Three dimensional seismic studies of deep-water hazard-related features on the northern slope of South China Sea

Mass transport deposits and geological features related to fluid flow such as gas chimneys, mud diapirs and volcanos, pockmarks and gas hydrates are pervasive on the canyon dominated northern slope of the Pearl River Mouth basin of the South China Sea. These deposits and structures are linked to serious geohazards and are considered risk factors for seabed installations. Based on high resolution three dimensional seismic surveys, seismic characteristics, distributions and origins of these features are analyzed. A distribution map is presented and geometrical parameters and spatial distribution patterns are summarized. Results show that various groups of the mapped features are closely tied to local or regional tectonism and sedimentary processes. Mass transport complexes are classified as slides near the shelf break, initially deformed slumps on the flanks of canyons and highly deformed slumps on the lower slope downslope of the mouth of canyons. We propose them to be preconditioned by pore pressure changes related to sea level fluctuations, steep topography, and fluid and fault activities. Gas chimneys are mainly located in the vicinity of gas reservoirs, while bottom-simulating reflectors are observed within the gas chimney regions, suggesting gas chimneys serve as conduits for thermogenic gas. Mud diapirs/volcanos and pockmarks are observed in small numbers and the formation of pockmarks is related to underlying gas chimneys and faults. This study aims at reducing risks for deep-water engineering on the northern slope of South China Sea.     

当代中国城镇体系地域空间结构类型定量研究

当代中国城市的地域空间分布并不具有随机性分布特征,过去运用泊松方程规定的随机分布模型对城镇体系地域空间结构定量划分存在一定的局限性。借助牛顿引力学方程对随机分布模型进行改进,构建城市空间分布的引力模型,利用2002年数据,以省级行政区为基本空间单元,对中国城镇体系地域空间结构类型进行定量研究,得出6个块状组团式城市聚集区、10个条状组团式城市聚集区和8个以大城市为核心的城市群的结构特征,其中东部省区以多核心多组团式的城市块状聚集区为主,中部省区以单中心单组团式的条状聚集区为主,西部省区以大城市为核心的城市群为主。东、中、西三大地带城市发育水平差别较大,梯度现象较为明显。     

含沙浑水体的黏度测量及应用分析

含沙浑水体的高速冲击会对海底构筑物造成破坏,在计算浑水体对构筑物的作用力时,黏度是一项重要参数。本文利用落球试验和流变仪测试试验,测定了不同浓度含沙浑水体的黏度,给出其起始黏度与动力作用后的稳定黏度。结果表明:含沙量在大于400g/L时,浑水体为可用赫巴模型描述的非牛顿流体,并可简化为宾汉体;在含沙量小于400g/L时,浑水体仍可用宾汉体模型描述,在忽略较小的初始剪切应力时,可简化为牛顿流体。浓度大于400g/L的浑水体的起始黏度约为稳定黏度的100倍。文中讨论了含沙浑水体起始黏度与稳定黏度在工程计算应用中的适用情况。     

不同开口比人工鱼礁体水动力特性及礁体稳定性研究

为研究方型人工鱼礁体开口比的变化对其水动力特性的影响,利用Fluent软件模拟了边长为3m、开口比为0～0.6之间7种不同方型鱼礁体周围水流场,通过分析水流场变化规律得到了礁体流场效应、阻力系数随开口比的变化情况;基于Morison方程计算了礁体在波流作用下的受力及其抗滑移、抗倾覆安全系数。研究结果表明:当礁体开口比小于0.2时,背涡区范围较大,流场效应明显;随着开口比的增大,礁体产生的上升流范围及竖直向最大速度分量逐渐减小;对于方形开口礁体,阻力系数与开口比的关系式为Cd=0.875φ+1.088(R2=0.963,P<0.01);随着开口比的增大,礁体所受最大波流作用力、抗滑移及抗倾覆安全系数逐渐减小,但礁体不会发生滑移和倾覆,可为实际礁体结构的设计提供参考。     

钙质土中重力串锚水平承载力特性有限元研究

目前没有规范给出串锚的水平承载力计算公式,为了利用有限元法研究串锚水平承载力特性,采用相关理论计算以及室内试验的方法来验证有限元法模拟计算的可靠性。实践证明,有限元法具有较高的计算精度。利用有限元分析软件ABAQUS建立了串锚-土体模型,模拟串锚在水平荷载作用下破坏过程,研究了串锚在水平荷载作用下破坏机理,从而得到了串锚水平承载力特性。在相同的工况条件下,串锚的水平承载力与其锚链长度有关,在一定范围内,增加锚链的长度可以提高串锚的水平承载力;串锚的水平承载力不是相应的单个锚的水平承载力相加,其水平承载力小于相应的单个锚水平承载力之和,在进行串锚水平承载力设计计算时应给与相应的考虑。     

Regional hydrologic mapping of flows in stream networks

River low flow (LF) is an important hydrological characteristic used in management of the quantity and quality of water resources. A common way to transpose at-station low flow quantiles to ungaged locations involves development of regional multivariate regression models. In site selection studies of water control facilities, need arises to automate the mapping of LF characteristics onto the stream network in a continuous manner. This would allow estimation of LF at any desired ungaged location. A mapping algorithm is introduced that determines the value of regression model's independent variables (input components) over the drainage area of each stream pixel and calculates the flow (output). The mapping algorithm relies mainly on the digital elevation model (DEM) and its derivatives, such as flow direction and flow accumulation. Furthermore, the contribution of each independent variable of the regional model to the total flow may be plotted to represent the flow profiles along the streams. A case study involving LF mapping in rivers of Gilan province, Iran, where LF quantiles are required for issuing water withdrawal permits as well as maintaining water quality standards, is also described in the paper. Overall, the maps and profiles of flow statistics in the region of interest provide convenient visualization and assessment tools for water resource and environmental engineers. The transposition algorithm may also be applied in regional mapping of other flow characteristics such as flood or average flows.     

Numerical flow and performance analysis of a water-jet axial flow pump

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the performance and three-dimensional flow fields in a water-jet pump. TASCflow is employed to simulate the rotator-stator coupling flow field. A standard k-ε turbulence model combined with standard wall functions is used. In order to investigate the effect of a rear stator on flow fields, the flows in two water-jet pumps with and without a rear stator are studied. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-predicted overall performances are in good agreement with the experimental results. Then the flow fields, such as the pressure distribution on the blade surfaces, and the axial and tangential velocity distribution, especially the radial loading distribution, are investigated at different flow rates. In addition, the effects of a rear stator and different spacings between the rotor and the stator on the overall performance and the flow fields of the water-jet pump are also investigated.     

Numerical modelling of deep sea air-lift

Deep sea air-lifting of solid particles from depth of 1600 m is simulated with a mathematical model of the three-phase flow in an upward pipe. The computations are carried out for an axisymmetric domain in a transient way. Phase distributions, pressure and velocity profiles together with flow rates for all phases are presented and analysed. The influence of the pipe diameter on the air-lift efficiency was studied for air-lift pipes of different lengths and found to be significant. The lifting efficiency increases with the increase of the pipe diameter due to the reduction of the wall friction influence on the flow. In addition, the efficiency also increases with the increase of the solid particles volume fraction at the inlet. The presented numerical model can be utilized during various stages of the design of the air-lift pumps to help answer fundamental questions on the process, and during their operation to select optimal process parameters and to address possible problems.     

A predictive numerical model for potential mapping of the gas hydrate stability zone in the Gulf of Cadiz

This paper presents a computational model for mapping the regional 3D distribution in which seafloor gas hydrates would be stable, that is carried out in a Geographical Information System (GIS) environment. The construction of the model is comprised of three primary steps, namely: (1) the construction of surfaces for the various variables based on available 3D data (seafloor temperature, geothermal gradient and depth-pressure); (2) the calculation of the gas function equilibrium functions for the various hydrocarbon compositions reported from hydrate and sediment samples; and (3) the calculation of the thickness of the hydrate stability zone. The solution is based on a transcendental function, which is solved iteratively in a GIS environment.The model has been applied in the northernmost continental slope of the Gulf of Cadiz, an area where an abundant supply for hydrate formation, such as extensive hydrocarbon seeps, diapirs and fault structures, is combined with deep undercurrents and a complex seafloor morphology. In the Gulf of Cadiz, the model depicts the distribution of the base of the gas hydrate stability zone for both biogenic and thermogenic gas compositions, and explains the geometry and distribution of geological structures derived from gas venting in the Tasyo Field (Gulf of Cadiz) and the generation of BSR levels on the upper continental slope.     

Practical kinetic modeling of petroleum generation and expulsion

Models for petroleum generation used by the industry are often limited by (a) sub-optimal laboratory pyrolysis methods for studying hydrocarbon generation, (b) over-simple models of petroleum generation, (c) inappropriate mathematical methods to derive kinetic parameters by fitting laboratory data, (d) primitive models of primary migration/expulsion and its coupling with petroleum generation, and (e) insufficient use of subsurface data to constrain the models. Problems (a), (b) and (c) lead to forced compensation effects between the activation energies and frequency factors of reaction kinetics that are wholly artificial, and which yield poor extrapolations to geological conditions. Simple switch or adsorption models of expulsion are insufficient to describe the residence time of species in source rocks. Yet, the residence time controls the thermal stresses to which the species are subjected for cracking to lighter species.