The lack of determination of the hydrocarbon distribution regularities in the areas with widely developed basalt complexes significantly complicates the estimation of the prospects for the oil and gas potential of the ancient platforms. This is a challenge for the researchers of the Siberian Platform, which has recently become a new Russian oil and gas extraction base. For a long time, preceding the mass introduction of trap magma, the platform was subjected to intense deflection compensated by sedimentation with the formation of a large number of hydrocarbon deposits in the lower horizons of the sedimentary cover. The influence degree of widely manifested within the Siberian platform trap magmatism on the ontogenesis of oil and gas deposits has become the goal of the studies, which involve identification of the dependence between the thickness of the Osa production horizon and reservoir intrusions of dolerites, dependence of the phase state of deposits and the temperature gradient in individual fields in the south of the Siberian platform. The study uses the correlation methods for the lithologic and stratigraphic sections of the largest hydrocarbon deposits: Verkhnechonsky, Yaraktinsky, Kovykta, Srednebotuobinsky and others. The information is represented graphically in the diagrams. Having analyzed the data obtained according to the results of deep drilling in the known fields in the south of the Siberian platform, the authors have built linear graphs of the relationship between the thicknesses of the Osa productive horizon, salt-bearing fluid seal of Usolskaya suite and reservoir intrusions of Usolsky sill dolerites. Also the graphs of deposit phase state dependence on the temperature of fluid generation are constructed on the basis of the calculation of the possible formation depth of the field. There is a direct relationship between the thicknesses of fluid seal and reservoir intrusions of dolerites. It means that the horizon is preserved in the case when the fluid seal thickness increases as dolerite reservoir thickness increases. Gas condensate deposits are formed at higher temperatures.

Large forecast resources and hydrocarbon reserves are concentrated in the Western part of the Siberian platform (Lena-Tunguska oil and gas province). But most of the explored resources of oil and gas are located in the Baikitskaya and Katanga anteclises. The understudied by geological and geophysical methods Kureya syneclise is located to the north of the territories of the Baikitskaya and Katanga oil and gas areas. The forecast and search for oil and gas in the vast poorly investigated areas by the advanced geochemical methods in combination with traditional geological and geophysical ones remain a relevant task of exploration. The oil and gas potential is estimated using a complex of geological and hydrogeochemical methods. These are the methods of tectonic forecast of buried uplifts and estimation of their oil and gas potential by the advanced hydrogasgeochemical methods (geochemical exploration methods designed for detecting the presence of hydrocarbons in surface waters and bottom layers). The buried uplifts located on the territory of the Central part of the Kureya syneclise are considered as potential hydrocarbon traps that accumulate oil and gas coming from the Riphean and Paleozoic sediments. The analysis of the hydrogasgeochemical samples taken above the buried uplifts shows that there is a latent discharge of mainly calcium chloride (sodium-calcium) underground brines in the basin of the Vivi river. The centers and discharge zones of fluids are associated with faults. The following oil and gas exploration indicators have been found in the composition of natural water and gas samples: water-soluble aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy hydrocarbons, which may indicate possible hydrocarbon saturation. The results obtained are consistent with the known ideas about the wide development of the ascending discharge of highly metamorphosed calcium chloride brines in the central part of the Tunguska artesian basin. Discharge at the bottom of rivers is the shortest and easiest way out of deep waters, therefore the beds of large rivers are considered drains for the deep waters coming from below. Especially intense flow is observed along the large rivers Lower and Podkamennaya Tunguska, Taimur, Tutonchan, Kochechum, Eika, etc. Fault zones almost always control surface anomalies, which can indicate the presence of oil and gas hydrocarbon accumulations in the sedimentary cover.

The purpose of this paper is determination of underground runoff and identification of its main formation and distribution features in the central part of the Eastern Sayan. The groundwater runoff of rivers in the area under investigation having time series of river runoff observations was carried out by the method of genetic separation of runoff hydrographs considering the withdrawal of a part of the runoff to icing. The underground runoff of the unexplored rivers was determined by the method of transition coefficients for unit water flows obtained at a hydrometric survey of winter low flow. The main formation and distribution features of the underground runoff were identified in the course of the correlation analysis of underground runoff values with the main flow-forming characteristics. As a result, it is the first time when the underground runoff is estimated for a large, hard-to-reach territory. Consideration is given to its formation and spatial distribution features. The rate of the underground runoff in the studied area varies widely from 0.5 l/(s∙km²) to 25 l/(s∙km²) and has its own features. In some areas (the Kirei and Yarma river basins) the runoff rate increases with the height of the terrain. In the others, (the adjacent basin of the river Oka) the runoff rate decreases, and in some areas (the basin of the river Bolshaya Belaya) this relationship is not so distinctive. Also, the relationship between the amount of the underground runoff and the drainage area does not manifest itself, since the great roughness of the relief in the central part of the Eastern Sayan leads to the fact that the size of the drainage area is not always indicative of the depth of the erosion cutting of the channel. The formation and distribution features of the underground runoff in the studied area are specified by the landscape-climatic conditions, primarily by the distribution of precipitation and hydrogeological conditions of specific drainages determined by geological and structural features and the nature of permafrost development in different areas of the studied area.

The article compares direct and computational methods of strength determination on example of coarse soil characteristic of the southern and central areas of the Nepa-Botuoba anteclise, the territory of which is associated with the active development of oil and gas condensate fields. The paper presents the main methods for coarse soil strength estimation as well as the factors that determine strength characteristics. The method of shear strength (in-plane shear) according to GOST 20276-2012 “Soils. Field methods for determining strength and compressibilitycharacteristics” and the computational method “Methods for assessing the strength and compressibility of coarse clastic soils with silt and clay aggregate and silty and loamy soils with coarse grain inclusions” developed at the Far Eastern Research, Design and Technological Construction Institute (FERDTCI) is used to assess the strength of coarse soil. Two types of eluvial-deluvial soil were tested: sample A - silty coarse soil, sample B - coarse silty loam. Using direct and computational methods the indicators of cohesion and internal friction angle are obtained for typical eluvial-deluvial soils distributed in the region under consideration. Comparison is given to the results received. Silty coarse soils are characterized by greater divergence in the values of cohesion and internal friction angle obtained by direct and computational methods than coarse silty loams. The article provides the data on the study of the precision characteristics of the direct shear test method. The value of cohesion and internal friction angle calculated by the direct shear test correspond to the theoretical concepts of the nature of soil strength. The differences between the results of the direct and computational methods of strength determination are comparable with the reproducibility characteristics of the direct method. The methods of assessing the strength and compressibility of coarse clastic soils with silt and clay aggregate developed at FERDTCI are today the main ones in our country for obtaining the strength parameters used for final calculations of strength of coarse clastic soil massifs in the foundation of buildings and structures of II and III classes.

The purpose of this study is development of a method for determining the economically feasible boundary of the use of a bulldozer stripping method for various mining conditions. Mining and technical conditions of the placers developed today are gradually deteriorating as the depth of stripping works is constantly increasing. More and more often after peat removal a combined method of stripping works is applied where the upper part is mined by bulldozers and the lower one by stripping shovels. In this case, the vertical boundary between these methods is often established without sufficient justification. Determination of the rational correlation ratio of the amount of works performed by bulldozers and stripping shovels will allow to solve the problem of reducing the costs of stripping works at deep alluvial deposits. This paper presents a methodology for the economic substantiation of the depth of bulldozer stripping works taking into account the cost of stripping works performed by different equipment. The study uses a grapho-analytical method. Nomograms have been developed for determining the cost of stripping operations for a bulldozer and a stripping shovel depending on placer parameters and the relief of the adjacent surface, which enable prompt determination of an economically feasible boundary of stripping shovel mining application. The proposed methods also allow a reasonable distribution of peat volumes stored on different sides of the mine. Therefore, the use of this procedure will reduce the cost of stripping works in the development of deep alluvial deposits when the combined stripping method is used including the removal of the upper part by bulldozers, and the lower one by stripping shovels.

The purpose of this article is to study the parameters of the well drilling mode with closed-circuit bottomhole cleaning by the self-destructive foam. The study involves the review and analysis of the main technical and economic indicators of drilling when using foam as a cleaning agent under various geological conditions. The method of selecting a hard-alloy core-rock-breaking tool and its operating parameters when washing the bottomhole with foam is similar to the one used at drilling with the drilling mud. The need to achieve the maximum mechanical speed for specific mining and geological conditions is used as a key indicator of the drilling process. As a result, the justification is given to the regime parameters of coreless, hard-alloy, and diamond foam drilling and the drilling equipment is assembled. Recommendations have been developed for the efficient and rational use of the technology and technical tools for foam drilling. Their difference from the well drilling with flushing fluid is shown. The technological situations, possible complications and features of foam drilling in complicated conditions are described. Accident prevention measures are developed for various foam drilling conditions. The number of repeated cycles of using the originally prepared composite solution of a self-destructive foam with given concentration is substantiated. The use of the self-destructive foam when drilling wells by the recommended technology significantly increases the advance per bit, mechanical speed of drilling, helps to prevent a number of complications under well construction, as well as reduces the cost of each meter of drilling. Moreover, mud does not accumulate in the wellhead, which improves the environment setting of the drilling process.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the results of the conducted analytical and experimental studies of the drilling process of isotropic rock with diamond rock cutting tools and present the relationships between the main parameters of diamond drilling and strength characteristics of solid rocks in the form of curves. The input material for the research is hypotheses supported by analytical calculations and numerous experimental studies on drilling-out the blocks of rocks of different hardness by the diamond rock cutting tool in the test conditions of the Department of Oil and Gas Business of the Irkutsk National Research Technical University. The research results have been processed using the MS Office Excel package and presented in the form of graphical dependencies. The constructed and analyzed curves allow visual estimation of the relationship between the main technical (diameter of the rock-cutting tool, number of simultaneously working cutters), technological (cutting-shearing force, axial load, mechanical drilling speed, type of a cleaning agent, etc.) drilling parameters and the main strength characteristics (breaking stress, total resistance coefficient) of solid isotropic rocks. The effectiveness of the cleaning agent containing surfactants in the drilling of solid rocks with diamond tools has been experimentally proved. The performed analysis allows to widen the existing understanding of the deformation processes occurring when drilling isotropic rocks with diamond rock-cutting tools. On the basis of the presented results recommendations can be made to improve the efficiency of diamond drilling of solid materials. The obtained results can be useful for industrial exploration organizations, as well as applied in the educational process.

The purpose of the article is to focus on the value of the casing string burst pressure under drilling for oil and gas on the shelf and offshore. When drilling offshore casing strings are subjected to additional stress in comparison with drilling on the land. The lack of allowance for the features of offshore drilling can lead to complications and even accidents. The repair of casing strings at underwater well mouth involving several auxiliary vessels and repair equipment is very complicated and costly. The complexity of repair works in the North and the Far East of the Russian Federation is aggravated by severe and ice conditions in the most part of the year. There is practically no information on this problem in the domestic literature. The author has performed a refined analytical calculation of the casing string burst pressure at the underwater position of the well mouth. For casing string burst pressure determination, it is proposed to make corrections for the depth of the shelf (sea) and the height of the rotor table above the average level of the shelf (sea) surface. This is especially important when drilling in deepwater where the pressure of sea water increases significantly. The article presents the derived empirical formula for determining the magnitude of the fall in the choke line when the choke is put into operation. Knowing the hydraulic losses in the choke line, it is possible to correct the annular pressure in the casing string by the value of pressure drop. The refined calculation of the casing string burst pressure under drilling on the shelf (offshore) by an analytical method is an important task, since it gives the real value of pressure, which will enable to prevent possible complications and accidents.

The purpose of the article is determination of the volume of the polymer solution dispersed phase, estimation of their subordination degree to the power law of fluid flow, as well as determination of the rheological model of mud flow in order to calculate the pressure losses under fluid movement in the elements of the circulation system. Water-soluble polymers are widely used in the composition of drilling fluids and are also used independently as flushing fluids for drilling wells. Despite the wide application range of polymers, when drilling little attention is paid to the volume of the dispersed phase resulting from the dissolution of polymer in water. Particular interest is caused by so-called dilute solutions (term used in the theory of polymer solutions). They are little mentioned in drilling but their number of macromolecular coils of the polymer reaches such a value that they do not interact with each other when the fluid flows. Using a viscometric method, the molecular mass and the characteristic viscosity of each solution used for the dispersion phase volume determination are estimated. The parameters of the rheological power law are determined through the application of rotametric viscometry. As a result, it has been found out that the solutions of the considered polymers prepared for the study are referred to diluted. On example of one of them the possibility of determining the relative volume of macromolecular coils of polymer with the immobilized solvent (water) is shown. It is demonstrated that a change in the specified volume causes a change in the parameters of the rheological power law of researched solution flow. The proposed methods for determining the relative volume of the dispersed phase of drilling muds based on dilute polymer solutions allows to adjust the rheological properties of flushing fluids and set the parameters of the rheological power law describing the flow of pseudoplastic fluids.

The article deals with the organization of automated mining of mineral deposits. Today there are many foreign companies in the market of mining machinery that offer equipment enabling full automation of the processes of transportation, drilling, mining of minerals, and other types of works. The systems include the equipment (sensors, controllers, navigation and others) installed on the machines that allows to control the machines. If there is a clear idea of the mining industry’s need and demand in high-tech equipment you can see all the prerequisites for creating modern self-propelled mining equipment, which will use new technology of component and assembly layouts with additional devices for monitoring working and technological parameters of equipment. The design of machines should include both a remote control contributing to the increased safety of mining works and a number of additional functions. All the developments are aimed at creating safe and convenient working conditions without compromising the quality of works and overall productivity. The article discusses the creation principles of high-tech products designed to improve the efficiency and safety of underground mining when extracting uranium ores in complex mining-engineering and mining-geological conditions of uranium deposits. Possible solutions to the problem have been studied with consideration of international experience in the application of innovative methods of mineral safe mining organization. A plan for a stage-by-stage solution of production organization problems is presented with specification of the planned types of works on creation of high-tech production and introduction of high technology. The main result of the research performed should be the works on the creation of a complex of self-propelled mining equipment including self-propelled drilling rigs for short-hole drilling, remote operated load haul dumpers ensuring improved productivity and safety of underground mining in the extraction of uranium ores in complex mining-engineering and mining-geological conditions of uranium deposits.