tests in fractured or faulted zones, and demonstration of disposal technologies.

The -280 m level serves as an auxiliary experimental level, hosting tests such as excavation disturbance monitoring, deposition hole excavation tests, buffer material installation tests, and tracer tests, and also serving as a platform for preliminary technical verification of large-scale tests to be conducted at the -560 m level.

The three shafts consist of one personnel shaft (i.e., the main shaft) and two ventilation shafts. The personnel shaft, with a diameter of 6 m, is excavated by using conventional D&B method, while the two ventilation shafts, each 3 m in diameter, excavated with raise-boring machines. The main shaft connects with the spiral ramp at both -280 m and -560 m levels, ensuring access and ventilation between the ramp and the horizontal experimental tunnels.

In June 2022, excavation of the personnel shaft began. By December 2023, the personnel shaft had been excavated to its designed depth of 590 m, followed by the completion of the -280 m experimental level in October 2024 and the two ventilation shafts in March 2025. Excavation of the 7-km long spiral ramp was conducted by a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) called“Beishan No. 1”. In December 2022, the “Beishan No. 1” TBM started ramp excavation. By 26 December 2025, the TBM-excavated ramp was successfully completed.

The Beishan URL ramp represents the world’s first spiral ramp excavated by using TBM. The successful excavation of the spiral ramp demonstrates the considerable potential of TBM technology for future excavation of access ramps and disposal tunnels in crystalline rock.

During construction phase of Beishan URL, a total of 24 in situ tests have been planned and are being implemented, including both site investigations and engineering trials. The main objectives are to investigate the deep geological environment, to develop and validate site investigation methodologies, and to establish and optimize excavation technologies under realistic underground conditions.

To achieve these goals, a systematic in situ testing program has been designed, including geological mapping, geophysical surveys, hydrogeological investigations, rock mass quality and suitability evaluations, in-situ stress measurements, and fracture permeability characterization, together with engineering trials such as TBM tunnelling tests, D&B parameter optimization, excavation damage zone (EDZ) characterization, and excavation-induced disturbance monitoring.

All these activities are being conducted along the ramp, shafts and the experimental tunnels. This integrated program ensures that site characterization and technology development advance in parallel, providing a foundation for the construction and operation of China’s DGR.

Comprehensive site characterization has confirmed predictions from pre-excavation investigations. The results indicate that the rock mass at the URL site is highly intact, with sparsely distributed fractures, and is further characterized by low water-bearing capacity, weak hydraulic connectivity, and slow groundwater circulation at depth. In addition, the rock mass exhibits high strength, relatively low in situ stresses, and predominantly high quality. These characteristics provide favorable conditions for the construction of a DGR.

Systematic in situ tests have been planned in Beishan laboratory for the coming 20 years in order to confirm the site suitability for future DGR and to develop disposal technologies, including full scale THMC experiments and solute transport through fracture zone. The CAEA has announced that the Beishan Laboratory is open to international collaboration, contributing an good platform for joint disposal technology development with organizations from other countries.