A laboratory study on capillary sealing efficiency of Iranian shale and anhydrite caprocks

Caprock has the most important role in the long term safety of formation gas storage. The caprocks trap fluid accumulated beneath, contribute to lateral migration of this fluid and impede its upward migration. The rapid upward passage of invasive plumes due to buoyancy pressure is prevented by capillary pressure within these seal rocks. In the present study, two main seal rocks, from the Zagros basin in the southwest of Iran, a shale core sample of Asmari formation and an anhydrite core sample of Gachsaran formation, were provided. Absolute permeabilities of shale and anhydrite cores, considering the Klinkenberg effect, were measured as 6.09 × 10⁻¹⁸ and 0.89 × 10⁻¹⁸ m², respectively. Capillary sealing efficiency of the cores was investigated using gas breakthrough experiments. To do so, two distinct techniques including step by step and residual capillary pressure approaches were performed, using carbon dioxide, nitrogen and methane gases at temperatures of 70 and 90 °C, under confining pressures in the range 24.13–37.92 MPa. In the first technique, it was found that capillary breakthrough pressure of the cores varies in the range from 2.76 to 34.34 MPa. Moreover, the measurements indicated that after capillary breakthrough, gas effective permeabilities lie in range 1.85 × 10⁻²¹ – 1.66 × 10⁻¹⁹ m². In the second technique, the minimum capillary displacement pressure of shale varied from 0.66 to 1.45 MPa with the maximum effective permeability around 7.76 × 10⁻²¹ – 6.69 × 10⁻²⁰ m². The results indicate that anhydrite caprock of the Gachsaran formation provides proper capillary sealing efficacy, suitable for long term storage of the injected CO₂ plumes, due to its higher capillary breakthrough pressure and lower gas effective permeability.     

内蒙古中、上元古界地层的找金远景

内蒙古自治区境内,中、上元古界地层发育,其中所赋存的金属、非金属、贵金属矿产甚多。最近在中元古界朱拉扎嘎毛道组变质粉砂岩中所发现的微细浸染型金矿,是我局在元古界地层中寻找新类型金矿的一个突破,具有十分重要的意义。     

粘性土微观结构研究回顾与展望

本文回顾了粘性土微观结构研究的发展历史, 分析了我国微观结构研究现状及存在问题, 展望了今后研究的发展趋势。     

Large-scale depositional characteristics of the Ulleung Basin and its impact on electrical resistivity and Archie-parameters for gas hydrate saturation estimates

Gas hydrate saturation estimates were obtained from an Archie-analysis of the Logging-While-Drilling (LWD) electrical resistivity logs under consideration of the regional geological framework of sediment deposition in the Ulleung Basin, East Sea, of Korea. Porosity was determined from the LWD bulk density log and core-derived values of grain density. In situ measurements of pore-fluid salinity as well as formation temperature define a background trend for pore-fluid resistivity at each drill site. The LWD data were used to define sets of empirical Archie-constants for different depth-intervals of the logged borehole at all sites drilled during the second Ulleung Basin Gas Hydrate Drilling Expedition (UBGH2). A clustering of data with distinctly different trend-lines is evident in the cross-plot of porosity and formation factor for all sites drilled during UBGH2. The reason for the clustering is related to the difference between hemipelagic sediments (mostly covering the top ∼100 mbsf) and mass-transport deposits (MTD) and/or the occurrence of biogenic opal. For sites located in the north-eastern portion of the Ulleung Basin a set of individual Archie-parameters for a shallow depth interval (hemipelagic) and a deeper MTD zone was achieved. The deeper zone shows typically higher resistivities for the same range of porosities seen in the upper zone, reflecting a shift in sediment properties. The presence of large amounts of biogenic opal (up to and often over 50% as defined by XRD data) was especially observed at Sites UBGH2-2_1 and UBGH2-2_2 (as well as UBGH1-9 from a previous drilling expedition in 2007). The boundary between these two zones can also easily be identified in gamma-ray logs, which also show unusually low readings in the opal-rich interval. Only by incorporating different Archie-parameters for the different zones a reasonable estimate of gas hydrate saturation was achieved that also matches results from other techniques such as pore-fluid freshening, velocity-based calculations, and pressure-core degassing experiments. Seismically, individual boundaries between zones were determined using a grid of regional 2D seismic data. Zoning from the Archie-analysis for sites in the south-western portion of the Ulleung Basin was also observed, but at these sites it is linked to individually stacked MTDs only and does not reflect a mineralogical occurrence of biogenic opal or hemipelagic sedimentation. The individual MTD events represent differently compacted material often associated with a strong decrease in porosity (and increase in density), warranting a separate set of empirical Archie-parameters.     

Theoretical aspects of cap-rock and fault seals for single- and two-phase hydrocarbon columns

Cap-rock seals can be divided genetically into those that fail by capillary leakage (membrane seals) and those whose capillary entry pressures are so high that seal failure preferentially occurs by fracturing and/or wedging open of faults (hydraulic seals). A given membrane seal can trap a larger oil column than gas column at shallow depths, but below a critical depth (interval), gas is more easily sealed than oil. This critical depth increases with lower API gravity, lower oil GOR and overpressured conditions (for the gas phase). These observations arise from a series of modelling studies of membrane sealing and can be conveniently represented using pressure/ depth (P/D) profiles through sealed hydrocarbon columns. P/D diagrams have been applied to the more complex situation of the membrane sealing of a gas cap underlain by an oil rim; at seal capacity, such a two-phase column will be always greater than if only oil or gas occurs below the seal.These conclusions contrast with those for hydraulic seals where the seal capacity to oil always exceeds that for gas. Moreover, a trapped two-phase column, at hydraulic seal capacity will be less than the maximum-allowed oil-only column, but more than the maximum gas-only column. Unlike membrane seals, hydraulic seal capacity should be directly related to cap-rock thickness, in addition to the magnitude of the minimum effective stress in the sealing layer and the degree of overpressure development in the sequence as a whole.Fault-related seals are effectively analogous to membrane cap-rocks which have been tilted to the angle of the fault plane. Consequently, all of the above conclusions derived for membrane cap-rocks apply to both sealing faults sensu stricto (fault plane itself seals) and juxtaposition faults (hydrocarbon trapped laterally against a juxtaposed sealing unit). The maximum-allowed two-phase column trapped by a sealing fault is greater than for equivalent oil-only and gas-only columns, but less than that predicted for a horizontal membrane cap-rock under similar conditions. Where a two-phase column is present on both sides of a sealing fault (which is at two-phase seal capacity), a deeper oil/water contact (OWC) in one fault block is associated with a deeper gas/oil contact (GOC) compared with the adjacent fault block. If the fault seal is discontinuous in the gas leg, however, the deeper OWC is accompanied by a shallower GOC, whereas a break in the fault seal in the oil leg results in a common OWC in both fault blocks, even though separate GOC's exist. Schematic P/D profiles are provided for each of the above situations from which a series of fundamental equations governing single- and two-phase cap-rock and fault seal capacities can be derived. These relationships may have significant implications for exploration prospect appraisal exercises where more meaningful estimates of differential seal capacities can be made.The membrane sealing theory developed herein assumes that all reservoirs and seals are water-wet and no hydrodynamic flow exists. The conclusions on membrane seal capacity place constraints on the migration efficiency of gas along low-permeabiligy paths at depth where fracturing, wedging open of faults and/or diffusion process may be more important. Contrary to previous assertions, it is speculated that leakage of hydrocarbons through membrane seals occurs in distinct pulses such that the seal is at or near the theoretically calculated seal capacity, once this has been initially attained.Finally, the developed seal theory and P/D profile concepts are applied to a series of development geological problems including the effects of differential depletion, and degree of aquifer support, on sealing fault leakage, and the evaluation of barriers to vertical cross-flow using RFT profiles through depleted reservoirs. It is shown that imbibition processes and dynamic effects related to active cross-flow across such barriers often preclude quantitative analysis and solution of these problems for which simulation studies are usually required.     

绿色能源,世纪工程--西气东输工程

西气东输工程是国家实施西部大开发战略的重要举措.在鄂尔多斯盆地和塔里木盆地进行的大规模天然气勘探工作表明,可以为西气东输工程准备较为充分的天然气可采储量.同时,根据对河南、安徽、江苏、浙江和上海等五省市天然气需求的预测,天然气需求市场的形势良好.西气东输工程是中国境内第一条达到国际标准的大口径、高压力、长距离输气管道.通过技术攻关和高新技术的应用,西气东输工程从管材及制管、焊接、内涂敷、压缩机增压系统优化、自动化控制到流量计量和焊接的无损检测技术等方面都取得了突破性进展.西气东输工程跨越多个自然环境区和地质构造区带,在工程可行性研究中就环境保护和地质灾害的预防做了大量的研究工作,提出了一系列的保护和预防措施.     

甘肃省纤维用玄武岩应用前景分析

甘肃省玄武岩的研究地学界多年来主要以火山岩地质调查为主,重点是对岩石的时空分布、岩石学、岩石地球化学及其成因和形成时代等方面进行的研究,而对玄武岩的开发利用目前仍停留在粗加工和低附加值产品上。根据国内目前对玄武岩纤维的开发应用前景,通过收集、整理与分析省内玄武岩的岩石化学资料,与玄武岩纤维化学成分推荐指标及国内外典型地区制造玄武岩纤维岩石化学成分对比,从理论上认为省内一些地区的玄武岩具有制造玄武岩纤维这种高附加值产品的可能性,并对其应用前景进行了分析。     

常顶瓦斯油吸附法脱除微量氯的实验研究

炼油厂将常压塔顶油和减一线油作为重整原料,但由于氯含量过高(30×10-6)无法利用,传统方法是将其中的有机氯转化为无机氯化氢后脱除,但其对加氢催化剂有毒害,采用常顶瓦斯油吸附法可直接脱除微量氯。     

浙东南地区蜡石矿及其成矿远景

本文总结了浙东南地区蜡石矿的分布,成因类型及其特征;成矿地质条件和控矿因素;划分了成矿远景区和提出了地质工作布置建议。     

Optimized running conditions and sensitivity for direction sensitive detectors of WIMP dark matter

Optimum fill pressures for direction-sensitive dark matter detectors based on tracking in gases are considered. Given the minimum resolvable track length and the gas fill, the Lindhard–Scharf stopping model leads to the existence of an optimum pressure which maximizes the specific event rate R (event rate per unit detector volume). In addition, maximizing the detectibility of the recoil nucleus diurnal asymmetry is considered. Optimum fill pressures are calculated for Ar, CF₄, CS₂ and Xe gas fills, as a function of the WIMP mass and the minimum resolvable track length. The associated minimum target volumes required to achieve currently competitive WIMP-nucleon cross-section sensitivity are also calculated. The standard isothermal sphere model of the galactic WIMP halo is used throughout, but the method could be extended to use any desired WIMP distribution function.