Response models of weakly consolidated soft rock roadway under different interior pressures considering dilatancy effect

Surrounding rocks of weakly consolidated soft rock roadway show obvious strain softening and dilatancy effects after excavation. A damage coefficient concerning modulus attenuation was defined. Response models of stress and displacement of surrounding rock of soft rock roadway and analytical expressions to calculate plastic zones under different interior pressures and non-uniform original rock stresses were derived based on damage theories and a triple linear elastic-plastic strain softening model. Influence laws of dilatancy gradient on damage development, distributions of stresses and displacement in plastic region were analyzed. Interior pressure conditions to develop plastic region under different origin rock stresses were established and their influences on plastic region distribution were also discussed. The results show that the order of maximum principle stress is exchanged between ~0 and trr with the increase of interior pressure P0, which causes distributions of plastic zone and stress shift. Dilatancy effect which has great influences on the damage propagation and displacements in plastic region has little effect on the size of plastic region and stress responses. The conclusions provide a theoretical basis for a reasonable evaluation of stability and effective supporting of weakly consolidated soft rock roadway.

Microscopic sand production simulation and visual sanding pattern description in weakly consolidated sandstone reservoirs

To visually describe the sanding pattern,this study constructs a new particle-scale microstructure model of weakly consolidated formation,and develop the corresponding methodology to simulate the sanding process and predict sand cavity shape.The microstructure model is a particle-objective model,which focuses on the random sedimentation of every sand grain.In the microstructure,every particle has its own size,sphericity and inclination angle.It is used to simulate the actual structure of cemented granular materials,which considers the heterogeneity and randomness of reservoir properties,provides the initial status for subsequent sanding simulation.With the particle detachment criteria,the microscopic simulation of sanding can be visually implemented to investigate the pattern and cavity shapes caused by sand production.The results indicate that sanding always starts initially from the borehole border,and then extends along the weakly consolidated plane,showing obvious characteristic of randomness.Three typical microscopic sanding patterns,concerning pore liquefaction,pseudo wormhole and continuous collapse,are proposed to illustrate the sanding mechanism in weakly consolidated reservoirs.The nonuniformity of sanding performance depends on the heterogeneous distribution of reservoir properties,such as rock strength and particle size.Finally,the three sanding patterns are verified by visually experimental work.The proposed integrated methodology is capable of predicting and describing the sanding cavity shape of an oil well after long-term sanding production,and providing the focus objective of future sand control measure.

An Experimental Study on the Reinforcement of Weakly-Consolidated Shallow Formation in Deep Water Using an Epoxy Resin-Based Fluid

The mechanical properties of Portland cement differ from the weakly consolidated shallow formation in deep water.This results in undesired abrupt changes in the compressive strength and elastic modulus at the cement–formation interface.In this study,a water-borne epoxy resin was applied as a strengthening material to reinforce the weakly consolidated shallow formation and protect the cement sheath from potential failure.The mechanical properties of the unconsolidated clay were tested,including their changes with increases in the temperature and curing time.In addition,the effects of the seawater,cement slurry alkaline filtrate,and saltwater drilling fluid were evaluated.As confirmed by the results,the strengthening fluid was excellent at reinforcing the unconsolidated clay,with a compressive strength of 2.49 MPa(after curing for 7 days),even at a dosage of 5%.A cement slurry filtrate with a high pH was suitable to produce the required strengthening of the formation,especially its early age strength.It should also be pointed out that the used fluid exhibited good compatibility with the saltwater drilling fluid and seawater behaved well as a diluent for the strengthening fluid.