Byung-Hee Choi

A Constitutive Model for Shear Behavior of Rock Joints Based on Three-Dimensional Quantification of Joint Roughness

A new constitutive model to describe the shear behavior of rock joints under constant normal stiffness (CNS) and constant normal load (CNL) conditions is proposed. The model was developed using an empirical approach based on the results of a total of 362 direct shear tests on tensile fractured rock joints and replicas of tensile joints and on a new quantitative roughness parameter. This parameter, the active roughness coefficient Cr, is derived from the features of the effective roughness mobilized at the contact areas during shearing. The model involves a shear strength criterion and the relations between stresses and displacements in the normal and shear directions, where the effects of the boundary conditions and joint properties are considered by the shape indices Cd and Cf. The model can be used to predict the shear behavior under CNS as well as CNL conditions. The shear behavior obtained from the experimental results is generally in good agreement with that estimated by the proposed model, and the effects of joint roughness, initial normal stress, and normal stiffness are reasonably reflected in the model.

Characterizing Excavation Damaged Zone and Stability of Pressurized Lined Rock Caverns for Underground Compressed Air Energy Storage

In this paper, we investigate the influence of the excavation damaged zone (EDZ) on the geomechanical performance of compressed air energy storage (CAES) in lined rock caverns. We conducted a detailed characterization of the EDZ in rock caverns that have been excavated for a Korean pilot test program on CAES in (concrete) lined rock caverns at shallow depth. The EDZ was characterized by measurements of P- and S-wave velocities and permeability across the EDZ and into undisturbed host rock. Moreover, we constructed an in situ concrete lining model and conducted permeability measurements in boreholes penetrating the concrete, through the EDZ and into the undisturbed host rock. Using the site-specific conditions and the results of the EDZ characterization, we carried out a model simulation to investigate the influence of the EDZ on the CAES performance, in particular related to geomechanical responses and stability. We used a modeling approach including coupled thermodynamic multiphase flow and geomechanics, which was proven to be useful in previous generic CAES studies. Our modeling results showed that the potential for inducing tensile fractures and air leakage through the concrete lining could be substantially reduced if the EDZ around the cavern could be minimized. Moreover, the results showed that the most favorable design for reducing the potential for tensile failure in the lining would be a relatively compliant concrete lining with a tight inner seal, and a relatively stiff (uncompliant) host rock with a minimized EDZ. Because EDZ compliance depends on its compressibility (or modulus) and thickness, care should be taken during drill and blast operations to minimize the damage to the cavern walls.

Numerical Analysis-Based Shape Design of Underground Rock Caverns for Thermal Energy Storage

The efficiency of thermal energy storage (TES) using water can be improved by storing the water in a thermally stratified form. Previous studies on the thermal performance of heat storage tanks, undertaken by Lavan and Thompson (1977), Cotter and Charles (1993), Matrawy et al. (1996), Ismail et al. (1997), Eames and Norton (1998), and Bouhdjar and Harhad (2002), have demonstrated that better thermal stratification can be obtained by increasing the aspect ratio (height-to-width ratio) of heat storage containers. However, a high-aspect-ratio storage design may lead to structural instability of the storage space because of its narrow, tall shape. Therefore, heat storage spaces should be designed to provide good thermal performance but should also consider the stability of the storage. This is an important issue in the design of heat storage, particularly for underground TES using rock caverns, because the stability of rock caverns is greatly influenced by geotechnical factors such as in situ stresses and rock properties. Therefore, a quantitative stability assessment is required to determine the shape of rock caverns used for TES, and to thus ensure the structural stability of the caverns. This technical note describes a numerical approach for the shape design of a rock cavern in which to store hot water for district heating. For reliable evaluation of the stability of the cavern, the approach employs probabilistic methods that can take into account the variability of input parameters using probability distributions. The arch height of the cavern roof is determined through a comparison of excavation-induced ground displacements between caverns with different arch heights.

Mechanical Stability Analysis to Determine the Optimum Aspect Ratio of Rock Caverns for Thermal Energy Storage

It is generally well known that the stratification of thermal energy in heat stores can be improved by increasing the aspect ratio (the height-to-width ratio) of the stores. Accordingly, it will be desirable to apply a high aspect ratio so as to demonstrate the good thermal performance of heat stores. However, as the aspect ratio of a store increases, the height of the store become larger compared to its width, which may be unfavorable for the structural stability of the store. Therefore, to determine an optimum aspect ratio of heat stores, a quantitative mechanical stability assessment should be performed in addition to thermal performance evaluations. In the present study, we numerically investigated the mechanical stability of silo-shaped rock caverns for underground thermal energy storage at different aspect ratios. The applied aspect ratios ranged from 1 to 6 and the mechanical stability was examined based on factor of safety using a shear strength reduction method. The results from the present study showed that the factor of safety of rock caverns tended to decrease with the increase in aspect ratio and the stress ratio of the surrounding rock mass was influential to the stability of the caverns. In addition, the numerical results demonstrated that under the same conditions of rock mass properties and aspect ratio, mechanical stability could be improved by the reduction in cavern size (storage volume), which indicates that one can design high-aspect-ratio rock caverns by dividing a single large cavern into multiple small caverns.

Thermal Stratification and Heat Loss in Underground Thermal Storage Caverns with Different Aspect Ratios and Storage Volumes

Thermal stratification in heat stores is essential to improve the efficiency of energy storage systems and deliver more useful energy on demand. It is generally well known that the degree of thermal stratification in heat stores varies depending on the aspect ratio (the height-to-width ratio) and size of the stores. The present study aims to investigate the effect of the aspect ratio and storage volume of rock caverns for storing hot water on thermal stratification in the caverns and heat loss to the surroundings. Heat transfer simulations using a computational fluid dynamics code, FLUENT were performed at different aspect ratios and storage volumes of rock caverns. The variation of thermal stratification with respect to time was examined using an index to quantify the degree of stratification, and the heat loss to the surroundings was evaluated. The results of the numerical simulations demonstrated that the thermal stratification in rock caverns was improved by increasing the aspect ratio, but this effect was not remarkable beyond an aspect ratio of 3-4. When the storage volume of rock caverns was large, a higher thermal stratification was maintained for a relatively longer time compared to caverns with a small storage volume, but the difference in thermal stratification between the two cases tended to decrease as the aspect ratio became larger. In addition, the numerical results showed that the heat loss to the surrounding rock tended to increase with an increase in aspect ratio because the surface area of rock caverns increased as the aspect ratio became larger. The total heat loss from multiple small caverns with a reduced storage volume per cavern was larger compared to a single cavern with the same total storage volume as that of the multiple caverns.

Methods to Characterize the Thermal Stratification in Thermal Energy Storages

A primary objective in creating a stratified thermal storage is to maintain the thermodynamic quality of energy, so thermally stratified energy can be extracted at temperatures required for target activities. The separation of the thermal energy in heat stores to layers with different temperatures, i.e., the thermal stratification is a key factor in achieving this objective. This paper introduces different methods that have been proposed to characterize the thermal stratification in heat stores. Specifically, this paper focuses on the methods that can be used to determine the ability of heat stores to promote and maintain stratification during the process of charging, storing and discharging. In addition, based on methods using thermal stratification indices, the degrees of stratification of stored energy in Lyckebo rock cavern in Sweden were compared and the applicability of the methods was investigated.

Analysis of Fire Scenarios and Evaluation of Risks that might Occur in Operation Stage of CAES Storage Cavern

This study focuses on assessing risks which might occur in operation stage of CAES storage cavern and analyzing fire scenarios for the risk that have been assessed with highest risk level. Risks in operation stage were categorized into upper risk group and lower risk group. Components of upper risk group are technical risk, facility risk and natural disaster risk. Lower risk group is composed of 11 sub-risks. 20 experts were chosen to survey questionnaires. ANP model was applied to analyze the relative importance of 11 sub-risks. Results of risk analysis were compared with risk criterion to set risk priorities, and the highest risk was determined to be `occurrence of the fire within the management opening`. Three fire scenarios were developed for the highest risk level and FDS (Fire dynamics Simulator) was used to analyze these scenarios. No. 3 scenario which air blows from tunnel into outside atmosphere represented that a rate of smoke spread was the fastest among three fire scenarios and a smoke descended most quickly below the limit line of breathing. Thus, No. 3 scenario turned out to be the most unfavorable condition when operating staffs were evacuated from access tunnel.

Risk Assessment with the Development of CAES (Compressed Air Energy Storage) Underground Storage Cavern

The objective of this study is to assess risks which might occur in connection with the storage of the highly compressed air in underground opening. Risk factors were selected throughout literature survey and analysis for the characteristic of CAES. Large risk factors were categorized in three components; planning and design phase, construction phase, and operation & maintenance phases. Large category was composed of 8 medium risk groups and 24 sub-risks. AHP technique was applied in order to analyze the questionnaires answered by experts and high-risk factors were selected by evaluating the relative importance of risks. AHP analysis showed that the operation & maintenance phases are the highest risk group among three components of large category and the highest risk group of eight medium risk groups is risk associated with the quality and safety. Risk having the highest risk level in 24 sub-risks is evaluated to be a failure of tightness security of inner containment storing compressed air.

Dependency of Tangential Friction Angle and Cohesion of Non-linear Failure Criteria on the Intermediate Principal Stress

Although Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion has limitations in that it is a linear criterion and the effect of the intermediate principal stress on failure is ignored, this criterion has been widely accepted in rock mechanics design. In order to overcome these shortcomings, the Hoek-Brown failure criterion was introduced and recently a number of 3-D failure criteria incorporating the effect of the intermediate principal stress on failure have been proposed. However, in many rock mechanics designs, the possible failure of rock mass is still evaluated based on Mohr-Coulomb criterion and most of practitioners are accustomed to understanding the strength of rock mass in terms of the internal friction angle and cohesion. Therefore, if the equivalent Mohr-Coulomb strength parameters of the advanced failure criteria are calculated, it is possible to take advantage of the advanced failure criteria in the framework of the Mohr-Coulomb criterion. In this study, a method expressing the tangential Mohr-Coulomb strength parameters in terms of the stress invariant is proposed and it is applied to the generalized Hoek-Brown criterion and the HB-WW criterion. In addition, a new approach describing the geometric meaning of the -dependency of failure criteria in 3-D principal stress space is proposed. Implementation examples of the proposed method show that the influence of the intermediate principal stress on the tangential friction angle and cohesion of the HB-WW criterion is considerable, which is not the case for the 2-D failure criterion.

Thermal Energy Balance Analysis of a Packed Bed for Rock Cavern Thermal Energy Storage

A packed bed thermal energy storage (TES) consisting of solid storage medium of rock or concrete through which the heat transfer fluid is circulated is considered as an attractive alternative for high temperature sensible heat storage, because of the economical viability and chemical stability of storage medium and the simplicity of operation. This study introduces the technologies of packed bed thermal energy storage, and presents a numerical model to analyze the thermal energy balance and the performance efficiency of the storage system. In this model, one dimensional transient heat transfer problem in the storage tank is solved using finite difference method, and temperature distribution in a storage tank and thermal energy loss from the tank wall can be calculated during the repeated thermal charging and discharging modes. In this study, a high temperature thermal energy storage connected with AA-CAES (advanced adiabatic compressed air energy storage) was modeled and analyzed for the temperature and the energy balance in the storage tank. Rock cavern type TES and above-ground type TES were both simulated and their results were compared in terms of the discharging efficiency and heat loss ratio.