THE NATURE AND ORIGIN OF AUTHIGENIC CHLORITE AND RELATED CEMENTS IN OLIGO–MIOCENE RESERVOIR SANDSTONES,TAPTI GAS FIELDS,SURAT DEPRESSION,OFFSHORE WESTERN INDIA

Reservoir sandstones in the Mid‐ and South Tapti gas fields in the Surat Depression (Mumbai Offshore Basin, western India) have been investigated using a range of petrographic techniques, isotope geochemistry and basin modelling. Authigenic chlorite is abundant in the shallow‐marine sandstones of the Miocene Mahim Formation, a major reservoir rock in the Mid‐ and South Tapti fields, which are described here in terms of their quality and diagenetic characteristics. The sandstones are currently at burial depths of between ～1500 and 2800m. The authigenic chlorite has had a significant impact on the resulting reservoir quality of the sandstones and is interpreted to have originated as odinite clay of the verdine facies that replaced faecal or pseudo‐faecal pellets, together with volumetrically small but abundant grain coatings and grain rims, and formed at the site of major riverine iron influx onto the shallow‐marine shelf during periods of relatively low sea level. Pellets have been variably compacted to form pseudomatrix. Reservoir sandstones from similar depositional settings on the west coast of India or other sub‐tropical settings are likely to exhibit comparable diagenetic effects on reservoir quality. Compositionally, the chlorite is the iron‐rich form known as chamosite. The chemistry of all the chlorite morphologies is the same in all studied samples. Oxygen isotope analyses of carbonate cements in the Mahim Formation sandstones have provided an approximate temperature framework for diagenesis of the non‐carbonate cements. Oxygen isotope results for the chlorite, however, suggest much higher temperatures than its position in the paragenetic sequence would warrant. These results suggest that the clay formed first as 1:1 layer clays, in this case odinite, which were then transformed to Fe‐chlorite as burial depths and temperatures increased. Reservoirs in the Mahim, Daman and Mahuva Formation sandstones are thus greatly influenced by the diagenesis of authigenic chlorite and locally by the precipitation of carbonate cements. Reservoir quality is good where thick, continuous chlorite rim cements are present and where chlorite pellets are sufficiently indurated for them not to be compacted. Chlorite rim cements have reduced the extent of quartz overgrowth cementation in the sandstones.     

Adsorption Desalination Quenches Global Thirst

The search for fresh or potable water remains a pressing concern throughout many regions of the world. Although most of the Earth's surface is covered by oceans, the effort to provide for the world's inhabitants with fresh or potable water seems to be insurmountable; at least one billion people do not have access to clean and fresh water. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that about 41% of the Earth's population lives in water-stressed areas, and the number of people in the water scarce regions may climb to 3.5 billion by the year 2025. Thus, innovative and cost-effective desalination technologies for producing fresh water are needed to provide practical solutions.     

Evaluation of Petroleum Impurities in Motor Spirit and Diesel Oils Using Artificial Neural Network

Studies have been conducted for the ternary mixture of motor spirit, diesel, and kerosene oil samples using artificial neural network (ANN). American standard for testing materials (ASTM) distillation data of samples were used for the evaluation of respective components. Results of such evaluation of the samples were found to comply well with experimental values.     

Faecal recovery and diurnal variation in excretion of dietary chromium by mature swine

Diurnal variation in faecal excretion of dietary chromium (Cr) was studied in this experiment in mature swine. Five gestating sows weighing between 225 and 250 kg were fed a corn/soya bean meal diet containing 14% crude protein, NRC recommended amounts of vitamins and minerals with a Ca: P ratio of 1.3:1. Chromic oxide was added (0.1% w/w) to the test diet, and ferric oxide was added (0.5% w/w) to the pre-test and post-test diets as dietary markers. Sows received 0.9 kg of the diet twice daily for 8 days. Total faeces from the test diet were collected and a sample of approximately 150 g of morning samples for days 6 to 9 of the experiment was separated. Faecal recovery of dietary Cr was calculated from the total collection and the samples of the 4-day period. It was found that faecal concentration of the Cr varied between days (P < 0.05) and between times of the day (P < 0.05); true equilibrium of Cr excretion was never reached. Diurnal variation in faecal excretion of dietary Cr was shown to exist; Cr concentration was higher in the late morning samples than in the morning samples (P < 0.05). Total faecal recovery of dietary Cr was 93.27%, whereas a greater (P < 0.05) value was obtained by morning sampling (118.76%). A portion of the dietary Cr (6.73%) was retained in the gastrointestinal tract even after 2 days of Cr withdrawal from the diet.     

Synthesis of nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite using surfactant template systems: Role of templates in controlling morphology

Hydroxyapatite (HA) nanopowder was synthesized by reverse microemulsion technique using calcium nitrate and phosphoric acid as starting materials in aqueous phase. Cyclohexane, hexane, and isooctane were used as organic solvents, and Dioctyl sulfosuccinate sodium salt (AOT), dodecyl phosphate (DP), NP5 (poly(oxyethylene)₅ nonylphenol ether), and NP12 (poly(oxyethylene)₁₂ nonylphenol ether) as surfactants to make the emulsion. Effect of synthesis parameters, such as type of surfactant, aqueous to organic ratio (A/O), pH and temperature on powder characteristics were studied. It was found that the surfactant templates played a significant role in regulating the morphology of the nanoparticle. Hydroxyapatite nanoparticle of different morphologies such as spherical, needle shape or rod-like were obtained by adjusting the conditions of the emulsion system. Synthesized powder was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET surface area and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Phase pure HA nanopowder with highest surface area of 121 m²/g were prepared by this technique using NP5 as a surfactant. Densification studies showed that this nanoparticle can give about 98% of their theoretical density. In vitro bioactivity of the dense HA compacts was confirmed by excellent apatite layer formation after 21 days in SBF solution. Cell material interaction study showed good cell attachment and after 5 days cells were proliferated on HA compacts in OPC1 cell culture medium. The results imply this to be a versatile approach for making hydroxyapatite nanocrystals with controlled morphology and excellent biocompatibility.     

Microstructural developments in TLP bonds using thin interlayers based on Ni–B coatings

Oxide dispersion strengthened alloy MA 758 was transient liquid phase (TLP) bonded using thin interlayers based on Ni–B electrodeposited coatings and the microstructural developments across the joint region were studied. The bonding surfaces were electrodeposited with a coat thickness of 2–9 μm and microstructural features were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The homogeneity of the joint was assessed performing micro-hardness test. The results showed that the coating thickness as well as the amount of melting point depressants (boron) in the coatings had a significant effect on the microstructural developments within the joint region. TLP bonds made using a 2 μm thick coating interlayer produced a joint with no visible precipitate formation and parent metal dissolution, and the absence of precipitates was attributed to the lower volume concentration of boron in the 2 μm thick coating interlayer.     

Vectorial scale-based fuzzy-connected image segmentation

This paper presents an extension of previously published theory and algorithms for fuzzy-connected image segmentation. In this approach, a strength of connectedness is assigned to every pair of image elements. This is done by finding the strongest among all possible connecting paths between the two elements in each pair. The strength assigned to a particular path is defined as the weakest affinity between successive pairs of elements along the path. Affinity specifies the degree to which elements hang together locally in the image. A scale is determined at every element in the image that indicates the size of the largest homogeneous hyperball region centered at the element. In determining affinity between any two elements, all elements within their scale regions are considered. This method has been effectively utilized in several medical applications. In this paper, we generalize this method from scalar images to vectorial images. In a vectorial image, scale is defined as the radius of the largest hyperball contained in the same homogeneous region under a predefined condition of homogeneity of the image vector field. Two different components of affinity, namely homogeneity-based affinity and object-feature-based affinity, are devised in a fully vectorial manner. The original relative fuzzy connectedness algorithm is utilized to delineate a specified object via a competing strategy among multiple objects. We have presented several studies to evaluate the performance of this method based on simulated MR images, 20 clinical MR images, and 250 mathematical phantom images. These studies indicate that the fully vectorial fuzzy connectedness formulation has generally overall better accuracy than the method using some intermediate ad hoc steps to fit the vectorial image to a scalar fuzzy connectedness formulation, and precision and efficiency are similar for these two methods.     

On the nature and structure of ‘niobic acid’ and its pyrolytic products: 1H NMR,I.R., conductivity and Ion exchange studies

Niobic acid of composition H₈Nb₆O₁₉ has been prepared by thorough drying of the hydrated oxide at 150°C. The mass was heated in stages up to 1200°C and the intermediate products were subjected to ¹H NMR measurements for determining their proton content. Infra red spectra indicate the presence of protons which are highly delocalised among different oxygen sites. The electrical conductivity of niobic acid has been interpreted as due to proton-hopping. The ion exchange capacity of the material has also been studied. The data have been used to formulate the structure of niobic acid and to obtain the correct procedure for the gravimetric determination of niobium as oxide.     

On the nature and structure of ‘niobic acid’ and its pyrolytic products: Part III: Correlation among the soluble niobates,the stoichiometric and the nonstoichiometric mixed oxides of niobium

Innumerable variety of metal niobates containing diverse M₂O: Nb₂O₅ ratios are reported in the literature but three definite species could only be recognised — ortho, meta and the normal hexaniobates. These three types have been correlated and are shown to be the derivatives of the isopolyniobic acid. The stoichiometric mixed niobates can be derived from the metaniobates and their facile transformation to the perovskite type of lattice has been explained. The nonstoichiometric mixed niobates with cubic perovskite structure exhibit ‘bronze’ properties and their compositions are derived from the structure of the parent metaniobate. All these formulations agree with the compositions and the properties of known species.