The permeability of faults within siliciclastic petroleum reservoirs of the North Sea and Norwegian Continental Shelf

Faulting in Middle Jurassic reservoirs occurred at shallow depth during regional extension. Clean sandstones (<15% clay) deformed without significant grain fracturing and permeability reduction. Faults in impure sandstones (15–40% clay) experienced significant syn-deformation compaction and permeability reduction. Enhanced compaction during deeper burial reduced their permeabilities further from an average of 0.05 mD at <2.5 km to 0.001 mD at >4 km. Clay-rich sediments (>40% clay) deformed to produce clay smears with very low permeabilities (<0.001 mD). Faulting in the Rotliegendes occurred at greater depth during both basin extension and inversion. Extensional faulting produced cataclasites with permeability reductions of <10–>10⁶; their permeabilities range from 0.2 to 0.0001 mD and are inversely related to their maximum burial depth. Faults formed or reactivated during inversion experienced permeability increase. These results can be extrapolated to other hydrocarbon reservoirs if differences in stress and temperature history are taken into account.The permeability of most (>80%) faults is not sufficiently low, compared to their wallrock, to retard single-phase fluid flow on a km-scale. Nevertheless, most faults could retard the flow of a non-wetting phase if present at low saturations. It may be necessary to incorporate the two-phase fluid flow properties of fault rocks into reservoir simulators using upscaling or pseudoisation techniques. Fault property data should be calibrated against production data before it can be used confidently.     

Estimation of Land Subsidence Based on Groundwater Flow Model

This article presents an approach for estimating land subsidence due to withdrawal of groundwater. The proposed method calculates the groundwater seepage in 3-D-condition and calculates the land subsidence one-dimensionally. The governing equation on groundwater seepage is based on the three-dimensional mass conservation law and the principle of effective stress. The land subsidence calculation method is derived based on the following assumptions: (1) displacements occur only in the vertical direction, and (2) in vertical direction the total stresses do not change. The governing equation is solved by numerical method, i.e., finite element method (FEM) in spatial discretization and finite difference method (FDM) in time series discretization. In FEM Galerkin method is adopted and in FDM, lumped matrix method is employed. The proposed method is calibrated via analyzing 1-D consolidation problem and the results are compared with those from Terzaghi's one-dimensional consolidation theory and oedometer test. The proposed method is employed to analyze the consolidation of a soft layer due to withdrawal of groundwater from an aquifer under it. Moreover, this method is also applied to a field case of land subsidence due to groundwater pumping in a gas production field in Japan. The analytical results are compared with the field observed data. The results show that this approach simulates the field case well.     

层结流体中的非线性惯性重力内波

根据地球流体力学基本方程组,在密度垂直层结的情况下,引进行波坐标,研究非线性定形波在相平面上的几何拓扑结构。严格论证了不存在定形孤立波,并通过Ｈａｍｉｌｔｏｎ函数及其角作用变把行波系统化成最简形式,由此而得到非线性惯性重力内波的解析解。     

海洋环境荷载下输液立管的静、动力特性研究

考虑管内流动流体和管外海洋环境荷载共同作用 ,建立海洋立管侧向运动微分方程。用Hermite插值函数离散 ,在微机上编写海洋立管静、动力分析程序 ,通过计算分析研究管内流体对立管侧向变形和应力的作用 ;另外 ,探讨管内流体的流动速度和立管顶端的预张力对立管动力特性的影响。结果表明 ,立管变形和应力均随管内流体流动速度增加而增大 ,同时内流速度的增大会降低立管的固有频率 ,但适当增大立管顶端预张力会抵消内流流速增加引起的固有频率下降。     

Sediment movement under unidirectional flows: an assessment of empirical threshold curves

A selection of threshold data sets from previous investigations is used to re-examine, selectively, some of the empirical curves that are most commonly used for the prediction of sediment threshold. Simple analytical formulae are derived describing single line curves for mean threshold values and envelopes for the initial movement of discrete particles and the commencement of mass sediment transport phases of the critical condition.The complexity of factors governing the prevailing conditions at threshold, together with the randomness of events, limits deterministic solutions; however, the curves provide an approach that can be used readily in practical applications. In contrast, the envelope presentation is more of a stochastic approach to the definition of threshold. It recognises that there is no definitive threshold condition under which a particular particle size can be displaced, but rather that a range of threshold values exist.The empirical threshold relationships were derived on the basis of a relatively large amount of data. However, the sources utilised have interpreted the ‘critical condition’ in various ways, implying that the formulae must be treated with caution in applications.     

Does subterranean flow initiate mud banks off the southwest coast of India?

Coastal waters off the southwest coast of India draw special attention because of the occurrence of mud banks at certain locations during southwest monsoon period. The present study puts forward a hypothesis of a subterranean flow, which could be a plausible mechanism to initiate the mud banks. The subterranean flow is believed to be coupled with activated trending faults and originate from the adjacent watershed (Vembanad Lake) separated from the sea by a narrow strip of land where submerged porous lime shell beds are present. When the lake water injection occurs through the fault, the mud/clay gets excited by its thixotrophic properties (as the overlying water looses its electrolyte) and transforms into a flowing fluid. The lowering of salinity due to the introduction of fresh water keeps the mud suspension in the water column for longer duration, leading to the formation of mud banks. The idea of subterranean flow through lime shell beds initiating formation of mud banks may apply globally to any coastal regions hugged by wetlands and of similar geological conditions.     

A Numerical Model for Natural Backfill of Pipeline Trenches Subjected to Unidirectional／Oscillatory Flows

A numerical model for the self-burial of a pipeline trench is developed. Morphological evolutions of a pipeline trench under steady-current or oscillatory-flow conditions are simulated with/without a pipeline inside the trench. The oscillatory flow in this study represents the action of waves. The two-dimensional Reynolds-averaged continuity and Navier-Stokes equations with the standard k-e turbulence closure, as well as the sediment transport equations, are solved with the finite difference method in a eurvilirrear coordinate system. Both bed and suspended loads of sediment transport are included in the morphological model. Because of the lack of experimental data on the backfilling of pipeline trenches, the numericalmodel is firstly verified against three closely-relevant experiments available in literature. A detailed measurement of the channel migration phenomenon under steady currents is employed for the assessment of the integral performance of themodel. The two experimental results from U-tube tests are used to validate the model‘s ability in predicting oscillatory flows. Different time-marching schemes are employed for the morphological computation under unidirectional and oscillatory conditions. It is found that vortex motions within the trench play an important role in the trench development.     

Internal wave eigenmodes and their weak nonlinear resonant interaction in a nonlinearly stratified fluid—A preliminary theoretical and experimental study

A preliminary theoretical and experimental study was conducted on internal wave modes and their weak nonlinear resonant interaction in a nonlinearly stratified fluid. An asymptotical solution of the modes and a dispersion relation of internal waves in a stratified fluid with density profile similar to that in our experiment were obtained theoretically. The resonant-interaction mechanism to 2nd order approximation is also discussed. The resonant interaction of the 3rd and 4th mode internal waves excited by the unstable 1st mode wave is analyzed on the basis of data obtained by conductivity probes. The resonant-interaction condition, i.e., ,k ₁+k ₃+k ₄=0, is examined. It is shown that the resonant instability increases with pycnocline thickness and wave maker driving frequency. This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

思林水电站通航建筑物高边坡稳定分析和评价

应用ANSYS结构分析软件,模拟了思林水电站通航建筑物高边坡的地形、地质条件以及开挖的过程,建立边坡开挖的有限元计算分析模型,分析边坡在自然状态、分级开挖以及锚杆支护加固等工况下的应力、变形及其整体稳定性.定义单元的局部安全系数,得到了边坡开挖加固后稳定安全系数的分布.根据计算成果,指出现设计加固措施可以保证边坡稳定,无需增加其他工程措施.