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.     

Rights and ownership in sea country: implications of marine renewable energy for indigenous and local communities

The adoption of UN Convention of the Law of the Sea in 1982 created optimism for indigenous peoples and marginalised coastal communities that they may (re)gain control of, or improve access to, marine resources. However concerns were also raised that opening the seas to industrial development might create threats for traditional users of the sea. Twenty-five years later the potential enclosure of large areas of coastal seas to marine renewable energy development is reigniting debates about marine governance, access and control over marine resources. Case studies in Scotland, Canada, New Zealand and Australia reveal a dynamic tension between: an economic development ‘blue growth’ agenda requiring the creation of private rights in the sea; and socio-political drivers which seek to address historic injustices and increase access to natural resources by indigenous and marginalised coastal communities. As yet there is little evidence of this tension being adequately addressed by emerging institutional frameworks for managing marine resources.     

Performance investigation of a two-raft-type wave energy converter with hydraulic power take-off unit

Raft-type wave energy converter (WEC) is a multi-mode wave energy conversion device, using the relative pitch motion to drive its hydraulic power take-off (PTO) units for capturing energy from the ocean waves. The hydraulic PTO unit as its energy conversion module plays a significant role in storing large qualities of energy and making the output power smooth. However, most of the previous investigations on the raft-type WECs treat the hydraulic PTO unit as a linear PTO unit and do not consider the dynamics of the hydraulic circuit and components in their investigations. This paper is related to a two-raft-type WEC consisting of two hinged rafts and a hydraulic PTO unit. The aim of this paper is to make an understanding of the dynamics of the hydraulic PTO unit and how these affect the performance of the two-raft-type WEC. Therefore, a combined hydrodynamic and hydraulic PTO unit model is proposed to investigate and optimize the performance of the two-raft-type WEC; and based on the simulation of the combined model, the relationships between the optimal power capture ability, the optimal magnitude of the hydraulic PTO force and the wave states are numerically revealed. Results show that an approximately square wave type hydraulic PTO force is produced by the hydraulic PTO unit, which causes the performance of the two-raft-type WEC not to be sinusoidal and the energy capturing manner different from that of the device using a linear PTO unit; moreover, there is an optimal magnitude of the hydraulic PTO force for obtaining an optimal power capture ability, which can be achieved by adjusting the parameters of the hydraulic PTO unit; in regular waves, the optimal power capture ability as well as the optimal magnitude of the hydraulic PTO force normalized by the wave height presents little relationship with the wave height, mainly depends on the wave period; in irregular waves, the trends of the optimal power capture ability and the normalized optimal magnitude of the hydraulic PTO force against the peak wave periods at different significant wave heights are generally identical and show a good correlation. All means that the hydraulic PTO unit of the two-raft-type WEC can be tuned to the wave states, and these would provide a valuable guidance for the optimal design of its hydraulic PTO unit.     

Experimental and numerical investigations on the intact and damage survivability of a floating–moored oscillating water column device

This paper investigates the intact and damage survivability of a floating–moored Oscillating Water Column (OWC) device using physical model experiments and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. Different extreme wave conditions have been tested using irregular and regular wave conditions. The device was moored to the tank floor via four vertical taut lines and the effect of the mooring line pre–tension on the device response was studied. It was found that the instantaneous position of the floating device was a key factor in the survivability analysis such that a certain irregular wave train that might not include the largest wave could induce the maximum response. Reducing the pre–tension minimized the maximum surge, but significantly increased the maximum tension due to mooring slack events causing snatch loads. A design regular wave with a period equal to the peak period and a height of 1.9–2.0 times the significant wave height could reasonably predict the same maximum line tension as the irregular sea state, but a smaller wave height was required to achieve the maximum surge. A single failure in the mooring system increased the maximum tension by 1.55 times the intact tension. For a damaged mooring system, using the same design regular wave condition derived from the survivability analysis with an intact mooring system could result in overestimating the maximum tension by more than 20% in comparison to the tension from the irregular sea state, but a smaller regular wave height or a different regular wave condition representing another sea state could lead to the same maximum tension. This highlighted the importance of investigating survival conditions with a damaged mooring system instead of simply using the same conditions derived for the intact mooring system.     

Depositional evolution of a progradational to aggradational,mixed-influenced deltaic succession: Jurassic Tofte and Ile formations,southern Halten Terrace,offshore Norway

Predicting the hydrodynamics, morphology and evolution of ancient deltaic successions requires the evaluation of the three-dimensional depositional process regime based on sedimentary facies analysis. This has been applied to a core-based subsurface facies analysis of a mixed-energy, clastic coastal-deltaic succession in the Lower-to-Middle Jurassic of the Halten Terrace, offshore mid-Norway. Three genetically related successions with a total thickness of 100–300 m and a total duration of 12.5 Myr comprising eight facies associations record two initial progradational phases and a final aggradational phase. The progradational phases (I and II) consist of coarsening upward successions that pass from prodelta and offshore mudstones (FA1), through delta front and mouth bar sandstones (FA2) and into erosionally based fluvial- (FA3) and marine-influenced (FA4) channel fills. The two progradational phases are interpreted as fluvial- and wave-dominated, tide-influenced deltas. The aggradational phase (III) consists of distributary channel fills (FA3 and FA4), tide-dominated channels (FA5), intertidal to subtidal heterolithic fine-grained sandstones (FA6) and coals (FA7). The aggradational phase displays more complex facies relationships and a wider range of environments, including (1) mixed tide- and fluvial-dominated, wave-influenced deltas, (2) non-deltaic shorelines (tidal channels, tidal flats and vegetated swamps), and (3) lower shoreface deposits (FA8). The progradational to aggradational evolution of this coastal succession is represented by an overall upward decrease in grain size, decrease in fluvial influence and increase in tidal influence. This evolution is attributed to an allogenic increase in the rate of accommodation space generation relative to sediment supply due to tectonic activity of the rift basin. In addition, during progradation, there was also an autogenic increase in sediment storage on the coastal plain, resulting in a gradual autoretreat of the depositional system. This is manifested in the subsequent aggradation of the system, when coarse-grained sandstones were trapped in proximal locations, while only finer grained sediment reached the coastline, where it was readily reworked by tidal and wave processes.     

Recreational use of offshore wind farms: Experiences and opinions of sea anglers in the UK

The expansion of offshore wind farms (OWFs) is likely to increase conflict with other marine users as different sectors compete for space. There may also be positive interactions, as the artificial reef effects from energy infrastructure have the potential to sustain and enhance fishing opportunities. Recreational sea angling is an important sector within the UK but the experiences and opinions of UK sea anglers with respect to OWFs have not been documented. To address this, an online survey was undertaken with recreational anglers around the UK (n=199). Respondents represented a range of socio-demographic and angling characteristics, although male, more frequent and older fishers as well as club members were over-represented compared to a 2012 national survey. One quarter of the respondents had fished around the perimeter of or within an OWF, most on multiple occasions, and 73% of those who had not expressed a willingness to do so in future. Anglers reported both positive and negative effects on catch success when fishing near or within OWFs compared to their experiences of the same site prior to OWF development. Outcomes for individual species were also mixed. Anglers recognised the potential artificial reef effects of OWFs and their role as a “safe haven”, particularly due to the exclusion of commercial fishers. Negative perceptions included restricted access, harm to marine wildlife, and visual impact. There is little evidence that OWFs will have a significant economic impact on recreational fishing, as most anglers are unlikely to change their behaviour in response to future developments.     

CFD investigations of OXYFLUX device,an innovative wave pump technology for artificial downwelling of surface water

No other environmental variable of such ecological importance to estuarine and coastal marine ecosystems around the world has changed so drastically, in such a short period of time, as dissolved oxygen in coastal waters. The prevalent methods for counteracting anoxic sea events are indirect measures which aim to cut-down anthropic loads introduced in river and marine environments. To date, no direct approaches, like artificial devices have been investigated except the WEBAP and OXYFLUX devices. The present paper adopts a numerical approach to the analysis of the pumped surface water as well as the analysis of the dynamic response of the OXYFLUX device. By means of a CFD-RANS code and through the application of overset grid method, the 1/16 OXYFLUX model’s dynamic response and pumping performance are evaluated. The appropriate grid is selected after an extensive sensitivity analysis carried out on 9 different grids. The CFD model is validated by comparing numerical and physical results of heave decay test, heave response, and surface water discharge under the action of regular waves. The extensive comparison with experimental results shows consistently accurate predictions. The main findings of the study show that nonlinear effects remarkable reduce the dynamic behaviour of the OXYFLUX and generate an unexpected second harmonic for pitch response intensifying the overtopping discharge also for small waves caused by the summer's low intensity winds.     

pH值对单环刺螠呼吸排泄的影响

为研究pH值对单环刺螠(Urechis unicinctus)呼吸排泄的影响,采用静水密封法,研究了不同pH值(5、6、7、8、9)对体质量5.65±1.06g单环刺螠耗氧率、排氨率、能量代谢率、O/N值的影响.结果表明,pH值对单环刺螠耗氧率、排氨率、能量代谢率、O/N值均有显著影响(p0.05).单环刺螠耗氧率随pH值的升高而增大,pH值为8时达到最大值,之后随pH值的升高而减小.单环刺螠耗氧率与pH值之间的拟合方程为:OR=-2.977X2+55.188X-176.380,R2=0.937.单环刺螠排氨率的变化与耗氧率相似,在pH值为7时排氨率达到最大值;pH值为9时排氨率最小,与pH值为8的组差异不显著(p0.05).排氨率与pH值之间的拟合方程为:NR=-0.350X2+4.442X-6.822,R2=0.724.单环刺螠能量代谢率、O/N值均随pH值的升高呈先增大后减小的趋势,拟合方程分别为:M=-0.040X2+0.424X-0.044,R2=0.937;A=0.053X2+1.879X-7.470,R2=0.901.pH值为8的环境中,单环刺螠体内蛋白质代谢水平最低,有利于蛋白质的积累.研究表明,单环刺螠在一定pH值范围内可以通过调整生理代谢水平适应水体pH值,其适宜生活在弱碱性水中,生存最适pH值为8.     

考虑发电机尾流作用的潮流能理论可开发量的评估

In this study, we construct one 2–dimensional tidal simulation, using an unstructured Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model(FVCOM). In the 2–D model, we simulated the tidal turbines through adding additional bottom drag in the element where the tidal turbines reside. The additional bottom drag was calculated from the relationship of the bottom friction dissipation and the rated rotor efficiency of the tidal energy turbine. This study analyzed the effect of the tidal energy turbine to the hydrodynamic environment, and calculated the amount of the extractable tidal energy resource at the Guishan Hangmen Channel, considering the rotor wake effect.     

南大洋太平洋扇区中尺度涡旋的统计特性及其变化

中尺度涡旋在南大洋海洋动力学中具有重要地位,其对气候变化的响应表现也引起了海洋学家与气候学家的广泛关注。本文利用涡动动能与涡旋自动探测技术两种方法对南大洋太平洋扇区的涡旋特性及其变化进行了分析。与前人结果相一致的是,高值的涡动动能主要集中在南极极锋海区,并且自西向东逐渐减弱。在过去的20年里,涡动动能在太平洋扇区的显著增强也集中在中西部海域,这里也是南极绕极流斜压性较强的海域。涡旋统计特性揭示了涡动动能的空间分布及其年际变化主要归因于涡旋振幅与旋转速度,而并非涡旋个数或者涡旋半径。这些结果进一步确认了对应于南半球环状模正位相的绕极西风异常改变了南大洋的涡旋特性,从而表现出涡旋活跃性增强。