Underground Cavern Excavation Research Articles

The underground crude oil storage caverns of Visakhapatnam, India

AbstractUnderground storage schemes are gaining importance in India, as all over the world. Such storage schemes involve the excavation of large underground caverns, connecting tunnels and various types of shafts. This example provides storage for more than 1.3 mill. metric tons of crude oil stored in unlined caverns 20 m wide, 30 m high and up to 820 m long. The scheme also includes three 110 m deep product intake shafts, two 90 m deep product extraction shafts and about 2,600 m of tunnels. The total volume, excavated by drill and blast method, is about 2 mill. m3 and rock support is provided by post‐grouted rock bolts and steel fibre reinforced shotcrete. The product is confined on the principle of a groundwater curtain system, essentially employing ground water pressure gradients to contain the crude oil within the unlined rock cavern complex. Excavation works on the project commenced in the middle of 2008 and, after some delays, were finally completed in February 2014. This paper focuses on the risk management practices employed for this project. The paper “Rock mass behaviour of weathered, jointed and faulted Khondalite – Examples from the underground crude oil storage caverns, Visakhapatnam, India” by Sigl, Millen and Höfer‐Öllinger that refers to the actual situation will be published in issue 3‐2014 of Geomechanics and Tunnelling.

Stability Analysis of Surrounding Rock with Two Groups Parallel Joints Using DDARF Method

In order to analyze the stability of surrounding rocks with two groups parallel joints under different angles, a new method, DDARF (discontinuous deformation analysis for rock failure) program was adopted to investigate three cases of uniaxial compression tests of two groups parallel joints sample with the angels 30, 45 and 60. The results show the sample with 30 is least prone to be destroyed and the sample with 60 are most likely to be destroyed. Then DDARF program was also applied to investigate the underground cavern excavation process of two groups parallel joints surrounding rocks with the angels 30, 45 and 60. The results show that the stability of underground cavern with joint angel of 60 is worst in the aspect of stability.

Mechanical properties of rock under coupled static-dynamic loads

Rock drilling machine, INSTRON testing system, and SHPB device are updated to investigate the characteristics of rocks at great depth, with high loads from overburden, tectonic stresses and dynamic impacts due to blasting and boring. It is verified that these testing systems can be used to study the mechanical properties of rock material under coupled static and dynamic loading condition and give useful guidance for the deep mining and underground cavern excavation. Various tests to determine the rock strength, fragmentation behavior, and energy absorption were conducted using the updated testing systems. It is shown that under coupled static-dynamic loads, if the axial prestress is lower than its elastic limit, the rock strength is higher than the individual static or dynamic strength. At the same axial prestress, rock strength under coupled loads rises with the increasing strain rates. Under coupled static and dynamic loads, rock is observed to fail with tensile mode. While shear failure may exist if axial prestress is high enough. In addition, it is shown that the percentage of small particles increases with the increasing axial prestress and impact load based on the analysis of the particle-size distribution of fragments. It is also suggested that the energy absorption ratio of a specimen varies with coupled loads, and the maximum energy absorption ratio for a rock can be obtained with an appropriate combination of static and dynamic loads.

Damage coupled time-dependent model of a jointed rock mass and application to large underground cavern excavation

Damage coupled time-dependent model of a jointed rock mass and application to large underground cavern excavation

Latest technology of underground rock cavern excavation in Japan

Four major projects with large-scale rock underground caverns are discussed in this report; two hydropower stations, one underground oil storage facility and one underground museum in Japan. The technology applied to the construction of these caverns have some unique characteristics and can be applied to various other underground uses for different purposes and applied to larger-scale underground rock caverns with different geological and in situ stress conditions. Generally, construction of an underground cavern is comprised of five major activities: geological investigation; cavern stability analysis; initial rock support design; excavation works; and redesign of rock support according to the observational construction method. Weighted factors allocated among these factors should be established based on the rock properties and the purpose of the underground cavern use, which would define the major characteristics of the construction project. This report discusses some of major characteristics of these projects in Japan.

Groundwater behaviour in jointed rock mass during excavation of underground crude oil storage caverns : Aoki, K; Shiogama, Y; Kobuchi, T Proc International Symposium on Rock Joints, Loen, 4–6 June 1990P363–368. Publ Rotterdam: A A Balkema, 1990

Groundwater behaviour in jointed rock mass during excavation of underground crude oil storage caverns : Aoki, K; Shiogama, Y; Kobuchi, T Proc International Symposium on Rock Joints, Loen, 4–6 June 1990P363–368. Publ Rotterdam: A A Balkema, 1990

Exciting possibilities for large underground cavern excavation : Sagefors, I Tunn Tunnlg V18, N9, Sept 1986, P34–36

Exciting possibilities for large underground cavern excavation : Sagefors, I Tunn Tunnlg V18, N9, Sept 1986, P34–36

Engineering aspects of underground cavern excavation at dinorvic - Part 4. A study of blast vibrations Part 2 : Isaac, I D; Bubb, C Tunn Tunnlg, V13, N8, Sept 1981, P61–65

Engineering aspects of underground cavern excavation at dinorvic - Part 4. A study of blast vibrations Part 2 : Isaac, I D; Bubb, C Tunn Tunnlg, V13, N8, Sept 1981, P61–65

Engineering aspects of underground cavern excavation at Dinorwic - Part 3. A study of blast vibrations, Part 1 : Isaac, I D; Bubb, C Tunn Tunnlg, V24, N6, July 1981, P35–41

Engineering aspects of underground cavern excavation at Dinorwic - Part 3. A study of blast vibrations, Part 1 : Isaac, I D; Bubb, C Tunn Tunnlg, V24, N6, July 1981, P35–41

Engineering aspects of underground cavern excavation at Dinorwic - Part 2. Drilling and blasting : Isaac, I D; Bubb, C Tunn Tunnlg, V13, N5, June 1981, P15–21

In the second article describing excavation techniques used at the dinorwic pumped storage scheme, the authors describe the general principles of drilling and blasting underground caverns. Techniques were adapted to meet local conditions in which recognition of rock qualities enabled blasting patterns to be designed for the varying shapes and stages of excavation for the complex of caverns and associated tunnels. Typical blast patterns are illustrated indicating how they were adapted for blasting heavily jointed rock. The influence on drilling and charging patterns of the plant used is also discussed. (TRRL)

Engineering aspects of underground cavern excavation at dinorwic - part 1. Geology at dinorwic : Isaac, I D; Bubb, C Tunn Tunnlg, V13, N3, April 1981, P20–25

Engineering aspects of underground cavern excavation at dinorwic - part 1. Geology at dinorwic : Isaac, I D; Bubb, C Tunn Tunnlg, V13, N3, April 1981, P20–25