A quantitative approach to monitoring new sand cay migration in Nansha Islands

Sand cay is a special kind of islet formed by coral detritus and bioclast, which is common in Nansha Islands of China. Some sand cays play an important role in ocean strategy and economy, but surprisingly we know little about them, especially those recently formed sand cays. In this research, we monitor migration of a new sand cay in Nanxun Jiao（Gaven Reef） using a series of Quick Bird and World View-2 satellite images between June 2006 and August 2013. We conduct a regression between migration distance and wind observational data to examine the migration patterns of the new sand cay. The migration distance is calculated based on the sand cay locations extracted based on Normalized Difference Water Index（NDWI）. The wind observational data downloaded from NOAA are reformed into four wind direction vectors. Based on the results of regression, we concluded that the migration of the new sand cay on Nanxun Jiao was significantly associated with the east, west and north wind.East wind was the main influence factor of the migration; its impact strength was almost twice as the west and north wind. The south wind has little effect on the migration of the sand cay, which is partly blocked by the artificial structure in the south.

Migration process of ammonium ion in saturated silty sand and sandy loam

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Experimental study of the critical sand starting velocity of gas-watersand flow in an inclined pipe

The purpose of this paper is to study the critical sand starting velocity and transformation law of flow pattern based on gas-water-sand three-phase flow in an inclined pipe.Firstly,the indoor simulation experiment system of gas-water-sand three-phase flow was used to test the conversion law of flow pattern based upon the different gas void fraction.Secondly,the influence of slug bubbles on sand migration was investigated according to distinctive hole deviation angles,gas void fraction and sand concentration.Finally,the critical sand starting velocity was tested based on dissimilar hole deviation angles,gas void fraction,sand concentration and sand particle size,and then the influence of the abovementioned key parameters on the sand starting velocity was debated based on the force analysis of the sand particles.The experimental results illustrated that when the gas void fraction was less than 5%,it was bubbly flow.When it increased from 5%to 30%,the bubbly flow and slug flow coexisted.When it was between 30%and 50%,the slug flow and agitated flow coexisted.When it reached 50%,it was agitated flow.Providing that the hole deviation angle was 90°,the phenomenon of overall migration and wavelike migration on the surface of sand bed was observed.On the contrary,the phenomenon of rolling and jumping migration was recognized.The critical sand starting velocity was positively correlated with the hole deviation angle and sand particle size,but negatively associated with the gas void fraction and sand concentration.This research can provide a certain reference for sand-starting production in the field of petroleum engineering.

Self-aggregating behavior of poly(4-vinyl pyridine)and the potential in mitigating sand production based onπ-πstacking interaction

Unconsolidated sandstone reservoirs are most susceptible to sand production that leads to a dramatic oil production decline.In this study,the poly(4-vinyl pyridine)(P_(4)VP)incorporated with self-aggregating behavior was proposed for sand migration control.The P_(4)VP could aggregate sand grains spontaneously throughπ-πstacking interactions to withstand the drag forces sufficiently.The influential factors on the self-aggregating behavior of the P_(4)VP were evaluated by adhesion force test.The adsorption as well as desorption behavior of P_(4)VP on sand grains was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and adhesion force test at different pH conditions.The result indicated that the pH altered the forms of surface silanol groups on sand grains,which in turn affected the adsorption process of P_(4)VP.The spontaneous dimerization of P_(4)VP molecules resulting from theπ-πstacking interaction was demonstrated by reduced density gradient analysis,which contributed to the self-aggregating behavior and the thermally reversible characteristic of the P_(4)VP.Dynamic sand stabilization test revealed that the P_(4)VP showed wide pH and temperature ranges of application.The production of sands can be mitigated effectively at 20-130℃ within the pH range of 4-8.

Sediment mathematical model for sand ridges and sand waves

A new theoretical model is formulated to describe internal movement mechanisms of the sand ridges and sand waves based on the momentum equation of a solid-liquid two-phase flow under a shear flow. Coupling this equation with two-dimensional shallow water equations and wave reflection-diffraction equation of mild slope, a two-dimensional coupling model is established and a validation is carried out by observed hydrogeology, tides,waves and sediment. The numerical results are compared with available observations. Satisfactory agreements are achieved. This coupling model is then applied to the Dongfang 1-1 Gas Field area to quantitatively predict the movement and evolution of submarine sand ridges and sand waves. As a result, it is found that the sand ridges and sand waves movement distance increases year by year, but the development trend is stable.

PROCESS CONTROL OF THE SAND WAVE MIGRATION IN BEIBU GULF OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

Based on the environment characteristics of the Beibu Gulf of South China Sea, a quasi-three-dimensional physical model is built. By coupling the bottom boundary layer with the two-dimensional tidal current field near the seabed surface, the quasi-three-dimensional hydrodynamic numerical simulation is carried out. The sand wave migration process is dealt with by coupling the hydrodynamic model with the sediment transport model. The computational results are shown to be in good agreement with the observed data, which indicates that the quasi-three-dimensional physical model can be used to simulate the migration process for small scale sand waves. Then, based on measured data, the evolution of the sand wave migration is investigated. An effective formula is developed to predict the migration rate, in which not only the effects of the environment but also the features of sand waves are considered.