• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.109-119
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• 2001

Up to now single large cavern was excavated for each undergroud hydraulic powerhouse in Korea. But the Yangyang underground hydraulic powerhouse consists of two large caverns; a powerhouse cavern and main transformer cavern. In this carte, the structural stability of the caverns, especially the rock pillar formed between two large caverns, should be guaranteed to be sound to make the caverns permanently sustainable. In this research, the Distinct Element Method(DEM) was used to analyze the structural stability of two caverns and the rock pillar. The Barton-Bandis joint model was used as a constitutive model. The moot significant parameters such as in-site stress, JRC of in-situ natural joints, and spatial distribution characteristics of discontinuities were acquired through field investigation. In addition, two different cases; 1) with no support system and 2) with a support system, were analysed to optimize a support system and to investigate reinforcing effects of a support system. The results of analysis horizontal displacement and joint shear displacement proved to be reduced with the support system. The relaxed zone in the rock pilar also proved to be reduced in conjunction with the support system. Having a support system in place provided the fact that the non zero minimum principal stresses were still acting in the rock pillar so that the pillar was not under uniaxial compressive condition but under triaxial compressive condition. The structural stability f an approximately 36 m wide rock pillar between two large caverns was assured with the appropriate support system.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.248-258
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• 2002

The sixth underground pumped powerhouse cavern is now under construction in Korea. For the stability analysis for the caverns of the five underground powerhouses, finite element method was used. For the analysis, in-situ rock stress were measured by overcoring method. The stress measurement showed that initial horizontal to vertical stress ratio was 1.07-1.32 in low powerhouse sites. Rock mass strength and elasticity were assumed from rock core properties through engineering processes. So the ratio of input elasticity fur the analysis were about 0.16-0.55 to rock core elasticity. In most of the analysis, elasto-plastic condition with Mohr-Coulomb failure criteria were applied. But in one case, viscoelastic condition was applied, too. The input cohesion and internal friction angle were approximately 0.12-0.22, 0.6-0.87 to rock core strength parameters, respectively.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.155-165
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• 2014

Multiple thermal energy storage (TES) caverns can be used for storing thermal energy on a large scale and for a high-aspect-ratio heat storage design to provide good thermal performance. It may also be necessary to consider the use of multiple caverns with a reduced length when a single, long tunnel-shaped cavern is not suitable for connection to aboveground heat production and injection equipments. When using multiple TES caverns, the separation distance between the caverns is one of the significant factors that should be considered in the design of storage space, and the optimal separation distance should be determined based on a quantitative stability criterion. In this paper, we described a numerical approach for determining the optimal separation distance between multiple caverns for large-scale TES utilization. For reliable stability evaluation of multiple caverns, we employed a probabilistic method which can quantitatively take into account the uncertainty of input parameters by probability distributions, unlike conventional deterministic approaches. The present approach was applied to the design of a conceptual TES model to store hot water for district heating. The probabilistic stability results of this application demonstrated that the approach in our work can be effectively used as a decision-making tool to determine the optimal separation distance between multiple caverns. In addition, the probabilistic results were compared to those obtained through a deterministic analysis, and the comparison results suggested that care should taken in selecting the acceptable level of stability when using deterministic approaches.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.67-80
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• 2014

Long-term stability and delayed failure of granite were evaluated through the laboratory test based on Wilkins method and Brazilian disc test (BDT) which yields tensile strength, mode I fracture toughness and subcritical crack growth parameters. Then, the long-term strength of granite was estimated by using analytical models and long-term stability of compressed air-energy storage (CAES) pilot cavern pressurized up to 5 ~ 6 MPa was evaluated using numerical code, FRACOD with the determined subcritical crack growth parameters. The results of test and analyses showed that the subcritical crack growth index, n was determined as 29.39 and the inner pressure of 5 ~ 6 MPa had an insignificant effect on the long-term stability of pilot cavern. It was also found that the measurement and analysis of acoustic emission events can describe the accumulation of damage due to subcritical crack growth quantitatively. That is, AE monitoring can provide the current status of rock under loading if we make an identical installation condition in the field with that of the laboratory test.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.16-25
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• 2004

As underground caverns have many advantages such as safety and operation, they can also be used for gas storage purpose. When liquefied gas is stored underground, the cryogenic temperature of the gas affects the stability of the storage cavern. In order to store the liquefied gas successfully, it is essential to estimate the exact temperature distribution of the rock mass around the caverns. The main purpose of this study is the development of theoretical solution to be able to estimate the temperature distribution around storage caverns and the assessment of the solution. In this study, a theoretical solution and a conceptual model for estimating two and three dimensional temperature distribution around the storage caverns are suggested. Based on the multi-dimensional transient heat transfer theory, the theoretical solution is successfully derived by assuming the caverns shape as simplified geometry. In order to assess the theoretical solution, by performing numerical experiments with this multi-dimensional model, the temperature distribution of the theoretical solution is compared with that of numerical analysis. Furthermore, the effects of the caverns size are investigated.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.153-168
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• 2003

The objective of this present study is to understand long term(500 years) thermohydromechanical interaction behavior in the vicinity of a repository cavern on the joint location and repository depth variations. The model includes a saturated discontinuous granitic rock mass, PWR spent nuclear fuel in a disposal canister surrounded with compacted bentonite inside a deposition hole, and mixed bentonite backfilled in the rest of the space within a repository cavern. It is assumed that two joint sets exist within the model. Joint set 1 includes joints of 56$^{\circ}$ dip angle, spaced at 20 m, and joint set 2 is in the perpendicular direction to joint set 1 and includes joints of 34$^{\circ}$ dip angle, spaced at 20 m. In order to understand the behavior change on the joint location variations, 5 different models of 500m in depth are analyzed, and additional 3 different models of 1000 m in depth are analyzed to understand the effect of depth variation.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.441-446
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• 2000

Numerical analysis using FLAC3D has been conducted to estimate the stability of a large underground hall that is to be excavated in a mined area and constructed as an unit of a resort park. Numerical modelling is divided into two stages. The first stage is related to the analysis of the mechanical stability of the hall itself and the second to that of the influence of an adjacent mined cavity upon the hall. In the first stage, the stability of the hall is judged from the interpretation of numerical results in three respects: convergence of the unbalanced force of the model, occurrence of plastic zones and distribution of the displacement. In the second stage, variation of the stress state around the underground hall due to the existence of the cavity is compared to that in the case of the absence of the cavity. Through these analyses, it could be known that the large underground hall is not exposed to any mechanical problems and also not affected by the adjacent cavity.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.77-85
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• 2012

In a material, micro-cracks can be progressively occurred, propagated and finally lead to failure when it is subjected to cyclic or periodic loading less than its ultimate strength. This phenomenon, fatigue, is usually considered in a metal, alloy and structures under repeated loading conditions. In underground structures, a static creep behavior rather than a dynamic fatigue behavior is mostly considered. However, when compressed air is stored in a rock cavern, an inner pressure is periodically changed due to repeated in- and-out process of compressed air. Therefore mechanical properties of surrounding rock mass and an inner lining system under cyclic loading/unloading conditions should be investigated. In this study, considering an underground lined rock cavern for compressed air energy storage (CAES), the mechanical properties of a lining system, that is, concrete lining and plug under periodic loading/unloading conditions were characterized through cyclic bending tests and shear tests. From these tests, the stability of the plug was evaluated and the S-N line of the concrete lining was obtained.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.287-294
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• 2002

CAES which is called as a compressed air energy storage was firstly developed at Huntorf, German in 1978. The capacity of that system was 290MW, and it can be treated as a first commercial power plant. CAES has a lot of merits, such as saving the unit price of power generation, averaging the peak demand, improvement of maintenance, enlarging the benefit of dynamic use. According to the literature survey, the unlined rock cavern should be proposed to be a reasonable storing style as a method of compressed air storage in Korea. We decided the hill of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources as CAES site. If we construct the underground spaces in this site, the demand for electricity nearby Taejon should be considered. So we could determine the capacity of the power plant as a 350MW, This capacity needs a underground space of 200,000㎥, and we can conclude 4 parallel tunnels 550m deep from the surface through the numerical studies, Design parameters were achieved from 300m depth boring job and image processing job.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.1
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• pp.66-74
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• 1991

The block theory with stereographic projection was applied and analyzed on the tunnel section of Samcheok Coal Mine. The results were as follows ; 1) Prevail orientations of discontinuity of sandstone around the main driftway of Samcheok Coal Mine were $(327^{\circ},\;44^{\circ}),\;(13^{\circ},\;24^{\circ}),\;(204^{\circ},\;65^{\circ})$ and $(225^{\circ},\;77^{\circ})$ in dip and dip direction, respectively. 2) Movable blocks of the site were 0110, 0111, 1110(roof), 0100, 0110, 1110(right wall) and 0001, 1001, 1011(left wall). Because of the direction of tunnel, blocks of the left wall was safe. thus key blocks were those of the roof and the right wall. Maximum height of key block was larger than the width of the tunnel but 2m of the yielded zone is expected in general for 5m width tunnel. 3) It is shown that block theory is applicable to large cavern in hard rock analysis.