Investigation of a methane flare during the excavation of the Silvan irrigation tunnel, Turkey

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dc.contributor.authorAyhan, Mustafa
dc.contributor.authorAydin, Deniz
dc.contributor.authorImamoglu, M. Sefik
dc.contributor.authorCogalan, Mustafa
dc.contributor.authorKarakus, Askeri
dc.date.accessioned2024-04-24T16:01:59Z
dc.date.available2024-04-24T16:01:59Z
dc.date.issued2019
dc.departmentDicle Üniversitesien_US
dc.description.abstractMechanized methods are being increasingly used in tunnel excavations to such an extent that to ensure safe construction and the economic viability of projects the need for design-stage geotechnical studies has considerably increased. However, unexpected problems, such as gas inflow, can be experienced during excavation when the geological conditions are insufficiently investigated. In fact, even if construction is taking place in a known oil-natural gas basin or coal-bearing strata, the possibility of methane flare/explosion events can be minimized if a suitable excavation method and equipment are used. However, little published literature is available on this topic, resulting in the potential problem of encounters with sources of methane during construction that have not been considered in the planning of the tunneling operations. We have studied a methane (natural gas) flare incident that occurred in 2015 during the excavation by full-face hard rock tunnel boring machine of the Silvan irrigation tunnel, south-eastern Turkey. During the planning and pre-construction stages no consideration was given to the fact that the tunnel passes through a natural gas basin and, consequently, the selection of excavation method and machine equipment was made without taking into account the high possibility of natural gas being present. During excavation a significant methane gas flare occurred, resulting in 13 workers being injured and abandonment of the project. Subsequent investigations revealed that the proposed route of the tunnel passed through a natural gas basin and that Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) had carried out natural gas exploration in the area. Here we provide details on the geological background and the flare incident itself and come to the conclusion that the pre-construction ground investigations for this project were grossly inadequate. We also suggest that in order to facilitate economical and safe tunnel construction, consideration should always be given to the possible presence of methane and other gases at the ground investigation stages of tunneling projects and that all previous geological and technical studies related to the study area should be taken into consideration during the pre-construction stage.en_US
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s10064-018-1265-y
dc.identifier.endpage2652en_US
dc.identifier.issn1435-9529
dc.identifier.issn1435-9537
dc.identifier.issue4en_US
dc.identifier.scopus2-s2.0-85044362635
dc.identifier.scopusqualityQ1
dc.identifier.startpage2641en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-018-1265-y
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/11468/14553
dc.identifier.volume78en_US
dc.identifier.wosWOS:000468075000032
dc.identifier.wosqualityQ2
dc.indekslendigikaynakWeb of Science
dc.indekslendigikaynakScopus
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherSpringer Heidelbergen_US
dc.relation.ispartofBulletin of Engineering Geology and The Environment
dc.relation.publicationcategoryMakale - Uluslararası Hakemli Dergi - Kurum Öğretim Elemanıen_US
dc.rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessen_US
dc.subjectTbm Tunnelingen_US
dc.subjectGassy Grounden_US
dc.subjectMethane Flareen_US
dc.subjectMethane Explosionen_US
dc.subjectGeotechnical Investigationsen_US
dc.titleInvestigation of a methane flare during the excavation of the Silvan irrigation tunnel, Turkeyen_US
dc.titleInvestigation of a methane flare during the excavation of the Silvan irrigation tunnel, Turkey
dc.typeArticleen_US

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