Comparison of methodological uncertainties within permeability measurements

Permeability measurements are critical to the calculation of water‐flow within hillslopes. Despite this, errors in permeability measurements are often ignored, and can be very large particularly in disturbance‐sensitive gley soils. This work compares the uncertainties associated with six field methods of permeametry applied to a gleyed soil in upland Britain. Slug tests, constant‐head borehole permeametry, and falling‐head borehole permeametry were undertaken on established piezometers. Additionally, ring permeametry and two types of trench tests were evaluated. Method‐related uncertainty due to proximity of impeding layers of high sorptivity soils produces under‐ and over‐estimates of permeability by a factor of up to 0·2 and 5, respectively. This uncertainty band is smaller than the observed effects of anisotropy and temporal variability. Had smearing and soil‐ring leakage errors not been minimized, the methodological uncertainties would have been so large that they would have distorted the true spatial field of permeability and its estimated impact on the balance of vertical and lateral flow. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

岩石激发极化弛豫时间谱与孔隙结构、渗透率的关系

激发极化衰减曲线包含丰富的地层信息,且由多个指数衰减叠加而成.本文采用奇异值分解法对泥质砂岩的激发极化衰减谱进行多指数反演,得到光滑连续的激发极化弛豫时间谱,合适的弛豫时间分布点数为32～64.激发极化弛豫时间谱能够表征饱和NaCl溶液的岩石孔隙结构.结合孔隙度和弛豫时间几何平均值,能够显著提高渗透率的求取精度.     

Estimating permeability from field measurements of seismic attenuation in fractured chalk

Broadband (100–4000 Hz) cross‐hole seismic data have been acquired at a borehole test site where extensive hydrological investigations have previously been performed, including in situ estimates of permeability. The rock type is homogeneous chalk and fractures and bedding planes have been identified from well logs. High values of seismic attenuation, Q= 22 ≤ 27 ≤ 33, were observed over a 10 m depth interval where fracture permeability values of 20–50 darcy had been recorded. An attempt has been made to separate the attenuation due to scattering and intrinsic mechanisms. The estimated values of intrinsic attenuation, Q= 31 ≤ 43 ≤ 71, have been reproduced using a number of current theories of seismic‐wave propagation and fluid‐flow‐induced seismic attenuation in cracked and fractured media. A model that considers wavelength‐scale pressure gradients is the preferred attenuation mechanism. Model parameters were obtained from the hydro‐geological and seismic data. However, we conclude that it is not possible to use seismic Q to measure rock permeability remotely, principally because of the inherent uncertainties arising from model parameterisations.     

Seismoelectric measurements in a porous quartz‐sand sample with anisotropic permeability

Seismoelectric coupling coefficients are difficult to predict theoretically because they depend on a large numbers of rock properties, including porosity, permeability, tortuosity, etc. The dependence of the coupling coefficient on rock properties such as permeability requires experimental data. In this study, we carry out a set of laboratory measurements to determine the dependence of seismoelectric coupling coefficient on permeability. We use both an artificial porous “sandstone” sample, with cracks, built using quartz‐sand and Berea sandstone samples. The artificial sample is a cube with 39% porosity. Its permeability levels are anisotropic: 14.7 D, 13.8 D, and 8.3 D in the x‐, y‐, and z‐directions, respectively. Seismoelectric measurements are performed in a water tank in the frequency range of 20 kHz–90 kHz. A piezoelectric P‐wave source is used to generate an acoustic wave that propagates through the sample from the three different (x, y, and z) directions. The amplitudes of the seismoelectric signal induced by the acoustic waves vary with the direction. The highest signal is in the direction of the highest permeability, and the lowest signal is in the direction of the lowest permeability. Since the porosity of the sample is constant, the results directly show the dependence of seismoelectric coefficients on permeability. Seismoelectric measurements with natural rocks are performed using Berea sandstone 500 and 100 samples. Because the Berea samples are nearly isotropic in permeability, the amplitudes of the seismoelectric signals induced in the different directions are the same within the measurement error. Because the permeability of Berea 500 is higher than that of Berea 100, the amplitude of the seismoelectric signals induced in Berea 500 is higher than those in Berea 100. To determine the relative contributions of porosity and permeability on seismoelectric conversion, we carried out an analysis, using Pride (1994) formulation and Kozeny–Carman relationship; the normalized amplitudes of seismoelectric coupling coefficients in three directions are calculated and compared with the experimental results. The results show that the seismoelectric conversion is related to permeability in the frequency range of measurements. This is an encouraging result since it opens the possibility of determining the permeability of a formation from seismoelectric measurements.     

Cyclic liquefaction strength of sands

Through an energy approach, a model is proposed to predict the cyclic liquefaction strength of saturated sands in terms of their static shear strengths. Plots of cyclic liquefaction strength versus relative density and also versus modified standard penetration resistance are presented for various uniformity coefficients and different numbers of stress cycles. The predicted cyclic liquefaction strength values are converted to cyclic stress ratios and compare favourably with Seed's empirical correlations.     

Energy dissipation and seismic liquefaction in sands

A statistical representation of seismic liquefaction is advanced based on the postulate that pore water pressure increases are proportional to the dissipated seismic energy density. The representation, based on approximately fifty case histories, relates the pore pressure increase to earthquake magnitude, distance to centre of energy release, initial effective overburden stressand standard penetration value. The model may be used for analysis ofseismic liquefaction risk. An example analysis for the ‘South of Market Zone’ in San Francisco is carried out in relation to earthquakes on the San Andreas fault.     

Porosity measurement of heavy oil sands

Porosity measurement is an important step for petrophysical characterization of reservoir rocks, as porosity is essential for analysing elastic properties and estimating the capacity of rocks to hold hydrocarbon resources. Commonly used porosity measurement methods fail to work on heavy oil sands, because of the loose fragile sand frame and solid-like irreducible heavy oil. We develop three methods to measure the porosity of heavy oil sands, which are feasible and affordable in most laboratories. Method 1 involves calculating the bulk volume of the sample by measuring its physical dimensions directly. Method 2 uses calibrated sample weight and volume (after removing the protecting foil cover and metal clips). Method 3 first applies pressurizing on samples and then measures the weight and volume of the bare samples. The measurement results of the three methods are then compared and method 3 is determined as the most reliable, which is also verified by the porosity log. Finally, an analysis of the potential sources of errors associated with method 3 is performed.     

Stress-strain transformations and liquefaction of sands

Presented in this paper are the results of the laboratory tests of sands performed for the purpose of defining the characteristics of the dynamic shear stress-shear strain relationships. For this purpose, the transformation of the initial stress-strain characteristics of undrained saturated sands was investigated separately. These transformations take place under conditions of an increase in pore pressure under the effect of sufficiently intensive dynamic excitations. The process of occurrence and development of liquefaction was investigated simultaneously. The obtained results show that the transformation of the stress-strain relationships leads to intensive reduction in the initial dynamic characteristics of sands. At the moment of occurrence of initial liquefaction, for the selected strain, shear moduli are considerably reduced in respect to their initial values. These parameters tend to be further reduced in the phase of post-initial liquefaction. It is concluded that the process of liquefaction of sands can be completely defined through the transformation of the stress-strain relationships.     

Modelling cyclic elastic behaviour of sands

The cyclic stress-strain behaviour of cohesionless soils is considered to be composed of elastic and inelastic components, and the cyclic elastic stress-strain relationships for one type of uniform sand are investigated by conducting isotropic and laterally constrained compression tests under low frequency cyclic loads. The effects of relative density, stress history, and stress state on the cyclic elastic behaviour are studied. Simple and practically applicable elastic stress-strain models are developed based on Hertzian contact theory. It was observed in both types of tests that elastic strains can accurately be modelled by a power function of stresses.     

Dynamic properties of microfine cement grouted sands

Torsional resonant column and bender element tests were conducted on microfine and ordinary cement grouted sands and the effects of confining pressure, shear strain, grout water-to-cement (W/C) ratio, cement type and gradation on the dynamic properties were evaluated. The shear and initial Young's moduli of the grouted sands increased with increasing confining pressure and decreasing shear strain, while damping ratio had the opposite behavior. The grout W/C ratio had the strongest effect on the values of the dynamic properties of the grouted sands, followed by cement grain size and cement pozzolan content. Depending on grout W/C ratio and confining pressure, the shear and initial Young's moduli values and the damping ratio values of the clean sands were improved by a factor of 4–25 and 2–6, respectively. The effect of testing conditions or material parameters on the Poisson ratio values of the grouted sands was negligible.     

Main properties of sands hydrophobized by alkoxysilane emulsions

The results of laboratory tests and geotechnical view on sands hydrophobized by alkoxysilane emulsions are presented. For the soils subjected to this process, very low permeability and no capillary elevation was observed. Laboratory tests also indicate that other physical and mechanical properties of hydrophobized sands remain nearly untouched, i.e., the considered hydrophobisation process does not reduce the strength of soils. Properly composed alkoxysilane emulsions can also solidify in pores to produce a stabilizing silicate binder. The filtration barriers in ground and soil stabilization are thus considered as possible applications of the hydrophobized soils. The process of treatment of granular soils with alkoxysilanes is neutral for the environment and the cost of implementation of the method is relatively low.     

Azimuthal variation in AVO response for fractured gas sands

Natural fractures in reservoirs play an important role in determining fluid flow during production, and hence the density and orientation of fractures is of great interest. In the presence of aligned vertical fractures, the reflection amplitude at finite offset varies with azimuth. The effect of natural fractures on the azimuthal AVO response from a gas-sandstone reservoir encased within shale is investigated. A simple expression for the difference in P-wave reflection coefficient from the top of the reservoir parallel and perpendicular to the strike of the fractures is obtained in terms of the normal and tangential compliances, Z_N and Z_T, of the fractures. This expression is valid for small anisotropy and material contrasts and is compared with the results of numerical modelling. For a given value of Z_T, the azimuthal variation in reflection coefficient at moderate offsets is found to increase with decreasing Z_N/Z_T. For gas-filled open fractures Z_N/Z_T ≈ 1, but a lower ratio of Z_N/Z_T may result from the presence of cement or clay within the fractures, or from the presence of a fluid with non-zero bulk modulus. For Z_N/Z_T = 1 and moderate offsets, the variation with offset of the reflection coefficient from the top of the fractured unit is dominated by the contrast in Poisson's ratio between the gas sand and the overlying shale, the effect of fractures only becoming noticeable as the critical angle for the unfractured sandstone is approached. However, for reflections from the base of the fractured unit, the variation in reflection amplitude with azimuth is much greater at conventional seismic offsets than for the reflection from the top. Azimuthal variations in the strength of the reflection from the top of the reservoir depend only on the variation in reflection coefficient, whereas the raypath is also a function of azimuth for reflections from the base of the fractured unit, leading to stronger, more visible, variations of AVO with azimuth. It follows that an azimuthal variation in AVO due to fractures in the overburden may be misinterpreted as due to the presence of aligned fractures in the reservoir.     

不同泥质分布形式泥质砂岩导电规律实验研究

本文利用人工制作的不同含量分散泥质和层状泥质砂岩岩心样品,测量不同矿化度和不同含油饱和度的岩心电阻率,从实验角度研究了不同泥质分布形式和含量的岩心导电规律,结果表明,泥质分布形式或含量不同,则泥质砂岩导电规律不同.基于层状泥质与分散泥质砂岩的并联导电实验规律,以及分散粘土和地层水混合物的导电规律可用HB电阻率方程描述,建立了考虑泥质分布形式影响的泥质砂岩电阻率模型.通过1组不同泥质分布形式泥质砂岩人造岩心实验数据的测试,表明该模型可以描述分散泥质砂岩、层状泥质砂岩和混合泥质砂岩地层的导电规律.分散泥质,层状泥质,人造岩样,实验测量,并联导电,HB方程,电阻率模型     

Theoretical and experimental study of time domain-induced polarization in water-saturated sands

A theoretical model of spectral-induced polarization (IP) of sand is presented. In the proposed model, contacts of sand grains and intergrain solution-filled space are considered as electrical current passages of varying thickness, which differ in values of ion transport number. Ion-selective narrow passages are considered as active zones, large passages as passive. The proposed model describes spectral IP characteristics for the medium where the length of passive zones is much greater than the length of active ones. The model is called short narrow pores (SNP) model. The SNP model predicts a growth of IP time constant with increase of length of ion-selective zone. Both the time domain and frequency domain parameters are described. The parameters of Cole–Cole model corresponding to the SNP model were also found.The behaviour of model parameters is compared with experimental data obtained on natural and sieved sands using time domain technique. The natural sand spectra correspond neither to the simple SNP model nor simple Cole–Cole model with single time constant because the lengths of ion-selective zones vary, reflecting the grain-size distribution.The spectra of sieved sand compared with the theoretical SNP spectra reveal close correspondence between experimental data and theoretical parameters. For four sieved sands, both the theoretical and experimental data show that the time constant of the IP is proportional to the square of the average grain size.     

Investigation of liquefaction and pore water pressure development in layered sands

This paper presents the results of shaking table model tests which were carried out to investigate the pore water pressure generation and related liquefaction mechanism in layered sand deposits. The experiments were performed on uniform sand columns, silt interlayered sand columns and two layered sand columns deposited at various relative densities and subjected to different input excitations. During the experiments excess pore water pressures were measured by pore pressure transducers installed at three different depths and, surface settlements and thickness of water film developed under less permeable inclusions were measured by a digital camera. The experimental results are discussed and compared to demonstrate the effects of relative density, input acceleration and presence of a silt seam on the generation of excess pore water pressure in sand deposits subjected to dynamic loading. The results showed that the presence of a less permeable silt interlayer within the sand deposit and existence of a loose sand layer underlying dense sand deposits can have significant effect on the pore water pressure generation mechanism.     

Runoff modelling at two field slopes: use of in situ measurements of air permeability to characterize spatial variability of saturated hydraulic conductivity

The time required at a field site to obtain a few measurements of saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_s) will allow for many measurements of soil air permeability (k_a). This study investigates if k_a measured in situ (k_{a, in situ}) can be a substitute for measurement of K_s in relation to infiltration and surface runoff modelling. Measurements of k_{a, in situ} were carried out in two small agricultural catchments. A spatial correlation of the log‐transformed values existed having a range of approximately 100 m. A predictive relationship between K_s and k_a measured on 100‐cm³ soil samples in the laboratory was derived for one of the field slopes and showed good agreement with an earlier suggested predictive K_s–k_a relationship. In situ measurements of K_s and k_a suggested that the predictive relationships also could be used at larger scale. The K_s–k_a relationships together with the k_{a, in situ} data were applied in a distributed surface runoff (DSR) model, simulating a high‐intensity rainfall event. The DSR simulation results were highly dependent on whether the geometric average of k_{a, in situ} or kriged values of k_{a, in situ} was used as model input. When increasing the resolution of K_s in the DSR model, a limit of 30–40 m was found for both field slopes. Below this limit, the simulated runoff and hydrograph peaks were independent of resolution scale. If only a few randomly chosen values of K_s were used to represent the spatial variation within the field slope, very large deviations in repeated DSR simulation results were obtained, both with respect to peak height and hydrograph shape. In contrast, when using many predicted K_s values based on a K_s–k_a relationship and measured k_{a, in situ} data, the DSR model generally captured the correct hydrograph shape although simulations were sensitive to the chosen K_s–k_a relationship. As massive measurement efforts normally will be required to obtain a satisfactory representation of the spatial variability in K_s, the use of k_{a, in situ} to assess spatial variability in K_s appears a promising alternative. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimation of areal specific yield in sands using the central limit theorem

A new approach is demonstrated that permits a reliable estimate of specific yield using published values of the van Genuchten water retention parameters and effective grain sizes and the measured effective grain sizes of soil samples. The specific yield distribution of the soil texture was computed using the published values of the van Genuchten parameters. The specific yield values and the published values of effective grain sizes were then used to construct a specific yield–effective grain size curve, which estimates the ‘point’ specific yield of the soil samples. Applying the central limit theorem, the point specific yields could be transformed into an ‘areal’ specific yield for a study area. Compared with other commonly used approaches, the present procedure requires relatively low computational efforts and readily obtainable data. It is cost effective and does not depend on soil texture classification. More importantly, it incorporates the depth to water table and the variations in grain sizes inherent in natural soil conditions in the estimation. The approach developed was applied for estimating the specific yield of an unconfined sandy aquifer created by land reclamation in the equatorial region. The values obtained were compared with field measurements and the typical ranges of specific yield from the literature. Instead of a single estimate of the specific yield, the method yields a confidence interval with a high confidence level of 95% and with a narrower range than the typical ranges from the literature. In addition, the estimated values are close to the field measurements; hence, the procedure provides a cost‐effective alternative to field measurement. The applicability of the present approach could be extended to sites with heterogeneity in the horizontal direction. Nevertheless, the applicability of the present approach for layered soil profiles requires further evaluations. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A generalized hysteresis model for biaxial response of pile foundations in sands

We present the development and calibration of a macroelement model that captures the response of piles in cohesionless soils subjected to biaxial lateral loading. The model is founded on actual physical mechanism of soil resistance and provides the framework for extending a uniaxial model to biaxial case by means of a single cross-stiffness parameter. Both upper and lower bounds for the cross-stiffness parameter are also presented. The model is calibrated and verified using three-dimensional finite element (FE) simulations of soil-pile interaction for uniformly prescribed displacement along the pile length. Comparison of predictions from uniaxial and biaxial models with the FE results for transient loading indicates that the response assuming no coupling between the two horizontal directions for biaxial loading can differ significantly from the ‘true’ response for some cases. Accounting for coupling in the lateral direction, the proposed model captures the transverse pile response with very good accuracy while retaining the simplicity and computational efficiency of macroelement formulations compared to 3D FE analyses.     

Influence of fines content on liquefied strength of silty sands

Critical state soil mechanics is a useful framework to understand sand behavior. In this paper, a relationship is developed for estimating undrained critical shear strength of sands based on the critical state framework. The relationship is validated by comparison with laboratory test results and sand liquefied strength from field liquefaction failure case histories. Using this relationship, the influence of fines content on undrained critical shear strength is studied for different combinations of effective stress and density. The parametric study indicates that depending on soil void ratio, effective stress, and the shape and mineralogy of the fine particles, undrained critical strength may increase, remain the same, or decrease as the amount of fines content increases. Both the susceptibility to liquefaction and the severity of strain-softening are affected by adding fines. It is suggested that the critical state parameter is inadequate for describing the behavior of liquefiable sands and sand shearing-compressibility should be taken into account in liquefaction analysis.