Ground failure is a major contributor to fatalities in underground mines in the US.Underground coal mines in the Northern Appalachian have weak roof rock composed of shale,which is prone to failure under high horizont...Ground failure is a major contributor to fatalities in underground mines in the US.Underground coal mines in the Northern Appalachian have weak roof rock composed of shale,which is prone to failure under high horizontal stress.Understanding the relationship among strength,specimen size and rock petrographic parameters is essential for developing an effective ground control plan.Size effect studies have found that rock strength varies with specimen size.This paper attempts to understand this strength variation using three specimen sizes(254-mm,508-mm,and 762-mm).The specimen strength was measured and the major petrographic parameters affecting the strength,namely grain size,grain shape,quartz content,clay content,etc.were analyzed using X-ray diffraction(XRD)and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The petrographic parameters were then correlated with the strength of the three differently sized specimens.The results showed that 508-mm specimen had the lowest strength.Quartz content of the 508-mm specimen was lower than that of 254-mm and 762-mm specimens.Clay content and average grain size of the 508-mm specimen were higher than those of 254-mm and 762-mm specimens.These results clearly show that grain size,quartz content and clay content contribute to strength variation observed in differently sized shale specimens.展开更多
Estimating weak rock mass modulus has historically proven difficult although this mechanical property is an important input to many types of geotechnical analyses. An empirical database of weak rock mass modulus with ...Estimating weak rock mass modulus has historically proven difficult although this mechanical property is an important input to many types of geotechnical analyses. An empirical database of weak rock mass modulus with associated detailed geotechnical parameters was assembled from plate loading tests per- formed at underground mines in Nevada, the Bakhtiary Dam project, and Portugues Dam project. The database was used to assess the accuracy of published single-variate models and to develop a multivari- ate model for predicting in-situ weak rock mass modulus when limited geoteehnical data are available. Only two of the published models were adequate for predicting modulus of weak rock masses over lim- ited ranges of alteration intensities, and none of the models provided good estimates of modulus over a range of geotechnical properties. In light of this shortcoming, a multivariate model was developed from the weak rock mass modulus dataset, and the new model is exponential in form and has the following independent variables： （1） average block size or joint spacing, （2） field estimated rock strength, （3） dis- continuity roughness, and （4） discontinuity infilling hardness. The multivariate model provided better estimates of modulus for both hard-blocky rock masses and intensely-altered rock masses.展开更多
Evaporites, such as salt and potash, pose unique problems to ground-support designs that are not encountered in other rock types. Evaporites are subject to continual creep and no amount of ground support can successfu...Evaporites, such as salt and potash, pose unique problems to ground-support designs that are not encountered in other rock types. Evaporites are subject to continual creep and no amount of ground support can successfully arrest this process. Common ground-support techniques that are useful for most rock types may reduce the effective life of bolts in evaporite mines and create unseen hazards. A different approach to ground support must be applied to provide long-term support in areas where high creep rates are present. The goal of effective ground-support designs in these situations is not to contain and prevent the rock from moving; rather, the ground-support design must be able to move along with the rock and contain any fully detached slabs until additional remediation measures can be undertaken.The most appropriate ground-support designs will consider the expected movement of the rock and the duration that the area needs to remain accessible.展开更多
Borehole thermal energy storage(BTES)systems have garnered significant attention owing to their efficacy in storing thermal energy for heating and cooling applications.Accurate modeling is paramount for ensuring the p...Borehole thermal energy storage(BTES)systems have garnered significant attention owing to their efficacy in storing thermal energy for heating and cooling applications.Accurate modeling is paramount for ensuring the precise design and operation of BTES systems.This study conducts a sensitivity analysis of BTES modeling by employing a comparative investigation of five distinct parameters on a wedge-shaped model,with implications extendable to a cylindrical configuration.The parameters examined included two design factors(well spacing and grout thermal conductivity),two operational variables(charging and discharging rates),and one geological attribute(soil thermal conductivity).Finite element simulations were carried out for the sensitivity analysis to evaluate the round-trip efficiency,both on a per-cycle basis and cumulatively over three years of operation,serving as performance metrics.The results showed varying degrees of sensitivity across different models to changes in these parameters.In particular,the round-trip efficiency exhibited a greater sensitivity to changes in spacing and volumetric flow rate.Furthermore,this study underscores the importance of considering the impact of the soil and grout-material thermal conductivities on the BTES-system performance over time.An optimized scenario is modelled and compared with the base case,over a comparative assessment based on a 10-year simulation.The analysis revealed that,at the end of the 10-year period,the optimized BTES model achieved a cycle efficiency of 83.4%.This sensitivity analysis provides valuable insights into the merits and constraints of diverse BTES modeling methodologies,aiding in the selection of appropriate modeling tools for BTES system design and operation.展开更多
The publisher regrets that the declaration of competing interest statements was not included in the published version of the article titled“Sensitivity analysis of borehole thermal energy storage:examining key factor...The publisher regrets that the declaration of competing interest statements was not included in the published version of the article titled“Sensitivity analysis of borehole thermal energy storage:examining key factors for system optimization”,which appeared in the last issue of Energy Storage and Saving.展开更多
文摘Ground failure is a major contributor to fatalities in underground mines in the US.Underground coal mines in the Northern Appalachian have weak roof rock composed of shale,which is prone to failure under high horizontal stress.Understanding the relationship among strength,specimen size and rock petrographic parameters is essential for developing an effective ground control plan.Size effect studies have found that rock strength varies with specimen size.This paper attempts to understand this strength variation using three specimen sizes(254-mm,508-mm,and 762-mm).The specimen strength was measured and the major petrographic parameters affecting the strength,namely grain size,grain shape,quartz content,clay content,etc.were analyzed using X-ray diffraction(XRD)and scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The petrographic parameters were then correlated with the strength of the three differently sized specimens.The results showed that 508-mm specimen had the lowest strength.Quartz content of the 508-mm specimen was lower than that of 254-mm and 762-mm specimens.Clay content and average grain size of the 508-mm specimen were higher than those of 254-mm and 762-mm specimens.These results clearly show that grain size,quartz content and clay content contribute to strength variation observed in differently sized shale specimens.
基金funded by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health through research contract 200-2011-39965(Principal Investigator Dr.Kallu)University of Nevada,Reno,NV
文摘Estimating weak rock mass modulus has historically proven difficult although this mechanical property is an important input to many types of geotechnical analyses. An empirical database of weak rock mass modulus with associated detailed geotechnical parameters was assembled from plate loading tests per- formed at underground mines in Nevada, the Bakhtiary Dam project, and Portugues Dam project. The database was used to assess the accuracy of published single-variate models and to develop a multivari- ate model for predicting in-situ weak rock mass modulus when limited geoteehnical data are available. Only two of the published models were adequate for predicting modulus of weak rock masses over lim- ited ranges of alteration intensities, and none of the models provided good estimates of modulus over a range of geotechnical properties. In light of this shortcoming, a multivariate model was developed from the weak rock mass modulus dataset, and the new model is exponential in form and has the following independent variables： （1） average block size or joint spacing, （2） field estimated rock strength, （3） dis- continuity roughness, and （4） discontinuity infilling hardness. The multivariate model provided better estimates of modulus for both hard-blocky rock masses and intensely-altered rock masses.
文摘Evaporites, such as salt and potash, pose unique problems to ground-support designs that are not encountered in other rock types. Evaporites are subject to continual creep and no amount of ground support can successfully arrest this process. Common ground-support techniques that are useful for most rock types may reduce the effective life of bolts in evaporite mines and create unseen hazards. A different approach to ground support must be applied to provide long-term support in areas where high creep rates are present. The goal of effective ground-support designs in these situations is not to contain and prevent the rock from moving; rather, the ground-support design must be able to move along with the rock and contain any fully detached slabs until additional remediation measures can be undertaken.The most appropriate ground-support designs will consider the expected movement of the rock and the duration that the area needs to remain accessible.
文摘Borehole thermal energy storage(BTES)systems have garnered significant attention owing to their efficacy in storing thermal energy for heating and cooling applications.Accurate modeling is paramount for ensuring the precise design and operation of BTES systems.This study conducts a sensitivity analysis of BTES modeling by employing a comparative investigation of five distinct parameters on a wedge-shaped model,with implications extendable to a cylindrical configuration.The parameters examined included two design factors(well spacing and grout thermal conductivity),two operational variables(charging and discharging rates),and one geological attribute(soil thermal conductivity).Finite element simulations were carried out for the sensitivity analysis to evaluate the round-trip efficiency,both on a per-cycle basis and cumulatively over three years of operation,serving as performance metrics.The results showed varying degrees of sensitivity across different models to changes in these parameters.In particular,the round-trip efficiency exhibited a greater sensitivity to changes in spacing and volumetric flow rate.Furthermore,this study underscores the importance of considering the impact of the soil and grout-material thermal conductivities on the BTES-system performance over time.An optimized scenario is modelled and compared with the base case,over a comparative assessment based on a 10-year simulation.The analysis revealed that,at the end of the 10-year period,the optimized BTES model achieved a cycle efficiency of 83.4%.This sensitivity analysis provides valuable insights into the merits and constraints of diverse BTES modeling methodologies,aiding in the selection of appropriate modeling tools for BTES system design and operation.
文摘The publisher regrets that the declaration of competing interest statements was not included in the published version of the article titled“Sensitivity analysis of borehole thermal energy storage:examining key factors for system optimization”,which appeared in the last issue of Energy Storage and Saving.
