An assessment of borehole sealing performance in a salt environment

 Design of plugs for abandonment of boreholes and shafts may be governed by the bond strength between the plug and host rock. This paper presents the results of push-out tests on cement grout plugs in salt. Two types of expandable cement grouts have been tested. The average interface shear strengths ranged from 2 to 12 MPa (290 to 1740 psi). Peak shear stresses at failure, assuming an elastic stress distribution along the interface, were up to eight times higher. Standard deviations commonly reached 20%. Dissolution along the interface was observed, and may have been enhanced by clay inclusions in the salt. This dissolution appears to have reduced bond strengths. Application of the results to the design of plugs for larger openings (for example, shafts, drifts, or boreholes) is discussed. Received: 6 March 1996 · Accepted: 16 July 1996     

Fluid-rock interactions in a geothermal Rotliegend/Permo-Carboniferous reservoir (North German Basin)

Comprehensive data on the chemical composition of reservoir rocks and geothermal brines from the geothermal well doublet Groβ Schönebeck (North German Basin) drilled into a Rotliegend sedimentary and Permo-Carboniferous volcanic rock reservoir were sampled over the past years. They were characterized with respect to their major and minor elemental composition including various isotope ratios. The study considered the impact of drilling and reservoir operations on fluid composition and aimed at determining fluid–rock interactions to gain information on fluid origin and hydraulic pathways.The highly saline fluids (up to 265 g/L TDS) show δ ¹⁸O and δD of water (2.7–5.6 and −3.1–15, respectively) as well as δ ³⁴S of sulfate (3.6–5), and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (0.715–0.716) that resemble Rotliegend brines from an area located around 200 km in the west (the Altmark). Halogen ratios indicated that brines developed predominantly by evaporation of meteoric water (primary brine) together with halite dissolution brine (secondary brine). Indication for mixing with Zechstein brine or with younger meteoric water was not found.No geochemical distinction was possible between fluids deriving from different rock formations (dacites or sedimentary rocks, respectively). This is due to the evolution of the sediments from the effusive rocks resulting in a similar mineralogical and chemical composition and due to a hydraulic connectivity between the two types of rock. This connection existed probably already before reservoir stimulation as indicated by a set of faults identified in the area that could connect the Rotliegend formation with both, the volcanic rocks and the lower units of the Zechstein. Additional geochemical indication for a hydraulic connectivity is given by (1) the very high heavy metal contents (mainly Cu and Pb) in fluids and scaling that derive from the volcanic rocks and were that were also found in increased amounts up at the Zechstein border (Kupferschiefer formation). (2) The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr isotope ratios of fluid samples correspond to the ratios determined for the sedimentary rocks indicating that initially the fluids developed in the sedimentary rocks and circulated later, when faults structures were created by tectonic events into the volcanic rocks.     

浩布高矿区复杂地层钻进护壁堵漏技术

介绍了浩布高矿区复杂地层钻进中所采取的护壁堵漏技术措施。根据岩层及孔深情况采用了套管护壁堵漏、冲洗液护壁堵漏、水泥封孔护壁堵漏等措施,在实际工作中均收到了较好的效果。套管护壁堵漏简洁、护壁安全可靠;冲洗液护壁堵漏所用的人工钠土低固相泥浆对孔内坍塌、掉块具有较高的抑制功能;水泥封孔护壁堵漏效果好。套管护壁堵漏及水泥封孔护壁堵漏为绳索取心使用无固相钻井液钻进创造了条件,能有效地提高钻进效率。施工中根据钻孔实际情况所采取相应的堵漏措施,收到了良好的效果。     

Salt tectonics in block of the Norwegian sector of the North Sea

Seismic reflection data are used to investigate the structure of block of the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, situated in the Norwegian—Danish Basin. Zechstein (Upper Permian) salt occurs in this basin, having given rise to widespread and intense salt tectonics.A number of reflections can be recognized and identified on the seismic sections. They are the Top Oligocene, the Top Paleocene, the Base Tertiary, and the Top Lower Cretaceous reflections, as well as a Jurassic reflection and the Base Permian Salt reflection (only found locally).The geological structure of the area is illustrated by means of seismic contour maps and cross-sections.Three salt plugs (a northern, a central and a southern one) are present in block 8/8. Two of these pierce Base Tertiary. The third (southern) one is more deep-seated. A major growth fault connects the northern and central plugs. The southern salt plug is surrounded by a rim syncline.The movements on the major fault and in the salt plugs in the course of geological time are investigated. It is found that there is evidence for movement in Late Jurassic, Cretaceous and Tertiary times until at least Early Miocene times.The possible cause of the structure of block is considered in detail. It is found that the movement of the salt in at least the central salt plug is intimately connected with movements on the major growth fault. The hypothesis is advanced that all local tectonic movements are due to the flow of salt and a scheme for this salt flow is proposed. A number of special features of the tectonics of the area which support this concept are dis- cussed.Volumetric considerations are also used. The approximate volume of the salt in the plugs as well as the volume of salt drained from part of the area are calculated. Finally, deep reflection evidence is used to estimate the depth of the base of the Zech- stein salt and the top of the crystalline basement in the southern part of the area.     

Bromide distribution characteristics of different Zechstein 2 rock salt sequences of the Southern Permian Basin: a comparison between bedded and domal salts

The bromide profile of the bedded Zechstein 2 rock salts in the Southern Permian Basin is characterized by a continuous increase in the bromide contents from base to top, indicating progressive evaporation of sea water. Former studies have suggested that the bromide distribution in domal salts is more irregular, raising such questions as whether there is a causal relationship between bromide distribution and deformation‐related processes or whether various halite types with different primary bromide contents account for such irregularities. In this study, the bromide distribution of a defined stratigraphic section (Hauptsalz) of the Zechstein 2 was investigated in three salt deposits, with bedded salt (Teutschenthal) compared with domal salts (Morsleben and Gorleben). Furthermore, two different halite types (Kristallbrocken, matrix) were distinguished during sampling. Comparison between the locations reveals that: (i) the characteristic trend of the bromide profile was generally preserved in both the bedded and the more intensely deformed domal salts; (ii) the dispersion of bromide contents along the running average curve is lower in domal salt, especially in the lower half of the Hauptsalz; and (iii) the Kristallbrocken are absent in the lower half of the Hauptsalz of Morsleben and Gorleben. The absence of the Kristallbrocken and the lower dispersion of the bromide contents in the domal salts are clear indications for the influence of salt migration‐related processes on the bromide distribution characteristics. It shows that these processes are associated with a redistribution of bromide, which eventually results in a homogenization of the originally varying bromide contents. On the other hand, preservation of the characteristic trend in the bromide profiles indicates that large‐scale brecciation, folding processes or circulating bromide‐rich fluids played only a minor role during the formation of the salt domes. Selective sampling of the Kristallbrocken and matrix halite displays a disparity in bromide content that is not consistent between the studied locations. These specific phenomena might be related to different depositional locations in the Zechstein Basin or to post‐depositional processes.     

顶驱车载钻机空气潜孔锤钻进用低压防喷装置的研制

在空气潜孔锤钻进时,孔口安装防喷装置可将高速返出的粉尘或泥浆导离孔口,防止喷向工作台而污染孔口工作环境。综合考虑ZMK5530TZJ60型车载钻机孔口工作台结构特点、配套的斜坡钻杆外形特征、钻进工艺特点以及装卸操作环境等因素,设计了一款适用于顶驱车载钻机的空气潜孔锤钻进用低压防喷装置。该低压防喷装置具有结构简单、安装方便;通过胶芯与钻具之间的过盈实现孔口密封,密封胶芯补偿量大,可密封外径变化较大的斜坡钻杆;可在加接钻杆时更换密封胶芯;设置了2个导流口,上返流体在此压降变化小,有利于排渣的通畅等优点。现场试验表明,该低压防喷装置能够有效密封粉尘泄漏、明显改善孔口施工环境,达到了设计的目的。     

A sensitivity study on the numerical model of displacement and deformation of embedded brittle rock bodies in extension environment during salt tectonics

Many salt bodies contain large rock inclusions (called stringers) such as carbonate or anhydrite bodies. Mostly, large rock inclusions embedded in salt bodies have different ways of movement and deformation, including displacement, folding and fracturing. A finite element model with adaptive remeshing has been built for downbuilding simulation. The standard model set-up is constrained by observations from the South Oman Salt Basin. Based on the generic model in the previous research which shows the fracture, overtrusting or folding deformation during downbuilding process, a sensitivity study has been conducted on the numerical model of the deformation and displacement of brittle rock bodies, including the parameters such as the initial depth and the distance between them. The results of simulation are analyzed based on the data from SOSB and Zechstein salt basin. The study shows that the frequency of the break and the size of stringer fragments are strongly affected by the initial depth and thickness of stringers and the basement configuration.     

The corrosion of basaltic dykes in evaporites: Ar–Sr–Nd isotope and rare earth elements evidence

The corrosion of basaltic dykes from central Germany which intruded during the Tertiary into rock and potash salts of Upper Permian age (Zechstein) has been studied. The corrosion behavior of these glassy basalts can serve as a natural analogue for the long-term corrosion expected for nuclear waste glasses in a salt repository. Our data demonstrate mobility and fractionation of the rare earth elements (REE) during a postintrusive circulation of salt brines. The processes controlling this behavior of the REE were dissolution and reprecipitation of phosphates. The K–Ar data document the synintrusive assimilation of a salt phase followed by a postintrusive fluid circulation in the peripheral parts. This circulation removed the assimilated salt and imported highly radiogenic salt Ar which was integrated into newly formed sheet silicates. The central part of the dyke was not affected by this circulation and could retain a mantle gas phase. The Sr isotope data document a synintrusive assimilation of salt Sr and a strong exchange with salt fluids during the postintrusive corrosion which was strongest in a zone next to the chilled dyke margins. This locally stronger alteration is probably due to different cooling and shrinking rates of the basalt at the margins and in the core of the dyke which led to the formation of a highly permeable fractured zone.     

管外封隔器在涩北气田钻井中应用的可行性研究

环空气窜是几乎所有天然气井固井都存在的一个潜在问题。涩北气田是第四系中浅层气田,地层成岩性差,泥岩水化分散能力强,储层易分散,具有较强的压力敏感性和水敏特性;含气井段长,气水层间互,气层薄,层数多;地层岩石抗压强度低,致使水泥环第二界面的胶结强度极低,二界面质量难以提高,容易发生气窜、水窜和层间窜槽现象。为此,如何提高环形空间的密封性,提高固井质量,保证气井井筒完整性,成为了亟待解决的问题。针对该气田特殊的地质特点,分析了影响固井质量的因素,研究了固井工艺、防窜水泥浆体系和工艺措施应用的局限性,选择了管外封隔器来解决环空窜槽问题。分析结果表明,管外封隔器不但可以有效防止管外窜槽,而且可以提高固井质量和优化井身结构,保证气井安全和延长使用寿命。管外封隔器在涩北气田钻井中应用于防气窜和提高固井质量是切实可行的,具有很好的应用价值。     

涌水含气地层封孔材料的设计及野外试验

常规水泥封孔材料不能完全满足涌水含气特殊地层条件的封孔要求。以封孔水泥砂浆为研究对象,通过正交实验方法,设计封孔水泥砂浆的成分配比,得到既满足钻探质量指标要求,又适用于涌水含气地层的封孔材料配方。由室内实验得到,水灰比的改变对湿态水泥砂浆的凝结时间具有显著影响。结合通地1井,根据不同的井段要求,应用相适应配方的封孔材料进行野外应用实验。结果表明,设计的封孔材料能够满足涌水含气地层的封孔质量要求。     

Origin and deformation of intra-salt sulphate layers: an example from the Dutch Zechstein (Late Permian)

From salt mine galleries and well data it is known that thick rock salt layers can contain anhydrite and carbonate layers with thicknesses on the millimetre to tens of metre scale. The relatively thick Zechstein 3 anhydrite–carbonate layer in the northern Netherlands has been studied previously using 3-D seismic data. Observations from geophysical well logs in this study reveal the presence of thin sulphate layers on the sub-seismic scale imbedded in the Zechstein 2 (Z2) salt. Core samples, thin sections, seismic data and geochemical measurements were used to determine the mineralogy and origin of one of these Z2 sulphate layers. Bromine analyses show that they mark a freshening event in the Z2 salt, which can be correlated over large distances in the northern Netherlands. Their core-calibrated log signature indicates that the Z2 sulphate layers consist either of pure anhydrite or of anhydrite and polyhalite. The mineralogy and thickness of the sulphate layers are interpreted to vary between synsedimentary morphologic lows (thin anhydrite–polyhalite couplets) and highs (thicker anhydrite layers). Such a combination of core observations and well log analysis is a powerful tool to detect lateral trends in evaporite mineralogy and to reconstruct the environmental setting of their formation. Salt internal geometries can further be used to distinguish between different deformation mechanisms. In our study area, the distribution of sulphate layers within the Z2 salt indicates that subjacent salt dissolution was not the dominant process leading to salt-related deformation.     

Principles of geomechanical safety assessment for radioactive waste disposal in salt structures

Today, a large amount of knowledge is available concerning various sites of potential high active waste (HAW) repositories in salt media. Domal Zechstein salt formations have been examined at several sites in Germany. Extensive R&D work was initiated in the former Asse Salt Mine in order to explore the suitability of salt for waste isolation by laboratory tests, theoretical studies and in-situ tests with test results forming a technological base for future repository development.

Resulting from the inhomogeneity of salt structures the demanded safety of a permanent repository for radioactive wastes can be demonstrated only by a specific site analysis in which the entire system, “the geological situation, the repository, and the form and amount of the wastes” and their interrelationships are taken into consideration.

The site analysis has three essential tasks: (1) Assessment of the thermomechanical load capacity of the host rock, so that deposition strategies can be determined for the site; (2) Determination of the safe dimensions of the mine (e.g. stability of the caverns and safety of the operations); and (3) Evaluation of the barriers and the long-term safety analysis for the authorization procedure.

The geotechnical stability analysis is a critical part of the safety assessment. Engineering–geological study of the site, laboratory and in situ-experiments, geomechanical modelling, and numerical static calculations comprise such an analysis.

Within a scenario analysis — according to the multi-barrier principle, the geological setting is checked to be able to contribute significantly to the waste isolation over long periods. The assessment of the integrity of the geological barrier can only be performed by making calculations with geomechanical and hydrogeological models. The proper idealization of the host rock in a computational model is the basis of a realistic calculation of stress distribution and excavation damage effects. The determination of water permeability along discontinuities is necessary in order to evaluate the barrier efficiency of each host rock.

In this paper some important processes for the performance assessment are described, namely creep and fracturing, permeability and infiltration, and halokinesis and subrosion.

For the future, the role and contributions of geoscientific and rock mechanics work within the safety assessment issues (e.g. geomechanical safety indicators) must be identified in greater detail, e.g. considerations of geomechanical natural analogy for calibration of constitutive laws.     

盐岩储气库适用性评价标准的研究

目前国内还没有对盐岩储气库的适用性提出全面的评价标准。在研究地下储气库失事案例之后,提出了储气库适用性评价标准（ESAGSRS）。该标准分为稳定性和密闭性两方面。稳定性从储气库顶和底板的性质、盐岩层及夹层的性质、夹层与盐岩层交界面的性质、溶腔最大与最小运行压力及注采速率、溶腔形状及矿柱距离5方面进行评分;密闭性则从储气库的固井技术、套管的性能、套管阀门的性能、溶腔压力、顶板性质、夹层性质、盐岩的渗透条件、夹层与盐岩层交界面的刚度比,地质构造条件等方面进行评分。将稳定性与密闭性的得分按比例相加,用所得总分来评价储气库的适用性。该标准较为全面地考虑了各种因素,可为工程实践提供一定的参考价值和理论支持。     

锦屏二级水电站隧洞无盖重高压固结灌浆试验

水工隧洞高压固结灌浆的目的是加固隧洞围岩、封闭隧洞周边岩体裂隙,提高隧洞围岩的整体性和抗变形能力,增强围岩抗渗能力和长期渗透稳定性。主要介绍了引水隧洞在未进行混凝土衬砌的条件下实施高压防渗固结灌浆施工的试验及其成果,为该类洞段灌浆设计和施工提供依据。     

CLEAN: project overview on CO2 large-scale enhanced gas recovery in the Altmark natural gas field (Germany)

The joint research project CLEAN was conducted in the years 2008?C2011 by a German research and development (R&D) alliance of 16 partners from science and industry. The project was set-up as pilot project to investigate the processes relevant to enhanced gas recovery (EGR) by the injection of CO₂ into a subfield of the almost depleted Altmark natural gas field. Despite the setback that permission for active injection was not issued by the mining authority during the period of the project, important results fostering the understanding of processes linked with EGR were achieved. Work carried out led to a comprehensive evaluation of the EGR potential of the Altmark field and the Altensalzwedel subfield in particular. The calculated safety margins emphasize that technical well integrity of the 12 examined boreholes is given for EGR without a need for any further intervention. The laboratory and field tests confirm that the Altensalzwedel subfield is suitable for the injection of 100,000?t of CO₂. Numerical simulations provide sound predictions for the efficiency and safety of the EGR technology based on the CO₂ injection. The development and testing of different monitoring techniques facilitate an improved surveying of CO₂ storage sites in general. The CLEAN results provide the technological, logistic and conceptual prerequisites for implementing a CO₂-based EGR project in the Altmark and provide a benchmark for similar projects in the world.     

塔河油田碳酸盐岩大型隐蔽油藏成藏机理探讨

塔河碳酸盐岩隐蔽油藏是目前中国最大的海相整装油田,油藏类型以大型岩溶缝洞型隐蔽油藏为主,平面上油气分布具有大面积叠置连片不均匀含油特点,纵向上主要富集于奥陶系顶面不整合面之下400m范围之内,无统一油水界面,主要受非均质性极强的次生孔洞缝储集体发育程度控制。其成藏主控因素为：①多期多旋回岩溶(古表生、深埋)及断裂作用形成的孔、洞、缝网络状储集体与上覆有效盖层尤其是石炭系巴楚组泥岩及膏泥岩有效配置是油气成藏的关键;②长期继承性发育的大型阿克库勒凸起及多期断裂系统限制了岩溶储层发育范围,并控制了油气运移、聚集与成藏;③多源长期供烃,早期成藏遭受改造。晚期再次充注调整是塔河重要成藏机制。     

Geomorphic evolution and stratigraphy of Price and Capers Inlets, South Carolina

A three-dimensional model for a tidal inlet-barrier island depositional system was constructed through examination of 37 vibracores and 10 auger drill holes on Capers and Dewees Islands, South Carolina. Two cycles of southerly inlet migration and subsequent abandonment resulted in beach ridge truncation on the northern ends of both barriers. Historical evidence indicates that these tidal inlets migrated 1.5 km to the south owing to a dominant north-south longshore transport direction. The hydraulic inefficiency of these over-extended inlet channels caused shorter, more northerly-oriented channels to breach through the ebbtidal deltas. After inlet reorientation, large wave-formed swash bars migrated landward closing former inlet channels. Weakened tidal currents through the abandoned channels permitted clay plugs to form thick impermeable seals over active channel-fill sand and shell. Price and Capers Inlets formed during the onset of the Holocene transgression following submergence of the ancestral Plio-Pleistocene Santee River drainage system. Coarse, poorly sorted inlet-deposited sand disconformably overlies Pleistocene estuarine clay and is capped by a dense clay plug. Shoreline reorientation and landward retreat of a primary barrier island chain occurred between the first and second cycles of inlet-channel migration and abandonment. Beach ridges prograded seaward over the first inlet sequence. A second cycle of inlet migration truncated the northernmost portion of these beach ridges and scoured into the clay plug of the earlier inlet deposit. Abandonment of this channel resulted in deposition of a second abandoned inlet-channel clay plug. Abandoned tidal inlet channels exhibit U-shaped strike and crescentic- to wedge-shaped dip geometries. Basal, poorly sorted inlet sands are sealed beneath impermeable, abandoned-channel silt and clay, washover deposits, and salt marsh. Multiple episodes of inlet migration and abandonment during a rising sea-level deposited stacked inlet-fill sequences within the barrier islands. The resultant stratigraphy consists of interlayered, fining-upward, active inlet-fill sand overlain by thicker abandoned inlet-fill clay plugs. These clay plugs form impermeable zones between adjacent barrier island sand bodies. Shoreline transgression would remove the uppermost barrier island deposits, sealing the inlet-fill sequences between Pleistocene estuarine clay and shoreface to shelf silt and clay.     

坝陵河悬索桥西岸隧道式锚碇锚塞体长度方案比选的数值模拟研究

锚碇基础是悬索桥的关键受力部位,它的总体稳定性和受力状态直接影响到大桥的安全和长期使用的可靠性。当悬索桥设计桥面宽度一定时,若采用的隧道式锚碇截面变化情况下,锚塞体长度的确定除了与设计主缆缆力的数值大小有关外,还应考虑如何充分利用锚塞体围岩的力学性能。本文通过拟建的坝陵河悬索桥西岸隧道式锚碇锚塞体长度方案比选的数值模拟研究,获得锚塞体合理经济的长度,以供设计参考。     

四川盆地下寒武统膏盐岩发育特征与封盖有效性分析

四川盆地下寒武统广泛发育一套膏盐岩,主要沉积于早寒武世龙王庙期。基于四川盆地深井及实测剖面中膏盐岩的识别和统计,发现下寒武统有川南和鄂西两大聚盐区,最厚达690.40m;川南聚盐区西部以含泥含云质石膏岩类和含膏砂泥岩类为主,东部及颚西聚盐区主要为含膏白云岩类。结合前人研究,认为膏盐岩发育于浅水缓坡沉积环境,有潮上萨布哈和缓坡蒸发两类成因。通过对川南聚盐区储盖匹配关系及后期构造与膏盐岩封盖性分析,表明下寒武统膏盐岩与盐下震旦系优质的白云岩储层在空间上具有良好的匹配关系;四川盆地边界大断裂及边界外寒武系的抬升暴露让膏盐岩在盆地外封盖性失效,而在盆地内膏盐岩的封盖性较好。威远气田解剖表明有膏盐岩分布的威远地区成藏,而无膏盐岩分布的资阳地区气藏被破坏,显示了下寒武统膏盐岩在四川盆地油气成藏中具有重要的作用。     

高效桥塞堵漏技术在川西马井构造的应用

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