rwo-phase pore-fluid distribution in fractured media, acoustic wave velocity vs saturation

The acoustic wave velocity varies with fluid saturation and pore-fluid distribution. We use a P-wave source and the staggered grid finite-difference method, with second-order accuracy in time and eighth-order accuracy in space, to simulate the acoustic wave field in a fractured medium that is saturated with a two-phase pore fluid （gas ＆ water）. Further, we analyze the variation of acoustic wave velocity with saturation for different pore-fluid distribution modes. The numerical simulation method is simple and yields accurate results.

Experiments on acoustic measurement of fractured rocks and application of acoustic logging data to evaluation of fractures

Fractures in oil and gas reservoirs have been the topic of many studies and have attracted reservoir research all over the world. Because of the complexities of the fractures, it is difficult to use fractured reservoir core samples to investigate true underground conditions. Due to the diversity of the fracture parameters, the simulation and evaluation of fractured rock in the laboratory setting is also difficult. Previous researchers have typically used a single material, such as resin, to simulate fractures. There has been a great deal of simplifying of the materials and conditions, which has led to disappointing results in application. In the present study, sandstone core samples were selected and sectioned to simulate fractures, and the changes of the compressional and shear waves were measured with the gradual increasing of the fracture width. The effects of the simulated fracture width on the acoustic wave velocity and amplitude were analyzed. Two variables were defined： H represents the amplitude attenuation ratio of the compressional and shear wave, and x represents the transit time difference value of the shear wave and compressional wave divided by the transit time of the compressional wave. The effect of fracture width on these two physical quantities was then analyzed. Finally, the methods of quantitative evaluation for fracture width with H and x were obtained. The experimental results showed that the rock fractures linearly reduced the velocity of the shear and compressional waves. The effect of twin fractures on thecompressional velocity was almost equal to that of a single fracture which had the same fracture width as the sum of the twin fractures. At the same time, the existence of fractures led to acoustic wave amplitude attenuations, and the compressional wave attenuation was two times greater than that of the shear wave. In this paper, a method was proposed to calculate the fracture width with x and H, then this was applied to the array acoustic imaging logging data.The application examples showed that the calculated fracture width could be compared with fractures on the electric imaging logs. These rules were applied in the well logs to effectively evaluate the fractures, under the case of no image logs, which had significance to prospecting and development of oil and gas in fractured reservoirs.

Investigation of surface acoustic waves in laser shock peened metals

Laser shock peening is a well-known method for extending the fatigue life of metal components by introducing near-surface compressive residual stress. The surface acoustic waves （SAWs） are dispersive when the near-surface properties of materials are changed. So the near-surface properties （such as the thickness of hardened layers, elastic properties, residual stresses, etc.） can be analyzed by the phase velocity dispersion. To study the propagation of SAWs in metal samples after peening, a more reasonable experimental method of broadband excitation and reception is introduced. The ultrasonic signals are excited by laser and received by polyvinylindene fluoride （PVDF） transducer. The SAW signals in aluminum alloy materials with different impact times by laser shock peening are detected. Signal spectrum and phase velocity dispersion curves of SAWs are analyzed. Moreover, reasons for dispersion are discussed.

Lateral-field-excitation properties of LiNbO_3 single crystal

LiNbO3 has been found attractive for lateral field excitation （LFE） applications due to its high piezoelectric coupling. In this paper, bulk acoustic wave propagation properties for LiNbO3 single crystal excited by a lateral electric field have been investigated using the extended Christoffel Bechmann method. It is found that the LFE piezoelectric coupling factor for c mode reaches its maximum value of 95.46% when ψ = 0° for both （yxl）-58° and （yxwl）±60°/58° LiNbO3. The acoustic wave phase velocity of c mode TSM （thickness shear mode） changes from 3456 m/s to 3983 m/s as a function of ψ. Here ψ represents the angle between the lateral electric field and the crystallographic X-axis in the substrate major surface. A 5 MHz LFE device of （yxl）-58° LiNbO3 with ψ = 0° was designed and tested in air. A major resonance peak was observed with the motional resistance as low as 17 Ω and the Q-factor value up to 10353. The test result is well in agreement with the theoretical analysis, and suggests that the LFE LiNbO3 device can be a good platform for high performance resonator or sensor applications.