System and method for ground consolidation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11879227-B2
Application number	US-201917615532-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2019
Priority date	May 31, 2019
Publication date	Jan 23, 2024
Grant date	Jan 23, 2024

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for inducing ground consolidation. The method comprises providing a first chamber in a first hole in the ground, and a second chamber in a second hole in the ground, the first and second chambers being liquid-impermeable and electrically conductive; providing a first electrolytic fluid in the first chamber and a second electrolytic fluid in the second chamber; placing at least a first electrode in the first chamber, and at least a second electrode in the second chamber, the first and second electrodes being operatively connected to a power supply; feeding consolidation fluids into the ground for feeding reactants of a consolidation process, and catalysers for the reactants into the ground; and applying to the first and second electrodes an electric current. The current causes the first electrode to operate as an anode and the second electrode to operate as a cathode thereby inducing electric polarization in the ground to cause the reactants and catalysers to cross paths to thereby cause consolidation of the ground.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for inducing ground consolidation comprising:
providing a first chamber in a first hole in the ground, and a second chamber in a second hole in the ground, the first and second chambers being liquid-impermeable and electrically conductive;
providing a first electrolytic fluid in the first chamber and a second electrolytic fluid in the second chamber;
placing at least a first electrode in the first chamber, and at least a second electrode in the second chamber, the first and second electrodes being operatively connected to a power supply;
feeding one or more consolidation fluids into the ground for feeding one or more reactants of a consolidation process, and one or more catalysers for the one or more reactants into the ground; and
applying to the first and second electrodes an electric current causing at least the first electrode to operate as a positive pole and at least the second electrode to operate as a negative pole thereby inducing electric polarisation in the ground to cause the reactants and catalysers to cross paths to thereby cause consolidation of the ground.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more consolidation fluids comprise a catalyser fluid comprising an enzymatic catalyser and/or a microorganism, wherein the enzymatic catalyser comprises urease, and/or wherein the microorganism comprises a urease-producing microorganism.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more consolidation fluids further comprise a first solute fluid, wherein the first solute fluid is a source of cations acting as a first type of reactants.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the first solute fluid comprises calcium compound particles.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the first electrode defines a positive pole region in the ground in the vicinity of the first electrode, and wherein the method further comprises feeding the first solute fluid into the positive pole region.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more consolidation fluids further comprise a second solute fluid, wherein the second solute fluid is a source of anions acting as a second type of reactants.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the second solute fluid comprises urea.

8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the second electrode defines a negative pole region in the ground in the vicinity of the second electrode, and wherein the method further comprises feeding the second solute fluid into the negative pole region.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electric current is a direct current.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises moving the at least first electrode and/or the at least second electrode along a longitudinal axis of a respective chamber to improve distribution of the one or more reactants and/or catalysers in the ground.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises reversing polarity of the power source to cause the first electrode to operate as a negative pole and the second electrode to operate as a positive pole.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more consolidation fluids are fed into the ground through a pipe network.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises removing consolidation byproducts from the ground.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the removal of the byproducts comprises feeding a third solute fluid comprising base cations acting as byproduct reactants into the ground, wherein the third solute fluid comprises a pH buffer configured to neutralise ammonia.

15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the byproducts are removed by sucking them out of the ground by using a pipe network.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises feeding a stimulation fluid into the ground for stimulating the activity of the catalysers.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrolytic fluid is substantially the same as the second electrolytic fluid.

18. A ground consolidation system comprising:
a first chamber configured to be placed in a first hole in the ground;
a second chamber configured to be placed in a second hole in the ground, the first and second chambers being liquid-impermeable and electrically conductive;
a first electrolytic fluid in the first chamber;
a second electrolytic fluid in the second chamber;
at least a first electrode in the first chamber;
at least a second electrode in the second chamber;
a pipe system configured to be at least partially placed in the ground for feeding one or more consolidation fluids into the ground for feeding one or more reactants of a consolidation process, and one or more catalysers for the one or more reactants into the ground; and
a power supply operatively connected to the at least first electrode and to the at least second electrode, the power source being configured to apply to the at least first and second electrodes an electric current causing the first chamber, the at least first electrode and the first electrolytic fluid to collectively operate as a positive pole, and the second chamber, the at least second electrode and the second electrolytic fluid to collectively operate as a negative pole to thereby induce electric polarisation in the ground to cause the reactants and catalysers to cross paths through attracting and repelling at least the reactants to thereby cause consolidation of the ground.

19. The system according to claim 18 , wherein the system further comprises a tank system operatively connected with the pipe system for holding the one or more consolidation fluids, wherein the tank system comprises a first tank and a second tank, different from the first tank, wherein the pipe system comprises one or more pipes configured to extend into the ground, wherein the pipes are configured to extend into the ground between the first and second chambers, and wherein the one or more pipes comprise a set of openings on a surface of a respective pipe for feeding the one or more consolidation fluids into the ground.

20. The system according to claim 18 , wherein the system further comprises one or more pumps operatively connected to the tank system for pumping the one or more consolidation fluids into the ground and/or for sucking consolidation byproducts out of the ground.

Assignees

• Ecole Polytechnique Fed Lausanne Epfl

Inventors

• Terzis Dimitrios
• Laloui Lyesse
• Hicher Patrick

Classifications

• E02D3/11 Primary

  by thermal, electrical or electro-chemical means (freezing soil for interrupting passage of underground water E02D19/14) · CPC title

• C09K17/42

  Inorganic compounds mixed with organic active ingredients, e.g. accelerators · CPC title

• C12N1/20

  Bacteria; Culture media therefor · CPC title

• C12N9/80

  acting on amide bonds in linear amides {(3.5.1)} · CPC title

• C12N13/00

  Treatment of microorganisms or enzymes with electrical or wave energy, e.g. magnetism, sonic waves · CPC title