Gene Expression Profiling in Short‐Term Imbibition of Wheat: Tools for Dissecting of Pasting Properties of Imbibed Wheat Seeds

Germination of wheat maximizes phytochemical content and antioxidant activity while altering chemical composition, gluten content, and pasting properties. This study investigated the effect of short‐term imbibition on gene expression profiles and the physical and functional characteristics of wheat. Changes in gene expression profiles of wheat during short‐term imbibition (0, 16, and 24 hr) were evaluated by DNA microarray analysis. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was carried out to categorize the function of genes with altered expression. Genes related to cellulose and cell wall synthesis were upregulated by imbibition for 16 hr, whereas those associated with polysaccharide catabolism and nucleosome assembly were upregulated in the subsequent 8 hr. The genes related to proteases and gluten were expressed in dry seeds but disappeared after 16 hr of imbibition. Genes encoding α‐amylase were not expressed in dry seeds whereas those encoding β‐amylase were expressed in dry seeds and downregulated by imbibition. According to quantitative real‐time PCR and enzymatic activity assay, α‐Amylase expression increased by imbibition and reached a maximum 24 hr after imbibition, with a corresponding increase in enzymatic activity. Pasting properties of flour made from wheat seeds imbibed for different times were decreased when seeds were imbibed for over 16 hr, by examination with Rapid Visco Analyzer. Gluten content did not significantly change until 24‐hr imbibition, although expression of genes encoding gliadin and glutenin disappeared by 16‐hr imbibition. The data indicated that it was possible to use 16‐hr imbibed wheat, with up to the 50% w/w replacement of nonimbibed wheat.     

New approach for reservoir assessment using geochemical analysis: Case study

Spontaneous imbibition is an important IOR process, especially for fractured carbonate reservoirs with low permeability matrix blocks. If the chalk is oil-wet, the process will not take place. Previous studies have shown that seawater may increase the water-wetness. The sulphate ions in seawater may alter the wetting conditions of the chalk surface, especially at high temperatures.One-dimensional imbibition tests of water into vertically placed, preferentially oil-wet chalk cores were performed, with non-sulphate formation water as a reference. The cores were sealed and only open to flow at one or both end faces. For core plugs with both ends open, a delay period was observed if the core initially was 100% oil saturated, and the difference in oil recovery from top and bottom was about 2–4% of OOIP. For core plugs with initial water saturation, the difference was increased to 14% of OOIP with higher oil production from the top. For cores with only the upper end face open to flow, only countercurrent imbibition takes place. Higher oil recovery was observed with seawater than with formation water as imbibing brine. Cleaned core plugs can be more easily rendered partially oil-wet. A numerical model was developed to describe the seawater imbibition process, including the effect of wettability alteration, and used to simulate the experiments. The model includes molecular diffusion and adsorption of salts (sulphate), and gravitational and capillary forces. The salts in the seawater diffuse into the formation water initially present in the core, absorb onto the rock surface and induce wettability alteration.Two measured capillary pressure curves are used in the simulation. The curve with seawater is taken as the water-wet extreme, and the curve with non-sulphate formation water is taken as the oil-wet extreme. The capillary pressure curve is dynamically shifted from oil-wet to water-wet conditions proportionally to the absorb amount of salt. The simulation results match the experimental data well. The inclusion of the dynamic shift of the wettability condition controlled by molecular diffusion results in delayed oil recovery, in line with the experimental results.The model can easily be extended to include different types of ion concentration, e.g. of magnesium and calcium, to include more of the chemical reactions taking place.     

Pressures acting in counter-current spontaneous imbibition

Four water/oil and four oil/air linear counter-current spontaneous imbibition experiments were performed on Berea sandstone cores with permeabilities ranging from 0.065 to 1.094 μm². The cores were initially 100% saturated with non-wetting phase and all faces except one end were sealed. The experiments showed a clear frontal displacement mechanism. Capillary pressure was the driving force of the imbibition process. As well as viscous drag in both phases between the imbibition front and the open face, there is a significant opposing capillary back pressure associated with production of non-wetting phase at the open face. The location of the imbibition front, the overall changes in core saturation, and the pressure in the nonwetting phase in the dead end space ahead of the imbibition front, were monitored during the course of imbibition. The dead end pressure was essentially constant after a short start-up period. The distance advanced by the imbibition front was proportional to the square root of time. Based on the assumption that the properties of Berea sandstone of different permeabilities can be scaled, the experimental data were matched by numerical simulation to predict the saturation and pressure profiles, the saturation and capillary pressure at the imbibition front, and the capillary back pressure at the open face. The ratio of the capillary back pressure to the estimated capillary pressure at the imbibition front ranged from approximately 1/3 to 2/5, for oil displacing air, to approximately 1/9 to 1/4, for water displacing oil.     

Novel high performance fibres

The need for high performance materials for aerospace and other structural engineering applications has led to the development of carbon fibres. At IIT Delhi, an attempt is being made to develop acrylic precursor fibres for manufacturing carbon fibres indigenously. The present study deals with the structural regulation of acrylic precursors during thermo-oxidative stabilization and subsequent carbonization. A new microporous acrylic fibre-acrysorb has also been developed which has high water imbibition and moisture sorption properties. Production of X-ray opaque and antistatic polyester fibres has also been high-lighted.     

Scaling capillary imbibition during static thermal and dynamic fracture flow conditions

To incorporate the effect of temperature, previously reported scaling formulations were modified considering the wettability, change in oil properties, and thermal expansion. The results of static imbibition experiments conducted using different types of heavy-oil samples at different temperatures up to 90 °C were used to verify the formulation. The modified scaling formulations responded well if the thermal expansion effect is included, except in high-temperature crude oil imbibition cases.The results obtained through water injection experiments in artificially fractured core samples with matrix permeabilities ranging from 300 to 0.075 mD were used to verify the numerical model of core scale displacements. Then the convergence constant in Aranofsky's abstract recovery–time relationship was correlated to an imbibition group consisting of the injection rate and matrix properties. Three different formulations were presented and tested. Good agreement with the experimental observations could be achieved when the wettability and permeability of the matrix and the flow rate in fracture is included in the formulations. When the matrix size is included in the regression analysis, not all correlation types yielded a good agreement with the experimental data.This study will provide an insight into the scaling of the laboratory scale experiments to the reservoir conditions and constitute a base to define matrix fracture interaction in numerical models dealing with fractured reservoir modeling.     

低渗透砂岩渗吸驱油规律实验研究

低渗透油田的开发比较复杂,其生产能力和注水能力很差,水的自发渗吸对原油的开采十分有利。文中采用自行研制的实验装置,通过大量的室内实验研究了低渗透砂岩常温常压以及脉冲压力条件下的渗吸规律及其影响因素。结果表明:常温常压渗吸实验中基质岩块的渗吸规律满足r=rmax(1-e-λt);常压或脉冲压力条件下,最终渗吸采收率均随着岩心渗透率、孔隙度的增大而增加,这与常规认识不符,主要与实验岩心的特低孔低渗性质有关;脉冲渗吸驱油效果优于常压渗吸驱油效果,随着脉冲次数及脉冲压力的增加,渗吸采收率会有不同程度的提高。     

鄂尔多斯盆地裂缝性低渗透油藏渗吸驱油研究

裂缝性低渗透油藏储层岩性致密,裂缝发育,非均质性强,注水开发效果差,利用水的自发渗吸作用驱油是一种经济有效的开发手段。文中利用鄂尔多斯盆地延长油田西区采油厂的天然露头岩心,通过自发渗吸实验,研究了边界条件、润湿性、温度、原油黏度、界面张力及渗透率等因素对渗吸驱油作用的影响。实验结果表明:润湿性、黏度、界面张力及渗透率是影响渗吸驱油的主要因素,岩石越亲水,原油黏度越低,渗吸驱油效果越好。对于亲水岩心,渗透率相近时,界面张力为0.04 m N/m时渗吸效果最佳;岩石渗透率差异明显时,渗透率为2.94×10~(-3)μm~2时渗吸效果最佳。实验结果为鄂尔多斯盆地裂缝性低渗透油藏渗吸驱油提供了重要的指导作用。     

致密油储层动态渗吸采油效果及其影响因素

渗吸采油是(弱)亲水致密油藏高效开发的重要技术措施之一,渗吸采油物理模拟是优选渗吸液配方组成和优化渗吸液段塞组合的重要实验手段。针对大庆外围地区致密油藏开发技术需求,以高分子材料学、物理化学和油藏工程等理论为指导,以化学分析、仪器检测和物理模拟等技术为手段,以大庆外围扶余储层地质特征和流体性质为模拟研究对象,开展了动态渗吸采油效果及其影响因素实验研究。结果表明:在渗吸采油实验中,随注液压力升高,渗吸采收率增加;随注液速度增大,渗吸采收率增幅呈现出"先增后减"变化趋势;随渗吸液注入段塞尺寸增加、憋压时间延长和交替注入次数增加,渗吸采收率增加,但增幅逐渐减小。动态渗吸采油实验最优参数推荐:注液速度为0.2 m L/min、段塞尺寸为0.3 PV、憋压时间96 h和交替注入次数为3。与单独注渗吸液或增能剂措施相比较,采取"渗吸液+增能剂"组合方式可以产生协同效应,增强孔隙内油水交渗作用,提高渗吸采油效果。     

大液量注水吞吐技术在致密油藏水平井中的应用

针对致密油藏水平井大规模体积压裂弹性开采后期的油井开发特征,提出了大液量注水吞吐技术,该技术能有效补充地层能量、提高单井产量、增加开采经济效益。首次定义了大液量注水吞吐技术,并从机理、油藏工程、室内实验及数值模拟等方面分别展开了探讨,分析了大液量注水吞吐在开发致密油藏中的优势。利用压力构成图和油藏中注入水残余压力的定义,建立了注水吞吐模型并计算了注水吞吐的临界参数,且将这一结果应用于现场。先导性矿场试验取得了显著的增油效果及经济效益,单井日产油量提高了4.5 t/d,地层压力提高了9.3 MPa,累计产油量增加了1 987 t,投入产出比可达1∶1.74～1∶4.06。研究成果为致密油藏水平井的高效开发提供了一种思路和重要的技术支持。     

富有机质页岩水化特征的试验研究

为揭示富有机质页岩水化损伤机理,以长宁地区龙马溪组页岩为研究对象,借助于XRD衍射、自吸、浸泡、水化应力、水化应变等一系列物理试验,对其水化特征进行了研究。实验结果表明:富有机质页岩以黏土矿物和石英为主,黏土矿物中伊利石和伊蒙混层为主要成分,无蒙脱石;自吸水过程中会发生水化作用,且黏土矿物含量越高,自吸水量越大,水化反应越易发生;水化作用前期较剧烈,后期逐渐趋于稳定;水化过程中可观察到裂纹的萌生、扩展和汇合现象,进一步演化为宏观贯穿裂纹。黏土矿物中伊利石的线性水化应力稍小于蒙脱石,但水化应变却远小于蒙脱石。不同黏土矿物、混层矿物的水化不均匀导致富有机质页岩发生水化损伤现象。