Possibility of the Application of the Ultra-long Electromagnetic Wave Remote Sensor to Marine Geological Exploration

The ultra-long electromagnetic wave remote sensing technique developed by Peking University is one of new future techniques, which can detect the submarine geological information from the depth of 20 to 10000 m below the surface by receiving natural ultra-long electromagnetic waves (n Hz to n 100 Hz). The new remote sensor is composed of three parts: a main instrument with a portable computer, an antenna with an amplifier and an external power.

Hydraulic fracture geometry and proppant distribution in thin interbedded shale oil reservoirs

Small-scale true triaxial sand fracturing experiments are conducted on thin interbedded shale samples made from cores of Permian Lucaogou Formation shale oil reservoir in Jimsar sag, Junggar Basin, NW China. Combined with high-precision CT scanning digital core model reconstruction technology, hydraulic fracture geometry and proppant distribution in thin interbedded shale oil reservoirs are studied. The research shows that: In thin interbedded shale oil reservoir, the interlayer difference of rock mechanics and the interlayer interface near the wellbore cannot restrain the growth of fracture height effectively, but has a significant impact on the fracture width distribution in the fracture height direction. Hydraulic fractures in these reservoirs tend to penetrate into the adjacent layer in “step-like” form, but have a smaller width at the interface deflection, which hinders the transport of proppant in vertical direction, resulting in a poor effect of layer-crossing growth. In shale layers with dense laminae, hydraulic fractures tend to form “丰” or “井” shapes. If the perforated interval is large in rock strength and high in breakdown pressure, the main fracture is fully developed initially, large in width, and supported by enough sand. In contrast, if the perforated interval is low in strength and rich in laminae, the fracturing fluid filtration loss is large, the breakdown pressure is low, the main fracture will not open wide initially, and likely to have sand plugging. Proppant is mainly concentrated in the main hydraulic fractures with large width near the perforated layer, activated laminae, branch fractures and fractures in adjacent layers contain only a small amount of(or zero) proppant. The proppant is placed in a limited range on the whole. The limit width of fracture that proppant can enter is about 2.7 times the proppant particle size.

Laboratory investigation on hydraulic fracture propagation in sandstone-mudstone-shale layers

During the stimulating unconventional reservoirs, the vertical propagation of hydraulic fractures is crucial for enlarging the stimulated reservoir volume, especially in multi-layers of sandstone, mudstone and shale(sand-mud-shale). To investigate the effects of lithological interface and fracturing fluid viscosity on the fracture propagation vertically in the multi-layers, hydraulic fracturing experiments in laboratory were performed on the outcrop samples of 30 cm × 30 cm × 30 cm collected from Yanchang Formation in Ordos Basin. The results show that hydraulic fractures are multi-branched and zig-zagged when they initiate in shale, simple when they commence in sandstone or mudstone. Hydraulic fractures created with low-viscosity fracturing fluid can only cross sandstone from mudstone, but those induced by high-viscosity fracturing fluid can cross the sand-mud-shale layers. Furthermore, the high-viscosity fracturing fluid reduces the fractures complexity in shale, facilitating vertical fracture propagation. The injection pressure fluctuates slightly as the hydraulic fracture extends from shale to sandstone or mudstone, otherwise it fluctuates significantly. From the laboratory investigation, a hydraulic fracturing scheme for Chang 7 Member was proposed, with its feasibility proved in field tests.

Numerical Modeling of Deformation at the Baiyun Gold Deposit,Northeastern China:Insights into the Structural Controls on Mineralization

The Qingchengzi ore field is an important gold-polymetallic center of the North China Cra-ton.It has been recognized that the gold deposits in Qingchengzi were controlled by structures like litho-logical interfaces and fractures along mechanically weak bedding and foliation planes,but it still remains poorly understood how the structures affected the localization of the gold deposits.Finite element based numerical modeling was used to reproduce the deformation process of the Baiyun gold deposit during the mineralization period.Paleoproterozoic schist and marble are widely exposed in Qingchengzi,and a large part of the Baiyun gold ores occurs along the interfaces between the schist and the marble.The modeling results suggest that the mechanical contrast between the schist and the marble may be a major reason why the stress was localized along their lithological interfaces under a compressional stress regime.Two parts of their lithological interfaces were identified to be easily stress-localized and first fractured:the interface between the schist and its underlying marble at shallower levels and the one between the schist and its overlying marble at deeper levels.Stress concentration in these two parts is independent on the dipping angle and direction of the interfaces.Therefore,mineralizing fluids may have been concentrated into these two parts.The first one is consistent with the present ore bodies of the Baiyun gold deposit,and the second one could be considered for deep prospecting.These findings also provide implications for the structural controls of lithological interfaces on the mineralization in other gold deposits of this region.