Jim Foley

Jim did a thesis investigating hydromechanical processes associated with creating underground caverns by injecting hydrochloric acid. One aspect of Jim's work evaluated the characteristics of hydraulic fractures created in limestone formations typical of the Appalachian Basin. This was done using a software package called StimPlan.

The other aspect of Jim's work involved evaluating the stability of caverns in limestone. He analyzed a variety of caverns with different shapes, sizes, and depths. Jim used FLAC2D for his analyses.

Fortunately Jim was able to show that reasonably large caverns created at depths of 2km in limestone should be stable under reasonable operating conditions. However, there are a variety of factors associated with cavern shape, pressure in the cavern, and the rate at which the pressure in the cavern changes that will affect stability.

Last Updated: August 28, 2007 -- Questions or comments, contact Larry Murdoch.
School of Environment, Department of Geological Sciences
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