Numerical analysis of the effects of downhole dynamic conditions on formation testing while drilling

Formation testing while drilling is an innovative technique that is replacing conventional pressure testing in which the fluid sampling is conducted in a relatively short time following the drilling. At this time, mud invasion has just started, mudcake has not formed entirely and the formation pressure is not stable. Therefore, it is important to study the influence of the downhole dynamic environment on pressure testing and fluid sampling. This paper applies an oil-water two phase finite element model to study the influence of mudcake quality and mud filtrate invasion on supercharge pressure, pretest and sampling in the reservoirs of different permeability. However, the study is only for the cases with water based mud in the wellbore. The results illustrate that the mudcake quality has a significant influence on the supercharge pressure and fluid sampling, while the level of mud filtrate invasion has a strong impact on pressure testing and sampling. In addition, in-situ formation pressure testing is more difficult in low permeability reservoirs as the mud filtrate invasion is deeper and therefore degrades the quality of fluid sampling. Finally, a field example from an oil field on the Alaskan North Slope is presented to validate the numerical studies of the effects of downhole dynamic conditions on formation testing while drilling.

Modular zonal fluid sampling and pressure testing technology for production well

To accurately obtain development dynamic data such as zonal pressure and fluid parameters of each oil layer in the late development stage of a high water-cut old oilfield, a modular zonal sampling and testing technology with the characteristics of modularization, full electronic control and rapidity was proposed and developed. Lab testing and on-site testing was carried out. The modular zonal sampling and testing system is composed of 10 functional modules, namely ground control system, downhole power supply module, drainage pump, electronically controlled anchor, electronically controlled packer, electronically controlled sampler, magnetic positioning sub, terminal sub, adapter cable, and quick connector. Indoor tests have confirmed that the performance parameters of each module meet the design requirements. The downhole function modules of the system can withstand pressures up to 35 MPa and temperatures up to 85 ℃. The rubber cylinder of the electronically controlled packer can withstand a pressure difference of more than 10 MPa. The electronically controlled anchor has an anchoring force of greater than 6.9 t, and can be forcibly detached in the event of an accident. The discharge pump has a displacement of 0.8 m;/d and a head of 500 m. The electronically controlled sampler can meet the requirement of taking 500 mL of sample in each of the 3 chambers. Field tests in Jilin Oilfield show that the system can realize rapid isolation and self-check of isolation of a certain production interval downhole, as well as layer-by layer pressure build-up test. The drainage pump can be used to discharge the mixed liquid between the upper and lower packers and near the wellbore to obtain real fluid samples of the tested formation interval. The data obtained give us better understanding on the pay zones in old oilfields, and provide important basis for development plan adjustment, reservoir stimulation, and EOR measures.

Verification of Integrity of Steam Generator Tubes by Pressure Testing

This paper assessed the benefit of the in-situ pressure test to support steam generator tube integrity assessment and reviewed a conservatism of currently applied structural integrity assessment methodology against defected tubes. According to the steam generator program requirement, condition monitoring assessment was performed to the all detected flaws. For condition monitoring assessments, the limiting structural integrity requirement should be demonstrated for all detected degraded tubes at a probability of at least 0.95 at 50% confidence. Some flaws were slightly exceeded the structural integrity threshold values of the condition monitoring performance limits using analytical method. As a direct evaluation of tube integrity with degraded tubes, in-situ pressure testing performed on some selected flaws and passed all proof and leakage test criteria with no leakage. From this pressure testing, the authors have verified that degraded tubes met a specified value containing a defined safety margins. Also, the authors have confirmed that existing structural assessment methodology has enough margins to retain integrity of steam generator tubes.

First Systematic Testing Platform for Pressurization Feed System Developed for Liquid Rocket Propellant in China

Beijing Aerospace System Engineering Institute of China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) declared recently that theinstitute has set up a laboratory whichwould operate a newly

Damage constitutive model of lunar soil simulant geopolymer under impact loading

Lunar base construction is a crucial component of the lunar exploration program,and considering the dynamic characteristics of lunar soil is important for moon construction.Therefore,investigating the dynamic properties of lunar soil by establishing a constitutive relationship is critical for providing a theoretical basis for its damage evolution.In this paper,a split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB)device was used to perform three sets of impact tests under different pressures on a lunar soil simulant geopolymer(LSSG)with sodium silicate(Na_(2)SiO_(3))contents of 1%,3%,5%and 7%.The dynamic stressestrain curves,failure modes,and energy variation rules of LSSG under different pressures were obtained.The equation was modified based on the ZWT viscoelastic constitutive model and was combined with the damage variable.The damage element obeys the Weibull distribution and the constitutive equation that can describe the mechanical properties of LSSG under dynamic loading was obtained.The results demonstrate that the dynamic compressive strength of LSSG has a marked strain-rate strengthening effect.Na_(2)SiO_(3) has both strengthening and deterioration effects on the dynamic compressive strength of LSSG.As Na_(2)SiO_(3) grows,the dynamic compressive strength of LSSG first increases and then decreases.At a fixed air pressure,5%Na_(2)SiO_(3) had the largest dynamic compressive strength,the largest incident energy,the smallest absorbed energy,and the lightest damage.The ZWT equation was modified according to the stress response properties of LSSG and the range of the SHPB strain rate to obtain the constitutive equation of the LSSG,and the model’s correctness was confirmed.

Al/Hf ratio-dependent mechanisms of microstructure and mechanical property of nearly fully dense Al—Hf reactive material

This study proposed three types of Al—Hf reactive materials with particle size ratios(a),which were almost completely dense(porosity of<5.40%)owing to their preparation using hot-pressing technology.Microstructure characteristics and phase composition were analyzed,and the influence of particle size ratios on dynamic mechanical behavior and damage mechanism were investigated.The prepared sample with a=0.1 exhibited continuous wrapping of the Hf phase by the Al phase.Hf—Hf contact(continuous Hf phase)within the sample gradually increased with increasing a,and a small amount of fine Hf appeared for the sample with a=1.The reactive materials exhibited clear strain-rate sensitivity,with flow stressσ0.05and failure strainεfincreasing approximately linearly with increasing strain rate.ε.It is found that the plastic deformation of the material increased with increasing strain rate.As a increased from 0.1 to 1,the flow stress gradually increased.Impact failure of the material was dominated by ductile fracture with a large Al phase plastic deformation band for lower a,while brittle fracture with crushed Hf particles occurred at higher a.Finally,a constitutive model based on BP neural network was proposed to describe the stress-strain relationships of the materials,with an average relative error of 2.22%.

Test and Study of the Rock Pressure Sensitivity for KeLa-2 Gas Reservoir in the Tarim Basin

KeLa-2 gas reservoir is the largest uncompartimentalized gas field so far discovered in China, with a reserve of hundreds of billions of cubic meters of dry gas. It has such features as extremely long interval (550m), high pressure (74.5MPa) and pressure coefficient (2.022). Gas reservoirs with a pressure coefficient of over 2.0 are not commonly found. The abnormal high-pressure reservoirs are quite different in characteristic and performance during the process of depletion exploitation. Therefore, it is necessary to know the property of pressure sensitivity for this abnormal high-pressure reservoir. The aim of this paper is to test the reservoir pressure sensitivity and to analyze its effect on the deliverability of gas. Through some experiments, the permeability change with the confining pressure of rock samples from KeLa-2 abnormal high-pressure gas reservoir is measured. A power function is used to match the measured data, and to derive an empirical equation to describe the change of permeability through the change of the reservoir pressure or effective overburden pressure. Considering the permeability change during the development of reservoirs, a conventional deliverability equation is modified, and the deliverability curve for KeLa-2 gas reservoir is predicted. The research indicates that the extent of the pressure sensitivity of rock samples from KeLa-2 is higher than that from the Daqing oilfield. KeLa-2 reservoir rock has the feature of an undercompaction state. The pressure sensitivity of a reservoir may decrease the well deliverability. It is concluded that for KeLa-2 reservoir the predicted absolute open flow (AOF), when the pressure sensitivity is taken into account, is approximately 70% of the AOF when permeability is constant and does not change with pressure.

Wireless distributed test system based on transient pressure signal detection and recognition

During the test on transient pressure signal in explosion field,false trigger caused by field interference can lead to test failure.To improve the stability of test system,a signal detection and recognition technology is proposed for transient pressure test system.In the process of signal acquisition,firstly,electrical levels are monitored in real time to find effective abrupt changes and mark them;then the effective data segments are detecdted totected;thus the effective signals can be acquired in turn finally.The experimental results show that the shock wave signal can be collected effectively and the reliability of the test system can be improved after removal of interferences.

Adsorption mechanism of different coal ranks under variable temperature and pressure conditions

Variable temperature and pressure adsorption tests were conducted on four coal samples with different coal ranks, under simulated temperatures and pressures corresponding to coal reservoirs at different depths. The regularity of the variation in the amounts of adsorption by coals under variable temperature and pressure and 30 ℃ isothermal conditions are compared and the adsorption characteristics of coal under the composite effect of temperature and pressure were obtained. The adsorption test and data processing method of coal under variable temperature and pressure are presented and the effect of the mechanism of temperature and pressure on the adsorption capacity of coal has been studied. The research results are of significant importance in the investigation of coalbed methane storage mechanism and for the prediction of the amounts of coalbed methane at various depths.

Particle characteristics and rheological constitutive relations of high concentration red mud

Red mud has relatively small solid particles （d50= 13.02 μm） and will flow in paste form under high pressure during pipeline transport. Red mud belongs to a two-phase flow of materials with high viscosity and a high concentration of non-sedimentation, homogeneous solid-liquids. It is difficult to test its rheological properties under atmospheric pressure. Measurements such as rotational viscometry can not reflect the real state of the material when it is flowing in a pipe. Tested rheological parameters are somewhat higher than the actual values. In our investigation, grain shape, distinctive modality and grain size distribution of red mud were tested. Based on the principle of tube measurement, rheological experiments on red mud at different concentrations were carried out by using our independently developed tube-type pressure theology test facility, and obtained constitutive equations. We conclude that red mud behaves as non-Newtonian pseudo-plastic fluid in pipe flows. Its consistency and power-law indices vary considerably with different concentrations.

Cause analysis and solutions of water blocking damage in cracked/non-cracked tight sandstone gas reservoirs

After hydraulic fracturing treatment,a reduction in permeability caused by the invasion of fracturing fluids is an inevitable problem,which is called water blocking damage.Therefore,it is important to mitigate and eliminate water blocking damage to improve the flow capacities of formation fluids and flowback rates of the fracturing fluid.However,the steady-state core flow method cannot quickly and accurately evaluate the effects of chemical agents in enhancing the fluid flow capacities in tight reservoirs.This paper introduces a time-saving and accurate method,pressure transmission test(PTT),which can quickly and quantitatively evaluate the liquid flow capacities and gas-drive flowback rates of a new nanoemulsion.Furthermore,scanning electron microscopy(SEM)was used to analyze the damage mechanism of different fluids and the adsorption of chemical agents on the rock surface.Parallel core flow experiments were used to evaluate the effects of the nanoemulsion on enhancing flowback rates in heterogeneous tight reservoirs.Experimental results show that the water blocking damage mechanisms differ in matrices and fractures.The main channels for gas channeling are fractures in cracked cores and pores in non-cracked cores.Cracked cores suffer less damage from water blocking than non-cracked cores,but have a lower potential to reduce water saturation.The PTT and SEM results show that the permeability reduction in tight sandstones caused by invasion of external fluids can be list as guar gum fracturing fluid>slickwater>brine.Parallel core flow experiments show that for low-permeability heterogenous s andstone reservoirs with a certain permeability ratio,the nanoemulsion can not only reduce reverse gas channeling degree,but also increase the flowback rate of the fracturing fluid.The nanoemulsion system provides a new solution to mitigate and eliminate water blocking damage caused by fracturing fluids in tight sandstone gas reservoirs.

Theoretical and Applied Mechanics Letters

The placement of pressure taps on the surface of the wind tunnel test model is an important means toobtain the surface pressure distribution.However,limited by space location and experimental cost,it isdifficult to arrange enough pressure measuring taps on the surface of complex models to obtain completepressure distribution information,thus it is impossible to obtain accurate lift and moment characteristicsthrough integration.The paper proposes a refined reconstruction method of airfoil surface pressure basedon compressed sensing,which can reconstruct the pressure distribution with high precision with lesspressure measurement data.Tests on typical airfoil subsonic flow around flow show that the accuracyof lift and moment after the pressure integration reconstructed by 4-8 measuring points can meet therequirements of the national military standard.The algorithm is robust to noise,and provides a new ideafor obtaining accurate force data from sparse surface pressure tests in engineering.

Surveying on two-zone height of sublevel strip mining

The site drilling packer permeability test and TEM to the 2100 workface in Gucheng coalmine determined the two-zone height under sublevel strip mining.The conclusion considers that the lying strata deterioration law of the strip mining is similar to that of the sublevel mining.Thus, against that the actually measured data lacked, it is feasible to refer to the reservation of the waterproof coal pillar in the neighbor coalmine under sublevel situation.However, it is necessary to further launch the research on lying strata deterioration law under sublevel striping mining for the purpose of providing the right foundation for the layout of the workface not mined so far and the reservation of the waterproof coal pillar in the mining area.

The formation evaluation tool and its application in offshore China

The Formation Evaluation Tool （FET） introduced in the paper represents a new generation of formation evaluation systems developed and manufactured by China Oilfield Services Limited （COSL）, CNOOC, using a FET technology transfer from Crocker Research, Australia. The system has been applied successfully in the Bohai Sea and South China Sea. For instance, a multilayered oil and water system has been confirmed with the aid of accurate formation pressure tests, even in very thin beds and edge water reservoirs, overcoming the difficulty of determining this kind of oil-water and gas-water contacts. Moreover, the FET pumping and real-time fluid monitoring function allows acquiring a true sample of formation fluid unpolluted by drilling mud which plays an important role in determining the fluid properties of the target stratum and analyzing the fluid component. The principles and purpose of the Formation Evaluation Tool （FET） will be briefly introduced and successful examples of the application of the technology will be described in detail in this paper.

The properties of Sn-Zn-Al-La fusible alloy for mitigation devices of solid propellant rocket motors

The Al and La elements are added to the Sn9Zn alloy to obtain the fusible alloy for the mitigation devices of solid propellant rocket motors. Differential scanning calorimetry(DSC), metallographic analysis,scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS), tensile testing and fracture analysis were used to study the effect of Al and La elements on the microstructure, melting characteristics, and mechanical properties of the Sn9Zn alloy. Whether the fusible diaphragm can effectively relieve pressure was investigated by the hydrostatic pressure at high-temperature test. Experimental results show that the melting point of the Sn9Zn-0.8Al0·2La and Sn9Zn-3Al0·2La fusible alloys can meet the predetermined working temperature of ventilation. The mechanical properties of those are more than 35% higher than that of the Sn9Zn alloy at-50°C-70°C, and the mechanical strength is reduced by 80% at 175°C. It is proven by the hydrostatic pressure at high-temperature test that the fusible diaphragm can relieve pressure effectively and can be used for the design of the mitigation devices of solid propellant rocket motors.

Dynamic failure of dry and fully saturated limestone samples based on incubation time concept

This paper outlines the results of experimental study of the dynamic rock failure based on the comparison of dry and saturated limestone samples obtained during the dynamic compression and split tests. The tests were performed using the Kolsky method and its modifications for dynamic splitting. The mechanical data(e.g. strength, time and energy characteristics) of this material at high strain rates are obtained. It is shown that these characteristics are sensitive to the strain rate. A unified interpretation of these rate effects, based on the structuraletemporal approach, is hereby presented. It is demonstrated that the temporal dependence of the dynamic compressive and split tensile strengths of dry and saturated limestone samples can be predicted by the incubation time criterion. Previously discovered possibilities to optimize(minimize) the energy input for the failure process is discussed in connection with industrial rock failure processes. It is shown that the optimal energy input value associated with critical load, which is required to initialize failure in the rock media, strongly depends on the incubation time and the impact duration. The optimal load shapes, which minimize the momentum for a single failure impact, are demonstrated. Through this investigation, a possible approach to reduce the specific energy required for rock cutting by means of high-frequency vibrations is also discussed.

Failure of rock under dynamic compressive loading

Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar(SHPB) test was simulated to investigate the distribution of the first principal stress and damage zone of specimen subjected to dynamic compressive load. Numerical models of plate-type specimen containing cracks with inclined angles of 0°,45° and 90° were also established to investigate the crack propagation and damage evolution under dynamic loading. The results show that the simulation results are in accordance with the failure patterns of specimens in experimental test. The interactions between stress wave and crack with different inclined angles are different; damage usually appears around the crack tips firstly; and then more damage zones develop away from the foregoing damage zone after a period of energy accumulation; eventually,the damage zones run through the specimen in the direction of applied loading and split the specimen into pieces.

HIGH TEMPERATURE RHEOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR OF FSJ JOINTED REGION FOR 7022ALUMINUM ALLOY

The Hopkinson pressure bar tests for base metal and friction stir jointing ( FSJ ) jointed region of 7022aluminum alloy are carried out at different temperatures and strain rates.The temperature is 30 - 400°C and the strain rate is 1 200 - 5 000s -1 .High strain rate for base metal and FSJ jointed region of 7022aluminum alloy are studied.The corresponding stress-strain curves are obtained.The results show that the flow stresses of base metal and FSJ jointed region of 7022aluminum alloy decline with the increase of temperature and increase with the increase of strain rate.Furthermore , the constitutive equation for base metal and FSJ jointed region of 7022aluminum alloy at high temperature and high strain rate is obtained based on Johnson-Cook model.

Approach to minish scattering of results for split Hopkinson pressure bar test

Split Hopkinson pressure bar（SHPB） apparatus, usually used for testing behavior of material in median and high strain-rate, is now widely used in the study of rock dynamic constitutive relation, damage evolvement mechanism and energy consumption. However, the possible reasons of sampling disturbance, machining error and so on often lead to the scattering of test results, and bring ultimate difficulty for forming general test conclusion. Based on the stochastic finite element method, the uncertain parameters of specimen density ps, specimen radius Rs, specimen elastic modulus Es and specimen length Ls in the data processing of SHPB test were considered, and the correlation between the parameters and the test results was analyzed. The results show that the specimen radius Rs has direct correlation with the test result, improving the accuracy in preparing and measuring of specimen is an effective way to improve the accuracy of test and minish the scattering of results for SHPB test.

Centrifuge model test of an irrigation-induced loess landslide in the Heifangtai loess platform, Northwest China

The Heifangtai platform in Northwest China is famous for irrigation-induced loess landslides.This study conducted a centrifuge model test with reference to an irrigation-induced loess landslide that occurred in Heifangtai in 2011.The loess slope model was constructed by whittling a cubic loess block obtaining from the landslide site.The irrigation water was simulated by applying continuous infiltration from back of the slope.The deformation,earth pressure,and pore pressure were investigated during test by a series of transducers.For this particular study,the results showed that the failure processes were characterized by retrogressive landslides and cracks.The time dependent reductions of cohesion and internal friction angle at basal layer with increasing pore-water pressure were responsible for these failures.The foot part of slope is very important for slope instability and hazard prevention in the study area,where concentration of earth pressure and generation of high pore-water pressures would form before failures.The measurements of earth pressure and pore-water pressure might be effective for early warning in the study area.