Numerical well test for well with finite conductivity vertical fracture in coalbed

A new well test model is developed for the hydraulic fractured well in coalbed by considering the following aspects： methane desorption phenomena, finite conductivity vertical fractures, and asymmetry of the fracture about the well. A new parameter is introduced to describe the storage of the fracture, which is named as a combined fracture storage. Another new concept called the fracture asymmetry coefficient is used to define the asymmetry of the fracture about the well. Finite element method （FEM） is used to solve the new mathematical model. The well test type curves and pressure fields are obtained and analyzed. The effects of the combined fracture storage, desorption factor, fracture conductivity, and fracture asymmetry coefficient on the well test type curves are discussed in detail. In order to verify the new model, a set of field well test data is analyzed.

Integrated numerical simulation of hydraulic fracturing and production in shale gas well considering gas-water two-phase flow

Based on the displacement discontinuity method and the discrete fracture unified pipe network model,a sequential iterative numerical method was used to build a fracturing-production integrated numerical model of shale gas well considering the two-phase flow of gas and water.The model accounts for the influence of natural fractures and matrix properties on the fracturing process and directly applies post-fracturing formation pressure and water saturation distribution to subsequent well shut-in and production simulation,allowing for a more accurate fracturing-production integrated simulation.The results show that the reservoir physical properties have great impacts on fracture propagation,and the reasonable prediction of formation pressure and reservoir fluid distribution after the fracturing is critical to accurately predict the gas and fluid production of the shale gas wells.Compared with the conventional method,the proposed model can more accurately simulate the water and gas production by considering the impact of fracturing on both matrix pressure and water saturation.The established model is applied to the integrated fracturing-production simulation of practical horizontal shale gas wells.The simulation results are in good agreement with the practical production data,thus verifying the accuracy of the model.

Numerical study on gas production via a horizontal well from hydrate reservoirs with different slope angles in the South China Sea

It is important to study the effect of hydrate production on the physical and mechanical properties of low-permeability clayey–silty reservoirs for the largescale exploitation of hydrate reservoirs in the South China Sea.In this study,a multiphysical-field coupling model,combined with actual exploration drilling data and the mechanical experimental data of hydrate cores in the laboratory,was established to investigate the physical and mechanical properties of low-permeability reservoirs with different slope angles during 5-year hydrate production by the depressurization method via a horizontal well.The result shows that the permeability of reservoirs severely affects gas production rate,and the maximum gas production amount of a 20-m-long horizontal well can reach186.8 m3/day during the 5-year hydrate production.Reservoirs with smaller slope angles show higher gas production rates.The depressurization propagation and hydrate dissociation mainly develop along the direction parallel to the slope.Besides,the mean effective stress of reservoirs is concentrated in the near-wellbore area with the on-going hydrate production,and gradually decreases with the increase of the slope angle.Different from the effective stress distribution law,the total reservoir settlement amount first decreases and then increases with the increase of the slope angle.The maximum settlement of reservoirs with a 0°slope angle is up to 3.4 m,and the displacement in the near-wellbore area is as high as2.2 m after 5 years of hydrate production.It is concluded that the pore pressure drop region of low-permeability reservoirs in the South China Sea is limited,and various slope angles further lead to differences in effective stress and strain of reservoirs during hydrate production,resulting in severe uneven settlement of reservoirs.

A Transient-Pressure-Based Numerical Approach for Interlayer Identification in Sand Reservoirs

Almost all sandstone reservoirs contain interlayers. The identification and characterization of these interlayers iscritical for minimizing the uncertainty associated with oilfield development and improving oil and gas recovery.Identifying interlayers outside wells using identification methods based on logging data and machine learning isdifficult and seismic-based identification techniques are expensive. Herein, a numerical model based on seepageand well-testing theories is introduced to identify interlayers using transient pressure data. The proposed modelrelies on the open-source MATLAB Reservoir Simulation Toolbox. The effects of the interlayer thickness, position,and width on the pressure response are thoroughly investigated. A procedure for inverting interlayer parametersin the reservoir using the bottom-hole pressure is also proposed. This method uses only transient pressuredata during well testing and can effectively identify the interlayer distribution near the wellbore at an extremelylow cost. The reliability of the model is verified using effective oilfield examples.

Numerical analysis of matrix swelling and its effect on microstructure of digital coal and its associated permeability during CO_(2)-ECBM process based on X-ray CT data

Matrix swelling effect will cause the change of microstructure of coal reservoir and its permeability,which is the key factor affecting the engineering effect of CO_(2)-ECBM technology.The Sihe and Yuwu collieries are taken as research objects.Firstly,visualization reconstruction of coal reservoir is realized.Secondly,the evolution of the pore/fracture structures under different swelling contents is discussed.Then,the influence of matrix phase with different swelling contents on permeability is discussed.Finally,the mechanism of swelling effect during the CO_(2)-ECBM process is further discussed.The results show that the intra-matrix pores and matrix-edge fractures are the focus of this study,and the contacting area between matrix and pore/fracture is the core area of matrix swelling.The number of matrix particles decreases with the increase of size,and the distribution of which is isolated with small size and interconnected with large size.The swelling effect of matrix particles with larger size has a great influence on the pore/fracture structures.The number of connected pores/fractures is limited and only interconnected in a certain direction.With the increase of matrix swelling content,the number,porosity,width,fractal dimension,surface area and volume of pores/fractures decrease,and their negative contribution to absolute permeability increases from 0.368% to 0.633% and 0.868%-1.404%,respectively.With the increase of swelling content,the number of intra-matrix pores gradually decreases and the pore radius becomes shorter during the CO_(2)-ECBM process.The matrix continuously expands to the connected fractures,and the width of connected fractures gradually shorten.Under the influence of matrix swelling,the bending degree of fluid flow increases gradually,so the resistance of fluid migration increases and the permeability gradually decreases.This study shows that the matrix swelling effect is the key factor affecting CBM recovery,and the application of this effect in CO_(2)-ECBM process can be discussed.

Recent progresses in the development of tubular segmented-in-series solid oxide fuel cells:Experimental and numerical study

Solid oxide fuel cells(SOFCs)have attracted a great deal of interest because they have the highest efficiency without using any noble metal as catalysts among all the fuel cell technologies.However,traditional SOFCs suffer from having a higher volume,current leakage,complex connections,and difficulty in gas sealing.To solve these problems,Rolls-Royce has fabricated a simple design by stacking cells in series on an insulating porous support,resulting in the tubular segmented-in-series solid oxide fuel cells(SIS-SOFCs),which achieved higher output voltage.This work systematically reviews recent advances in the structures,preparation methods,perform-ances,and stability of tubular SIS-SOFCs in experimental and numerical studies.Finally,the challenges and future development of tubular SIS-SOFCs are also discussed.The findings of this work can help guide the direction and inspire innovation of future development in this field.

A methodology for damage evaluation of underground tunnels subjected to static loading using numerical modeling

We have proposed a methodology to assess the robustness of underground tunnels against potential failure.This involves developing vulnerability functions for various qualities of rock mass and static loading intensities.To account for these variations,we utilized a Monte Carlo Simulation(MCS)technique coupled with the finite difference code FLAC^(3D),to conduct two thousand seven hundred numerical simulations of a horseshoe tunnel located within a rock mass with different geological strength index system(GSIs)and subjected to different states of static loading.To quantify the severity of damage within the rock mass,we selected one stress-based(brittle shear ratio(BSR))and one strain-based failure criterion(plastic damage index(PDI)).Based on these criteria,we then developed fragility curves.Additionally,we used mathematical approximation techniques to produce vulnerability functions that relate the probabilities of various damage states to loading intensities for different quality classes of blocky rock mass.The results indicated that the fragility curves we obtained could accurately depict the evolution of the inner and outer shell damage around the tunnel.Therefore,we have provided engineers with a tool that can predict levels of damages associated with different failure mechanisms based on variations in rock mass quality and in situ stress state.Our method is a numerically developed,multi-variate approach that can aid engineers in making informed decisions about the robustness of underground tunnels.

Numerical manifold method for thermo-mechanical coupling simulation of fractured rock mass

As a calculation method based on the Galerkin variation,the numerical manifold method(NMM)adopts a double covering system,which can easily deal with discontinuous deformation problems and has a high calculation accuracy.Aiming at the thermo-mechanical(TM)coupling problem of fractured rock masses,this study uses the NMM to simulate the processes of crack initiation and propagation in a rock mass under the influence of temperature field,deduces related system equations,and proposes a penalty function method to deal with boundary conditions.Numerical examples are employed to confirm the effectiveness and high accuracy of this method.By the thermal stress analysis of a thick-walled cylinder(TWC),the simulation of cracking in the TWC under heating and cooling conditions,and the simulation of thermal cracking of the SwedishÄspöPillar Stability Experiment(APSE)rock column,the thermal stress,and TM coupling are obtained.The numerical simulation results are in good agreement with the test data and other numerical results,thus verifying the effectiveness of the NMM in dealing with thermal stress and crack propagation problems of fractured rock masses.

Numerical Simulation of Two-Phase Flow in Glutenite Reservoirs for Optimized Deployment in Horizontal Wells

It is known that the pore media characteristics of glutenite reservoirs are different from those of conventional sandstone reservoirs.Low reservoir permeability and naturally developed microfractures make water injection in this kind of reservoir very difficult.In this study,new exploitation methods are explored.Using a real glutenite reservoir as a basis,a three-dimensional fine geological model is elaborated.Then,combining the model with reservoir performance information,and through a historical fitting analysis,the saturation abundance distribution of remaining oil in the reservoir is determined.It is shown that,using this information,predictions can be made about whether the considered reservoir is suitable for horizontal well fracturing or not.The direction,well length,well spacing and productivity of horizontal well are also obtained.

Numerical Simulation of Bed Load and Suspended Load Sediment Transport Using Well-Balanced Numerical Schemes

Sediment transport can be modelled using hydrodynamic models based on shallow water equations coupled with the sediment concentration conservation equation and the bed con-servation equation.The complete system of equations is made up of the energy balance law and the Exner equations.The numerical solution for this complete system is done in a seg-regated manner.First,the hyperbolic part of the system of balance laws is solved using a finite volume scheme.Three ways to compute the numerical flux have been considered,the Q-scheme of van Leer,the HLLCS approximate Riemann solver,and the last one takes into account the presence of non-conservative products in the model.The discretisation of the source terms is carried out according to the numerical flux chosen.In the second stage,the bed conservation equation is solved by using the approximation computed for the system of balance laws.The numerical schemes have been validated making comparisons between the obtained numerical results and the experimental data for some physical experiments.The numerical results show a good agreement with the experimental data.

Numerical simulation of microwave-induced cracking and melting of granite based on mineral microscopic models

This study introduces a coupled electromagnetic–thermal–mechanical model to reveal the mechanisms of microcracking and mineral melting of polymineralic rocks under microwave radiation.Experimental tests validate the rationality of the proposed model.Embedding microscopic mineral sections into the granite model for simulation shows that uneven temperature gradients create distinct molten,porous,and nonmolten zones on the fracture surface.Moreover,the varying thermal expansion coefficients and Young's moduli among the minerals induce significant thermal stress at the mineral boundaries.Quartz and biotite with higher thermal expansion coefficients are subjected to compression,whereas plagioclase with smaller coefficients experiences tensile stress.In the molten zone,quartz undergoes transgranular cracking due to theα–βphase transition.The local high temperatures also induce melting phase transitions in biotite and feldspar.This numerical study provides new insights into the distribution of thermal stress and mineral phase changes in rocks under microwave irradiation.

Numerical analysis of geosynthetic-reinforced embankment performance under moving loads

The performance of geosynthetic-reinforced embankments under traffic moving loads is always a hotspot in the geotechnical engineering field.A three-dimensional(3D)model of a geosynthetic-reinforced embankment without drainage consolidation was established using the finite element software ABAQUS.In this model,the traffic loads were simulated by two moving loads of rectangular pattern,and their amplitude,range,and moving speed were realized by a Fortran subroutine.The embankment fill was simulated by an equivalent linear viscoelastic model,which can reflect its viscoelasticity.The geogrid was simulated by the truss element,and the geocell was simulated by the membrane element.Infinite elements were utilized to weaken the boundary effect caused by the model geometry at the boundaries.Validation of the established numerical model was conducted by comparing the predicted deformations in the cross-section of the geosynthetic-reinforced embankment with those from the existing literature.On this basis,the dynamic stress and strain distribution in the pavement structure layer of the geosynthetic-reinforced embankment under a moving load was also analyzed.Finally,a parametric study was conducted to examine the influences of the different types of reinforcement,overload,and the moving load velocity on the geosynthetic-reinforced embankment.

Multi-physical fields distribution in billet during helical electromagnetic stirring:A numerical simulation research

Electromagnetic stirring is one of the widely applied techniques to modify the quality of casting billets.Different from conventional rotate stirring,the helical stirring is more professional in assisting multi-dimensional flow of molten metal and eliminating solidification defects.In this study,the single-winding helical stirring(SWHS)was introduced,offering advantages such as smaller volume and lower electromagnetic shielding compared to traditional helical stirring methods.Following a comprehensive numerical simulation,the stirring parameters of SWHS were adjusted to yoke inclination angle of 43°and frequency of 12 Hz.The higher electromagnetic force and flow velocity in drawing direction,as well as the lower temperature gradient induced by the SWHS,are positive factors for homogeneous solidification of billet.The experimental results on Al-8%Si alloy and 0.4%C-1.1%Mn steel demonstrate that compared to rotate stirring,the SWHS process can induce better billet quality and is more effective in accelerating the equiaxed expansion and reducing element segregation.The SWHS process can enhance the equiaxed ratio of the billet by 58.3%and reduce segregation degree of carbon element by 10.97%.Consequently,SWHS holds great promise as a potential approach for improving the quality of continuous casting billets.

Progressive fragmentation of granular assemblies within rockslides: Insights from discrete-continuous numerical modeling

Rock fragmentation plays a critical role in rock avalanches,yet conventional approaches such as classical granular flow models or the bonded particle model have limitations in accurately characterizing the progressive disintegration and kinematics of multi-deformable rock blocks during rockslides.The present study proposes a discrete-continuous numerical model,based on a cohesive zone model,to explicitly incorporate the progressive fragmentation and intricate interparticle interactions inherent in rockslides.Breakable rock granular assemblies are released along an inclined plane and flow onto a horizontal plane.The numerical scenarios are established to incorporate variations in slope angle,initial height,friction coefficient,and particle number.The evolutions of fragmentation,kinematic,runout and depositional characteristics are quantitatively analyzed and compared with experimental and field data.A positive linear relationship between the equivalent friction coefficient and the apparent friction coefficient is identified.In general,the granular mass predominantly exhibits characteristics of a dense granular flow,with the Savage number exhibiting a decreasing trend as the volume of mass increases.The process of particle breakage gradually occurs in a bottom-up manner,leading to a significant increase in the angular velocities of the rock blocks with increasing depth.The simulation results reproduce the field observations of inverse grading and source stratigraphy preservation in the deposit.We propose a disintegration index that incorporates factors such as drop height,rock mass volume,and rock strength.Our findings demonstrate a consistent linear relationship between this index and the fragmentation degree in all tested scenarios.

Numerical Study on the Effect of Gap Diffraction on the Hydrodynamic Performance of A Floating Breakwater

Two-dimensional(2D)flume experiments are useful in investigating the performances of floating breakwaters(FBs),including hydrodynamic performances,motion responses,and mooring forces.Designing a reasonable gap between the flume wall and the FBs is a critical step in 2D flume tests.However,research on the effect of the gap on the accuracy of 2D FB experimental results is scarce.To address this issue,a numerical wave tank is developed using CFD to estimate the wave-FB interaction of a moored dual-cylindrical FB,and the results are compared to experimental data from a previously published work.There is good agreement between them,indicating that the numerical model is sufficiently accurate.The numerical model is then applied to explore the effect of gap diffraction on the performance of FBs in2D experiments.It was discovered that the nondimensional gap length L_(Gap)/W_(Pool)should be smaller than 7.5%to ensure that the relative error of the transmission coefficient is smaller than 3%.The influence of the gap is also related to the entering wave properties,such as the wave height and period.

Numerical simulation on the multiphase flow and reoxidation of the molten steel in a two-strand tundish during ladle change

A 3D mathematical model was proposed to investigate the molten steel–slag–air multiphase flow in a two-strand slab continuous casting(CC)tundish during ladle change.The study focused on the exposure of the molten steel and the subsequent reoxidation occurrence.The exposure of the molten steel was calculated using the coupled realizable k–εmodel and volume of fluid(VOF)model.The diffusion of dissolved oxygen was determined by solving the user-defined scalar(UDS)equation.Moreover,the user-defined function(UDF)was used to describe the source term in the UDS equation and determine the oxidation rate and oxidation position.The effect of the refilling speed on the molten steel exposure and dissolved oxygen content was also discussed.Increasing the refilling speed during ladle change reduced the refilling time and the exposure duration of the molten steel.However,the elevated refilling speed enlarged the slag eyes and increased the average dissolved oxygen content within the tundish,thereby exacerbating the reoxidation phenomenon.In addition,the time required for the molten steel with a high dissolved oxygen content to exit the tundish varied with the refilling speed.When the inlet speed was 3.0 m·s^(-1)during ladle change,the molten steel with a high dissolved oxygen content exited the outlet in a short period,reaching a maximum dissolved oxygen content of 0.000525wt%.Conversely,when the inlet speed was 1.8 m·s^(-1),the maximum dissolved oxygen content was 0.000382wt%.The refilling speed during the ladle change process must be appropriately decreased to minimize reoxidation effects and enhance the steel product quality.

Operation optimization of prefabricated light modular radiant heating system:Thermal resistance analysis and numerical study

The utilization of prefabricated light modular radiant heating system has demonstrated significant increases in heat transfer efficiency and energy conservation capabilities.Within prefabricated building construction,this new heating method presents an opportunity for the development of comprehensive facilities.The parameters for evaluating the effectiveness of such a system are the upper surface layer’s heat flux and temperature.In this paper,thermal resistance analysis calculation based on a simplified model for this unique radiant heating system analysis is presented with the heat transfer mechanism’s evaluation.The results obtained from thermal resistance analysis calculation and numerical simulation indicate that the thermal resistance analysis method is highly accurate with temperature discrepancies ranging from 0.44℃ to−0.44℃ and a heat flux discrepancy of less than 7.54%,which can meet the requirements of practical engineering applications,suggesting a foundation for the prefabricated radiant heating system.

In-situ measurement via the flow-through method and numerical simulations for radon exhalation during measurements of the radon exhalation rate

Small-scale measurements of the radon exhalation rate using the flow-through and closed-loop methods were conducted on the surface of a uranium tailing pond to better understand the differences between the two methods.An abnormal radon exhalation behavior was observed,leading to computational fluid dynamics(CFD)-based simulations in which dynamic radon migration in a porous medium and accumulation chamber was considered.Based on the in-situ experimental and numerical simulation results,variations in the radon exhalation rate subject to permeability,flow rate,and insertion depth were quantified and analyzed.The in-situ radon exhalation rates measured using the flow-through method were higher than those measured using the closed-loop method,which could be explained by the negative pressure difference between the inside and outside of the chamber during the measurements.The consistency of the variations in the radon exhalation rate between the experiments and simulations suggests the reliability of CFD-based techniques in obtaining the dynamic evolution of transient radon exhalation rates for diffusion and convection at the porous medium-air interface.The synergistic effects of the three factors(insertion depth,flow rate,and permeability)on the negative pressure difference and measured exhalation rate were quantified,and multivariate regression models were established,with positive correlations in most cases;the exhalation rate decreased with increasing insertion depth at a permeability of 1×10^(−11) m^(2).CFD-based simulations can provide theoretical guidance for improving the flow-through method and thus achieve accurate measurements.

Mobility and dynamic erosion process of granular flow:insights from numerical investigation using material point method

In order to understand the dynamics of granular flow on an erodible base soil,in this paper,a series of material point method-based granular column collapse tests were conducted to investigate numerically the mobility and dynamic erosion process of granular flow subjected to the complex settings,i.e.,the aspect ratio,granular mass,friction and dilatancy resistance,gravity and presence of water.A set of power scaling laws were proposed to describe the final deposit characteristics of granular flow by the relations of the normalized run-out distance and the normalized final height of granular flow against the aspect ratio,being greatly affected by the complex geological settings,e.g.,granular mass,the friction and dilatancy resistance of granular soil,and presence of water in granular flow.An index of the coefficient of friction of granular soil was defined as a ratio of the target coefficient of friction over the initial coefficient of friction to quantify the scaling extent of friction change(i.e.,friction strengthening or weakening).There is a characteristic aspect ratio of granular column corresponding to the maximum mobility of granular flow with the minimum index of the apparent coefficient of friction.The index of the repose coefficient of friction of granular flow decreased gradually with the increase in aspect ratio because higher potential energy of granular column at a larger aspect ratio causes a larger kinetic energy of granular soil to weaken the friction of granular soil as a kind of velocity-related friction weakening.An increase in granular mass reduces gradually the indexes of the apparent and repose coefficients of friction of granular soil to enhance the mobility of granular flow.The mobility of granular flow increases gradually with the decrease in friction angle or increase in dilatancy angle of granular soil.However,the increase of gravity accelerates granular flow but showing the same final deposit profile without any dependence on gravity.The mobility of granular flow increases gradually by lowering the indexes of the apparent and repose coefficients of friction of granular flow while changing the surroundings,in turn,the dry soil,submerged soil and saturated soil,implying a gradually increased excessive mobility of granular flow with the friction weakening of granular soil.Presence of water in granular flow may be a potential catalyzer to yield a long run-out granular flow,as revealed in comparison of water-absent and water-present granular flows.In addition,the dynamic erosion and entrainment of based soil induced by granular flow subjected to the complex geological settings,i.e.,the aspect ratio,granular mass,gravity,friction and dilatancy resistance,and presence of water,were comprehensively investigated as well.

Experimental and numerical study of buckling-restrained braces configured with out-of-plane eccentricity under cyclic loading

This study focuses on variations in the hysteretic behavior of buckling-restrained braces(BRBs)configured with or without out-of-plane eccentricity under cyclic loading.Quasi-static experiments and numerical simulations were carried out on concentrically and eccentrically loaded BRB specimens to investigate the mechanical properties,energy dissipation performance,stress distribution,and high-order deformation pattern.The experimental and numerical results showed that compared to the concentrically loaded BRBs,the stiffness,yield force,cumulated plastic ductility(CPD)coefficient,equivalent viscous damping coefficient and energy dissipation decreased,and the yield displacement and compression strength adjustment factor increased for the eccentrically loaded BRBs.With the existence of the out-of-plane eccentricity,the initial yield position changes from the yield segment to the junction between the yield segment and transition segment under a tensile load,while the initial high-order buckling pattern changes from a first-order C-shape to a secondorder S-shape under a compressive load.