Geological Engineering Commons^™

The Utility Of Geophysical Techniques To Image The Shallow Subsurface In Karst Areas In Missouri, Nathainail Bashir

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation is composed of three papers, which are focused on the utility of geophysical techniques to imaging the shallow subsurface in karst areas in Missouri.

In the first paper, ground penetrating radar (GPR) and time domain electromagnetic metal detector (TDEM-MD) methods were effectively deployed in an investigation of the cemetery with the intent of locating unmarked graves. The outcome of this study is to expand the knowledge of GPR and TDEM-MD methods, to locate unmarked graves in cemeteries. The study concluded that the GPR method is superior than TDEM-MD to locate buried caskets in cemetery investigations.

In the second …

Empirical Correlations Between Rock Cutting Parameters And Excavated Rock Surface Rebound Hardness, Azupuri Germanus Ayerikujei Kaba

Doctoral Dissertations

"In field excavation, cutting tools operate on rock surfaces damaged from previous tool pass, yet, average intact rock properties are often used in field project estimations. This can result in overestimation of excavation time and cost. The ability to accurately correlate the damaged rock properties to the excavation parameters means more reliable estimates of project completion time and costs, and hence improved the application of mechanical excavation technology to a wider range of civil and mining industries.

The purpose of this research was to better understand the relationship between rock cutting parameters and the excavated rock surface hardness during mechanical …

John Frank Stevens: Panama Canal Mastermind And Pioneering Railroad Pathfinder, J. David Rogers, Lawrence M. Magura

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

John Frank Stevens began his civil engineering career as a rodman on a survey crew in Maine in 1872. He soon moved to Minneapolis, where he apprenticed himself, eventually becoming Assistant City Engineer. In 1876 he began working for railroads in the western United States. In 1882 Stevens began working for a contractor laying tracks for the Canadian Pacific Railroad in Saskatchewan. The next spring he became assistant engineer of location for the Canadian Pacific, completing the first transcontinental line linking Montreal with Vancouver in 1888. In 1889 James Jerome Hill retained Stevens as chief pathfinder for the new Great …

An Analysis Of Common Drill Stem Vibration Models, Mohammed F. Al Dushaishi, Runar Nygaard, Daniel S. Stutts

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Excessive drill stem (DS) vibration while rotary drilling of oil and gas wells causes damages to drill bits and bottom hole assemblies (BHAs). In an attempt to mitigate DS vibrations, theoretical modeling of DS dynamics is used to predict severe vibration conditions. To construct the model, decisions have to be made on which beam theory to be used, how to implement forces acting on the DS, and the geometry of the DS. The objective of this paper is to emphasize the effect of these assumptions on DS vibration behavior under different, yet realistic, drilling conditions. The nonlinear equations of motion …

Gis-Based Spatial Analysis Coupled With Geophysical Imaging To Identify And Evaluate Factors That Control The Formation Of Karst Sinkholes In Southwestern Missouri, Shishay T. Kidanu

Doctoral Dissertations

"Sinkholes are inherent features of the karst terrain underlying much of Greene County, Missouri. These features present hazards and engineering challenges to existing infrastructure unknowingly constructed on a seemingly benign ground surface. The primary objective of this research was to investigate the physical processes chiefly responsible for triggering the seemingly random distribution of sinkholes in the study area. This research employed an integrated approach encompassing regional scale GIS-based spatial analyses and site-specific geophysical data. GIS-based spatial analysis was employed to identify significant physical factors that appeared to influence the formation and distribution of sinkholes. Seven out of the twelve most …

Delineation Of A Coal Combustion Residue Landfill And Underlying Karst Subsurface In Southwest Missouri Using Ert And Masw Surveys, Ruobai Zhao

Doctoral Dissertations

"The safe containment of coal combustion residual (CCR) in landfills was addressed by the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) CCR rule published in 2015. The new rule affects new and existing U.S. based CCR landfills in terms of implementing safeguard systems for safe disposal and contamination control. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) data were acquired across and in proximity to a CCR landfill in southwest Missouri, USA, with the intent to identify potential karst features and seepage pathways.

Electrical resistivity tomography data were acquired using an automated 8-channel resistivity meter and multichannel analysis of …

The Importance Of Chemical Grouting Materials For Optimum Mechanical Performance With Different Soil Conditions, Yusuf Alper Cinar

Masters Theses

"Grouting is a frequently used technique for controlling the water inflow and reinforcement of soil and rock. Even though cement-based grouting materials have been well characterized, ongoing improvements of chemical grouting materials create a need to better understand the characteristics of these materials in order to increase the efficiency of grouting applications. The purpose of this study is to characterize three common chemical grouting materials by exploring their mechanical performance under varying initial soil conditions. Performance decision criteria consist of the Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) and slake durability test results, observation of penetration ability, and comparison of the findings. The …

Bridge Deck Assessment Using Visual Inspection, Ground Penetrating Radar, Portable Seismic Property Analyzer-Ultrasonic Surface Wave, Hammer Sounding And Chain Drag, Abdullah Hadi Zaid Alhaj

Masters Theses

"Integrated non-destructive techniques were utilized to assess the condition of a reinforced concrete bridge deck. There were two main objectives accomplished.

The first objective was to assess the integrity of the reinforced concrete bridge deck using four non-destructive techniques, namely visual inspection, ground penetrating radar, portable seismic property analyzer-ultrasonic surface wave, and hammer sounding and chain drag. Visual inspection data were used to identify signs of deterioration on surface of the bridge deck such as cracking, concrete leaching, and reinforcement corrosion. Ground penetrating radar data were used to determine the relative condition of the bridge deck. However, due to the …

Developing Improved Techniques For Gpr Guided Wave Data Analysis, Yunyi Guan

Masters Theses

"This study was conducted to investigate how limiting the allowable velocity range when analyzing guided wave data will affect the results of dielectric permittivity and thickness estimation. We conducted four sets of Experiments: an underlying layer of saturated organic loam is covered by incremental layers of the dry organic loam; a base layer of dry organic loam covered by the saturated organic loam; a saturated basal layer of silt with overlying dry silt layers, and a base layer of dry silt overlain by saturated silt layers to conduct a comparative study and perform three surveys for each of these three …

Imaging The Subsurface In Eastern Part Of Lake Chesterfield Using A Combination Of Geophysical Tools, Jiawei Li

Masters Theses

"The Lake Chesterfield North Dam in Wildwood city, Missouri has been leaking, more or less continuously since the dam was constructed in 1986 despite mitigation efforts in 1988, 1994, 1995, 2004, and 2005. Neither the grouting efforts in 1988, 1994, 1995, 2004 or 2005, nor the placement and rehabilitation of an impervious clay liner in 2005 has solved the problem. Indeed, in June of 2017, the water level in Lake Chesterfield dropped at an alarmingly rapid rate.

Prior to authorizing additional mitigation work, the Lake Chesterfield Home Owners Association (LCHOA) decided to acquire geophysical data across the dry lake bed. …

Drained Elastoplastic Solution For Cylindrical Cavity Expansion In K0-Consolidated Anisotropic Soil, Jingpei Li, Weibing Gong, Lin Li, Fang Liu

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a semi analytical solution for drained expansion of a cylindrical cavity in K0-consolidated clay. The solution is derived based on the K0-based anisotropic modified Cam-clay model (K0-AMCC), which can properly consider the initial stress anisotropy and the initial stress-induced anisotropy of natural soils. Parametric studies are carried out to investigate the effects of different over consolidation ratios on the growth of plastic zone and cavity pressure, the distributions of the stress components and the specific volume around the cavity, and the effective stress path. The results are compared with the published solution based on the modified Cam-clay …

Unified Solution To Drained Expansion Of A Spherical Cavity In Clay And Sand, Lin Li, Jingpei Li, De'an Sun, Weibing Gong

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a novel unified solution to drained expansion of a spherical cavity in both clay and sand. The large-strain theory and a critical state model with a unified hardening parameter are used to describe the elastoplastic behavior of the soils after yielding. The elastoplastic constitutive tensor of the critical state model is developed to be a system of first-order differential equations for the drained expansion of a spherical cavity. The problem is formulated as an initial value problem in terms of the Lagrangian scheme by introducing an auxiliary variable and is solved numerically. With the present solution, curves …

Analysis Of Time-Dependent Bearing Capacity Of A Driven Pile In Clayey Soils By Total Stress Method, Lin Li, Jingpei Li, De'an Sun, Weibing Gong

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes an analytical approach to evaluate the time-dependent bearing capacity of a driven pile in clayey soils by taking the pile installation and subsequent reconsolidation effects into consideration. The process of pile installation is modeled by undrained expansion of a spherical cavity at the pile tip and a cylindrical cavity around the pile shaft. The cavity expansion solution, which is based on a K0-consolidated anisotropic modified Cam-clay model (K0-AMCC), is used to capture the pile installation effects. After pile installation, the dissipation of the excess pore water and the increase of the effective stress in the surrounding soil …

The Use Of Geophysical Methods For Dam Seepage Investigations And Dredged Oyster Deposit Characterization, Stanley Chinedu Nwokebuihe

Doctoral Dissertations

"The dissertation is made up of three papers, which discuss the utility of geophysical tools in earthfill dam investigations and dredged oyster bed characterization.

In the first paper, an earthfill dam in Warren County, Missouri was effectively investigated for seepage through the dam and its outlet works using an integration of the electrical resistivity tomography, induced polarization and spontaneous potential geophysical tools. Recommendations were subsequently made based on the results of the study on grout locations to prevent further seepage. In the second paper, a similar study of earthfill dam seepage was conducted on a different dam in Southern Missouri. …

Successful Field Application Of A New Polymer Flooding Technique Suitable For Mature Oilfields Against Low-Oil-Price Background - A Case Study From East China, X. Wu, Y. Wu, C. Xiong, H. Xu, X. Jia, L. Shao, Y. Xiong, J. Zhang, A. Wang, H. Xu, J. Tian, Baojun Bai, X. Tian

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

DGXJ is a sandstone reservoir with temperature of 113 °C, salinity of 36235mg/L, and calcium and magnesium content of 1152mg/L and 30mg/L respectively. The reservoir is not only vertically multilayered and severe heterogeneous, but also witnesses water flowing channels, irregular and imperfect injecting production well patterns, high recovery degree (43%) and high water cut (97%). A new particle-type polymer (SMG) slug combined several small linked-polymer-gel (LPG)slugs and pregelled swellable particle (PSP) was applied during 2011-2015 and achieved remarkable technical and economic effect. The application area is composed of 16 injection wells and 22 production wells. Among the 22 wells, 17 …

Dissolution-Enlarged Fractures Imaging Using Electrical Resistivity Tomography (Ert), Elnaz Siami-Irdemoosa

Doctoral Dissertations

"In recent years the electrical imaging techniques have been largely applied to geotechnical and environmental investigations. These techniques have proven to be the best geophysical methods for site investigations in karst terrain, particularly when the overburden soil is clay-dominated. Karst is terrain with a special landscape and distinctive hydrological system developed by dissolution of rocks, particularly carbonate rocks such as limestone and dolomite, made by enlarging fractures into underground conduits that can enlarge into caverns, and in some cases collapse to form sinkholes.

Bedding planes, joints, and faults are the principal structural guides for underground flow and dissolution in almost …

Semi-Analytical Approach For Time-Dependent Load-Settlement Response Of A Jacked Pile In Clay Strata, Lin Li, Jingpei Li, De'an Sun, Weibing Gong

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Mechanical behavior of the soil around a jacked pile changes significantly during pile installation and subsequent consolidation. Hence, an axially loaded jacked pile exhibits apparent time-dependent bearing performance after pile installation. This paper presents a semi-analytical approach to predict the time-dependent bearing performance of an axially loaded jacked pile in saturated clay strata. The effects of pile installation and subsequent consolidation on the changes in mechanical properties of the surrounding soil are modeled by the cavity expansion theory and the radial consolidation theory, respectively. An exponential function-based load-transfer (t-z) curve is employed to describe the nonlinear behavior of the pile-soil …

Ior Methods In Unconventional Reservoirs Of North America: Comprehensive Review, Dheiaa Alfarge, Mingzhen Wei, Baojun Bai

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Unconventional resources have played a significant role in changing oil industry plans recently. Shale formations in North America have huge oil in place, 900 billion barrels of recoverable oil in Bakken only. However, the predicted primary recovery is still low as less than 10%. Therefore, seeking for improved oil techniques to increase oil recovery in these complex plays is inevitable. In this paper, three stages of review have been combined to find out the applicability of the most feasible IOR methods in these unconventional reservoirs. Firstly, the most common fluid and rock properties of these reservoirs have been investigated and …

Selection Criteria For Miscible-Gases To Enhance Oil Recovery In Unconventional Reservoirs Of North America, Dheiaa Alfarge, Mingzhen Wei, Baojun Bai, Mortadha Alsaba

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Unconventional resources have played a significant role in changing oil industry plans recently. Shale formations in North America such as Bakken, Niobrara, and Eagle Ford have huge oil in place, 100-900 billion barrels of oil in Bakken only. However, the predicted primary recovery is still low as 5-10%. Therefore, seeking for techniques to enhance oil recovery in these complex plays is inevitable. In this paper, two different approaches have been integrated to investigate the feasibility of three different miscible gases which are CO₂, lean gases, and rich gases. Firstly, numerical simulation methods of compositional models have been incorporated …

Wellbore Stability Evaluation For Mishrif Formation, Ethar H.K. Alkamil, Husam R. Abbood, Ralph E. Flori, Andreas Eckert

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

During drilling operations for the E oilfield in the Mishrif formation in southern Iraq, stuck pipe has been identified as a significant geomechanical problem for several wells. In this study, a 1-D mechanical earth model (MEM) of the Mishrif formation is compiled based on its state of stress and rock strength parameters and is utilized to assess the contribution of borehole collapse leading to the stuck pipe problems. The MEM model is based on the principal in situ stresses and their orientation obtained from wireline logs measurements, measuring while drilling (MWD), and leak off test (LOT). Rock strength properties are …

Integrating Microgels And Low Salinity Waterflooding To Improve Conformance Control In Fractured Reservoirs, Ali Alhuraishawy, Mingzhen Wei, Baojun Bai, Abdullah Almansour

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The recovery from fractured reservoirs is usually low. The areal heterogeneity is one result of the fractured reservoir. Low salinity waterflooding (LSWF) and preformed particle gel (PPG) have recently investigated by some researchers. The main objective of this study was to determine whether the combining technologies can improve conformance control in fractured sandstone reservoirs. Semi-transparent five-spot models made of sandstone cores and acrylic plates were built. The effect of low salinity waterflooding on oil recovery was studied. Models were designed with three parallel open fractures. Sodium chloride (1.0, 0.1, 0.01, and 0.001 wt. % NaCl) were used for brine flooding …

Effect Of Molecular-Diffusion Mechanisim On Co2 Huff-N-Puff Process In Shale-Oil Reservoirs, Dheiaa Alfarge, Mingzhen Wei, Baojun Bai, Abdullah Almansour

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Unconventional resources have played a significant role in changing oil industry plans recently. Shale formations in North America such as Bakken, Niobrara, and Eagle Ford have huge oil in place, 100-900 billion barrels of recoverable oil in Bakken only. However, the predicted primary recovery is still low as less than 10%. Therefore, seeking for techniques to increase oil recovery in these complex plays is inevitable. In this paper, three different approaches have been combined to investigate the effect of molecular-diffusion mechanism on CO₂ huff-n-puff process in Bakken formation. Firstly, comprehensive review has been conducted on the reported experimental studies …

Updated Criterion To Select Particle Size Distribution Of Lost Circulation Materials For An Effective Fracture Sealing, Mortadha Alsaba, Mohammed F. Al Dushaishi, Runar Nygaard, Olav Magnar Nes, Arild Saasen

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a new criterion to select particle size distribution (PSD) for an effective fracture sealing. The method was developed based on a comprehensive laboratory investigation that was conducted to determine the relationship between effectiveness of different lost circulation material (LCM) treatments in terms of the sealing efficiency and PSD. The results were compared with the current selection methods, which were developed to enhance the bridging capabilities for drill-in fluid, to investigate their applicability in designing effective treatments for fracture sealing. A statistical investigation was carried out to develop new criteria that suggest PSD based on the expected fracture …

Novel Environmentally Benign Hydrogel: Nano-Silica Hybrid Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide/ Polyethyleneimine Gel System For Conformance Improvement In High Temperature High Salinity Reservoir, Liping Ma, Shitou Wang, Yifu Long, Changqian Zhu, Hongbin Yang, Tangying Yang, Xiaochun Liu, Xiaorong Li, Baojun Bai, Wanli Kang

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In order to address the conformance problem in high temperature and high salinity/hardness reservoir, an environmentally benign in-situ gel was developed based on hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) and polyethyleneimine (PEI). Moreover, silica nanoparticle (SNP) was embedded to improve the performance of HPAM/PEI gel. To achieve the optimum formulation of HPAM/PEI-SNP gel, a comprehensive investigation was first conducted with the respect of gelation time, gel strength, and thermal stability. In addition, the particle size of SNP was determined by Dynamic Light Scatter (DLS) and the microstructure of HPAM/ PEI-SNP gel was characterized via Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The optimum formulation, containing the …

Acquisition Of Active Multichannel Analysis Of Surface Waves (Masw) Data In Karst Terrain, Ghassan Salem Alsulaimani

Doctoral Dissertations

"This study was designed to verify the effects and data reproducibility when the length of receiver array, receiver spacing, source offset and array orientation parameters are changed for data acquired using multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW), at intended target depth of 30ft (9m), and to compare the results with electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) data obtained for the same study site.

The MASW data acquired for 34 sites, along four profiles for each site using variable source offsets of 10ft (3m) and 30ft (9.1m), and variable receiver spacings of 2.5ft (0.76m) and 5.0ft (0.76m), concurrently. Out of the 272 profiles …

Imaging A Fly Ash Landfill Using Non-Invasive Technologies (Ert And Masw), Atiat Shaban Qasim Alsaaideh

Doctoral Dissertations

"Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) data were acquired across a segment of an existing fly ash landfill in southwestern Missouri. The objective was to map potential karst features and identify probable groundwater seepage through and beneath the landfill.

Variations in the moisture content were mapped below and above the two liners (clay and synthetic) systems, the soil and bedrock. Seepage pathways were mapped through the fly ash and the underlying soil and rock. No visual evidence was found on any of the 3D ERT profiles of the presence of either pre-existing air-filled voids or pre-existing or newly infilled clay-filled voids. There …

Evaluation Of Combined Low-Salinity Water And Microgel Treatments To Improve Oil Recovery Using Partial Fractured Carbonate Models, Ali K. Alhuraishawy, Baojun Bai

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Combining two methods in one process to enhance oil recovery represents a needed cost savings in the oil industry. Microgels are used as conformance control agents to improve oil sweep efficiency and control excess water production. Low-salinity waterflooding (LSWF) is used as a wettability alteration agent in carbonate reservoirs and improves displacement efficiency. This paper offers a comprehensive understanding of the combined technology through laboratory experiments. The focus of this study is to see how microgels and low water salinity perform in porous media by creating flow resistance to injected fluid thereby changing the wettability and enhancing the sweep and …

Analysis Of Ior Pilots In Bakken Formation By Using Numerical Simulation, Dheiaa Alfarge, Mingzhen Wei, Baojun Bai, Mortadha Alsaba

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Bakken is the most productive formation among unconventional plays in North America. This formation has 7.4 billion barrels of recoverable oil. However, the primary oil recovery is still low as 5-10%. Miscible natural gas and carbon dioxide (CO₂) might be the most two potential strategies to improve oil recovery in such complex play. In this study, some of the IOR pilots which have been conducted in Montana, North Dakota, and South Saskatchewan have been presented. The performance results of these pilots in US-Bakken versus Canadian-Bakken have been compared. Moreover, the reasons beyond the successful IOR pilots in Canadian-Bakken …

Optimizing Injector-Producer Spacing For Co2 Injection In Unconventional Reservoirs Of North America, Dheiaa Alfarge, Mingzhen Wei, Baojun Bai, Abdullah Almansour

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Shale oil reservoirs such as Bakken, Niobrara, and Eagle Ford have become the main target for oil and gas investors as conventional formations started to deplete and diminish in number. These reservoirs have a huge oil potential; however, the predicted primary oil recovery is still low as average of 7.5 %. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) flooding has been a controversial approach to increase oil recovery in these poor-quality formations. This study investigated the effect of injector-producer spacing, in range of 925-1664 ft, on CO₂ performance in these plays by using numerical simulation methods. CO₂ utilization value under …

Characterizing Groundwater Flow At Fort Leonard Wood Using Universal Cokriging With Trend Removal, Rachel Mae Uetrecht

Masters Theses

"Groundwater elevation interpolation is necessary for the prediction of groundwater flow direction and contaminant transport. Kriging is a geostatistical tool commonly used to interpolate groundwater elevation. Kriging requires a relatively large number of monitoring wells at the site of interest. The variogram model is a crucial element to the kriging equations. The variogram modelling process is an iterative procedure that is often very time consuming. This study presents a literature based approach that provides a point of departure for the variogram modelling process as well as other kriging parameters. A literature database is developed in order to provide insight and …