Well placement optimization subject to realistic field development constraints

This work considers the well placement problem in reservoir management and field development optimization. In particular, it emphasizes embedding realistic and practical constraints into a mathematical optimization formulation. Such constraints are a prerequisite for the wider use of mathematical optimization techniques in well placement problems, since constraints are a way to incorporate reservoir engineering knowledge into the problem formulation. There are important design limitations that are used by the field development team when treating the well placement problem, and these limitations need to be articulated and eventually formalized within the problem before conducting the search for optimal well placements. In addition, these design limitations may be explicit or implicit. In this work, various design limitations pertaining to well locations have been developed in close collaboration with a field operator on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Moreover, this work focuses on developing constraint-handling capability to enforce these various considerations during optimization. In particular, the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is applied to optimize for the well locations, and various practical well placement constraints are incorporated into the PSO algorithm using two different constraint-handling techniques: a decoder procedure and the penalty method. The decoder procedure maps the feasible search space onto a cube and has the advantage of not requiring parameter tuning. The penalty method converts the constrained optimization problem into an unconstrained one by introducing an additional term, which is called a penalty function, to the objective function. In contrast to the penalty method, only feasible solutions are evaluated in the decoder method. Through numerical simulations, a comparison between the penalty method and the decoder technique is performed for two cases. We show that the decoder technique can easily be implemented for the well placement problem, and furthermore, that it performs better than the penalty method in most of the cases.     

Comparison of two drought indices in studying regional meteorological drought events in China

The composite-drought index (CI), improved weighted average of precipitation index (IWAP), and the objective identification technique for regional extreme events (OITREE) were employed to detect China's regional meteorological drought events (CRMDEs) during 1961–2010. Compared with existing references, CI and IWAP both showed strong ability in identifying CRMDEs. Generally, the results of CI and IWAP were consistent, especially for extreme and severe CRMDEs. During 1961–2010, although the frequencies of extreme and severe CRMDEs based on CI and IWAP both showed weak decreasing trends, the two mean-integrated indices both showed increasing but not significant trends. However, the results of IWAP were more reasonable than CI’s in two aspects. Firstly, the monthly frequency of extreme and severe CRMDEs based on IWAP showed a clear seasonal variation, which coincided with the seasonal variation of the East Asian monsoon over central–eastern China, whereas the frequency based on CI presented a much weaker seasonal variation. Secondly, the two sets of results were sometimes inconsistent with respect to the start and end times of a CRMDE, and CRMDEs based on CI generally showed two unreasonable phenomena: (1) under non-drought conditions, a severe drought stage could suddenly occur in a large area; and (2) during the following period, drought could alleviate gradually in cases of non-precipitation. Comparative analysis suggested that the IWAP drought index possesses obvious advantages in detecting and monitoring regional drought events.     

Geological Characteristics and Stability Evaluation of Wanjia Middle School Slope in Wenchuan Earthquake Area

To investigate the formation mechanism and the stability of Wanjia middle school slope in Wenchuan Earthquake Area, the macroscopic geological characteristics and the failure process of the landslide are researched by engineering geology analysis method, limit equilibrium method, and finit element method. The results show that after the Wenchuan Earthquake, retaining walls, houses and other infrastructure on the foot of Wanjia middle school slope were severely destroyed, 10 cm wide tension fracture appeared at the trailing edge of the slope. Wanjia middle school slope is a type of medium-sized soil landslide. The area of the deformation body is about 19,314 m², the total volume of the deformation body is about 23 × 10⁴ m³. There may be two potential sliding surfaces in the unstable slope: shallow and deep landslide. The analysis results of the limit equilibrium method and the finite element method show that: under dead weight, dead weight + rainstorm, dead weight + earthquake conditions, the plastic zone occurs mainly at the middle part or the trailing edge of the slope, and it doesn’t fully cut through the deep landslide body, so the deep landslide is stable. However, under rainstorm or earthquake conditions, the plastic zone almost completely cut thorough the shallow landslide body, it shows that the shallow landslide is in the understable–basic stable state. It is found that the results of finite element method is concordant with the results of the limit equilibrium method (F _s = 1.06–1.29, the shallow landslide is in the basic stable–stable state). The calculation results show that shallow landslides are likely to occur in Wanjia middle school slope during a rainstorm or an earthquake, so monitoring and control of the slope should be strengthened. The shallow landslide should be managed by some measures, such as anti slide pile retaining structures and drainage works, and the dangerous rock bodies on the slope surface should be cleaned up.     

Recurrent mesoproterozoic continental magmatism in South-Central Norway

We report U–Pb dates and Lu–Hf isotope data, obtained by LAM-ICPMS, for zircons from metamorphic rocks of the Setesdalen valley, situated in the Telemark block south of the classic Telemark region of southern Norway. The samples include infracrustal rocks from the metamorphic basement, metaigneous rocks and metasediments from the Byglandsfjorden supracrustal cover sequence, and metaigneous rocks which intruded the whole succession. The main crustal evolution took place from 1,550–1,020 Ma, beginning with the emplacement of juvenile tonalitic melts; the contribution of older crustal material increased with time. Around 1,320 Ma, further addition of juvenile material occurred, involving both mafic and felsic melts, metamorphism and deformation. Acid magmas with high FeO*/MgO were intruded at 1,215 Ma, coinciding with underplating elsewhere in South Norway. The period starting at 1,215 Ma is represented by supracrustal rocks, principally metarhyolites with minor mafic material and immature sediments of the Byglandsfjorden Group. The crust generation processes ended with the intrusion of diorites and granodiorites at 1,030 Ma, late in the Sveconorwegian orogeny. Regional processes of metamorphism and deformation (around 1,290 and 1,000 Ma) can be related to the assembly of Rodinia. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Broad search for unstable resonant orbits in the planar circular restricted three-body problem

Unstable resonant orbits in the circular restricted three-body problem have increasingly been used for trajectory design using optimization and invariant manifold techniques. In this study, several methods for computing these unstable resonant orbits are explored including grid searches, flyby maps, and continuation. Families of orbits are computed focusing on orbits with multiple loops near the secondary in the Jupiter–Europa system, and their characteristics are explored. Different parameters such as period and stability are examined for each set of resonant orbits, and the continuation of several specific orbits is explored in more detail.     

Spatial decision support applications based on three-dimensional city models

The basic mathematic models, such as the statistic model, the time-serial model, the spatial dynamic model etc., and some typical analysis methods based on 3DCM are proposed and discussed. A few typical spatial decision making methods integrating the spatial analysis and the basic mathematical models are also introduced, e.g. visual impact assessment, dispersion of noise immissions, base station plan for wireless communication. In addition, a new idea of expectation of further applications and add-in-value service of 3DCM is promoted. As an example, the sunshine analysis is studied and some helpful conclusions are drawn.     

南黄海北部坳陷及周缘地区白垩纪以来构造研究进展

南黄海北部坳陷是在印支期前陆盆地基底上发育的白垩纪—新生代大型伸展盆地。笔者系统总结了国内外学者南黄海北部坳陷周缘大地构造学研究、盆地内构造变形—陆相层序充填研究近年来的研究成果,对比了中韩两国学者对于北部坳陷的陆相层序划分方案的异同点,列举了目前研究的薄弱点,提出了一些亟待解决的问题。此研究对于东亚陆缘断陷盆地群地球动力学机制分析、扬子—华北碰撞造山带垮塌研究以及南黄海油气勘探突破均有重要的科学和经济意义。     

致密砂岩层内强钙质胶结物成因机制及其意义——以鄂尔多斯盆地三叠系延长组长7油层组为例

通过岩心和薄片观察,利用荧光显微镜、阴极发光显微镜、同位素质谱仪、冷热台等设备,对鄂尔多斯盆地长7油层组强钙质胶结砂岩及其附近含油砂岩开展研究。结果表明：钙质胶结是致密砂岩储层含油非均质性的主要因素,胶结期次主要为一期;簇同位素揭示该期钙质胶结物的形成温度为18~42℃,对应地质时代为中晚三叠世—中侏罗世,为早成岩期产物,推测与盆地早期小规模构造运动相关;相邻的含油砂岩中油气包裹体伴生的同期盐水包裹体的均一化温度为90~120℃,结合盆地模拟揭示油气主要为一期充注,充注期为100~130 Ma,处于早白垩世;长7油层组不含油致密砂岩内钙质胶结物形成时间早于含油砂岩内石油的充注时间。     

蓝细菌聚金作用实验研究

蓝细菌聚金实验研究表明:①不同的生物由于生化组分的差异,其富金能力不同,低等蓝细菌生物比动物细胞富金能力强;②金在细胞中的分布与其各部分生化组成(也就是生物配体)密切相关;③金离子进入细胞不是一种简单的扩散作用,而是通过细胞膜界面两侧物质之间的交换而实现的,蓝细菌活体聚金机理主要是参与生命活动的吸收作用;④在较高温热水环境中微生物对成矿最显着。     

西藏冈底斯驱龙斑岩型铜钼-矽卡岩型铜矿成矿体系:辉钼矿Re-Os同位素年代学证据

在西藏冈底斯驱龙斑岩型铜钼矿床南部2 km和东南4 km处分别发育知不拉和浪母家果矽卡岩型铜矿床,它们与驱龙斑岩矿床空间上相邻。其中,浪母家果矽卡岩型矿床中辉钼矿Re-Os等时线年龄为(17.11±0.55)Ma,表明其形成时间与驱龙和知不拉相近。综合冈底斯成矿带区域成矿作用和典型矿床的最新研究成果认为,驱龙斑岩型铜钼矿床-知不拉矽卡岩型铜矿-浪母家果矽卡岩型铜矿系同一期岩浆热液成矿作用的产物,构成一个完整的斑岩-矽卡岩型成矿体系。因此,区域找矿时,应注意在斑岩型铜矿外围寻找高品位矽卡岩型矿床;同时,在具有矽卡岩型矿化的勘查区内应注意寻找深部可能存在的斑岩型铜钼矿床。