The Effect of Temperature on Irreducible Water Saturation of Water-wet Cores

The conventional measurement of a relative permeability curve (RPC) is usually conducted at room temperature, which is much lower than the reservoir temperature. Previous research work on high temperature relative permeability mainly take oil-wetted cores as objective. In this paper, laboratory test and measurement are conducted using water-wet cores from the Lunnan Oilfield. Since irreducible water saturation (Swi) is a critical factor that affects and controls the relative permeability curve, special tests are conducted to measure Swi at different temperatures for water-wet cores in the course of the experiment of relative permeability. The experimental results indicate that for the water-wet cores Swi decreased with the increasing temperature from ambient to 105℃,and the relative permeability curve shifted in a low water saturation direction, i.e. moved toward the left, while it moved toward the right for oil wetness reservoirs. Seen from both macroscopic and microcosmic view, the reasons and mechanisms of relative permeability change with temperature are discussed, and factors including core wetness, viscosity force, capillary forces, contact angle, interfacial tension change are considered.

Effects of Temperature and Water Saturation on CO_2 Production and Nitrogen Mineralization in Alpine Wetland Soils

Relationships between carbon (C) production and nitrogen (N) mineralization were investigated in two alpine wetland soils of the Tibetan Plateau using laboratory incubation under different temperatures (5, 15, 25, and 35 ℃) and water saturation (noninundation and inundation). A significant positive relationship was found between CO2 production and N mineralization under increasing temperatures from 5 to 35 ℃ with the same water saturation condition in the marsh soil (r2 > 0.49, P < 0.0001) and the peat soil (r2 > 0.38, P < 0.002), and a negative relationship with water saturation increasing at the same temperature, especially 25 and 35 ℃, in the marsh soil (r2 > 0.70, P < 0.009) and the peat soil (r2 > 0.61, P < 0.013). In conclusion, temperatures and water saturation could regulate the relationship between CO2 production and net N mineralization in the Tibetan alpine marsh and peat soils.

Effects of water saturation and loading rate on direct shear tests of andesite

For estimating the long-term stability of underground framework,it is vital to learn the mechanical and rheological characteristics of rock in multiple water saturation conditions.However,the majority of previous studies explored the rheological properties of rock in air-dried and water saturated conditions,as well as the water effects on compressive and tensile strengths.In this study,andesite was subjected to direct shear tests under five water saturation conditions,which were controlled by varying the wetting and drying time.The tests were conducted at alternating displacement rates under three vertical stresses.The results reveal that the shear strength decreases exponentially as water saturation increases,and that the increase in shear strength with a tenfold increase in displacement rate is nearly constant for each of the vertical stresses.Based on the findings of the shear tests in this study and the compression and tension tests in previous studies,the influences of both water saturation and loading rate on the Hoek-Brown failure criterion for the andesite was examined.These results indicate that the brittleness index of the andesite,which is defined as the ratio of uniaxial compressive strength to tensile strength,is independent of both water saturation and loading rate and that the influences of the water saturation dependence and the loading rate dependence of the failure criterion can be converted between each other.

A new model for predicting irreducible water saturation in tight gas reservoirs

The irreducible water saturation(Swir) is a significant parameter for relative permeability prediction and initial hydrocarbon reserves estimation.However,the complex pore structures of the tight rocks and multiple factors of the formation conditions make the parameter difficult to be accurately predicted by the conventional methods in tight gas reservoirs.In this study,a new model was derived to calculate Swir based on the capillary model and the fractal theory.The model incorporated different types of immobile water and considered the stress effect.The dead or stationary water(DSW) was considered in this model,which described the phenomena of water trapped in the dead-end pores due to detour flow and complex pore structures.The water film,stress effect and formation temperature were also considered in the proposed model.The results calculated by the proposed model are in a good agreement with the experimental data.This proves that for tight sandstone gas reservoirs the Swir calculated from the new model is more accurate.The irreducible water saturation calculated from the new model reveals that Swir is controlled by the critical capillary radius,DSW coefficient,effective stress and formation temperature.

Study on water saturation computation models in complex pore volcanic reservoir

Determination of water saturation is important for reservoir evaluation. When complex pore structures such as fracture and cavity are present in reservoir, Archie equation is no longer suitable. According to different models of pore structure division, the authors studied water saturation conlputation models. The results show that dual porosity system is divided into four models. The first model is based on dual laterolog, the second is Dual Porosity I , the third is Dual Porosity Ⅱ , and the last one is based on the conductive pore. Besides, the triple porosity system is triple porosity model. Compute water saturation was using all the above five models in volcanic reservoir in Songnan gas field. The triple porosity system is the most suitable model for water saturation computation in complex pore structure volcanic reservoir.

Water Saturation Dependence on CO₂Sorption Potential of Sandstones

For the assessment of the carbon dioxide (CO2) storage potential of water-filled reservoir rocks (i.e., saline aquifers), it should be first important step for a thorough understanding of the effect of water content on CO2/water/rock interactions during CO2 injection. The purpose of this study is to examine the CO2 sorption amount for Kimachi sandstone and Berea sandstone at different water content using the manometric method at temperature of 50?C and pressures of up to 20 MPa. Our results document that a significant quantity of CO2 was sorbed on the two types of sandstone on all water-saturated bases, which corresponded to the amount adsorbed on the air-dry basis. Also, all the wet samples had significantly higher sorption capacity than the theoretical values calculated from the solubility model based on dissolution of CO2 in pore water and the pore-filling model, which assumes that the pore volume unoccupied by water is filled with CO2. Furthermore, the observations indicated a certain degree of correlation between the sorbed amount and the water content, except at pressures below the critical point for Berea sandstone. This investigation points out that CO2 sorption is a possible mechanism in CO2 geological storage even under water-saturated conditions and that the mechanism of sorption on silica and silicate minerals plays an essential role in the reliable and accurate estimation of the CO2 storage capacity of water-saturated reservoirs.

Determination of Water Saturation （SW%） by Using P-wave Velocities for Saturated Sandstone

The seismic velocities are strongly influenced by porosity and degree of water saturation, as well as other petrophysical properties, such as density and elastic properties of the rocks. In this paper, the saturation of water percentage for sandstones （SW%） has been calculated by mathematical equation, which is based on the relation between the seismic velocity of water to the seismic velocity obtained in the field （for p-wave velocity only）. The results of this equation which ranged between （30% to 100%） are connected with the results of seismic velocity-porosity relation for saturated sandstone through model, this model can be used for determining the porosity （Φ） and water saturation percentage （SW%） of the sandstones in the same time.

Water transfer characteristics during methane hydrate formation and dissociation processes inside saturated sand

Gas hydrates formation and dissociation processes inside porous media are always accompanied by water transfer behavior, which is similar to the water behavior of ice freezing and thawing processes. These processes have been studied by many researchers, but all the studies are so far on the water transfer characteristics outside porous media and the water transfer characteristics inside porous media have been little known. In this study, in order to study the water transfer characteristics inside porous media during methane hydrate formation and dissociation processes, a novel apparatus with three pF-meter sensors which can detect water content changes inside porous media was applied. It was experimentally observed that methane hydrate formation processes were accompanied by water transfer from bottom to top inside porous media, however, the water behavior during hydrate dissociation processes was abnormal, for which more studies are needed to find out the real reason in our future work.

Failure process and characteristics of three-dimensional high-stress circular tunnel under saturated water content

True-triaxial compression tests were carried out on cubic granite samples with a circular through hole using a true-triaxial testing system to investigate the influence of saturated water content(SWC) on the failure process and characteristics of a circular tunnel of surrounding rocks. The spalling failure under SWC can be divided into four periods: calm period, buckling deformation period, period of rock fragment gradual buckling and exfoliation, and period of formation of symmetrical V-shaped notches. When the horizontal axial and vertical stresses were constant, the spalling failure severity was reduced with the increase in lateral stress. Under natural water content, a strong rockburst with dynamic failure characteristics occurred on the circular hole sidewall. Under SWC, the failure severity was reduced and the circular hole sidewall experienced spalling failure, exhibiting progressive static failure characteristics.Therefore, water can reduce the failure severity of surrounding rocks in deep underground engineering, which has a certain guiding significance for the prevention and control of rockbursts.

Experimental study of the relationship between fluid density and saturation and sonic wave velocity of rock samples from the WXS Depression,South China Sea

The relationship between fluid density and saturation and sonic wave velocity of rock samples taken from the WXS Depression in the South China Sea was studied by an oil-water replacement experiment under simulated in-situ temperature and pressure conditions.Two kinds of low-density oils（0.691 and 0.749 g/cm^3） and two kinds of high-density oils（0.834 and 0.873 g/cm^3） were used to saturate the rock samples at different oil-saturation states,and the saturated P- and S-wave velocities were measured.Through Gassmann＇s equation,the theoretical P- and S-wave velocities were also calculated by the fluid replacement method.With the comparison of the measured values and the theoretical values, this study comes to the following conclusions.（1） With the increase of oil saturation and the decrease of water saturation,the P-wave velocity of rock samples saturated by low-density oil increases and the changing rule is in accord with the effective fluid theory;the P-wave velocity of rock samples saturated by high-density oil decreases and the changing rule goes against the theory.（2） With the increase of oil density（namely 0.691→0.749→0.834→0.873 g/cm^3） when oil saturation is unchanged,P-wave velocity increases gradually.（3） The S-wave velocity is always stable and is not affected by the change of oil density and saturation.The results can be used to constrain pre-stack seismic inversion,and the variation rule of sonic wave velocity is valuable for hydrocarbon identification in the study area.

The Introduction of Specific Water and Maximum Airborne Specific Water &the Improvement of Dynamic Equations on Non-Uniform Saturated Moist Atmosphere

To eliminate the irrational supposition that condensed liquid water always falls immediately, specific water m?and maximum airborne specific water mm are introduced into the dynamic framework on non-uniform saturated moist atmosphere (m?is the ratio of the airborne liquid water mass to the moist air mass in unit cubage moist air, mm is its maximum value with , , and are airborne coefficient, vertical velocity and saturated specific humidity respectively). The balance equation between water vapor and airborne liquid water is derived. From the balance equation, a new formula of precipitate rate is got. The analysis shows that in the air stream with some upward vertical velocity ( ), the condensed liquid water can precipitate under the condition with (q is specific humidity) and? only, otherwise it is detained in the air and becomes airborne liquid water. Not only does precipitating liquid water contain condensed liquid water, but also contains converged and existing airborne liquid water. Following above discussion, improved dynamic equations on non-uniform saturated moist atmosphere are provided.

Experimental investigation on dilatancy behavior of water-saturated sandstone

It is important to study the dilatancy property of water-saturated rock for understanding the engineering behavior of loaded rock mass. This study carried out the uniaxial and triaxial compressive experiments on the water-saturated red sandstone, analyzed the influences of confining pressure and pore pressure on dilatancy property of water-saturated rock, and discussed the reasonable basis of the stress of dilatancy onset as a strength design parameter of rock engineering, finally established the prediction model of the stress of dilatancy onset under the impacts of confining pressure and pore pressure. The results show that the strength parameters(the stress of dilatancy onset and peak strength) and deformation parameters(axial strain and circumferential strain) of water-saturated sandstone increase with the confining pressure, and the relations can be fitted with a positive linear function. The cohesion and internal friction angle obtained from the stress of dilatancy onset decrease by 11.57% and 7.33%, respectively, when compared with those obtained from the peak strength. The strength parameters and deformation parameters of water-saturated sandstone decrease basically with the increase of pore pressure, in which the relations between strength parameters or axial strain and pore pressure can be fitted with a negative linear function. However, the relation between the peak circumferential strain and the pore pressure should be characterized by a negative exponential function, and the circumferential strain at dilatancy onset isn't affected by the pore pressure.

Attenuation-type and failure-type curve models on accumulated pore water pressure in saturated normal consolidated clay

Based on dynamic triaxial test results of saturated soft clay, similarities of variations between accumulated pore water pressure and accumulated deformation were analyzed. The Parr＇s equation on accumulated deformation was modified to create an attenuation-type curve model on accumulated pore water pressure in saturated normal consolidation clay. In this model, dynamic strength was introduced and a new parameter called equivalent dynamic stress level was added. Besides, based on comparative analysis on variations between failure-type and attenuatiun-type curves, a failure-type curve model was created on accumulated pore water pressure in saturated normal consolidation clay. Two models can take cycle number, coupling of static and dynamic deviator stress, and consolidation way into consideration. The models are verified by test results. The correlation coefficients are more than 0.98 for optimization of test results based on the two models, and there is good agreement between the optimized and test curves, which shows that the two models are suitable to predict variations of accumulated pore water pressure under different loading cases and consolidation ways. In order to improve prediction accuracy, it is suggested that loading cases and consolidation ways should be consistent with in-situ conditions when dynamic triaxial tests are used to determine the constants in the models.

Water transfer characteristics in the vertical direction during methane hydrate formation and dissociation processes inside non-saturated media

In order to study water transfer characteristics inside non-saturated media during methane hydrate formation and dissociation processes,water changes on the top,middle and bottom locations of experimental media during the reaction processes were continuously followed with a novel apparatus with three pF-meter sensors.Coarse sand,fine sand and loess were chosen as experimental media.It was experimentally observed that methane hydrate was easier formed inside coarse sand and fine sand than inside loess.Methane hydrate formation configuration and water transfer characteristics during methane hydrate formation processes were very different among the different non-saturated media,which were important for understanding methane hydrate formation and dissociation mechanism inside sediments in nature.

Soil pressure and pore pressure for seismic design of tunnels revisited: considering water-saturated, poroelastic half-space

This paper describes a systematic study on the fundamental features of seismic soil pressure on underground tunnels, in terms of its magnitude and distribution, and further identifi es the dominant factors that signifi cantly infl uence the seismic soil pressure. A tunnel embedded in water-saturated poroelastic half-space is considered, with a large variety of model and excitation parameters. The primary features of both the total soil pressure and the pore pressure are investigated. Taking a circular tunnel as an example, the results are presented using a fi nite element-indirect boundary element(FE-IBE) method, which can account for dynamic soil-tunnel interaction and solid frame-pore water coupling. The effects of tunnel stiffness, tunnel buried depth and input motions on the seismic soil pressure and pore pressure are also examined. It is shown that the most crucial factors that dominate the magnitude and distribution of the soil pressure are the tunnel stiffness and dynamic soil-tunnel interaction. Moreover, the solid frame-pore water coupling has a prominent infl uence on the magnitude of the pore pressure. The fi ndings are benefi cial to obtain insight into the seismic soil pressure on underground tunnels, thus facilitating more accurate estimation of the seismic soil pressure.

HYDRODYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PROCESS OF DEPRESSURIZATION OF SATURATED WATER

Experiments were carried out to find the effects of dissolved gas pressure,liquid flow rateand nozzle geometry on the bubble generation when saturated water was depressurized through anozzle.A new method,high speed camera system was developed to measure the generated microbubblesdynamically.On the basis of the laws of ideal gas and solution,theoretical generated gas flow ratewas deduced,while the Smoluchowski′s equation was applied to describe the kinetics of bubblenucleation.It was found that the size distribution of nucleated bubbles was of skewed distribution.An explanation to this phenomenon was made and the Gamma function distribution was employedfor mathematical simulation.The results show good agreement between the experimental data and thepredictions by proposed model.

An Efficient Multiple-Dimensional Finite Element Solution for Water Flow in Variably Saturated Soils

Multiple-dimensional water flow in variably saturated soils plays an important role in ecological systems such as irrigation and water uptake by plant roots; its quantitative description is usually based on the Richards＇ equation. Because of the nonlinearity of the Richards＇ equation and the complexity of natural soils, most practical simulations rely on numerical solutions with the nonlinearity solved by iterations. The commonly used iterations for solving the nonlinearity are Picard and Newton methods with the former converging at first-order rate and the later at second-order rate. A recent theoretical analysis by the authors, however, revealed that for solving the diffusive flow, the classical Picard method is actually a chord-Newton method, converging at a rate faster than first order; its linear convergence rate is due to the treatment of the gravity term. To improve computational efficiency, a similar chord-Newton method as for solving the diffusive term was proposed to solve the gravity term. Testing examples for one-dimensional flow showed significant improvement. The core of this method is to produce a diagonally dominant matrix in the linear system so as to improve the iteration-toiteration stability and hence the convergence. In this paper, we develop a similar method for multiple-dimensional flow and compare its performance with the classical Picard and Newton methods for water flow in soils characterised by a wide range of van Genuchten parameters.

Dispersion hydrophobic electrolyte enables lithium-oxygen battery enduring saturated water vapor

Li-O_(2) batteries gain widespread attention as a can didate for next-generati on energy storage devices due to their extraordinary theoretic specific energy.The semi-open structure of Li-O_(2) batteries causes many parasitic reactions,especially related to water.Water is a double-edged sword,which destroys Li anode and simultaneously triggers a solution-based pathway of the discharge product.In this work,hexamethyldisilazane(HMDS)is introduced into the electrolyte of an aprotic Li-O_(2) battery.HMDS has a strong ability to combine with a trace of water to gen erate a hydrophobic hexamethyldisiloxa ne(MM),which eliminates water from the electrolyte decomposition and then prevents the Li anode from producing the insulating LiOH with water.In this case,the hydrophobic MM disperses in the ether-based electrolyte,forming a dispersion hydrophobic electrolyte.This electrolyte can anchor water from the environment on the cathode side,which triggers a solution-based pathway and regulates the growth morphology of the discharge product and consequently increases the discharge capacity.Compared with the Li-O_(2) battery without the HMDS,the HMDS-containing Li-O_(2) battery contributes an about 13-fold increase of cyclability(400 cycles,1800 h)in the extreme environment of saturated water vapor.This work opens a new approach for directly operating aprotic Li-O_(2) batteries in ambient air.

Water Film in Saturated Sand

In order to investigate the initiation mechanism of landslide and debris flow occurring on a gentle slope. The formation and evolution of water film (or crack) in saturated sand is analyzed by numerical and theoretical simulations under given conditions. First a psudo-three-phase model is presented considering the movement of skeleton and water and the erosion. Secondly, difference method is used to analyze the formation conditions and the evolution of the velocity of water and pore pressure and porosity. Thirdly, a simplified theoretical method is presented based on the consolidation theory to analyze the initiation, expansion and close. It is shown that there are stable water films when some point is blocked and the state keeps unchangeable or there exists a thin layer with very low permeability. Once the blocked point is open, the water film will disappear gradually. The evolution of water film may be calculated by a simplified method. The analytical results are agreement well with that of Kokusho.

The Evolution of Pore Water Pressure in a Saturated Soil Layer between Two Draining Zones by Analytical and Numerical Methods

The building of the infrastructure on the compressible and saturated soils presents sometimes major difficulties. The infrastructure undergoes strong settlement that can be due to several phenomena of consolidation of the soils. The latter results from the dissipation of the excess pore pressure and deformation of the solid skeleton. Terzaghi theory led to the equation modeling the dissipation of excess pore pressure. The objective of this study is to establish solutions, by analytical and numerical method, of the equation of the pore water pressure. We considered a compressible saturated soil layer, between two drainage areas and subjected to a uniform load. Separation of variables is used to obtain an analytical solution and the finite element method for the numerical solution. The results obtained by the finite element method have validated those of analytical resolution.