A continuous and long-term in-situ stress measuring method based on fiber optic. Part I: Theory of inverse differential strain analysis

A method for in-situ stress measurement via fiber optics was proposed. The method utilizes the relationship between rock mass elastic parameters and in-situ stress. The approach offers the advantage of long-term stress measurements with high spatial resolution and frequency, significantly enhancing the ability to measure in-situ stress. The sensing casing, spirally wrapped with fiber optic, is cemented into the formation to establish a formation sensing nerve. Injecting fluid into the casing generates strain disturbance, establishing the relationship between rock mass properties and treatment pressure.Moreover, an optimization algorithm is established to invert the elastic parameters of formation via fiber optic strains. In the first part of this paper series, we established the theoretical basis for the inverse differential strain analysis method for in-situ stress measurement, which was subsequently verified using an analytical model. This paper is the fundamental basis for the inverse differential strain analysis method.

Support design method for deep soft-rock tunnels in non-hydrostatic high in-situ stress field

Due to the long-term plate tectonic movements in southwestern China,the in-situ stress field in deep formations is complex.When passing through deep soft-rock mass under non-hydrostatic high in-situ stress field,tunnels will suffer serious asymmetric deformation.There is no available support design method for tunnels under such a situation in existing studies to clarify the support time and support stiffness.This study first analyzed the mechanical behavior of tunnels in non-hydrostatic in-situ stress field and derived the theoretical equations of the ground squeezing curve(GSC)and ground loosening curve(GLC).Then,based on the convergence confinement theory,the support design method of deep soft-rock tunnels under non-hydrostatic high in-situ stress field was established considering both squeezing and loosening pressures.In addition,this method can provide the clear support time and support stiffness of the second layer of initial support.The proposed design method was applied to the Wanhe tunnel of the China-Laos railway in China.Monitoring data indicated that the optimal support scheme had a good effect on controlling the tunnel deformation in non-hydrostatic high in-situ stress field.Field applications showed that the secondary lining could be constructed properly.

Performance of water-coupled charge blasting under different in-situ stresses

Water-coupled charge blasting is a promising technique to efficiently break rock masses.In this study,numerical models of double boreholes with water-coupled charge are established using LS-DYNA and are calibrated by the tests of rock masses subjected to explosion loads to examine its performance.The crack levels of rock mass induced by water-coupled charge blasting and air-coupled charge blasting are first compared.It is found that water-coupled charge blasting is more appropriate to fracture deep rock mass than air-coupled charge blasting.In addition,the effects of rock properties,water-coupled charge coefficients,and borehole connection angles on the performance of water-coupled charge blasting are investigated.The results show that rock properties and water-coupled charge coefficients can greatly influence the crack and fragmentation levels of rock mass induced by water-coupled charge blasting under uniform and non-uniform in-situ stresses.However,changing borehole-connection angles can only affect crack and fragmentation levels of rock mass under non-uniform in-situ stresses but barely affect those under uniform in-situ stresses.A formula is finally proposed by considering the above-mentioned factors to provide the design suggestion of water-coupled charge blasting to fracture rock mass with different in-situ stresses.

Influences of clean fracturing fluid viscosity and horizontal in-situ stress difference on hydraulic fracture propagation and morphology in coal seam

The viscosity of fracturing fluid and in-situ stress difference are the two important factors that affect the hydraulic fracturing pressure and propagation morphology. In this study, raw coal was used to prepare coal samples for experiments, and clean fracturing fluid samples were prepared using CTAB surfactant. A series of hydraulic fracturing tests were conducted with an in-house developed triaxial hydraulic fracturing simulator and the fracturing process was monitored with an acoustic emission instrument to analyze the influences of fracturing fluid viscosity and horizontal in-situ stress difference on coal fracture propagation. The results show that the number of branched fractures decreased, the fracture pattern became simpler, the fractures width increased obviously, and the distribution of AE event points was concentrated with the increase of the fracturing fluid viscosity or the horizontal in-situ stress difference. The acoustic emission energy decreases with the increase of fracturing fluid viscosity and increases with the increase of horizontal in situ stress difference. The low viscosity clean fracturing fluid has strong elasticity and is easy to be compressed into the tip of fractures, resulting in complex fractures. The high viscosity clean fracturing fluids are the opposite. Our experimental results provide a reference and scientific basis for the design and optimization of field hydraulic fracturing parameters.

Numerical analysis on mechanical difference of sandstone under in-situ stress,pore pressure preserved environment at depth

Deep in-situ rock mechanics considers the influence of the in-situ environment on mechanical properties,differentiating it from traditional rock mechanics.To investigate the effect of in-situ stress,pore pressure preserved environment on the mechanical difference of sandstone,four tests are numerically modeled by COMSOL:conventional triaxial test,conventional pore pressure test,in-situ stress restoration and reconstruction test,and in-situ pore pressure-preserved test(not yet realized in the laboratory).The in-situ stress restoration parameter is introduced to characterize the recovery effect of in-situ stress on elastic modulus and heterogeneous distribution of sandstone at different depths.A random function and nonuniform pore pressure coefficient are employed to describe the non-uniform distribution of pore pressure in the in-situ environment.Numerical results are compared with existing experimental data to validate the models and calibrate the numerical parameters.By extracting mechanical parameters from numerical cores,the stress-strain curves of the four tests under different depths,in-situ stress and pore pressure are compared.The influence of non-uniform pore pressure coefficient and depth on the peak strength of sandstone is analyzed.The results show a strong linear relationship between the in-situ stress restoration parameter and depth,effectively characterizing the enhanced effect of stress restoration and reconstruction methods on the elastic modulus of conventional cores at different depths.The in-situ pore pressurepreserved test exhibits lower peak stress and peak strain compared to the other three tests,and sandstone subjected to non-uniform pore pressure is more prone to plastic damage and failure.Moreover,the influence of non-uniform pore pressure on peak strength gradually diminished with increasing depth.

In-situ stress of coal reservoirs in the Zhengzhuang area of the southern Qinshui Basin and its effects on coalbed methane development

In-situ stress is a critical factor influencing the permeability of coal reservoirs and the production capacity of coalbed methane(CBM)wells.Accurate prediction of in-situ stress and investigation of its influence on coal reservoir permeability and production capacity are significant for CBM development.This study investigated the CBM development zone in the Zhengzhuang area of the Qinshui Basin.According to the low mechanical strength of coal reservoirs,this study derived a calculation model of the in-situ stress of coal reservoirs based on the multi-loop hydraulic fracturing method and analyzed the impacts of initial fractures on the calculated results.Moreover,by combining the data such as the in-situ stress,permeability,and drainage and recovery data of CBM wells,this study revealed the spatial distribution patterns of the current in-situ stress of the coal reservoirs and discussed the impacts of the insitu stress on the permeability and production capacity.The results are as follows.(1)Under given fracturing pressure,longer initial fractures are associated with higher calculated maximum horizontal principal stress values.Therefore,ignoring the effects of the initial fractures will cause the calculated values of the in-situ stress to be less than the actual values.(2)As the burial depth increases,the fracturing pressure,closure pressure,and the maximum and minimum horizontal principal stress of the coal reservoirs in the Zhengzhuang area constantly increase.The average gradients of the maximum and minimum horizontal principal stress are 3.17 MPa/100 m and 2.05 MPa/100 m,respectively.(3)Coal reservoir permeability is significantly controlled by the magnitude and state of the current in-situ stress.The coal reservoir permeability decreases exponentially with an increase in the effective principal stress.Moreover,a low lateral pressure coefficient(less than 1)is associated with minor horizontal compressive effects and high coal reservoir permeability.(4)Under similar conditions,such as resource endowments,CBM well capacity is higher in primary structural coal regions with moderate paleotectonic stress modification,low current in-situ stress,and lateral pressure coefficient of less than 1.

Stress initialization methods for dynamic numerical simulation of rock mass with high in-situ stress

In the context of deep rock engineering,the in-situ stress state is of major importance as it plays an important role in rock dynamic response behavior.Thus,stress initialization becomes crucial and is the first step for the dynamic response simulation of rock mass in a high in-situ stress field.In this paper,stress initialization methods,including their principles and operating procedures for reproducing steady in-situ stress state in LS-DYNA,are first introduced.Then the most popular four methods,i.e.,explicit dynamic relaxation(DR)method,implicit-explicit sequence method,Dynain file method and quasi-static method,are exemplified through a case analysis by using the RHT and plastic hardening rock material models to simulate rock blasting under in-situ stress condition.Based on the simulations,it is concluded that the stress initialization results obtained by implicit-explicit sequence method and dynain file method are closely related to the rock material model,and the explicit DR method has an obvious advantage in solution time when compared to other methods.Besides that,it is recommended to adopt two separate analyses for the whole numerical simulation of rock mass under the combined action of in-situ stress and dynamic disturbance.

Time-sensitivity of the Kaiser effect of acoustic emission in limestone and its application to measurements of in-situ stress

Measuring in-situ stress by using the Kaiser effect in rocks has such advantages as timeefficiency, low cost and little limitation, but the precision of the method is dependent on rock properties and delay time of the measurement. In this paper, experiments on the Kaiser effect in limestones were performed, and it was found that the limestones had good ability to retain a memory of their recent stress history and high time-sensitivity. The longer the experiment was delayed from the extraction of the stone, the larger the Felicity ratio was. As the Felicity ratio approached l, significant Kaiser effect was observed. In-situ stress should be determined by the limestone measurements when the delay time was 40-120 days. Finally, the in-situ stress in a limestone formation could be successfully measured in practice.

Effects of in-situ stress on the stability of a roadway excavated through a coal seam

Roadways excavated through a coal seam can exert an adverse effect on roadway stability. To investigate the effects of in-situ stress on roadway stability, numerical models were built and high horizontal stresses at varying orientations were applied. The results indicate that stress concentrations, roadway deformation and failure increase in magnitude and extent as the excavation angle with respect to the maximum horizontal stress increases. In addition, the stress adjacent to the coal-rock interface sharply varies in space and evolves with time; coal is much more vulnerable to deformation and failure than rock.The results provide insights into the layout of roadways excavated through a coal seam. Roadways should be designed parallel or at a narrow angle to the maximum horizontal stress. The concentrated stress at the top corner of the face-end should be reduced in advance, and the coal seam should be reinforced immediately after excavation.

Preliminary Results of In-situ Stress Measurements along the Longmenshan Fault Zone after the Wenchuan M_s 8.0 Earthquake

Four months after the Wenchuan Ms 8 earthquake in western Sichuan, China, in situ stress measurements were carried out along the Longmenshan fault zone with the purpose of obtaining stress parameters for earthquake hazard assessment. In-situ stresses were measured in three new boreholes by using overcoring with the piezomagnetic stress gauges for shallow depths and hydraulic fracturing for lower depths. The maximum horizontal stress in shallow depths （-20 m） is about 4.3 MPa, oriented N19°E, in the epicenter area at Yingxiu Town, about 9.7 MPa, oriented N51°W, at Baoxing County in the southwestern Longmenshan range, and about 2.6 MPa, oriented N39°E, near Kangding in the southernmost zone of the Longmenshan range. Hydraulic fracturing at borehole depths from 100 to 400 m shows a tendency towards increasing stress with depth. A comparison with the results measured before the Wenchuan earthquake along the Longmenshan zone and in the Tibetan Plateau demonstrates that the stress level remains relatively high in the southwestern segment of the Longmenshan range, and is still moderate in the epicenter zone. These results provide a key appraisal for future assessment of earthquake hazards of the Longmenshan fault zone and the aftershock occurrences of the Wenchuan earthquake.

DDM regression analysis of the in-situ stress field in a non-linear fault zone

A multivariable regression analysis of the in-situ stress field, which considers the non-linear deformation behavior of faults in practical projects, is presented based on a newly developed three-dimensional displacement discontinuity method （DDM） program. The Bar- ton-Bandis model and the Kulhaway model are adopted as the normal and the tangential deformation model of faults, respectively, where the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion is satisfied. In practical projects, the values of the mechanical parameters of rock and faults are restricted in a bounded range for in-situ test, and the optimal mechanical parameters are obtained from this range by a loop. Comparing with the traditional finite element method （FEM）, the DDM regression results are more accurate.

Piezomagnetic In-situ Stress Monitoring and its Application in the Longmenshan Fault Zone

The relative change of in-situ stress is an inevitable outcome of differential movement among the crust plates. Conversely, changes of in-situ stress can also lead to deformation and instability of crustal rock mass, trigger activity of faults, and induce earthquakes. Hence, monitoring real-time change of in-situ stress is of great significance. Piezomagnetic in-situ stress monitoring has good and longtime applications in large engineering constructions and geoscience study fields in China. In this paper, the new piezomagnetic in-situ stress monitoring system is introduced and it not only has overall improvements in measuring cell＇s structure and property, stressing and orienting way, but also enhances integration and intelligence of control and data transmission system, in general, which greatly promotes installing efficiency of measuring probe and quality of monitoring data. This paper also discusses the responses of new piezomagnetic system in large earthquake events of in-situ stress monitoring station at Qiaoqi of Baoxing and Wenxian of Gansu. The monitoring data reflect adjustments and changes of tectonic stress field at the southwestern segment of and the northern area near the Longmenshan fault zone, which shows that the new system has a good performance and application prospect in the geoscience field. Data of the Qiaoqi stress-monitoring station manifest that the Lushan Earthquake did not release stress of the southwestern segment of the Longmenshan fault zone adequately and there still probably exists seismic risk in this region in the future. Combined with absolute in-situ stress measurement, carrying out long-term in-situ stress monitoring in typical tectonic position of important regions is of great importance for researchers to assess and study regional crust stability.

Advance of in-situ stress measurement in China

In-situ stress is an essential parameter for design and construction of most engineering projects that involve excavation in rocks. Progress in in-situ stress measurement from the 1950s in China is briefly introduced. Stress relief by overcoring technique and hydraulic fracturing： technique are the two main techniques for in-situ stress measurement in China at present. To make them suitable for application at great depth and to increase their measuring reliability and accuracy, a series of techniques have been developed. Applications and achievements of in-situ stress measurement in Chinese rock engineering, including mining, geotechnical and hydropower engineering, and earthquake prediction, are introduced. Suggestions for further development of in-situ stress measurement are also proposed.

Measurement and study of the distributing law of in-situ stresses in rock mass at great depth

To solve the technical cruxes of the conventional system in deep rock mass, an automatic testing system for hydraulic fracturing that includes a single tube for hydraulic loop, a pressure-relief valve, central-tubeless packers, and a multichannel real-time data acquisition system was used for in-situ stresses measurement at great depths （over 1000 m） in a coalfield in Juye of Northern China. The values and orientations of horizontal principal stresses were determined by the new system. The virgin stress field and its distributing law were decided by the linear regression from the logged 37 points in seven boreholes. Besides, the typical boreholes arranged in both the adjacent zone and far away zone of the faults were analyzed, respectively. The results show that a stress concentration phenomenon and a deflection in the orientation of the maximal horizontal stress exist in the adjacent zone of the faults, which further provides theoretical basis for design and optimization of mining.

Process Analysis of In-situ Strain during the M_s8.0 Wenchuan Earthquake—Data from the Stress Monitoring Station at Shandan

There were huge life and property losses during the Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake on May 12, 2008. Strain fluctuation curves were completely recorded at stress observatory stations in the Qinghai-Tibet plateau and its surroundings in the process of the earthquake. This paper introduces the geological background of the Wenchuan earthquake and the profile of in-situ stress monitoring stations. In particular, data of 174 earthquakes （Ms4.0-Ms8.5） were processed and analyzed with various methods, which were recorded at the Shandan station from August 2007 to December 2008. The results were compared with other seismic data, and further analyses were done for the recoded strain seismic waves, co-seismic strain stepovers, pre-earthquake strain valleys, Earth＇s free oscillations before and after the earthquake and their physical implications. During the Wenchuan earthquake, the strainmeter recorded a huge extensional strain of 70 seconds, which shows that the Wenchuan earthquake is a rupture process predominated by thrusting. Significant precursory strain anomalies were detected 48 hours, 30 hours, 8 hours and 37 minutes before the earthquake. The anomalies are very high and their forms are very similar to that of the main shock. Similar anomalies can also be found in strain curves of other shocks greater than Ms7.0, indicating that such anomalies are prevalent before a great earthquake. In this paper, it is shown that medium aftershocks （Ms5.5- 6.0） can also cause Earth＇s free oscillations. Study of free oscillations is of great significance to understand the internal structure of the Earth and focal mechanisms of earthquakes and to recognize slow shocks, thus providing a scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of geological disasters and the prediction of future earthquakes.

New development of hydraulic fracturing technique for in-situ stress measurement at great depth of mines

In-situ stress measurement using the hydraulic fracturing technique was made at Wanfu Coal Mine in Shandong Province, China. To solve problems caused by great measuring depth and extra thick overburden soil layers in the mine, a series of improved techniques were developed for the traditional hydraulic fracturing technique and equipment to increase their pressure-enduring ability and to ensure safe and flexible removal of the sealing packers with other experimental apparatus. Successful in-situ stress measurement at 37 points within 7 boreholes, which were mostly over 1000 m deep, was completed. Through the measurement, detailed information of in-situ stress state has been provided for mining design of the mine. The improved hydraulic fracturing technique and equipment also provide reliable tools for in-situ stress measurement at great depth of other mines.

Analysis on method for effective in-situ stress measurement in hot dry rock reservoir

With the rapid increase of energy demand and the increasingly highlighted environmental problems, clean, safe and widely distributed geothermal resources have become a hot spot for renewable resources development. The state of in-situ stress is a major control parameter for multiple links including well location, fracture inspiration and reservoir assessment, so how to determine the accurate state of in-situ stress in the deep thermal reservoir becomes a core problem drawing widely attention and urgent to be solved. Based on features of hot dry rock reservoir in terms of temperature and pressure and the comparison analysis, this article proposes the method of Anelastic Strain Recovery(ASR) as an effective method for determining the state of in-situ stress in the area with HDR resources distributed and explains the availability of ASR method by application examples.

Measures for controlling large deformations of underground caverns under high in-situ stress condition--A case study of JinpingⅠhydropower station

The Jinping I hydropower station is a huge water conservancy project consisting of the highest concrete arch dam to date in the world and a highly complex and large underground powerhouse cavern. It is located on the right bank with extremely high in-situ stress and a few discontinuities observed in surrounding rock masses. The problems of rock mass deformation and failure result in considerable challenges related to project design and construction and have raised a wide range of concerns in the fields of rock mechanics and engineering. During the excavation of underground caverns, high in-situ stress and relatively low rock mass strength in combination with large excavation dimensions lead to large deformation of the surrounding rock mass and support. Existing experiences in excavation and support cannot deal with the large deformation of rock mass effectively, and further studies are needed. In this paper, the geological conditions, layout of caverns, and design of excavation and support are first introduced, and then detailed analyses of deformation and failure characteristics of rocks are presented. Based on this, the mechanisms of deformation and failure are discussed, and the support adjustments for controlling rock large deformation and subsequent excavation procedures are proposed. Finally, the effectiveness of support and excavation adjustments to maintain the stability of the rock mass is verified. The measures for controlling the large deformation of surrounding rocks enrich the practical experiences related to the design and construction of large underground openings, and the construction of caverns in the Jinping I hydropower station provides a good case study of large-scale excavation in highly stressed ground with complex geological structures, as well as a reference case for research on rock mechanics.

Comparison between double caliper,imaging logs,and array sonic log for determining the in-situ stress direction:A case study from the ultra-deep fractured tight sandstone reservoirs,the Cretaceous Bashijiqike Formation in Keshen8 region of Kuqa depress

The tight sandstone in the Tarim Basin has the characteristics of large burial depth and development of nature fractures due to concentrated in-situ stress. Identifying the present-day in-situ stress orientation is important in hydrocarbon exploration and development, but also a key scientific question in understanding naturally fractured reservoirs. This paper presents a case study where we integrate various methods using wireline and image-log data, to identify present-day in-situ stress direction of ultra-deep fractured tight sandstone reservoirs, in the Kuqa depression. We discuss the formation mechanism of the elliptical borehole, compares the advantages and applicable conditions of the double caliper method,resistivity image logs and array sonic logs method. The well borehole diameter is measured orthogonally,then the ellipse is fitted, and the in-situ stress orientation is identified by the azimuth of the short-axis borehole, but it fails in the borehole expansion section, the fracture development section and the borehole collapse section. The micro-resistivity image logs method reveals the borehole breakouts azimuth, and also the strike of induced fractures, which are used to determine the orientation of in-situ stress. However, under water-based mud conditions, it’s hard to distinguish natural fractures from induced fractures by image logs. Under oil-based mud conditions, the induced fractures are difficult to identify due to the compromised image quality. As for the sonic log, shear waves will split when passing through an anisotropic formation, shear waves will split during propagation, and the azimuth of fast shear waves is consistent with the orientation of in-situ stress. However, it is usually affected by the anisotropy caused by the excessively fast rotation of the well log tools, so that the azimuth of fast shear wave cannot effectively reflect the orientation of the in-situ stress. Based on comprehensive assessment and comparison, in this paper we propose a method integrating various logging data to identify the orientation of in-situ stress. Among various types of logging data, the breakouts azimuth identified by image logs is proved to be the most credible in identifying the orientation of in-situ stress, while using the direction of induced fractures under water-based mud conditions is also viable. However, the azimuth of the fast shear wave is consistent with the orientation of maximum in-situ stress only when the rotation speed of the logging tool is low. The caliper method can be used as a reference for verifying the other two methods. Using this integrated method to study the orientation of in-situ stress in the Keshen8 trap, the results show that faults are an important factor affecting the direction of in-situ stress, while multi-level faults will produce superimposed effects that cause the current direction of in-situ stress to change.

Techniques for in-situ stress measurement at great depth

Reliable information of in--situ stress state is necessary for the design andconstruction of most important rock projects. As most rock projects are getting deeper and deeper,traditional techniques of in--situ stress measurement are not very suitable. The current techniquesof in--situ stress measurement and their insufficiency for use at great depth are analyzed. Somebasic ideas of the development of new techniques and the improvement of current techniques for useat great depth are provided.