Shear strength of Athabasca Oil Sands

1978 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurice B. Dusseault ◽  
Norbert R. Morgenstern
Keyword(s):  
Shear Strength ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Oil Sand ◽  
Initial Portion ◽  
Apparent Cohesion ◽  
Geophysical Logs ◽  
Shear Box ◽  
Grain Surface ◽  
Dilation Rate

Previously published data are inadequate to explain the high natural shear strength of oil sand. Dissolved gas comes out of solution when confining stresses are removed rapidly, and this results in an internal pressure that expands the oil sand specimens disrupting their fabric. Geophysical logs indicate that in situ densities are much higher than those determined from conventionally cored specimens.Although the behavior of slopes in oil sands suggests that the shear strength is high, the source of strength of the oil sand has not been explained. Therefore detailed oil sand strength testing was undertaken on samples obtained in a special manner. Down-hole refrigeration of cored sections resulted in relatively high-quality specimens, and these were shaped on a lathe to provide triaxial and shear-box test samples.Strength tests on dense Ottawa sand, oil sand tailings and densely recompacted oil sand were performed: standard behavior was observed throughout. A series of triaxial and shear-box tests on undisturbed oil sands demonstrated a Mohr failure envelope that is highly curved, which displays no cohesion intercept and which is extremely steep for the initial portion of the envelope. Optical and scanning electron microscope investigations have revealed a dense interpenetrative structure and a considerable degree of grain surface rugosity. These factors give rise to a very high dilation rate before failure, and the dilation rate is suppressed as normal stress increases. The suppression of dilation results in shear of grains and grain asperities, giving rise to an apparent cohesion intercept at higher normal stresses. The curvilinear failure envelopes may be conveniently expressed as power-law relationships, and this form of expression will prove useful in stability analysis.

The influence of diagenetic microfabric on oil sands behaviour

1982 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 804-818 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah J. Barnes ◽  
Maurice B. Dusseault
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Shear Strength ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Oil Sand ◽  
Predictive Capacity ◽  
Diagenetic Alteration ◽  
Geological Processes ◽  
Qualitative Classification ◽  
Diagenetic History ◽  
Northeastern Alberta

The diagenetic processes of pressure solution and authigenic crystal overgrowth have altered the arenaceous oil sand materials of northeastern Alberta, creating sands with a decreased porosity and interlocking grain contacts. Examination of specimens in the scanning electron microscope indicates that a large number of the grain contacts in the materials have been altered from tangential to long and concavo-convex. Except for infrequent isolated bands, the materials are free from true grain-to-grain mineral cement.Strength, compressibility, and index tests (density, grain size) were performed in the laboratory on oil-free samples of the McMurray and Grand Rapids Formations, two of the Alberta oil-bearing strata. Results indicate that increased grain contact area and grain interlock cause a reduction in the compressibility and an increase in the shear strength of the materials.The influence of porosity, mineralogy, grain size, and degree of diagenetic alteration on the behaviour of granular materials is discussed, and a qualitative classification for degree of diagenetic alteration and its influence on shear strength is presented.The recognition of the geological processes reponsible for the unusual engineering behaviour of oil sands will provide a valuable predictive capacity for all friable sandstone behaviour. On the other hand, the relatively straightforward properties of relative density and compressibility can serve as effective measures of geological diagenetic history for future process quantification.

Shear strength and stress—strain behaviour of Athabasca oil sand at elevated temperatures and pressures

1987 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. G. Agar ◽  
N. R. Morgenstern ◽  
J. D. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Shear Strength ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Triaxial Compression ◽  
Substantial Reduction ◽  
Hyperbolic Model ◽  
Oil Sand ◽  
Hydrocarbon Gases ◽  
Stress Strain ◽  
Strain Behaviour

The results of a series of triaxial compression tests on undisturbed samples of Athabasca oil sand at elevated temperatures ranging from 20 to 200 °C are summarized. The material tested had experienced gradual unloading and depressurization as a result of erosion in the Saline Creek valley near Fort McMurray. More deeply buried oil sands are known to contain much higher concentrations of dissolved hydrocarbon gases in the pore fluids. The measured shear strength of Athabasca oil sand did not change significantly as a result of the increased temperatures that were applied. The strength of Athabasca oil sand (at 20–200 °C) was found to be greater than comparable shear strengths reported for dense Ottawa sand (at 20 °C). Although heating to 200 °C had little effect on shear strength, it is recognized that pore pressure generation during undrained heating may cause substantial reduction of the available shearing resistance, particularly in gas-rich oil sands. The experimental data were used to investigate the influence of such factors as stress path dependency, microfabric disturbance, and heating to elevated temperatures on the shear strength and stress–strain behaviour of oil sand. Curve fitting of the test data suggests that the hyperbolic model is a useful empirical technique for stress—deformation analyses in oil sands. Hyperbolic stress—strain parameters derived from the experimental results for Athabasca oil sand are presented. Key words: oil sand, Athabasca oil sand, tar sand, shear strength, stress, strain, deformation, heating, high temperature, elevated temperatures, high pressure, elevated pressure, thermal properties, drained heating, undrained heating, triaxial compression testing.

scholarly journals FRICTION ANGLE OF POLISHED SURFACES OF SANDSTONE AND CONGLOMERATE FROM THE SEMANGGOL FORMATION, BERIS DAM, KEDAH DARUL AMAN

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 09-12
Author(s):  
J. K. Raj
Keyword(s):  
Shear Strength ◽  
Laboratory Tests ◽  
Friction Angle ◽  
Normal Displacement ◽  
Test Conditions ◽  
Apparent Cohesion ◽  
Shear Box

The Beris Dam is founded on a sequence of thick bedded to massive conglomerate and gritstone with some sandstone and mudstone, mapped as the Semanggol Formation of Triassic age. Portable shear box tests on polished surfaces of a sandstone, and a conglomerate, core yield friction angles of 18.0o and 20.8o, respectively. These friction angles are comparable with residual friction angles of between 17.5o and 19.0o determined in field and laboratory tests on sheared mudstone surfaces of the Semanggol Formation at the Muda Dam. Apparent cohesion values determined in the portable shear box tests result from the restricted normal displacement test conditions and should not be considered in shear strength calculations.

Status of the Development and Application of Oil Sand

2012 ◽  
Vol 562-564 ◽  
pp. 367-370
Author(s):  
Jia He Chen
Keyword(s):  
Oil Sands ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Oil Sand ◽  
Unconventional Oil ◽  
Oil Resources ◽  
Conventional Oil

Oil and natural gas are important energy and chemical raw materials, its resources are gradually reduced. With the rapid development of the global economy, the conventional oil resources can’t meet the rapid growth of oil demand, people began turning to unconventional oil resources, one of which is the oil sands. Oil sands is unconventional oil resources, if its proven reserves are converted into oil, it will be much larger than the world's proven oil reserves. Canadian oil sands reserves stand ahead in the world, followed by the former Soviet Union, Venezuela, the United States and China. However, due to its special properties, different mining and processing technology, and higher mining costs compared with conventional oil, the research of oil sands makes slow progress. At present, due to the rising of world oil price, oil sands mining technology have attracted more and more attention, and have developed a lot.

Effect of various treatments on consolidation of oil sands fluid fine tailings

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (8) ◽  
pp. 1059-1066 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Ward Wilson ◽  
Louis K. Kabwe ◽  
Nicholas A. Beier ◽  
J. Don Scott
Keyword(s):  
Shear Strength ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Large Strain ◽  
Regulatory Requirements ◽  
Freeze Thaw ◽  
Treatment Processes ◽  
Fine Tailings ◽  
Fluid Fine Tailings ◽  
Solids Content ◽  
And Storage

Regulatory policy and regulations in Alberta require oil sands companies to reduce their production and storage of fluid fine tailings by creating deposits that can be reclaimed in a timely manner. To meet the regulatory requirements, some companies are adding flocculants to the fluid fine tailings and then using thickeners, inline flocculation or centrifuges to increase the solids content. Freeze–thaw and drying processes are then used to further dewater the tailings. The effects of flocculating, thickening, and freeze–thaw treatments were investigated by performing large-strain consolidation and shear strength tests on these treated fluid fine tailings. The consolidation and shear strength results were then compared with those of untreated fluid fine tailings. All of the treatments increased the hydraulic conductivity of the fluid fine tailings to some degree, but had little to no effect on the compressibility and shear strength. The effects of the treatment processes are discussed and evaluated.

scholarly journals Microbial Eukaryotes in Oil Sands Environments: Heterotrophs in the Spotlight

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 178
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Richardson ◽  
Joel B. Dacks
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Petroleum Industry ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Oil Sand ◽  
Oil Reserves ◽  
Microbial Eukaryotes ◽  
Unconventional Oil ◽  
Hydrocarbon Extraction

Hydrocarbon extraction and exploitation is a global, trillion-dollar industry. However, for decades it has also been known that fossil fuel usage is environmentally detrimental; the burning of hydrocarbons results in climate change, and environmental damage during extraction and transport can also occur. Substantial global efforts into mitigating this environmental disruption are underway. The global petroleum industry is moving more and more into exploiting unconventional oil reserves, such as oil sands and shale oil. The Albertan oil sands are one example of unconventional oil reserves; this mixture of sand and heavy bitumen lying under the boreal forest of Northern Alberta represent one of the world’s largest hydrocarbon reserves, but extraction also requires the disturbance of a delicate northern ecosystem. Considerable effort is being made by various stakeholders to mitigate environmental impact and reclaim anthropogenically disturbed environments associated with oil sand extraction. In this review, we discuss the eukaryotic microbial communities associated with the boreal ecosystem and how this is affected by hydrocarbon extraction, with a particular emphasis on the reclamation of tailings ponds, where oil sands extraction waste is stored. Microbial eukaryotes, or protists, are an essential part of every global ecosystem, but our understanding of how they affect reclamation is limited due to our fledgling understanding of these organisms in anthropogenically hydrocarbon-associated environments and the difficulties of studying them. We advocate for an environmental DNA sequencing-based approach to determine the microbial communities of oil sands associated environments, and the importance of studying the heterotrophic components of these environments to gain a full understanding of how these environments operate and thus how they can be integrated with the natural watersheds of the region.

scholarly journals Modelling shear strength of compacted soils

2019 ◽  
Vol 92 ◽  
pp. 15007
Author(s):  
Sam Bulolo ◽  
Eng Choon Leong
Keyword(s):  
Shear Strength ◽  
Unsaturated Soils ◽  
Soil Mechanics ◽  
Published Data ◽  
State Variables ◽  
Compacted Soils ◽  
Earth Structures ◽  
Unsaturated Soil Mechanics ◽  
Coulomb Failure Criterion ◽  
Direct Shear Apparatus

Compacted soils constitute most engineering projects such as earth dams, embankments, pavements, and engineered slopes because of their high shear strength and low compressibility. The shear strength of compacted soils is a key soil parameter in the design of earth structures but it is seldom determined correctly due to their unsaturated state. The shear strength of compacted soils can be better evaluated under the framework of unsaturated soil mechanics. Saturated and unsaturated tests were conducted on compacted specimens using conventional direct shear apparatus under constant water content condition. Tests were conducted at different water contents and net normal stresses. The main objective of this study is to develop a shear strength model for compacted soils. Initial matric suction was measured before the test using the filter paper method. The two-stress state variables together with the extended Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion for unsaturated soils were used to obtain a lower bound model of the shear strength. The model was demonstrated using published data.

Geomechanical Effects on the SAGD Process

2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (04) ◽  
pp. 367-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Michael Collins
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Growth Pattern ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Western Canada ◽  
Oil Sand ◽  
Confining Stress ◽  
Steam Chamber ◽  
Elevated Pressures

Summary Steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is a robust thermal process that has revolutionized the economic recovery of heavy oil and bitumen from the immense oil-sands deposits in western Canada, which have 1.6 to 2.5 trillion bbl of oil in place. With steam injection, reservoir pressures and temperatures are raised. These elevated pressures and temperatures alter the rock stresses sufficiently to cause shear failure within and beyond the growing steam chamber. The associated increases in porosity, permeability, and water transmissibility accelerate the process. Pressures ahead of the steam chamber are substantially increased, promoting future growth of the steam chamber. A methodology for determining the optimum injection pressure for geomechanical enhancement is presented that allows operators to customize steam pressures to their reservoirs. In response, these geomechanical enhancements of porosity, permeability, and mobility alter the growth pattern of the steam chamber. The stresses in the rock will determine the directionality of the steam chamber growth; these are largely a function of the reservoir depth and tectonic loading. By anticipating the SAGD growth pattern, operators can optimize on the orientation and spacing of their wells. Core tests are essential for the determination of reservoir properties, yet oil sand core disturbance is endemic. Most core results are invalid, given the high core-disturbance results in test specimens. Discussion on the causes and mitigation of core disturbance is presented. Monitoring of the SAGD process is central to understanding where the process has been successful. Methods of monitoring the steam chamber are presented, including the use of satellite radar interferometry. Monitoring is particularly important to ensure caprock integrity because it is paramount that SAGD operations be contained within the reservoir. There are several quarter-billion-dollar SAGD projects in western Canada that are currently in the design stage. It is essential that these designs use a fuller understanding of the SAGD process to optimize well placement and facilities design. Only by including the interaction of SAGD and geomechanics can we achieve a more complete understanding of the process. Introduction Geomechanics examines the engineering behavior of rock formations under existing and imposed stress conditions. SAGD imposes elevated pressures and temperatures on the reservoir, which then has a geomechanical response. Typically, the SAGD process is used in unconsolidated sandstone reservoirs with very heavy oil or bitumen. In-situ viscosities can exceed 5 000 000 mPa•s [mPa•s º cp] under reservoir conditions. These bituminous unconsolidated sandstones, or "oil sands," are unique engineering materials for two reasons. Firstly, the bitumen is essentially a solid under virgin conditions, and secondly, the sands themselves are not loosely packed beach sands. Instead, they have a dense, interlocked structure that developed as a result of deeper burial and elevated temperatures over geological time. In western Canada, the silica pressure dissolution and redeposition over 120 million years developed numerous concave-convex grain contacts (Dusseault 1980a; Touhidi-Baghini 1998) in response to the additional rock overburden and elevated temperatures. As such, these oil sands are at a density far in excess of that expected under current or previous overburden stresses. Furthermore, once oil sands are disturbed, the grain rotations and dislocations preclude any return to their undisturbed state. Oil sands, by definition, have little to no cementation. As such, their strength is entirely dependent upon grain-to-grain contacts, which are considerable in their undisturbed state. These contacts are maintained by the effective confining stress. Any reduction in the effective confining stress will result in a reduction in strength. Because the SAGD process increases the formation fluid pressure, it reduces the effective stresses and weakens the oil sand.

Shear strength of spruce glued—laminated timber beams

1985 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 661-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. J. Keenan ◽  
J. Kryla ◽  
B. Kyokong
Keyword(s):  
Shear Strength ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Weibull Model ◽  
Longitudinal Shear ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Characteristic Value ◽  
Glued Laminated Timber ◽  
Timber Beams

The effect of size on longitudinal shear strength has been well established for Douglas-fir glued–laminated (glulam) timber beams. The present study examined whether this phenomenon exists in glulam beams made of spruce. The experiment consisted of three projects in which beams of various sizes were tested under concentrated mid-span load. The project A beams had clear spruce webs and white elm flanges with cross-sectional dimensions varying from 25 × 25 mm to 75 × 75 mm. The project B beams had spruce glulam webs with Douglas-fir flanges; cross sections ranged from 20 × 100 mm to 90 × 200 mm. In project C, three groups of 10 replications of commercially representative sizes of glulam beams were made from stiffness-rated spruce–pine–fir lumber. The beam cross sections were 76 × 200 mm, 76 × 400 mm, and 127 × 400 mm.The results indicated that depth, width, and shear plane had significant effects on the longitudinal shear strength of the beams in project A. Depth, width, and shear span of the small glulam beams in project B also had highly significant effects on shear strength. However, no effects of depth and width on the shear strength of glulam beams in project C were found. Regression analysis showed no dependence of shear strength on sheared volume for the beams of all three projects. The three-parameter Weibull model also failed to predict the near-minimum shear strength of spruce glulam beams. The results suggested that the lower-bound shear strength of spruce glulam beams is a constant (regardless of beam volume) and could be used as a single characteristic value for glulam design in shear. Further review of published data indicates that this may also be the case for Douglas-fir glulam but with a lower characteristic value than for spruce.

Characterisation of Residual Shear Strength at the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thi Minh Hue Le ◽  
Gudmund Reidar Eiksund ◽  
Pål Johannes Strøm
Keyword(s):  
Shear Strength ◽  
Wind Farm ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Interface Shear ◽  
Residual Shear Strength ◽  
Axial Capacity ◽  
Ring Shear ◽  
Stiff Clay ◽  
Soil Units ◽  
Shear Box

For offshore foundations, the residual shear strength is an important soil parameter for the evaluation of installation resistance and axial pile capacity (for jacket foundation). Estimation of residual shear strength can be conducted in a shear box test in the conventional way, or with the introduction of an interface to evaluate the change in residual shear strength under influence of friction between soil and the interface. In addition, the residual effective friction angle can be measured in the ring shear test using the Bromhead apparatus. In this study, the three above-mentioned methods are employed to estimate the values of residual shear strength of two soil units: the Swarte Bank Formation and the Chalk Unit sampled from the Sheringham Shoal offshore wind farms. The Swarte Bank Formation is dominated by heavily over-consolidated stiff clay, while the Chalk Unit is characterized by putty white chalk which behaves in a similar manner to stiff clay if weathered, or to soft rock if unweathered. These soil units are located at the bottom of the soil profile at the Sheringham Shoal wind farm and hence are important in providing axial capacity to the foundation. Samples from the two soil units are tested and compared at different rates of shearing to evaluate the change in axial capacity and installation resistance of the offshore wind turbine foundations under various possible loading and drainage conditions. Comparison is also made between residual shear strength with and without a reconsolidation period to assess the potential for soil set-up and its influence on the soil capacity. The results show that, for both the clay and the chalk, the estimated residual shear strengths are quite similar between the conventional and interface shear tests and tend to increase with increasing shearing rate. This can be attributed to the increasing dominance of the turbulent shearing mode. Relative to the peak shear strength, the values of residual shear strength are approximately 5 to 35% lower in most cases. Reconsolidation for a period of 24 hours appears to have, if any, marginal positive effect on residual shear strength of the two soils in both shear box and interface shear box tests. The residual friction angles derived from the shear box and ring shear tests are comparable and fall in the immediate range of shear strength. The various test results imply that the pile foundations at the Sheringham Shoal would have considerably large axial capacity, assuming that the horizontal stress is similar to the normal stress used in testing. The test data however should be used with caution and combined with piling experience in comparable soils where possible. The study aims to provide a source of reference for design of pile foundations for sites with similar soil conditions.

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