Experimental analysis of the pore structure, relative permeability, and water flooding characteristics of the Yan'an Formation sandstone, southwestern Ordos Basin

The oil and gas potential of the Yan'an Formation in the Ordos Basin has yet to be fully tapped. In this study, the pore structure, mobile fluid saturation, and water flooding micro-mechanism of the Yan'an Formation sandstone are systematically studied through the application of a series of rock physics and fluid experiments. The results show that there is a good positive correlation between porosity and permeability, and the reservoirs are divided into types Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ. Mercury injection tests show that the average pore throat radius of the oil-bearing reservoir ranges from 1 to 7 μm. The displacement pressure of the Yan'an Formation is also relatively low, and it decreases from 0.1 MPa to 0.01 MPa as the rock porosity increases from 11% to 18%. NMR tests show that small (diameter <0.5 μm) and medium pores (diameter ranging from 0.5 to 2.5 μm) are predominant in the reservoir. Different types of reservoirs have different characteristics of relative permeability curve. In addition, when the average oil recovery rate is less than 1 ml/min, the oil displacement efficiency increases faster. However, when the average oil recovery rate is between 1–3.5 ml/min, the oil displacement efficiency is maintained at around 27%–30%. Physical properties of the reservoir, pore-throat structure, experimental pressure difference, and pore volume injected — all have significant effects on oil displacement efficiency. For Type Ⅰ and Type Ⅱ reservoirs, the increase of the pore volume injected has a significant effect on oil displacement efficiency. However, for Type Ⅲ reservoirs, the change of pore volume injected has insignificant effect on oil displacement efficiency. This study provides a reference for the formulation of estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) measures for similar sandstone reservoirs.

Numerical and Experimental Studies on Flow and Pollutant Dispersion in Urban Street Canyons

In this study numerical simulations and water tank experiments were used to investigate the flow and pollutant dispersion in an urban street canyon. Two types of canyon geometry were tested. The studies indicate that in a step-up notch canyon （higher buildings on the downstream side of the canyon）, the height and shape of the upstream lower buildings plays an important role in flow pattern and pollutant dispersion, while in a step-down notch canyon （lower buildings on the downstream side）, the downstream lower buildings have little influence. The studies also show that the substitution of tall towers for parailelepiped buildings on one side of the canyon may enhance the street ventilation and decrease the pollutant concentration emitted by motor vehicles.

Water-Tank Experiment on the Thermal Circulation Induced by the Bottom Heating in an Asymmetric Valley

Water tank experiments were carried out to investigate the thermal convection due to the bottom heating in an asymmetrical valley under neutral and stably stratified approach flows with the Particle Image Velometry (PIV) visualization technique. In the neutral stratification approach flow, the ascending draft induced by bottom heating is mainly located in the center of the valley in calm ambient wind. However, with ambient wind flow, the thermal convection is shifted leeward, and the descending draft is located on the leeward side of the valley, while the ascending draft is located on the windward side. The descending draft is minorly turbulent and organized, while the ascending draft is highly turbulent. With the increase of the towing speed, the descending and ascending drafts induced by the mechanical elevation begin to play a more dominant role in the valley flow, while the role of the thermal convection in the valley airflow becomes limited. In the stable stratification approach flow, the thermal convection is limited by the stable stratification and no distinct circulation is formed in calm ambient wind. With ambient wind, agravity wave appears in the upper layer in the valley. With the increase of the ambient wind speed, a gravity wave plays an important role in the valley flow, and the location and intensity of the thermal convection are also modulated by the gravity internal waves. The thermal convection has difficulty penetrating the upper stable layer. Its exchange is limited between the air in the upper layer and that in the lower layer in the valley, and it is adverse to the diffusion of pollutants in the valley.

Experimental Investigation on the Pressure Characteristics of Cavity Closure Region

The most complicated component in cavitating flow and pressure distribution is the flow in the cavity closure line. The cavitating flow and pressure distribution provide critical aspects of flow field details in the region. The integral of pressure results of the hydrodynamic forces, indicate domination in the design of a supercavitating vehicle. An experiment was performed in a water tunnel to investigate the pressure characteristics of the cavity closure region. Ventilation methods were employed to generate artificial cavity, and the ventilation rate was adjusted accordingly to obtain the desired cavity length. An array of pressure transducers was laid down the cavity closure line to capture pressure distribution in this region. The experimental results show that there is a pressure peak in the cavity closure region, and the rise rate of pressure in space tends to be higher in the upwind side when the flow is non-axisymmetric. The transient pressure variations during the cavity formation procedure were also present. The method of measurement in this paper can be referenced by engineers. The result helps to study the flow pattern of cavity closure region, and it can also be used to analyze the formation of supercavitating vehicle hydrodynamics.

Automatic measurement of three-phase contact angles in pore throats based on digital images

With the help of digital image processing technology, an automatic measurement method for the three-phase contact angles in the pore throats of the microfluidic model was established using the microfluidic water flooding experiment videos as the data source. The results of the new method were verified through comparing with the manual measurement data.On this basis, the dynamic changes of the three-phase contact angles under flow conditions were clarified by the contact angles probability density curve and mean value change curve. The results show that, for water-wetting rocks, the mean value of the contact angles is acute angle during the early stage of the water flooding process, and it increases with the displacement time and becomes obtuse angle in the middle-late stage of displacement as the dominant force of oil phase gradually changes from viscous force to capillary force. The droplet flow in the remaining oil occurs in the central part of the pore throats, without three-phase contact angle. The contact angles for the porous flow and the columnar flow change slightly during the displacement and present as obtuse angles in view of mean values, which makes the remaining oil poorly movable and thus hard to be recovered. The mean value of the contact angle for the cluster flow tends to increase in the flooding process, which makes the remaining oil more difficult to be recovered. The contact angles for the membrane flow are mainly obtuse angles and reach the highest mean value in the late stage of displacement, which makes the remaining oil most difficult to be recovered. After displacement, the remaining oils under different flow regimes are just subjected to capillary force, with obtuse contact angles, and the wettability of the pore throat walls in the microfluidic model tends to be oil-wet under the action of crude oil.

Smoothed particle hydrodynamics modeling and simulation of foundry filling process

A numerical model of foundry filling process was established based on the smoothed particle hydrodynamics（SPH）method.To mimic the constraints that the solid mold prescribes on the filling fluid,a composite treatment to the solid boundaries is elaborately designed.On solid boundary surfaces,boundary particles were set,which exert Lennard-Jones force on approaching fluid particles;inside the solid mold,ghost particles were arranged to complete the compact domain of near-boundary fluid particles.Water analog experiments were conducted in parallel with the model simulations.Very good agreement between experimental and simulation results demonstrates the success of model development.

Evaluation of Infiltration Capacity and Water Retention Potential of Amended Soil Using Bamboo Charcoal and Humus for Urban Flood Prevention

In Japan, floods occur frequently in urban areas because non-infiltrating areas are seeing increased urbanization. To prevent floods, urban basins must improve the infiltration capacity and water retention of the whole basin. There are several basic technologies for river basin management, such as infiltration trenches or rainwater storage. However, a method of soil amendment that prevents flood disasters has not been established. This study aims to evaluate the infiltration capacity of soil amendments using bamboo charcoal and humus. A constant-head infiltration test and rainfall simulation were conducted to evaluate the properties of the soil amendments. The constant-head infiltration test＇s results showed that soils mixed with 30% humus had the greatest potential for influencing initial and final infiltration rates, and the more the mixing rates of bamboo charcoal and humus were increased, the higher the water retention capacity. The results of the rainfall simulation showed that soils mixed with 30% humus had the highest final infiltration rates and lowest multiplication spillage. To reduce the runoff volume using soil amendment technology, it is important to delay overland flow, and the hydraulic properties of the soils mixed with bamboo charcoal and humus were as effective as those of granite soils.

Water Modeling of Optimizing Tundish Flow Field

In the water modeling experiments, three cases were considered, i. e, , a bare tundish, a tundish equipped with a turbulence inhibitor, and a rectangular tundish equipped with weirs （dams） and a turbulence inhibitor. Comparing the RTD curves, inclusion separation, and the result of the streamline experiment, it can be found that the tundish equipped with weirs （dams） and a turbulence inhibitor has a great effect on the flow field and the inclusion separation when compared with the sole use or no use of the turbulent inhibitor or weirs （dams）. In addition, the enlargement of the distance between the weir and dam will result in a better effect when the tundish equipped with weirs （dam） and a turbulence inhibitor was used.

Modeling of unsteadiness of fluid flows and level fluctuations in thin slab continuous casting moulds

Unsteady fluid flows and level fluctuations in a thin slab continuous casting mould have significant influence on product quality. In this study, the phenomena concerning transient flow features and free surface motions were analyzed by means of the large eddy simulation （LES） software with the smagorinsky SGS model--VisualCast （VCast） II, where the Simpler algorithm on a body-fitted mesh was used to resolve governing equations. A series of water analog experiments on the fluid flow and the surface wave in the moulds of thin slab continuous casting were also performed. The results of fluid regions, middle of vortex and level fluctuation from digital simulations were identical with the results of the water analog experiments.

A new ecological control method for Pisha sandstone based on hydrophilic polyurethane

The Pisha sandstone-coverd area is among the regions that suffer from the most severe water loss and soil erosion in China and is the main source of coarse sand for the Yellow River. This study demonstrated a new erosion control method using W-OH solution, a type of hydrophilic polyurethane, to prevent the Pisha sandstone from water erosion. We evaluated the comprehensive effects of W-OH on water erosion resistance and vegetation-growth promotion through simulated scouring tests and field demonstrations on the Ordos Plateau of China. The results of simulated scouring tests show that the water erosion resistance of W-OH treated area was excellent and the cumulative sediment yield reduction reached more than 99%. In the field demonstrations, the vegetation coverage reached approximately 95% in the consolidation-green area, and there was almost no shallow trenches on the entire slope in the treated area. In comparison, the control area experienced severe erosion with deep erosion gullies appeared on the slope and the vegetation coverage was less than 30%. This study illustrated that W-OH treatment can protect the Pisha sandstone from erosion and provide the vegetation seeds a chance to grow. Once the vegetation matured, the effects of consolidation-growth mutual promotion can efficiently and effectively improve the water erosion resistance and ecological restoration.

Water storage variations in the Poyang Lake Basin estimated from GRACE and satellite altimetry

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment（GRACE） satellite mission provides a unique opportunity to quantitatively study terrestrial water storage（TWS） variations. In this paper,the terrestrial water storage variations in the Poyang Lake Basin are recovered from the GRACE gravity data from January 2003 to March 2014 and compared with the Global Land Data Assimilation System（GLDAS） hydrological models and satellite altimetry. Furthermore, the impact of soil moisture content from GLDAS and rainfall from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission（TRMM） on TWS variations are investigated. Our results indicate that the TWS variations from GRACE, GLDAS and satellite altimetry have a general consistency. The TWS trends in the Poyang Lake Basin determined from GRACE, GLDAS and satellite altimetry are increasing at 0.0141 km^3/a, 0.0328 km^3/a and 0.0238 km^3/a,respectively during the investigated time period. The TWS is governed mainly by the soil moisture content and dominated primarily by the precipitation but also modulated by the flood season of the Yangtze River as well as the lake and river exchange water.

Protective effects of resveratrol nanosuspensions loaded in situ hydrogel on Alzheimer disease model mice after intranasal administration

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the protective effects of resveratrol nanosuspensions loaded in situ hydrogel on Alzheimer disease model mice after intranasal administration. METHODS Resveratrol nanosuspensions were fabricated by antisolvent nano-precipitation method,and then dispersed into0.5% gellan gum to form resveratrol nanosuspenisons loaded ionic sensitive in situ hydrogel. The Alzheimer′s disease models were induced by lateral ventricle injection of Aβ_(25~35)and the protection and treatment effects of resveratrol nanosuspensions loaded in situ hydrogel on study and memory capability were performed after intranasal administration in water maze experiments. The analyses of the changes of cholinergic neurotransmitters in the brain were also determined according to the contents of acetylcholine(ACh),choline acetyltransferase(ChAT) and acetylcholinesterase(AChE). RESULTS Behavior assessment disclosed that in position navigation,escape latency test,each of experimental animals showed a decreased trend with swim training days increase,indicating that in the training process they had the ability of learning and memory in looking for the platform. Compared with the control group,average latency of model group significantly increased. While compared with the model group,treatment group′s average latency was significantly shorter. Space exploration experiment results showed that the times of model group across target quadrant of the platform is less than that of control group. But the crossing times of treatment group with resveratrol increased compared with the model group. As for the changes of cholinergic neurotransmitters,in AD mice brain ACh content decreased; the Ch AT activity decreased,while the activity of ACh E with the ability to hydrolysis acetylcholine increased. The administration of resveratrol can decrease the activity of ACh enzymes but increase Ch AT activity and the levels of acetylcholine. CONCLUSION Resveratrol nanosuspension loaded in situ gel can ameliorate the declining ability of learning and memory of AD model mice after intranasal administration. As a promising approach for the treatment of central nervous system(CNS) disease,intranasal administration route can effectively deliver to the brain and thus enhance the therapeutic effect.

Research on the optimization of tundish by water model

Based on the principle of similarity, water was used to simulate the flow of molten steel to analyze the flow field in a tundish. Several schemes of the tundish＇ s tracer shape were designed and corresponding water model experiments were conducted. During the experiments, a computer automatically collected data. The comparison of the residence time distribution（ RTD ） curves drawn according to the computer-collected data optimized the scheme and photographs originated from the experiments with ink as its tracer. It indicates that the water model can optimize the flow field of the tundish.

Water storage changes in North America retrieved from GRACE gravity and GPS data

As global warming continues,the monitoring of changes in terrestrial water storage becomes increasingly important since it plays a critical role in understanding global change and water resource management.In North America as elsewhere in the world,changes in water resources strongly impact agriculture and animal husbandry.From a combination of Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment（GRACE） gravity and Global Positioning System（GPS） data,it is recently found that water storage from August,2002 to March,2011 recovered after the extreme Canadian Prairies drought between 1999 and 2005.In this paper,we use GRACE monthly gravity data of Release 5 to track the water storage change from August,2002 to June,2014.In Canadian Prairies and the Great Lakes areas,the total water storage is found to have increased during the last decade by a rate of 73.8 ± 14.5 Gt/a,which is larger than that found in the previous study due to the longer time span of GRACE observations used and the reduction of the leakage error.We also find a long term decrease of water storage at a rate of-12.0 ± 4.2 Gt/a in Ungava Peninsula,possibly due to permafrost degradation and less snow accumulation during the winter in the region.In addition,the effect of total mass gain in the surveyed area,on present-day sea level,amounts to-0.18 mm/a,and thus should be taken into account in studies of global sea level change.

Assessment of agri-spillways as a soil erosion protection measure in Mediterranean sloping vineyards

Suitable vineyard soils enhance soil stability and biodiversity which in turn protects roots against erosion and nutrient losses. There is a lack of information related to inexpensive and suitable methods and tools to protect the soil in Mediterranean sloping vineyards(>25° of slope inclination). In the vineyards of the Montes de Málaga(southern Spain), a sustainable land management practice that controls soil erosion is actually achieved by tilling rills in the down-slope direction to canalize water and sediments. Because of their design and use, we call them agri-spillways. In this research, we assessed two agri-spillways(between 10 m and 15 m length, and slopes between 25.8° and 35°) by performing runoff experiments under extreme conditions(a motor driven pump that discharged water flows up to 1.33 l s^(-1) for 12 to 15 minutes: ≈1000 l). The final results showed: i) a great capacity by these rills to canalize large amounts of water and sediments; and, ii) higher water flow speeds(between 0.16 m s-1 and 0.28 m s^(-1)) and sediment concentrationrates(up to 1538.6 g l^(-1)) than typically found in other Mediterranean areas and land uses(such as badlands, rangelands or extensive crops of olives and almonds). The speed of water flow and the sediment concentration were much higher in the shorter and steeper rill. We concluded that agri-spillways, given correct planning and maintenance, can be a potential solution as an inexpensive method to protect the soil in sloping Mediterranean vineyards.

Low-frequency variability of terrestrial water budget in China using GRACE satellite measurements from 2003 to 2010

Mass variations in terrestrial water storage（TWS） obtained from eight years of satellite data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment（GRACE） are used to describe low frequency TWS through Empirical Orthogonal Function（EOF） analysis. Results of the second seasonal EOF mode show the influence of the Meiyu season. Annual variability is clearly shown in the precipitation distribution over China, and two new patterns of interannual variability are presented for the first time from observations, where two periods of abrupt acceleration are seen in 2004 and 2008. GRACE successfully measures drought events in southern China, and in this respect, an association with the Arctic Oscillation and El Nino-Southern Oscillation is discussed. This study demonstrates the unique potential of satellite gravity measurements in monitoring TWS variations and large-scale severe drought in China.

Pacific-Indian interocean circulation of the Antarctic Intermediate Water around South Australia

On the basis of the salinity distribution of isopycnal（σ_0=27.2 kg/m^3） surface and in salinity minimum, the Antarctic Intermediate Water（AAIW） around South Australia can be classified into five types corresponding to five regions by using in situ CTD observations. Type 1 is the Tasman AAIW, which has consistent hydrographic properties in the South Coral Sea and the North Tasman Sea. Type 2 is the Southern Ocean（SO） AAIW, parallel to and extending from the Subantarctic Front with the freshest and coldest AAIW in the study area. Type 3 is a transition between Type 1 and Type 2. The AAIW transforms from fresh to saline with the latitude declining（equatorward）. Type 4, the South Australia AAIW, has relatively uniform AAIW properties due to the semienclosed South Australia Basin. Type 5, the Southeast Indian AAIW, progressively becomes more saline through mixing with the subtropical Indian intermediate water from south to north. In addition to the above hydrographic analysis of AAIW, the newest trajectories of Argo（Array for real-time Geostrophic Oceanography） floats were used to constructed the intermediate（1 000 m water depth） current field, which show the major interocean circulation of AAIW in the study area. Finally, a refined schematic of intermediate circulation shows that several currents get together to complete the connection between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. They include the South Equatorial Current and the East Australia Current in the Southwest Pacific Ocean, the Tasman Leakage and the Flinders Current in the South Australia Basin, and the extension of Flinders Current in the southeast Indian Ocean.

EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH ON THE SHAPE CHARACTERS OF NATURAL AND VENTILATED SUPERCAVITATION

A series of projectile and water-tunnel experiments were conducted to investigate the shape characters of natural and ventilated supercavitation. It was found that the shape and dimensions of both the natural supercavitation and the ventilated supercavitation are similar through the comparison of them when the cavitation number is small and equal, and the contour of both the natural supercavitation and the ventilated supercavitation can be calculated effectively with the Savchenko formula. The gravity effect can induce the asymmetry of ventilated supercavitation, and the asymmetry is more apparent as the Froude number is smaller. The empirical formula for calculating the axial deformation of ventilated supercavitation was corrected and expanded based on experiment data. The evolution rules of both the natural supercavitation and the ventilated supercavitation were described, and the vortex frequency of natural cavitation was obtained. In addition, the hysteretic aspect was observed between the development and the fall process of ventilated cavitation.

Three-phase Fluid Numerical Simulation and Water Modeling Experiment of Supersonic Oxygen Jet Impingement on Molten Bath in EAF

By means of the computational fluid dynamics software Fluent 6.3, a mathematical model of three-dimensional three-phase fluid flow field in the molten bath of electric arc furnace （EAF） with side accessorial oxygen lances was developed to study the transient phenomena of oxygen jet impingement on the molten steel and the molten slag. The water modeling experiment was carried out to verify the simulation results. The impingement of the supersonic oxygen jet caused impact dent on the molten steel surface accordingly. The area of impact dent changed almost in linear relationship to flow rate of oxygen jet, which can be expressed by a deduced mathematical equation. And the relationship between the impact force of oxygen iet and the correspondingly formed apparent static pressure on molten bath was obtained, which was in linear relationship and a direct proportion, and can also be expressed by a deduced mathematical equation.