Estimating Pressure Losses in Interconnected Fracture Systems: Integrated Tensor Approach

A significant number of petroleum reservoirs and almost all geothermal reservoirs are characterized by high in situ stress and fractures, and fractures act as major flow paths for fluids. An integrated tensor model is proposed to solve three tasks: characterization of a heterogeneous fracture network, simulation of fluid flow through a complex system for estimation of the grid-based permeability tensor, and unsteady-state fluid flow simulation for estimation of production and pressure losses. Deformation of the matrix and fractures are solved separately and used to compute their dynamic porosity and permeability. Finite-element methods and boundary element methods are used for numerical modeling. The results of this study show that the proposed model can overcome problems requiring excessive computational resources, flow interactions between the matrix and fracture, and the effect of matrix deformation on fluid flow. Results also show that the integrated tensor model serves as an efficient tool for predicting the effect of stress on fracture deformation and consequent productivity and/or injectivity of naturally fractured reservoirs.     

Discrete Element Modeling of Strength Properties of Johnson Space Center (JSC-1A) Lunar Regolith Simulant

This paper simulates the three-dimensional axisymmetric triaxial compression of JSC-1A lunar regolith simulant under lunar and terrestrial gravity environments under a wide range of confining pressures and relative densities. To accomplish this, the discrete element method (DEM), using Particle Flow Code In Three-Dimensional (PFC3D) software, was employed. The paper focuses on the peak and the critical state (CS) friction angles, which were predicted in the ranges of 35.4°–82.7° and 31.2°–79.8°, respectively, depending on the specimen density and confining pressure. A significant increase in peak and CS friction angles was predicted at near-zero confining pressure. The DEM results validated an empirical model that relates the peak friction angle with the CS friction angle, relative density, and mean effective stress at the CS. Comparison of DEM results with lunar in situ measurements of friction angle, from Apollo missions and other extraterrestrial laboratory experiments under a microgravity environment, shows a favorable agreement.     

Energy Dissipation on Block Ramps with Staggered Boulders

Block ramps are a short length of a steep channel armored with rocks, which produce high dissipation of energy. This technical note presents the results of experiments performed on a ramp having a staggered arrangement of hemispherical boulders with base material on its bed. Compared to row and random arrangements of boulders, a staggered arrangement produces more dissipation of energy. Relative energy loss in the ramp depends not only on the discharge but also on boulder concentration and their sizes. A relationship is proposed that satisfactorily determines the dissipation of energy on the ramp with base material and boulders placed with a staggered arrangement.     

充矸留巷无煤柱开采技术的应用与实践

通过充矸留巷生产工艺的探索实现了工作面无煤柱开采,在井下工业性试验的基础上,确立了无煤柱开采的配套工艺方案,闯出了一条节能减排的新思路。     

Estimate of the formation time and other parameters of a disruption structure in open pit walls in terms of Muruntau open pit

The authors estimate parameters of a disruption structure in host rocks in the course of mining in terms of Muruntau open pit. __________ Translated from Fiziko-Tekhnicheskie Problemy Razrabotki Poleznykh Iskopaemykh, No. 2, pp. 56–62, March–April, 2009.     

高光谱遥感岩矿识别填图的技术流程与主要技术方法综述

自20世纪80年代以来,伴随着多种航空和航天成像光谱仪的研制成功和投入运行,一系列的图像光谱基本处理手段和实验室岩矿光谱分析技术方法,如最小噪声分量(MNF)变换-像元纯度指数(Pixel Purity Index,PPI)-N维可视化(N-Dimensional Visualization)、岩石类型系统光谱分类、多变量统计分析、矿物光谱特征确认的概率分析、MGM技术等相继发展起来,从而为形成成像光谱岩矿填图的完整技术流程打下了坚实的技术基础。分析了多种岩矿光谱分析的技术方法,同时指出,不同方法具有各自的优、缺点,针对不同应用目标需要不同的矿物识别与岩矿填图方案;混合方法的开发应用和从可见光到微波波段的融合应用在未来更为重要。