Influence of the mechanical properties of materials on the ultimate pressure-bearing capability of a pressure-preserving controller

The pressure-preserving controller is the core part of deep in-situ pressure-preserving coring(IPP-Coring) system, and its pressure-preserving capability is the key to IPP-Coring technology. To achieve a good understanding of the influence of mechanical properties of materials on the ultimate pressure-bearing capability(UPB-Capability) of the pressure-preserving controller, the IPP-Coring experimental platform was developed to test the UPB-Capability of pressure-preserving controllers of four different materials. The experimental results show that the UPB-Capability of pressure-preserving controllers with different material varies greatly. A numerical model of the pressure-preserving controller was developed to study the influences of mechanical parameters of materials on the UPB-Capability of the pressurepreserving controller after the accuracy of the numerical model is verified by experiments. The results indicate that the yield strength(YS) and Poisson's ratio(PR) of the material have little effect on the UPB-Capability of the pressure-preserving controller, whereas the elastic modulus(EM) of the material has a significant effect. A generalized model of the UPB-Capability of the pressure-preserving controller is developed to reveal the mechanism of the influence of material properties on the UPB-Capability of the pressure-preserving controllers. Considering these results, the future optimization direction of the pressure-preserving controller and material selection scheme in practical engineering applications of the pressure-preserving controller are suggested.

Numerical simulation and experimental verification of a novel double-layered split die for high-pressure apparatus used for synthesizing superhard materials

Based on the principles of massive support and lateral support, a novel double-layered split die(DLSD) for high-pressure apparatus was designed to achieve a higher pressure-bearing capacity and larger sample cavity. The stress distributions of the DLSDs with different numbers of divided blocks were investigated by the finite element method and compared with the stress distributions of the conventional belt-type die(BTD). The results show that the cylinders and first-layer supporting rings of the DLSDs have dramatically smaller stresses than those of the BTD. In addition, increasing the number of divided blocks from 4 to 10 gradually increases the stress of the cylinder but has minimal influence on the stress of the supporting rings. The pressure-bearing capacities of the DLSDs with different numbers of divided blocks, especially with fewer blocks, are all remarkably higher than the pressure-bearing capacity of the BTD. The contrast experiments were also carried out to verify the simulated results. It is concluded that the pressure-bearing capacities of the DLSDs with 4 and 8 divided blocks are 1.58 and 1.45 times greater than that of the BTD. This work is rewarding for the commercial synthesis of high-quality, large-sized superhard materials using a double-layered split high-pressure die.

“Extreme utilization” theory and practice in gas storages with complex geological conditions

Based on more than 20-year operation of gas storages with complex geological conditions and a series of research findings, the pressure-bearing dynamics mechanism of geological body is revealed. With the discovery of gas-water flowing law of multi-cycle relative permeability hysteresis and differential utilization in zones, the extreme utilization theory targeting at the maximum amount of stored gas, maximum injection-production capacity and maximum efficiency in space utilization is proposed to support the three-in-one evaluation method of the maximum pressure-bearing capacity of geological body, maximum well production capacity and maximum peak shaving capacity of storage space. This study realizes the full potential of gas storage(storage capacity) at maximum pressure, maximum formation-wellbore coordinate production, optimum well spacing density match with finite-time unsteady flow, and peaking shaving capacity at minimum pressure, achieving perfect balance between security and capacity. Operation in gas storages, such as Hutubi in Xinjiang, Xiangguosi in Xinan, and Shuang6 in Liaohe, proves that extreme utilization theory has promoted high quality development of gas storages in China.