Optimal experimental design for reservoir property estimates in geothermal exploration

During geothermal reservoir development, drilling deep boreholes turns out to be extremely expensive and risky. Thus, it is of great importance to work out the details of suitable borehole locations in advance. Here, given a set of existing boreholes, we demonstrate how a sophisticated numerical technique called optimal experimental design helps to find a location of an additional exploratory borehole that reduces risk and, ultimately, saves cost. More precisely, the approach minimizes the uncertainty when deducing the effective permeability of a buried reservoir layer from a temperature profile measured in this exploratory borehole. In this paper, we (1) outline the mathematical formulation in terms of an optimization problem, (2) describe the numerical implementation involving various software components, and (3) apply the method to a 3D numerical simulation model representing a real geothermal reservoir in northern Italy. Our results show that optimal experimental design is conceptually and computationally feasible for industrial-scale applications. For the particular reservoir and the estimation of permeability from temperature, the optimal location of the additional borehole coincides with regions of high flow rates and large deviations from the mean temperature of the reservoir layer in question. Finally, the presentation shows that, methodologically, the optimization method can be generalized from estimating permeability to finding any other reservoir properties.     

On the effects of pore water pressure buildup and dissipation on the seismic performance of a propped r.c. diaphragm wall in sand

Acta Geotechnica - The study concerns the analysis of a retaining structure composed by a couple of r.c. diaphragm walls propped at the crest in loose and medium-dense, variably saturated sand...     

Ocean in peril: Reforming the management of global ocean living resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction

This article presents the outcome of research aimed at assisting governments in meeting their commitments and legal obligations for sustainable fisheries, based on increasing evidence that global fisheries are in crisis. The article assesses the effectiveness of the existing legal and institutional framework for high seas living resources. It focuses on: (1) the role of regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs); (2) tools for compliance and enforcement to stem illegal fishing; and (3) mechanisms for habitat protection. The article further highlights a variety of options for addressing key weaknesses and gaps in current ocean governance, including United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions, reforms at the regional level, as well as a possible new legal instrument, with a view to informing international discussions on ways to ensure the sustainable use of high seas resources without compromising the health of the marine environment.     

Re-evaluating boron speciation in biogenic calcite and aragonite using B MAS NMR

Understanding the partitioning of aqueous boron species into marine carbonates is critical for constraining the boron isotope system for use as a marine pH proxy. Previous studies have assumed that boron was incorporated into carbonate through the preferential uptake of tetrahedral borate B(OH)₄⁻. In this study we revisit this assumption through a detailed solid state ¹¹B magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic study of boron speciation in biogenic and hydrothermal carbonates. Our new results contrast with those of the only previous NMR study of carbonates insofar as we observe both trigonal and tetrahedral coordinated boron in almost equal abundances in our biogenic calcite and aragonite samples. In addition, we observe no strict dependency of boron coordination on carbonate crystal structure. These NMR observations coupled with our earlier re-evaluation of the magnitude of boron isotope fractionation between aqueous species suggest that controls on boron isotope composition in marine carbonates, and hence the pH proxy, are more complex that previously suggested.