The big underground powerhouse cavern of the China Baihetan hydropower plant is 438m long,34m wide,and 88.7m high.It is cut by a weak interlayer shear zone and its high sidewall poses a huge stability problem.This pap...The big underground powerhouse cavern of the China Baihetan hydropower plant is 438m long,34m wide,and 88.7m high.It is cut by a weak interlayer shear zone and its high sidewall poses a huge stability problem.This paper reports our successful solution of this problem through numerical simulations and a replacement-tunnel scheme in the detailed design stage and close site monitoring in the excavation stage.Particularly,in the detail design stage,mechanical parameters of the shear zone were carefully determined through laboratory experiments and site tests.Then,deformation of the surrounding rocks and the shear zone under high in situ stress conditions was predicted using 3 Dimensional Distinct Element Code(3DEC).Subsequently,a replacement-tunnel scheme was proposed for the treatment on the shear zone to prevent severe unloading relaxation of surrounding rocks.In the construction period,excavation responses were closely monitored on deformations of surrounding rocks and the shear zone.The effect of local cracking in the replacement tunnels on sidewall stability was evaluated using the strength reduction method.These monitoring results were compared with the predicted numerical simulation in the detailed design stage.It is found that the shear zone greatly modified the deformation mode of the cavern surrounding rocks.Without any treatment,rock mass deformation on the downstream sidewall was larger than 125mm and the shearing deformation of the shear zone was 60–70 mm.These preset replacement tunnels can reduce not only the unloading and relaxation of rock masses but also the maximum shearing deformation of the shear zone by 10–20 mm.The predictions by numerical simulation were in good agreement with the monitoring results.The proposed tunnel-replacement scheme can not only restrain the shear zone deformation but also enhance the safety of surrounding rocks and concrete tunnels.This design procedure offers a good reference for interaction between a big underground cavern and a weak layer zone in the future.展开更多
Accurate prediction of hydraulic fracture propagation is vital for Enhanced Geothermal System(EGS)design.We study the first hydraulic fracturing job at the GR1 well in the Gonghe Basin using field data,where the overa...Accurate prediction of hydraulic fracture propagation is vital for Enhanced Geothermal System(EGS)design.We study the first hydraulic fracturing job at the GR1 well in the Gonghe Basin using field data,where the overall direction of hydraulic fractures does not show a delineated shape parallel to the maximum principal stress orientation.A field-scale numerical model based on the distinct element method is set up to carry out a fully coupled hydromechanical simulation,with the explicit representation of natural fractures via the discrete fracture network(DFN)approach.The effects of injection parameters and in situ stress on hydraulic fracture patterns are then quantitatively assessed.The study reveals that shear-induced deformation primarily governs the fracturing morphology in the GR1 well,driven by smaller injection rates and viscosities that promote massive activation of natural fractures,ultimately dominating the direction of hydraulic fracturing.Furthermore,the increase of in situ differential stress may promote shear damage of natural fracture surfaces,with the exact influence pattern depending on the combination of specific discontinuity properties and in situ stress state.Finally,we provide recommendations for EGS fracturing based on the influence characteristics of multiple parameters.This study can serve as an effective basis and reference for the design and optimization of EGS in the Gonghe basin and other sites.展开更多
基金Program of China Three Gorges Corporation,Grant/Award Number:BHT 0679-1。
文摘The big underground powerhouse cavern of the China Baihetan hydropower plant is 438m long,34m wide,and 88.7m high.It is cut by a weak interlayer shear zone and its high sidewall poses a huge stability problem.This paper reports our successful solution of this problem through numerical simulations and a replacement-tunnel scheme in the detailed design stage and close site monitoring in the excavation stage.Particularly,in the detail design stage,mechanical parameters of the shear zone were carefully determined through laboratory experiments and site tests.Then,deformation of the surrounding rocks and the shear zone under high in situ stress conditions was predicted using 3 Dimensional Distinct Element Code(3DEC).Subsequently,a replacement-tunnel scheme was proposed for the treatment on the shear zone to prevent severe unloading relaxation of surrounding rocks.In the construction period,excavation responses were closely monitored on deformations of surrounding rocks and the shear zone.The effect of local cracking in the replacement tunnels on sidewall stability was evaluated using the strength reduction method.These monitoring results were compared with the predicted numerical simulation in the detailed design stage.It is found that the shear zone greatly modified the deformation mode of the cavern surrounding rocks.Without any treatment,rock mass deformation on the downstream sidewall was larger than 125mm and the shearing deformation of the shear zone was 60–70 mm.These preset replacement tunnels can reduce not only the unloading and relaxation of rock masses but also the maximum shearing deformation of the shear zone by 10–20 mm.The predictions by numerical simulation were in good agreement with the monitoring results.The proposed tunnel-replacement scheme can not only restrain the shear zone deformation but also enhance the safety of surrounding rocks and concrete tunnels.This design procedure offers a good reference for interaction between a big underground cavern and a weak layer zone in the future.
基金support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.42320104003,42177175,and 42077247)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.
文摘Accurate prediction of hydraulic fracture propagation is vital for Enhanced Geothermal System(EGS)design.We study the first hydraulic fracturing job at the GR1 well in the Gonghe Basin using field data,where the overall direction of hydraulic fractures does not show a delineated shape parallel to the maximum principal stress orientation.A field-scale numerical model based on the distinct element method is set up to carry out a fully coupled hydromechanical simulation,with the explicit representation of natural fractures via the discrete fracture network(DFN)approach.The effects of injection parameters and in situ stress on hydraulic fracture patterns are then quantitatively assessed.The study reveals that shear-induced deformation primarily governs the fracturing morphology in the GR1 well,driven by smaller injection rates and viscosities that promote massive activation of natural fractures,ultimately dominating the direction of hydraulic fracturing.Furthermore,the increase of in situ differential stress may promote shear damage of natural fracture surfaces,with the exact influence pattern depending on the combination of specific discontinuity properties and in situ stress state.Finally,we provide recommendations for EGS fracturing based on the influence characteristics of multiple parameters.This study can serve as an effective basis and reference for the design and optimization of EGS in the Gonghe basin and other sites.
