Discrete element modelling of stress-induced instability of directional drilling boreholes in anisotropic rock

Directional drilling is a viable and cost-effective trenchless technology for the installation of pipelines and conduits in shallow formations and the extraction of unconventional energy resources in deep reservoirs. The performance of drilled boreholes is associated not only with drilling practice...

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Main Authors: Duan, Kang, Wu, Wei, Kwok, Chung Yee
Other Authors: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/141722
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author Duan, Kang
Wu, Wei
Kwok, Chung Yee
author2 School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
author_facet School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Duan, Kang
Wu, Wei
Kwok, Chung Yee
author_sort Duan, Kang
collection NTU
description Directional drilling is a viable and cost-effective trenchless technology for the installation of pipelines and conduits in shallow formations and the extraction of unconventional energy resources in deep reservoirs. The performance of drilled boreholes is associated not only with drilling practice (e.g., borehole size and drilling direction) but also with geological environment (e.g., in-situ stress and geomaterial property). We conduct discrete element modelling on hollow anisotropic rock samples to elucidate the stress-induced instability along a directional drilling borehole with vertical, inclined, and horizontal sections. We systematically evaluate the influences of confining pressure, borehole diameter, and bedding orientation on the mechanical response of the hollow samples. When the confining pressure increases, the peak stress varies from a linearly increasing fashion for relatively small borehole diameters to an unstable variation trend for relatively large borehole diameters. Both peak stress and elastic modulus decrease with larger borehole diameter. The effects of bedding planes are negligible when the borehole exists perpendicular to bedding planes, while borehole instability likely occur when the borehole is oriented along bedding planes. The presence of bedding planes leads to the concentration of tangential stress along the normal direction of bedding planes, which ultimately dominates the failure mechanisms at the particle scale. With the increase of anisotropy angle, the dominant failure modes transform from the tensile failure of rock matrix to the shear failure along bedding planes.
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spelling ntu-10356/1417222020-06-10T04:45:51Z Discrete element modelling of stress-induced instability of directional drilling boreholes in anisotropic rock Duan, Kang Wu, Wei Kwok, Chung Yee School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Engineering::Civil engineering Discrete Element Method Borehole Instability Directional drilling is a viable and cost-effective trenchless technology for the installation of pipelines and conduits in shallow formations and the extraction of unconventional energy resources in deep reservoirs. The performance of drilled boreholes is associated not only with drilling practice (e.g., borehole size and drilling direction) but also with geological environment (e.g., in-situ stress and geomaterial property). We conduct discrete element modelling on hollow anisotropic rock samples to elucidate the stress-induced instability along a directional drilling borehole with vertical, inclined, and horizontal sections. We systematically evaluate the influences of confining pressure, borehole diameter, and bedding orientation on the mechanical response of the hollow samples. When the confining pressure increases, the peak stress varies from a linearly increasing fashion for relatively small borehole diameters to an unstable variation trend for relatively large borehole diameters. Both peak stress and elastic modulus decrease with larger borehole diameter. The effects of bedding planes are negligible when the borehole exists perpendicular to bedding planes, while borehole instability likely occur when the borehole is oriented along bedding planes. The presence of bedding planes leads to the concentration of tangential stress along the normal direction of bedding planes, which ultimately dominates the failure mechanisms at the particle scale. With the increase of anisotropy angle, the dominant failure modes transform from the tensile failure of rock matrix to the shear failure along bedding planes. 2020-06-10T04:45:51Z 2020-06-10T04:45:51Z 2018 Journal Article Duan, K., Wu, W., & Kwok, C. Y. (2018). Discrete element modelling of stress-induced instability of directional drilling boreholes in anisotropic rock. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology, 81, 55-67. doi:10.1016/j.tust.2018.07.001 0886-7798 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/141722 10.1016/j.tust.2018.07.001 2-s2.0-85049880529 81 55 67 en Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
spellingShingle Engineering::Civil engineering
Discrete Element Method
Borehole Instability
Duan, Kang
Wu, Wei
Kwok, Chung Yee
Discrete element modelling of stress-induced instability of directional drilling boreholes in anisotropic rock
title Discrete element modelling of stress-induced instability of directional drilling boreholes in anisotropic rock
title_full Discrete element modelling of stress-induced instability of directional drilling boreholes in anisotropic rock
title_fullStr Discrete element modelling of stress-induced instability of directional drilling boreholes in anisotropic rock
title_full_unstemmed Discrete element modelling of stress-induced instability of directional drilling boreholes in anisotropic rock
title_short Discrete element modelling of stress-induced instability of directional drilling boreholes in anisotropic rock
title_sort discrete element modelling of stress induced instability of directional drilling boreholes in anisotropic rock
topic Engineering::Civil engineering
Discrete Element Method
Borehole Instability
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/141722
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AT wuwei discreteelementmodellingofstressinducedinstabilityofdirectionaldrillingboreholesinanisotropicrock
AT kwokchungyee discreteelementmodellingofstressinducedinstabilityofdirectionaldrillingboreholesinanisotropicrock