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Unlike conventional single-phase seepage monitoring methods, monitoring multiphase flow in porous media is more complex. This paper addresses this complexity by analyzing the heat transfer in porous media models under multiphase seepage conditions. It introduces a set of theories, methods, and devices to effectively monitor the flow velocity in multiphase seepage processes. Utilizing a self-developed single-point self-heating temperature-sensing device combined with saturation testing at monitoring points, we establish a method to determine the relationship between different saturation and resistivity, as well as the saturation and thermal conductivity of the reservoir model, which provides essential parameter support for the calculation of results during flow velocity monitoring. The effectiveness of the flow velocity monitoring method was confirmed through a one-dimensional constant velocity multiphase seepage experiment. Furthermore, oil-water two-phase seepage simulation experiments were conducted based on the sandpack model. By comparing the real oil-water flow velocity with the monitored velocity, the accuracy can reach over 95%, validating the accuracy and reliability of the method proposed in this paper. The seepage flow velocity monitoring theory and technology established herein offer corresponding theories and methods for obtaining fluid seepage velocity in porous media with multiphase fluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress sensitivity and the elastic outer boundary (EOB) condition have a great effect on the analysis of the characteristics of the fluid flow in a reservoir. When researchers analyzed the characteristics of the fluid flow, they have considered the stress sensitivity and the EOB condition separately but have not considered them simultaneously. Therefore, errors are inevitable during the analysis of well testing. The main object of this work is to present a well-testing model for stress-sensitivity dual-porosity reservoir (DPR) with EOB to improve the accuracy of the analysis of well-testing data. To this end, in this paper, we established a well-testing model for the DPR, considering the stress sensitivity and the EOB simultaneously, and presented its semianalytical solution. On the basis of the consideration of the EOB condition and stress sensitivity of permeability (SSP), a seepage model for the DPR with the EOB is built using the continuity equation, motion equation, state equation, and interporosity flow equation between matrix and fracture, which considers the stress sensitivity, wellbore storage, and skin. To solve this model, a nonlinear partial differential equation is changed into a linear form of a partial differential equation by introducing an effective well radius and applying Pedrosa's transformation and perturbation transformation. Applying the Laplace transformation, an analytical solution in the Laplace space is obtained, and curves of pressure and pressure derivative (PPD) are drawn by numerically inverting them. The model is verified by comparing it with the EOB without consideration of SSP and using case data. The sensitivity of parameters on the curves of PPD is analyzed. This work may be significant for evaluating more accurately the parameters of wells and reservoirs using well testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fluid flow behavior, generally referred to as seepage, could determine the hydrocarbon and brine movement behavior. Movable fluid property, as one of the vital parameters for seepage characteristic evaluation, was generally used for tight oil reservoirs' fluid flow ability assessment. The nuclear magnetic resonance technique was used to experiment with movable fluid percentage and movable fluid porosity, which can provide a realistic assessment of the amount of fluid that can flow in the porous media. Other techniques were also used to analyze the main factors in regulating the differences in movable fluid parameters. However, the research about fluid flow behavior was generally based on traditional methods, while the seepage characteristics from the pore-scale view are still a myth. To promote this process, in this study, core samples obtained from the Chang 7 reservoir of the Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Longdong region of Ordos Basin, China, were tested. The results show that the average movable fluid percentage and average movable fluid porosity of the total 16 core samples are 36.01% and 2.77%, respectively. The movable fluid exists mainly in the midlarge pores with the corresponding T 2 relaxation time over 10 ms. T 2 distributions mainly present four typical patterns: (1) bimodal distribution with similar amplitudes of the two peaks (occupying 6.25%), (2) bimodal distribution with higher right peak and lower left peak (occupying 18.75%), (3) bimodal distribution with higher left peak and lower right peak (occupying 56.25%), and (4) unimodal distribution (occupying 18.75%). Pore structure heterogeneity is closely related to the movable fluid parameters; the movable fluid parameters exhibit a relatively good correlation with core throat radius as well as permeability. There is an obvious difference between the movable fluid parameters and the microscopic characteristic factors in tight oil reservoirs due to the difference in physical properties, clay mineral content, microcracks, and pore structure characteristics. This research has provided a new perspective for the movable fluid property evaluation, and the relevant results can give some advice for the oil field development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tight sand is an important unconventional reservoir. Aiming at the problem of large unused reserves and the poor development effect of Chang 63 reservoir, this paper researches reunderstanding reservoir and evaluating unused reserves. Employing rock slice and scanning electron microscope (SEM), the experiment of low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), water-oil relative permeability experiment, reservoir space, movable fluid, and oil-water seepage characteristics was studied. The factors affecting NMR T 2 cutoff, controlling factors of movable fluids, and controlling factors of displacing efficiency in tight sandstone reservoirs are discussed. The study demonstrates that (1) the mean pore volume and permeability are 4.4% and 0.068 mD, respectively. The reservoir pertains to tight sandstone, mainly intergranular pore and dissolution pore, and the intercalated materials are mainly chlorite and illite. (2) The characteristic of the NMR T 2 spectrum has bimodal characteristics and can be subdivided into two classes: left peak dominant and right peak dominant. The mean value of mobile fluid saturation was 17.9%. (3) According to the relative permeability curve pattern, it is divided into four categories, and the mean bound water saturation is 29.9%. The average irreducible oil saturation was 40.6%. The mean oil flooding efficiency was 40.2%. (4) The better the pore-throat relationship, the lower the T 2 cutoff, the stronger ability of the fluid migration ability, and the higher of a percentage of active fluid. The percentage of active fluid in a low-permeability reservoir is affected by the reservoir's physical property and pore structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of reservoir exploitation, the range of rock stress field changes is much larger than the reservoir area where the seepage occurs; so the amount of calculation of the existing seepage stress full coupling method is often very huge. Based on the theory of seepage mechanics and rock mechanics, a coupling analysis model of reservoir multiphase seepage and stress is established, and a numerical solution is established by using finite element and finite difference methods. The evolution law of the seepage field and stress field and the change of rock mechanics parameters can be studied, with emphasis on the readjustment of rock stress distribution and its deformation characteristics under the influence of the seepage field. At the same time, to improve the calculation efficiency of numerical simulation, considering the difference between the seepage calculation area and stress calculation area, the finite element method is improved. The percolation area of the reservoir is calculated with a fine grid to obtain a more accurate distribution of underground fluid. The coarse grid is used to calculate the stress calculation area and to reduce the calculation time. The mechanical equilibrium equation in the fully coupled theory is discretized on the coarse grid by the finite element method. The mass conservation equation is discretized on the fine grid by the finite volume method. The numerical simulation of Terzaghi's one-dimensional consolidation problem and Mandel's two-dimensional consolidation problem shows that the calculation results of this method are in good agreement with the analytical solution. Through the numerical calculation of a two-dimensional single-phase flow single well production problem and a three-dimensional two-phase flow five-point well pattern production problem, the influence of the seepage stress coupling effect in reservoir numerical simulation is analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By taking the blasting excavation of a deeply buried karst tunnel in the North Tianshan Mountains in China as research objects, the damage induced by blasting excavation and seepage characteristics of deep rock under high seepage pressure was investigated. The COMSOL Multiphysics® software was adopted to establish a simulation model for the blasting excavation of a deeply buried tunnel. By embedding the stress-damage-seepage multifield coupled constitutive relationship, the mechanism of the influences of factors including blasting load, geostress, and hydraulic pressure of karst caves on the blasting excavation-induced damage to, and seepage characteristic of, the surrounding rocks of the tunnel. The results indicate that blasting excavation in the karst tunnel triggers the damage of surrounding rocks, which consists of blasting-induced damage and unloading damage. The time-history curve of the variable for surrounding rock damage rises and consequently tends to a constant value. With the increases in blasting load, geostress, and hydraulic pressure of karst caves, the degree of damage to surrounding rocks is intensified; an increase in geostress will weaken the effect of blasting-induced damage to rock while increasing rock damage arising from unloading. Meanwhile, the degree of damage to the surrounding rock can affect the seepage velocity of water in the surrounding rock to a certain extent. A strong damage and seepage coupled effect occur in the blasting excavation process of the karst tunnel. The such coupled effect is strengthened little by little with the increases in the degree of surrounding rock damage and hydraulic pressures. The results are expected to provide theoretical guidance for hazard prevention and control of blasting excavation in karst tunnels under high geostress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sandy conglomerate reservoirs in the Mahu oilfield located in the Junggar Basin of Northwest China are featured by a significant horizontal stress difference between two directions, making formations easy to form double-wing fractures upon hydraulic fracturing instead of creating a complex fracture network. In addition, as the well spacing or interval cluster spacing decreases, the stress interferences between hydraulic fractures strengthen accordingly, leading to more difficulties in the prediction of fracture propagation patterns. Given the geological characteristics in the study area, an extended finite element method (XFEM) based hydraulic fracture model that can handle fracturing fluid flow distribution was proposed to evaluate the seepage, stress, and damage of the formation under hydraulic fracturing. The influences of the initial stress difference, cluster spacing, and fracturing stage sequence on the hydraulic fracture stress interference and the fracture propagation were investigated, producing discoveries that include: (1) as the fractures propagate, the stress difference between two fractures changes as well, and such change is also affected by the initial stress difference and the fracture distance; (2) the postfracturing stress difference first decreases but then increases with the increase in cluster spacing; (3) as the cluster spacing increases, the interfracture stress interference decreases. In addition, the outer fractures suppress the length of the middle fractures, thus limiting the stimulated reservoir area (SRA); (4) for the cases of creating multistage fractures, the later fracturing stage experiences both the interfracture and the interstage stress interferences from the prefracturing stage. As the fracture width changes with time, the nonplanar fracture feature of the later fracturing stage becomes more evident while the corresponding SRA decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the collapse column of overburden is disturbed by the working face, the grain loss in the karst collapse column occurs by the dissolution and corrosion of groundwater, thereby inducing the water inrush disaster. The test samples are prepared based on the fractal theory and the Talbol grading theory, and the seepage evolution law of fractured rock in collapse column under triaxial stress is studied, by employing the triaxial seepage test equipment. Besides, the seepage mechanics model of broken rock is established and calculated in the COMSOL Multiphysics, and the water-conducting channel under mass loss condition in the collapse column is further elucidated. The research results indicate that the loss ratio of mass is inversely proportional to the Talbol power index, and grain mass loss rate increases with the decrease of the Talbol power index. During the infiltration process, the evolution of pore structure is related with grain size distribution. With the increase of the Talbol power index, the overall porosity increases. Grain loss is an internal factor in seepage loss stability. Flow speed is accelerating, and seepage pathways are communicated with each other to induce the water inrush disaster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changqing tight gas field has been on fashion among China in recent years. Figuring out gas and water seepage behaviors matters a lot for maximizing gas reservoir recovery. One tool for that is to conduct two-phase seepage experiment and reveal seepage features. Experiments show that gas or water's flowing capacity has a directly positive relationship with its saturation. The larger saturation, the higher permeability. Thus, one method of determining whether a gas well produces water or not is to compare the initial water saturation with its starting-flowing saturation. If the initial gas or water saturation is larger than its critical saturation, it starts to flow. Meanwhile, this critical saturation ranges hugely. For reservoirs with high porosity, permeability, and pore structure like type I, the starting-flowing saturation is 15.6% for gas and 36.6% for water, meaning that it is easily for gas or water to reach the critical saturation and make the seepage happen. The critical saturation in reservoir of type III which has low porosity, permeability, and pore structure is as high as 28.8% for gas and 58.1% for water, indicating that high fluid saturation is needed to have it flow. Finally, four horizontal wells in Sudongnan block are analyzed to verify the method. The prediction that two of them will produce water in the beginning and the other two will not is highly in line with their production data. This method has been proved effective in the prediction of gas wells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reasonable support scheme is the main factor to be considered when constructing tunnels, and it is essential to accurately calculate the surrounding rock pressure of tunnels. This work focuses on the improved method used to calculate the surrounding rock pressure of a tunnel affected by the seepage of its weak interlayer. Based on Protodyakonov's theory, the simulation result obtained by finite difference method is adopted to determine the modified Protodyakonov's method (MPM) used to calculate the surrounding rock pressure of the tunnel taking the angle and position of its interlayer as the entry point. To confirm the efficacy of the MPM, used for a Chongqing Mountain tunnel affected by the seepage of its weak interlayer, the other two normal calculation methods were compared with the MPM and field monitoring results. It is shown that the calculated results of the MPM are closer to those of the field monitoring. MPM meets the requirements of support strength and can be used as a reference to calculate the surrounding rock pressure of tunnels affected by the seepage of a weak interlayer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous groundwater seepage flow field reflects the spatiotemporal dynamic characteristics of porous groundwater movement. The geometric point and vector line methods are the traditionally used visualization methods for groundwater seepage flow field; however, they exhibit difficulty in describing the characteristics and attributes of a seepage flow field. Therefore, a new particle flow method in the field of computer graphics is introduced in this study to visualize seepage flow field, including the storage conditions, transport mechanism, and seepage field properties of porous groundwater. This visualization method is discussed from four aspects: the generation of seed points, the life cycle of particles, the movement velocity of particles, and the formation of particle trajectory and smooth processing. The seepage field of confined aquifer III groundwater expressed via particle flow and the contour of critical groundwater level are superimposed and analyzed in Yancheng City in the east coast of China. Results show that particle flow can be effectively applied to the visualization of groundwater seepage flow field and provide spatial auxiliary decision-making support for the sustainable exploitation of groundwater and the formulation of geological environment protection measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The groundwater in nonkarst areas can be divided into two categories: pore water and fracture water. Unlike fracture seepage, sandstone pore seepage in deep mines manifests as a large area of "sweating," rather than an area of local "spray," and is difficult to plug via conventional grouting methods. This study focused on pore seepage in deep mine sandstone to improve the grouting effect. Taking the deep mine sandstone in the southwest Shandong coal field, where "large-area sweating" seepage occurs, as the study object, this study examined the pore structure, petrological characteristics, physical properties, and grain sizes of the sandstone by analyzing experimental data from thin sections and scanning electron microscopy samples. The formation mechanism of the "large-area sweating" seepage was then analyzed. The range of permeability in which "large-area sweating" seepage may occur in the sandstone was discussed. The results indicate that the process of "large-area sweating" seepage in deep mine sandstone can be divided into a matrix softening stage, a matrix erosion stage, and a "large-area sweating" water seepage formation stage. According to the case analysis on the "large-area sweating" seepage in the Tangkou coal mine of the Southwest Shandong coalfield, the lower limit of permeability of the "large-area sweating" sandstone is approximately 0.25 mD. Thus, this type of seepage can occur in deep mine sandstone with a permeability of greater than 0.25 mD and affect typical mining production. The results of this study provide information about the formation mechanism of "large-area sweating" water seepage from sandstone pores and can theoretically inform the development of a new permeation grouting technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using an abandoned underground goaf in coal mines as water reservoirs has been successfully applied for protecting mine water resources in western China. The water storage media are composed of broken rock masses and the voids between the rock masses. It is critical for reservoir capacity calculation that the deformation characteristics and seepage evolution of the water storage media under triaxial stress are theoretically described. In this study, broken rock masses and the space among the rock masses are simplified as two springs in a series. The mechanical behavior of the broken rock mass is described by Hooke's law of linear elasticity, and the deformation characteristics of the space among the rock masses are represented by a nonlinear elastic constitutive model. The nonlinear stress-strain constitutive model of the water storage media is established by combining Hooke's law and the fractional derivative stress-strain model. Similarly, a non-Darcy seepage model of the water storage media is obtained. The nonlinear stress-strain model is verified by mechanical experiments, physical simulation tests, and field measured data, and parameter sensitivity analysis is performed. The non-Darcy seepage equation is fitted and analyzed by using the seepage experimental data of the broken rock mass under triaxial compression conditions. The fractional non-Darcy model rather than the Forchheimer equation can more accurately describe the nonlinear seepage process in water storage media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In underground engineering, the fracture dip angle and three-dimensional stress have great influence on the permeability and mechanical properties of fractured rock mass. Firstly, single-fracture samples with similar three-dimensional fractal dimensions and different dip angles were selected by using CT scanning technology. Then, the grouting material seepage tests under different dip angles and different three-dimensional stresses were carried out by self-developed single-fracture stress-seepage coupling true triaxial test system. The experimental data of stress-strain curve, grouting pressure, and grouting material flow rate of single-fracture specimen under different fracture dip angles and three-dimensional stress were obtained. The results show that the three-dimensional fractal dimension can be used as an index to measure the influence of fracture factors on grouting seepage test. The third principal stress σ 3 had a greater influence on the fracture width than the first principal stress σ 1 . The larger the fracture inclination, the lower the strength of the single-fracture specimen. As the third principal stress σ 3 increases, the grouting pressure increased while the grouting flow decreased. With the increase of the fracture inclination angle, the influence of σ 1 on the hydraulic conductivity became larger, while the influence of σ 3 on the hydraulic conductivity became smaller. Moreover, the expression of hydraulic conductivity of single-fracture specimen with different dip angles under three-dimensional stress was obtained by nonlinear fitting of hydraulic conductivity data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shale gas storage and permeability space is between nanometers and micrometers and has strong multiscale characteristics, resulting in highly complicated shale gas flow. Therefore, the development of shale gas needs to clarify the seepage mechanism of shale gas and establish a flow model and flow equation that can analyze shale gas flow. In this paper, based on the single nanotube model, combined with the Weiyuan-Changning shale gas demonstration zone of the target layer of the Longmaxi formation shale core high-pressure mercury pore throat test results, the contribution of seepage, diffusion, transition flow, and free molecular flow to shale gas flow was calculated. The contribution of seepage and diffusion is over 95%, and seepage and diffusion are the main flow pattern. Then, a shale gas seepage and diffusion coupled flow model and coupled flow equation were established. A method for calculating shale permeability and diffusion was proposed using the relationship between flow pressure and shale gas velocity. Finally, shale gas flow experiment analysis was carried out to verify that the established shale gas flow model and flow equation can describe the shale gas flow well. The result shows that the flow rate of shale gas is composed of seepage flow rate and diffusion flow rate. The seepage flow rate is proportional to the pseudopressure difference and proportionate to the low-pressure squared difference. The diffusion velocity is proportional to the difference in shale gas density, and the pressure difference in low pressure is proportional. As the pressure of a shale gas reservoir decreases, the proportion of diffusion flow increases. The research results enrich the understanding of shale gas flow; it also has particular reference significance to the development of shale gas reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seepage-induced failure may disable the bearing capacity of foundations in dams and embankments. However, the evolution mechanism of the seepage failure process in granular soils is not well understood. In this paper, a series of laboratory hydraulic tests were performed to investigate the seepage failure process in sandy gravels and fine-grained sands. Seepage behaviors of the hydraulic gradient, seepage flow velocity, and permeability coefficient were observed, and then, the Reynolds number was obtained to describe the seepage regime. By linking the hydraulic gradients with the Reynolds number, the seepage failure process was quantitatively divided into four phases: (i) incubation (Re < 0.85), (ii) formation (0.85 ≤ Re ≤ 5), (iii) evolution (5 < Re ≤ 50), and (iv) destruction (50 < Re). The findings of the study identified an approximately linear relationship between the hydraulic gradient and the seepage velocity in the phases of incubation and formation in which the viscous drag effects are not negligible, corroborating Darcy's view. However, in the phases of evolution and destruction, the hydraulic gradient and the seepage velocity are nonlinearly related, indicating that the inertial force plays a leading role, and the quadratic equation is relevant for the regime transition from laminar flow to turbulent flow. Finally, the mechanism of each phase in the seepage failure process was clarified. Fine content and uniformity coefficient are internal factors that affect the potential of seepage failure, while the seepage force that drives the transport of fine particles is an underlying cause that promotes the development of seepage failure. This study will be quite useful in identifying the limits of applicability of the well-known "Darcy's law," in further improving the physical modelling associated with fluid flow through granular soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of great engineering significance to study the seepage characteristics and flow field distribution of rough fractured rock masses for grouting to stop leakage. Through the visual fracture seepage test device we developed, the visual seepage characteristics of tension fractures under vertical angles and different stress paths of grout and water were studied. Through silica gel secondary mould turning technology, the fracture morphology is accurately reprinted; based on GIS simulation technology, the visualization of the fracture surface spatial data is realized; the actual seepage area and flow path of the fluid are measured accurately by using digital image self-recognition technology, and the variation law of the grout and water seepage area under the coupling of normal stress and water pressure is obtained. Through visualization, it is pointed out that, with the increase of normal stress, the fracture water can be divided into three stages, archipelago flow, transition flow, and groove flow, while the grout has no capillary permeability and no archipelago flow effect because of its high viscosity. The critical point of grout antiseepage is defined and calibrated by data. Based on the analysis of the cross-sectional velocity of the groove flow, it is pointed out that the relationship between the velocity on the flow path and JRC is an exponential function. The main flow path is mainly distributed in the area where the JRC is relatively small. As the normal stress increases, the first deflection point of the grout flow path appears in the maximum region of JRC (6.42); the secondary deflection point appears in the second largest region of the flow path JRC (4.53), and the fluid of deflection point has the maximum kinetic energy on the main flow path. The current study can accurately obtain the relevant parameters of vertical fracture grouting seepage characteristics and provide theoretical guidance for solving the key scientific problems in grouting engineering, such as invisible flow paths and unmeasurable velocity vectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The instability of jointed rock mass is usually the shear process of the rock mass along discontinuities under the influence of groundwater flow. By conducting laboratory tests and numerical experiments on the shear-flow coupling of rock joints under constant normal stiffness (CNS) and constant normal stress (CNL) boundary conditions, the influence of normal boundary conditions and seepage pressure on the shear mechanical and flow characteristics of joints were investigated. The test results were as follows: The joint shear stiffness, peak, and residual shear strength under the CNS boundary condition were predominantly larger than those under the CNL boundary condition. Overall, these parameters were positively correlated with the initial normal stress σ n 0 . When σ n 0 > 2 MPa, the postpeak shear stress of the CNS boundary condition showed a sharp decrease, whereas that of the CNL boundary condition changed from a slowly decreasing type ( σ n 0 = 4 MPa, 6 MPa) to a sharply decreasing type at σ n 0 = 8 MPa. The peak dilation rate under the CNS boundary condition at all levels of normal stress was lower than that of CNL, and the strain softening in postpeak of the latter was more remarkable. In the process of joint shear, the hydraulic aperture displayed a four-stage variation law of "steady-sudden increase-slow increase-basically stable." Moreover, the hydraulic aperture under the CNS boundary condition was always lower than that under the CNL boundary condition. The seepage pressure increased from 0.5 MPa to 1.5 MPa, and the average hydraulic aperture in the stable stage under normal stress at all levels increased from 0.146 mm to 0.187 mm. In addition, the average peak shear stress and average shear stiffness decreased by 0.9 MPa and 0.83 GPa/m, respectively. We also established a numerical model of a real rough three-dimensional joint, compiled a calculation program for the shear-flow process of a joint under CNS boundary conditions, and visualized the flow channel inside the joint. The seepage flow bypassed the area where the joints contacted each other, forming obvious flow channels. The flow rate increased at the intersection of the flow channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to finely characterize the physical properties and seepage characteristics of underwater distributary channel sand bodies in a braided river delta, the particle size distribution, mercury injection, and withdrawal of low, medium, high, and extra-high permeability core samples from the TIII reservoir from 15 core wells in the Sangtamu Oilfield were compared. The pore-throat characteristics of the rocks with different deposition modes and their effects on the fluid seepage were analyzed from the perspective of the deposition processes. The statistical results revealed that the rocks formed in a continuous and stable strong hydrodynamic environment were coarse grained. The seepage capacities of the rock increased as the maximum throat radius connecting with the pores increased. The mercury withdrawal efficiency decreased as the difference between the throat radius and pore radius increased. The percentage of the throat volume without effective seepage to the total volume of the pore-throat system increased as the permeability of the samples increased. Therefore, when characterizing reservoirs based on the porosity and permeability, it is important to differentiate the energy of the hydrodynamic depositional environment of a monogenic sand body in order to improve the accuracy of the understanding of the reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grouting treatment is the main technology to reduce or eliminate the residual deformation and activation deformation of foundations in the goaf sites. Under the influences of the overburden of the mining, the distribution of grouting in goaf foundation is quite different from that of conventional grouting mechanism in porous media. In this paper, considering the time-dependent viscosity and diffusion path of the slurry, the conventional permeation diffusion mechanism of Bingham fluid is derived based on the seepage motion equation in porous media. The theoretical formula is modified according to the fracture distribution characteristics of caving zone and fault zone of the goaf foundation and the superposition effect of porous grouting. Combined with the laboratory test, the theoretical formulas for four working conditions ((i) only considering the time-dependent viscosity, (ii) considering the time-dependent viscosity and diffusion path, (iii) combining the fracture distribution characteristics of goaf foundation, and (iv) combining the fracture distribution characteristics and the superposition effect of porous grouting) are verified, respectively. The results of theoretical formula are used to compare with the design scheme of an engineering example. The research results have an important engineering significance for revealing the mechanism of seepage grouting in goaf foundation and designing the optimal spacing between grouting holes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of piping development, the sediment carried by seepage causes the change of porosity and then causes the change of permeability coefficient. Therefore, piping belongs to muddy water seepage (i.e., unstable seepage). Based on the theory of muddy water seepage, the new control equation of piping model is established. The generation mechanism and development process of piping for white fine sand and sand gravel are explored. The advantages for the new control equation of piping model are discussed. The results show that the new control equation of piping model is not only simpler in form but also easier to solve and can better describe the characteristics of piping generation, development, and stability. Compared with white fine sand (the initial relative density and porosity are smaller, and the initial permeability coefficient and critical gradient are larger), the porosity, permeability coefficient, seepage flow, and sediment volume of sandy gravel increase faster with time. When the porosity is the same, the permeability coefficient, seepage flow, and sediment volume of sand gravel are larger. The smaller the area affected by piping, the faster the increase of porosity, permeability coefficient, seepage flow, and sediment volume. When the porosity and permeability coefficient are the same, the seepage flow and sediment volume are smaller. The smaller the initial porosity and permeability coefficient, the later the generation, and development of piping. It can provide a reference for piping danger forecast and emergency response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theoretical research on the percolation mechanism and oil-water relative permeability of low-permeability oil reservoirs is the focus and hotspot of international researchers. Oil-water relative permeability is an important parameter that describes the characteristics of oil-water two-phase flow and is widely used in the dynamic analysis of development and numerical simulation technology in the reservoir. The traditional calculation method of oil-water relative permeability (i.e., the JBN method) is based on the Darcy flow law. When the velocity and the displacement pressure gradient do not follow the linear flow law, there are some errors in the results of oil-water relative permeability calculated by the JBN method. In this paper, the traditional JBN method is improved, and we establish a new processing method of experimental data for oil-water relative permeability considering the effects of nonlinear flow, capillary pressure, and gravity in tight oil reservoirs. The experiments on the flow characteristics of single-phase oil and oil-water relative permeability under nonsteady-state conditions were carried out. The flow velocity and displacement pressure gradient show nonlinear characteristics when single-phase oil is passed through a tight core. At the same time, when the air permeability decreases from 1.92 × 10 − 3 μ m 2 to 0.1 × 10 − 3 μ m 2 , the nonlinear characteristics are becoming more and more obvious. Compared with the traditional JBN method, when the nonlinear flow characteristics are considered, the oil phase relative permeability increases, and the water phase relative permeability is slightly lower. If nonlinear flow characteristics are considered, when the water saturation increases from 0.605 to 0.699, the difference of oil phase relative permeability calculated by the JBN method and this method is gradually decreasing and, with the increase of water saturation, decreases from 0.0029 to 0.0001. In addition, the effects of capillary pressure, gravity, and the nonlinear flow coefficient on the oil-water relative permeability in tight oil reservoirs are studied. The capillary pressure also has a great influence on the relative permeability of the oil phase, and the relative permeability of the oil phase increases with the increase in capillary pressure. In the development process of the low-permeability reservoir, the seepage characteristics of each flow area are different, and the oil-water relative permeability is also different. Therefore, the research results play an important role in guiding the understanding of seepage characteristics of low permeability of tight oil reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes the surrounding rock of deep tunnel as the research object and considers the action mechanism under the influence of seepage. Based on the Mohr-Coulomb criterion, the stress mechanism of surrounding rock of deep buried tunnel is analyzed by a convergence constraint method. Based on the elastic-plastic solution, the nonlinear elastic-plastic solution of the interaction between surrounding rock and lining structure considering the effect of seepage force is proposed, and the radius of surrounding rock plastic zone is obtained. The relationship between surrounding rock stress and displacement, radial deformation of lining, and support reaction force was observed. At the same time, considering the effects of seepage, strain softening, and intermediate principal stress, the surrounding rock is divided into a plastic residual zone, plastic softening zone, and elastic zone, and the stress distribution expressions of the plastic zone and each zone of surrounding rock of circular tunnel are derived. The results show that with the change of nonuniform permeability coefficient, the seepage shows anisotropy in different directions, and the closer to the horizontal or vertical direction, the more obvious the influence of nonuniform permeability coefficient on pore water pressure distribution. Seepage and material softening have different effects on the distribution of surrounding rock stress field and the size of plastic zone. Material softening is more unfavorable to the stability of surrounding rock than seepage. The intermediate principal stress coefficient has a significant impact on the tangential stress and plastic zone of surrounding rock. When the intermediate principal stress effect is not considered, the calculation results are relatively conservative and cannot give full play to the strength of surrounding rock effectively. The research conclusion can provide a theoretical reference for studying the stability of surrounding rock in tunnel excavation under water-bearing rock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unraveling the seepage and heat transfer coupled process between the working fluid and the fractured rocks in geothermal reservoir is of great significance to the exploitation and utilization of geothermal resources. In this study, based on the numerical modeling of fracture flow in geothermal reservoirs, the seepage and convective heat transfer behavior of fractured granite during geothermal extraction were investigated, and the effects of different fracture patterns, fluid injection temperature, and injection velocity on the temperature evolution of rock mass were comparatively analyzed. The results clearly revealed the influence of five different fracture patterns, i.e., single fracture, echelon fracture, parallel fracture, Y-shaped fracture, and crossfracture, on heat transfer capacity. Generally, the echelon fracture has the highest fluid outlet temperature, while the crossfracture has the largest total heat and shows the strongest heat transfer capacity. Besides the fracture shape, the fluid injection temperature and injection velocity also play significant roles in the heat transfer performance. The increase of fluid injection temperature would improve the total outlet heat of the crossfracture system and also benefit the system life. When the fluid injection temperature raises from 20°C to 35°C, the system life and the total outlet heat would be increased by 58.76% and 22.42%, respectively. However, higher fluid injection velocity would damage the system life of the geothermal reservoir, which obviously results in a decrease in total outlet heat. With the fluid injection velocity increasing from 0.004 m/s to 0.006 m/s, the system life could drop by 72.47%, and the total outlet heat was reduced by 55.72%. This work contributes to the preliminary understanding of the coupled seepage and heat transfer behavior in rock mass with various fracture patterns, and it could provide some practical implications for the rational exploitation of geothermal resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of coal bed methane (CBM) production, the output of CBM is mainly related to the relative permeability of gas and water in coal seams. However, during the drilling process, the invasion of drilling fluid into CBM reservoirs changes the wettability, which may cause the gas and water's redistribution through the pores and cracks, further changing their two-phase seepage characteristics and influencing CBM production. Therefore, studying the effect of drilling fluid on coal's gas-water two-phase seepage has practical implications. Using a steady-state method, the influence of changing wettability and reducing the solution's interfacial tension on relative permeability is investigated by adding different surfactants. The increase in coal's hydrophilicity exhibits an impact on its relative gas-water permeability. At the same water saturation level, the relative gas permeability decreases and the relative water permeability increases. The hydrophilicity of coal was enhanced after adding anionic surfactants, which reduced gas permeability. Cationic surfactants are difficult to adsorb to the surface of coal due to the fact that the interfacial tension of the water and coal surface is reduced when the coal seam water is added to the cationic surfactants. After adding cationic surfactants, the gas permeability increased in favor of CBM production. The findings of this study could help to better understand the influence of drilling fluid intrusion on coal's gas-water two-phase seepage and provide technical guidance for selecting better surfactants during the preparation of drilling fluids and help to increase CBM production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability of the surrounding rock in the goaf is one of the main factors to ensure the safety of the mining production. In this study, a coupled numerical simulation model of particle flow code, computational fluid dynamics, and parallel-bounded stress corrosion (PFC-CFD-PSC model) was proposed to conduct the seepage-creep coupling simulation through PFC 5.0 software. Based on the mechanical results, the crack propagation law of the coal measure sandstone under the mining-induced seepage-creep coupling load was analyzed, and the distribution of pressure gradient in the fluid grid was studied. The results show that seepage pressure has a significant effect on the damage of the rock mass; the greater the seepage pressure on the coal measure sandstone model, the more penetration cracks are generated and the greater the degree of macroscopic damage. When the residual strength is 70% of the peak strength, the damage degree of the coal measure sandstone increases with the increase of the seepage pressure; except for the four corners, the pressure gradient of the fluid at the top of the rock mass model is relatively large. The maximum value of the fluid grid pressure gradient increases with the increasing seepage pressure; it increases slowly under the seepage pressure of less than 1.5 MPa and increases sharply under the seepage pressure of greater than 1.5 MPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seepage pressure changes the rock structure and stress state, inducing rock mass damage and destruction under hydromechanical coupling. To describe the deformation characteristic and the entire stress–strain process, we suppose that rock consists of damaged part, undamaged part, and voids part. The three parts are intermingled to carry external loads and the undamaged part gradually becomes damaged part in compression. A redefinition of the damage variable and evolution equation is proposed incorporating damage mechanics and statistical damage theory. Considering that axial loads of the damage parts equal to residual strength, a new statistical damage softening constitutive model is developed. The model is validated by using the experimental data. The proposed model can reflect the entire stress–strain law very well, especially softening deformation characteristics after the peak. The research results are helpful in the rock mass engineering safety analysis under seepage pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reasonable formation pressure maintenance level is significant to high-efficient development of oilfields. In order to study the effects of overlying strata pressure on permeability, oil-water phase permeability curve, and oil displacement efficiency, a physical simulation experiment is designed. Based on the experimental results and the oil-water phase flow theory, the production equation and the mathematical model of oil displacement efficiency considering stress sensitivity are established. And the productivity changes with pressure drop under different permeability are plotted. Then, the permeability coefficients calculated by quantitative characterization of stress sensitivity under different formation pressures are introduced into the numerical simulation model to quantitatively determine the reasonable formation pressure maintenance level of different reservoir properties. Experimental and theoretical studies show that the permeability decreases continuously with the increase in effective overlying strata pressure. In a low permeability reservoir, the more permeability decrease is caused by the increase in effective overlying strata pressure. When reservoir pressure is restored by water injection, the permeability loss is irreversible. With the increase in effective overlying strata pressure, the producer productivity decreases obviously, and the effective seepage capacity and oil displacement efficiency decrease. For reservoirs with permeability below 100 mD and high stress sensitivity, high formation pressure level should be maintained. For reservoirs with permeability of more than 300 mD, lower formation pressure is acceptable in the initial stage. The results are consistent with the actual production characteristics, which effectively guide the establishing of reasonable oilfield development strategy. It has important guiding significance to the oilfield development plans and development of the middle-deep oilfields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine the evolution of the internal pore structure of and the law of changes in oil shale under different heating modes but at the same temperature, this study subjected φ 20 mm × 20 mm specimens of oil shale to temperatures in the range of 20°C ~500°C by using a muffle furnace and a microwave pyrolysis device. We carried out experiments on the pyrolysis reaction under different temperatures and used scanning electron microscopy, backscattering, the mercury intrusion test, and MATLAB for a refined characterization of the specimens. The results showed that the microwave pyrolysis of oil shale was much shorter than its conduction-induced heating. As the microwave power increased, the time required to reach the target temperature decreased. The phenomenon of "hole blocking" was observed at 400°C ~500°C during conduction-based heating but did not occur in the microwave pyrolysis of oil shale. The porosity of oil shale heated by conduction was 3.4 times higher than its original porosity, whereas that of oil shale heated by microwave radiation was 4.9 times higher than its original value. It can be seen that compared with conduction heating, radiant heating makes the pyrolysis of organic matter in oil shale more complete. During the pyrolysis process of oil shale, the complete reaction of organic matter causes the thermal fracture of the oil shale to produce a large number of pores and interconnected cracks. Thereby, a seepage channel for pyrolysis gas and oil is formed, and the recovery rate of oil and gas is increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grouting technology is widely used to improve the mechanical properties and reduce the permeability of the rock in underground engineering. Fluidity is important to promote the grout to be injected into longer fractures, so chemical grouts with low viscosity and adjustable gel time are usually chosen to increase this property. However, the high temperature in some deep engineering leads to a faster hydration rate of the chemical grout than that in the room temperature environment, resulting in the decrease of fluidity. The heat exchange between the grout and the environment is usually ignored in the existing researches, so the aim of the numerical study is therefore to analyse the seepage process of chemical grout in the temperature field, where heat exchange between the grout and environment is considered. A sandstone model with a fracture is established in COMSOL, which is validated using laboratory experiments to confirm the accuracy of the results. The grouting time rises exponentially with the increasing of the flow distance in a single fracture, and a higher environmental temperature leads to a larger grouting time because the gap in the viscosity of the grout at different temperatures enlarges with the increasing hydration time. The effect of the temperature field on the grouting time becomes more significant when the temperature is higher and the hydration time is longer because the viscosity of the grout rises more slowly. The grouting time reduces dramatically when injection pressure is raised because an increasing pressure results in a larger aperture and less hydration time, which is one of the best ways to improve the efficiency of the grouting. The findings of this study can help for better understanding of the seepage process of chemical grout in fractures under high temperature and provide guidance for the selection of chemical grout in grouting engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate time prediction of seepage pressure in the dam has essential significance for the safety of the dam body and the life and property of people. To predict the time sequence of seepage pressure, the grey self-memory model is introduced at first, and its calculative procedure is analyzed. Then, the engineering overview in the Nuer dam is narrated, and the prediction model of seepage pressure in the Nuer dam is established and analyzed based on the grey self-memory theory. Finally, the conclusions are drawn that relatively to GM (1,1), the grey self-memory model has higher accuracy, and it not only can predict the time sequence of seepage pressure in the Nuer reservoir accurately but also provide a new method for the development trend of seepage flow in the hydraulic engineering in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical-informed neural network (PINN) model can greatly improve the ability to fit nonlinear data with the incorporation of prior knowledge, which endows traditional neural networks with interpretability. Considering the seepage law in the tight reservoir after hydraulic fracturing, a model based on PINN and two-dimensional seepage physical equations was proposed, which can effectively predict the flow field distribution of the tight reservoir after fracturing. Firstly, the dataset was obtained based on physical and numerical models of the tight reservoirs developed by volume fracturing. Furthermore, coupling the neural networks and the two-dimensional unsteady seepage equation, a PINN model was developed to predict the flow field distribution of the tight reservoir. Finally, a systematic study was performed concerning the noise corruption levels, training iterations, and training sample size that affect the prediction results of PINN models. Besides, a comparison between PINN and traditional deep neural networks (DNN) was presented. The results show that the DNN model was not only sensitive to noisy data but also more vulnerable to overfitting as the training iterations increase. In addition, the prediction accuracy cannot be guaranteed when the samples are inadequate (<500). In contrast, the PINN model was less affected by noise and training iterations and thus indicates greater stability. Moreover, the PINN model outperforms the DNN model in the case of inadequate samples attributing to prior knowledge. This study confirms that the adopted PINN model can provide algorithmic support for the accurate prediction of flow field distribution of the tight reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fractures are widely distributed in coal, and studying the seepage characteristics of fluids in fractures is of great significance for unconventional natural gas extraction and prevention of gas disasters. In this work, based on the W-M fractal function, a Y-shaped fracture model with different roughness is established. The seepage characteristics of Y-shaped fracture with different roughness are interpreted from two perspectives. Firstly, the seepage law of the Y-shaped fracture with the same roughness is studied. Secondly, the fluid competitive diversion capacity caused by the difference of branch fracture roughness is discussed. The results show that the fracture roughness is an important factor affecting the seepage characteristics of the fracture. When the roughness of the fracture is identical, the outlet flow rate, velocity, and Re are all positively correlated with pressure, and the flow regime is unchanged. The increase in the fracture roughness will lead to a significant flow rate and momentum loss, resulting in maximum loss up to 45.44%, besides, enhance the flow resistance of the fracture, Re increasing by 771, 713, 489, and 355, respectively, at four patterns. And there is a threshold DM between 1.1 and 1.2 so that the major influencing factor on hydraulic conductivity changes. In addition, the roughness difference between the branch fractures of the Y-shaped fracture is the key factor to control the fluid competitive diversion capacity. The larger the roughness difference, the greater difference in flow velocity, and the more significant change in flow rate proportion, which proportion differs by 4%, 44%, and 54%, respectively, and the stronger smooth branch fracture competitive diversion capacity, and the lower the rough branch fracture hydraulic conductivity. As the inlet pressure increases, the two branch fractures Re gradually increases but Eu decreases, which Eu in smooth branch fracture is smaller is 15, 19, 20, and 21 smaller than that of rough branch, respectively, and the rough branch fracture competitive diversion capacity is weakened. Both roughness difference and inlet pressure will affect the competitive diversion capacity of the Y-shaped fracture. These results are expected to provide new insights for the exploitation of underground fluid resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoir is a special reservoir formed by long-term physical, chemical, and geological processes. Its reserves are large in scale and widely distributed, showing the characteristics of free flow-seepage coupling. Conventional simulation is usually simplified by equivalent permeability, which cannot reflect the actual development characteristics. Given this, the flow in caves and fractures is treated with free flow, using the Navier–Stokes equation. The seepage simulation is used for other areas, and the Darcy formula is used. Finally, the simulation results are obtained by coupling, and the influence of oil production speed, fracture-cavity size, fracture-cavity location, dynamic viscosity, permeability, and other factors on bottom pressure is analyzed to effectively guide the field development. The results show that the production pressure of fractured-vuggy reservoirs diffuses from the central fractured-vuggy area to the surrounding matrix, and the pressure increases from the fractured-vuggy area to the surrounding matrix. The flow velocity in the seepage area is relatively stable and flows gently into the middle fracture cavity from all directions. There will be eddy current in the free-flow area. Different factors have different effects on the development. The oil production speed and oil dynamic viscosity are positively correlated with it, while the formation permeability is negatively correlated with it. The size and location distribution of fracture cavity will also have a certain impact. Simulation in advance can effectively avoid some reservoir development problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

REV-scale LBM (representative elementary volume scale lattice Boltzmann method) provides a possible way for the unified microscopic simulation of transscale seepage combined with pore-scale LBM. However, shown by numerical results, when simulated fluid flows in tight porous media with discrete microfractures or dispersed dissolution pore, the nonphysical oscillation phenomenon will occur in the region of relatively greater velocity gradient, due to the insufficient computational node caused by computational capability constraints. And for that reason, the increase in simulation scale under certain computational capability will be restricted. In order to solve this problem, this paper extends the application of the original LBM local refinement algorithm into REV-LBM and corrects the original REV-LBM velocity processing method, such that REV-scale LBM has a more reasonable local refinement algorithm. Through conventional computation example, this paper proves that the local refinement algorithm can maintain well computational accuracy while at least double the time efficiency and could save more than 30% of CPU time in the practical application. This algorithm has a great potential of application in simulating flows in larger size porous media with complex micro-nano structures and can provide a new idea to transscale simulation in porous media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A coal mine underground reservoir, composed of a large number of goaf groups, is effective in achieving the protective utilization of coal mine water. Mastering the hydraulic connection between the goaf groups and the law of seepage is the key to the design and safe operation of coal mine underground reservoirs. Coal/rock sample seepage tests were conducted in Wanli No. 1 Mine in the Shendong mining area according to the evolution law of the lateral supporting pressure of the coal pillars. From the tests, the function of vertical stress in relation to the permeability of coal/rock samples was obtained and the distribution law of permeability of porous media in the goaf was revealed. On this basis, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical calculation of seepage properties of the coal/rock pillars was conducted. The results show that with the decrease of water level in the goaf and the increase of coal pillar width, the flow range and flow velocity keep decreasing. At the water level of 18.65, 28.65, and 38.65 m, the critical coal pillar widths for the goaf water to penetrate into the adjacent goaf are 30, 50, and 70 m, respectively. When the coal pillar width is less than 10 m, the water can bypass the elastic core area at the bottom coal seam to the adjacent goaf area; when the width exceeds 20 m, the water cannot enter the adjacent goaf area through the bottom coal pillar. On the basis of CFD simulation study on seepage properties of coal/rock pillars between goafs, this paper conducts calculations for all the goafs in the 4-2 coal-panel block of Wanli No. 1 Mine and reveals the seepage path and seepage law in the underground reservoir of this mine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An artificial ground freezing method is often applied to highly permeable gravel formations. Seepage flow increases energy consumption and engineering accidents under this condition. Based on the physical modeling tests, the numerical simulations were conducted. The physical modeling test examined the development of the temperature and frozen wall. Numerical modeling integrated with the ACO algorithm was established to optimize the layout parameters of the freezing pipes. The results indicate that the flowing water prolongs the closure time of the frozen wall. Meanwhile, the total thickness of the frozen wall is also reduced by the flowing water. There are significant differences in the development rates of the frozen wall in different zones. The thickness of the entire frozen wall is nonuniform owing to the seepage flow. Following optimization using the proposed algorithm, the closure time was shortened from 82.4 d to 56.9 d for the frozen wall. Moreover, the freezing efficiency increased by 30.95% after optimization, and consequently, the entire frozen wall was more uniform with a nonweak zone. A case study showed that this optimization system is an effective method for artificial ground freezing operations in geotechnical engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation focused on the three-dimensional (3D) seepage field simulation of an asphaltic concrete core rockfill dam (ACRD) under the design water level conditions. At first, the finite element theory of seepage is introduced in the arid area; then, a hydro-junction projection on the Nuer River in Xinjiang is selected as engineering background, the finite element model of a seepage field of an asphaltic and concrete core rockfill dam under the design water level condition is established, and a boundary condition is determined, and the next distribution of a seepage field of different profiles are plotted, and the monitoring value of different points is compared with the finite element solution; conclusions can be drawn that when the antiseepage system of the dam foundation is good, the water level at the downstream side of the core wall is greatly reduced; for the dam foundation, the effects of reducing head of the cutoff wall are rather obvious, and for the dam body, certain leakage defects at the joint of an impermeable body in the cross sections 0 + 456.5 m and 0 + 540 m can exist. For the dam-around seepage, the hydrogeological condition conforms to the actual conditions. These conclusions can provide great significance for the future design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the in-situ leaching process of ion-adsorption rare earth ore, the seepage velocity of the leaching solution is one of the core problems in studying the leaching efficiency. The determination of the saturated hydraulic conductivity is of great significance to reveal the leaching process. The classical Kozeny–Carman (KC) equation is widely employed to predict the hydraulic conductivity of sandy soils. However, in the equation, the effect of tortuosity on the hydraulic conductivity is not considered, and the specific surface area is difficult to determine in practice. In this study, the capillary model for predicting the saturated hydraulic conductivity of ion-adsorption rare earth ore was established. First, we assumed that all the pores in the ore body are a series of parallel and tortuous capillaries with equal diameters. Based on the assumption and Hagen–Poiseuille's law, the KC equation was improved by introducing the tortuosity. Second, the constant head permeability tests were carried out to derive the seepage velocity and hydraulic head loss under the steady seepage state. According to the experimental results, the diameter of the capillary was calculated with Darcy's formula. Then we obtained a linear-fit relationship between capillary diameter and porosity to express the specific surface area variation with porosity. Third, by validating with experimental data, when the pore shape coefficient is 0.4, the saturated hydraulic conductivity calculated by the capillary model is in good agreement with the tested value. The proposed model can be considered to have a satisfactory capability to predict the saturated hydraulic conductivity of ion-adsorption rare earth ore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radial fluid flow in fractures is affected by the size of the inner diameter and the position of the outer diameter, but the influence of the two factors on the flow velocity remains unclear. This study reveals the relationship through the coupled shear flow experiments and numerical simulations. Experimental results show that the fracture aperture is decreased by 0.175 mm under the unit effective stress, with the increase of 0.902 MPa in the shear stress. COMSOL is used to simulate the seepage of fractures under different inner and outer diameters. Simulation results show that the transition from nonlinear to linear flow occurs in the radial direction when the hydraulic pressure is 0.2 and 0.4 MPa, and the positions of linear flow are 42 mm and 71 mm. The effect of the fracture surface results in a stratified flow velocity when the fluid flow enters the fracture aperture. Increasing the inner diameter raises the flow rate but decreases the maximum flow velocity. The maximum velocity difference can be as much as three times when the inner diameter difference is 6 mm. The seepage width of radial flow has a nonlinear relationship with the inner and outer diameters. The growth rate of the seepage width decreases as the ratio of the outer to the inner diameter increases. The modified cubic law considering the radius effect is proposed to improve the calculation accuracy of radial flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a type of unconventional oil and gas resources, tight sandstone reservoir has low permeability and porosity properties and thus is commonly necessary to develop through hydraulic fracturing treatment. Due to the coexistence of natural fractures and induced hydraulic fractures, the heterogeneity of reservoir permeability becomes severe and therefore results in complicated fluid seepage mechanism. It is of significance to investigate the oil-water two-phase seepage mechanics before and after the hydraulic fracturing stimulation with the aim of supporting the actual production and development of oilfield. This paper experimentally investigated the influences of fracture system on seepage characteristics of two-phase displacement in sample cores of fractured tight sandstones. In details, the changes of injection rate, cumulative production rate, recovery ratio, and water content were analyzed before and after the hydraulic fracturing treatments. To further analyze the displacement characteristics of the sample core, the displacement indices of four rock samples in different displacement stages were investigated. The sensitivity of sample core displacement indices to many key factors, including injection time, oil production rate, oil recovery factor and injection multiple factor, and moisture (i.e., water content was 95%, 98%, and 99.5%, respectively), before and after the hydraulic fracturing treatments were obtained synthetically. Besides, the relationship between recovery difference and contribution of fracture to permeability was explored at different water contents. The experimental results reveal that the fracture system shortens the water-free production period and hence reduces the recovery rate. The greater the contribution of fractures to permeability, the lower the recovery of water during this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flowing sand is a special surrounding rock encountered by tunnel construction. Due to the looseness and low viscosity of the flowing sand, after excavation, the sand body is easy to flow along the open surface. In addition, the water seepage also causes tunnel instability. Considering the characteristics of water seepage, how to improve the stability of flowing sand bodies and prevent the instability of surrounding rocks has become a difficult problem. In this paper, a parametric experiment on the surrounding rock taken from the project site was carried out, and then, a numerical simulation of the flowing sand body was conducted to study the precipitation construction method and stability of the flowing sand body. Other than that, the tunnel face vacuum dewatering, vertical vacuum dewatering at the top of the tunnel, and the vacuum dewatering technology of the gravity well in poor geological section were systematically analyzed in our research. A radial vacuum enclosed precipitation process for the face of the tunnel was proposed, which effectively solved the problem concerning continuous seepage of water in the front. Through numerical simulation and field experiments, the basis for determining the precipitation parameters of the tunnel face was obtained, while aiming at the top position of the tunnel, a vertical vacuum negative pressure precipitation method of intercepting the top seepage water and the water supply behind the top of the tunnel was proposed. For the bottom of the tunnel, setting gravity wells on the side walls for the purpose of preventing seepage at the bottom was put forward. The application of these methods in the project ensured the safety of construction and improved the construction schedule. After the completion of the dewatering construction, the method of inserting plywood into the small pipe was adopted to avoid the collapse of the dry sand. Then, to solve the problem of borehole collapse in flowing sand bodies, pipe feeding was introduced, thus further enhancing the precipitation effect. Furthermore, in view of the problem that the dewatering hole in the flowing sand body is easy to collapse, resulting in the failure of 60% of the dewatering hole and the sand body is extracted from the dewatering pipe, causing the risk of the cavity at the top of the tunnel, a method of pipe following is presented to avoid the damage of geotextile caused by directly inserting the dewatering pipe and further improve the dewatering effect. All the above processes together form an omnidirectional three-dimensional negative pressure precipitation method that considers the special sand body flow and water seepage of unfavorable geology and that has been proved to enhance the stability of surrounding rock in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water-sediment two-phase seepage in coarse fractures is one of the major factors to trigger mine water inrush disasters. Based on seepage mechanics theory, a mechanical model of the water-sediment two-phase seepage in coarse fractures was established. An experimental system was also developed to study the seepage characteristics under various conditions. The relationships between the absolute value of the pressure gradient and the seepage velocity were analyzed during the test process. The nonlinear characteristics of the seepage test were revealed. In addition, variation laws of the absolute value of the pressure gradient with the sand volume fraction and the sand particle size were illustrated, which were related to the loss of pressure during the particle movement. The impacts of the sand volume fraction and the sand particle size on the equivalent fluidity and β -factor of non-Darcy flow were discussed and analyzed. It was determined that the local turbulence was the main reason for the change of nonlinear variation characteristics of seepage parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to obtain the mechanical behavior and permeability characteristics of coal under the coupling action of stress and seepage, permeability tests under different confining pressures in the process of deformation and destruction of briquette coal were carried out using the electrohydraulic servo system of rock mechanics. The stress-strain and permeability evolution curves of briquette coal during the whole deformation process were obtained. The mechanical behavior and permeability coefficient evolution response characteristics of briquette coal under stress-seepage coupling are well reflected. Research shows that stress-axial strain curve and the stress-circumferential strain curve have the same change trend, the hoop strain and axial strain effect on the permeability variation law of basic consistent, and the permeability coefficient with the increase of confining pressure and decreases, and the higher the confining pressure, the lower the permeability coefficient, the confining pressure increases rate under the same conditions, and the permeability coefficient corresponding to high confining pressure is far less than that corresponding to low confining pressure. The confining pressure influences the permeability of the briquette by affecting its dilatancy behavior. With the increase of the confining pressure, the permeability of the sample decreases, and the permeability coefficient decreases with the increase of the confining pressure at the initial stage, showing a logarithmic function. After failure, briquette samples show a power function change rule, and the greater the confining pressure is, the more obvious the permeability coefficient decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater flow in an aquifer has frequently been found to be non-Darcian by performing in situ tests. A novel analytic model is proposed in this study for describing the unsteady non-Darcian flow in a confined aquifer by taking advantage of the observed flow rate and injection pressure during the constant head packer test. A linearization approximation of the Izbash equation is used to approximate the nonlinear term in the governing equation. This analytic model is applied to describe the non-Darcian flow in the interlayer staggered zone at the Baihetan hydropower station, China. The test results inversed by the genetic algorithm show that non-Darcian flow happened during the test under the injection pressure 0.3 MPa with the power index n is 1.278, non-Darcian hydraulic conductivity k 1 is 1.613 × 10 − 5 cm/s and the specific storage S s is 9.757 × 10 − 5 m-1, respectively. The sensitivity analysis indicated that when the power index n or the specific storage S s is larger, and the hydraulic head will increase more slowly and needs longer to stabilize, but the non-Darcian hydraulic conductivity k 1 shows the opposite trend. Moreover, the hydraulic head is more sensitive to the power index n compared to other parameters at late times. The findings of this study reveal the non-Darcian flow during the constant head packer test and provide a simple and fast way to estimate parameters for more accurate seepage field simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tight oil reservoirs are characterized by a low porosity, low permeability, and strong heterogeneity. The macropores, throats, and microcracks in reservoirs are the main seepage channels, which affect the seepage law in the reservoirs. In particular, oil-water two-phase flow in different types of pores requires further study. In this study, two groups of online NMR displacement experiments were designed to study the seepage characteristics of tight oil reservoirs. It was found that the main seepage channels for oil-water two-phase flow are the microcracks, large pores, and throats in the reservoir. The large pores are mainly micron and submicron scale in size. The oil in the small pores is only transferred to the large pores through imbibition to participate in the flow, and there is no two-phase flow. Based on the influence of different pore structures on the seepage law of a tight reservoir, the pores were divided into seepage zones, and a multistage seepage model for tight reservoirs was established. Based on this model, the effects of the imbibition, stress sensitivity, threshold pressure gradient, and Jamin effect on model's yield were studied. The results show that imbibition is no longer effective after a while. Owing to the stress sensitivity, the threshold pressure gradient, and the Jamin effect, oil production will be reduced. As the parameter value increases, the oil production decreases. The production decreases rapidly in the early stage of mining while decreases slowly in the later stage, exhibiting a trend of high yield in the early stage and stable yield in the later stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seepage performance of a rock mass mainly depends on the rock fractures developed in it. Numerical calculation method is a common method to study the permeability properties of fractures. Seepage in rock fractures is affected by various factors such as fracture aperture, roughness, and filling, among which aperture and roughness are the two most widely influenced factors. The Navier-Stokes (NS) equation can be solved directly for the seepage flow in rock fractures with good accuracy, but there are problems of large computational volume and slow solution speed. In this paper, the fracture aperture space data is substituted into the local cubic law as an aperture function to form a numerical calculation method for seepage in rough rock fractures, namely, the aperture function method (AFM). Comparing with the physical seepage experiments of rock fractures, the calculation results of AFM will produce a small amount of error under the low Reynolds number condition, but it can greatly improve the calculation efficiency. The high efficiency of calculation makes it possible to apply AFM to the calculation of large-scale 3D rough fracture network models. The pressure drop of fluid in the fracture has viscous pressure drop (VPD) and local pressure drop (LPD). VPD can be calculated using the AFM. After analyzing the results of solving the NS equation for fracture seepage, it is concluded that the LPD includes the pressure drop caused by area crowding in the recirculation zone (RZ), kinetic energy loss in the RZ, kinetic energy loss in the vortices, and other reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slotted tube drainage system plays an important role in reducing the wetting line of tailing dam. In the past studies, the permeability coefficient of geotextile was measured separately based on one-dimensional test, and the permeability characteristics of the whole system of the slotted tube overlay geotextile were rarely studied. Firstly, a set of radial flow test equipment for infiltration system of the slotted tube overlay geotextile is developed in this study. Then, with the aid of the test device, a two-dimensional radial flow test is conducted to investigate the drainage system of the slotted tube overlay geotextile before and after blocking by tailing sands, with considering different water head difference and the number of geotextile layers. By the two-dimensional radial flow test, it can be concluded that (1) the permeability coefficients of the slotted tube overlay geotextile before and after blocking all have a slight upward trend with the increase of water head difference; (2) with increasing the number of geotextile layers, the permeability coefficients before and after blocking increase first and then decrease, which approaching its minimum value at about two layers; (3) under the seepage pressure, some particles might attach to or stay in geotextile. Therefore, the permeability coefficient of the slotted tube overlay geotextile after blocking is significantly smaller than that before blocking. This study offers the insight to the further research on the permeation characteristics of the slotted tube overlay geotextile system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This manuscript studied the effects of variable axial pressure loading rate and variable confining pressure unloading rate on the deformation behavior and seepage characteristics of raw coal under alternate loading and unloading of axial pressure and confining pressure. It believed that as axial stress increases, axial strain ε 1 decreases, radial strain ε 3 increases, and permeability k decreases, and ε 1 ′ , ε 3 ′ , and k ′ increase when confining pressure is decreases. With the loading of axial stress and the unloading of confining pressure, the variation amplitudes of ε 1 ′ , ε 3 ′ , and k ′ values reduce gradually. During axial stress loading, the rise in the amplitude of ε 1 is larger than that of ε 3 and the reduction in the amplitude of k , indicating that ε 1 is more sensitive to axial stress than ε 3 and k. During unloading of confining pressure, the increase rate of ε 3 is larger than that of ε 1 and k ; also, ε 3 showed a high sensitivity to confining pressure. In the stage of axial stress loading and confining pressure unloading, the evolution law of deformation and permeability parameters is basically consistent with the change in loading and unloading rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the seepage law of broken coal seams affected by multiple mining operations, a cyclic loading and unloading seepage experiment was carried out. For this purpose, the seepage law of broken samples with different coal and rock ratios was analyzed. The results of our study demonstrated that the permeability of the broken samples showed a decreasing trend. After a loading and unloading cycle, the permeability was significantly reduced. The impact of the loading stage on the broken sample was higher than that of the unloading phase. When the proportion of coal particles in the mixed samples of broken coal and rock was 50%, the irreversible permeability loss rate and permeability loss rate of the samples showed the highest values. The irreversible permeability loss rate and permeability loss rate of the broken rock mass were greater than those displayed by the broken coal mass. The stress sensitivity coefficient curves of the 5 types of broken coal and rock masses presented the same changes. The stress sensitivity coefficient curve and the effective stress displayed an exponential relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]