Construction of an oil sand drilling pad on top of peat in Northern Alberta

Mehdi Qoreishi

In the proceedings of: GeoVancouver 2016: 69th Canadian Geotechnical Conference

Session: PROBLEMATIC SOILS - I Soft, Collapsible, Residual Soils

ABSTRACT: Construction of drilling pads on top of organic soils in oil sand development projects in Northern Alberta is a big challenge for geotechnical engineers. The continuous settlement of the organic soil and the relatively heavy loads of the drilling equipment are important aspects of the geotechnical analysis. In this paper, the construction of a drilling pad on top of a four meter thick medium-decayed peat underlain by soft lacustrine clay is studied. Different engineering solutions including use of timber mats, geogrids and wick drains and preloading are considered to improve the bearing capacity of the ground. Analytical solution was used to calibrate the numerical model for the proposed scenarios. The required construction times and final settlements are compared. The results of the analysis show that a combination of different engineering solutions would be the most efficient way to construct the pad.

RÉSUMÉ: La construction de plaquettes de forage au-dessus des sols organiques dans des projets de développement des sables bitumineux dans le Nord de l'Alberta est un grand défi pour les ingénieurs géotechniques. Les tassements continus du sol organique et des charges relativement lourdes de l'équipement de forage sont des aspects importants de l'analyse plaquette de forage sur une épaisseur de quatre mètres de tourbe , méliorer la capacité portante du sol. Les méthodes numériques et analytiques sont considérées pour les scénarios proposés, les délais de construction nécessaires ainsi que les tassements puis leurs réponses sont comparées. Les résultats de l'analyse montrent que la combinaison de différentes solutions serait le moyen le plus efficace pour construire des plaquettes de forage.

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