Qualification Type: | PhD |
---|---|
Location: | Loughborough |
Funding for: | UK Students, EU Students, International Students |
Funding amount: | Not Specified |
Hours: | Full Time |
Placed On: | 17th July 2024 |
---|---|
Closes: | 27th August 2024 |
Reference: | ABCE24/RI1a |
Excessive mud pressure can endanger stability of horizontal boreholes and the success of drilling and reaming processes during Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) which is one of most important pipe installation methods using in Trenchless Technology. Inadvertent mud return causes significant environmental issues, damaging rivers, lakes and nearby properties. The PhD candidate will develop design tools for estimating the maximum allowable mud pressure during HDD.
The research programme will comprise both physical and numerical modelling. A series of physical model experiments will simulate horizontal borehole failure: mud infiltration and shear zone development will be investigated by pumping mud into drilled horizontal boreholes within saturated clay and sand. The influence of burial depth, multiple soil layers (e.g. dense sand covered by different thicknesses of loose sand) and adjacent infrastructure (e.g. telegraph poles, which may be the easy channels for mud infiltration) will be investigated. Sensing will be used to measure the mud and pore pressures, and soil movement and strains will be monitored using Geo-Particle Image Velocimetry. Numerical modelling approaches will be developed and verified against the physical evidence, and parametric studies will be undertaken to develop new design equations for estimating the maximum allowable mud pressure.
Please see this PhD project’s dedicated webpage for more information.
Type / Role:
Subject Area(s):
Location(s):