Characteristics of groundwater flow field after land creation engineering in the hilly and gully area of the Loess Plateau

In order to study the degree of influence and control mechanism to groundwater flow field caused by land creation engineering in the hilly and gully area of the Loess Plateau, based on the geological and engineering conditions of the first stage project of Yan’an new district in China, numerical simulation of groundwater flow is carried out by the Feflow and GIS technologies. From the simulation, punning measure relatively reduces infiltration recharge and artificial gravel drain increases groundwater seepage. The basic characteristics of groundwater flow field is controlled by the old and new topographies in the whole study area, and artificial gravel drain plays an auxiliary role in accelerating groundwater drawdown upstream and promotes groundwater rise downstream. According to differences of groundwater level and declining percentages of hydraulic gradient in the main and secondary gullies, dewatering of artificial gravel drain in the secondary gully is more effective than that in the main gully, which will yet play an important role in the future. The study results will make contributions to understand groundwater response to land creation engineering and will be beneficial to take necessary measures to prevent collapse of loess and failure of building foundation in the hilly and gully area of the Loess Plateau.     

Data integration in characterizing a fracture-cavity reservoir,Tahe oilfield,Tarim basin,China

Fracture-cavity reservoirs can be described in terms of storage space, filling materials and distribution, however, characterizing these variables remains a challenge. In this study, a method was developed to characterize complex reservoirs by integrating outcrop, core, well log, and seismic data from the Tahe oilfield. Outcrop analogs were used to identify and qualitatively analyze the genesis of different reservoir spaces. Cores, well logs, and seismic data were used to identify different types of reservoir space in the subsurface, to describe the spatial distribution, and to establish the distribution pattern of fracture-cavity reservoirs. Clastic sediments, collapse breccia, and chemical fillings were described from the cores and used to assess porosity and permeability. On the basis of the results, a three-dimensional geological model was constructed incorporating a structural model, a reservoir space model, and a property model. Caves and fractures were the main storage spaces and seepage passages. The cave model was built using multi-point geostatistical simulation, while the fracture model was established using deterministic modeling combined with manual interpretations and ant-tracking technology.