Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Tongjun Miao, Aimin Chen, Xiaoya Yang, Boming Yu
Summary: This study proposes a generalized stress-dependent model for permeability of porous rocks based on fractal geometry theory and mechanics of porous rock. The model takes into account pore structure parameters and material elastic constants of porous rocks, and can accurately describe the effect of pore structures on the coupled hydromechanical process.
FRACTALS-COMPLEX GEOMETRY PATTERNS AND SCALING IN NATURE AND SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Zhenlei Yang, Binayak P. Mohanty, Xin Tong, Xingxing Kuang, Ling Li
Summary: The study aimed to predict relative air permeability in disturbed soils by combining traditional and fractal water retention curves with permeability equations. It was found that for disturbed soils, air permeability is mainly controlled by pore tortuosity-connectivity rather than pore size distribution implied from the water retention curves. Choosing an appropriate permeability equation is crucial for accurately predicting relative air permeability.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Nguyen Van Nghia A., Damien Jougnot, Luong Duy Thanh, Phan Van Do, Tran Thi Chung Thuy, Dang Thi Minh Hue, Nguyen Manh Hung
Summary: This study develops a model to predict the permeability of porous media saturated by one or two fluid phases using a fractal upscaling technique. The model takes into account microstructural properties such as fractal dimension and porosity, and performs well compared to existing models.
HYDROGEOLOGY JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jipeng Shan, Zhenlei Yang, Xingxing Kuang, Ling Li, Junguo Liu
Summary: This study aims to investigate the performances of seven Weibull distribution models for predicting relative hydraulic conductivity (RHC). By comparing with other six models, it is found that the proposed model performs the best in RHC prediction, with a 16.1% improvement compared to existing models. The proposed model can be used for RHC parameterization in water flow modeling in the unsaturated zone.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Pu-huai Lu, Yong He, Zhao Zhang, Wei-min Ye
Summary: The study investigates the mechanism of salt solution on the water retention capacity of compacted clay from a microscopic perspective. It establishes fractal and dual-porosity models to predict the soil-water retention curve of compacted clay, showing that the flat section in the curve tends to decrease with increasing salt solution concentration. The findings suggest that the dual-porosity model fits the data better for compacted clay with noticeable dual-porosity structure.
COMPUTERS AND GEOTECHNICS
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
You Gao, Ze Li, De'an Sun, Haihao Yu
Summary: Reliable estimation of unsaturated soil hydraulic properties is crucial for various research and engineering projects. The study evaluated hydraulic hysteresis and permeability of unsaturated soil with different void ratios or bulk densities. Results showed that the proposed hysteresis model effectively describes the drying, wetting, and scanning curves at different void ratios, and the permeability model predicts the relative permeability coefficient accurately.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Weichao Yan, Jianmeng Sun, Huaimin Dong, Likai Cui
Summary: This study investigated NMR-based permeability models of sandstone, proposing three types of pores and incorporating them into the permeability calculations. By applying the LBM method and fluid flow simulations, it was found that fast-flowing free water pores have the highest contribution to absolute permeability. Five relative permeability calculation models were also studied, with the best relationship found between the T2 spectrum and relative permeability curve being the pore size distribution index. The obtained results indicated that traditional models combined with new methods are high-precision models for calculating NMR-based permeabilities in sandstone reservoirs.
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Xianwu Qiao, Yuqing Shen, Xiaohua Tan, Shuxia Qiu, Zhouting Jiang, Agus Pulung Sasmito, Peng Xu
Summary: The dissimilar multi-scale structures of shale make it difficult to understand the fluid flow and heat transfer in unsaturated shale formations. In this study, the pore structure and moisture content of shale samples were measured, and a pore-scale model was developed based on the fractal scaling law. The model successfully predicted the effective and relative permeability, as well as the effective thermal conductivity, and showed the importance of capillary pressure and gas slippage in multiphase flow through unsaturated shale.
FRACTALS-COMPLEX GEOMETRY PATTERNS AND SCALING IN NATURE AND SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Gaoliang Tao, Yinjie Peng, Yiming Liu
Summary: This study deduced a fractal model of the relative permeability coefficient of unsaturated soils based on the relationship between clay contents and fractal dimensions. A new fractal simple prediction method for the absolute permeability coefficient of unsaturated soils associated with the fractal model was also proposed. The method was validated with experimental data and showed higher prediction accuracy.
FRACTALS-COMPLEX GEOMETRY PATTERNS AND SCALING IN NATURE AND SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Gaoliang Tao, Yinjie Peng, Yiming Liu
Summary: In this study, a fractal model of the relative permeability coefficient of unsaturated soils has been deduced based on the relation between clay contents and fractal dimensions in terms of mass. A new fractal simple prediction method of unsaturated soil absolute permeability coefficient associated with the new fractal model has also been proposed. Experimental data validation shows that the proposed model has a higher prediction accuracy.
FRACTALS-COMPLEX GEOMETRY PATTERNS AND SCALING IN NATURE AND SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Shuzhen Jiang, Binwei Xia, Jiansong Peng, Tai Zeng
Summary: This study used indoor optical microscope test to analyze the distribution and structural characteristics of natural fractures in coal, finding that the fracture network in coal consists primarily of irregular bifurcated fractures. However, the influence of the bifurcation fracture network's structural characteristics on permeability remains unclear. Therefore, this study established the analytical formula of the bifurcation fracture network permeability based on fractal theory and reconstructed the bifurcation fracture network geometric model with varied structural parameters using the pixel probability decomposition algorithm.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Ke Chen, Chen Wang, Fayun Liang
Summary: This paper presents a fractal-based hydraulic model that accurately describes the evolution of soil water characteristics and hydraulic conductivity during soil deformation.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Shuang Yi, Sheng Zheng, Shanshan Yang, Guangrong Zhou
Summary: This paper uses the capillary bundle model to study the flow in porous media and proposes a quantitative model based on fractal geometry to analyze the relationship between hydraulic roughness of capillaries and micro-flow properties. The results show that rough surfaces increase the tortuosity of flow while decreasing the permeability.
FRACTALS-COMPLEX GEOMETRY PATTERNS AND SCALING IN NATURE AND SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Yuhao Hu, Guannan Liu, Feng Gao, Fengtian Yue, Tao Gao
Summary: This study uses CT imaging technology and complex network theory to quantitatively analyze the three-dimensional pore network topology of sandstone with different porosity, revealing that the degree distribution of sandstone pore network follows a power law distribution and can be characterized by a scale-free network model. The permeability of rock is inversely proportional to the average path length of the sandstone network, and the pore network exhibits strong robustness to random disturbance.
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Haibo Su, Yidan Zhang, Boqi Xiao, Xiaoming Huang, Boming Yu
Summary: The Fractal-Monte Carlo technique is applied to predict the oil and water relative permeabilities of low-permeability reservoirs with rough surfaces by considering the effect of tortuosity of capillaries and capillary pressure as well as roughness of capillary walls. The study reveals the relationship between various parameters and the oil and water relative permeabilities of low-permeability reservoirs with rough surfaces.
FRACTALS-COMPLEX GEOMETRY PATTERNS AND SCALING IN NATURE AND SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Elif Agartan, Tissa H. Illangasekare, Javier Vargas-Johnson, Abdullah Cihan, Jens Birkholzer
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GREENHOUSE GAS CONTROL
(2020)
Article
Water Resources
B. B. Horodecky, E. Perfect, J. W. Brabazon, C. H. Gates, H. Z. Bilheux
ADVANCES IN WATER RESOURCES
(2020)
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Joanna McFarlane, Lawrence M. Anovitz, Michael C. Cheshire, Victoria H. DiStefano, Hassina Z. Bilheux, Jean-Christophe Bilheux, Luke L. Daemen, Richard E. Hale, Robert L. Howard, A. Ramirez-Cuesta, Louis J. Santodonato, Markus Bleuel, Daniel S. Hussey, David L. Jacobson, Jacob M. LaManna, Edmund Perfect, Logan M. Qualls
Summary: Deep underground repositories are essential for isolating radioactive waste, with bentonite playing a crucial role in many multibarrier repository systems. This study analyzed the hydraulic behavior of bentonite samples under different conditions, revealing that hydrothermal treatment with KCl significantly increased water transport in the bentonite.
NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Ankur Roy, Edmund Perfect, Tapan Mukerji
Summary: The study introduces the concept of lacunarity ratio (LR), which normalizes the lacunarity of a given non-binary dataset to its random counterpart to analyze the relationship between attributes and spatial clustering. The technique can help identify the occurrence of large or steep fractures with respect to fracture clusters and improve modeling strategies.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
J. T. Birkholzer, J. Morris, J. R. Bargar, F. Brondolo, A. Cihan, D. Crandall, H. Deng, W. Fan, W. Fu, P. Fu, A. Hakala, Y. Hao, J. Huang, A. D. Jew, T. Kneafsey, Z. Li, C. Lopano, J. Moore, G. Moridis, S. Nakagawa, V Noel, M. Reagan, C. S. Sherman, R. Settgast, C. Steefel, M. Voltolini, W. Xiong, J. Ciezobka
Summary: This paper introduces a new modeling framework for simulating hydraulic fracturing and production from microscopic to reservoir scales, which combines high-performance simulators and laboratory scale studies. The framework is currently being tested using field data and core samples from the HFTS. This approach aims to incorporate micro-scale processes into reservoir-scale simulations for enhanced accuracy.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Michael Commer, David L. Alumbaugh, Michael Wilt, Abdullah Cihan, Evan S. Um, Robin Petrusak, Jens T. Birkholzer
Summary: Reservoir integrity stewardship during carbon capture and sequestration requires fluid extraction and reinjection as a risk-mitigating method. Crosswell electromagnetics is a technically viable monitoring method, but there are challenges when sequestering deep gas into saline aquifers.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Abdullah Cihan, Robin Petrusak, Pramod Bhuvankar, David Alumbaugh, Robert Trautz, Jens T. Birkholzer
Summary: The migration of clay fines in brine-saturated sandstone formations can lead to pore clogging and permeability decline when less saline fluids are injected. Numerical modeling and pressure buildup data suggest that permeability near the injection well can rapidly decrease within the first hour of injection.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Abdullah Cihan, Tetsu K. Tokunaga, Jens T. Birkholzer
Summary: This study utilizes a theoretical model to explore multiphase fluid transport in nanoporous media, demonstrating the impact of water-pore wall attractive forces on multiphase water behavior and explaining some observed water transport phenomena. The study also reveals hysteresis phenomena in adsorption and desorption isotherms.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Pramod Bhuvankar, Abdullah Cihan, Jens Birkholzer
Summary: This study investigates mechanisms of permeability impairment caused by low-salinity fluid injection into brine-saturated porous media containing dispersible clays. A computational fluid dynamics model at the pore-scale is used to simulate detachment, migration, and straining of fine particles, showing the impact of salinity and velocity on clay fines concentration and the clogging of narrow pore spaces.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Joanna McFarlane, Victoria H. DiStefano, Philip R. Bingham, Hassina Z. Bilheux, Michael C. Cheshire, Richard E. Hale, Daniel S. Hussey, David L. Jacobson, Lindsay Kolbus, Jacob M. LaManna, Edmund Perfect, Mark Rivers, Louis J. Santodonato, Lawrence M. Anovitz
Summary: This study measured aqueous fluid imbibition rates in fractures in the Eagle Ford Shale using neutron imaging, analyzed the impact of different solutions on uptake rates, and investigated the effects of fracture widths, physical liquid properties, and wetting front heights on imbibition. The results also showed that wetting properties can vary on a relatively fine scale during imbibition.
Article
Environmental Sciences
A. Cihan, C. M. Oldenburg, J. T. Birkholzer
Summary: This study presents a semi-analytical model for studying hydraulic head and brine leakage in multilayered aquifer-aquitard systems with geologic pressure forcing. The results show that even though suitable permeable aquitards can dissipate pressure rapidly, geologic forcing may cause sustained brine leakage into freshwater aquifers through leaky wells.
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Katelyn M. Marcacci, Jeffrey M. Warren, Edmund Perfect, Jesse L. Labb
Summary: This study reviews the current knowledge on the effects of soil biotic components, such as roots and mycorrhizal fungi, on hydraulic properties. Laboratory experiments were conducted to specifically test the impact of these components on two different soils. The results demonstrate that the presence of roots and mycorrhizal fungi significantly affects the hydraulic properties of soil, highlighting the importance of considering these factors in soil hydraulic models.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Pramod Bhuvankar, Abdullah Cihan, Jens Birkholzer
Summary: It is important to evaluate the risks associated with CO2 leakage in large scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects. Leaky wells are considered a major concern for potential CO2 leakage in geologic carbon storage. We present a numerical framework to simulate blowouts of CO2 wells accounting for the supercritical-liquid-gas-solid phase transitions of CO2 during the process. Our simulations show that when the temperature and pressure at the well bottom are significantly lower than the geothermal temperature and hydrostatic pressure at the given depth, CO2 is released as dry ice at the wellhead.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GREENHOUSE GAS CONTROL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Civil
Jessica M. Thompson, Jon M. Hathaway, Edmund Perfect, John S. Schwartz
Summary: The study found substantial interactions between infiltrated stormwater from a regenerative stormwater conveyance and the surrounding groundwater system, influenced by seasonal fluxes, weather patterns, and the presence of underground sewer lines. The RSC was observed to mound below during small to medium storm events, turning into a sink for adjacent areas during larger events. The presence of sewer lines was identified as the most significant factor influencing trends in groundwater interactions.
SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Edmund Perfect, Jared W. Brabazon, Christopher H. Gates
VADOSE ZONE JOURNAL
(2020)