An Integrated Approach of Numerical Well Test for Well Intersecting Fractures Based on FMI Image

Fluid flow is strongly affected by fractures in unconventional reservoirs. It is essential to deeply understand the flow characteristics with fractures for improving the production and efficiency of unconventional reservoir exploitation. The purpose of this work is to develop an accurate numerical model to evaluate the transient-pressure response for well intersecting fractures. The meshes generated from Fullbore Formation Micro-Imager (FMI) images ensure an efficient numerical description of the geometries for fractures and interlayers. The numerical simulation is implemented by an inhouse finite element method-based code and benchmarked with drill stem test (DST) data. The results show that three flow regimes appear in the reservoir with fractures within the test period: wellbore afterflow, pseudolinear flow, and radial flow. In contrast, only the wellbore afterflow and radial flow appear for the wells without fractures. The results also reveal that fractures dominate the flow near the wellbore. Verification and application of the model show the practicability of the integrated approach for investigating the transient-pressure behaviors in the unconventional reservoir.

Trabecular Meshwork Motion Profile from Pulsatile Pressure Transients: A New Platform to Simulate Transitory Responses in Humans and Nonhuman Primates

Trabecular meshwork (TM) motion abnormality is the leading cause of glaucoma. With technique limitations, how TM moves is still an enigma. This study describes a new laboratory platform to investigate TM motion responses to ocular transients in ex vivo eyes. The anterior segments of human cadaver and primate eyes were mounted in a perfusion system fitting. Perfusion needles were placed to establish mean baseline pressure. A perfusion pump was connected to the posterior chamber and generated an immediate transient pressure elevation. A phase-sensitive optical coherent tomography system imaged and quantified the TM motion. The peak-to-peak TM displacements (ppTMD) were determined, a tissue relaxation curve derived, and a time constant obtained. This study showed that the ppTMD increased with a rise in the pulse amplitude. The ppTMD was highest for the lowest mean pressure of 16 mmHg and decreased with mean pressure increase. The pulse frequency did not significantly change ppTMD. With a fixed pulse amplitude, an increase in mean pressure significantly reduced the time constant of recoil from maximum distension. Our research platform permitted quantitation of TM motion responses to designed pulse transients. Our findings may improve the interpretation of new TM motion measurements in clinic, aiding in understanding mechanisms and management.

Numerical Study of the Unsteady Aerodynamic Performance of Two Maglev Trains Passing Each Other in Open Air Using Different Turbulence Models

The strong change in the flow fields around two maglev trains (MTs) passing each other in open air may affect their manoeuvrability and passengers’ comfort. In this study, we evaluated the aerodynamic performance of two MTs passing each other via shear stress transport (SST) k–ω model and improved delayed detached eddy simulations based on the Spalart–Allmaras model (SA−IDDES) and the SST k–ω model (SST−IDDES). The accuracy of the numerical simulation method was verified using experimental data acquired from a moving model test. The results showed that the difference in the amplitude of the transient pressure obtained with the different turbulence models was less than 5%. The wake vortex structures on the intersection side were found to interact, and their intensity consequently decreased. The SST−IDDES model produced smaller-scale vortices than the SA−IDDES model, particularly in the near-wake region. There were large differences in the drag and lift forces obtained using the different turbulence models. Among them, the lift force of the tail car was more sensitive to the turbulence model, and its maximum value obtained with the SST−IDDES model was 11% larger than that obtained with the SA−IDDES model.

The Adaptive Damping Technique: Improving the Simulation Accuracy of Hydraulic Transients

Hydraulic surges are transient events frequently observed in various industrial and laboratory flow situations. Understanding surge physics and its accurate numerical prediction is crucial to the safety of flow systems. The maximum accuracy achievable for transient surge simulations is limited by the inefficiencies in the mathematical models used. In this work, we propose a mathematical model that incorporates an adaptive damping technique for the accurate prediction of hydraulic surges. This model also takes the compressibility effects in the liquid during the surge process into account. The novel approach of using the local pressure fluctuation data from the flow to adjust the unsteady friction for controlling the dissipation is introduced in this paper. The adaptive-dissipation is actualized through a unique 'variable pressure wave damping coefficient' function definition. Numerical simulation of three different valve-induced surge experiments demonstrates the reliability and robustness of the mathematical model. Numerical results from the proposed model show an excellent match with the experimental data by closely reproducing both the frequency and the amplitude of transient pressure oscillations. A comparative study explains the improvement in the simulation accuracy achieved by replacing the constant damping coefficient with the proposed variable coefficient. The superiority of the new model with the adaptive damping capability over the similar models in literature and those used in commercial software packages is also well established through this study.

Transient Pressure Behavior of Complex Fracture Networks in Unconventional Reservoirs

Unconventional resources have been successfully exploited with technological advancements in horizontal-drilling and multistage hydraulic-fracturing, especially in North America. Due to preexisting natural fractures and the presence of stress isotropy, several complex fracture networks can be generated during fracturing operations in unconventional reservoirs. Using the DVS method, a semianalytical model was created to analyze the transient pressure behavior of a complex fracture network in which hydraulic and natural fractures interconnect with inclined angles. In this model, the complex fracture network can be divided into a proper number of segments. With this approach, we are able to focus on a detailed description of the network properties, such as the complex geometry and varying conductivity of the fracture. The accuracy of the new model was demonstrated by ECLIPSE. Using this method, we defined six flow patterns: linear flow, fracture interference flow, transitional flow, biradial flow, pseudoradial flow, and boundary response flow. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to analyze each of these flow regimes. This work provides a useful tool for reservoir engineers for fracture designing as well as estimating the performance of a complex fracture network.

Systematic Application of Pressure and Temperature Transient Analysis in an Oil Field: A Case Study

Pressure Transient Analysis (PTA) methodology has long enabled well testing to become a standard routine. Modern, well and reservoir monitoring and management practices are now unthinkable without the well test-derived estimates of KH products, skin factors, radii of reservoir boundaries, etc. Temperature data, measured together with the pressure, is widely available. Multiple methods for Temperature Transient Analysis (TTA) have also been developed, but have not yet gained due recognition. Few examples of a systematic application of PTA and TTA (or, in general, Pressure and Temperature Transient Analysis PTTA) on a field scale have been published. Given that the TTA radius of investigation is much smaller than that for PTA, the TTA tends to explore the near-wellbore properties including the near-wellbore permeability profile, depth of damage, multi-layer parameters, fluid properties, etc. This complements the far-field estimates made by PTA, resulting in the PTTA providing a more holistic and complete picture of the state of the reservoir and fluids around the wellbore. This work demonstrates a case study of a systematic application of PTTA methods to wells in a green, oil field. The wells are equipped with a state-of-the-art, downhole, permanent monitoring equipment. A user-friendly, bespoke toolbox has been developed to carry out PTTA analysis in this field. Dozens of transient events that occurred in the first few years of the field production life have been analyzed using PTTA. There are multiple examples of this PTTA analysis demonstrating improved characterization of the reservoir, near-wellbore, fluid, and multi-layer properties. This work will be insightful to those looking to find out what additional, useful information (like reservoir and fluid properties) can be extracted from the traditional well-test, transient pressure and temperature measurements at no extra cost.

Very Low and High Blood Viscosity are Risk Factors for Internal Flow Choking Causing Asymptomatic Cardiovascular Disease

Herein, we established the proof of the concept of internal flow choking in CVS causing cardiovascular risk through the closed-form analytical, in vitro and in silico methods. An over dose of blood-thinning drug will enhance the Reynolds number, which creates high turbulence level causing an augmented boundary layer blockage factor leading to an early undesirable biofluid/Sanal flow choking at a critical blood-pressure-ratio (BPR). The fact is that in nanoscale vessels when the pressure of fluid increases, average-mean-free-path decreases and thus, the Knudsen number reduces. It leads to the physical situation of no-slip boundary condition with compressible-viscous flow effect. Sanal-flow-choking is a compressible-viscous flow effect establishing a physical condition of the sonic-fluid-throat, at a critical blood pressure ratio (BPR). We concluded that asymptomatic-hemorrhage (AH) and acute-heart-failure (AHF) are transient-events as a result of internal flow-choking in nanoscale and/or large vessels followed by the shock wave creation and transient pressure-overshoot. We concluded that cardiovascular risk could be reduced by simultaneously lessening the blood-viscosity and flow turbulence by increasing thermal-tolerance-level in terms of BHCR and/or by decreasing the blood pressure (BP) ratio.