Investigation on microscopic invasion characteristics and retention mechanism of fracturing fluid in fractured porous media

Reservoir damage caused by guar gum fracturing fluid and slick water seriously affects the subsequent oil and gas production. However, the invasion characteristics and retention mechanisms of fracturing fluids in the fracture-matrix zone are still unclear. In this work, a microscopic model reflecting the characteristics of the fracture-matrix zone was designed. Based on the microfluidic experimental method, the process of fracturing fluid invasion, flowback and retention in the fracture-matrix zone was investigated visually and characterized quantitatively. The factors and mechanisms affecting fracturing fluid retention in the fracture-matrix zone were analyzed and clarified. The results indicated that in the invasion process, the frontal swept range of slick water was larger than that of the guar gum fracturing fluid, and the oil displacement efficiency and damage rate were lower than those of the guar gum fracturing fluid under the same invasion pressure. With the increase in invasion pressure, the damage rate of slick water increased from 61.09% to 82.77%, and that of the guar gum fracturing fluid decreased from 93.45% to83.36%. Before subsequent oil production, the invaded fracturing fluid was mainly concentrated in the medium-high permeability area of the fracture-matrix zone. The main resistance of slick water was capillary force, while that of the guar fracturing fluid was mainly viscous resistance. The fracturing fluid retention was most serious in the low permeability region and the region near the end of the fracture.The experimental and numerical simulation results showed that increasing the production pressure difference could improve the velocity field distribution of the fracture-matrix zone, increase the flowback swept range and finally reduce the retention rate of the fracture fluid. The retention mechanisms of slick water in the fracture-matrix zone include emulsion retention and flow field retention, while those of the guar gum fracturing fluid include viscous retention and flow field retention. Emulsion retention is caused by capillary force and flow interception effect. Viscous retention is caused by the viscous resistance of polymer, while flow-field retention is caused by uneven distribution of flowback velocity.

Preliminary study of the retention mechanism of planktonic copepods in the Jiulong Estuary in China

The horizontal and vertical distribution patterns of five planktonic copepods, Calanus sinicus, Acartia pacifica, Tortanus derjugini, Acartiella sinensis and Pseudodiaptomus poplesia, predominant in the Jiulong Estuary, were investigated from May 2003 to April 2004. The results showed that the distribution of these copepods was related to the tidal period but that each species had its own specific pattern. C. sinicus showed no tidal vertical migration behavior and was thought to be a non-resident species in this estuary. Among Acartia pacifica, T. derjugini,Acartiella sinensis, more individuals occurred in the surface than in the bottom waters during flood tide, and the pattern was reversed during ebb tide. The epibenthic copepod P. poplesia usually remained in the bottom waters in the upstream part of the estuary, but it displayed strong tidally-oriented vertical migration in the middle reaches of the estuary. Taking into account the hydrographic characteristics of the Jiulong Estuary, it was hypothesized that the planktonic copepods in this estuary had more or less adopted the mechanism of vertically migrating to the surface waters during flood tide in order to make use of the inflowing tide, and then sinking to the bottom during ebb tide to avoid being carried out of the estuary by net outflow.

Retention mechanism of calcium ferrite and compositions of ash on selenium during chemical looping gasification

Selenium pollution by coal utilization is of increasing concern.Calcium-iron(Ca-Fe)oxygen carriers(OCs)and alkali metal ions have strong inhibitory effects on selenium,which can reduce the emissions of selenium vapor.The retention mechanisms of selenium by Fe_(2)O_(3),CaFe_(2)O_(4),Ca_(2)Fe_(2)O_(5) and bottom ash are investigated during chemical looping gasification(CLG).Iron-based OC can oxidize H_(2)Se(g)to SeO_(2)(g);furthermore,lattice oxygen is released by Fe_(2)O_(3),contributing to the formation of an Fe-O-Se structure to retain selenium and form selenite.Because calcium ferrite is poorly oxidizing,it cannot oxidize H_(2)Se(g),but the CaO produced when OCs are reduced can react with H_(2)Se(g)to form CaSe(s),and this process can be promoted by H_(2)S(g).The best retention rates reached 32.301%when Ca_(2)Fe_(2)O_(5) was used.In the cyclic experiment,the selenium retention of the bottom ash gradually increases.Alkali metal ions in bottom ash are the main factor in retaining selenium.Ca^(2+) and Mg^(2+) do not easily vaporize due to their high melting points;therefore,their selenium retention is significantly better than that of K^(+) and Na^(+).This research provided a new idea for the removal of selenium by using OCs and bottom ash par-ticles during CLG.

Gas storage in shale pore system:A review of the mechanism,control and assessment

In the past 15 years,the shale gas revolution and large-scale commercial developments in the United States have driven the exploration and development of shale plays worldwide.Among many factors affecting shale gas exploration potential,the gas-bearing properties of shale(quantity,storage state,composition)and their controlling factors are the essential research attracting wide attention in the academic community.This paper reviews the research progress on the retention mechanism,influencing factors,and evaluation methods for resource potential of the shale gas system,and proposes further research directions.Sorption is the main mechanism of gas retention in organic-rich shales;the gas is mainly stored in nanopores of shale in free and sorption states.The presence of water and nonhydrocarbon gases in pores can complicate the process and mechanism of methane(CH4)sorption,and the related theoretical models still need further development.The in-situ gas content and gasbearing properties of shale are governed by the geological properties(organic matter abundance,kerogen type,thermal maturity,mineral composition,diagenesis),the properties of fluids in pores(water,CH_(4),non-hydrocarbon gases),and geological conditions(temperature,pressure,preservation conditions)of the shale itself.For a particular basin or block,it is still challenging to define the main controlling factors,screen favorable exploration areas,and locate sweet spots.Compared to marine shales with extensive research and exploration data,lacustrine and marine-continental transitional shales are a further expanding area of investigation.Various methods have been developed to quantitatively characterize the in-situ gas content of shales,but all these methods have their own limitations,and more in-depth studies are needed to accurately evaluate and predict the in-situ gas content of shales,especially shales at deep depth.

Retention Mechanism of Phenolic Compounds in Subcritical Water Chromatography

The transfer enthalpies and entropies of hydroxyl and nitryl in different mobile phase systems were compared by van＇t Hoff curve. Results suggest that the presence of acetonitrile and methanol in the mobile phase may decrease the interaction of solute and stationary phase with respect to subcritical water, thereby reducing the contribution of enthalpy to the retention. Retention mechanisms of phenolic compound appear to be more similar in subcritical water and water/methanol systems on the PRP-1 column. Hydrogen bond in subcritical water system plays a very important role in the retention of the phenols.

Retention model of protein for mixed-mode interaction mechanism in ion exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography

A unified retention equation of proteins was proved to be valid for a mixed-mode interaction mechanism in ion exchange chromatography (IEC) and hydrophobia interaction chro-matography (HIC). The reason to form a 'U' shape retention curve of proteins hi both HIC and IEC was explained and the concentration range of the strongest elution ability for the mobile phase was determined with this equation. The parameters in this equation could be used to characterize the difference for either HIC or IEC adsorbents and the changes in the molecular conformation of proteins. With the parameters in this equation, the contributions of salt and water in the mobile phase to the protein retention in HIC and IEC were discussed, respectively. In addition, the comparison between the unified equation and Melander' s three-parameter equation for mixed-mode interaction chromatography was also investigated and better results were obtained in former equation.

Sulfur retention efficiency of clean coke produced by co-pyrolysis of coal with CaCO_(3) to substitute household coal

Raw coal is used by many suburban and rural households for cooking and heating and results in severe air pollution,especially problematic SO_(2) emissions.A source treatment strategy was proposed to reduce SO_(2) emissions,which used the co-pyrolysis of raw coal with a CaCO3 additive to produce clean coke.The effect of Ca/S molar ratio on the SO_(2) capture efficiency of clean coke was investigated,and the SO_(2) retention efficiency was optimized at a Ca/S molar ratio of 1.5.The sulfur retention mechanism of clean coke was attributed to:(1)CaCO3 decomposition to CaO and partial reaction of CaO with H2S to generate CaS during pyrolysis.(2)Transformation of the remaining sulfur in the clean coke to SO_(2) during combustion,capture by unreacted CaO to form CaSO_(4),and direct oxidation of CaS to CaSO_(4).The feasibility of SO_(2) emission reduction by clean coke in a practical household stove was verified.

Microstructure refinement in biodegradable Zn-Cu-Ca alloy for enhanced mechanical properties,degradation homogeneity,and strength retention in simulated physiological condition

Zn-1.0Cu-0.5Ca(TA15)alloy has shown promising characteristics of enhanced mechanical properties and biodegradability for absorbable cardiovascular stents,endovascular devices,and wound closure devices applications.In this study,the TA15 alloy for bioabsorbable biomedical applications is investigated.In the conventionally cast TA15(TA15-C)alloy,CaZn_(13) phase are present as a large dendritic network with an average size of 73.25±112.84μm,Hot rolling of the TA15-C alloy has broken the long and dendritic network of the CaZn_(13) phases,however,the refined phases are observed as segregations and the distribution is non-uniform.These segregated CaZn_(13) suffered heavy localised corrosion which lead to poor mechanical properties in the as-fabricated condition and after biodegradation.Ultrasonic treatment(UST)during casting is identified as an effective technique for the refinement and redistribution of CaZn_(13) particles in TA15 alloy,which successfully reduce the size of the CaZn_(13) phase to 10.91±4.65μm in the as-solidified condition.After hot rolling,the UST processed TA15(TA15-UST)shows improved mechanical properties due to grain refinement and the reduction in microstructural defects,i.e.the broken CaZn_(13) phase.Results of 8-week immersion corrosion tests showed that both alloys possess very similar corrosion rate.However,TA15-UST has markedly improved corrosion homogeneity compared to TA15-N which favours the retention of mechanical properties even after prolonged exposure to physiological fluids.

Determination of Methanol Increment in Mobile Phase Consisting of Methanol and Water by On-line UV Spectrometry in Reversed Phase Liquid Chromatography

An on-line UV spectrometric method for the quantitative determination ofmethanol increment of methanol-water in the mobile phase (i.e., of greater concentration than thatof the mobile phase) by frontal analysis (FA) of insulin in reversed phase liquid chromatography(RPLC) was presented. When the methanol increment concentration ranged from 0.05% to 0.50%,V(CH_3OH)/V(H_2O), a set of elution curves could be obtained at 198 nm by a diode-array detector inthe presence of 47% methanol, V(CH_3OH)/V(H_2O) containing 0.03% hydrochloric acid,V(CH_3OH-H_2O)/V(HCl) in the mobile phase. The plateau height of the elution curves of the methanolincrement was found to be proportional to the methanol increment in the mobile phase. The methanolincrement could be determined on a quantitative basis. When the method was used to investigate theelution curve of insulin by FA in RPLC, a small plateau, being the methanol increment, was detectedbefore the usual insulin plateau of each elution curve. In this case the methanol increment wasfound to vary with insulin concentration in the mobile phase. When that concentration was between0.025 mg/mL and 0.30 mg/mL, the methanol increment could be determined in the range from 0.03% to0.19% with a deviation of ±10%. A nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer (NMR) was also employedto confirm the obtained result. A methodology with a very rigorous experimental procedure forobtaining results of such accuracy is also included. The presented result may be used to prove thata displacement process definitely occurs as insulin is adsorbed by the RPLC stationary phase inFA.

A Direct Evidence of Stoichiometric Displacement between Insulin and Methanol in Reversed Phase Liquid Chromatography

With four kinds of mobile phases, methanol water, ethanol water, 2 propanol and acetonitrile water (all containing 0 1% triflu roacetic acid), the displacement between solute and solvent in RPLC was proved to be universal in frontal analysis (FA). Based on the measured Z value in usual RPLC to be a constant and the quantitative determination of methanol increment in mobile phase in FA, the stoichiometric displacement (SD) between insulin and methanol was directly proved by the experiment. The SD was also proved to occur only on about the one fourth of the maximum amount of adsorbed methanol in the bonded phase layer (BPL) without any dynamic problem of mass transfer, while in FA, the SD firstly occurs on the surface of the BPL and then gradually sinks into the deeper sites companied with a dynamic problem. Although the displaced solvent by the same solute is less in the former case, the SD is independent of how deep of the solute enters the BPL. In addition, the adsorbed amount of solute on an adsorbent not only depends on the numbers of the adsorbed layer on the adsorbent surface, but also on the extent of the complete removal of the displaceable solvent in the BPL. The physical fundamental of the SD and the methodology for investigation were also discussed.