• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.67-73
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• 1998

This paper presents the results of deformation measurement and numerical analysis carried out to study the behaviour of the rock mass around large underground oil storage caverns. Displacements during excavation have been monitored using borehole extensometers which had been installed before the excavation of caverns proceeded. Numerical analysis has been carried out to examine the three-dimensional behaviour of rock and the face advance effect. The input parameters for this analysis were determined from the results of laboratory and field tests. The deformation modulus of the rock mass was determined from plate loading test at the site and in-situ stresses were measured from the overcoring method with USBM deformation gauge. The results from this study gave a clear picture for three-dimensional behaviour of the rock mass, hence would be used for the optimum design.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.193-205
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• 2008

The construction of underground structures such as oil and food storage caverns are recently increasing in our country. The stability of those underground caverns are greatly influenced by their shape and size. In this study therefore, the effect that the shape of an underground cavern have on its stability were analyzed in terms of safety factor. To this end, caverns with 5 different shapes were investigated and sensitivity analyses were performed based on rock class, overburden, and lateral earth pressure coefficient. The proper amount of shotcrete and rockbolt as supports of a cavern was also assumed based on the shape and site of the cavern and rock conditions. This study is expected to be helpful in designing and evaluating the stability of caverns in future.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.152-163
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• 1992

The study of rock mass behaviour through a numerical analysis is important for the design, construction and maintenance of large rock caverns. The objectives of the numerical analysis are to design reasonably and construct safely the underground structures, to maintain them soundly after construction and to extend them securely for a desired period of time. Methods of numerical analyses included in this case study are the finite element method, the boundary element method, and the distinct element method. The numerical models are purely elastic, elastoplastic, visco-elastic, visco-plastic, easto-visco-plastic and jointed-discontinuous materials. The results of this case study indicate that the rock mass behaviour could be predicted exactly through continuous comparisons of the numerical results with the in-situ measurements.

• 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.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.173-194
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• 2017

Access shaft is of critical importance to the construction and operation of underground rock caverns. It usually has a relatively large cross-section and penetrates through fill materials, soil layers, and weathered rocks before reaching the caverns excavated in solid bedrock. In this paper, the design and construction of vertical shafts are reviewed in terms of diameter, depth, geological conditions, and support structure. Three shaft alternatives, namely alternative I: vertical shaft with spiral roads, alternative II: upper shaft with spiral roads & lower tunnels, alternative III: plain shaft, are proposed based on a simplified geological profile of the Jurong formation, Singapore. The advantages and limitations of the three types of shafts are discussed. The key issues relating to shaft design and construction, such as the shaft sinking, water control, support structure, are also discussed with a series of solutions provided, such as the sequential excavation, pre-grouting and diaphragm walls.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.297-307
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• 2014

Cavern Thermal Energy Storage system stores thermal energy in caverns to recover industrial waste heat or avoid the sporadic characteristics of renewable-energy resources, and its advantages include high injection-and-extraction powers and the flexibility in selecting a storage medium. In the present study, the structural stability of rock mass pillar between these silo-type storage caverns was assessed using a coupled thermal-mechanical model in $FLAC^{3D}$. The results of numerical simulations showed that thermal stresses due to long-term storage depended on pillar width and had significant effect on the pillar stability. A sensitivity analysis of main factors indicated that the influence on the pillar stability increased in the order cavern depth < pillar width < in situ condition. It was suggested that two identical caverns should be separated by at least one diameter of the cavern and small-diameter shaft neighboring the cavern should be separated by more than half of the cavern diameter. Meanwhile, when the line of centers of two caverns was parallel to the direction of maximum horizontal principal stress, the shielding effect of the caverns could minimize an adverse effect caused by a large horizontal stress.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.45-49
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• 2022

In the present study, a physical model was built for the Jintan underground gas storage cavern group according to the similarity theory. In this regard, four ellipsoid caverns were built with scaled in-situ stresses and internal pressure. Then the stability of underground caverns was analyzed. The obtained results demonstrate that loss of internal pressure adversely affects the safety of caverns and attention should be paid during the operation of gas storage.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.595-609
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• 2017

Due to high in-situ stress and brittleness of rock mass, the surrounding rock masses of underground caverns are prone to appear splitting failure. In this paper, a kind of loading-unloading variable elastic modulus model has been initially proposed and developed based on energy dissipation principle, and the stress state of elements has been determined by a splitting failure criterion. Then the underground caverns of Dagangshan hydropower station is analyzed using the above model. For comparing with the monitoring results, the entire process of rock splitting failure has been achieved through monitoring the splitting failure on side walls of large-scale caverns in Dagangshan via borehole TV, micro-meter and deformation resistivity instrument. It shows that the maximum depth of splitting area in the downstream sidewall of the main power house is approximately 14 m, which is close to the numerical results, about 12.5 m based on the energy dissipation model. As monitoring result, the calculation indicates that the key point displacement of caverns decreases firstly with the distance from main powerhouse downstream side wall rising, and then increases, because this area gets close to the side wall of main transformer house and another smaller splitting zone formed here. Therefore it is concluded that the energy dissipation model can preferably present deformation and fracture zones in engineering, and be very useful for similar projects.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.431-458
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• 2014

Construction of a new cavern close to an existing cavern will result in a modification of the state of stresses in a zone around the existing cavern as interaction between the twin caverns takes place. Extensive plane strain finite difference analyses were carried out to examine the deformations induced by excavation of underground twin caverns. From the numerical results, a fairly simple nonparametric regression algorithm known as multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) has been used to relate the maximum key point displacement and the percent strain to various parameters including the rock quality, the cavern geometry and the in situ stress. Probabilistic assessments on the serviceability limit state of twin caverns can be performed using the First-order reliability spreadsheet method (FORM) based on the built MARS model. Parametric studies indicate that the probability of failure $P_f$ increases as the coefficient of variation of Q increases, and $P_f$ decreases with the widening of the pillar.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.289-296
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• 2014

A simple analytical approach for stability assessment of underground storage caverns against ground uplift of overburden rock above the rock caverns for high pressurized fluid such as compressed air energy storage (CAES) and compressed natural gas (CNG) was developed. In the developed approach, we assumed that failure plane of the overburden is straight upward to ground surface, and factor of safety can be calculated from a limit equilibrium analysis in terms of this cylindrical shape failure model. The frictional resisting force on the failure plane was estimated by Hoek-Brown strength criterion which replaces with Mohr-Coulomb criterion such that both intact rock strength and rock mass conditions can be considered in the current approach. We carried out a parametric sensitivity analysis of strength parameters under various rock mass conditions and demonstrated that the factor of safety againt ground uplift was more sensitive to Mohr-Coulomb strength criterion rather than Hoek-Brown criterion.