Wave-induced seepage and its possible contribution to the formation of pockmarks in the Huanghe(Yellow) River delta

Wave-induced seepage and its possible contribution to the formation of pockmarks in the Huanghe(Yellow) River delta were investigated experimentally and numerically. Laboratory experiments were carried out to explore the response of a layered silty seabed with various saturation conditions under cyclic wave loads,in which the pore pressure and seepage-related phenomena were particularly monitored. Numerical models to simulate wave-induced seepage in the seabed were presented and evaluated,then applied to the Huanghe River delta. The experimental results show that the excess pore pressure decreases more rapidly at the surface layer,while the seepage-related phenomena are more pronounced when large cyclic loads are applied and the underlying layer is less saturated. The proposed numerical models were verified by comparing with the experiments. The calculated seepage depth agreed well with the depth of the pockmarks in the Huanghe River delta. The experimental and numerical results and the existing insitu investigations indicate that the wave-induced seepage may be a direct cause of the pockmarks in the Huanghe River delta. Extreme storm waves and the dual-layered structure of hard surface layer and weak underlying layer are essential external and internal factors,respectively. Wave- or current-induced scour and transport are possible contributors to the reformation of pockmarks at a later stage.

Development characteristics and quantitative prediction of reservoir fractures in the Chaoyanggou oil field

The Chaoyanggou oil field is a fractured low-permeability reservoir, where the distribution of oil and gas is controlled by the distribution and development of fractures.Based on outcrop, drilling core, thin section and log data, the development characteristics of fractures in this area are described.On this basis, the degree of fracture development was predicted by quantitative analysis of fracture strength and numerical simulation.The result shows that four groups of structural fractures, i.e., in near NS, and EW directions and in due NW and NE directions, were developed in the reservoir, with the nearly NS and EW fractures dominant, which are the along bedding decollement fractures formed by compressive folding action, while low angle shear fractures are related to thrusts.These fractures are mainly formed in the reversed tectonic stage at the end of the Mingshui formation during the Cretaceous period.The degree of fracture development is controlled by such factors as lithology, stratum thickness, faults, folds and depth.The fractures are developed with a clear zonation and are best developed in the northern zone, moderately developed towards the south and poorly developed in the middle zone.These prediction results are in good agreement with interpretation results from logs.

Determining the Optimum Inflow Rates for Micro-flood Irrigation on the Tukulu Soil

The performance of micro flood irrigation （MFI） under different inflow rates was evaluated on 90 m closed ended furrows in the South African Tukulu soil. A single irrigation was used to characterise the surface and subsurface soil water distribution from the 20, 40, 80 and 160 L/min inflow rates treatments. Neutron access tubes were installed to a depth of 1 m at every 10 m distance interval starting at 5 m from the furrow inlet. Soil water content measurements were taken using the WaterMan neutron water meter. The HYDRUS-2D software was also used to provide insight on irrigated furrows soil water content and subsurface water distribution. The 20 L/min produced a stream flow that could advance up to the 60 m furrow distance. The stream flow from the rest of the inflow rates were able to reach the furrow end with the 180 L/min recording the fastest advance time of 23 min. The 20 L/min and 40 L/min had recession period of less than 7 min while the 80 L/rain and 160 L/min lasted more than an hour. Distribution uniformity （DU） at longer furrow distances was the highest from the 80 L/min and 160 L/min with the 20 L/min and 40 L/min recorded similar performances at shorter distances. The 40 L/rain was one of the smaller inflow rates that recorded the highest DU of 0.96 for the generated average infiltrated depth of the 30 m long furrow and therefore should be adopted for furrow distances of less than 60 m on the Tukulu soil.