Mudcake effects on wellbore stress and fracture initiation pressure and implications for wellbore strengthening

Although a large volume of mudcake filtration test data is available in the literature, effects of mudcake on wellbore strengthening cannot be quantified without incorporating the data into a stress-analysis model. Traditional models for determining fracture initiation pressure （FIP） either consider a wellbore with an impermeable mudcake or with no mudcake at all. An analytical model considering permeable mudcake is proposed in this paper. The model can predict pore pressure and stress profiles around the wellbore, and consequently the FIP, for different mudcake thickness, permeability, and strength. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the effects of these mudcake parameters. The results show that a low-permeability mudcake enhances FIP, mainly through restricting fluid seepage and pore pressure increase in the near- wellbore region, rather than by mudcake strength. Fluid loss pressure （FLP） should be distinguished from FIP when a mudcake is present on the wellbore wall. Fracture may occur behind the mudcake at FIP without mudcake rupture. The small effect of mudcake strength on FIP does not mean its effect on FLP is small too. Mudcake strength may play an important role in maintaining integrity of the wellbore once a fracture has initiated behind the mudcake.

Model test study of frost heaving pressures in tunnels excavated in fractured rock mass in cold regions

Based on the similarity theory, taking the horseshoe, city-gate and round linings as examples, the value and distribution regularities of normal frost heaving pressures （hereinafter as frost heaving pressures） in tunnels excavated in fractured rock mass in cold regions under different constraints and freezing depths were studied by a test model. It was found that the larger the frozen depth, the larger the frost heaving pressure, and the stronger the top constraint, the larger the frost heaving pressure. For the horseshoe lining and city-gate lining, the top constraint has a greater effect on the frost heaving pressures on the arch and the inverted arch. For the round lining, the influences of the top constraint on the frost heaving pressure in all linings are almost the same. The frost heaving pressure is maximum on the city-gate lining and minimal on the round lining. The largest frost heaving pressure all occur near the foot of the inverted arch for the three kinds of lining. Thus, the test data basically coincide with the observed in situ data.

Pore pressure prediction in offshore Niger delta using data-driven approach: Implications on drilling and reservoir quality

Despite exploration and production success in Niger Delta,several failed wells have been encountered due to overpressures.Hence,it is very essential to understand the spatial distribution of pore pressure and the generating mechanisms in order to mitigate the pitfalls that might arise during drilling.This research provides estimates of pore pressure along three offshore wells using the Eaton's transit time method,multi-layer perceptron artificial neural network(MLP-ANN)and random forest regression(RFR)algorithms.Our results show that there are three pressure magnitude regimes:normal pressure zone(hydrostatic pressure),transition pressure zone(slightly above hydrostatic pressure),and over pressured zone(significantly above hydrostatic pressure).The top of the geopressured zone(2873 mbRT or 9425.853 ft)averagely marks the onset of overpressurization with the excess pore pressure above hydrostatic pressure(P∗)varying averagely along the three wells between 1.06−24.75 MPa.The results from the three methods are self-consistent with strong correlation between the Eaton's method and the two machine learning models.The models have high accuracy of about>97%,low mean absolute percentage error(MAPE<3%)and coefficient of determination(R2>0.98).Our results have also shown that the principal generating mechanisms responsible for high pore pressure in the offshore Niger Delta are disequilibrium compaction,unloading(fluid expansion)and shale diagenesis.

Dynamic fracture toughness of high strength metals under impact loading:increase or decrease

An elusive phenomenon is observed in previous investigations on dynamic fracture that the dynamic fracture toughness （DFT） of high strength metals always increases with the loading rate on the order of TPa.m1/2.s-1. For the purpose of verification, variation of DFT with the loading rate for two high strength steels commonly used in the aviation industry, 30CrMnSiA and 40Cr, is studied in this work. Results of the experiments are compared, which were conducted on the modified split Hopkinson pressure bar （SHPB） apparatus, with striker velocities ranging from 9.2 to 24.1 m/s and a constant value of 16.3 m/s for 30CrMnSiA and 40Cr, respectively. It is observed that for 30CrMnSiA, the crack tip loading rate increases with the increase of the striker velocity, while the fracture initiation time and the DFT simultaneously decrease. However, in the tests of 40Cr, there is also an increasing tendency of DFT, similar to other reports. Through an in-depth investigation on the relationship between the dynamic stress intensity factor （DSIF） and the loading rate, it is concluded that the generally increasing tendency in previous studies could be false, which is induced from a limited striker velocity domain and the errors existing in the experimental and numerical processes. To disclose the real dependency of DFT on the loading rate, experimentsneed to be performed in a comparatively large striker velocity range.

Modeling of fluid dynamics interacting with ductile fraction propagation in high pressure pipeline

This paper presents a computational model for the fluid dynamics in a fractured ductile pipe under high pressure. The pressure profile in front of the crack tip, which is the driving source of crack propagation, is computed using a nonlinear wave equation. The solution is coupled with a one dimensional choked flow analysis behind the crack. The simulation utilizes a high order optimized prefactored compact-finite volume method in space, and low dispersion and dissipation Runge-Kutta in time. As the pipe fractures the rapid depressurization take place inside the pipe and the propagation of the crack-induced waves strongly influences the outflow dynamics. Consistent with the experimental observation, the model predicts the expansion wave inside the pipe, and the reflection and outflow of the wave. The model also helps characterize the propagation of the crack dynamics and fluid flows around the tip of the crack.

Difficulties and measures of driving super long piles in Bohai Gulf

Long piles of the ocean oil platform are usually manufactured as the integration of several segments, which have to be assembled one by one during installation. During pile driving, excessive pore pressure will build up in such a high level that hydraulic fracturing in the soil round the pile may take place, which will cause the soil to consolidate much faster during pile extension period. Consequently, after pile extension, the soil strength will recover to some extent and the driving resistance will increase considerably, which makes restarting driving the pile very difficult and even causes refusal. A finite element （FE） analysis procedure is presented for judging the risk of refusal by estimating the blow counts after pile extension, in which the regain of soil strength is considered. A case analysis in Bohai Gulf is performed using the proposed orocedure to exolain the nile refusal phenomenon.

Hydraulic fracturing pressure of concentric double-layered cylinder in cohesive soil

This study aims to investigate hydrofracturing in double-layered soil through theoretical and experimental analysis,as multilayered soils where the difference in mechanical properties exists are generally encountered in practical engineering.First,an analytical solution for fracturing pressure in two different concentric regions of soil was presented based on the cavity expansion theory.Then,several triaxial hydraulic fracturing tests were carried out to validate the analytical solution.The comparison between the experimental and analytical results indicates the remarkable accuracy of the derived formula,and the following conclusions were also obtained.First,there is a linear relationship between the fracturing pressure and confining pressure in concentric double-layered cohesive soil.Second,when the internal-layer soil is softer than the external-layer soil,the presence of internal soil on the fracturing pressure approximately brings the weakening effect,and the greater strength distinction between the two layers,the greater the weakening effect.Third,when the internal-layer soil is harder than the external-layer soil,the existence of the internal-layer soil has a strengthening effect on the fracturing pressure regardless of the proportion of internal-layer soil.Moreover,the influence of strength distinction between the two layers on the fracturing pressure is significant when the proportion of internal-layer soil is less than half,while it’s limited when the proportion is more than half.The proposed solution is potentially useful for geotechnical problems involving aspects of cohesive soil layering in a composite formation.

Experimental study on slurry-induced fracturing during shield tunneling

Facial support in slurry shield tunneling is provided by slurry pressure to balance the external earth and water pressure.Hydraulic fracturing may occur and cause a significant decrease in the support pressure if the slurry pressure exceeds the threshold of the soil or rock material,resulting in a serious face collapse accident.Preventing the occurrence of hydraulic fracturing in a slurry shield requires investigating the effects of related influencing factors on the hydraulic fracturing pressure and fracture pattern.In this study,a hydraulic fracturing apparatus was developed to test the slurry-induced fracturing of cohesive soil.The effects of different sample parameters and loading conditions,including types of holes,unconfined compressive strength,slurry viscosity,and axial and circumferential loads,on the fracturing pressure and fracture dip were examined.The results indicate that the fracture dip is mainly affected by the deviator stress.The fracturing pressure increases linearly with the increase in the circumferential pressure,but it is almost independent of the axial pressure.The unconfined compressive strength of soil can reflect its ability to resist fracturing failure.The fracturing pressure increases with an increase in the unconfined compressive strength as well as the slurry viscosity.Based on the test results,an empirical approach was proposed to estimate the fracturing pressure of the soil.