Structural,Micromechanical and Tribological Characterization of Zn–Ni Coatings: Effect of Sulfate Bath Composition

Zn and Zn–Ni alloy coatings were electrodeposited on mild steel from sulfate-based bath containing Sn as additive. The effect of Ni content on the microstructure, morphology, microhardness and the tribological behavior of these coatings were studied and discussed. Adding Sn in the sulfate bath had a significant effect on the surface morphology, particularly on the Zn–8 wt% Ni coatings. By increasing the Ni concentration from 8 to 14 wt%, the X-ray patterns showed that the phase structure of Zn–Ni alloy coatings was changed from η-phase Ni₃Zn₂₂ to γ-phase Ni₅Zn₂₁. The plastic deformation and delamination were found to be wear mechanisms for the investigated coatings. While the Zn–14 wt% Ni alloys had the best wear resistance, Zn films had the most severe wear volume loss and the highest friction coefficient.     

The Assessment of Fracture Geometrical Properties on the Performance of Conventional In Situ Combustion

Abstract

The aim of the present work is to evaluate the effect of fractures geometrical properties such as orientation, density, location, and networking on the conventional fire flooding (CFF) process performance through simulation analysis. Combustion parameters of a fractured low-permeable carbonate heavy oil reservoir in Iran called Kuh-E-Mond (KEM); applied for simulation study and simulator has been validated with KEM combustion tube experimental data. The validated model was modified to study CFF in 3D semi-scaled combustion cells. Simulation results confirmed that CFF is more feasible in the case of densely fractured reservoirs such as those in the Middle East.     

Surface damage of poly(methylmethacrylate) under fretting loading

The initial fretting damage in a glass/PMMA contact was investigated by means of experiments and numerical (F.E.M.) simulations. Both micro-crack nucleation at the contact edges and particle detachment were identified on the PMMA's surface. Micro-crack initiation was related to the combination of high tensile stresses and positive hydrostatic pressures which are known to enhance crazing. During the early stages of the fretting tests, the distribution of the detached particles within the contact was correlated to the spatial distribution of the cumulative interfacial energy dissipated by friction. As the number of cycles was increased, it was observed that detached particles moved toward the middle of the contact. On the basis of FEM simulations, this particle displacement within the contact was attributed to the existence of differential micro-displacements during the fretting cycle.     

Optimizing the location of the gas injection well during gas assisted gravity drainage in a fractured carbonate reservoir using artificial intelligence

Gas assisted gravity drainage (GAGD) is a novel subdivision of gas injection method. In this method the injection wells are located in the upper bed of the oil zone, and the production wells are drilled at the bottom bed of the oil zone. Reservoir simulation is among the decision tools for investigating production rate and selecting the best scenarios for developing the oil and gas fields. Selecting the location of the injection wells for reaching the optimized pressure and production rate is one of the most significant challenges during the injection process. Recent experiences have shown that artificial intelligence (AI) is a reliable solution for taking the mentioned decision appropriately and in a least possible time. This study is attributed to the investigation of applying the artificial neural network (ANN) as an artificial intelligence method and a potent predictor for choosing the most proper location for injection in a GAGD process in a fractured carbonate reservoir. The results of this investigation clearly show the efficiency of the ANN as a powerful tool for optimizing the location of the injection wells in a GAGD process. The comparison between the results of ANN and black oil simulator indicated that the predictions obtained from the ANN is highly reliable. In fact the production flow rate and pressure can be obtained in every possible location of the injection well.     

Visualization and Quantification of Asphaltinic-Heavy Oil Displacement by Co-Solvents at Different Wettability Conditions

Abstract

Despite numerous experimental studies, there is a lack of fundamental understanding on how the chemical composition of a co-solvent at different wettability conditions might affect the pore-scale events and oil recovery efficiency in 5-spot models. In this study visualization of solvent injection experiments performed on a one-quarter five spot glass micromodel, which was initially saturated with the crude oil. One hydrocarbon solvent was considered as base, and four other groups of commercial chemicals, as well as their mixtures, were used as co-solvents. Microscopic and macroscopic displacement efficiency of solvent mixtures in both strongly water-wet and oil-wet media has been studied. It has been observed that small aggregates of asphaltene can improve oil recovery to some extent during early stages of solvent injection. Different groups of chemicals showed various effects on oil recovery based on their nature. An optimum mixture with some percent of commercials containing alcohol group with greatest sweep efficiency was found. The observations confirmed that the presence of connate water in strongly water-wet medium could improve the final recovery, while the effect of wettability in absence of connate water was at minimum.     

An Experimental Investigation of Fracture Tilt Angle Effects on Frequency and Stability of Liquid Bridges in Fractured Porous Media

Abstract

Liquid bridges are believed to play an important role in improving the recovery of fractured reservoirs. However, little is known about the stability of liquid bridges in fractured media at the pore scale. In this work, a glass micromodel representing a stack of two blocks was used at different tilt angles to monitor the frequency and stability of liquid bridges formed during free-fall gravity drainage as a function of tilt angle. It was observed that by increasing the tilt angle, the liquid bridge frequency decreased but its stability increased. This resulted in higher ultimate recovery. In addition, it was found that during the first half of the experiments, the number of bridges was higher but their stability was lower than during the second half of the tests. Moreover, no more than one stable liquid bridge was observed at tilt angles above 20°, and the bridge cross-sectional area was gradually decreased as the stability was maintained. A sequence of bridges that were formed and broken one after the other results in a higher drainage rate than a single bridge with stability equal to the overall stability of the sequence.     

Prediction of asphaltene deposition parameters in porous media using experimental data during miscible gas injection

The study of asphaltene deposition under actual field conditions is impossible. Therefore, many models have been derived based on experimental data. All models have some matching parameters, which are estimated along with numerical solving or simulation to match experimental and simulation data, so it is possible that these were estimated as required (tuning factor).

In this study, two miscible CO₂ injection dynamic tests in porous media were performed. In these tests, CO₂ and live oil were injected into the core simultaneously. The CO₂ concentration was more than the onset concentration for asphaltene precipitation.

The main objective of this work was to determine the deposition coefficients from the experimental data, so these were predicted by using basic equations using the material balance. Also, by mathematical methods, the relation between these parameters was determined.

Results from this work imply that the deposition parameters can be estimated from the experimental data and these parameters are not constant during modeling and simulation.