NUMERICAL MODELING FOR COUPLED THERMO-HYDRO-MECHANICAL AND CHEMICAL PROCESSES (THMC) OF GEOLOGICAL MEDIA——INTERNATIONAL AND CHINESE EXPERIENCES

The coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical and chemical (THMC) processes of stress/deformation,fluid flow,temperature and geochemical reactions of the geological media,namely fractured rocks and soils,play an important role in design,construction,operation and environmental impact assessments of rock and soil engineering works such as underground nuclear waste repositories,oil/gas production and storage,geothermal energy extraction,landslides and slope stability,hydropower and water conservancy complexes,etc. This paper presents an overview of the international and Chinese experiences in numerical modeling of the coupled THMC processes for both the state-of-the-knowledge,remaining challenges and possible future prospects.