This study investigates the load-bearing capacity of open-ended pipe piles in sandy soil, with a specific focus on the impact of soil plug constraints at four levels(no plug, 25% plug, 50% plug, and full plug). Levera...This study investigates the load-bearing capacity of open-ended pipe piles in sandy soil, with a specific focus on the impact of soil plug constraints at four levels(no plug, 25% plug, 50% plug, and full plug). Leveraging a dataset comprising open-ended pipe piles with varying geometrical and geotechnical properties, this research employs shallow neural network(SNN) and deep neural network(DNN) models to predict plugging conditions for both driven and pressed installation types. This paper underscores the importance of key parameters such as the settlement value,applied load, installation type, and soil configuration(loose, medium, and dense) in accurately predicting pile settlement. These findings offer valuable insights for optimizing pile design and construction in geotechnical engineering,addressing a longstanding challenge in the field. The study demonstrates the potential of the SNN and DNN models in precisely identifying plugging conditions before pile driving, with the SNN achieving R2 values ranging from0.444 to 0.711 and RMSPE values ranging from 24.621% to 48.663%, whereas the DNN exhibits superior performance, with R2 values ranging from 0.815 to 0.942 and RMSPE values ranging from 4.419% to 10.325%. These results have significant implications for enhancing construction practices and reducing uncertainties associated with pile foundation projects in addition to leveraging artificial intelligence tools to avoid long experimental procedures.展开更多
Milling bridge plugs in shale gas wells with severe casing deformation often leads to the accumulation of cuttings,increasing the risk of stuck drill bits.Friction in the wellbore further complicates tool deployment i...Milling bridge plugs in shale gas wells with severe casing deformation often leads to the accumulation of cuttings,increasing the risk of stuck drill bits.Friction in the wellbore further complicates tool deployment into the horizontal section,posing challenges to efficient plug drilling and achieving wellbore access to the target layer.This paper integrates the theory of positive displacement motors and models their actual working characteristics to study the milling of bridge plugs in severely deformed horizontal wells.It examines the effects of coiled tubing diameter and wall thickness on the bending load of horizontal sections and discusses key technical requirements,including the timing of plug drilling,extending the run in the horizontal section,parameter control,and real-time field analysis.Field practices have shown that after casing deformation occurs,priority should be given to drilling out the bridge plugs below the point of deformation.The primary factors contributing to stuck drills in deformed wells include smaller mill shoe sizes and larger cuttings sizes.Short well-washing cycles and targeted cuttings removal can effectively reduce sticking risks.If sticking occurs,high-tonnage pulling should be avoided.Instead,releasing the stick through up-anddown string motion,combined with high-volume nozzle spraying and annulus pumping,is recommended.The selection of coiled tubing should consider diameter,wall thickness,and steel grade to handle complex situations.Larger diameters,thicker walls,and low-frequency,multi-head hydraulic oscillators are more effective for unlocking horizontal sections.This approach can reduce the risk of drill sticking and solve the problem of horizontal section lock-ups,offering a reliable solution for smooth drilling and efficient production in wells with severe casing deformation.展开更多
During drilling operations in deep fractured tight gas reservoirs,lost circulation of working fluid frequently occurs due to the formationʼs low pressure-bearing capacity.Adding lost circulation materials(LCMs)to dril...During drilling operations in deep fractured tight gas reservoirs,lost circulation of working fluid frequently occurs due to the formationʼs low pressure-bearing capacity.Adding lost circulation materials(LCMs)to drilling fluids is the most common method for controlling lost circulation.Among these,granular LCMs are widely used,but the application frequency of flaky LCMs has been increasing annually due to their unique morphology.However,the migration and plugging behavior of flaky LCMs within fractures,and the mechanisms enhancing the pressure-bearing capacity of the plugging zone are not well understood.Therefore,this study conducted visual plugging experiments and dynamic fracture plugging experiments to evaluate the plugging mode and pressure-bearing capacity of the plugging slurry with various particle sizes and concentrations of flaky LCMs.The experimental results demonstrate that the fracture plugging process can be divided into four stages:uniform flow stage of the plugging slurry,formation and development stage of the bridging area,formation and development stage of the plugging area,and pressure-bearing stage of the plugging zone.The inclusion of flaky LCMs notably reduces the duration of stages 1 and 2,while simultaneously increasing the proportion of the plugging zone and enhancing its surface porosity.Flaky LCMs reduce the effective fracture width through“interception”and“co-bridging”modes,thus improving plugging zone formation efficiency.Appropriate particle size and concentration of flaky LCMs increase the area and length of the plugging zone.This reduces the fracture width increment caused by injection pressure and enhances frictional force between the plugging zone and fracture surface,thereby improving the pressure-bearing capacity of the plugging zone.However,excessively high concentrations of flaky LCMs result in decreased structural stability of the plugging zone,and excessively large particle sizes increase the risk of plugging outside fracture inlet.The recommended concentration of flaky LCMs in the plugging slurry is 2%–3%,with a particle size 1.2 to 1.5 times that of the bridging granular LCMs and not exceeding twice the fracture width.This study provides a theoretical foundation for selecting LCMs and designing plugging formulations for field applications.展开更多
Resin plugging agents play a pivotal role in addressing casing damage in oil and gas fields.However,the widespread use of epoxy resin is constrained by its high cost and non-renewable origin,while plant-based resins o...Resin plugging agents play a pivotal role in addressing casing damage in oil and gas fields.However,the widespread use of epoxy resin is constrained by its high cost and non-renewable origin,while plant-based resins often suffer from inadequate mechanical properties,which limit their effectiveness in such applications.This study introduces BEOPA,an innovative,renewable,high-strength resin plugging agent derived from epoxidized soybean oil(ESO)and enhanced with bisphenol A-type benzoxazine(BZ).In this study,the synthesis process,reactionmechanism,and application performance of this novelmaterial are systematically presented,explored and optimized.It is shown that the optimal formulation of BEOPA includes 41.4 wt%ESO,24.8 wt%BZ,24.8 wt%methylhexahydrophthalic anhydride(MHHPA),8.2 wt%styrene(ST),and 0.8 wt%N,N-dimethylbenzylamine(BDMA),yielding an impressive compressive strength of 93.7 MPa.The integration of ESO and BZ creates an intricate and robust double crosslinking network,significantly enhancing material strength and durability.BEOPA exhibits a tunable curing time,ranging from 0.5 to 15 h,with viscosities below 300 mPa⋅s at 25℃and 75mPa⋅s at 50℃.Furthermore,it demonstrates exceptional thermal stability within the 100℃-150℃range,even in environments with mineral salt concentrations as high as 43,330 mg/L.Remarkably,BEOPA achieves superior plugging performance,sustaining breakthrough pressures exceeding 29.7 MPa in 1 mm crack cores.展开更多
Gamma-ray imaging systems are powerful tools in radiographic diagnosis.However,the recorded images suffer from degradations such as noise,blurring,and downsampling,consequently failing to meet high-precision diagnosti...Gamma-ray imaging systems are powerful tools in radiographic diagnosis.However,the recorded images suffer from degradations such as noise,blurring,and downsampling,consequently failing to meet high-precision diagnostic requirements.In this paper,we propose a novel single-image super-resolution algorithm to enhance the spatial resolution of gamma-ray imaging systems.A mathematical model of the gamma-ray imaging system is established based on maximum a posteriori estimation.Within the plug-and-play framework,the half-quadratic splitting method is employed to decouple the data fidelit term and the regularization term.An image denoiser using convolutional neural networks is adopted as an implicit image prior,referred to as a deep denoiser prior,eliminating the need to explicitly design a regularization term.Furthermore,the impact of the image boundary condition on reconstruction results is considered,and a method for estimating image boundaries is introduced.The results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively addresses boundary artifacts.By increasing the pixel number of the reconstructed images,the proposed algorithm is capable of recovering more details.Notably,in both simulation and real experiments,the proposed algorithm is demonstrated to achieve subpixel resolution,surpassing the Nyquist sampling limit determined by the camera pixel size.展开更多
Due to the uneven seabed and heaving of soil during pumping,incomplete soil plugs may occur during the installation of bucket foundations,and the impacts on the bearing capacities of bucket foundations need to be eval...Due to the uneven seabed and heaving of soil during pumping,incomplete soil plugs may occur during the installation of bucket foundations,and the impacts on the bearing capacities of bucket foundations need to be evaluated.In this paper,the contact ratio(the ratio of the top diameter of the soil plug to the diameter of the bucket)and the soil plug ratio(the ratio of the soil heave height to the skirt height)are defined to describe the shape and size of the incomplete soil plug.Then,finite element models are established to investigate the bearing capacities of bucket foundations with incomplete soil plugs and the influences of the contact ratios,and the soil plug ratios on the bearing capacities are analyzed.The results show that the vertical bearing capacity of bucket foundations in homogeneous soil continuously improves with the increase of the contact ratio.However,in normally consolidated soil,the vertical bearing capacity barely changes when the contact ratio is smaller than 0.75,while the bearing capacity suddenly increases when the contact ratio increases to 1 due to the change of failure mode.The contact ratio hardly affects the horizontal bearing capacity of bucket foundations.Moreover,the moment bearing capacity improves with the increase of the contact ratio for small aspect ratios,but hardly varies with increasing contact ratio for aspect ratios larger than 0.5.Consequently,the reduction coefficient method is proposed based on this analysis to calculate the bearing capacities of bucket foundations considering the influence of incomplete soil plugs.The comparison results show that the proposed reduction coefficient method can be used to evaluate the influences of incomplete soil plug on the bearing capacities of bucket foundations.展开更多
This study conducted temporary plugging and diversion fracturing(TPDF)experiments using a true triaxial fracturing simulation system within a laboratory setting that replicated a lab-based horizontal well completion w...This study conducted temporary plugging and diversion fracturing(TPDF)experiments using a true triaxial fracturing simulation system within a laboratory setting that replicated a lab-based horizontal well completion with multi-cluster sand jetting perforation.The effects of temporary plugging agent(TPA)particle size,TPA concentration,single-cluster perforation number and cluster number on plugging pressure,multi-fracture diversion pattern and distribution of TPAs were investigated.A combination of TPAs with small particle sizes within the fracture and large particle sizes within the segment is conducive to increasing the plugging pressure and promoting the diversion of multi-fractures.The addition of fibers can quickly achieve ultra-high pressure,but it may lead to longitudinal fractures extending along the wellbore.The temporary plugging peak pressure increases with an increase in the concentration of the TPA,reaching a peak at a certain concentration,and further increases do not significantly improve the temporary plugging peak pressure.The breaking pressure and temporary plugging peak pressure show a decreasing trend with an increase in single-cluster perforation number.A lower number of single-cluster perforations is beneficial for increasing the breaking pressure and temporary plugging peak pressure,and it has a more significant control on the propagation of multi-cluster fractures.A lower number of clusters is not conducive to increasing the total number and complexity of artificial fractures,while a higher number of clusters makes it difficult to achieve effective plugging.The TPAs within the fracture is mainly concentrated in the complex fracture areas,especially at the intersections of fractures.Meanwhile,the TPAs within the segment are primarily distributed near the perforation cluster apertures which initiated complex fractures.展开更多
Pipeline isolation plugging robot (PIPR) is an important tool in pipeline maintenance operation. During the plugging process, the violent vibration will occur by the flow field, which can cause serious damage to the p...Pipeline isolation plugging robot (PIPR) is an important tool in pipeline maintenance operation. During the plugging process, the violent vibration will occur by the flow field, which can cause serious damage to the pipeline and PIPR. In this paper, we propose a dynamic regulating strategy to reduce the plugging-induced vibration by regulating the spoiler angle and plugging velocity. Firstly, the dynamic plugging simulation and experiment are performed to study the flow field changes during dynamic plugging. And the pressure difference is proposed to evaluate the degree of flow field vibration. Secondly, the mathematical models of pressure difference with plugging states and spoiler angles are established based on the extreme learning machine (ELM) optimized by improved sparrow search algorithm (ISSA). Finally, a modified Q-learning algorithm based on simulated annealing is applied to determine the optimal strategy for the spoiler angle and plugging velocity in real time. The results show that the proposed method can reduce the plugging-induced vibration by 19.9% and 32.7% on average, compared with single-regulating methods. This study can effectively ensure the stability of the plugging process.展开更多
Fault fractures usually have large openings and considerable extension. Accordingly, cross-linked gel materials aregenerally considered more suitable plugging agents than water-based gels because the latter often unde...Fault fractures usually have large openings and considerable extension. Accordingly, cross-linked gel materials aregenerally considered more suitable plugging agents than water-based gels because the latter often undergo contaminationvia formation water, which prevents them from being effective over long times. Hence, in this study, aset of oil-based composite gels based on waste grease and epoxy resin has been developed. These materials havebeen observed to possess high compressive strength and resistance to the aforementioned contamination, therebyleading to notable increase in plugging success rate. The compressive strength, thickening time, and resistance toformation water pollution of these gels have been evaluated indoors. The results show that the compressivestrength of the gel can reach 11 MPa;additionally, the related gelation time can be controlled to be more than3 h, thereby providing a safe construction time;Invasion of formation water has a small effect on the gel strengthand does not shorten the thickening time. All considered performance indicators of the oil-based gel confirm itssuitability as a plugging agent for fault fractures.展开更多
Lost circulation, a recurring peril during drilling operations, entails substantial loss of drilling fluid and dire consequences upon its infiltration into the formation. As drilling depth escalates, the formation tem...Lost circulation, a recurring peril during drilling operations, entails substantial loss of drilling fluid and dire consequences upon its infiltration into the formation. As drilling depth escalates, the formation temperature and pressure intensify, imposing exacting demands on plug materials. In this study, a kind of controllable curing resin with dense cross-network structure was prepared by the method of solution stepwise ring-opening polymerization. The resin plugging material investigated in this study is a continuous phase material that offers effortless injection, robust filling capabilities, exceptional retention, and underground curing or crosslinking with high strength. Its versatility is not constrained by fracture-cavity lose channels, making it suitable for fulfilling the essential needs of various fracture-cavity combinations when plugging fracture-cavity carbonate rocks. Notably, the curing duration can be fine-tuned within the span of 3-7 h, catering to the plugging of drilling fluid losing of diverse fracture dimensions. Experimental scrutiny encompassed the rheological properties and curing behavior of the resin plugging system, unraveling the intricacies of the curing process and establishing a cogent kinetic model. The experimental results show that the urea-formaldehyde resin plugging material has a tight chain or network structure. When the concentration of the urea-formaldehyde resin plugging system solution remains below 30%, the viscosity clocks in at a meager 10 mPa·s. Optimum curing transpires at 60℃, showcasing impressive resilience to saline conditions. Remarkably, when immersed in a composite saltwater environment containing 50000 mg/L NaCl and 100000 mg/L CaCl_(2), the urea-formaldehyde resin consolidates into an even more compact network structure, culminating in an outstanding compressive strength of 41.5 MPa. Through resolving the correlation between conversion and the apparent activation energy of the non-isothermal DSC curing reaction parameters, the study attests to the fulfillment of the kinetic equation for the urea-formaldehyde resin plugging system. This discerning analysis illuminates the nuanced shifts in the microscopic reaction mechanism of the urea-formaldehyde resin plugging system. Furthermore, the pressure bearing plugging capacity of the resin plugging system for fractures of different sizes is also studied. It is found that the resin plugging system can effectively resident in parallel and wedge-shaped fractures of different sizes, and form high-strength consolidation under certain temperature conditions. The maximum plugging pressure of resin plugging system for parallel fractures with outlet size 3 mm can reach 9.92 MPa, and the maximum plugging pressure for wedge-shaped fractures with outlet size 5 mm can reach 9.90 MPa. Consequently, the exploration and application of urea-formaldehyde resin plugging material precipitate a paradigm shift, proffering novel concepts and methodologies in resolving the practical quandaries afflicting drilling fluid plugging.展开更多
Thermo-responsive nanocomposites have recently emerged as potential nanoplugging agents for shale stabilization in high-temperature water-based drilling fluids(WBDFs). However, their inhibitory properties have not bee...Thermo-responsive nanocomposites have recently emerged as potential nanoplugging agents for shale stabilization in high-temperature water-based drilling fluids(WBDFs). However, their inhibitory properties have not been very effective in high-temperature drilling operations. Thermo-responsive Janus nanocomposites are expected to strongly interact with clay particles from the inward hemisphere of nanomaterials, which drive the establishment of a tighter hydrophobic membrane over the shale surface at the outward hemisphere under geothermal conditions for shale stabilization. This work combines the synergistic benefits of thermo-responsive and zwitterionic nanomaterials to synchronously enhance the chemical inhibitions and plugging performances in shale under harsh conditions. A novel thermoresponsive Janus nanosilica(TRJS) exhibiting zwitterionic character was synthesized, characterized,and assessed as shale stabilizer for WBDFs at high temperatures. Compared to pristine nanosilica(Si NP)and symmetrical thermo-responsive nanosilica(TRS), TRJS exhibited anti-polyelectrolyte behaviour, in which electrolyte ions screened the electrostatic attraction between the charged particles, potentially stabilizing nanomaterial in hostile shaly environments(i.e., up to saturated brine or API brine). Macroscopically, TRJS exhibited higher chemical inhibition than Si NP and TRS in brine, prompting a better capability to control pressure penetration. TRJS adsorbed onto the clay surface via chemisorption and hydrogen bonding, and the interactions became substantial in brine, according to the results of electrophoretic mobility, surface wettability, and X-ray diffraction. Thus, contributing to the firm trapping of TRJS into the nanopore structure of the shale, triggering the formation of a tight hydrophobic membrane over the shale surface from the outward hemisphere. The addition of TRJS into WBDF had no deleterious effect on fluid properties after hot-treatment at 190℃, implying that TRJS could find potential use as a shale stabilizer in WBDFs in hostile environments.展开更多
Inadequate strength and stability of active crude oil emulsions stabilized by conventional surfactants always lead to a limited plugging rate of plugging agents.Thus,to address this issue,the synthesis of amphiphilic ...Inadequate strength and stability of active crude oil emulsions stabilized by conventional surfactants always lead to a limited plugging rate of plugging agents.Thus,to address this issue,the synthesis of amphiphilic Janus nanosheets was effectively carried out for enhancing the system performances and subsequently characterized.Based on the outcomes of orthogonal tests,an assessment was conducted on the nanosheet and surfactant formulations to optimize the enhancement of emulsion properties.The experimental demonstration of the complex system has revealed its remarkable emulsifying capability,ability to decrease interfacial tension and improve rheological behavior at high temperature(80℃)and high salinity(35,000 ppm)conditions.Involving probable mechanism of the system performance enhancement is elucidated by considering the synergistic effect between surfactants and nanosheets.Furthermore,variables including water-to-oil ratio,salinity,temperature and stirring intensity during operation,which affect the properties of prepared emulsions,were investigated in detail.The efficacy and stability of the complex system in obstructing medium and high permeability cores were demonstrated.Notably,the core with a high permeability of 913.58 mD exhibited a plugging rate of 98.55%.This study establishes the foundations of medium and high permeability reservoirs plugging with novel active crude oil plugging agents in severe environments.展开更多
A coupled CFD-DEM method is used to simulate the formation process of fracture plugging zone.A photo-elastic system characterizing mesoscale force chain network developed by our own is used to model the pressure evolu...A coupled CFD-DEM method is used to simulate the formation process of fracture plugging zone.A photo-elastic system characterizing mesoscale force chain network developed by our own is used to model the pressure evolution in fracture plugging zone to reveal the evolution mechanism of the structure of fracture plugging zone.A theoretical basis is provided for improving the lost circulation control effect in fractured reservoirs and novel methods are proposed for selecting loss control materials and designing loss control formula.CFD-DEM simulation results show that bridging probability is the key factor determining the formation of fracture plugging zone and fracture plugging efficiency.Critical and absolute bridging concentrations are proposed as the key indexes for loss control formula design.With the increase of absolute bridging concentration,the governing factor of bridging is changed from material grain size to the combination of material grain size and friction force.Results of photo-elastic experiments show that mesoscale force chain network is the intrinsic factor affecting the evolution of pressure exerting on the fracture plugging zone and determines the macroscopic strength of fracture plugging zone.Performance parameters of loss control material affect the force chain network structure and the ratio of stronger force chain,and further impact the stability and strength of fracture plugging zone.Based on the study results,the loss control formula is optimized and new-type loss control material is designed.Laboratory experiments results show that the fracture plugging efficiency and strength is effectively improved.展开更多
Multistage fracturing of horizontal wells is a critical technology for unconventional oil and gas reservoir stimulation. Ball-throwing temporary plugging fracturing is a new method for realizing uniform fracturing alo...Multistage fracturing of horizontal wells is a critical technology for unconventional oil and gas reservoir stimulation. Ball-throwing temporary plugging fracturing is a new method for realizing uniform fracturing along horizontal wells and plays an important role in increasing oil and gas production. However,the transportation and sealing law of temporary plugging balls(TPBs) in the perforation section of horizontal wells is still unclear. Using COMSOL computational fluid dynamics and a particle tracking module, we simulate the transportation process of TPBs in a horizontal wellbore and analyse the effects of the ball density, ball diameter, ball number, fracturing fluid injection rate, and viscosity on the plugging efficiency of TPB transportation. This study reveals that when the density of TPBs is close to that of the fracturing fluid and a moderate diameter of the TPB is used, the plugging efficiency can be substantially enhanced. The plugging efficiency is greater when the TPB number is close to twice the number of perforations and is lower when the number of TPBs is three times the number of perforations.Adjusting the fracturing fluid injection rate from low to high can control the position of the TPBs,improving plugging efficiency. As the viscosity of the fracturing fluid increases, the plugging efficiency of the perforations decreases near the borehole heel and increases near the borehole toe. In contrast, the plugging efficiency of the central perforation is almost unaffected by the fracturing fluid viscosity. This study can serve as a valuable reference for establishing the parameters for temporary plugging and fracturing.展开更多
Alumina–spinel refractories used in slit-type purging plugs are susceptible to cross-sectional damage,resulting in a serious mismatch between their service life and that of ladle.Alumina–calcium hexaluminate refract...Alumina–spinel refractories used in slit-type purging plugs are susceptible to cross-sectional damage,resulting in a serious mismatch between their service life and that of ladle.Alumina–calcium hexaluminate refractories have gradually become the new trend in purging plug materials with the development of refining technology.The thermomechanical damage of slit-type purging plugs with alumina–calcium hexaluminate refractory was investigated by the thermo-solid coupling simulation.Combined with the polynomial fitting and design of experiments methods,the influence of thermophysical parameters on temperature and thermal stress of alumina–calcium hexaluminate refractories for purging plugs was systematically analyzed.The results show that the maximum thermal stress of the purging plugs appears during the stages of steel transporting and stirring,and the vulnerable parts are located above Y=0.323 m.The thermal conductivity and the coefficient of thermal expansion of the material are the most sensitive parameters to the temperature and thermal stress inside the structure,respectively.The addition of more calcium hexaluminate can relieve the stress concentration and large deformation around the slits.Consequently,when the content of calcium hexaluminate is 47 wt.%and in the form of aggregate-binder,the temperature and thermal stress distribution inside the refractory are optimal,which can effectively improve the service life of the slit-type purging plug.展开更多
A rigorous analytical model is developed for simulating the vibration behaviors of large-diameter openended pipe piles(OEPPs)and surrounding soil undergoing high-strain impact loading.To describe the soil behavior,the...A rigorous analytical model is developed for simulating the vibration behaviors of large-diameter openended pipe piles(OEPPs)and surrounding soil undergoing high-strain impact loading.To describe the soil behavior,the soil along pile shaft is divided into slip and nonslip zones and the base soil is modeled as a fictitious-soil pile(FSP)to account for the wave propagation in the soil.True soil properties are adopted and slippage at the pile-soil interface is considered,allowing realistic representation of largediameter OEPP mechanics.The developed model is validated by comparing with conventional models and finite element method(FEM).It is further used to successfully simulate and interpret the behaviors of a steel OEPP during the offshore field test.It is found that the variation in the vertical vibrations of shaft soil along radial direction is significant for large-diameter OEPPs,and the velocity amplitudes of the internal and external soil attenuate following different patterns.The shaft soil motion may not attenuate with depth due to the soil slippage,while the wave attenuation at base soil indicates an influence depth,with a faster attenuation rate than that in the pile.The findings from the current study should aid in simulating the vibration behaviors of large-diameter OEPP-soil system under high-strain dynamic loading.展开更多
Purging plug refractories in China typically contain around 3 mass% of super-fine chromium oxide in the matrix in order to improve the performance of the purging plugs, primarily, slag corrosion and wear resistance. A...Purging plug refractories in China typically contain around 3 mass% of super-fine chromium oxide in the matrix in order to improve the performance of the purging plugs, primarily, slag corrosion and wear resistance. Alternatives to chromium oxide containing refractories have gained interest due to health concerns related to the formation of soluble chromium compounds over long storage periods of refractory wastes. Super-ground reactive alumina can replace chromium oxide in purging plug refractories and this paper discussed the new reactive alumina E-SY 88 in comparison to chromium oxide in a typical purging plug castable. The mixing behaviour, wet castable properties, as well as cured, dried, and fired properties at different temperatures up to 1 600 ℃ were compared. In addition, the hot modulus of rupture, creep behaviour, thermal shock resistance and slag corrosion resistance were tested. The microstructure after slag corrosion was investigated by SEM. The results prove that E-SY 88 is an economically viable technical alternative to chromium oxide in purging plug refractories.展开更多
The integration of sustainable technologies in waste management systems has become imperative in addressing the escalating challenges of agricultural productivity and sustainability. Plugs are essential when starting ...The integration of sustainable technologies in waste management systems has become imperative in addressing the escalating challenges of agricultural productivity and sustainability. Plugs are essential when starting crop production in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) setups and greenhouses. Horticultural crops such as vegetables, fruiting, and ornamental plants that utilize plugs have demonstrated higher success rates, healthier plants, and higher total yields. The APS Laboratory for Sustainable Agriculture explored the innovative utilization of digestate from the Home Water-Energy-Food Systems (H-WEF). The H-WEF system converts household food waste into biogas, electricity, and nutrient-rich digestate. The digestate from the H-WEF system was used to produce agricultural plugs, presenting a novel approach to circular resource utilization. We carried out the growth of Rex Butterhead Lettuce Latuca sativa plugs with 1) control system (synthetic fertilizer) and seven different treatments, 2) 5% Digestate—95% RO Water (5D–95RO);3) 10% Digestate—90% RO Water (10D–90RO);4) 15% Digestate—85% RO Water (15D–85RO);5) 20% Digestate—80% RO Water (20D–80RO);6) 25% Digestate—75% RO Water (25D–75RO);7) 30% Digestate—70% RO Water (30D–70RO);8) 35% Digestate—65% RO Water (35D–65RO). The plugs were cultivated for 15 days in a controlled environment until two leaves had developed after the cotyledon. After 15 days, we collected data on wet weight (g), plug head area (cm2), total leaf area (cm2), total chlorophyll content (mg/cm2), and dry weight (g). In addition, we collected data on the Leaf Area Index (LAI, cm2/cm2) and Specific Leaf Area (SLA, cm2/g). The synthetic fertigation yielded a higher wet weight than the following treatments: 5D–95RO, 10D–90RO, and 35D–65RO. While the 30D–70RO treatment produced a larger plug head than all other treatments. The digestate-based fertilizers were comparable to the synthetic fertilizer at dilutions of 25D–75RO and 30D–70RO. This study underscores the viability of using digestate for plug production, providing crucial insights for growers navigating the challenges of sustainable agricultural practices.展开更多
Long steel piles with large diameters have been more widely used in the field of ocean engineering. Owing to the pile with a large diameter, soil plug development during pile driving has great influences on pile drive...Long steel piles with large diameters have been more widely used in the field of ocean engineering. Owing to the pile with a large diameter, soil plug development during pile driving has great influences on pile driveability and bearing capacity. The response of soil plug developed inside the open-ended pipe pile during the dynamic condition of pile-driving is different from the response under the static condition of loading during service. This paper addresses the former aspect. A numerical procedure for soil plug effect prediction and pile driveabihty analysis is proposed and described. By taking into consideration of the pile dimension effect on side and tip resistance, this approach introduces a dimensional coefficient to the conventional static eqnihbrium equations for the plug differential unit and proposes an improved static equity method for the plug effect prediction. At the same time, this approach introduces a simplified model by use of one-dimensional stress wave equation to simulate the interaction between soil plug and pile inner wall. The proposed approach has been applied in practical engineering analyses. Results show that the calculated plug effect and pile driveabihty based on the proposed approach agree well with the observed data.展开更多
Using the visualized experimental device of temporary plugging in hydraulic fractures, the plugging behaviors of temporary plugging particles with different sizes and concentrations in hydraulic fractures were experim...Using the visualized experimental device of temporary plugging in hydraulic fractures, the plugging behaviors of temporary plugging particles with different sizes and concentrations in hydraulic fractures were experimentally analyzed under the conditions of different carrier fluid displacements and viscosities. The results show that the greater the carrier fluid viscosity and displacement, the more difficult it is to form a plugging layer, and that the larger the size and concentration of the temporary plugging particle, the less difficult it is to form a plugging layer. When the ratio of particle size to fracture width is 0.45, the formation of the plugging layer is mainly controlled by the mass concentration of the temporary plugging particle and the viscosity of the carrier fluid, and a stable plugging layer cannot form if the mass concentration of the temporary plugging particle is less than 20 kg/m^(3)or the viscosity of the carrier fluid is greater than 3 mPa·s. When the ratio of particle size to fracture width is 0.60, the formation of the plugging layer is mainly controlled by the mass concentration of the temporary plugging particle, and a stable plugging layer cannot form if the mass concentration of the temporary plugging particle is less than 10 kg/m^(3). When the ratio of particle size to fracture width is 0.75, the formation of the plugging layer is basically not affected by other parameters, and a stable plugging layer can form within the experimental conditions. The formation process of plugging layer includes two stages and four modes. The main controlling factors affecting the formation mode are the ratio of particle size to fracture width, carrier fluid displacement and carrier fluid viscosity.展开更多
文摘This study investigates the load-bearing capacity of open-ended pipe piles in sandy soil, with a specific focus on the impact of soil plug constraints at four levels(no plug, 25% plug, 50% plug, and full plug). Leveraging a dataset comprising open-ended pipe piles with varying geometrical and geotechnical properties, this research employs shallow neural network(SNN) and deep neural network(DNN) models to predict plugging conditions for both driven and pressed installation types. This paper underscores the importance of key parameters such as the settlement value,applied load, installation type, and soil configuration(loose, medium, and dense) in accurately predicting pile settlement. These findings offer valuable insights for optimizing pile design and construction in geotechnical engineering,addressing a longstanding challenge in the field. The study demonstrates the potential of the SNN and DNN models in precisely identifying plugging conditions before pile driving, with the SNN achieving R2 values ranging from0.444 to 0.711 and RMSPE values ranging from 24.621% to 48.663%, whereas the DNN exhibits superior performance, with R2 values ranging from 0.815 to 0.942 and RMSPE values ranging from 4.419% to 10.325%. These results have significant implications for enhancing construction practices and reducing uncertainties associated with pile foundation projects in addition to leveraging artificial intelligence tools to avoid long experimental procedures.
基金supported by Major Technology Promotion Project of CNPC,China(No.2022ZT01)Major Field Test Project of CNPC,China(No.2019F-31-04)CNPC Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Company Science and Technology Special Project,China(No.CQ2024B-11-Z2-4).
文摘Milling bridge plugs in shale gas wells with severe casing deformation often leads to the accumulation of cuttings,increasing the risk of stuck drill bits.Friction in the wellbore further complicates tool deployment into the horizontal section,posing challenges to efficient plug drilling and achieving wellbore access to the target layer.This paper integrates the theory of positive displacement motors and models their actual working characteristics to study the milling of bridge plugs in severely deformed horizontal wells.It examines the effects of coiled tubing diameter and wall thickness on the bending load of horizontal sections and discusses key technical requirements,including the timing of plug drilling,extending the run in the horizontal section,parameter control,and real-time field analysis.Field practices have shown that after casing deformation occurs,priority should be given to drilling out the bridge plugs below the point of deformation.The primary factors contributing to stuck drills in deformed wells include smaller mill shoe sizes and larger cuttings sizes.Short well-washing cycles and targeted cuttings removal can effectively reduce sticking risks.If sticking occurs,high-tonnage pulling should be avoided.Instead,releasing the stick through up-anddown string motion,combined with high-volume nozzle spraying and annulus pumping,is recommended.The selection of coiled tubing should consider diameter,wall thickness,and steel grade to handle complex situations.Larger diameters,thicker walls,and low-frequency,multi-head hydraulic oscillators are more effective for unlocking horizontal sections.This approach can reduce the risk of drill sticking and solve the problem of horizontal section lock-ups,offering a reliable solution for smooth drilling and efficient production in wells with severe casing deformation.
基金support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.52274009).
文摘During drilling operations in deep fractured tight gas reservoirs,lost circulation of working fluid frequently occurs due to the formationʼs low pressure-bearing capacity.Adding lost circulation materials(LCMs)to drilling fluids is the most common method for controlling lost circulation.Among these,granular LCMs are widely used,but the application frequency of flaky LCMs has been increasing annually due to their unique morphology.However,the migration and plugging behavior of flaky LCMs within fractures,and the mechanisms enhancing the pressure-bearing capacity of the plugging zone are not well understood.Therefore,this study conducted visual plugging experiments and dynamic fracture plugging experiments to evaluate the plugging mode and pressure-bearing capacity of the plugging slurry with various particle sizes and concentrations of flaky LCMs.The experimental results demonstrate that the fracture plugging process can be divided into four stages:uniform flow stage of the plugging slurry,formation and development stage of the bridging area,formation and development stage of the plugging area,and pressure-bearing stage of the plugging zone.The inclusion of flaky LCMs notably reduces the duration of stages 1 and 2,while simultaneously increasing the proportion of the plugging zone and enhancing its surface porosity.Flaky LCMs reduce the effective fracture width through“interception”and“co-bridging”modes,thus improving plugging zone formation efficiency.Appropriate particle size and concentration of flaky LCMs increase the area and length of the plugging zone.This reduces the fracture width increment caused by injection pressure and enhances frictional force between the plugging zone and fracture surface,thereby improving the pressure-bearing capacity of the plugging zone.However,excessively high concentrations of flaky LCMs result in decreased structural stability of the plugging zone,and excessively large particle sizes increase the risk of plugging outside fracture inlet.The recommended concentration of flaky LCMs in the plugging slurry is 2%–3%,with a particle size 1.2 to 1.5 times that of the bridging granular LCMs and not exceeding twice the fracture width.This study provides a theoretical foundation for selecting LCMs and designing plugging formulations for field applications.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(U23B20156,52174033).
文摘Resin plugging agents play a pivotal role in addressing casing damage in oil and gas fields.However,the widespread use of epoxy resin is constrained by its high cost and non-renewable origin,while plant-based resins often suffer from inadequate mechanical properties,which limit their effectiveness in such applications.This study introduces BEOPA,an innovative,renewable,high-strength resin plugging agent derived from epoxidized soybean oil(ESO)and enhanced with bisphenol A-type benzoxazine(BZ).In this study,the synthesis process,reactionmechanism,and application performance of this novelmaterial are systematically presented,explored and optimized.It is shown that the optimal formulation of BEOPA includes 41.4 wt%ESO,24.8 wt%BZ,24.8 wt%methylhexahydrophthalic anhydride(MHHPA),8.2 wt%styrene(ST),and 0.8 wt%N,N-dimethylbenzylamine(BDMA),yielding an impressive compressive strength of 93.7 MPa.The integration of ESO and BZ creates an intricate and robust double crosslinking network,significantly enhancing material strength and durability.BEOPA exhibits a tunable curing time,ranging from 0.5 to 15 h,with viscosities below 300 mPa⋅s at 25℃and 75mPa⋅s at 50℃.Furthermore,it demonstrates exceptional thermal stability within the 100℃-150℃range,even in environments with mineral salt concentrations as high as 43,330 mg/L.Remarkably,BEOPA achieves superior plugging performance,sustaining breakthrough pressures exceeding 29.7 MPa in 1 mm crack cores.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.12175183)。
文摘Gamma-ray imaging systems are powerful tools in radiographic diagnosis.However,the recorded images suffer from degradations such as noise,blurring,and downsampling,consequently failing to meet high-precision diagnostic requirements.In this paper,we propose a novel single-image super-resolution algorithm to enhance the spatial resolution of gamma-ray imaging systems.A mathematical model of the gamma-ray imaging system is established based on maximum a posteriori estimation.Within the plug-and-play framework,the half-quadratic splitting method is employed to decouple the data fidelit term and the regularization term.An image denoiser using convolutional neural networks is adopted as an implicit image prior,referred to as a deep denoiser prior,eliminating the need to explicitly design a regularization term.Furthermore,the impact of the image boundary condition on reconstruction results is considered,and a method for estimating image boundaries is introduced.The results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively addresses boundary artifacts.By increasing the pixel number of the reconstructed images,the proposed algorithm is capable of recovering more details.Notably,in both simulation and real experiments,the proposed algorithm is demonstrated to achieve subpixel resolution,surpassing the Nyquist sampling limit determined by the camera pixel size.
基金financially supported by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China(Grant No.51825904)the Research on the Form,Design Method and Weathering Resistance of Key Components of Novel Floating Support Structures for Offshore Photovoltaics(Grant No.2022YFB4200701).
文摘Due to the uneven seabed and heaving of soil during pumping,incomplete soil plugs may occur during the installation of bucket foundations,and the impacts on the bearing capacities of bucket foundations need to be evaluated.In this paper,the contact ratio(the ratio of the top diameter of the soil plug to the diameter of the bucket)and the soil plug ratio(the ratio of the soil heave height to the skirt height)are defined to describe the shape and size of the incomplete soil plug.Then,finite element models are established to investigate the bearing capacities of bucket foundations with incomplete soil plugs and the influences of the contact ratios,and the soil plug ratios on the bearing capacities are analyzed.The results show that the vertical bearing capacity of bucket foundations in homogeneous soil continuously improves with the increase of the contact ratio.However,in normally consolidated soil,the vertical bearing capacity barely changes when the contact ratio is smaller than 0.75,while the bearing capacity suddenly increases when the contact ratio increases to 1 due to the change of failure mode.The contact ratio hardly affects the horizontal bearing capacity of bucket foundations.Moreover,the moment bearing capacity improves with the increase of the contact ratio for small aspect ratios,but hardly varies with increasing contact ratio for aspect ratios larger than 0.5.Consequently,the reduction coefficient method is proposed based on this analysis to calculate the bearing capacities of bucket foundations considering the influence of incomplete soil plugs.The comparison results show that the proposed reduction coefficient method can be used to evaluate the influences of incomplete soil plug on the bearing capacities of bucket foundations.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(51974332).
文摘This study conducted temporary plugging and diversion fracturing(TPDF)experiments using a true triaxial fracturing simulation system within a laboratory setting that replicated a lab-based horizontal well completion with multi-cluster sand jetting perforation.The effects of temporary plugging agent(TPA)particle size,TPA concentration,single-cluster perforation number and cluster number on plugging pressure,multi-fracture diversion pattern and distribution of TPAs were investigated.A combination of TPAs with small particle sizes within the fracture and large particle sizes within the segment is conducive to increasing the plugging pressure and promoting the diversion of multi-fractures.The addition of fibers can quickly achieve ultra-high pressure,but it may lead to longitudinal fractures extending along the wellbore.The temporary plugging peak pressure increases with an increase in the concentration of the TPA,reaching a peak at a certain concentration,and further increases do not significantly improve the temporary plugging peak pressure.The breaking pressure and temporary plugging peak pressure show a decreasing trend with an increase in single-cluster perforation number.A lower number of single-cluster perforations is beneficial for increasing the breaking pressure and temporary plugging peak pressure,and it has a more significant control on the propagation of multi-cluster fractures.A lower number of clusters is not conducive to increasing the total number and complexity of artificial fractures,while a higher number of clusters makes it difficult to achieve effective plugging.The TPAs within the fracture is mainly concentrated in the complex fracture areas,especially at the intersections of fractures.Meanwhile,the TPAs within the segment are primarily distributed near the perforation cluster apertures which initiated complex fractures.
基金This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.51575528)the Science Foundation of China University of Petroleum,Beijing(No.2462022QEDX011).
文摘Pipeline isolation plugging robot (PIPR) is an important tool in pipeline maintenance operation. During the plugging process, the violent vibration will occur by the flow field, which can cause serious damage to the pipeline and PIPR. In this paper, we propose a dynamic regulating strategy to reduce the plugging-induced vibration by regulating the spoiler angle and plugging velocity. Firstly, the dynamic plugging simulation and experiment are performed to study the flow field changes during dynamic plugging. And the pressure difference is proposed to evaluate the degree of flow field vibration. Secondly, the mathematical models of pressure difference with plugging states and spoiler angles are established based on the extreme learning machine (ELM) optimized by improved sparrow search algorithm (ISSA). Finally, a modified Q-learning algorithm based on simulated annealing is applied to determine the optimal strategy for the spoiler angle and plugging velocity in real time. The results show that the proposed method can reduce the plugging-induced vibration by 19.9% and 32.7% on average, compared with single-regulating methods. This study can effectively ensure the stability of the plugging process.
基金“Research and Application of Key Techniques for Drilling and Completion of Bozhong 19-6 Condensate Gas Field Development-Phase I”sub topic 4“Research on Leakage Prevention and Plugging Techniques for Fault and Buried Hill Reservoirs”,a Project of China National Offshore Oil (China)Co.,Ltd. (Project No.YXKY-2020-TJ-03).
文摘Fault fractures usually have large openings and considerable extension. Accordingly, cross-linked gel materials aregenerally considered more suitable plugging agents than water-based gels because the latter often undergo contaminationvia formation water, which prevents them from being effective over long times. Hence, in this study, aset of oil-based composite gels based on waste grease and epoxy resin has been developed. These materials havebeen observed to possess high compressive strength and resistance to the aforementioned contamination, therebyleading to notable increase in plugging success rate. The compressive strength, thickening time, and resistance toformation water pollution of these gels have been evaluated indoors. The results show that the compressivestrength of the gel can reach 11 MPa;additionally, the related gelation time can be controlled to be more than3 h, thereby providing a safe construction time;Invasion of formation water has a small effect on the gel strengthand does not shorten the thickening time. All considered performance indicators of the oil-based gel confirm itssuitability as a plugging agent for fault fractures.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant 52374023, 52288101)Taishan Scholar Young Expert (Grant tsqn202306117)。
文摘Lost circulation, a recurring peril during drilling operations, entails substantial loss of drilling fluid and dire consequences upon its infiltration into the formation. As drilling depth escalates, the formation temperature and pressure intensify, imposing exacting demands on plug materials. In this study, a kind of controllable curing resin with dense cross-network structure was prepared by the method of solution stepwise ring-opening polymerization. The resin plugging material investigated in this study is a continuous phase material that offers effortless injection, robust filling capabilities, exceptional retention, and underground curing or crosslinking with high strength. Its versatility is not constrained by fracture-cavity lose channels, making it suitable for fulfilling the essential needs of various fracture-cavity combinations when plugging fracture-cavity carbonate rocks. Notably, the curing duration can be fine-tuned within the span of 3-7 h, catering to the plugging of drilling fluid losing of diverse fracture dimensions. Experimental scrutiny encompassed the rheological properties and curing behavior of the resin plugging system, unraveling the intricacies of the curing process and establishing a cogent kinetic model. The experimental results show that the urea-formaldehyde resin plugging material has a tight chain or network structure. When the concentration of the urea-formaldehyde resin plugging system solution remains below 30%, the viscosity clocks in at a meager 10 mPa·s. Optimum curing transpires at 60℃, showcasing impressive resilience to saline conditions. Remarkably, when immersed in a composite saltwater environment containing 50000 mg/L NaCl and 100000 mg/L CaCl_(2), the urea-formaldehyde resin consolidates into an even more compact network structure, culminating in an outstanding compressive strength of 41.5 MPa. Through resolving the correlation between conversion and the apparent activation energy of the non-isothermal DSC curing reaction parameters, the study attests to the fulfillment of the kinetic equation for the urea-formaldehyde resin plugging system. This discerning analysis illuminates the nuanced shifts in the microscopic reaction mechanism of the urea-formaldehyde resin plugging system. Furthermore, the pressure bearing plugging capacity of the resin plugging system for fractures of different sizes is also studied. It is found that the resin plugging system can effectively resident in parallel and wedge-shaped fractures of different sizes, and form high-strength consolidation under certain temperature conditions. The maximum plugging pressure of resin plugging system for parallel fractures with outlet size 3 mm can reach 9.92 MPa, and the maximum plugging pressure for wedge-shaped fractures with outlet size 5 mm can reach 9.90 MPa. Consequently, the exploration and application of urea-formaldehyde resin plugging material precipitate a paradigm shift, proffering novel concepts and methodologies in resolving the practical quandaries afflicting drilling fluid plugging.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.52150410427)the Key Support Program for Foreign Experts of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China(No.wgxz2022057)funding for post-doctoral work by the Department of Human Resources and Social Security of Hubei Province。
文摘Thermo-responsive nanocomposites have recently emerged as potential nanoplugging agents for shale stabilization in high-temperature water-based drilling fluids(WBDFs). However, their inhibitory properties have not been very effective in high-temperature drilling operations. Thermo-responsive Janus nanocomposites are expected to strongly interact with clay particles from the inward hemisphere of nanomaterials, which drive the establishment of a tighter hydrophobic membrane over the shale surface at the outward hemisphere under geothermal conditions for shale stabilization. This work combines the synergistic benefits of thermo-responsive and zwitterionic nanomaterials to synchronously enhance the chemical inhibitions and plugging performances in shale under harsh conditions. A novel thermoresponsive Janus nanosilica(TRJS) exhibiting zwitterionic character was synthesized, characterized,and assessed as shale stabilizer for WBDFs at high temperatures. Compared to pristine nanosilica(Si NP)and symmetrical thermo-responsive nanosilica(TRS), TRJS exhibited anti-polyelectrolyte behaviour, in which electrolyte ions screened the electrostatic attraction between the charged particles, potentially stabilizing nanomaterial in hostile shaly environments(i.e., up to saturated brine or API brine). Macroscopically, TRJS exhibited higher chemical inhibition than Si NP and TRS in brine, prompting a better capability to control pressure penetration. TRJS adsorbed onto the clay surface via chemisorption and hydrogen bonding, and the interactions became substantial in brine, according to the results of electrophoretic mobility, surface wettability, and X-ray diffraction. Thus, contributing to the firm trapping of TRJS into the nanopore structure of the shale, triggering the formation of a tight hydrophobic membrane over the shale surface from the outward hemisphere. The addition of TRJS into WBDF had no deleterious effect on fluid properties after hot-treatment at 190℃, implying that TRJS could find potential use as a shale stabilizer in WBDFs in hostile environments.
基金financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(52374053)Beijing Natural Science Foundation(2204092)Beijing Municipal Excellent Talent Training Funds Youth Advanced Individual Project(2018000020124G163)。
文摘Inadequate strength and stability of active crude oil emulsions stabilized by conventional surfactants always lead to a limited plugging rate of plugging agents.Thus,to address this issue,the synthesis of amphiphilic Janus nanosheets was effectively carried out for enhancing the system performances and subsequently characterized.Based on the outcomes of orthogonal tests,an assessment was conducted on the nanosheet and surfactant formulations to optimize the enhancement of emulsion properties.The experimental demonstration of the complex system has revealed its remarkable emulsifying capability,ability to decrease interfacial tension and improve rheological behavior at high temperature(80℃)and high salinity(35,000 ppm)conditions.Involving probable mechanism of the system performance enhancement is elucidated by considering the synergistic effect between surfactants and nanosheets.Furthermore,variables including water-to-oil ratio,salinity,temperature and stirring intensity during operation,which affect the properties of prepared emulsions,were investigated in detail.The efficacy and stability of the complex system in obstructing medium and high permeability cores were demonstrated.Notably,the core with a high permeability of 913.58 mD exhibited a plugging rate of 98.55%.This study establishes the foundations of medium and high permeability reservoirs plugging with novel active crude oil plugging agents in severe environments.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(51604236)Open Fund of the State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation(PLN201913)+1 种基金Science and Technology Planning Project of the Sichuan Province,China(2018JY0436)Sichuan Youth Science and Technology Innovation Research Team Project for Unconventional Oil and Gas Reservoir Protection(2016TD0016)。
文摘A coupled CFD-DEM method is used to simulate the formation process of fracture plugging zone.A photo-elastic system characterizing mesoscale force chain network developed by our own is used to model the pressure evolution in fracture plugging zone to reveal the evolution mechanism of the structure of fracture plugging zone.A theoretical basis is provided for improving the lost circulation control effect in fractured reservoirs and novel methods are proposed for selecting loss control materials and designing loss control formula.CFD-DEM simulation results show that bridging probability is the key factor determining the formation of fracture plugging zone and fracture plugging efficiency.Critical and absolute bridging concentrations are proposed as the key indexes for loss control formula design.With the increase of absolute bridging concentration,the governing factor of bridging is changed from material grain size to the combination of material grain size and friction force.Results of photo-elastic experiments show that mesoscale force chain network is the intrinsic factor affecting the evolution of pressure exerting on the fracture plugging zone and determines the macroscopic strength of fracture plugging zone.Performance parameters of loss control material affect the force chain network structure and the ratio of stronger force chain,and further impact the stability and strength of fracture plugging zone.Based on the study results,the loss control formula is optimized and new-type loss control material is designed.Laboratory experiments results show that the fracture plugging efficiency and strength is effectively improved.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52074250)。
文摘Multistage fracturing of horizontal wells is a critical technology for unconventional oil and gas reservoir stimulation. Ball-throwing temporary plugging fracturing is a new method for realizing uniform fracturing along horizontal wells and plays an important role in increasing oil and gas production. However,the transportation and sealing law of temporary plugging balls(TPBs) in the perforation section of horizontal wells is still unclear. Using COMSOL computational fluid dynamics and a particle tracking module, we simulate the transportation process of TPBs in a horizontal wellbore and analyse the effects of the ball density, ball diameter, ball number, fracturing fluid injection rate, and viscosity on the plugging efficiency of TPB transportation. This study reveals that when the density of TPBs is close to that of the fracturing fluid and a moderate diameter of the TPB is used, the plugging efficiency can be substantially enhanced. The plugging efficiency is greater when the TPB number is close to twice the number of perforations and is lower when the number of TPBs is three times the number of perforations.Adjusting the fracturing fluid injection rate from low to high can control the position of the TPBs,improving plugging efficiency. As the viscosity of the fracturing fluid increases, the plugging efficiency of the perforations decreases near the borehole heel and increases near the borehole toe. In contrast, the plugging efficiency of the central perforation is almost unaffected by the fracturing fluid viscosity. This study can serve as a valuable reference for establishing the parameters for temporary plugging and fracturing.
基金financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(U20A20270,2020BHB010,51702240,51872211 and 51802230).
文摘Alumina–spinel refractories used in slit-type purging plugs are susceptible to cross-sectional damage,resulting in a serious mismatch between their service life and that of ladle.Alumina–calcium hexaluminate refractories have gradually become the new trend in purging plug materials with the development of refining technology.The thermomechanical damage of slit-type purging plugs with alumina–calcium hexaluminate refractory was investigated by the thermo-solid coupling simulation.Combined with the polynomial fitting and design of experiments methods,the influence of thermophysical parameters on temperature and thermal stress of alumina–calcium hexaluminate refractories for purging plugs was systematically analyzed.The results show that the maximum thermal stress of the purging plugs appears during the stages of steel transporting and stirring,and the vulnerable parts are located above Y=0.323 m.The thermal conductivity and the coefficient of thermal expansion of the material are the most sensitive parameters to the temperature and thermal stress inside the structure,respectively.The addition of more calcium hexaluminate can relieve the stress concentration and large deformation around the slits.Consequently,when the content of calcium hexaluminate is 47 wt.%and in the form of aggregate-binder,the temperature and thermal stress distribution inside the refractory are optimal,which can effectively improve the service life of the slit-type purging plug.
基金support from the Exploring Youth Project of Zhejiang Natural Science Foundation (Grant No.LQ24E080009)the Key Project of Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (Grant No.LXZ22E080001)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.52108347).
文摘A rigorous analytical model is developed for simulating the vibration behaviors of large-diameter openended pipe piles(OEPPs)and surrounding soil undergoing high-strain impact loading.To describe the soil behavior,the soil along pile shaft is divided into slip and nonslip zones and the base soil is modeled as a fictitious-soil pile(FSP)to account for the wave propagation in the soil.True soil properties are adopted and slippage at the pile-soil interface is considered,allowing realistic representation of largediameter OEPP mechanics.The developed model is validated by comparing with conventional models and finite element method(FEM).It is further used to successfully simulate and interpret the behaviors of a steel OEPP during the offshore field test.It is found that the variation in the vertical vibrations of shaft soil along radial direction is significant for large-diameter OEPPs,and the velocity amplitudes of the internal and external soil attenuate following different patterns.The shaft soil motion may not attenuate with depth due to the soil slippage,while the wave attenuation at base soil indicates an influence depth,with a faster attenuation rate than that in the pile.The findings from the current study should aid in simulating the vibration behaviors of large-diameter OEPP-soil system under high-strain dynamic loading.
文摘Purging plug refractories in China typically contain around 3 mass% of super-fine chromium oxide in the matrix in order to improve the performance of the purging plugs, primarily, slag corrosion and wear resistance. Alternatives to chromium oxide containing refractories have gained interest due to health concerns related to the formation of soluble chromium compounds over long storage periods of refractory wastes. Super-ground reactive alumina can replace chromium oxide in purging plug refractories and this paper discussed the new reactive alumina E-SY 88 in comparison to chromium oxide in a typical purging plug castable. The mixing behaviour, wet castable properties, as well as cured, dried, and fired properties at different temperatures up to 1 600 ℃ were compared. In addition, the hot modulus of rupture, creep behaviour, thermal shock resistance and slag corrosion resistance were tested. The microstructure after slag corrosion was investigated by SEM. The results prove that E-SY 88 is an economically viable technical alternative to chromium oxide in purging plug refractories.
文摘The integration of sustainable technologies in waste management systems has become imperative in addressing the escalating challenges of agricultural productivity and sustainability. Plugs are essential when starting crop production in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) setups and greenhouses. Horticultural crops such as vegetables, fruiting, and ornamental plants that utilize plugs have demonstrated higher success rates, healthier plants, and higher total yields. The APS Laboratory for Sustainable Agriculture explored the innovative utilization of digestate from the Home Water-Energy-Food Systems (H-WEF). The H-WEF system converts household food waste into biogas, electricity, and nutrient-rich digestate. The digestate from the H-WEF system was used to produce agricultural plugs, presenting a novel approach to circular resource utilization. We carried out the growth of Rex Butterhead Lettuce Latuca sativa plugs with 1) control system (synthetic fertilizer) and seven different treatments, 2) 5% Digestate—95% RO Water (5D–95RO);3) 10% Digestate—90% RO Water (10D–90RO);4) 15% Digestate—85% RO Water (15D–85RO);5) 20% Digestate—80% RO Water (20D–80RO);6) 25% Digestate—75% RO Water (25D–75RO);7) 30% Digestate—70% RO Water (30D–70RO);8) 35% Digestate—65% RO Water (35D–65RO). The plugs were cultivated for 15 days in a controlled environment until two leaves had developed after the cotyledon. After 15 days, we collected data on wet weight (g), plug head area (cm2), total leaf area (cm2), total chlorophyll content (mg/cm2), and dry weight (g). In addition, we collected data on the Leaf Area Index (LAI, cm2/cm2) and Specific Leaf Area (SLA, cm2/g). The synthetic fertigation yielded a higher wet weight than the following treatments: 5D–95RO, 10D–90RO, and 35D–65RO. While the 30D–70RO treatment produced a larger plug head than all other treatments. The digestate-based fertilizers were comparable to the synthetic fertilizer at dilutions of 25D–75RO and 30D–70RO. This study underscores the viability of using digestate for plug production, providing crucial insights for growers navigating the challenges of sustainable agricultural practices.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.50309009)the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China(863 Program,Grant No.2004AA616100)
文摘Long steel piles with large diameters have been more widely used in the field of ocean engineering. Owing to the pile with a large diameter, soil plug development during pile driving has great influences on pile driveability and bearing capacity. The response of soil plug developed inside the open-ended pipe pile during the dynamic condition of pile-driving is different from the response under the static condition of loading during service. This paper addresses the former aspect. A numerical procedure for soil plug effect prediction and pile driveabihty analysis is proposed and described. By taking into consideration of the pile dimension effect on side and tip resistance, this approach introduces a dimensional coefficient to the conventional static eqnihbrium equations for the plug differential unit and proposes an improved static equity method for the plug effect prediction. At the same time, this approach introduces a simplified model by use of one-dimensional stress wave equation to simulate the interaction between soil plug and pile inner wall. The proposed approach has been applied in practical engineering analyses. Results show that the calculated plug effect and pile driveabihty based on the proposed approach agree well with the observed data.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (U21A20105)Science and Technology Innovation Fund of PetroChina (2020D-5007-0208)。
文摘Using the visualized experimental device of temporary plugging in hydraulic fractures, the plugging behaviors of temporary plugging particles with different sizes and concentrations in hydraulic fractures were experimentally analyzed under the conditions of different carrier fluid displacements and viscosities. The results show that the greater the carrier fluid viscosity and displacement, the more difficult it is to form a plugging layer, and that the larger the size and concentration of the temporary plugging particle, the less difficult it is to form a plugging layer. When the ratio of particle size to fracture width is 0.45, the formation of the plugging layer is mainly controlled by the mass concentration of the temporary plugging particle and the viscosity of the carrier fluid, and a stable plugging layer cannot form if the mass concentration of the temporary plugging particle is less than 20 kg/m^(3)or the viscosity of the carrier fluid is greater than 3 mPa·s. When the ratio of particle size to fracture width is 0.60, the formation of the plugging layer is mainly controlled by the mass concentration of the temporary plugging particle, and a stable plugging layer cannot form if the mass concentration of the temporary plugging particle is less than 10 kg/m^(3). When the ratio of particle size to fracture width is 0.75, the formation of the plugging layer is basically not affected by other parameters, and a stable plugging layer can form within the experimental conditions. The formation process of plugging layer includes two stages and four modes. The main controlling factors affecting the formation mode are the ratio of particle size to fracture width, carrier fluid displacement and carrier fluid viscosity.
