Empirical formulae for electric double-layer repulsion between two arbitrarily inclined clay particles

To understand the mesoscopic mechanism of clayey soil in view of macroscopic behavior, it is essential to quantitatively calculate the electric double-layer repulsion between arbitrarily inclined clay particles.However, suitable calculation methods with high efficiency and accuracy are still rare at present in literature. Based on a great number of numerical calculations of the repulsion between two inclined platy clay particles, explicit empirical formulae for estimating electric double-layer repulsion between clay particles are put forward. Comparison between the empirical solutions and corresponding numerical results shows that the proposed formulae have a reasonable accuracy, and application of the presented formula is easy and efficient.

Numerical simulation of profile control by clay particles after polymer flooding

A three-dimensional,two-phase,five-component mathematical model has been developed to describe flow characteristics of clay particles and flocs in the profile control process,in which the clay particle suspension is injected into the formation to react with residual polymer.This model considers the reaction of clay particles with residual polymer,apparent viscosity of the mixture,retention of clay particles and flocs,as well as the decline in porosity and permeability caused by the retention of clay particles and flocs.A finite difference method is used to discretize the equation for each component in the model.The Runge-Kutta method is used to solve the polymer flow equation,and operator splitting algorithms are used to split the flow equation for clay particles into a hyperbolic equation for convection and a parabolic equation for diffusion,which effectively ensures excellent precision,high speed and good stability.The numerical simulation had been applied successfully in the 4-P1920 unit of the Lamadian Oilfield to forecast the blocking capacity of clay particle suspension and to optimize the injection parameters.

Wear and corrosion behavior of clay containing coating on AM 50 magnesium alloy produced by aluminate-based plasma electrolytic oxidation

This study aims to examine the effect of clay micro particles addition on the microstructure,wear and corrosion behavior of PEO coatings on AM 50 magnesium alloy.PEO coatings were prepared using an aluminate-based electrolyte with and without the presence of 5 g/L clay particles.The structure and composition of the coatings were evaluated using SEM,EDS and XRD.The wear investigations were conducted using a ball-on-disk tribometer at 2,5 and 10 N loads.The corrosion behavior of the coatings was examined using polarization and EIS tests in 0.5 wt.%NaCl.The results revealed that the addition of clay particles deteriorated the wear resistance of the coatings under the loads of 5 and 10 N.The SEM examinations of the worn surfaces indicated that a combination of adhesive and abrasive wear mechanisms was activated for the coating with clay particles.The poor wear performance of the clay-incorporated coating was related to its lower adhesion strength and higher roughness.The potentiodynamic polarization examinations revealed that the addition of clay particles slightly decreased the corrosion rate of the coatings.Corrosion resistance of the clay-containing coating was attributed to its compactness,as indicated by the results of EIS tests.

Research on the Critical Conditions for Clay Particle Release During Saline Aquifer Freshening Process

Water sensitivity phenomenon occurs during saline aquifer freshening process in seawater intrusion area, and clay particles released in the phenomenon can damage the infiltration capacity of the aquifer. In order to find out the factors and mechanisms for clay particle release, laboratory column infiltration experiments simulating saline aquifer freshening process were designed to measure the critical conditions(critical flow velocity, critical salt concentration and critical ionic strength) and force analysis for clay particle according to DLVO electric double layer theory was employed to illustrate the mechanisms for particle release. The research results showed that critical flow velocity for clay particle release is influenced by salt concentration of injecting solution. When salt concentration of injecting solution is very high, clay particles are not released, indicating that there does not exist a critical flow velocity in this situation. As salt concentration of injecting solution decreases, particles start to be released. The critical salt concentration for clay particle release is 0.052 mol L-1 in our work, which was determined by a constant-flux experiment for stepwise displacement of high concentration Na Cl solution. The critical ionic strength for clay particle release decreases as Ca2+ molar content percentage of the mixed solution of Na Cl and Ca Cl2 increases following the first-order exponential decay equation y = 0.0391e-0.266 x + 0.0015.

Experimental Study of the Subsidence Characteristics of Clayey Loess

Presented in this paper are the results of experimental study and analysis of the subsidence characteristics obtained from soil samples with different contents of clay particles though laboratory dynamic triaxial test, Laser particle size analysis, chemical analysis and electronic microscope scanning. By comparison of the obtained data, the following conclusions are drawn out:(1)The stability of the loess varies with different content of clay; (2) The relation between the dynamic shear strength and the clay particles is not monotonous, but parabolic; (3) In the same consolidation ratio, the clayey loess is the weakest subsidence-resistant when the clay particle content is between 16%～17%.

Quantitative analysis of deformation in hollow cylinder tests on anisotropic clay formations

A series of triaxial laboratory experiments are performed on thick-walled hollow cylindrical samples of boom clay.The aim of this testing program is to better understand the anisotropic deformation during the excavation.The testing conditions are similar to those to be experienced by host rocks around disposal galleries for radioactive waste.X-ray computed tomography is performed at different steps for each test with the samples remaining inside the loading cell.Initial analysis of the tomography images allows of the observation of the deformation of the central hole.In addition,particles manual tracking and 3D volumetric digital image correlation processing methods are considered being used to analyze the particles displacements and the boundary deformation of the sample quantitatively.An unsymmetrical damaged zone is induced around the hole,with a reverse deformation trend being found at the boundary after unloading,which indicates that the significant anisotropic deformation of boom clay can be induced by mechanical unloading.

Characterization and acid-mobilization study for typical iron- bearing clay mineral

In this study, iron speciation in five standard clay samples was characterized. Iron mobilization from these clays was then measured in acidic media. For comparison, a commercially available Arizona test dust （ATD） was also observed. The results showed that the free-Fe contents of clays were commonly lower than that of dust aerosols. The components of clays were dominant by the structural Fe held in the aluminosilicate lattice. The iron solubility of the clays were in the order of KGa-2 〉 SWy-2 〉 CCa-2 〉 IMt-2 〉 NAu- 2. Based upon the M6ssbauer spectrum and transmission electron microscopy （TEM） analysis, the Fe（Ⅱ） fraction and the Fe/Si ratio of clay particles changed after dissolution, suggesting the total Fe solubility depended on the Fe atom states existing within the aluminosilicate lattice. The Fe in KGa-2 and SWy-2 was most likely substituted for alkaline elements as the interlayer ions held by ionic bonds in the aluminosilicate, which are more liable to dissolution. However, the Fe in NAu-2 was more likely to be bound by strong covalent bonds in aluminosilicate mineral, which is less soluble. The much highly soluble Fe in ATD was not only linked to the dissolution of an appreciable fraction of Fe（Ⅱ）, but also could be attributed to the fact that the Fe bonds in the clay fraction of ATD were mainly present as ionic bonds. The TEM images showed that reacted clay particles displayed less aggregate particles, with nanoparticle aggregates and the Fe/S-rich tiny particles attached to the remains.