Investigation on the Effect of Geometrical and Geotechnical Parameters on Elongated Offshore Piles Using Fuzzy Inference Systems

Among numerous offshore structures used in oil extraction, jacket platforms are still the most favorable ones in shallow waters. In such structures, log piles are used to pin the substructure of the platform to the seabed. The pile’s geometrical and geotechnical properties are considered as the main parameters in designing these structures. In this study, ANSYS was used as the FE modeling software to study the geometrical and geotechnical properties of the offshore piles and their effects on supporting jacket platforms. For this purpose, the FE analysis has been done to provide the preliminary data for the fuzzy-logic post-process. The resulting data were implemented to create Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) classifications. The resultant data of the sensitivity analysis suggested that the orientation degree is the main factor in the pile’s geometrical behavior because piles which had the optimal operational degree of about 5° are more sustained. Finally, the results showed that the related fuzzified data supported the FE model and provided an insight for extended offshore pile designs.     

Impacts of Depositional Facies and Diagenesis on Reservoir Quality: A Case Study from the Rudist-bearing Sarvak Formation, Abadan Plain, SW Iran

An integrated geological-petrophysical analysis of the rudist-bearing sequence of the Cretaceous Sarvak Formation is given one giant oilfield, and provides an improved understanding of this main reservoir in the Abadan Plain, in the Zagros Basin, SW Iran. The main objective of this study is to evaluate reservoir potential of the Sarvak Formation, and then to utilize the calibrated well log signature to correlate reservoir potential in un-cored wells. Eight main facies are recognized and categori...     

Structural properties of Urfa stone doped with erbium oxide

In this study, we investigated the structural properties of Urfa stone (US) doped with erbium oxide (Er₂O₃). Solid US was powdered by using an agate mortar, and its elemental composition was determined using inductive coupling plasma (ICP) methods. Varying amounts of Er₂O₃ (5, 10, 20, 30, and 40%) were added as a dopant to the US powder using mechanical alloying methods. The resultant samples were sintered at 1000 °C for 1 h. The structural properties of the Er₂O₃-doped US samples were subsequently investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), and photoluminescence methods. Results from the XRD analysis of the Er₂O₃-doped US powder indicated two crystalline phases: (1) calcium oxide (CaO) or lime and (2) Er₂O₃. After the samples were sintered at 1000 °C, CaO, Er₂O₃, calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), and mixed crystalline phases were observed. Results from the FTIR analysis of the Er₂O₃-doped US samples indicated absorption bands at 711.91, 872.08, and 1396.87 cm^?1 in the spectra. Finally, photoluminescence analysis results indicated a shift in the emission and excitation bands to longer and shorter wavelengths, respectively, in the solid state (non-aqueous media) US-Er complex.     

Geospatial assessment of soil erosion intensity and sediment yield: a case study of Potohar Region,Pakistan

Estimation of spatial extent of soil erosion, one of the most serious forms of land degradation, is critical because soil erosion has serious implications on soil fertility, water ecosystem, crop productivity and landscape beauty. The primary objective of the current study was to assess and map the soil erosion intensity and sedimentation yield of Potohar region of Pakistan. Potohar is the rainfed region with truncated and complex topography lying at the top of the Indus Basin, the world’s largest irrigation networks of canals and barrages. Spatially explicit Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) Model integrated with Remote Sensing-GIS techniques was used for detecting/mapping of erosion prone areas and quantification of soil losses. The results show that the Potohar region is highly susceptible to soil erosion with an average annual soil loss of 19 tons ha^?1 year^?1 of which the maximum erosion (70–208 tons ha^?1 year^?1) was near the river channels and hilly areas. The sediment yield due to the erosion is as high as 148 tons ha^?1 year^?1 with an average of 4.3 tons ha^?1 year^?1. It was found that 2.06% of the total area falls under severe soil erosion, 13.34% under high erosion, 15.35% under moderate soil erosion while 69.25% of the area lies in the low (tolerable) soil erosion. Chakwal and Jhelum districts of the region are seriously affected by erosion owing to their topography and soil properties. The information generated in this study is a step forward towards proper planning and implementation of strategies to control the erosion and for protection of natural resources. It is, hence, necessary that suitable water harvesting structures be made to control water to prevent soil erosion and provision of water in the lean season in this region. Tree plantation and other erosion control practices such as strip cropping can also minimize soil erosion in this region.     

Seismic characterization of reservoirs with multiple fracture sets using velocity and attenuation anisotropy data

Knowledge about the spatial distribution of the fracture density and the azimuthal fracture orientation can greatly help in optimizing production from fractured reservoirs. Frequency-dependent seismic velocity and attenuation anisotropy data contain information about the fractures present in the reservoir. In this study, we use the measurements of velocity and attenuation anisotropy data corresponding to different seismic frequencies and azimuths to infer information about the multiple fracture sets present in the reservoir. We consider a reservoir model with two sets of vertical fractures characterized by unknown azimuthal fracture orientations and fracture densities. Frequency-dependent seismic velocity and attenuation anisotropy data is computed using the effective viscoelastic stiffness tensor and solving the Christoffel equation. A Bayesian inversion method is then applied to measurements of velocity and attenuation anisotropy data corresponding to different seismic frequencies and azimuth to estimate the azimuthal fracture orientations and the fracture densities, as well as their uncertainties. Our numerical examples suggest that velocity anisotropy data alone cannot recover the unknown fracture parameters. However, an improved estimation of the unknown fracture parameters can be obtained by joint inversion of velocity and attenuation anisotropy data.     

An enhanced constitutive model for crushable granular materials

Studies in the past have tried to reproduce the mechanical behaviour of granular materials by proposing constitutive relations based on a common assumption that model parameters and parameters describing the properties, including gradation of individual grains are inevitably linked. However successful these models have proved to be, they cannot account for the changes in granular assembly behaviour if the grains start to break during mechanical loading. This paper proposes to analyse the relation between grading change and the mechanical behaviour of granular assembly. A way to model the influence of grain breakage is to use a critical state‐based model. The influence of the amount of grain breakage during loading, depending on the individual grain strength and size distribution, can be introduced into constitutive relations by means of a new parameter that controls the evolution of critical state with changes in grain size distribution. Experimental data from a calcareous sand, a quartz sand, and a rockfill material were compared with numerical results and good‐quality simulations were obtained. The main consequences of grain breakage are increased compressibility and a gradual dilatancy disappearance in the granular material. The critical state concept is also enriched by considering its overall relation to the evolution of the granular material. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sur les anomalies structurales de l'anticlinal de l'oued Bahloul de Tunisie : héritage tectonique et plissement cisaillant de couverture

The Oued Bahloul structure exists in the central Atlas of Tunisia. This structure is oriented N70 and it shows a very particular geometry characterized by: (i) an important disharmony between the northern and the southern flanks; (ii) a dissymmetry between the east and the west parts of the structure; (iii) several gaps and progressive unconformities present in the Cretaceous and Eocene series.Three major tectonic directions characterize this structure: (i) the N120 appears in the western part of the anticline; (ii) some north–south faults distinguish the oriental part; (iii) the strike fault, which is confirmed by seismic data, affects the central part of this anticline. To cite this article: A. Saadi et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).     

Distribution of diagenetic alterations within depositional facies and sequence stratigraphic framework of fluvial sandstones: Evidence from the Petrohan Terrigenous Group,Lower Triassic,NW Bulgaria

Sequence stratigraphy of fluvial deposits is a controversial topic because changes in relative sea level will eventually have indirect impact on the spatial and temporal distribution of depositional facies. Changes in the relative sea level may influence the accommodation space in fluvial plains, and hence have impact on types of fluvial system, frequency of avulsion, and style of vertical and lateral accretion. This study aims to investigate whether depositional facies and changes in the fluvial system of the Lower Triassic Petrohan Terrigenous Group sandstones (NW Bulgaria) in response to changes in the relative sea level have an impact on the spatial and temporal distribution of diagenetic alterations.     

Estimation of the Land Surface Emissivity in the Hinterland of Taklimakan Desert

An accurate accounting of land surface emissivity(ε) is important both for the retrieval of surface temperatures and the calculation of the longwave surface energy budgets.Since ε is one of the important parameterizations in land surface models(LSMs),accurate accounting also improves the accuracy of surface temperatures and sensible heat fluxes simulated by LSMs.In order to obtain an accurate emissivity,this paper focuses on estimating ε from data collected in the hinterland of Taklimakan Desert by two different methods.In the first method,ε was derived from the surface broadband emissivity in the 8–14 μm thermal infrared atmospheric window,which was determined from spectral radiances observed by field measurements using a portable Fourier transform infrared spectrometer,the mean ε being 0.9051.The second method compared the observed and calculated heat fluxes under nearneutral atmospheric stability and estimated ε indirectly by minimizing the root-mean-square difference between them.The result of the second method found a mean value of 0.9042,which is consistent with the result by the first method.Although the two methods recover ε from different field experiments and data,the difference of meanvalues is 0.0009.The first method is superior to the indirect method,and is also more convenient.