Geomechanics and its application in petroleum geology

This paper is a brief account of the essential points of geomechanics initited in China by Prof. J. S. Lee in the 1920's and some important results achieved by some Chinese petroleum geologists in recent years by applying geomechanics to the exploration and prospecting of oil and gas in eastern China.     

岩体变形和破坏的结构效应

许多学者早已发现岩体的变形和破坏与试件尺寸有关,即随着试件尺寸增大,其变形模量变小,破坏强度降低。这种现象称为尺寸效应。 近来研究表明,所谓尺寸效应实际上是岩体结构效应和试验技术条件的反映。     

海温异常对热带内外环流相互作用影响的对比分析

运用ECMWF的风场和高度场及TBB资料,用相关方法对比分析了热带太平洋海温分布东冷西暖（1984～1985年冬季）和东暖西冷（1982～1983年冬季）两种不同背景下,热带西太平洋对流活动与中高纬环流在季内时间尺度下相互作用的特点。结果表明,不同的海温分布其对应的大尺度环流场包括Hadley和Walker环流的位置及强弱均有较大的差别。冬季热带西太平洋对流活动与热带外大气的季内相互作用过程也有明显差异。     

C3植物光合作用日变化的模拟

对前人光合作用-气孔导度耦合模型进行了修正,建立了光合作用-蒸腾作用-气孔导度的耦合模型,它概括了叶片上各主要物理过程和生理过程之间的相互联系和制约关系。 用数值方法研究了不同环境因子（太阳辐射、温度、湿度和风速等）对光合作用、蒸腾作用和气孔导度的日变化及中午降低（midday depression）的影响。 主要结果是:（1）当边界层导度减小时,光合“午睡”加剧,蒸腾作用减弱,但作为反馈调节,气孔导度增加。 （2）气孔导度的最适温度最低,光合作用次之,蒸腾作用最适温度最高。当光合作用中午受到高温的胁迫时,气孔导度下降的幅度最大,光合作用次之,蒸腾作用的降幅最小。一天中,气孔导度降低的持续时间最长,蒸腾作用降低的持续时间最短。（3）空气绝对湿度越低,气孔导度越低,光合午睡越明显。蒸腾作用则决定于饱和水汽压差(Vpd)和气孔导度两个因素的相反的作用。蒸腾作用随Vpd增加而增大,但Vpd超过一定值后,反而使蒸腾作用下降。 （4）当温度在光合最适温度以上时,太阳辐射的增加使叶温增加,引起光合“午睡”的加剧和气孔导度的降低。（5）ci/cs在中午的降低表明气孔的关闭是光合作用“午睡”现象的原因。     

A density‐dependent elastoplastic hydro‐mechanical model for unsaturated compacted soils

This paper presents a three‐dimensional elastoplastic constitutive model for predicting the hydraulic and mechanical behaviour of unsaturated soils. It is based on experimental results obtained from a series of controlled‐suction triaxial tests on unsaturated compacted clay with different initial densities. Hydraulic hysteresis in the water‐retention behaviour is modelled as an elastoplastic process, with the elastic part modelled by a series of scanning curves and the elastoplastic part modelled by the main drying and wetting curves. The effect of void ratio on the water‐retention behaviour is studied using data obtained from controlled‐suction wetting–drying cyclic tests on unsaturated compacted clay with different initial densities. The effect of the degree of saturation on the stress–strain‐strength behaviour and the effect of void ratio on the water‐retention behaviour are considered in the model, as is the effect of suction on the hydraulic and mechanical behaviour. The initial density dependency of the compacted soil behaviour is modelled by experimental relationships between the initial density and the corresponding yield stress and, thereby, between the initial density and the normal compression line. The model is generalized to three‐dimensional stress states by assuming that the shapes of the failure and yield surfaces in the deviatoric stress plane are given by the Matsuoka–Nakai criterion. Model predictions of the stress–strain and water‐retention behaviour are compared with those obtained from triaxial tests with different initial densities under isotropic compression, triaxial compression and triaxial extension, with or without variation in suction. The comparisons indicate that the model accurately predicts the hydraulic and mechanical behaviour of unsaturated compacted soils with different initial densities using the same material constant. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New Damage-locating Method for Bridges Subjected to a Moving Load

A new damage-locating method for bridges subjected to a moving load is presented, and a new ‘moving load damage-locating indicator＇ （MLDI） is introduced. A vehicle is modeled as a moving load, the bridge is simplified as an Euler-Bernoulli beam, and the damage is simulated by a reduction of stiffness properties of the elements. The curvature and MLDI values at each node of the baseline model （undamaged） and the damage model are computed respectively. Then the damage or damages can be located from a sudden change of the MLDI value. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method are validated by numerical simulation. The results indicate that the method is effective, being able to not only locate a single damage accurately, but also locate multiple damages in simply-supported bridges, including multiple damages in continuous bridges. The results also indicate that the MLDI can accurately locate damages under 5% measurement noise.     

Temporal trends of hydro‐climatic variables and runoff response to climatic variability and vegetation changes in the Yiluo River basin,China

The Yiluo River is the largest tributary for the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River below Sanmenxia Dam. Changes of the hydrological processes in the Yiluo River basin, influenced by the climatic variability and human activities, can directly affect ecological integrity in the lower reach of the Yellow River. Understanding the impact of the climatic variability and human activities on the hydrological processes in the Yiluo River basin is especially important to maintain the ecosystem integrity and sustain the society development in the lower reach of the Yellow River basin. In this study, the temporal trends of annual precipitation, air temperature, reference evapotranspiration (ET₀) and runoff during 1961–2000 in the Yiluo River basin were explored by the Mann‐Kendall method (M‐K method), Yamamoto method and linear fitted model. The impacts of the climatic variability and vegetation changes on the annual runoff were discussed by the empirical model and simple water balance model and their contribution to change of annual runoff have been estimated. Results indicated that (i) significant upwards trend for air temperature and significant downwards trend both for precipitation and ET₀ were detected by the M‐K method at 95% confidence level. And the consistent trends were obtained by the linear fitted model; (ii) the abrupt change started from 1987 detected by the M‐K method and Yamamoto method, and so the annual runoff during 1961–2000 was divided into two periods: baseline period (1961–1986) and changeable period (1987–2000); and (iii) the vegetation changes were the main cause for change of annual runoff from baseline period to changeable period, and climatic variability contributed a little to the change of annual runoff of the Yiluo River. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In situ LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb age of ultrahigh-pressure eclogites in the Yukahe area,northern Qaidam Basin

Zircon grains were selected from two types of ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) eclogites, coarse-grained phengite eclogite and fine-grained massive eclogite, in the Yukahe area, the western part of the North Qaidam UHP metamorphic belt. Most zircon grains show typical metamorphic origin with residual cores in some irregular grains and sector, planar or misty internal textures on the cathodoluminescence (CL) images. The contents of REE and HREE of the core parts of grains range from 173 to 1680 μg/g and 170 to 1634 μg/g, respectively, in phengite eclogite, and from 37 to 2640 μg/g and 25.7 to 1824 μg/g, respectively, in massive eclogite. The core parts exhibit HREE-enriched patterns, representing the residual zircons of protolith of the Yukahe eclogite. The contents of REE and HREE of the rim parts and the grains free of residual cores are much lower than those for the core parts. They vary from 13.1 to 89.5 μg/g and 12.5 to 85.7 μg/g, respectively, in phengite eclogite, and from 9.92 to 45.8 μg/g and 9.18 to 43.8 μg/g, respectively, in massive eclogite. Negative Eu anomalies and Th/U ratios decrease from core to rim. Positive Eu anomalies are shown in some grains. These indicate that the presence of garnet and the absence of plagioclase in the peak metamorphic mineral assemblage, and the zircons formed under eclogite facies conditions. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb age data indicate that phengite eclogite and massive eclogite have similar metamorphic age of 436±3Ma and 431±4Ma in the early Paleozoic and magmatic protolith age of 783–793 Ma and 748–759 Ma in the Neo-proterozoic. The weighted mean age of the metamorphic ages (434±2 Ma) may represent the UHP metamorphic age of the Yukahe eclogites. The metamorphic age is well consistent with their direct country rocks of gneisses (431±3 Ma and 432±19 Ma) and coesite-bearing pelitic schist in the Yematan UHP eclogite section (423–440 Ma). These age data together with field observation and lithology, allow us to conclude that the Yukahe eclogites were Neo-proterozoic igneous rocks and may have experienced subduction and UHP metamorphism with continental crust at deep mantle during the early Paleozoic, therefore the metamorphic age of 434±2 Ma of the Yukahe eclogites probably represents the continental deep subduction time in this area.

     

Application of quantitative PCR method in detection of Lymphocystis disease virus China （LCDV-cn） in Japanese flounder （Paralichthys olivaceus）

Lymphocystis disease causes serious economic losses in the fish farming industry. The causative agent of the disease is Lymphocystis disease virus China (LCDV-cn), which has a wide range of hosts. Based on competitive quantitative PCR technology, we established a method to quantify the LCDV-cn in tissue. Results demonstrate that the average amount of LCDV-cn in the peripheral blood of infected flounder with evident tumors is about 106virions/ml while the average amount in those flounder with no evident tumor but cultured with the flounder with evident tumor is about 104virions/ml. No virus was found in the negative samples of flounder.