Inferring the relative measure of principal stress components

The phase velocity and the attenuation coefficient of compressional seismic waves, propagating in poroelastic, fluid-saturated, laminated sediments, are computed analytically from first principles. The wavefield is found to be strongly affected by the medium heterogeneity. Impedance fluctuations lead to poroelastic scattering; variations of the layer compressibilities cause inter-layer flow (a 1-D macroscopic local flow). These effects result in significant attenuation and dispersion of the seismic wavefield, even in the surface seismic frequency range, 10–100 Hz. The various attenuation mechanisms are found to be approximately additive, dominated by inter-layer flow at very low frequencies. Elastic scattering is important over a broad frequency range from seismic to sonic frequencies. Biot's global flow (the relative displacement of solid frame and fluid) contributes mainly in the range of ultrasonic frequencies. From the seismic frequency range up to ultrasonic frequencies, attenuation due to heterogeneity is strongly enhanced compared to homogeneous Biot models. Simple analytical expressions for the P -wave phase velocity and attenuation coefficient are presented as functions of frequency and of statistical medium parameters (correlation lengths, variances). These results automatically include different asymptotic approximations, such as poroelastic Backus averaging in the quasi-static and the no-flow limits, geometrical optics, and intermediate frequency ranges.     

Application of an optimum design technique for determining the coefficient of consolidation by using piezocone test data

For normally consolidated clay, several researchers have developed a number of theoretical time factors to determine the coefficient of consolidation from piezocone test results. However, depending on assumptions and analytical techniques, it could vary considerably, even for a specific degree of consolidation. In this paper a method is proposed to determine a consistent coefficient of consolidation by applying the concept of an optimum design technique over all ranges of the degree of consolidation. Initial excess pore pressure distribution is assumed to be capable of being obtained by the successive spherical cavity expansion theory. The dissipation of pore pressure is simulated by means of a two-dimensional linear-uncoupled axi-symmetric consolidation analysis. The minimization of differences between measured and predicted excess pore pressure was carried out by the BFGS unconstrained optimum design algorithm with a one-dimensional golden section search technique. By analyzing numerical examples and in-situ test results, it was found that the adopted optimum design technique gives consistent and convergent results.     

Flexible spectral methods for the generation of random fields with power-law semivariograms

Random field generators serve as a tool to model heterogeneous media for applications in hydrocarbon recovery and groundwater flow. Random fields with a power-law variogram structure, also termed fractional Brownian motion (fBm) fields, are of interest to study scale dependent heterogeneity effects on one-phase and two-phase flow. We show that such fields generated by the spectral method and the Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) have an incorrect variogram structure and variance. To illustrate this we derive the prefactor of the fBm spectral density function, which is required to generate the fBm fields. We propose a new method to generate fBm fields that introduces weighting functions into the spectral method. It leads to a flexible and efficient algorithm. The flexibility permits an optimal choice of summation points (that is points in frequency space at which the weighting function is calculated) specific for the autocovariance structure of the field. As an illustration of the method, comparisons between estimated and expected statistics of fields with an exponential variogram and of fBm fields are presented. For power-law semivariograms, the proposed spectral method with a cylindrical distribution of the summation points gives optimal results.     

秦家屯油田储层的敏感性评价

储层的敏感性评价是研究储层损害机理、保护储层或减小储层损害的依据,是搞好油田注水开发的基础。采用岩心流动实验装置,开展了储层敏感性的室内实验。结果表明秦家屯油田储集层对流体速度表现为弱敏感性,对盐敏表现为中等偏弱盐敏性,对酸表现为无敏感性,随着注水速度的增加,岩心的渗透率也随之增大,并未出现“桥堵”和“卡堵”现象,说明储层中不稳定的固相颗粒含量低,不能堵塞地层,油层增产可采用提高注入速度、酸化等措施,油层水敏为中等偏弱到中等偏强,注水前要注入稳定剂。碱敏表现为弱碱敏或中等碱敏,对该区三次采油作业中,尤其是碱水驱油要特别注意。     

渤南油田中部古近系沙河街组低渗透储层岩石学和成岩作用

该区储层岩石类型主要为岩屑质长石砂岩，溶解作用是主要的建设性成岩作用，压实、自生矿物充填和胶结作用是主要的破坏性成岩作用，成岩阶段处于晚成岩A亚期。该区储层较高的孔隙度是晚成岩期强烈的溶解作用形成次生溶孔的结果，而储层砂岩较低渗透率的主要成因机理是成岩期各种自生矿物的充填和胶结作用；此外，溶蚀作用形成的孤立、互不连通的粒间孔也是形成低渗微细喉道储层的主要原因。有利孔隙组合为粒间溶蚀孔-原生粒间孔-粒内破碎缝，有利储层的分布受砂体分布、构造配置及成岩作用的联合控制。     

自适应BP网络在洛带气田测井解释中的应用

应用自适应算法对BP网络进行改进，可以提高BP网络的收敛速度和全局寻优性能。在此基础上，利用多种测井数据及岩心描述资料作为网络模型的学习样本，以测井解释渗透率的神经网络模型为例，通过网络的学习、训练，建立测井解释神经网络模型。并应用此模型，定量计算出多口井的渗透率值，与常规渗透率计算结果相比，BP的解释结果及精度均令人满意，同时还取得了良好的实际应用效果。     

A quantitative, three-dimensional depositional model of gravelly braided rivers

A quantitative, three‐dimensional depositional model of gravelly, braided rivers has been developed based largely on the deposits of the Sagavanirktok River in northern Alaska. These deposits were described using cores, wireline logs, trenches and ground‐penetrating radar profiles. The origin of the deposits was inferred from observations of: (1) channel and bar formation and migration and channel filling, interpreted from aerial photographs; (2) water flow during floods; and (3) the topography and texture of the river bed at low‐flow stage. This depositional model quantitatively represents the geometry of the different scales of strataset, the spatial relationships among them and their sediment texture distribution. Porosity and permeability in the model are related to sediment texture. The geometry of a particular type and scale of strataset is related to the geometry and migration of the bedform type (e.g. ripples, dunes, bedload sheets, bars) associated with deposition of the strataset. In particular, the length‐to‐thickness ratio of stratasets is similar to the wavelength‐to‐height ratio of associated bedforms. Furthermore, the wavelength and height of bedforms such as dunes and bars are related to channel depth and width. Therefore, the thickness of a particular scale of strataset (i.e. medium‐scale cross‐sets and large‐scale sets of inclined strata) will vary with river dimensions. These relationships between the dimensions of stratasets, bedforms and channels mean that this depositional model can be applied to other gravelly fluvial deposits. The depositional model can be used to interpret the origin of ancient gravelly fluvial deposits and to aid in the characterization of gravelly fluvial aquifers and hydrocarbon reservoirs.     

Subsurface Occurrence of Natural Gas Hydrate in the Nankai Trough Area: Implication for Gas Hydrate Concentration

Abstract. The Nankai Trough runs along the Japanese Islands, where extensive BSRs have been recognized in its forearc basins. High resolution seismic surveys and site-survey wells undertaken by the MITI have revealed the gas hydrate distribution at a depth of about 290 mbsf. The MITI Nankai Trough wells were drilled in late 1999 and early 2000. The highlights were successful retrievals of abundant gas hydrate-bearing cores in a variety of sediments from the main hole and the post survey well-2, keeping the cored gas hydrate stable, and the obtaining of continuous well log data in the gas hydrate-dominant intervals from the main hole, the post survey well-1 and the post survey well-3. Gas-hydrate dominant layers were identified at the depth interval from 205 to 268 mbsf. Pore-space hydrate, very small in size, was recognized mostly filling intergranular pores of sandy sediments. Anomalous chloride contents in extracted pore water, core temperature depression, core observations as well as visible gas hydrates confirmed the presence of pore-space hydrates within moderate to thick sand layers. Gas hydrate-bearing sandy strata typically were 10 cm to a meter thick with porosities of about 40 %. Gas hydrate saturations in most hydrate-dominant layers were quite high, up to 90 % pore saturation.
All the gas hydrate-bearing cores were subjected to X-ray CT imagery measurements for observation of undisturbed sedimentary textures and gas-hydrate occurrences before being subjected to other analyses, such as (1) petrophysical properties, (2) biostratigraphy, (3) geochemistry, (4) microbiology and (5) gas hydrate characteristics.     

Simulations of a coupled hydro-chemo-mechanical system in rocks

A coupled hydro-chemo-mechanical numerical model is developed for these coupled phenomena in many engineering fields. The model has been applied to predicting the response of a stressed rockmass column to an injected reactive fluid (reagent) flow. The response includes evolutions of porosity, permeability, reagent and mineral concentrations during dissolution. In the model, the progress of dissolution is defined by the change in porosity ratio and the porosity increases with dissolution assuming there is no precipitation. The numerical evolutions of porosity, permeability, reagent and mineral concentrations during dissolution are validated against steady state solutions. The model results show that these evolutions are regulated to a certain extent by the applied external loadings: an applied extensional stress enhances the progress of the dissolution process while an applied compression stress slows the progress of the dissolution process. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.