• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.175-182
• /
• 2018

We analyze geological, petrophysical and geomechanical characteristics of a $CO_2$ sequestration test site, Pohang. The target reservoir exists at a depth of 750 m, where porous and permeable sandstones/conglomerates prevail. The reservoir is underlain by thick mudstone formations. We estimate in situ stress conditions using an exploratory wellbore drilled through the target reservoir. The in situ stress condition is characterized by a strike-slip faulting favored stress regime. We discuss various aspects of reservoir fracture pressures and fault reactivation pressures based on the stress magnitudes.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.145-166
• /
• 2021

Korea Stress Map database is built by integrating actual data of 1,400 in-situ stress measurements using hydraulic fracturing and overcoring method in South Korea. Korea Stress Map 2020 is presented based on the guideline proposed by World Stress Map Project. As detailed data, stress ratio and maximum horizontal stress direction distribution for each region are also presented. The dominant maximum horizontal stress direction in the Korean Peninsula is from northeast to southeast, and the magnitude of the in-situ stress is relatively distributed. There is some stress heterogeneity caused by local characteristics such as topographical and geological properties. We investigated case studies in which the in-situ stress was affected by mountainous topography, difference in rock quality of fracture zone, presence of mine or underground cavities, and geological structure of fault zone.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.7 no.4
• /
• pp.323-333
• /
• 1997

A rock mass is usually classified by the results of geological survey and laboratory tests on rock specimens in order to obtain the adequate properties for the numerical analysis. For these purposes a rock mass strength is estimated based on the empirical criterion proposed by Hoek and Brown and a modulus of deformation is taken with the empirical relations developed by Bieniawski, Serafim and Pereira. In addition, the $K_o$ value which is the ratio of the horizontal stress to the vertical stress is one of the most important input data in the numerical analysis. Its role on a tunnel stability analysis could be verified with the numerical results taken by a finite difference code or a distinct element code. However, a deduced value used to be applied for the $K_o$ value in most of tunnel designs, even though the patterns of stress tensor are variable with regions and depths. Thus in situ stresses were measured by a hydraulic fracturing technique on several tunnel sites and applied directly to the tunnel design for the enhancement of its precision. With those informations on in situ stresses, the safe design should be obtained economically on the road or subway tunnels.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.134-148
• /
• 2008

The state of in situ stress is an important factor in considering the suitability of a site as a geological repository for nuclear waste. In this study, three-dimensional distinct numerical analysis was conducted to investigate the effect of deformation zones on the state of stress in the Oskarshamn area, which is one of two candidate sites in Sweden. A discontinuum numerical model was constructed by explicitly representing the numerous deformation zones identified from site investigation and far-field tectonic stress was applied in the constructed model. The numerical model successfully captured the variation of measured stress often observed in the rock mass containing large-scale fractures, which shows that numerical analysis can be an effective tool in improving the understanding of the state of stresses. Discrepancies between measured and modelled stress are attributed to the inconsistent quality of measured stress, uncertainty in geological geometry. and input data for fractures.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
• /
• 2010.09a
• /
• pp.990-996
• /
• 2010

In this study, a method for estimating the effective stress of clays using in-situ penetration test(PCPT) result is proposed. The proposed method is based on a correlation between the PCPT results and strength increment ratio. According to proposed method, no additional testing procedure for collecting undisturbed soil sample is required, which can reduce overall testing cost. To verify this method, for analysis, various analytical solutions were adopted and used. Measured and predicted effective stress are compared on the test results. The verification sites consist of a variety of soil condition. From comparison, it is seen that predicted value of effective stress using the propose method match well those from measured results.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.237-247
• /
• 2002

A total of 18 stress measurements were performed in the rock and rock-like blocks in the laboratory to estimate the influence of anisotropy in rock. Full scale overcoring equipment, which consists of a coring machine and a biaxial loading system by flat jacks, was developed to simulate the in-situ rock stress condition in the laboratory By comparing the isotropic analysis with the anisotropic analysis in measuring the stress, conclusions have been drawn as to the influence of anisotropy. The maximum difference between the isotropic and the anisotropic analysis was 34% and it was shown that the stress measurement considering the anisotropy was needed. To confirm the validity of the observed data, a diagnostic analysis of stress relief curve by overcoring was conducted using the three dimensional finite difference program, FLAC 3D.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.80-89
• /
• 2008

The influence of in-situ rock stress on the stability of an underground rock structure increases as the construction depth become deeper and the scale of a rock structure become larger. In general, hydraulic fracturing stress measurement has been performed in the surface boreholes of the target area at the design stage of an underground structure. However, for some areas where the high horizontal stresses were observed or where the overstressed conditions caused by topographical and geological factors are expected, it is desirable to conduct additional in-situ stress measurement in the underground construction site to obtain more detailed stress information for ensuring the stability of a rock structure and the propriety of current design. The study area was a construction site for the additional underground oil storage facility located in the south-east part of OO city, Jeollanam-do. Previous detailed site investigation prior to the design of underground structures revealed that the excessive horizontal stress field with the horizontal stress ratio(K) greater than 3.0 was observed in the construction area. In this study, a total of 13 hydraulic fracturing stress measurements was conducted in two boreholes drill from the two water tunnel sites in the study area. The investigation zone was from 180 m to 300 m in depth from the surface and all of the fracture tracing works were carried out by acoustic televiewer scanning. For some testing intervals at more than 200 m ind depth from surface, the high horizontal stress components the horizontal stress ratio(K) greater than 2.50 were observed. And the overall investigation results showed a good agreement with the previously performed test.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.237-248
• /
• 2000

Based on the preliminary results from the therm analysis, which is currently carrying, three-dimensional computer simulations using a finite element code, ABAQUS Ver. 5.8, were designed to determine the mechanically stable cavern and deposition hole spacing. Linear elastic modeling for the cases with different cavern and deposition hole spacing were carried out under three different in situ stress conditions. From the simulations, the response of the rock to the stress redistribution after the excavation of the openings could be investigated. Also the optimum cavern and deposition hole spacing could be estimated based on the factor of safety. When the in situ stress determined from the actual stress measurements in Korea were used, the case with cavern spacing of 40m and deposition hole spacing of 3m was in very stable condition, because the factor of safety was calculated as 3.42., When the in situ stress conditions for Sweden and Canada were used, the previous case, they seem to be in stable condition, since the factors of safety are still higher than 1.0. From these results, it was concluded that the rock will not fail even after the stress redistribution.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.7 no.3
• /
• pp.233-246
• /
• 2014

Estimation of fracture initiation pressure is one of the most difficult technical challenges in hydraulic fracturing treatment of vertical or horizontal oil wells. In this study, the influence of in-situ stresses and pore pressure values on fracture initiation pressure and its profile in vertical and horizontal oil wells in a normal stress regime have been investigated. Cohesive elements with traction-separation law (XFEM-based cohesive law) are used for simulating the fracturing process in a fluid-solid coupling finite element model. The maximum nominal stress criterion is selected for initiation of damage in the cohesive elements. The stress intensity factors are verified for both XFEM-based cohesive law and analytical solution to show the validation of the cohesive law in fracture modeling where the compared results are in a very good agreement with less than 1% error. The results showed that, generally by increasing the difference between the maximum and minimum horizontal stress, the fracture pressure and its profile has been strongly changed in the vertical wells. Also, it's been clearly observed that in a horizontal well drilled in the direction of minimum horizontal stress, the values of fracture pressure have been significantly affected by the difference between overburden pressure and maximum horizontal stress. Additionally, increasing pore pressure from under-pressure regime to over-pressure state has made a considerable fall on fracture pressure in both vertical and horizontal oil wells.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.17 no.2 s.67
• /
• pp.90-101
• /
• 2007

With increasing development of underground space, underground pumped storage power plants, which generate power by felling water in upper reservoir to lower reservoir, have been continuously constructed. For efficient and safe design, construction and maintenance or such power plants, it is very important to understand in-situ stress and the mechanical properties of the surrounding rock mass at the design stage. The power plant presented in this paper is under construction at a depth of $320{\sim}375m$. For stability evaluation of the structure, in-situ stress was measured by over-coring method. Also pressurementer test and a series or laboratory tests were performed to obtain the mechanical properties. Numerical analyses were conducted to check the efficiency of designed support patterns. The results showed that unstable areas occurred partly in the numerical model, and therefore supports were additionally applied. Finally complete stability was obtained and the following excavation has been operated successfully until now.