Rhamnolipids as Effective Green Agents in the Destabilisation of Dolomite Suspension

In this paper, we describe an application of mono- and dirhamnolipid homologue mixtures of a biosurfactant as a green agent for destabilisation of a dolomite suspension. Properties of the biosurfactant solution were characterised using surface tension and aggregate measurements to prove aggregation of rhamnolipids at concentrations much lower than the critical micelle concentration. Based on this information, the adsorption process of biosurfactant molecules on the surface of the carbonate mineral dolomite was investigated, and the adsorption mechanism was proposed. The stability of the dolomite suspension after rhamnolipid adsorption was investigated by turbidimetry. The critical concentration of rhamnolipid at which destabilisation of the suspension occurred most effectively was found to be 50 mg·dm−3. By analysing backscattering profiles, solid-phase migration velocities were calculated. With different amounts of biomolecules, this parameter can be modified from 6.66 to 20.29 mm·h−1. Our study indicates that the dolomite suspension is destabilised by hydrophobic coagulation, which was proved by examining the wetting angle of the mineral surface using the captive bubble technique. The relatively low amount of biosurfactant used to destabilise the system indicates the potential application of this technology for water treatment or modification of the hydrophobicity of mineral surfaces in mineral engineering.

Gas Migration in Wellbores During Pressurized Mud Cap Drilling PMCD

In PMCD operations, reservoir gas is expected to migrate uphole, and the uncertainty in gas migration rates under downhole conditions leads to challenges in planning logistics and fluid requirements. Estimates of migration velocities based on current methods (e.g. Taylor-bubble correlation) are highly conservative and involves simplifying assumptions. This paper presents a systematic approach to understanding the fundamentals of gas migration in wellbores, relates it to field data, and provides recommendations to improve PMCD design and planning. Our approach includes analysis of PMCD field data, multiphase flow literature and computational flow simulations. The field data on gas migration is used to establish the field-scale parametric effects and observed trends. Multiphase flow literature is used to qualitatively understand some of these parametric effects at downhole conditions. A comparison between multiphase flow literature and field data overwhelmingly demonstrates the gaps in understanding of underlying physics. 3-dimensional multiphase CFD simulations for a representative well geometry and downhole conditions are used to understand gas migration physics at downhole conditions and the reasons for its sensitivity to different conditions. CFD simulations showed a strong impact of pressure on bubble breakup. As a result, the gas migrates as a slow-moving swarm of smaller bubbles. The formation of smaller bubbles from a given gas volume is a rate dependent process and requires a finite time to reach to an equilibrium/steady-state. The field conditions provide both high downhole pressure and sufficient length-scale for formation of smaller slow-moving bubbles. For the same reason, small scale-experiments are limited in their application for field-scale designs due to use of low pressure and/or insufficient length-scales. The CFD results also compare well with field data in showing ~30% holdup of migrating gas at low migration rates and negligible effect of rotation and wellbore geometry i.e. annulus vs openhole. The extent and rate of disintegration of gas volume (bubble) has a negative correlation with well inclination, liquid viscosity, and surface tension. The rheology and liquid viscosity also affect the ability of liquid to sweep the gas back into the reservoir and therefore it is expected to have an optimum range for a given PMCD application. Use of high viscosity fluids for typical downhole well conditions is counterproductive and results in higher gas migration rates and therefore not recommended. The understanding of downhole physics is expected to improve logistics/storage/ planning/fluid choice and lead to lower gas migration rates and reliable operation. The same approach can be applied to other operations and scenarios where gas migration velocities are a key design factor.

Use of a Transient Model for Studying Kick Migration Velocities and Build-Up Pressures in a Closed Well

The objective of the paper is to show that using pressure build-up curves for estimating kick migration velocities can be unreliable. This will be demonstrated by using a transient flow model where different flow patterns including suspended gas are considered. Suspended gas will occur in Non-Newtonian drilling fluids. This can also be the reason why there is reported large discrepancies in literature about what the gas kick migration velocities can be. A transient flow model based on the drift flux model supplemented with a gas slip relation will be used. The model will be solved by an explicit numerical scheme where numerical diffusion has been reduced. Different flow patterns are included i.e. suspended gas, bubble flow, slug flow and transition to one-phase gas. Kick migration in a closed well will be studied to study how pressure build-ups evolve. A sensitivity analysis will be performed varying kick sizes, suspension limits and changing the transition intervals between the flow patterns. It is seen in literature that the slope of the pressure build-up for a migrating kick in a closed well has been used for estimating what the kick velocity is. It has been reported earlier that this can be an unreliable approach. In the simulation study, it is clearly demonstrated that the suspension effect will have a significant impact of reducing the slopes of the pressure build-ups from the start of the kick onset. In some severe cases, the pressure builds up but then it reaches a stable pressure quite early. In these cases, the kick has stopped migrating in the well. However, in the cases where the kicks are still migrating, it seems that the bulk of the kick moves at the same velocity even though the degree of suspension is varied and gives different slopes for the pressure build-up. Hence, it seems impossible to deduce a unique gas velocity from different pressure build-up slopes. However, abrupt changes in the slope of the pressure build-up indicate flow pattern transitions.

Imaging zero-offset 3-D P-cable data with CRS method

SUMMARY Standard seismic acquisition and processing require appropriate source–receiver offsets. P-cable technology represents the opposite, namely, very short source–receiver offsets at the price of increased spatial and lateral resolution with a high-frequency source. To use this advantage, a processing flow excluding offset information is required. This aim can be achieved with a processing tuned to diffractions because point diffractions scatter the same information in the offset and midpoint direction. Usually, diffractions are small amplitude events and a careful diffraction separation is required as a first step. We suggest the strategy to use a multiparameter stacking operator, for example, common-reflection surface, and stack along the midpoint direction. The obtained kinematic wave-front attributes are used to calculate time-migration velocities. A diffractivity map serves as a filter to refine the velocities. This strategy is applied to a 3-D P-cable data set to obtain a time-migrated image.

Long-range, selective, on-demand suspension interactions: Combining and triggering soluto-inertial beacons

Structures and particles that slowly release solute into solution can attract or repel other particles in suspension via diffusiophoresis, a process we termed “soluto-inertial (SI) interactions.” These SI interactions involve “beacons” that establish and sustain nonequilibrium solute fluxes over long durations. Here, we demonstrate the versatility of the SI concept and introduce distinct strategies to manipulate solute gradients and, hence, suspension behavior using beacons with different physicochemical properties. First, we demonstrate on-demand particle migration using beacons that can be actuated with a trigger. We then show the synergy between multiple, distinct beacons that modify solute fluxes in a way that allows directed, yet selective, colloidal migration to specific target sites. Moreover, this multibeacon harmony enhances migration velocities, and delays the equilibration of the SI effect. The different SI techniques highlighted here suggest previously unidentified possibilities for sorting and separating colloidal mixtures, targeting particle delivery, and enhancing rates of suspension flocculation.

An Analytical Modeling Approach for Performance Evaluation of Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP)

A coal-fired flue gas contains high concentrations of fine particles which can pose a threat to the environment. In this study, an electrostatic precipitator is used to remove the fine particles of the flue gas from a 100MW coal fired power plant by using a model. A model has been presented to estimate the performance of the wet electrostatic precipitator (WEP) in terms of the number of plates, flow rates and velocity. The equations have been specified for the charging and charge on the single particle of some definite diameter. The effect of the measuring points for the calculation of the effective migration velocities and hence overall performance along with the re-entrainment and gas sneakage have been incorporated. Ranges for the above-mentioned parameters are well defined and it has been observed that after a certain range values across number of plates, velocities and flow rates there is no significant improvement in the performance of the WEP has been calculated.

Diffraction imaging and time-migration velocity analysis using oriented velocity continuation

We perform seismic diffraction imaging and time-migration velocity analysis by separating diffractions from specular reflections and decomposing them into slope components. We image the slope components using migration velocity extrapolation in time-space-slope coordinates. The extrapolation is described by a convection-type partial differential equation and implemented in a highly parallel manner in the Fourier domain. Synthetic and field data experiments show that the proposed algorithms are able to detect accurate time-migration velocities by measuring the flatness of diffraction events in slope gathers for single- and multiple-offset data.

Effect of surfactant on motion and deformation of compound droplets in arbitrary unbounded Stokes flows

This study deals with the motion and deformation of a compound drop system, subject to arbitrary but Stokesian far-field flow conditions, in the presence of bulk-insoluble surfactants. We derive solutions for fluid velocities and the resulting surfactant concentrations, assuming the capillary number and surface Péclet number to be small, as compared with unity. We first focus on a concentric drop configuration and apply Lamb’s general solution, assuming the far-field flow to be arbitrary in nature. As representative case studies, we consider two cases: (i) flow dynamics in linear flows and (ii) flow dynamics in a Poiseuille flow, although for the latter case, the concentric configuration does not remain valid in general. We further look into the effective viscosity of a dilute suspension of compound drops, subject to linear ambient flow, and compare our predictions with previously reported experiments. Subsequently, the eccentric drop configuration is addressed by using a bipolar coordinate system where the far-field flow is assumed to be axisymmetric but otherwise arbitrary in nature. As a specific example for eccentric drop dynamics, we focus on Poiseuille flow and study the drop migration velocities. Our analysis shows that the presence of surfactant generally opposes the imposed flows, thereby acting like an effective augmented viscosity. Our analysis reveals that maximizing the effects of surfactant makes the drops behave like solid particles suspended in a medium. However, in uniaxial extensional flow, the presence of surfactants on the inner drop, in conjunction with the drop radius ratio, leads to a host of interesting and non-monotonic behaviours for the interface deformation. For eccentric drops, the effect of eccentricity only becomes noticeable after it surpasses a certain critical value, and becomes most prominent when the two interfaces approach each other. We further depict that surfactant and eccentricity generally tend to suppress each other’s effects on the droplet migration velocities.