Development of efficiently coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical model to predict hydraulic fracture morphology in heavy oil reservoirs

The aim of the study involves examining the effect of heavy oil viscosity on fracture geometry in detail by establishing a heavy oil fracturing model and conventional fracturing model based on thermal–hydraulic–mechanical (THM) coupled theory, Walther viscosity model, and K–D–R temperature model. We consider viscosity and density within the heavy oil fracturing model as functions of pressure and temperature while that as constants within the conventional fracturing model. A heavy oil production well is set as an example to analyze the differences between the two models to account for the thermo-poro-elastic effect. The results show that temperature exhibits the most significant influence on the heavy oil viscosity while the influence of pressure is the least. In addition, a cooling area with a width of 0–1 m and varied length is generated near the fracture. The heavy oil viscosity increases sharply in this area, thereby indicating an area of viscosity increment. The heavy oil viscosity increases faster and is closer to wellbore, and a high viscosity increment reduces the mobility of the heavy oil and prevents the fracturing fluid from entering into the reservoir. The special viscosity distribution results in significant differences in pore pressure, oil saturation, and changing trends between these two models. In the heavy oil reservoir fracturing model, the thermal effect completely exceeds the influence of pore elasticity, and the values of the fracture length, width, and static pressure exceed those calculated in the conventional fracturing model. Thus, a comparison of the measured values indicates that the results obtained by considering viscosity as a function of temperature and pressure are more accurate. Therefore, the results of this study are expected to provide good guidelines for the design of heavy oil fracturing.     

Effects of vegetation restoration on soil physical properties of abandoned farmland on the Loess Plateau,China

To improve the ecological environment in China, the Chinese government implemented a country-wide ecological protection and reforestation project (namely the “Grain for Green Project”) in 1999 to return cultivated land with slopes of 25° or more to perennial vegetation. Vegetation restoration reduces soil erosion mainly by changing the soil physical properties. Different vegetation restoration methods might produce different impacts on soil physical properties. In this study, two vegetation restoration methods (i.e., natural restoration and artificial restoration) were compared on abandoned farmland in the typically hilly and gullied areas of the Loess Plateau of Northwest China. In the natural restoration method, the farmland was abandoned to natural vegetation succession without irrigation, fertilization or other artificial disturbances. In the artificial restoration method, the farmland was planted with black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) and watered and cultivated for the first two years. Three soil physical properties (i.e., soil moisture, bulk density and aggregation) were investigated under the two vegetation restoration methods. The results showed that the soil moisture and soil bulk density were higher under artificial restoration than under natural restoration within the first three years of vegetation restoration. By the fourth year, the soil moisture and soil bulk density were higher under natural restoration than under artificial restoration. For the stability of soil aggregates?>?0.25 mm, the soil aggregates in the 0-20 cm soil layer were more stable under artificial restoration than under natural restoration, while the results were the opposite for the 40-60 cm soil layer. Overall, the soil physical properties were continuously improved during the restoration of vegetation on abandoned farmland. In choosing between vegetation restoration methods, natural restoration is preferable to artificial restoration, but artificial intervention is needed during the first three years.     

Heavy metals status,transport mechanisms,sources, and factors affecting their mobility in Chinese agricultural soils

Heavy metals are the focus of much interest because of their environmental persistence, toxicity, and mobility in soils. Some of the Chinese soils have been contaminated with heavy metals due to expansion of mining industries, pesticides usage, and other anthropological activities, which made the agro-ecosystem to become contaminated. The objective of this review is to illuminate the current pollution status, sources of heavy metals, transport mechanisms, and the factors affecting their mobility in Chinese soils. The additional studies in the future will present on source identification and the heavy metal transport characteristics in soil.     

准噶尔盆地腹部地区生烃增压定量化评价——东道海子北凹陷为例

目前准噶尔盆地腹部地区超压演化过程仅提供了相对时间、概念、定性的认识,并未达到定量化。本文以东道海子北凹陷为例,基于流体包裹体、单井一维和剖面二维烃源岩成熟生烃史模拟技术,采用生烃增压模型定量化评价了侏罗纪八道湾组顶部和底部烃源岩的生烃增压演化过程。研究结果表明侏罗纪八道湾组为东道海子北凹陷主力烃源岩,具有幕式排烃的特点。八道湾组底部烃源岩经历了3 次超压增加和两次超压释放的过程,顶部烃源岩经历了两次超压增加和一次超压释放的过程。八道湾底部烃源岩3 次超压增加的时间分别为距今170～70 Ma、55～23 Ma、10～0 Ma,对应最大压力系数均为2.0,最大剩余流体压力50 MPa,两次超压释放的时间分别为70～55 Ma、23～10 Ma;八道湾组顶部烃源岩两次超压增加的时间分别为130～40 Ma、23～0 Ma,对应流体最大压力系数最大亦可达2.0 左右,最大剩余流体压力44 MPa,超压释放的时间为40～23 Ma。     

新疆兴地Ⅱ号铜镍矿床辉长岩SIMS锆石U-Pb年龄和地质意义

兴地Ⅱ号铜镍矿床为岩浆多期次分异、侵位形成的基性-超基性杂岩体;本文通过对兴地辉长岩进行SIMS锆石U-Pb精确测年,获得²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U加权平均年龄为737±2 Ma,该数据表明兴地Ⅱ号杂岩体形成于南华纪,并非形成于中元古代。塔里木北缘广泛发育的碳酸岩、基性-超基性岩和双峰式火山岩,为Rodinia 超大陆长期的和持续的裂解产物。     

Silver–bearing minerals in the Xinhua hydrothermal vein-type Pb-Zn deposit,South China

Mineralogy and Petrology - Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) results are reported for newly identified silver–bearing minerals from the Xinhua deposit, Yunkaidashan area, South China. The...     

Rainfall threshold determination for flash flood warning in mountainous catchments with consideration of antecedent soil moisture and rainfall pattern

Flash flood disaster is a prominent issue threatening public safety and social development throughout the world, especially in mountainous regions. Rainfall threshold is a widely accepted alternative to hydrological forecasting for flash flood warning due to the short response time and limited observations of flash flood events. However, determination of rainfall threshold is still very complicated due to multiple impact factors, particular for antecedent soil moisture and rainfall patterns. In this study, hydrological simulation approach (i.e., China Flash Flood-Hydrological Modeling System: CNFF-HMS) was adopted to capture the flash flood processes. Multiple scenarios were further designed with consideration of antecedent soil moisture and rainfall temporal patterns to determine the possible assemble of rainfall thresholds by driving the CNFF-HMS. Moreover, their effects on rainfall thresholds were investigated. Three mountainous catchments (Zhong, Balisi and Yu villages) in southern China were selected for case study. Results showed that the model performance of CNFF-HMS was very satisfactory for flash flood simulations in all these catchments, especially for multimodal flood events. Specifically, the relative errors of runoff and peak flow were within?±?20%, the error of time to peak flow was within?±?2 h and the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency was greater than 0.90 for over 90% of the flash flood events. The rainfall thresholds varied between 93 and 334 mm at Zhong village, between 77 and 246 mm at Balisi village and between 111 and 420 mm at Yu village. Both antecedent soil moistures and rainfall temporal pattern significantly affected the variations of rainfall threshold. Rainfall threshold decreased by 8–38 and 0–42% as soil saturation increased from 0.20 to 0.50 and from 0.20 to 0.80, respectively. The effect of rainfall threshold was the minimum for the decreasing hyetograph (advanced pattern) and the maximum for the increasing hyetograph (delayed pattern), while it was similar for the design hyetograph and triangular hyetograph (intermediate patterns). Moreover, rainfall thresholds with short time spans were more suitable for early flood warning, especially in small rural catchments with humid climatic characteristics. This study was expected to provide insights into flash flood disaster forecasting and early warning in mountainous regions, and scientific references for the implementation of flash flood disaster prevention in China.     

A review of advances in China’s flash flood early-warning system

This paper summarizes the main flash flood early-warning systems of America, Europe, Japan, and Taiwan China and discusses their advantages and disadvantages. The latest development in flash flood prevention is also presented. China’s flash flood prevention system involves three stages. Herein, the warning methods and achievements in the first two stages are introduced in detail. Based on the worldwide experience of flash flood early-warning systems, the general research idea of the third stage is proposed from the viewpoint of requirements for flash flood prevention and construction progress of the next stage in China. Real-time dynamic warning systems can be applied to the early-warning platform at four levels (central level, provincial level, municipal level, and county level) . Through this, soil moisture, peak flow, and water level can be calculated in real-time using distributed hydrological models, and then flash flood warning indexes can be computed based on defined thresholds of runoff and water level. A compound warning index (CWI) can be applied to regions where rainfall and water level are measured by simple equipment. In this manner, flash-flood-related factors such as rainfall intensity and antecedent and cumulative rainfall depths can be determined using the CWI method. The proposed methodology for the third stage could support flash flood prevention measures in the 13th 5-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the People’s Republic of China (2016–2020). The research achievements will serve as a guidance for flash flood monitoring and warning as well as flood warning in medium and small rivers.     

准噶尔盆地吉木萨尔凹陷梧桐沟组层序地层划分

准噶尔盆地吉木萨尔凹陷二叠系梧桐沟组作为一套重要的储集岩,具有良好的油气成藏前景,但对其层序划分及地层沉积样式的认识一直存在争议。在构造背景分析的基础上,结合岩芯、测井及地震资料,对研究区梧桐沟组层序地层划分及地层沉积样式研究表明,梧桐沟组沉积时期构造强度较弱,地形较为平缓,地层在全区稳定分布;中晚二叠世盆地发生造山运动,吉木萨尔凹陷东南边缘区域经过构造抬升,上部地层遭受不同程度的剥蚀,形成了现今"底平顶削"的地层样式。以凹陷中部少数地层保存较全的井的地层叠加样式分析为基础,通过井-震结合识别不同类型界面,特别是最大湖泛面,建立了区域层序地层格架,即梧桐沟组为一个完整的长期基准面旋回(三级层序),并在其内部识别出5个中期旋回。梧桐沟组地层在不同的层序发育时期表现出不同的旋回叠加样式:下段沉积时期,即最大湖泛面以下,随着可容纳空间的增大,地层表现为明显的退积叠加样式;上段沉积时期,即最大湖泛面以上,随着可容纳空间的减小,地层表现为明显的进积叠加样式,符合沉积物体积分配原理。