Reconstruction of porous media using multiple-point statistics with data conditioning

The reconstruction of porous media is of great importance in predicting fluid transport properties, which are widely used in various fields such as catalysis, oil recovery, medicine and aging of building materials. The real three-dimensional structural data of porous media are helpful to describe the irregular topologic structures of porous media. By using multiple-point statistics (MPS) to extract the characteristics of real porous media acquired from micro computed tomography (micro-CT) scanning, the probabilities of structural characteristics of pore spaces are obtained first, and then reproduced in the reconstructed regions. One solution to overcome the anisotropy of training images is to use real 3D volume data as a training image (TI). The CPU cost and memory burden brought up by 3D simulations can be reduced greatly by selecting the optimal multiple-grid template size that is determined by the entropy of a TI. Moreover, both soft data and hard data are integrated in MPS simulation to improve the accuracy of reconstructed images. The variograms and permeabilities, computed by lattice Boltzmann method, of the reconstructed images and the target image obtained from real volume data are compared, showing that the structural characteristics of reconstructed porous media using our method are similar to those of real volume data.     

基于图像压缩的震损结构三维模型快速重建方法

针对基于数字图像的大尺度三维结构模型建模时间过长的问题,提出了利用图像压缩算法对震损结构三维模型快速重建的方法.首先,拍摄得到结构的原始图像;其次,利用主成分分析算法压缩图像;最后,基于处理后的图像对结构三维模型进行重建.为验证提出方法的有效性,对一个混凝土试块,受损的剪力墙试验模型和实际单体建筑进行图像采集,利用论文...     

Stochastic analysis of immiscible displacement of the fluids with arbitrary viscosities and its dependence on support scale of hydrological data

Stochastic analysis is commonly used to address uncertainty in the modeling of flow and transport in porous media. In the stochastic approach, the properties of porous media are treated as random functions with statistics obtained from field measurements. Several studies indicate that hydrological properties depend on the scale of measurements or support scales, but most stochastic analysis does not address the effects of support scale on stochastic predictions of subsurface processes. In this work we propose a new approach to study the scale dependence of stochastic predictions. We present a stochastic analysis of immiscible fluid–fluid displacement in randomly heterogeneous porous media. While existing solutions are applicable only to systems in which the viscosity of one phase is negligible compare with the viscosity of the other (water–air systems for example), our solutions can be applied to the immiscible displacement of fluids having arbitrarily viscosities such as NAPL–water and water–oil. Treating intrinsic permeability as a random field with statistics dependant on the permeability support scale (scale of measurements) we obtained, for one-dimensional systems, analytical solutions for the first moments characterizing unbiased predictions (estimates) of system variables, such as the pressure and fluid–fluid interface position, and we also obtained second moments, which characterize the uncertainties associated with such predictions. Next we obtained empirically scale dependent exponential correlation function of the intrinsic permeability that allowed us to study solutions of stochastic equations as a function of the support scale. We found that the first and second moments converge to asymptotic values as the support scale decreases. In our examples, the statistical moments reached asymptotic values for support scale that were approximately 1/10000 of the flow domain size. We show that analytical moment solutions compare well with the results of Monte Carlo simulations for moderately heterogeneous porous media, and that they can be used to study the effects of heterogeneity on the dynamics and stability of immiscible flow.     

基于沉积过程的数字岩石建模方法研究

本文提出模拟地层沉积及成岩过程的矿物沉积算法,建立数字岩石模型,并通过对比Micro-CT扫描图像和数值模型的局部孔隙度及平均渗流概率函数分布特征,评价建模的准确性.结果表明,由二维扫描提取的粒径信息作为输入参数,模拟矿物沉积过程建模得到的三维数字岩石模型,能够准确重构原始岩心的非均质性及渗流特性,成功应用于泥质砂岩、碳酸盐岩、页岩等存在多矿物或多尺度孔隙的数字岩石建模中.数字岩石物理是正在兴起的重要技术.数字岩石采用超高分辨率先进成像装备,采集和表征微纳尺度岩石结构,在岩石弹性、电性、核磁、渗流特性等数值计算中发挥重要作用.但是,由于三维直接成像在有限视域内难以表征足够的岩石非均质性,提取二维结构统计特征,利用统计或地质过程法重构具有代表性的三维岩石结构成为十分有价值的研究课题,而且,对业界大量存在的岩石薄片及电镜高清二维图像的深度开发应用也具有重要的现实意义.本文发展的新方法,复原沉积过程,较好地解决了孔隙尺度岩石物理定量研究中数值建模与理论计算的技术瓶颈.     

On Stress Distribution in Layered Rock Masses

Spatial distribution of principal stresses in a layered elastic medium is considered in the paper. Transformations of the principal stresses across an interface between the layers are analyzed. A method for reconstructing the spatial stress distributions in layered medium from several spot measurements is proposed. The introduced approach is capable of obtaining the stable solution of the stress reconstruction problem with respect to the noise in input data. A typical layered medium is considered for which the stresses are reconstructed from few independent spot measurements of the stress state. The proposed approach may be used for solving an inverse problem of tectonic stresses reconstruction from the borehole logging data.     

Stochastic modeling of the permeability of randomly generated porous media

Permeability of porous media in subsurface environments is subject to potentially large uncertainties due to the heterogeneity of natural systems. In this study, a first-order reliability method (FORM) is combined with a lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) to estimate the permeability of randomly generated porous media. The proposed procedure provides an increased ease of addressing complex pore structures by employing LBM to model fluid flow, while inheriting the computational efficiency from FORM. Macroscale-equivalent permeability can thus be estimated with significantly reduced computational efforts, while maintaining a connection to the complex microscale fluid dynamics within a pore structure environment. Implemented on several randomly generated porous media domains, the proposed method provides 13–120 times the efficiency compared to Monte Carlo methods.     

Time domain reflectometry measurement principles and applications

Time domain reflectometry (TDR) is a highly accurate and automatable method for determination of porous media water content and electrical conductivity. Water content is inferred from the dielectric permittivity of the medium, whereas electrical conductivity is inferred from TDR signal attenuation. Empirical and dielectric mixing models are used to relate water content to measured dielectric permittivity. Clay and organic matter bind substantial amounts of water, such that measured bulk dielectric constant is reduced and the relationship with total water content requires individual calibration. A variety of TDR probe configurations provide users with site‐ and media‐specific options. Advances in TDR technology and in other dielectric methods offer the promise not only for less expensive and more accurate tools for electrical determination of water and solute contents, but also a host of other properties such as specific surface area, and retention properties of porous media. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Finite-difference modeling of surface waves in poroelastic media and stress mirror conditions

During seismic wave propagation on a free surface, a strong material contrast boundary develops in response to interference by P- and S- waves to create a surfacewave phenomenon. To accurately determine the effects of this interface on surface-wave propagation, the boundary conditions must be accurately modeled. In this paper, we present a numerical approach based on the dynamic poroelasticity for a space–time-domain staggeredgrid finite-difference simulation in porous media that contain a free-surface boundary. We propose a generalized stess mirror formulation of the free-surface boundary for solids and fluids in porous media for the grid mesh on which lays the free-surface plane. Its analog is that used for elastic media, which is suitable for precise and stable Rayleigh-type surface-wave modeling. The results of our analysis of first kind of Rayleigh (R1) waves obtained by this model demonstrate that the discretization of the mesh in a similar way to that for elastic media can realize stable numerical solutions with acceptable precision. We present numerical examples demonstrating the efficiency and accuracy of our proposed method.     

Fractal generation of surface area of porous media

Many natural porous geological rock formations, as well as engineered porous structures, have fractal properties, i.e., they are self-similar over several length scales. While there have been many experimental and theoretical studies on how to quantify a fractal porous medium and on how to determine its fractal dimension, the numerical generation of a fractal pore structure with predefined statistical and scaling properties is somewhat scarcer. In the present paper a new numerical method for generating a three-dimensional porous medium with any desired probability density function (PDF) and autocorrelation function (ACF) is presented. The well-known Turning Bands Method (TBM) is modified to generate three-dimensional synthetic isotropic and anisotropic porous media with a Gaussian PDF and exponential-decay ACF. Porous media with other PDF's and ACF's are constructed with a nonlinear, iterative PDF and ACF transformation, whereby the arbitrary PDF is converted to an equivalent Gaussian PDF which is then simulated with the classical TBM. Employing a new method for the estimation of the surface area for a given porosity, the fractal dimensions of the surface area of the synthetic porous media generated in this way are then measured by classical fractal perimeter/area relationships. Different 3D porous media are simulated by varying the porosity and the correlation structure of the random field. The performance of the simulations is evaluated by checking the ensemble statistics, the mean, variance and ACF of the simulated random field. For a porous medium with Gaussian PDF, an average fractal dimension of approximately 2.76 is obtained which is in the range of values of actually measured fractal dimensions of molecular surfaces. For a porous medium with a non-Gaussian quadratic PDF the calculated fractal dimension appears to be consistently higher and averages 2.82. The results also show that the fractal dimension is neither strongly dependent of the porosity nor of the degree of anisotropy assumed.     

Fractal generation of surface area of porous media

Many natural porous geological rock formations, as well as engineered porous structures, have fractal properties, i.e., they are self-similar over several length scales. While there have been many experimental and theoretical studies on how to quantify a fractal porous medium and on how to determine its fractal dimension, the numerical generation of a fractal pore structure with predefined statistical and scaling properties is somewhat scarcer. In the present paper a new numerical method for generating a three-dimensional porous medium with any desired probability density function (PDF) and autocorrelation function (ACF) is presented. The well-known Turning Bands Method (TBM) is modified to generate three-dimensional synthetic isotropic and anisotropic porous media with a Gaussian PDF and exponential-decay ACF. Porous media with other PDF's and ACF's are constructed with a nonlinear, iterative PDF and ACF transformation, whereby the arbitrary PDF is converted to an equivalent Gaussian PDF which is then simulated with the classical TBM. Employing a new method for the estimation of the surface area for a given porosity, the fractal dimensions of the surface area of the synthetic porous media generated in this way are then measured by classical fractal perimeter/area relationships. Different 3D porous media are simulated by varying the porosity and the correlation structure of the random field. The performance of the simulations is evaluated by checking the ensemble statistics, the mean, variance and ACF of the simulated random field. For a porous medium with Gaussian PDF, an average fractal dimension of approximately 2.76 is obtained which is in the range of values of actually measured fractal dimensions of molecular surfaces. For a porous medium with a non-Gaussian quadratic PDF the calculated fractal dimension appears to be consistently higher and averages 2.82. The results also show that the fractal dimension is neither strongly dependent of the porosity nor of the degree of anisotropy assumed.     

3D simultaneous seismic data reconstruction and noise suppression based on the curvelet transform

Seismic data contain random noise interference and are affected by irregular subsampling. Presently, most of the data reconstruction methods are carried out separately from noise suppression. Moreover, most data reconstruction methods are not ideal for noisy data. In this paper, we choose the multiscale and multidirectional 2D curvelet transform to perform simultaneous data reconstruction and noise suppression of 3D seismic data. We introduce the POCS algorithm, the exponentially decreasing square root threshold, and soft threshold operator to interpolate the data at each time slice. A weighing strategy was introduced to reduce the reconstructed data noise. A 3D simultaneous data reconstruction and noise suppression method based on the curvelet transform was proposed. When compared with data reconstruction followed by denoizing and the Fourier transform, the proposed method is more robust and effective. The proposed method has important implications for data acquisition in complex areas and reconstructing missing traces.     

随机弹性介质中地震波散射衰减分析(英文)

地震波衰减一直是许多学科研究的热点,因为可以反映介质的特性。导致地震波衰减的因素很多,如:传播过程中由于能量扩散导致的几何衰减,固体岩石内部晶粒间相对滑移导致的摩擦衰减,岩石结构不均匀引起的地震波散射衰减。本文主要从统计的观点出发,通过多次数值模拟的方法研究纵波散射在随机弹性介质中所引发的衰减。首先用随机理论建立了二维空间随机弹性介质模型,然后用错格伪谱法的数值方法模拟了波在随机介质中的传播,再通过波场中虚拟检波器的记录,用谱比法估计了弹性波在随机介质中的散射衰减。不同非均匀程度随机弹性介质中的数值结果表明:介质不均匀程度越高,散射衰减越大;在散射体尺寸小于波长的前提下,不同散射体尺寸的计算结果说明:散射体尺寸越大,弹性波衰减越明显。最后提出了一种不均匀孔隙介质中流体流动衰减的方法。通过对随机孔隙介质中地震波的总衰减和散射衰减分别进行了计算,并定量得出了随机孔隙介质中流体流动衰减,结果表明:在实际地震频段下,当介质不均匀尺度101米量级时,散射衰减比流体流动衰减要大,散射衰减是地震波在实际不均匀岩石孔隙介质中衰减的主要原因。     

三维层状孔隙介质中弹性波的一种积分表达式II：正确性检验和数值模拟实验

基于前一篇文章中得到的关于三维层状孔隙介质中弹性波场的积分形式半解析解,本文通过离散波数法开展了数值模拟.将全空间均匀孔隙介质中单力点源和爆炸点源作用下弹性波场的解析解和我们的数值模拟结果进行对比,发现两者是完全一致的.而在一个两层半空间模型下的数值模拟,验证了固相位移Green函数的9组空间互易性情况.通过以上两种对比检验,验证了半解析解理论公式、数值模拟方法以及相应程序代码的正确性和可靠性.随后利用敏感度分析研究了不同的介质参数变化对爆炸点源在界面上会产生的反射波场的影响.通过垂直地震剖面模型的数值模拟,发现弹性波场能很好地反映孔隙介质物理性质的变化,同时也讨论了动力协调这一孔隙介质中的特殊现象.我们发展的基于半解析解的数值模拟方法可以为三维层状孔隙介质中弹性波传播特征的研究提供一种可供选择的有效工具和手段.     

Developing a new form of permeability and Kozeny–Carman constant for homogeneous porous media by means of fractal geometry

The semi-empirical Kozeny–Carman (KC) equation is the most famous permeability–porosity relation, which is widely used in the field of flow in porous media and is the starting point for many other permeability models. However, this relation has many limitations from its inception, and the KC constant is an empirical parameter which was proved to be not a constant. In this paper, we briefly reviewed the KC equation, its modifications and various models for the KC constant. We then derived an analytical expression for the permeability in homogeneous porous media based on the fractal characters of porous media and capillary model. The proposed model is expressed as a function of fractal dimensions, porosity and maximum pore size. The analytical KC constant with no empirical constant is obtained from the assumption of square geometrical model. Furthermore, a distinct linear scaling law between the dimensionless permeability and porosity is found. It is also shown that our analytical permeability is more closely related to the microstructures (fractal dimensions, porosity and maximum pore size), compared to those obtained from conventional methods and models.     

Nonequilibrium effects in models of three-phase flow in porous media

In this paper we extend to three-phase flow the nonequilibrium formalism proposed by Barenblatt and co-workers for two-phase porous media flow. The underlying idea is to include nonequilibrium effects by introducing a pair of effective water and gas saturations, which are linked to the actual saturations by a local evolution equation. We illustrate and analyze how nonequilibrium effects lead to qualitative and quantitative differences in the solution of the three-phase flow equations.     

Relationship between the transition frequency of local fluid flow and the peak frequency of attenuation

Local fluid flow (LFF) at the mesoscopic scale is the main dissipation mechanism of seismic waves in heterogeneous porous media within the seismic frequency band. LFF is easily influenced by the structure and boundary conditions of the porous media, which leads to different behaviors of the peak frequency of attenuation. The associated transition frequency can provide detailed information about the trend of LFF; therefore, research on the transition frequency of LFF and its relationship with the peak frequency of the corresponding attenuation (i.e., inverse of quality factor) facilitates the detailed understanding of the effect of inner structures and boundary conditions in porous media. In this study, we firstly obtain the transition frequency of fluid flux based on Biot’s theory of poroelasticity and the fast Fourier transform algorithm in a sample containing one repeating unit cell (RUC). We then analyze changes of these two frequencies in porous media with different porous properties. Finally, we extend our analysis to the influence of the undrained boundary condition on the transition frequency and peak frequency in porous media with multiple RUCs. This setup can facilitate the understanding of the effect from the undrained boundary condition. Results demonstrate that these two frequencies have the same trend at low water saturation, but amplitude variations differ between the frequencies as the amount of saturation increases. However, for cases of high water saturation, both the trend and the amplitude variation of these two frequencies fit well with each other.     

Downscaling Satellite Precipitation with Emphasis on Extremes: A Variational ℓ1-Norm Regularization in the Derivative Domain

The increasing availability of precipitation observations from space, e.g., from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and the forthcoming Global Precipitation Measuring (GPM) Mission, has fueled renewed interest in developing frameworks for downscaling and multi-sensor data fusion that can handle large data sets in computationally efficient ways while optimally reproducing desired properties of the underlying rainfall fields. Of special interest is the reproduction of extreme precipitation intensities and gradients, as these are directly relevant to hazard prediction. In this paper, we present a new formalism for downscaling satellite precipitation observations, which explicitly allows for the preservation of some key geometrical and statistical properties of spatial precipitation. These include sharp intensity gradients (due to high-intensity regions embedded within lower-intensity areas), coherent spatial structures (due to regions of slowly varying rainfall), and thicker-than-Gaussian tails of precipitation gradients and intensities. Specifically, we pose the downscaling problem as a discrete inverse problem and solve it via a regularized variational approach (variational downscaling) where the regularization term is selected to impose the desired smoothness in the solution while allowing for some steep gradients (called ?₁-norm or total variation regularization). We demonstrate the duality between this geometrically inspired solution and its Bayesian statistical interpretation, which is equivalent to assuming a Laplace prior distribution for the precipitation intensities in the derivative (wavelet) space. When the observation operator is not known, we discuss the effect of its misspecification and explore a previously proposed dictionary-based sparse inverse downscaling methodology to indirectly learn the observation operator from a data base of coincidental high- and low-resolution observations. The proposed method and ideas are illustrated in case studies featuring the downscaling of a hurricane precipitation field.     

New method for determining central axial orientation of flux rope embedded within current sheet using multipoint measurements

A new method for determining the central axial orientation of a two-dimensional coherent magnetic flux rope (MFR) via multipoint analysis of the magnetic-field structure is developed. The method is devised under the following geometrical assumptions: (1) on its cross section, the structure is left-right symmetric; (2) the projected structure velocity is vertical to the line of symmetry. The two conditions can be naturally satisfied for cylindrical MFRs and are expected to be satisfied for MFRs that are flattened within current sheets. The model test demonstrates that, for determining the axial orientation of such structures, the new method is more efficient and reliable than traditional techniques such as minimum-variance analysis of the magnetic field, Grad-Shafranov (GS) reconstruction, and the more recent method based on the cylindrically symmetric assumption. A total of five flux transfer events observed by Cluster are studied using the proposed approach, and the application results indicate that the observed structures, regardless of their actual physical properties, fit the assumed geometrical model well. For these events, the inferred axial orientations are all in excellent agreement with those obtained using the multi-GS reconstruction technique.     

岩石物理的理论模拟和数值实验新方法

当代物理实验科学和计算机科学技术的巨大进步为岩石物理的理论和实验研究开辟了新的领域.在细胞自动机基础上发展起来的格子气自动机和格子玻尔滋曼方法就是这种技术进步的产物.本文讨论了格子气自动机的发展及其应用于研究多孔岩石微观孔隙结构对宏观导电特性影响的新方法. 我们开发的模拟多孔岩石导电特性的数值实验新方法，提供了一种可深入到从微观孔隙结构这个尺度上来考察具有复杂孔隙结构的，孔隙度小于10%的低孔、低渗岩石的宏观导电特性及其影响因素.研究表明:Archie 系数m,n并不是传统上的意义，研究各种不同条件下F-、I-Sw关系，结果显示非阿尔奇现象与孔隙介质中孔隙、骨架和流体的混合导电网络有关，得出新的饱和度计算公式.同时还研究了泥质含量和分布、电阻率各向异性对宏观导电特性的影响，提出适用于电阻率各向异性地层的F-、I-Sw的关系.本文最后探讨了应用格子气自动机和格子玻尔滋曼方法进行岩心渗流和核磁共振数值实验的新方法及其发展前景.     

Asymptotic analysis of cross-hole hydraulic tests in fractured granite

Illman and Tartakovsky (2005a, 2005b) developed a new approach for the interpretation of three-dimensional pneumatic well tests conducted in porous or fractured geologic media, which is based on a straight-line analysis of late-time data. We modify this approach to interpret three-dimensional well tests in the saturated zone and use it to analyze the cross-hole hydraulic test data collected in the Full-Scale Engineered Barrier Experiment gallery at the Grimsel Test Site in Switzerland. The equivalent hydraulic conductivity and specific storage obtained from our analysis increase with the radial distance between the centroids of the pumping and monitoring intervals. Since this scale effect is observed from a single test type (cross-hole tests), it is less ambiguous than scale effects typically inferred from laboratory and multiple types of hydraulic tests (e.g., slug, single- and cross-hole tests). The statistical analysis of the estimated hydraulic parameters shows a strong correlation between equivalent hydraulic conductivity and specific storage.