• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.1207-1217
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• 2018

Geomechanics parameters are critical to numerical simulation, stability analysis, design and construction of geotechnical engineering. Due to the limitations of laboratory and in situ experiments, back analysis is widely used in geomechancis and geotechnical engineering. In this study, a hybrid back analysis method, that coupling numerical simulation, response surface (RS) and relevance vector machine (RVM), was proposed and applied to identify geomechanics parameters from hydraulic fracturing. RVM was adapted to approximate complex functional relationships between geomechanics parameters and borehole pressure through coupling with response surface method and numerical method. Artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm was used to search the geomechanics parameters as optimal method in back analysis. The proposed method was verified by a numerical example. Based on the geomechanics parameters identified by hybrid back analysis, the computed borehole pressure agreed closely with the monitored borehole pressure. It showed that RVM presented well the relationship between geomechanics parameters and borehole pressure, and the proposed method can characterized the geomechanics parameters reasonably. Further, the parameters of hybrid back analysis were analyzed and discussed. It showed that the hybrid back analysis is feasible, effective, robust and has a good global searching performance. The proposed method provides a significant way to identify geomechanics parameters from hydraulic fracturing.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.154-162
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• 2009

Sonic wave dispersion characteristics are one of the most important targets of study, particularly in estimating shear wave velocity from borehole sonic logging. We have tested dispersion characteristics using monopole and dipole sources. Theoretical dispersion curves were computed for tool-absent and tool-included models having the same physical properties but different diameters (including ${\Phi}520mm$, ${\Phi}150mm$, and ${\Phi}76mm$). Comparisons were made between boreholes of different sizes and between tool-absent and tool-included models. Between the tool-included and the tool-absent boreholes, a close similarity in dispersion curve shape was revealed for the monopole source, and a significant difference was shown for the dipole source. However, for the cut-off frequency, particularly in the engineering boreholes (${\Phi}76mm$ and ${\Phi}50mm$), a significant difference was observed for signals from the monopole source, but approximately the same cut-off frequencies were found with the dipole source. This indicates the need of careful choice of source frequency in monopole-source sonic logging, particularly in an engineering borehole. The results of numerical experiments show that cut-off frequency is exponentially proportional to the inverse of borehole radius, irrespective of the mode type and the presence of a tool, and that the cut-off frequencies for each borehole environment could be expressed as an exponential function, rather than the inversely proportional relationship between the cut-off frequency and the borehole radius that was previously generally recognised. From the direct comparison of dispersion curves, the effects on the dispersion characteristics of borehole size and the presence of the tool can be revealed more clearly than in previous studies, which presented the dispersion curve and/or characteristics for each borehole environment separately.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.229-243
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• 2013

An in situ solute migration system was designed and installed in KAERI Underground Research Tunnel (KURT) constructed in the site of Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) in order to investigate the migration and retardation of non-sorbing and sorbing tracers through a rock fracture. The system is composed of three main parts including injection, extraction, and data treatment. For the selection of a water-conducting fracture, boreholes were drilled. The fractures in the drilled boreholes were investigated using borehole image analysis using borehole image processing system (BIPS). The results of BIPS analysis showed that borehole YH 3-1 and YH 3-2 were connected each other. Moreover, hydraulic tests were carried out to determine the test section with connectivity for the in situ experiments. The in situ solute migration experiments were accomplished to understand the migration of solutes through fractures in KURT using non-sorbing tracers which were fluorescein sodium, eosin-B, bromide and sorbing tracers which were rubidium, nickel, zirconium, and samarium.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.301-312
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• 2017

The concept of deep borehole disposal (DBD) for high-level nuclear wastes has been around for about 40 years. Now, the Department of Energy (DOE) in the United States (U.S.) is re-examining this concept through recent studies at Sandia National Laboratory and a field test. With DBD, nuclear waste will be emplaced in boreholes at depths of 3 to 5 km in crystalline basement rocks. Thinking is that these settings will provide nearly intact rock and fluid density stratification, which together should act as a robust geologic barrier, requiring only minimal performance from the engineered components. The Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) has raised concerns that the deep subsurface is more complicated, leading to science, engineering, and safety issues. However, given time and resources, DBD will evolve substantially in the ability to drill deep holes and make measurements there. A leap forward in technology for drilling could lead to other exciting geological applications. Possible innovations might include deep robotic mining, deep energy production, or crustal sequestration of $CO_2$, and new ideas for nuclear waste disposal. Novel technologies could be explored by Korean geologists through simple proof-of-concept experiments and technology demonstrations.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.489-492
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• 2007

Understanding the thermohydraulic processes in the aquifer is necessary for a proper design of the aquifer thermal energy utilization system under given conditions. Experimental and numerical test were accomplished to evaluate the relationship between the geothermal heat exchanger operation and hydrogeological conditions in the open-loop geothermal system. Sand tank experiments were designed to investigate the open-loop geothermal system. Water injection and extract ion system as open-loop borehole heat exchanger was applied to observe the temperature changes in time at injection well, extraction well and ambient groundwater. The thermohydraulic transfer for heat storage was simulated using FEFLOW for two cases of extraction and injection phase operation in sand tank model. As one case, the movement of the thermal plume was simulated with variable locations of injection and extraction well. As another case, the simulation was performed with fixed location of injection and extraction well. The simulation and experimental results showed that the temperature distribution depends highly on the injected water temperature and the length of injection time and the groundwater flow and pumping rate sensitively affect the heat transfer.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.237-245
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• 2004

Series of basic experiments for current density calibration by user process and for density calibration using geophysical model borehole were made. We tried to find the sonde response characteristics for current calibration using water and aluminium field jig, and using the equation of half life of 137Cs source. The result of calibration test made in a geophysical model borehole built first in Korea shows a perfect linear calibration equation. By adopting this calibration equation we could estimate the limitation as well as possibility of current density calibration by user process.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.12-29
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• 2019

Permeability and its change due to a fluid injection in jointed rock mass is an important factor to be well identified for a safe and successful implementation of Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS), Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) and Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) projects which may accompany injection-induced hydromechanical deformation of the rock mass. In this technical report, we first reviewed important issues in evaluating initial permeability using borehole hydraulic tests and numierical approaches for understanding coupled hydromechanical properties of rock mass. Recent SIMFIP testing device to measure these hydromechanical properties directly through in-situ borehole experiments was also reviewed. The technical significance and usefulness of the device for further applications was discussed as well.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.559-572
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• 2020

This paper performs laboratory experiments for borehole stability considering temperature and true triaxial stress condition, and observes a thermo-mechanical behavior of the rock under stress and temperature conditions of deep underground. China yellow sandstone and Hwangdeung granite specimens were used to perform a true triaxial compression test. Mechanical tests were carried out under nine confining pressure conditions, and thermo-mechanical tests using granite samples were carried out under six confining pressure conditions at 60-100℃. In the mechanical tests, maximum principal stress at borehole breakout was proportional to intermediate principal stress. In the thermo-mechanical tests, it was confirmed that thermal stress is added to the stress field of the borehole with the increase in temperature, resulting in additional breakout progress. To analyze the results of the laboratory experiment, Mogi-Coulomb failure criterion was used. The results of traditional triaxial compression test on cylindrical specimens and borehole breakout under true triaxial compressions matched well with Mogi-Coulomb failure criterion.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.225-236
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• 2000

We conducted laboratory simulations of deep vertical drilling into the earth's crust to induce borehole breakouts and investigated their potential use for estimating in situ stress magnitudes in Westerly granite and Berea sandstone. Our experiments consisted of two major stages, a series of triaxial tests and borehole-breakout formation tests under a wide range of far-field stresses. We derived the Mohr-Coulomb, Nadai and Mogi failure criteria from the triaxial test results. Each criterion was compared with the stress condition at breakout boundaries. We concluded that the well known Mohr-Coulomb criterion is not compatible with the stress condition at breakout failure. On the other hand, polyaxial (truly triaxial) failure criteria such as the Nadai criterion for Berea sandstone and the Mogi criterion for Westerly granite were much more suitable for predicting breakout failure zone. Such failure criteria appeared to enable the reliable estimation of the magnitude of one of two horizontal principal stresses if the other one is known.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.217-225
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• 2009

A series of model borehole experiments and analyses for density compensation were performed to achieve the effective density correction of gamma-gamma log obtained from PVC cased boreholes. A follow-up survey was made for clarifying the variation property of detector responses depending on casing types, the presence of borehole fluid, and the degree of separation between probe and borehole wall. A special emphasis was placed on the comparison of gamma responses obtained from above and below ground water tables. Finally, we could quantify the detector responses as a function of separation between the probe and borehole wall, construct standoff compensation charts, and the limitations of the compensation have been discussed for the environments of both above and below ground water tables.