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A case study of drilling process monitoring for geomaterial strength assessment along hydraulic rotary drillhole

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Abstract

It is challenging yet essential to identify the different processes and operations for the wide utilization of factual data during the current normal drilling. In this paper, the complete digital factual data of the hydraulic rotary drill project are recorded in real-time series along a 38-m-deep drillhole. A total of five processes with the associated individual operations are identified by the digitalization results as the inserting drill bit and rods process, the rotary stirring process, the hydraulic rotary coring process, the core cutting process, and the retrieving drill bit and rods process. The operations of net drilling can be selected by the statistical results from the hydraulic rotary coring process. According to the factual data, 461 linear zones and 10 geomaterial-type zones with the corresponding constant drilling speed are presented in the curve of bit advancement depth versus the net drilling time. The analysis results show that as the in situ mechanical property (or coring-resistant strength) of the drilled geomaterials increases, the corresponding constant drilling speed decreases. The spatial distributions of linear zones with similar constant drilling speeds can represent the stratum distributions of homogeneous geomaterial. The digitalization results provide the valuable reference for quantitative descriptions of the full hydraulic rotary drilling process and the in situ mechanical profile with the factual drilling data.

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Acknowledgements

The paper was partially supported by grants from the Research Grant Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, PR China (Project Nos. HKU 17207518 and R5037-18). The first author also thanks HKU for scholarship for his PhD studies.

Funding

Research Grant Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, HKU 17207518, Zhongqi Yue, R5037-18, Zhongqi Yue

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    X. F. Wang

  2. Powerchina Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China

    P. Peng & Z. G. Shan

  3. Department of Geotechnical Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

    W. V. Yue

  4. Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China

    Z. Q. Yue

Authors
  1. X. F. Wang
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  2. P. Peng
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  3. W. V. Yue
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  4. Z. G. Shan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Z. Q. Yue.

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Wang, X.F., Peng, P., Yue, W.V. et al. A case study of drilling process monitoring for geomaterial strength assessment along hydraulic rotary drillhole. Bull Eng Geol Environ 82, 295 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-023-03323-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-023-03323-z

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