The Influence of Drying and Stress on the Permeability of Texas Lignite

1977 ◽  
Vol 99 (4) ◽  
pp. 634-640
Author(s):  
T. W. Thompson ◽  
S. Sen ◽  
K. E. Gray ◽  
T. F. Edgar

Tests have been carried out to quantify the variation in permeability of Texas lignite with drying and with applied stress. It has been shown that the matrix permeability of lignite may be increased from effectively zero to the order of 10 darcies by removing about 20 percent by weight of water. In addition, an increase of confining pressure after drying will reduce the permeability, but only by about one order of magnitude. Drying of the matrix thus may produce matrix permeabilities of the same order as the undried field fracture permeability. The permeability increase of the matrix is initially greater parallel to the bedding than perpendicular, but after further drying the two orientations show similar final permeabilities. This drying effect could have a significant influence on the operation of an in-situ gasification process by increasing the transmissivity and injectivity of the producing seam. Drying of the seam could occur by the flow of unsaturated gas and will be enhanced by combustion.

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 1101
Author(s):  
Arash Kamali-Asl ◽  
Mark D Zoback ◽  
Arjun H. Kohli

We studied the effects of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) on the matrix permeability of reservoir rocks from the Eagle Ford, Utica, and Wolfcamp formations. We measured permeability using argon before exposure of the samples to scCO2 over time periods ranging from days to weeks. We measured permeability (and the change of permeability with confining pressure) when both argon and scCO2 were the pore fluids. In all three formations, we generally observe a negative correlation between initial permeability and carbonate content—the higher the carbonate content, the lower the initial permeability. In clay- and organic-rich samples, swelling of the matrix resulting from adsorption decreased the permeability by about 50% when the pore fluid was scCO2 although this permeability change is largely reversible. In carbonate-rich samples, dissolution of carbonate minerals by carbonic acid irreversibly increased matrix permeability, in some cases by more than one order of magnitude. This dissolution also increases the pressure dependence of permeability apparently due to enhanced mechanical compaction. Despite these trends, we observed no general correlation between mineralogy and the magnitude of the change in permeability with argon before and after exposure to scCO2. Flow of scCO2 through μm-scale cracks appears to play an important role in determining matrix permeability and the pressure dependence of permeability. Extended permeability measurements show that while adsorption is nearly instantaneous and reversible, dissolution is time-dependent, probably owing to reaction kinetics. Our results indicate that the composition and microstructure of matrix flow pathways control both the initial permeability and how permeability changes after interaction with scCO2. Electron microscopy images with Back-Scattered Electron (BSE) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) revealed dissolution and etching of calcite minerals and precipitation of calcium sulfide resulting from exposure to scCO2.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Ramiro-Ramirez ◽  
Peter B. Flemings ◽  
Athma R. Bhandari ◽  
Oluwafemi Solomon Jimba

Abstract We measured steady-state liquid (dodecane) permeability in four horizontal core plugs from the middle member of the Bakken Formation at multiple effective stress conditions to investigate how permeability evolves with confining stress and to infer the matrix permeability. Three of the four tested samples behaved almost perfectly elastically as the hysteresis effect was negligible. In contrast, the fourth sample showed a permeability decrease of ~40% at the end of the test program. Our interpretation is that the closure of open artificial micro-fractures initially present in the sample (based on micro-CT imaging) caused that permeability hysteresis. The matrix permeability to dodecane (oil) of the tested samples is between ~50 nD and ~520 nD at the confining pressure of 9500 psi. The 520 nD sample exhibited the lowest porosity, the highest calcite content, and the largest dominant pore throat radii. In contrast, the 50 nD sample was more porous, and exhibited the highest dolomite content and the smallest dominant pore throat radii. This study shows that our multi-stress testing protocol allows the study of the permeability hysteresis effect to interpret the matrix permeability. We also document the presence of middle Bakken lithologies with permeabilities up to one order of magnitude greater than others. These permeable lithologies may have a significant contribution to well production rates.


SPE Journal ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (02) ◽  
pp. 358-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.. Fadaei ◽  
L.. Castanier ◽  
A.M.. M. Kamp ◽  
G.. Debenest ◽  
M.. Quintard ◽  
...  

Summary Approximately one-third of global heavy-oil resources can be found in fractured reservoirs. In spite of its strategic importance, recovery of heavy crudes from fractured reservoirs has found few applications because of the complexity of such reservoirs. In-situ combustion (ISC) is a candidate process for such reservoirs, especially for those where steam injection is not feasible. Experimental studies reported in the literature on this topic mentioned a cone-shaped combustion front, indicating that the process was governed by diffusion of oxygen into the matrix. The main oil-production mechanisms were found to be thermal expansion of oil and evaporation of light components (Schulte and de Vries 1985; Greaves et al. 1991). In order to confirm these results, we carried out reservoir-simulation studies presented in Fadaei et al. (2010). We have shown that the front has the shape of a cone, and we have performed a combustion/extinction analysis representing the results in a diagram of cumulative production vs. diffusion coefficient and matrix permeability. Before obtaining quantitative and qualitative comparisons, we need to characterize the systems we want to study. Therefore, we also carried out laboratory experiments using kinetic cells and combustion tubes. The kinetic-cell studies showed that the presence of carbonates has a significant effect on combustion kinetics. Our combustion-tube studies confirmed the previously observed coneshaped front. Previous studies reported in literature used heating elements along the combustion tube to regulate the temperature, which may have caused some undue heating of the core. To avoid that, we chose to use efficient insulation to minimize heat losses. Combustion advanced faster in nonconsolidated matrix, in which the permeability was higher than in consolidated matrix. The results showed that the presence of severe heterogeneities may prevent the combustion front from propagating. Several runs were performed for different air-injection rates and pressures and for different permeability contrasts between the matrix and the fracture. The next step of our work is the upscaling of ISC in the fractured reservoir at interwell scale on the basis of knowledge provided by simulation and experimental studies.


1989 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 1172-1181 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Y. Chang ◽  
R. W. Vook

Isothermal annealing studies of hillocks formed on Al–15 wt.% Cu films, vapor deposited at 25 °C on oxidized silicon wafers, were carried out in situ in a scanning electron microscope. The original hillocks formed as a result of substrate-induced thermal expansion strains which caused material to diffuse out of the film to form the hillocks when the films were heated to the isothermal annealing temperatures. During isothermal annealing the hillock density decreased and the average size of the hillocks increased. Measurements of these quantities as a function of time were made at a series of temperatures ranging from 200 to 300 °C. The activation energies for these two cases were found to be 0.29 and 0.28 eV, respectively. X-ray energy spectroscopy analysis of the films showed that the hillocks were richer in copper than the matrix. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the average hillock and grain sizes in the variously annealed films were linearly related and of the same order of magnitude. The results were also analyzed using Chakraverty's models for surface and interfacial diffusion. It was concluded that the evidence clearly shows that the observed processes could be well characterized by a typical Ostwald ripening model.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (20) ◽  
pp. 6474
Author(s):  
Zhihui Liu ◽  
Yongfei Yang ◽  
Yingwen Li ◽  
Jiaxue Li

The deformation analysis of fractures is vital for advantageous development of oil and gas fields, especially the coalbed methane (CBM) reservoir, since the change of fracture parameters can be directly evaluated through fracture deformation analysis. Then the flow capacity of CBM and the effect of various stimulation methods can be analyzed. In this study, X-ray CT image analysis is used to quantitatively characterize the deformation of a coal fracture in situ, and the evolution of fracture aperture under cyclic loading is presented. Furthermore, dimensionless permeability at different confining pressures by the Lattice Boltzmann method is simulated. The current results indicate that the fracture deformation changes significantly under cyclic loading. A dramatic change is observed in the initial loading stage, in which the coal is strongly compacted, and the fracture aperture and permeability are reduced to 13.9% and 0.1%, respectively, when the confining pressure is loaded to 10 MPa. When unloading to 0 MPa, the fracture aperture and dimensionless permeability are far less than that of the initial 0 MPa. It is worth noting that the deformation of the second cycle fracture is weaker, and the change range of permeability and aperture of coal fracture becomes smaller, but when unloading to 0 MPa in the second cycle, the fracture permeability can be restored to 50.8% compared with 0 MPa of the loading stage. Additionally, a special phenomenon has been observed that under cyclic loading, even when the confining pressure reaches 10 MPa, some areas of the fracture are still not closed. We infer that there are some large pore structures in fracture space, and high confining pressure leads to fracture closure, but the deformation of the pore structure is not prominent compared with the fracture space. These characteristics of fracture deformation are of great significance for the production of CBM and are worthy of further study.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 478-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun-Fei Zhang ◽  
Fei-Peng Du ◽  
Ling Chen ◽  
Ka-Wai Yeung ◽  
Yuqing Dong ◽  
...  

AbstractElectroactive hydrogels have received increasing attention due to the possibility of being used in biomimetics, such as for soft robotics and artificial muscles. However, the applications are hindered by the poor mechanical properties and slow response time. To address these issues, in this study, supramolecular ionic polymer–carbon nanotube (SIPC) composite hydrogels were fabricated via in situ free radical polymerization. The polymer matrix consisted of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), styrene sulfonic sodium (SSNa), β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)-grafted acrylamide, and ferrocene (Fc)-grafted acrylamide, with the incorporation of SSNa serving as the ionic source. On applying an external voltage, the ions accumulate on one side of the matrix, leading to localized swelling and bending of the structure. Therefore, a controllable and reversible actuation can be achieved by changing the applied voltage. The tensile strength of the SIPC was improved by over 300%, from 12 to 49 kPa, due to the reinforcement effect of the CNTs and the supramolecular host–guest interactions between the β-CD and Fc moieties. The inclusion of CNTs not only improved the tensile properties but also enhanced the ion mobility, which lead to a faster electromechanical response. The presented electro-responsive composite hydrogel shows a high potential for the development of robotic devices and soft smart components for sensing and actuating applications.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steinar Halldorsson ◽  
Kasim Sader ◽  
Jack Turner ◽  
Lesley J. Calder ◽  
Peter B. Rosenthal

AbstractThe lipid-enveloped influenza C virus contains a single surface glycoprotein, the haemagglutinin-esterase-fusion (HEF) protein, that mediates receptor binding, receptor destruction, and membrane fusion at the low pH of the endosome. Here we apply electron cryotomography and subtomogram averaging to describe the structural basis for hexagonal lattice formation by HEF on the viral surface. The conformation of the glycoprotein in situ is distinct from the structure of the isolated trimeric ectodomain, showing that a splaying of the membrane distal domains is required to mediate contacts that form the lattice. The splaying of these domains is also coupled to changes in the structure of the stem region which is involved in membrane fusion, thereby linking HEF’s membrane fusion conformation with its assembly on the virus surface. The glycoprotein lattice can form independent of other virion components but we show a major role for the matrix layer in particle formation.


1998 ◽  
Vol 142 (3) ◽  
pp. 613-623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koji Okamoto ◽  
Philip S. Perlman ◽  
Ronald A. Butow

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) was used to tag proteins of the mitochondrial matrix, inner, and outer membranes to examine their sorting patterns relative to mtDNA in zygotes of synchronously mated yeast cells in ρ+ × ρ0 crosses. When transiently expressed in one of the haploid parents, each of the marker proteins distributes throughout the fused mitochondrial reticulum of the zygote before equilibration of mtDNA, although the membrane markers equilibrate slower than the matrix marker. A GFP-tagged form of Abf2p, a mtDNA binding protein required for faithful transmission of ρ+ mtDNA in vegetatively growing cells, colocalizes with mtDNA in situ. In zygotes of a ρ+ × ρ+ cross, in which there is little mixing of parental mtDNAs, Abf2p–GFP prelabeled in one parent rapidly equilibrates to most or all of the mtDNA, showing that the mtDNA compartment is accessible to exchange of proteins. In ρ+ × ρ0 crosses, mtDNA is preferentially transmitted to the medial diploid bud, whereas mitochondrial GFP marker proteins distribute throughout the zygote and the bud. In zygotes lacking Abf2p, mtDNA sorting is delayed and preferential sorting is reduced. These findings argue for the existence of a segregation apparatus that directs mtDNA to the emerging bud.


Transient creep following stress reductions has been analysed by the method described by McLean (1980) to determine the friction stress σ 0 as a function of temperature and directional solidification conditions for the γ-γ'-Cr 3 Cr 2 in-situ composite and for the γ-γ' matrix alloy. These values of σ 0 are identical to the flow stresses at creep strain rates and can be identified with the sums of the barriers to dislocation motion through the matrix by climb around γ'-particles and Orowan bowing between the carbide fibres. The friction stress and the kinetics of deformation of the composite are determined by the matrix behaviour, whereas its creep strength depends on the distribution of stress between fibre and matrix. When the steady-state creep behaviour of γ-γ'-Cr 3 C 2 is analysed by using the usual power law description in terms of the effective stress σ — σ 0 , rather than the applied stress σ, the stress exponent is ca 4 and the activation energy is similar to the activation energy of self-diffusion for nickel. The results provide strong evidence for the operation of recovery-creep in both the composite and matrix alloys.


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