Optimal experimental design for reservoir property estimates in geothermal exploration

During geothermal reservoir development, drilling deep boreholes turns out to be extremely expensive and risky. Thus, it is of great importance to work out the details of suitable borehole locations in advance. Here, given a set of existing boreholes, we demonstrate how a sophisticated numerical technique called optimal experimental design helps to find a location of an additional exploratory borehole that reduces risk and, ultimately, saves cost. More precisely, the approach minimizes the uncertainty when deducing the effective permeability of a buried reservoir layer from a temperature profile measured in this exploratory borehole. In this paper, we (1) outline the mathematical formulation in terms of an optimization problem, (2) describe the numerical implementation involving various software components, and (3) apply the method to a 3D numerical simulation model representing a real geothermal reservoir in northern Italy. Our results show that optimal experimental design is conceptually and computationally feasible for industrial-scale applications. For the particular reservoir and the estimation of permeability from temperature, the optimal location of the additional borehole coincides with regions of high flow rates and large deviations from the mean temperature of the reservoir layer in question. Finally, the presentation shows that, methodologically, the optimization method can be generalized from estimating permeability to finding any other reservoir properties.     

How mega-events capture their hosts: event seizure and the World Cup 2018 in Russia

This paper develops the notion of “event seizure” to better understand how mega-events, and the elites associated with them, take possession of host cities and societies—of development plans, funds and legislation—and impose their priorities on cities and citizens. It illustrates how event seizure plays out in the preparations for the Football World Cup 2018 in Russia, which is on course to become the most expensive World Cup ever with a total cost of about USD 20 billion. Drawing on government and FIFA documents, public statements from authorities and officials, and media coverage, the paper examines three different dimensions of event seizure. First, infrastructural seizure, where event-related infrastructure, particularly sports venues, crowd out infrastructure that serves wider urban needs. Second, financial seizure, where a close circle of political and business elites benefits from state funding, while the public underwrites cost overruns. Third and last, legal seizure, where the event introduces exceptional legislation, infringing citizen rights and compromising due oversight of event preparations.     

North polar hood observations during Martian dust storms

The 1956, 1971, and 1973 major dust storms on Mars affected the apparent contrast and extent of the northern polar hood. A survey of photography from seven apparitions indicates that this seasonal feature is consistently prominent and identifiable in the absence of major storms throughout half of the Martian year. During the 1956 dust storm, the hood was not seen for a period of over one month on Lowell photographs. The effects of a storm are also seen on 1971 International Planetary Patrol photographs; the hood quickly became faint and tenuous even in ultraviolet light, which normally shows it as very bright.Patrol photographs of 1973 cover the complete progression from a prominent and extensive hood before the storm, to an intermittent disappearance at the height of the storm, to the subsequent return of a normal hood as the storm died out. Hourly and daily mapping from these photographs indicates that the hood developed a southward protrusion during the first few days of the storm as it began its apparent recession. The hood was seen on at least one side of the planet on every day throughout the duration of the storm, although its normal extent and contrast were greatly reduced.     

Vergleich einiger Methoden zur Untersuchung von geochemischen Vorgängen bei der Verwitterung

Summary Chemical analyses are used by many authors to describe processes of soil development or laterite formation. In this paper some methods of balance calculations are compared by using samples of a laterite profile on granite from India as testing material. It should be proved which of these calculations of transported matter between the different layers are fitting to the mineral analyses of the laterite profile.Only the results of the method proposed byMashall by using an index-mineral as a base for comparison is confirmed by the mineral analyses.The method ofStreng differs from the above described calculation by using a chemical element as an index. FollowingStreng it is supposed that this element remains unchanged during the weathering processes. But certain chemical elements can be constituents of several minerals of a parent rock. During laterite formation all or almost all minerals of the original rock will be altered and the elements will be transported by weathering solutions. Therefore chemical elements do not serve as an index for balance calculations within a laterite complex.UsingGrossers method one cannot decide wether the abundance of a certain element is caused by accumulation of this element or by lost of other constituents and vice-versa.The use of the method developed byMillot u.Bonifas is not advisable except the structure of the original rock is preserved unaltered during laterite formation. This is not indicated in our case.