In-situ pressure-preserved coring for deep exploration:Insight into the rotation behavior of the valve cover of a pressure controller

In-situ pressure-preserved coring(IPP-Coring)is considered to be the most reliable and efficient method for the identification of the scale of oil and gas resources.During IPP-Coring,because the rotation behavior of the pressure controller valve cover in different medium environments is unclear,interference between the valve cover and inner pipe may occur and negatively affect the IPP-Coring success rate.To address this issue,we conducted a series of indoor experiments employing a high-speed camera to gain greater insights into the valve cover rotation behavior in different medium environments,e.g.,air,water,and simulated drilling fluids.The results indicated that the variation in the valve cover rotation angle in the air and fluid environments can be described by a one-phase exponential decay function with a constant time parameter and by biphasic dose response function,respectively.The rotation behavior in the fluid environments exhibited distinct elastic and gravitational acceleration zones.In the fluid environments,the density clearly impacted the valve cover closing time and rotation behavior,whereas the effect of viscosity was very slight.This can be attributed to the negligible influence of the fluid viscosity on the drag coefficient found in this study;meanwhile,the density can increase the buoyancy and the time period during which the valve cover experienced a high drag coefficient.Considering these results,control schemes for the valve cover rotation behavior during IPP-Coring were proposed for different layers and geological conditions in which the different drilling fluids should be used,e.g.,the use of a high-density valve cover in high-pore pressure layers.

3D anisotropy in shear failure of a typical shale

It is inadequate to study the shear failure anisotropy of shale in only 2D space.Aiming at a 3D analysis,a series of direct shear tests was conducted on Longmaxi shale with three typical bedding orientations:arrester,divider and short-transverse orientations.During testing,acoustic emission(AE)and digital image correlation(DIC)techniques were simultaneously employed to monitor failure development,after testing,X-ray computed tomography(CT)scanning was adopted to acquire and reconstruct the fractures inside typical ruptured samples for more detailed analysis.The results indicated that the shear strength parameters exhibited 3D anisotropies and those of the arrester sample did not have equivalent shear strength parameters to the shale matrix.The maximum(minimum)shear strength and cohesion were obtained with the divider(short-transverse)orientation,and the internal friction angle reached its maximum(minimum)with the divider(arrester)orientation.Combining the AE,DIC and CT techniques,four characteristic stress levels that can capture the progressive shear failure process of shale rocks were identified,and the onset and accelerated development of shear damage-induced dilation were observed at the crack initiation and coalesce stress thresholds,respectively.During the crack coalescence stage,the dominated microcracking mechanism transferred from tensile-mode to shear-mode.For the arrester and divider orientations,more tensile-mode AE events were generated due to the microcracking along the vertical beddings.Compared with the divider samples,a more complex fracture network with a larger fracture area and volume was obtained in the arrester samples,whose strengths were smaller.

The role of natural fracture activation in hydraulic fracturing for deep unconventional geo-energy reservoir stimulation

The presence of sealed or semi-sealed,multiscale natural fracture systems appears to be crucial for the successful stimulation of deep reservoirs.To explore the reaction of such systems to reservoir stimulation,a new numerical simulation approach for hydraulic stimulation has been developed,trying to establish a realistic model of the physics involved.Our new model successfully reproduces dynamic fracture activation,network generation,and overall reservoir permeability enhancement.Its outputs indicate that natural fractures facilitate stimulation far beyond the near-wellbore area,and can significantly improve the hydraulic conductivity of unconventional geo-energy reservoirs.According to our model,the fracture activation patterns are jointly determined by the occurrence of natural fractures and the in situ stress.High-density natural fractures,high-fluid pressure,and low effective stress environments promote the formation of complex fracture networks during stimulation.Multistage or multicluster fracturing treatments with an appropriate spacing also increase the stimulated reservoir area(SRA).The simulation scheme demonstrated in this work offers the possibility to elucidate the complex multiphysical couplings seen in the field through detailed site-specific modeling.

Research on in-situ condition preserved coring and testing systems

As shallow resources are increasingly depleted,the mechanics'theory and testing technology of deep insitu rock has become urgent.Traditional coring technologies obtain rock samples without retaining the in-situ environmental conditions,leading to distortion of the measured parameters.Herein,a coring and testing systems retaining in-situ geological conditions is presented:the coring system that obtains in-situ rock samples,and the transfer and testing system that stores and analyzes the rocks under a reconstructed environment.The ICP-Coring system mainly consists of the pressure controller,active insulated core reactor and insulation layer and sealing film.The ultimate bearing strength of 100 MPa for pressurepreservation,temperature control accuracy of 0.97%for temperature-retained are realized.CH_(4)and CO permeability of the optimized sealing film are as low as 3.85 and 0.33 ppm/min.The average tensile elongation of the film is 152.4%and the light transmittance is reduced to 0%.Additionally,the pressure and steady-state temperature accuracy for reconstructing the in-situ environment of transfer and storage system up to 1%and±0.2 is achieved.The error recorded of the noncontact sensor ring made of lowdensity polymer is less than 6%than that of the contact test.The system can provide technical support for the deep in-situ rock mechanics research,improving deep resource acquisition capabilities and further clarifying deep-earth processes.

Therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese medicine on coagulation disorder and accompanying intractable jaundice in hepatitis B virus-related liver cirrhosis patients

AIM: To observe the therapeutic effects of new traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy on coagulation disorder and accompanying intractable jaundice in HBV-related liver cirrhosis patients. METHODS: Using stratified random sampling according to fibrinogen (Fib) levels,145 liver cirrhosis patients due to hepatitis B complicated by coagulation disorder were treated. Of them,70 in research group were treated with TCM by "nourishing yin,cooling blood and invigorating blood circulation" and Western medicine,75 in control group were treated with conventional Western medicine. The indexes of liver function,coagulation function and bleeding events were observed and compared. RESULTS: The prothrombin time (PT) was shorter and the fibrinogen (Fib) level was higher in the research group than in the control group (Fib = 1.6-2.0 g/L,1.1-1.5 g/L,and ≤ 1.0 g/L). The total bilirubin (TBIL) level was significantly lower in the research group than in the control group,except for the subgroup of FIB ≤ 1.0 g/L. CONCLUSION: TCM therapy can improve coagulation fuction and decrease TBIL.

Hollow glass microspheres/silicone rubber composite materials toward materials for high performance deep in-situ temperaturepreserved coring

Deep petroleum resources are stored under high temperature and pressure conditions,with the temperature having a significant influence on the properties of rocks.Deep in-situ temperature-preserved coring(ITP-coring)devices were developed to assess deep petroleum reserves accurately.Herein,hollow glass microspheres(HGMs)/silicone rubber(SR)composites that exhibit excellent thermal insulation properties were prepared as thermal insulation materials for deep ITP-coring devices.The mechanism and process of heat transfer in the composites were explored,as well as their other properties.The results show that the HGMs exhibit good compatibility with the SR matrix.When the volume fraction of the HGMs is increased to 50%,the density of the HGMs/SR composites is reduced from 0.97 to 0.56 g/cm^(3).The HGMs filler introduces large voids into the composites,reducing their thermal conductivity to 0.11 W/m·K.The addition of HGMs into the composites further enhances the thermal stability of the SR,wherein the higher the HGMs filler content,the better the thermal stability of the composites.HGMs significantly enhance the mechanical strength of the SR.HGMs increase the compressive strength of the composites by 828%and the tensile strength by 164%.Overall,HGMs improve the thermal insulation,pressure resistance,and thermal stability of HGMs/SR composites.