Influencing mechanism of saline sediments on pore system formation and evolution in terrestrial shales

The majority of oil and gas resources in the world are related to saline sediments, which mainly occur in sedimentary strata in the form of cap rocks or salt-associated shales. A large number of shale oil resources have been discovered in the saline shale sediments of the Cenozoic terrestrial lake basin in China. The hydrocarbon generation ability and the reservoir capacity of shale control the oil and gas generation. The reservoir capacity is mainly characterized by pore type, structure and porosity. Most of China’s shale oil and gas resources belong to salt-bearing formations. The role of gypsum-salt rocks in the formation and evolution of organic matter (OM) in such formations has received extensive attention. However, systematic understanding is lacking. Research on the pore formation and evolution in shale under the action of gypsum-salt rock sediments is especially weak. Taking the shales in the third member of the Shahejie Formation (Es_(3)) of the Bohai Bay Basin as an example, the influence of halite on the formation and evolution process of pores was studied in this paper. The results show that halite and gypsum minerals were associated with OM, which made them more likely to develop OM pores. The samples with a high halite mineral content (HC) are more developed regarding the pore volume and specific surface area than those with a low HC. The formation of thick salt rocks is influenced by factors of deep thermal brine upwelling, sea erosion and arid environments. The frequent alternation between humid and arid environments led to the outbreak and death of organisms and the precipitation of gypsum-salt rock, which formed the simultaneous deposition of OM and halite minerals. Finally, we have established a model of shale pore evolution under the participation of the gypsum-salt rock, and halite minerals contribute to pore development in both Stage II and Stage IV. This study provides strong microscopic evidence for the pore system formation and evolution in salt-bearing reservoirs.

A three dimensional visualized physical simulation for natural gas charging in the micro-nano pore system

A micro-nano pore three-dimensional visualized real-time physical simulation of natural gas charging, in-situ pore-scale computation, pore network modelling, and apparent permeability evaluation theory were used to investigate laws of gas and water flow and their distribution, and controlling factors during the gas charging process in low-permeability(tight) sandstone reservoir. By describing features of gas-water flow and distribution and their variations in the micro-nano pore system, it is found that the gas charging in the low permeability(tight) sandstone can be divided into two stages, expansion stage and stable stage. In the expansion stage, the gas flows continuously first into large-sized pores then small-sized pores, and first into centers of the pores then edges of pores;pore-throats greater than 20 μm in radius make up the major pathway for gas charging. With the increase of charging pressure, movable water in the edges of large-sized pores and in the centers of small pores is displaced out successively. Pore-throats of 20-50 μm in radius and pore-throats less than 20 μm in radius dominate the expansion of gas charging channels at different stages of charging in turn, leading to reductions in pore-throat radius, throat length and coordination number of the pathway, which is the main increase stage of gas permeability and gas saturation. Among which, pore-throats 30-50 μm in radius control the increase pattern of gas saturation. In the stable stage, gas charging pathways have expanded to the maximum, so the pathways keep stable in pore-throat radius, throat length, and coordination number, and irreducible water remains in the pore system, the gas phase is in concentrated clusters, while the water phase is in the form of dispersed thin film, and the gas saturation and gas permeability tend stable. Connected pore-throats less than 20 μm in radius control the expansion limit of the charging pathways, the formation of stable gas-water distribution, and the maximum gas saturation. The heterogeneity of connected pore-throats affects the dynamic variations of gas phase charging and gas-water distribution. It can be concluded that the pore-throat configuration and heterogeneity of the micro-nanometer pore system control the dynamic variations of the low-permeability(tight) sandstone gas charging process and gas-water distribution features.

Modeling of multiphase flow in low permeability porous media:Effect of wettability and pore structure properties

Multiphase flow in low permeability porous media is involved in numerous energy and environmental applications.However,a complete description of this process is challenging due to the limited modeling scale and the effects of complex pore structures and wettability.To address this issue,based on the digital rock of low permeability sandstone,a direct numerical simulation is performed considering the interphase drag and boundary slip to clarify the microscopic water-oil displacement process.In addition,a dual-porosity pore network model(PNM)is constructed to obtain the water-oil relative permeability of the sample.The displacement efficiency as a recovery process is assessed under different wetting and pore structure properties.Results show that microscopic displacement mechanisms explain the corresponding macroscopic relative permeability.The injected water breaks through the outlet earlier with a large mass flow,while thick oil films exist in rough hydrophobic surfaces and poorly connected pores.The variation of water-oil relative permeability is significant,and residual oil saturation is high in the oil-wet system.The flooding is extensive,and the residual oil is trapped in complex pore networks for hydrophilic pore surfaces;thus,water relative permeability is lower in the water-wet system.While the displacement efficiency is the worst in mixed-wetting systems for poor water connectivity.Microporosity negatively correlates with invading oil volume fraction due to strong capillary resistance,and a large microporosity corresponds to low residual oil saturation.This work provides insights into the water-oil flow from different modeling perspectives and helps to optimize the development plan for enhanced recovery.

A hybrid machine learning optimization algorithm for multivariable pore pressure prediction

Pore pressure is essential data in drilling design,and its accurate prediction is necessary to ensure drilling safety and improve drilling efficiency.Traditional methods for predicting pore pressure are limited when forming particular structures and lithology.In this paper,a machine learning algorithm and effective stress theorem are used to establish the transformation model between rock physical parameters and pore pressure.This study collects data from three wells.Well 1 had 881 data sets for model training,and Wells 2 and 3 had 538 and 464 data sets for model testing.In this paper,support vector machine(SVM),random forest(RF),extreme gradient boosting(XGB),and multilayer perceptron(MLP)are selected as the machine learning algorithms for pore pressure modeling.In addition,this paper uses the grey wolf optimization(GWO)algorithm,particle swarm optimization(PSO)algorithm,sparrow search algorithm(SSA),and bat algorithm(BA)to establish a hybrid machine learning optimization algorithm,and proposes an improved grey wolf optimization(IGWO)algorithm.The IGWO-MLP model obtained the minimum root mean square error(RMSE)by using the 5-fold cross-validation method for the training data.For the pore pressure data in Well 2 and Well 3,the coefficients of determination(R^(2))of SVM,RF,XGB,and MLP are 0.9930 and 0.9446,0.9943 and 0.9472,0.9945 and 0.9488,0.9949 and 0.9574.MLP achieves optimal performance on both training and test data,and the MLP model shows a high degree of generalization.It indicates that the IGWO-MLP is an excellent predictor of pore pressure and can be used to predict pore pressure.

Experimental investigation on coal pore-fracture variation and fractal characteristics synergistically affected by solvents for improving clean gas extraction

Chemical solvents instead of pure water being as hydraulic fracturing fluid could effectively increase permeability and improve clean methane extraction efficiency.However,pore-fracture variation features of lean coal synergistically affected by solvents have not been fully understood.Ultrasonic testing,nuclear magnetic resonance analysis,liquid phase mass spectrometry was adopted to comprehensively analyze pore-fracture change characteristics of lean coal treated by combined solvent(NMP and CS_(2)).Meanwhile,quantitative characterization of above changing properties was conducted using geometric fractal theory.Relationship model between permeability,fractal dimension and porosity were established.Results indicate that the end face fractures of coal are well developed after CS2and combined solvent treatments,of which,end face box-counting fractal dimensions range from 1.1227 to 1.4767.Maximum decreases in ultrasonic longitudinal wave velocity of coal affected by NMP,CS_(2)and combined solvent are 2.700%,20.521%,22.454%,respectively.Solvent treatments could lead to increasing amount of both mesopores and macropores.Decrease ratio of fractal dimension Dsis 0.259%–2.159%,while permeability increases ratio of NMR ranges from 0.1904 to 6.4486.Meanwhile,combined solvent could dissolve coal polar and non-polar small molecules and expand flow space.Results could provide reference for solvent selection and parameter optimization of permeability-enhancement technology.

Free radicals trigger the closure of open pores in lignin-derived hard carbons toward improved sodium-storage capacity

The chemical activation of various precursors is effective for creating additional closed pores in hard carbons for sodium storage.However,the formation mechanism of closed pores under the influence of pore-forming agents is not well understood.Herein,an effective chemical activation followed by a high-temperature self-healing strategy is employed to generate interconnected closed pores in lignin-derived hard carbon(HCs).By systematic experimental design combined with electron paramagnetic res-onance spectroscopy,it can be found that the content of free radicals in the carbon matrix influences the closure of open pores at high temperatures.Excessively high activation temperature(>700 C)leads to a low free radical concentration,making it difficult to achieve self-healing of open pores at high tempera-tures.By activation at 700°C,a balance between pore making and self-healing is achieved in the final hard carbon.A large number of free radicals triggers rapid growth and aggregation of carbon microcrys-tals,blocking pre-formed open micropores and creating additional interconnected closed pores in as-obtained hard carbons.As a result,the optimized carbon anode(LK-700-1300)delivers a high reversible capacity of 330.8 mA h g^(-1) at 0.03 A g^(-1),which is an increase of 86 mA h g^(-1) compared to the pristine lignin-derived carbon anode(L-700-1300),and exhibits a good rate performance(202.1 mA h g^(-1) at 1 A g^(-1)).This work provides a universal and effective guidance for tuning closed pores of hard carbons from otherprecursors.

The Negative Thermal Expansion Property of NdMnO_(3) Based on Pores Effect and Phase Transition

A novel negative thermal expansion(NTE) material NdMnO_(3) was synthesized by solid-state method at 1 523 K. The crystal structure, phase transition, pores effect and negative expansion properties of NdMnO_(3) were investigated by variable temperature X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscope(SEM) and variable temperature Raman spectra. The compound exhibits NTE properties in the orderly O' phase crystal structure. When the temperature is from 293 to 759 K, the ceramic NdMnO_(3) shows negative thermal expansion of-4.7×10^(-6)/K. As temperature increases, the ceramic NdMnO_(3) presents NTE property range from 759 to 1 007 K. The average linear expansion coefficient is-18.88×10^(-6)/K. The physical mechanism of NTE is discussed and clarified through experiments.

A novel box-counting method for quantitative fractal analysis of threedimensional pore characteristics in sandstone

Fractal theory offers a powerful tool for the precise description and quantification of the complex pore structures in reservoir rocks,crucial for understanding the storage and migration characteristics of media within these rocks.Faced with the challenge of calculating the three-dimensional fractal dimensions of rock porosity,this study proposes an innovative computational process that directly calculates the three-dimensional fractal dimensions from a geometric perspective.By employing a composite denoising approach that integrates Fourier transform(FT)and wavelet transform(WT),coupled with multimodal pore extraction techniques such as threshold segmentation,top-hat transformation,and membrane enhancement,we successfully crafted accurate digital rock models.The improved box-counting method was then applied to analyze the voxel data of these digital rocks,accurately calculating the fractal dimensions of the rock pore distribution.Further numerical simulations of permeability experiments were conducted to explore the physical correlations between the rock pore fractal dimensions,porosity,and absolute permeability.The results reveal that rocks with higher fractal dimensions exhibit more complex pore connectivity pathways and a wider,more uneven pore distribution,suggesting that the ideal rock samples should possess lower fractal dimensions and higher effective porosity rates to achieve optimal fluid transmission properties.The methodology and conclusions of this study provide new tools and insights for the quantitative analysis of complex pores in rocks and contribute to the exploration of the fractal transport properties of media within rocks.

Effects of confining pressure and pore pressure on multipole borehole acoustic field in fluid-saturated porous media

In-situ stress is a common stress in the exploration and development of oil reservoirs. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the propagation characteristics of borehole acoustic waves in fluid-saturated porous media under stress.Based on the acoustoelastic theory of fluid-saturated porous media, the field equation of fluid-saturated porous media under the conditions of confining pressure and pore pressure and the acoustic field formula of multipole source excitation in open hole are given. The influences of pore pressure and confining pressure on guided waves of multipole borehole acoustic field in fluid-saturated porous media are investigated. The numerical results show that the phase velocity and excitation intensity of guided wave increase significantly under the confining pressure. For a given confining pressure, the phase velocity of the guided wave decreases with pore pressure increasing. The excitation intensity of guided wave increases at low frequency and then decreases at high frequency with pore pressure increasing, except for that of Stoneley wave which decreases in the whole frequency range. These results will help us get an insight into the influences of confining pressure and pore pressure on the acoustic field of multipole source in borehole around fluid-saturated porous media.

Pore-pressure and stress-coupled creep behavior in deep coal:Insights from real-time NMR analysis

Understanding the variations in microscopic pore-fracture structures(MPFS) during coal creep under pore pressure and stress coupling is crucial for coal mining and effective gas treatment. In this manuscript, a triaxial creep test on deep coal at various pore pressures using a test system that combines in-situ mechanical loading with real-time nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) detection was conducted.Full-scale quantitative characterization, online real-time detection, and visualization of MPFS during coal creep influenced by pore pressure and stress coupling were performed using NMR and NMR imaging(NMRI) techniques. The results revealed that seepage pores and microfractures(SPM) undergo the most significant changes during coal creep, with creep failure gradually expanding from dense primary pore fractures. Pore pressure presence promotes MPFS development primarily by inhibiting SPM compression and encouraging adsorption pores(AP) to evolve into SPM. Coal enters the accelerated creep stage earlier at lower stress levels, resulting in more pronounced creep deformation. The connection between the micro and macro values was established, demonstrating that increased porosity at different pore pressures leads to a negative exponential decay of the viscosity coefficient. The Newton dashpot in the ideal viscoplastic body and the Burgers model was improved using NMR experimental results, and a creep model that considers pore pressure and stress coupling using variable-order fractional operators was developed. The model’s reasonableness was confirmed using creep experimental data. The damagestate adjustment factors ω and β were identified through a parameter sensitivity analysis to characterize the effect of pore pressure and stress coupling on the creep damage characteristics(size and degree of difficulty) of coal.

An adaptive physics-informed deep learning method for pore pressure prediction using seismic data

Accurate prediction of formation pore pressure is essential to predict fluid flow and manage hydrocarbon production in petroleum engineering.Recent deep learning technique has been receiving more interest due to the great potential to deal with pore pressure prediction.However,most of the traditional deep learning models are less efficient to address generalization problems.To fill this technical gap,in this work,we developed a new adaptive physics-informed deep learning model with high generalization capability to predict pore pressure values directly from seismic data.Specifically,the new model,named CGP-NN,consists of a novel parametric features extraction approach(1DCPP),a stacked multilayer gated recurrent model(multilayer GRU),and an adaptive physics-informed loss function.Through machine training,the developed model can automatically select the optimal physical model to constrain the results for each pore pressure prediction.The CGP-NN model has the best generalization when the physicsrelated metricλ=0.5.A hybrid approach combining Eaton and Bowers methods is also proposed to build machine-learnable labels for solving the problem of few labels.To validate the developed model and methodology,a case study on a complex reservoir in Tarim Basin was further performed to demonstrate the high accuracy on the pore pressure prediction of new wells along with the strong generalization ability.The adaptive physics-informed deep learning approach presented here has potential application in the prediction of pore pressures coupled with multiple genesis mechanisms using seismic data.

Prediction of the Pore-Pressure Built-Up and Temperature of Fire-Loaded Concrete with Pix2Pix

Concrete subjected to fire loads is susceptible to explosive spalling, which can lead to the exposure of reinforcingsteel bars to the fire, substantially jeopardizing the structural safety and stability. The spalling of fire-loaded concreteis closely related to the evolution of pore pressure and temperature. Conventional analytical methods involve theresolution of complex, strongly coupled multifield equations, necessitating significant computational efforts. Torapidly and accurately obtain the distributions of pore-pressure and temperature, the Pix2Pix model is adoptedin this work, which is celebrated for its capabilities in image generation. The open-source dataset used hereinfeatures RGB images we generated using a sophisticated coupled model, while the grayscale images encapsulate the15 principal variables influencing spalling. After conducting a series of tests with different layers configurations,activation functions and loss functions, the Pix2Pix model suitable for assessing the spalling risk of fire-loadedconcrete has been meticulously designed and trained. The applicability and reliability of the Pix2Pix model inconcrete parameter prediction are verified by comparing its outcomes with those derived fromthe strong couplingTHC model. Notably, for the practical engineering applications, our findings indicate that utilizing monochromeimages as the initial target for analysis yields more dependable results. This work not only offers valuable insightsfor civil engineers specializing in concrete structures but also establishes a robust methodological approach forresearchers seeking to create similar predictive models.

Research on Multi-Wave Pore Pressure Prediction Method Based on Three Field Velocity Fusion

The optimization of velocity field is the core issue in reservoir seismic pressure prediction. For a long time, the seismic processing velocity analysis method has been used in the establishment of pressure prediction velocity field, which has a long research period and low resolution and restricts the accuracy of seismic pressure prediction;This paper proposed for the first time the use of machine learning algorithms, based on the feasibility analysis of wellbore logging pressure prediction, to integrate the CVI velocity inversion field, velocity sensitive post stack attribute field, and AVO P-wave and S-wave velocity reflectivity to obtain high-precision seismic P and S wave velocities. On this basis, high-resolution formation pore pressure and other parameters prediction based on multi waves is carried out. The pressure prediction accuracy is improved by more than 50% compared to the P-wave resolution of pore pressure prediction using only root mean square velocity. Practice has proven that the research method has certain reference significance for reservoir pore pressure prediction.

Characterization of the pore system in an over-mature marine shale reservoir:A case study of a successful shale gas well in Southern Sichuan Basin,China

During the past two years the shale gas exploration in Southern Sichuan basin received some exciting achievements.Data of a new appraisal well showed that the gas producrtions of vertical well and horizontal well are^1.5×104 m3/day/well(with maximum^3.5×104 m3/day/well)and^12.5×104 m3/day/well(with maximum^40×104 m3/day/well),respectively,indicating a good gas potential in this area.Eight core samples from the reservoir were investigated by using a carbon sulfur analyzer,microphotometry,x-ray diffractometry,field-emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM),mercury injection porosimetry(MIP),and low-pressure nitrogen adsorption to obtain a better understanding of the reservoir characteristics of the Upper OrdovicianeLower Silurian organic-rich shale.Results show that the total organic carbon(TOC)content ranges from 0.5%to 5.9%,whereas the equivalent vitrinite reflectance(VRr)is between 2.8%and 3.0%.Pores in the studied samples were observed in three modes of occurrence,namely,interparticle pores,intraparticle pores,and intraparticle organic pores.The total porosity(P)ranges from 1.6%to 5.3%,and MIP data sets suggest that pores with throats larger than 20 nm contribute little to the pore volume.Low-pressure N2 adsorption isotherms indicate that the total specific surface area(SBET)ranges from 9.6 m2/g to 18.9 m2/g,and the pore volume(V)ranges from 0.011 cm3/g to 0.020 cm3/g.The plot of dV/dW versus W shows that the fine mesopores(pore size(BJH)<4 nm)mainly contribute to the pore volume.The P,SBET,and V show a good positive correlation with TOC and a weak positive correlation with the total clay mineral content,thus indicating that the nanopores are mainly generated by the decomposition of organic matter.The reservoir characteristics of the Upper OrdovicianeLower Silurian organic-rich shale are comparable with commercial shale gas plays in North America.The sample gas contents with TOC>2%are more than 3.0 m3/ton.The observation can be a good reference for the future exploration and evaluation of reservoir in this area.

Analysis of pore system model and physical property of coal reservoir in the Qinshui Basin

The Qinshui Basin in China is a major area for exploration and development of high rank coalbed methane. Due to the high rank coal and complicated pore system, no substantial breakthrough in the exploration and development of coalbed methane has been made until now. Many systematic tests show that a pore system of coal reservoir has some features as follows: the porosity is relatively low; the pore system is dominated by micropores and transition pores; mesopores take the second place, and macropores are nearly absent, which is exceedingly adverse for production of coal-bed methane. However, testing data also revealed the differential development for the pore of high rank coal reservoirs in the Qinshui Basin, which necessarily led to the different physical properties of desorption, diffusion and permeability. This paper classifies the testing data using cluster analysis method and selects the typical samples to establish four pore system models, analyzes the differences of reservoir physical property, and provides a guidance for the exploration and development of coalbed methane in the Qinshui Basin.

The pore-fracture system properties of coalbed methane reservoirs in the Panguan Syncline,Guizhou,China

The Panguan Syncline contains abundant coal resources, which may be a potential source of coalbed methane. In order to evaluate the coalbed methane production potential in this area, we investi- gated the pore-fracture system of coalbed methane reservoirs, and analyzed the gas sorption and seepage capacities by using various analytical methods, including scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, optical microscopy, mercury-injection test, low-temperature N2 isotherm adsorption/desorption analyses, low- field nuclear magnetic resonance and methane isothermal adsorption measurements. The results show that the samples of the coal reservoirs in the Panguan Syncline have moderate gas sorption capacity. However, the coals in the study area have favorable seepage capacities, and are conductive for the coalbed methane production. The physical properties of the coalbed methane reservoirs in the Panguan Syncline are gener- ally controlled by coal metamorphism： the low rank coal usually has low methane sorption capacity and its pore and microfractures are poorly developed; while the medium rank coal has better methane sorption capacity, and its seepage pores and microfractures are well developed, which are sufficient for the coalbed methane＇s gathering and exploration. Therefore, the medium rank coals in the Panguan Syncline are the most prospective targets for the coalbed methane exploration and production.

Multi-scale pore fractal characteristics of differently ranked coal and its impact on gas adsorption

Well-developed pores and cracks in coal reservoirs are the main venues for gas storage and migration.To investigate the multi-scale pore fractal characteristics,six coal samples of different rankings were studied using high-pressure mercury injection(HPMI),low-pressure nitrogen adsorption(LPGA-N2),and scanning electron microscopy(SEM)test methods.Based on the Frankel,Halsey and Hill(FHH)fractal theory,the Menger sponge model,Pores and Cracks Analysis System(PCAS),pore volume complexity(D_(v)),coal surface irregularity(Ds)and pore distribution heterogeneity(D_(p))were studied and evaluated,respectively.The effect of three fractal dimensions on the gas adsorption ability was also analyzed with high-pressure isothermal gas adsorption experiments.Results show that pore structures within these coal samples have obvious fractal characteristics.A noticeable segmentation effect appears in the Dv1and Dv2fitting process,with the boundary size ranging from 36.00 to 182.95 nm,which helps differentiate diffusion pores and seepage fractures.The D values show an asymmetric U-shaped trend as the coal metamorphism increases,demonstrating that coalification greatly affects the pore fractal dimensions.The three fractal dimensions can characterize the difference in coal microstructure and reflect their influence on gas adsorption ability.Langmuir volume(V_(L))has an evident and positive correlation with Dsvalues,whereas Langmuir pressure(P_(L))is mainly affected by the combined action of Dvand Dp.This study will provide valuable knowledge for the appraisal of coal seam gas reservoirs of differently ranked coals.

Pore-scale modeling of pore structure properties and wettability effect on permeability of low-rank coal

Permeability is a key parameter for coalbed methane development.Although the absolute permeability of coal has been extensively studied,wettability and pore structure properties continue to challenge the microscopic description of water-gas flow in coal.For this purpose,we reconstructed the microstructures of low-rank coal using micro-computed tomography(micro-CT)images.Pore geometry and pore-throat parameters are introduced to establish a relationship with absolute permeability.A dual-porosity pore network model is developed to study water-gas displacement under different wetting and pore structure properties.Results show that absolute permeability is significantly affected by pore geometry and can be described using a binary quadratic function of porosity and fractal dimension.Water-gas relative permeability varies significantly and the residual gas saturation is lower;the crossover saturation first decreased and then increased with increasing porosity under hydrophobic conditions.While the water relative permeability is lower and a certain amount of gas is trapped in complex pore-throat networks;the crossover saturation is higher under hydrophilic conditions.Models with large percolating porosity and well-developed pore networks have high displacement efficiency due to low capillary resistance and avoidance of trapping.This work provides a systematic description of absolute permeability and water-gas relative permeability in coal microstructure for enhanced gas recovery.

Probing deactivation by coking in catalyst pellets for dry reforming of methane using a pore network model

Dry reforming of methane(DRM) is an attractive technology for utilizing the greenhouse gases(CO_(2) and CH_(4)) to produce syngas. However, the catalyst pellets for DRM are heavily plagued by deactivation by coking, which prevents this technology from commercialization. In this work, a pore network model is developed to probe the catalyst deactivation by coking in a Ni/Al_(2)O_(3) catalyst pellet for DRM. The reaction conditions can significantly change the coking rate and then affect the catalyst deactivation. The catalyst lifetime is higher under lower temperature, pressure, and CH_(4)/CO_(2) molar ratio, but the maximum coke content in a catalyst pellet is independent of these reaction conditions. The catalyst pellet with larger pore diameter, narrower pore size distribution and higher pore connectivity is more robust against catalyst deactivation by coking, as the pores in this pellet are more difficult to be plugged or inaccessible.The maximum coke content is also higher for narrower pore size distribution and higher pore connectivity, as the number of inaccessible pores is lower. Besides, the catalyst pellet radius only slightly affects the coke content, although the diffusion limitation increases with the pellet radius. These results should serve to guide the rational design of robust DRM catalyst pellets against deactivation by coking.

Fibrous MXene Aerogels with Tunable Pore of Contaminated Seawater

The seawater desalination based on solardriven interfacial evaporation has emerged as a promising technique to alleviate the global crisis on freshwater shortage.However,achieving high desalination performance on actual,oil-contaminated seawater remains a critical challenge,because the transport channels and evaporation interfaces of the current solar evaporators are easily blocked by the oil slicks,resulting in undermined evaporation rate and conversion efficiency.Herein,we propose a facile strategy for fabricating a modularized solar evaporator based on flexible MXene aerogels with arbitrarily tunable,highly ordered cellular/lamellar pore structures for high-efficiency oil interception and desalination.The core design is the creation of 1D fibrous MXenes with sufficiently large aspect ratios,whose superior flexibility and plentiful link forms lay the basis for controllable 3D assembly into more complicated pore structures.The cellular pore structure is responsible for effective contaminants rejection due to the multi-sieving effect achieved by the omnipresent,isotropic wall apertures together with underwater superhydrophobicity,while the lamellar pore structure is favorable for rapid evaporation due to the presence of continuous,large-area evaporation channels.The modularized solar evaporator delivers the best evaporation rate(1.48 kg m-2h-1)and conversion efficiency(92.08%)among all MXene-based desalination materials on oil-contaminated seawater.