Inflow and outflow permeability tests in a very soft clay under low stresses

In situ inflow and outflow permeability tests with the BAT probe at SarapuíII soft clay test site are presented.A description of the BAT permeability test is provided,discussing its advantages and shortcomings,especially in the case of very soft clays under low stresses.Pore pressures were monitored during probe installation and were found to be slightly lower than piezocone u2 pore pressures,consistent with the position of the filter.The role of filter tip saturation was investigated after the usual saturation procedure provided an unsatisfactory pore pressure response during probe installation.Results show that the vacuum saturation procedure provides adequate response during installation and increases the reliability of the coefficient of permeability determination in early measurements.Both inflow and outflow tests yielded similar results,indicating that careful execution of the test can lead to good test repeatability regardless of the loading condition.Various sequences of alternated inflow and outflow tests have yielded similar results,indicating that soil reconsolidation and filter clogging were negligible in the tests performed.Data are presented concerning the relationship between index parameters and the in situ coefficient of permeability for SarapuíII clay,which plot outside the range of existing databases.

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.

Drillhole high-pressure packer permeability test for underground powerhouse in Pushihe pumped storage hydro-plant

Usually the water head of the pumped storage hydro-plant is high, generally up to 400-500 m, therefore the rock mass under the high-pressure bifurcation pipe have to bear as high as millions Pascal water pressure, in according with the requirements of high water head pumped storage hydro-plant should be 1.2 times of the water head special high-pressure packer permeability test compared with normal to test the permeability of rock and rock cleavage pressure value. The test results on the choice of design options often play a decisive role. Based on the engineering practice, the authors studied the drillhole high-pressure packer permeability test in the pumped storage hydro-plant's underground powerhouse, by the analysis of test results, this article offers a demonstration of the deformation of rock fracture witch under building in the condition of high-pressure water head, it provides a more detailed engineering geological background.

Time-dependent water permeation behavior of concrete under constant hydraulic pressure

In the present work, a concrete permeability testing setup was designed to study the behavior of hydraulic concrete subjected to constant hydraulic pressure. The results show that when concrete is subjected to high enough constant hydraulic pressure, it will be permeated, and after it reaches its maximum permeation rate, the permeability coefficient will gradually decrease towards a stable value. A time-dependent model of permeability coefficient for concrete subjected to hydraulic pressure is proposed. It is indicated that the decrease of the permeability coefficient with permeation time conforms well to the negative-exponential decrease model.

Experimental study on the physico-mechanical properties of Tamusu mudstone — A potential host rock for high-level radioactive waste in Inner Mongolia of China

Tamusu mudstone, located in Bayin Gobi Basin in Inner Mongolia of China, has been selected as a potential host rock for high-level radioactive waste(HLW) disposal in China. A series of tests has been carried out, including X-ray diffraction(XRD) tests, scanning electron microscopy(SEM) tests, disintegration tests, permeability tests and triaxial compression tests, to estimate the physico-mechanical properties of Tamusu mudstone in this work. The mineral composition of Tamusu mudstone was analyzed and it was considered as a stable rock due to its low disintegration rate, i.e. approximately 0.11%after several wet/dry cycles. Based on the results of permeability test, it was found that Tamusu mudstone has a low permeability, with the magnitude of about 10—20m^(2). The low permeability makes the mudstone well prevent nuclide migration and diffusion, and might be influenced by temperature.The triaxial tests show that Tamusu mudstone is a stiff mudstone with high compressive strength, which means that the excavation disturbed zone would be smaller compared to other types of mudstone due to construction and operation of HLW repositories. Finally, the properties of Tamusu mudstone were compared with those of Opalinus clay, Callovo-Oxfordian(COx) argillite, and Boom clay to further discuss the possibility of using Tamusu mudstone as a potential nuclear waste disposal medium.

Thermal-hydro-mechanical coupling damage model of brittle rock

Based on fluid mechanics, thermodynamics and damage mechanics, thermal-hydro-mechanical （THM） coupling damage model of brittle rock is established by analyzing THM coupling mechanism, where THM coupling damage variable DTHM is dominated by TH coupling damage variable DTH, TM coupling damage variable DTM and HM coupling damage variable DHM, and DTH is firstly expressed in term of dimensionless total thermal conductivity of the water Nu. Permeability test, uni-axial compression test and THM coupling test are conducted to measure the permeability, elastic modulus and THM coupling stress-strain curves of brittle rock. The tested values of THM coupling elastic modulus E＇HM are in good agreement with the predicted values of THM coupling elastic modulus ETHM, which can verify the newly established THM coupling damage model.

Non-Darcy flow seepage characteristics of saturated broken rocks under compression with lateral constraint

Using an MTS816.03 test system and self-designed seepage apparatus, seepage tests of saturated broken rocks were conducted, and the influence of lithology, axial stress, grain size distribution and loading rate on seepage characteristics was analyzed. The results show that： （1） Under the same axial stress （12 MPa）, the permeability of different lithologic samples increases in the order： gangue 〈 mudstone 〈 sandstone 〈 limestone. The permeability of gangue is 3 magnitudes lower than that of limestone. The absolute value of the non-Darcy coefficient β increases in the order： limestone 〈 sandstone 〈 mudstone 〈 gangue. The non-Darcy coefficient β of limestone, which is positive, is 5 magnitudes lower than that of gangue. （2） With increasing axial stress, the permeability of saturated broken sandstone decreases, and the absolute value of the non-Darcy coefficient β increases. After the axial stress exceeds 12 MPa, the curves of permeability and non-Darcy coefficient β all tend to be stable. （3） With increasing Talbol power exponent, the permeability increases, and the absolute value of the non-Darcy coefficient β decreases. （4） With increasing loading, the permeability increases, and the absolute value of the non-Darcy coefficient β decreases. When the loading rate is 0.5 kN/s, the non-Darcy coefficient β is positive.

Non-standard tests for process control in chemically bonded sands

Chemically bonded sand cores and molds are more commonly referred to as precision sand systems in the high production automotive powertrain sector. Their behavior in contact with molten metal can lead to casting defects. Consequently, the interaction is of great interest and an important part of metal casting technology. The American Foundry Society(AFS) sand testing is based on physical, mechanical, thermal and chemical properties of the sand system. Foundry engineers have long known that certain AFS sand tests provide limited information regarding control of molding and casting quality. The inadequacy is due to the fact that sand casting processes are inherently thermo-mechanical, thermo-chemical and thermo-physical. Non-standard foundry sand testing has proven useful for laboratory measurement of these characteristics in foundry sand using a disc-shaped specimen. Similarly, the equivalent disc-shaped specimens are used for casting trials. In order to accomplish near-net-shape casting with minimal defects, it is necessary to understand both the properties of the sand system, as well as the interface of molten metal when different binders, additives and/or refractory coatings are used. The methodology for the following non-standard chemically bonded sand tests is described:(1) disc transverse;(2) impact;(3) modified permeability;(4) abrasion;(5) thermal distortion;(6) quick loss on ignition. The data related to the non-standard sand tests were analyzed and interpreted. The test results indicate that there is relatively lower test-to-test variability with the disc-shaped specimens. The non-standard tests were able to discriminate between the chemically bonded polyurethane cold box sand specimens. Further studies should be conducted on various other sand and binder systems as well as on different specimen thicknesses.

Effects of slurry viscosity and particle additive size on filter cake formation in highly permeable sand

Filter cake is critical to maintaining the stability of the excavation face of an underwater shield tunnel in a high-permeability stratum.In a high-permeability formation,generating an effective filter cake on the excavation face is difficult with a pure bentonite slurry,which penetrates the ground and may not achieve the required suspension pressure.Determining how to efficiently and quickly form a thin and low-permeability filter cake on the tunnel working face has become a key engineering problem in the construction of slurry shield tunnels in high-permeability strata.In this study,the relationship between slurry viscosity and the slurry pressure gradient of pure bentonite was established by performing slurry permeability experiments.The influence of slurry viscosity on the formation of the filter cake in a high-permeability formation was studied under different pressure gradients.In addition,the effect of additive particle size on the slurry filter cake formation was analyzed by introducing additives with different particle sizes to pure bentonite slurries with different viscosities.The test results indicate that(1)for the pure bentonite slurry,the critical initial pressure gradient can be used as a rough indicator of the formation of the filter cake,and the relationship between the critical maximum pore diameter and the average pore diameter of the for-mation can be compared to establish and analyze the formation law of the slurry filter cake;(2)adding particles to the slurry can enhance the effect of the pure bentonite slurry;and(3)adding coarse-grained materials can effectively improve the film-forming effect.The slurry is more compact when the particle size is close to the average pore size of the formation.