Effect of proppant sizes and injection modes on proppant transportation and distribution in the tortuous fracture model

Particle-fluid transport and placement mechanism in tortuous fracture played a crucial role in uncon-ventional reservoirs.Currently,most studies focused on mono-size proppant with fluid transport pro-cesses in tortuous fractures.However,the mixture-size proppant with fluid movement mechanism in tortuous fracture was still uncommon.Therefore,this study designed and applied a series of experiments with a physical analog model of a tortuous fracture with 120°and 90°-angled bends and combined high-speed camera-based equipment.This experimental system was used to track different-mixture-sized proppant particle motion trajectories for a series of proppant injection schemes;The following conclu-sions were drawn from this study:1.The pile-up processes mechanism in all investigated schemes were similar and could be reduced to four main stages.2.The packing structure at both sides of the fracture wall had different variation rates,which were controlled by the mix ratio(change from 1∶1-1∶5)of proppant size.3.Some new packing patterns,such as Zebra Stripe,had occurred,controlled by the different proppant injection sequences.4.Small-sized mono-proppant(30/50 mesh)had the highest transport efficiency in the tortuous fracture,followed by the mixed-sized multi-proppant(10/20 mesh:30/50 mesh),large-sized proppant(10/20 mesh)was the worst.5.An optimized alternating in-jection mode was recommended as injecting small-sized proppant first(30/50 mesh)and followed by mixed-sized multi-proppant(10/20 mesh:30/50 mesh),which could contribute to obtaining the optimal both proppant packing height and travel distance in tortuous fracture.6.Two correlations were devel-oped for predicting the proppant packing height and transportation distance.

Three-dimensional physical simulation and optimization of water injection of a multi-well fractured-vuggy unit

With complex fractured-vuggy heterogeneous structures, water has to be injected to facilitate oil pro- duction. However, the effect of different water injection modes on oil recovery varies. The limitation of existing numerical simulation methods in representing fractured- vuggy carbonate reservoirs makes numerical simulation difficult to characterize the fluid flow in these reservoirs. In this paper, based on a geological example unit in the Tahe Oilfield, a three-dimensional physical model was designed and constructed to simulate fluid flow in a fractured-vuggy reservoir according to similarity criteria. The model was validated by simulating a bottom water drive reservoir, and then subsequent water injection modes were optimized. These were continuous （constant rate）, intermittent, and pulsed injection of water. Experimental results reveal that due to the unbalanced formation pressure caused by pulsed water injection, the swept volume was expanded and consequently the highest oil recovery increment was achieved. Similar to continuous water injection, intermit- tent injection was influenced by factors including the connectivity of the fractured-vuggy reservoir, well depth, and the injection-production relationship, which led to a relative low oil recovery. This study may provide a constructive guide to field production and for the devel- opment of the commercial numerical models specialized for fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs.

New method for plugging channeling in oil field by nitrogen foam

In order to present a new method for plugging channeling in oil field,the injection modes and validity period of foam system which plugged the formation water layer were studied by means of the experimental model which simulated the real conditions of oil wells existing channeling.Above all,the influence factors including reservoir pressure,permeability,oil saturation and gas-to-liquid ratio were studied through dynamic experiment.Then,in light of the technology characteristics of foam injection in oil field,the comparison between gas-liquid and liquid-gas injection modes was studied.The result shows that the gas-liquid injection mode can ensure the foam injectivity and plugging performance.The plugging validity of nitrogen foam injected into the formation water layer was evaluated in different plugging pressure gradients by the dynamic method which is more reasonable than the static evaluation method in laboratory.The research demonstrates that the plugging validity period of foam decreases with plugging pressure gradient increasing.If the plugging pressure gradient is 0.15 MPa/m,the validity period is 160 h.Finally,a empirical equation and a plate about the plugging validity and the plugging pressure gradient were obtained for forecasting the validity period of foam.

Modeling of Liquid Level and Bubble Behavior in Vacuum Chamber of RH Process

In the Ruhrstahl-Heraeus （RH） refining process, liquid steel flow pattern in a ladle is controlled by the fluid flow behavior in the vacuum chamber. Potassium chloride solution and NaOH solution saturated with CO2 were respectively used as a tracer to investigate the liquid and gas flow behaviors in the vacuum chamber. Principal compo nent and comparative analysis were made to show the factors controlling mixing and circulation flow rate. The liquid level and bubble behavior in the vacuum chamber greatly affect fluid flow in RH process. Experiments were performed to investigate the effects of liquid steel level, gas flow rate, bubble residence time, and gas injection mode on mixing, decarburization, and void fraction. The results indicate that the mixing process can be divided into three regions： the flow rate affected zone, the concentration gradient-affected zone, and their combination. The liquid steel level in the vacuum chamber of 300 mm is a critical point in the decarburization transition. For liquid level lower than 300 mm, liquid steel circulation controls decarburization, while for liquid level higher than 300mm, bubble behavior is the main controlling factor. During the RH process, it is recommended to use the concentrated bubble injection mode for low gas flow rates and the uniform bubble injection mode for high gas flow rates.

Injection system design for a hadron therapy synchrotron

A synchrotron is designed for tumour therapy with C^6＋ ions or proton. Its injector is a cyclotron, which delivers C^5＋ or H＋ ions to the synchrotron. After comparing the methods of the single-turn injection, the multi-turn injection and the stripping injection, this paper chooses the stripping injection method. In addition, the concept design of the injection system is presented, in which the synchrotron lattice is optimized.