Pre-Drilling Prediction Techniques on the High-Temperature High-Pressure Hydrocarbon Reservoirs Offshore Hainan Island,China

Decreasing the risks and geohazards associated with drilling engineering in high-temperature high-pressure(HTHP) geologic settings begins with the implementation of pre-drilling prediction techniques(PPTs). To improve the accuracy of geopressure prediction in HTHP hydrocarbon reservoirs offshore Hainan Island, we made a comprehensive summary of current PPTs to identify existing problems and challenges by analyzing the global distribution of HTHP hydrocarbon reservoirs, the research status of PPTs, and the geologic setting and its HTHP formation mechanism. Our research results indicate that the HTHP formation mechanism in the study area is caused by multiple factors, including rapid loading, diapir intrusions, hydrocarbon generation, and the thermal expansion of pore fluids. Due to this multi-factor interaction, a cloud of HTHP hydrocarbon reservoirs has developed in the Ying-Qiong Basin, but only traditional PPTs have been implemented, based on the assumption of conditions that do not conform to the actual geologic environment, e.g., Bellotti's law and Eaton's law. In this paper, we focus on these issues, identify some challenges and solutions, and call for further PPT research to address the drawbacks of previous works and meet the challenges associated with the deepwater technology gap. In this way, we hope to contribute to the improved accuracy of geopressure prediction prior to drilling and provide support for future HTHP drilling offshore Hainan Island.

A Study of High-Temperature and High-Pressure Experiment of Correlativity between Deformational System of Au-Bearing Rocks and Element Adjustment

Modelling of migration and accumulation of elements Au and Ag in rocks under temperatures of 350–450°C and a confining pressure of 300 MPa and axial pressure of 100–150 MPa is conducted. It is found that the contents of gold and silver get higher in metallic sulphides such as pyrite, chalcopyrite and sphalerite as well as in quartz and muscovite, and get lower in chlorite, biotite, seriate, albite and calcite, showing that tectono-dynamics is one of the important factors for petrogenesis and metallogenesis.

Reaction mechanism of metal and pyrite under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions and improvement of the properties

Pyrite tailings are the main cause of acid mine wastewater.We propose an idea to more effectively use pyrite,and it is modified by exploiting the reducibility of metal represented by Al under high-pressure and high-temperature(HPHT)conditions.Upon increasing the Al addition,the conductivity of pyrite is effectively improved,which is nearly 734 times higher than that of unmodified pyrite at room temperature.First-principles calculations are used to determine the influence of a high pressure on the pyrite lattice.The high pressure increases the thermal stability of pyrite,reduces pyrite to highconductivity Fe7S8(pyrrhotite)by Al.Through hardness and density tests the influence of Al addition on the hardness and toughness of samples is explored.Finally we discuss the possibility of using other metal-reducing agents to improve the properties of pyrite.

Application of high-pressure water jet technology and the theory of rock burst control in roadway

This paper puts forward using high-pressure water jet technology to control rock burst in roadway, and analyzes the theory of controlling rock burst in roadway by the weak structure zone model. The weak structure zone is formed by using high-pressure water jet to cut the coal wall in a continuous and rotational way. In order to study the influence law of weak structure zone in surrounding rock, this paper numerically analyzed the influence law of weak structure zone, and the disturbance law of coal wall and floor under dynamic and static combined load. The results show that when the distance between high-pressure water jet drillings is 3 m and the diameter of drilling is 300 mm, continuous stress superposition zone can be formed. The weak structure zone can transfer and reduce the concentrated static load in surrounding rock, and then form distressed zone. The longer the high-pressure water jet drilling is, the larger the distressed zone is. The stress change and displacement change of non-distressed zone in coal wall and floor are significantly greater than that of distressed zone under dynamic and static combined load. And it shows that the distressed zone can effectively control rock burst in roadway under dynamic and static combined load. High-pressure water jet technology was applied in the haulage gate of 250203 working face in Yanbei Coal Mine, and had gained good effect. The study conclusions provide theoretical foundation and a new guidance for controlling rock burst in roadway.

In situ experimental study on TBM excavation with high-pressure water-jet-assisted rock breaking

China’s first high-pressure hydraulically coupled rock-breaking tunnel boring machine(TBM) was designed to overcome the rock breaking problems of TBM in super-hard rock geology, where high-pressure water jet system is configured, including high-flow pump sets, high-pressure rotary joint and high-pressure water jet injection device. In order to investigate the rock breaking performance of high-pressure water-jet-assisted TBM, in situ excavation tests were carried out at the Wan’anxi Water Diversion Project in Longyan, Fujian Province, China, under different water jet pressure and rotational speed. The rock-breaking performance of TBM was analyzed including penetration, cutterhead load, advance rate and field penetration index. The test results show that the adoption of high-pressure water-jet-assisted rock breaking technology can improve the boreability of rock mass, where the TBM penetration increases by 64% under the water jet pressure of 270 MPa. In addition, with the increase of the water jet pressure, the TBM penetration increases and the field penetration index decreases. The auxiliary rock-breaking effect of high-pressure water jet decreases with the increase of cutterhead rotational speed. In the case of the in situ tunneling test parameters of this study, the advance rate is the maximum when the pressure of the high-pressure water jet is 270 MPa and the cutterhead rotational speed is 6 r/min. The technical superiority of high-pressure water-jet-assisted rock breaking technology is highlighted and it provides guidance for the excavation parameter selection of high-pressure hydraulically coupled rock-breaking TBM.

EVOLUTION OF LIQUID WATER CONTENT IN A SEA FOG CONTROLLED BY A HIGH-PRESSURE PATTERN

On March 16–17, 2008, a sea fog occurred in Dianbai in the west of Guangdong Province and was accompanied by a high-pressure synoptic system. Using comprehensive observation datasets, this study analyzes the evolution of liquid water content during this sea fog and investigates the relationships between liquid water content and the average diameters and count densities of fog droplets, air temperature, wind speed and turbulence exchanges. The main results are presented as follows. (1) The sea fog showed a quasi-periodic oscillation characteristic, i.e., it developed, disappeared and then developed again. (2) During the sea fog, the number of fog droplets changed significantly while the changes in average diameter of the fog droplets were relatively small. The development and disappearance of the sea fog correlated significantly with the fog droplet numbers. (3) The air-cooling mechanism played a significant role in sea fog formation and development. However, the influences of this mechanism were not evident during fog persistence. (4) During sea fog formation, weak turbulence exchanges were helpful for fog formation. During sea fog development and persistence, liquid water content increased when turbulence exchanges weakened, and vice versa. The changes in turbulence exchanges were closely related to the quasi-periodic oscillations observed in sea fog presence.

Numerical Simulation Analysis of the Transformer Fire Extinguishing Process with a High-Pressure Water Mist System under Different Conditions

To thoroughly study the extinguishing effect of a high-pressure water mist fire extinguishing system when a transformer fire occurs,a 3D experimental model of a transformer is established in this work by employing Fire Dynamics Simulator(FDS)software.More specifically,by setting different parameters,the process of the highpressure water mist fire extinguishing system with the presence of both diverse ambient temperatures and water mist sprinkler laying conditions is simulated.In addition,the fire extinguishing effect of the employed high-pressure water mist system with the implementation of different strategies is systematically analyzed.The extracted results show that a fire source farther away fromthe centerline leads to a lower local temperature distribution.In addition,as the ambient temperature increases,the temperature above the fire source decreases,while the temperature and the concentrationof theupperflue gas layer bothdecrease.Interestingly,after thehigh-pressurewatermist sprinkler begins to operate,both the temperature distribution above the fire source and the concentration of the flue gas decrease,which indicates that the high-pressure water mist system plays the role of cooling and dust removal.By comparing various sprinkler laying methods,it is found that the lower sprinkler height has a better effect on the temperature above the fire source,the temperature of the upper flue gas layer,and the concentration of the flue gas.Moreover,when the sprinkler is spread over thewhole transformer,the cooling effect on both the temperature above the fire source and the temperature of the upper flue gas layer is good,whereas the change in the concentration of the flue gas above the fire source is not obvious compared to the case where the sprinkler is not fully spread.

Dynamic effects of high-pressure pulsed water jet in low-permeability coal seams

Mine gas extraction in China is difficult due to the characteristics such as micro-porosity,low-permeability and high adsorption of coal seams.The pulsed mechanismof a high-pressure pulsed water jet was studied through theoretical analysis,experimentand field measurement.The results show that high-pressure pulsed water jet has threedynamic properties.What's more,the three dynamic effects can be found in low-permeabilitycoal seams.A new pulsed water jet with 200-1 000 Hz oscillation frequency andpeak pressure 2.5 times than average pressure was introduced.During bubble collapsing,sound vibration and instantaneous high pressures over 100 MPa enhanced the cuttingability of the high-pressure jet.Through high-pressure pulsed water jet drilling and slotting,the exposure area of coal bodies was greatly enlarged and pressure of the coal seamsrapidly decreased.Therefore,the permeability of coal seams was improved and gas absorptionrate also decreased.Application results show that gas adsorption rate decreasedby 30%-40%and the penetrability coefficient increased 100 times.This proves that high-pressurepulsed water is more efficient than other conventional methods.

A Numerical Study on the Extinguishing Performances of High-Pressure Water Mist on Power-Transformer Fires for Different Flow Rates and Particle Velocities

In order to study the extinguishing performance of high-pressure-water-mist-based systems on the fires originating from power transformers the PyroSim software is used.Different particle velocities and flow rates are considered.The evolution laws of temperature around transformer,flue gas concentration and upper layer temperature of flue gas are analyzed under different boundary conditions.It is shown that the higher the particle velocity is,the lower the smoke concentration is,the better the cooling effect on the upper layer temperature of flue gas layer is,the larger the flow rate is and the better the cooling effect is.

Experimental and numerical study of the rheological characteristics and flow law of water-based drilling fluids in high-temperature and high-pressure wellbores

The local distributions of both the temperature and pressure have a great influence on the rheological characteristics of the drilling fluid,thereby affecting its flow law in a wellbore.Along these lines,in this work,the rheology of water-based drilling fluid samples under high-temperature(30°C–210°C)and high-pressure(34.5 MPa–172.4 MPa)(HTHP)conditions was systematically analyzed.The constitutive model of the variation of the apparent viscosity of the drilling fluid with the temperature and pressure was successfully established.The analysis revealed that,among the Bingham model,the Power law model,the Herschel-Bulkley(H-B)model,and the Casson model,the H-B model can accurately describe the rheology of the drilling fluid under HTHP conditions.Therefore,the H-B model was used to perform numerical simulations of the flow law of the water-based drilling fluid in the wellbore.The simulation results demonstrated that the drilling fluid viscosity decreased as the depth of the wellbore increased,and was mainly influenced by the temperature.The maximum viscosity inside the drill pipe was mainly concentrated in the middle region,and that of the fluid when flowing in the annulus was mainly concentrated on the side near the outer wall of the annulus.This work provides valuable insights for setting the key parameters of the drilling fluid and wellbore cleaning in the drilling operation of a 1×104 m deep well.

Impact of Burial Dissolution on the Development of Ultradeep Fault-controlled Carbonate Reservoirs:Insights from High-temperature and High-pressure Dissolution Kinetic Simulation

Burial dissolution is a critical diagenetic process influencing ultra-deep carbonate reservoir development and preservation.Artificial carbonate samples with different internal structures were prepared,and high-temperature and highpressure dissolution kinetic simulations were conducted.The results demonstrate that the intensity of burial dissolution is controlled by temperature and pressure,while tectonic-fluid activity influences the development pattern of burial dissolution,ultimately determining the direction of its differential modification.Extensive burial dissolution is likely to occur primarily at relatively shallow depths,significantly influencing reservoir formation,preservation,modification,and adjustment.The development of faults facilitates the maintenance of the intensity of burial dissolution.The maximum intensity of burial dissolution occurs at the tips and overlap zones of faults and intersections of multiple faults.The larger the scale of the faults,the more conducive it is to the development of burial dissolution.Burial dissolution fosters the formation of fault networks characterized by enhanced reservoir capacity and permeability.Burial dissolution controlled by episodic tectonic-fluid activity is a plausible explanation for forming the Tarim Basin's ultra-deep fault-controlled“stringbead-like”reservoirs.

A study of hydrate plug formation in a subsea natural gas pipeline using a novel high-pressure flow loop

The natural gas pipeline from Platform QKI8-1 in the southwest of Bohai Bay to the onshore processing facility is a subsea wet gas pipeline exposed to high pressure and low temperature for a long distance. Blockages in the pipeline occur occasionally. To maintain the natural gas flow in the pipeline, we proposed a method for analyzing blockages and ascribed them to the hydrate formation and agglomeration. A new high-pressure flow loop was developed to investigate hydrate plug formation and hydrate particle size, using a mixture of diesel oil, water, and natural gas as experimental fluids. The influences of pressure and initial flow rate were also studied. Experimental results indicated that when the flow rate was below 850 kg/h, gas hydrates would form and then plug the pipeline, even at a low water content （10%） of a water/oil emulsion. Furthermore, some practical suggestions were made for daily management of the subsea pipeline.

High-pressure Raman study of MgV_2O_6synthesized at highpressure and high temperature

A new structural phase of MgV2O6 was obtained by a high-pressure, high-temperature （HPHT） synthesis method. The new phase was investigated by the Rietveld analysis of X-ray powder diffraction data, showing space group Pbcn （No. 60） symmetry and a = 13.6113（6）A （1A =0.1 nm）, b = 5.5809（1）A, c = 4.8566（3）A, V = 368.93（2）A3 （Z = 4）. High pressure behavior was studied by Raman spectroscopy at room temperature. Under 22.5 GPa, there was no sign of a structural phase transition in the spectra, demonstrating stability of the HPHT phase up to the highest pressure.

Thermo-Economic Performance of Geothermal Driven High-Temperature Flash Tank Vapor Injection Heat Pump System:A Comparison Study

Process heating constitutes a significant share of final energy consumption in the industrial sector around the world.In this paper,a high-temperature heat pump(HTHP)using flash tank vapor injection technology(FTVI)is proposed to develop low-temperature geothermal source for industrial process heating with temperature above 100°C.With heat sink output temperatures between 120°C and 150°C,the thermo-economic performance of the FTVI HTHP system using R1234ze(Z)as refrigerant is analyzed and also compared to the single-stage vapor compression(SSVC)system by employing the developed mathematical model.The coefficient of performance(COP),exergy efficiency(ηexe),net present value(NPV)and payback period(PBP)are used as performance indicators.The results show that under the typical working conditions,the COP andηexe of FTVI HTHP system are 3.00 and 59.66%,respectively,and the corresponding NPV and PBP reach 8.13×106 CNY and 4.13 years,respectively.Under the high-temperature heating conditions,the thermo-economic performance of the FTVI HTHP system is significantly better than that of the SSVC system,and the larger the temperature lift,the greater the thermo-economic advantage of the FTVI HTHP system.Additionally,the FTVI HTHP system is more capable than the SSVC system in absorbing the financial risks associated with changes of electricity price and natural gas price.

Sources of high-temperature water and gas inrush during tunnel excavation:A case of Bangfu tunnel in Southwest China

Cases of simultaneous inrush of high-temperature water and harmful gases are infrequently reported in areas without geothermal anomalies,hydrocarbon source rock,or coal measures.For this,we investigated the origin,development,and formation of the high-temperature water and harmful gases that rushed into Bangfu tunnel,Southwest China.During excavation of the Bangfu tunnel through the F1-2 fault in sandstone,a significant incident occurred involving a sudden influx of high-temperature water(45.4℃)of NaeHCO_(3)type and harmful gases(CO_(2),H2S).An extensive geological examination uncovered a fault network extending from the crust to the mantle in the tunnel site area.The site features a substantial presence of both surface water and groundwater.Furthermore,within the middle crust at depths ranging from 19 km to 23 km,there are high-temperature ductile melts enriched with fluids and gases.Monitoring and experiments conducted on the harmful gases reveal that the primary source is identified in the crust,with the mantle source being secondary,followed by the atmospheric source being a minimal contribution.The hydrochemical and isotopic composition characteristics of the hightemperature rushed water indicate its evolution was formed through the infiltration of atmospheric precipitation from cold groundwater of the CaeHCO_(3)type.The mechanism underlying the formation of the inrush high-temperature water and harmful gases can be outlined as follows.The fault network,spanning from the crust to the mantle,serves as a migration pathway for the inflow substances.Mantlederived volatiles and high-temperature melts make heat energy facilitate the inrush activity,while groundwater contributes to heat transfer and acts as a medium for gas transport.As mantle-derived volatiles migrate towards the surface through the fault network,they mix with high-temperature melts and crust-derived gases,forming a crust-mantle mixed gas.Through processes such as deep hydrothermal circulation,shallow hydrothermal circulation,water/rock reaction,near-surface mixing,and dilution,CaeHCO_(3)type cold groundwater transforms into high-temperature water of NaeHCO_(3)type.The methodologies and findings of our research offer insights into the route selection,investigation,and construction of mountain tunneling projects under similar geological conditions.

Short-time Oxidation of Alloy 690 in High-temperature and High-pressure Steam and Water

The oxidation behavior of alloy 690 exposed to high-temperature and high-pressure steam and water at 280℃ for 1 h was investigated by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, atomic force microscopy （AFM） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）. In high-temperature and high-pressure steam, the oxide film is composed of an outermost Ni-rich hydroxides layer, an intermediate layer of hydroxides and oxides enriched in Cr, an inner oxide layer. The film formed in high-temperature water is similar to that in steam, except for missing the Ni-rich hydroxides layer. Samples with different surface finishes （electropolished, mechanically polished, ground, and as-received） were prepared for comparison. A general increase of the oxide thickness with the degree of surface roughness is observed. The equivalent oxide thicknesses lie in the range of 100-200 nm for the as-received samples, 150-250 nm for the samples ground to 400# and 10-20 nm for the samples ground to 1500#, mechanically polished, and electropolished.

Improvement of Cold Recycled Mixture Performance Based on Improved Density Test Method and RAP Characteristics

The available test methods for optimal moisture content of cold recycled mixture(CRM)as well as its bulk specific gravity,and theoretical maximum relative density were analyzed in this work.Some test improvements were suggested to improve test control of the CRM road performance based on the discovered flaws.Besides,the properties of reclaimed asphalt pavement(RAP),including the content of old asphalt,penetration index,passing rate of 4.75 mm sieve,and gradation change rate after extraction,were examined.The effects of RAP characteristics on splitting tensile strength,water stability,the high-and low-temperature performance of emulsified asphalt CRM were studied.The results show that the optimum moisture content of CRM should be determined when the compaction work matches the specimen’s molding work.Among the analyzed methods of bulk specific gravity assessment,the dry-surface and CoreLok methods provide more robust and accurate results than the wax-sealing method,while the dry-surface method is the most cost-efficient.The modified theoretical maximum relative density test method is proposed,which can reduce the systematic error of the vacuum test method.The following RAP-CRM trends can be observed.The lower the content of old asphalt and the smaller the change rate of gradation,the smaller the voids and the better the water stability of CRM.The greater the penetration of old asphalt,the higher the fracture work and low-temperature splitting strength.The greater the penetration,the higher the passing rate of 4.75 mm sieve after extraction,and the worse the high-temperature performance of CRM.

High-pressure capacity expansion and water injection mechanism and indicator curve model for fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs

Water injection for oil displacement is one of the most effective ways to develop fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs.With the increase in the number of rounds of water injection,the development effect gradually fails.The emergence of high-pressure capacity expansion and water injection technology allows increased production from old wells.Although high-pressure capacity expansion and water injection technology has been implemented in practice for nearly 10 years in fractured-vuggy reservoirs,its mechanism remains unclear,and the water injection curve is not apparent.In the past,evaluating its effect could only be done by measuring the injection-production volume.In this study,we analyze the mechanism of high-pressure capacity expansion and water injection.We propose a fluid exchange index for high-pressure capacity expansion and water injection and establish a discrete model suitable for high-pressure capacity expansion and water injection curves in fractured-vuggy reservoirs.We propose the following mechanisms:replenishing energy,increasing energy,replacing energy,and releasing energy.The above mechanisms can be identified by the high-pressure capacity expansion and water injection curve of the well HA6X in the Halahatang Oilfield in the Tarim Basin.By solving the basic model,the relative errors of Reservoirs I and II are found to be 1.9%and 1.5%,respectively,and the application of field examples demonstrates that our proposed high-pressure capacity expansion and water injection indicator curve is reasonable and reliable.This research can provide theoretical support for high-pressure capacity expansion and water injection technology in fracture-vuggy carbonate reservoirs.

Gold solubility in silicate melts and fluids:Advances from high-pressure and high-temperature experiments

The solubility of Au in silicate melts and fluids governs the enrichment and migration of Au during the formation of magmatic-hydrothermal Au deposits.Large Au deposits require vast amounts of Au to migrate from the upper mantle-lower crust to the shallow crust,and high Au solubility in magma and hydrothermal fluid facilitates the formation of Au-rich magma and fluid in the crust and mantle source and efficient transport.This paper reviews recent high-pressure and high-temperature experimental studies on Au species in magmas and hydrothermal fluids,the partitioning behavior of Au between silicate melts and fluids,and the effects of temperature,pressure,oxygen fugacity,sulfur fugacity,silicate melt composition,and volatiles(H2O,CO2,chlorine,and sulfur)on the solubility of Au in magma.We show that the solubility of Au in magma is largely controlled by the volatiles in the magma:the higher the content of reduced sulfur(S2-and HS-)in the magma,the higher the solubility of Au.Under high-temperature,high-pressure,H2O-rich,and intermediate oxygen fugacity conditions,magma can dissolve more reduced sulfur species,thus enhancing the ability of the magma to transport Au.If the ore-forming elements of the Au deposits in the North China Craton originate from mantle-derived magmas and fluids,we can conclude,in terms of massive Au migration,that these deep Au-rich magmas might have been generated under H2 O-rich and moderately oxidized conditions(S2-coexists with S6+).The big mantle wedge beneath East Asia was metasomatized by melts and fluids from the dehydration of the Early Cretaceous paleo-Pacific stagnant slab,which not only caused thinning of the North China Craton,but also created physicochemical conditions favorable for massive Au migration.

Trace element composition in tuite decomposed from natural apatite in high-pressure and high-temperature experiments

Tuite has been suggested as a potential reservoir for trace elements in the deep mantle,but no evidence confirms this supposition.By using a natural apatite as starting material,the trace-element-bearing tuite large crystals were obtained under highpressure and high-temperature conditions(15 GPa and 1800 K).X-ray diffraction pattern and Micro-Raman spectrum of the run product confirm that tuite was synthesized.The concentrations of trace elements in tuite crystals were analyzed by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry(LA-ICP-MS).The rare earth element patterns of tuite show enrichment of light rare earth elements relative to heavy rare earth elements.Tuite shows high concentrations of Th and Sr,and negative anomalies of Rb,Nb,and Hf.The results show that tuite can accommodate a large amount of trace elements.Tuite might be an important host to accommodate trace elements if there is much apatite subducted into the deep mantle.