A Novel Trilinear Flow Model for Capturing Dynamic Behavior of Water Flooding in Core Plug with Different Fracture Inclinations in Carbonate Reservoirs

The purpose of this study is to introduce a new three-linear flow model for capturing the dynamic behavior of water flooding with different fracture occurrences in carbonate reservoirs. Low-angle and high-angle fractures with different occurrences are usually developed in carbonate reservoirs. It is difficult to simulate the water injection development process and the law of water flooding is unclear, due to the large variation of the fracture dip. Based on the characteristics of water flooding displacement streamlines in fractured cores with different occurrences, the matrix is discretized into a number of one-dimensional linear subregions, and the channeling effect between each subregion is considered in this paper. The fractures are divided into the same number of fracture cells along with the matrix subregion, and the conduction effect between the fracture cells is considered. The fractured core injection-production system is divided into three areas of linear flow: The injected fluid flows horizontally and linearly from the matrix area at the inlet end of the core to the fracture and then linearly diverts from the fracture area. Finally, the matrix area at the outlet end of the core also presents a horizontal linear flow pattern. Thus, a trilinear flow model for water flooding oil in fractured cores with different occurrences is established. The modified BL equation is used to construct the matrix water-flooding analytical solution, and the fracture system establishes a finite-volume numerical solution, forming a high-efficiency semianalytical solution method for water-flooding BL-CVF. Compared with traditional numerical simulation methods, the accuracy is over 86%, the model is easy to construct, and the calculation efficiency is high. In addition, it can flexibly portray cracks at any dip angle, calculate various indicators of water flooding, and simulate the pressure field and saturation field, with great application effect. The research results show that the greater the fracture dip angle, the higher the oil displacement efficiency. When the fracture dip angle is above 45°, the fracture occurrence has almost no effect on the oil displacement efficiency. The water breakthrough time of through fractures is earlier than that of nonthrough fractures, and the oil displacement efficiency and injection pressure are more significantly affected by the fracture permeability. With the increase of fracture permeability, the oil displacement efficiency and the injection pressure of perforated fractured cores dropped drastically. The findings of this study can help for better understanding of the water drive law and optimizing its parameters in cores with different fracture occurrences. The three-linear flow model has strong adaptability and can accurately solve low-permeability reservoirs and high-angle fractures, but there are some errors for high-permeability reservoirs with long fractures.

Wave-equation diffraction imaging using pseudo dip-angle gather

Diffraction images can directly indicate local heterogeneities such as faults, fracture zones, and erosional surfaces that are of high interest in seismic interpretation and unconventional reservoir development. We propose a new tool called pseudo dip-angle gather (PDAG) for imaging diffractors using the wave equation. PDAG has significantly lower computational cost compared with the classical dip-angle gather (DAG) due to using plane-wave gathers, a fast local Radon transform algorithm, and one-side decomposition assumption. Pseudo dip angle is measured from the vertical axis to the bisector of the plane-wave surface incident angle and scattered wave-propagation angle. PDAG is generated by choosing the zero lag of the correlation of the plane-wave source wavefields and the decomposed receiver wavefields. It reveals similar diffraction and reflection patterns to DAG, i.e. diffractions spreading as a flat event and reflections focused at a spectacular angle, while they may have dissimilar coverage for diffraction and different focused locations for reflection compared with that of DAG. A windowed median filter is then applied to each PDAG for extracting the diffraction energy and suppressing the focused reflection energy. Besides, the stacked PDAG can be used to evaluate the migration accuracy by measuring the flatness of the image gathers. Numerical tests on both synthetic and field data sets demonstrate that our method can efficiently produce accurate results for diffraction images.

Analysis of The Phase Velocities of (Pure, Slow And Fast ) Alfvèn Waves In The E Region of The Ionosphere For Low Latitudes

In this paper, (pure, slow, and fast) Alfvèn waves for the accepted conditions in Northern-hemisphere at E-region of ionospheric plasma were calculated with low latitudes by using Eq. (20,25-26) and the real geometry of Earth’s magnetic field, at hours 12.00 LT for the 1990 year which sunspot is maximum. One of the most important results of this study is to show analytically that the “MHD modes= (pure, slow and fast) Alfvèn waves” depend not only on the angle between the wave propagation vector (k) and the magnetic field (B) but also on the declination (D=It is the angle value between the direction of the sun's rays and the equatorial plane) and magnetic dip angle (I=It is the angle between real north and magnetic north). From the results obtained, the behavior of the magnitudes of the squares of the phase velocities of all MHD modes is consistent with the behavior of the distribution of electron density with low geographic latitude, even if the magnetic field vector is both perpendicular and parallel to the propagation vector of the wave. In parallel, the phase velocities of the waves are greater in summer than in winter. It has been determined that the propagation velocities of the fast and slow MHD mode in the magnetic equatorial trough region at (q = I) are very small, the energy is almost non-existent, but if q = 90 + I, the energy increases with latitude and is approximately maximum at the low latitude limit. It can be said that the minimum points are between 0-10 oN latitudes where the wave energies are the smallest, and the maximum points are between 20-30 oN latitudes the wave energies are the biggest.

Roof Subsidence and Movement Law of Composite Strata Mining: Insights from Physical and Numerical Modeling

Sinking and horizontal movements are necessary parameters for assessing the potential impacts of surface subsidence in mining activities. Based on similarity criteria, the surface subsidence mechanism was studied using a physical model composed of similar materials such as sand, cement, and gypsum. With constant field geological parameters maintained in two angles of a coal seam, models of roof subsidence of composite rock were compared for different mining configurations. In accordance with observations from the physical model, it was concluded that subsidence and horizontal movement of strata near to and far from the coal seams were different and divided into five zones. The zone above a mined-out area underwent greater total subsidence compared to unexploited regions on both sides. Correlations between a subsidence curve and the height of a caving zone and the mining dip angle were obtained and verified from numerical model results. According to the roof’s position relative to the goaf, the area above the goaf of the composite rock layer was divided into three regions: a curving zone, a water-conducting fracture zone, and a falling zone, to which the subsidence and movement characteristics of each area could be proposed. Compared with the subsidence and movement characteristics observed from the physical and numerical model, the acquisition of subsidence characteristics and parameters in different areas can provide an idea for improvement, innovation or proposal of a theoretical formula for subsidence prediction of composite rock formations.

Numerical Modeling on Dynamic Characteristics of Jointed Rock Masses Subjected to Repetitive Impact Loading

A discrete element method code was used to investigate the damage characteristics of jointed rock masses under repetitive impact loading. The Flat-Joint Contact Model (FJCM) in the two-dimensional particle flow code (PFC2D) was used to calibrate the microparameters that control the macroscopic behavior of the rock. The relationship between macro- and microparameters by a series of uniaxial direct tension and compression numerical tests based on an orthogonal experimental design method was obtained to calibrate the microparameters accurately. Then, the Synthetic Rock Mass (SRM) method that incorporates joints into the calibrated particle model was used to construct large-scale jointed rock mass specimens, and the repetitive drop hammer impact numerical tests on SRM specimens with different numbers of horizontal joints and dip angle joints were carried out to study the damage evolution, stress wave propagation, and energy dissipation characteristics. The results show that the greater the number of joints, the greater the number of cracks generated, the greater the degree of damage, and the more energy dissipated for rock masses with horizontal joints. The greater the dip angle of joints, the less the number of cracks generated, the less the degree of damage, and the less energy dissipated for rock masses with different dip angles of joints. The impact-induced stress waves will be reflected when they encounter preexisting joints in the process of propagation. When the reflected stress waves meet with subsequent stress waves, the stress waves will change from compressional waves to tensile waves, producing tensile damage inside rock masses.

Experimental Study on the Anisotropy of Layered Rock Mass under Triaxial Conditions

Weak and hard inhomogeneous rock formations are typically encountered during tunnel excavations. The physical and mechanical properties and geological conditions of these rock formations vary significantly; thus, it is crucial to investigate the mechanical characteristics of deep bedded composite rock formations. Three-dimensional (3D) scanning and 3D printing were used to prepare composite rock specimens to simulate natural rock laminae. Triaxial compression tests were conducted to determine the influence of the bedding angle, rock composition, and confining pressure on the mechanical properties of the composite rock specimens. The anisotropic strength characteristics and the damage patterns of the composite rock specimens were analyzed under different confining pressures, and the failure mechanism during triaxial loading was revealed. The results show that the damage of the composite rock specimens with a bedding structure depends on the bedding dip angle and the rock formation. The stress-strain curves and peak strengths of the composite rock specimens have anisotropic characteristics corresponding to their failure modes. As the bedding dip angle increases, the peak strength of the three groups of specimens first decreases and then increases under different confining pressure levels. The compressive strength has a nonlinear relationship with the confining pressure, and the difference between the compressive strengths of specimens with different inclination angles decreases as the confining pressure increases. The Hoek–Brown strength criterion is a good predictor of the nonlinear increase in peak strength of the composite rock specimens under different confining pressures. The specimen with a β = 60°dip angle shows the most significant increase in the strength difference with increasing confining pressure. The results can be used as a reference for testing and analyzing the anisotropic mechanical properties of bedded rock masses.

Particle Flow Analysis of Mechanical Properties and Failure Behaviour in Composite Rock Strata with Holes

Understanding the deformation failure behavior of the composite rock strata has important implications for deep underground engineering construction. Based on the uniaxial compression laboratory test of the specimens of composite rock strata containing holes, the microscopic parameters in the particle discrete element simulation are firstly calibrated. Then, the mechanical properties and failure characteristics of the composite rock strata with holes under different confining pressures are studied. The results show that different dip angles and confining pressures have significant effects on the peak strength and elastic modulus of the specimens. Under the same confining pressure, the peak strength and elastic modulus decrease first and then increase with the increasing dip angle. As the dip angle is constant, both the peak strength and elastic modulus gradually increase with the increase in confining pressure. It shows that the first area to be damaged in composite rock strata transfers from soft rock to hard rock with the increase in dip angle. With the increase in confining pressure, the range of tensile stress concentration area decreases substantially, while the range of compressive stress concentration area changes less.

Controls of the lithospheric thermal field of an ocean-continent subduction zone: the southern Central Andes

In an ocean-continent subduction zone, the assessment of the lithospheric thermal state is essential to determine the controls of the deformation within the upper plate and the dip angle of the subducting lithosphere. In this study, we evaluate the degree of influence of both the configuration of the upper plate and variations of the subduction angle on the lithospheric thermal field of the southern Central Andes (29°–39°S). Here, the subduction angle increases from subhorizontal (5°) north of 33°S, to steep (~30°) in the south. We derived the 3D temperature and heat flow distribution of the lithosphere in the southern Central Andes considering conversion of S wave tomography to temperatures together with steady-state conductive modeling. We found that the orogen is overall warmer than the forearc and the foreland, and that the lithosphere of the northern part of the foreland appears colder than its southern counterpart. Sedimentary blanketing and the thickness of the radiogenic crust exert the main control on the shallow thermal field (< 50 km depth). Specific conditions are present where the oceanic slab is relatively shallow (< 85 km depth) and the radiogenic crust is thin, This configuration results in relatively colder temperatures compared to regions where the radiogenic crust is thick and the slab is steep. At depths >50 km, the temperatures of the overriding plate are mainly controlled by the mantle heat input and the subduction angle. The thermal field of the upper plate likely preserves the flat subduction angle and influences the spatial distribution of shortening.

Distribution of Cracks in an Anchored Cavern Under Blast Load Based on Cohesive Elements

To explore the distribution of cracks in anchored caverns under the blast load, cohesive elements with zero thickness were employed to simulate crack propagation through numerical analysis based on a similar model test. Furthermore, the crack propagation process in anchored caverns under top explosion was analysed and the distribution and mode of propagation of cracks in anchored caverns when a fracture with different dip angles was present in the vault were discussed. With the propagation of the explosive stress waves, cracks successively occur at the boundary of the anchored zone of the vault, arch foot, and floor of the anchored caverns. Tensile cracks are preliminarily found in rocks surrounding the caverns. In the case that a pre-fabricated fracture is present in the upper part of the vault, the number of cracks at the boundary of the anchored zone of the vault decreases, then increases with increasing dip angle of the pre-fabricated fracture. The fewest cracks at the boundary of the anchored zone occur if the dip angle of the pre-fabricated fracture is 45º. The wing cracks deflected to the vault are formed at the tip of the pre-fabricated fracture, around which tensile and shear cracks are synchronously present. Under top explosion, both the peak displacement and peak particle velocity in surrounding rocks of anchored caverns reach their maximum values at the vault, successively followed by the side wall and the floor. In addition, they show asymmetry with the difference of the dip angle of the pre-fabricated fracture; the vault displacement of anchored caverns is mainly attributed to the formation of tensile cracks at the boundary of the anchored zone generated due to tensile waves reflected from the free face of the vault. When a fracture is present in the vault, the peak displacement of the vault decreases while the residual displacement increases.

Mechanical Characteristics and Failure Modes of Low-Strength Rock Samples with Dissimilar Fissure Dip Angles

The mechanical characteristics and failure modes of low-strength rock sample with various fissure dip angles were investigated by conventional uniaxial compression test and three-dimensional (3D) crack reconstruction. The results indicated that compared with high-strength rock masses, cracks had different influences on the low-strength rock mass mechanical deformation features. Thereinto, the dip angle of fissures can cause post-peak failure stage of stress-strain curve change from swift decline to multi-step down, showing obvious ductility deformation and failure characteristics. Peak strength and elastic modulus owned an anti-S-shaped growth tendency with the growth of fissure dip angle, which was positively correlated and greatest subtle to the fissure dip angle α < 21° and α > 66.5°. The axial peak strain reduced first and enlarged rapidly with growing fissure dip angle, suggesting a V-shaped change trend. Increasing the fissure dip angle will change the sample failure mode, experienced complete tensile failure to tensile-shear composite failure, and ultimately to typical shear failure. Also, the crack start angle decreased with enlarging fissure dip angle, larger than that the high-strength rock mass fissure dip angle. The above research findings can complement and improve the study of fissured rock masses.