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Sample records for reservoir engineering problems

  1. Geothermal reservoir engineering

    CERN Document Server

    Grant, Malcolm Alister

    2011-01-01

    As nations alike struggle to diversify and secure their power portfolios, geothermal energy, the essentially limitless heat emanating from the earth itself, is being harnessed at an unprecedented rate.  For the last 25 years, engineers around the world tasked with taming this raw power have used Geothermal Reservoir Engineering as both a training manual and a professional reference.  This long-awaited second edition of Geothermal Reservoir Engineering is a practical guide to the issues and tasks geothermal engineers encounter in the course of their daily jobs. The bo

  2. Reservoir Engineering Management Program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Howard, J.H.; Schwarz, W.J.

    1977-12-14

    The Reservoir Engineering Management Program being conducted at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory includes two major tasks: 1) the continuation of support to geothermal reservoir engineering related work, started under the NSF-RANN program and transferred to ERDA at the time of its formation; 2) the development and subsequent implementation of a broad plan for support of research in topics related to the exploitation of geothermal reservoirs. This plan is now known as the GREMP plan. Both the NSF-RANN legacies and GREMP are in direct support of the DOE/DGE mission in general and the goals of the Resource and Technology/Resource Exploitation and Assessment Branch in particular. These goals are to determine the magnitude and distribution of geothermal resources and reduce risk in their exploitation through improved understanding of generically different reservoir types. These goals are to be accomplished by: 1) the creation of a large data base about geothermal reservoirs, 2) improved tools and methods for gathering data on geothermal reservoirs, and 3) modeling of reservoirs and utilization options. The NSF legacies are more research and training oriented, and the GREMP is geared primarily to the practical development of the geothermal reservoirs. 2 tabs., 3 figs.

  3. Tenth workshop on geothermal reservoir engineering: proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1985-01-22

    The workshop contains presentations in the following areas: (1) reservoir engineering research; (2) field development; (3) vapor-dominated systems; (4) the Geysers thermal area; (5) well test analysis; (6) production engineering; (7) reservoir evaluation; (8) geochemistry and injection; (9) numerical simulation; and (10) reservoir physics. (ACR)

  4. Nonlinearities in reservoir engineering: Enhancing quantum correlations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Xiangming; Hu, Qingping; Li, Lingchao; Huang, Chen; Rao, Shi

    2017-12-01

    There are two decisive factors for quantum correlations in reservoir engineering, but they are strongly reversely dependent on the atom-field nonlinearities. One is the squeezing parameter for the Bogoliubov modes-mediated collective interactions, while the other is the dissipative rates for the engineered collective dissipations. Exemplifying two-level atomic ensembles, we show that the moderate nonlinearities can compromise these two factors and thus enhance remarkably two-mode squeezing and entanglement of different spin atomic ensembles or different optical fields. This suggests that the moderate nonlinearities of the two-level systems are more advantageous for applications in quantum networks associated with reservoir engineering.

  5. Third workshop on geothermal reservoir engineering: Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramey, H.J. Jr.; Kruger, P. (eds.)

    1977-12-15

    The Third Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering convened at Stanford University on December 14, 1977, with 104 attendees from six nations. In keeping with the recommendations expressed by the participants at the Second Workshop, the format of the Workshop was retained, with three days of technical sessions devoted to reservoir physics, well and reservoir testing, field development, and mathematical modeling of geothermal reservoirs. The program presented 33 technical papers, summaries of which are included in these Proceedings. Although the format of the Workshop has remained constant, it is clear from a perusal of the Table of Contents that considerable advances have occurred in all phases of geothermal reservoir engineering over the past three years. Greater understanding of reservoir physics and mathematical representations of vapor-dominated and liquid-dominated reservoirs are evident; new techniques for their analysis are being developed, and significant field data from a number of newer reservoirs are analyzed. The objectives of these workshops have been to bring together researchers active in the various physical and mathematical disciplines comprising the field of geothermal reservoir engineering, to give the participants a forum for review of progress and exchange of new ideas in this rapidly developing field, and to summarize the effective state of the art of geothermal reservoir engineering in a form readily useful to the many government and private agencies involved in the development of geothermal energy. To these objectives, the Third Workshop and these Proceedings have been successfully directed. Several important events in this field have occurred since the Second Workshop in December 1976. The first among these was the incorporation of the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) into the newly formed Department of Energy (DOE) which continues as the leading Federal agency in geothermal reservoir engineering research. The Third

  6. A Comparison of Flood Control Standards for Reservoir Engineering for Different Countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minglei Ren

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Across the globe, flood control standards for reservoir engineering appear different due to various deciding factors such as flood features, society, economy, culture, morality, politics, and technology resources, etc. This study introduces an in-depth comparison of flood control standards for reservoir engineering for different countries. After the comparison and analysis, it is concluded that the determination of flood control standards is related to engineering grade, dam type, dam height, and the hazard to downstream after dam-breaking, etc. Each country should adopt practical flood control standards according to the characteristics of local reservoir engineering. The constitutive flood control standards should retain certain flexibility in the basis of constraint force. This review could offer a reference for developing countries in the enactment of flood control standards for reservoir engineering.

  7. A knowledge engineering approach for improving secondary recovery in offshore reservoirs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramos, Milton P.; Tovar, Felipe T.R.; Guerra, Fabio A. [Parana Institute of Technology (TECPAR), Curitiba, PR (Brazil). Artificial Intelligence Div.; Andrade, Cynthia; Baptista, Walmar [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas. Tecnologia de Materiais, Equipamentos e Corrosao

    2004-07-01

    Secondary recovery in offshore petroleum reservoirs by seawater injection is a technique traditionally applied in oil and gas industry. However, the injected water quality must be compatible with the reservoir characteristics in order to prevent corrosion, formation plugging and reservoir souring. So, the seawater must be treated before injection in the reservoirs and on-line monitoring equipment are employed to check the treatments efficacy. Nevertheless, the amount of data to analyze is quite big and involves many different experts, which make their evaluation and the establishment of correlations very difficult. For these cases, where it's crucial to detect the contaminants presence as soon as they occur to indicate corrective procedures, the application of knowledge engineering techniques and the development of expert systems are a good solution proposal. This paper presents the expert system InjeX (heuristic approach), developed for seawater injection treatment plants to maintain the water quality in offshore platforms. The description and the analysis of the problem, a proposed solution and some preliminary results are detailed and discussed along the paper. (author)

  8. Modeling a distributed environment for a petroleum reservoir engineering application with software product line

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scheidt, Rafael de Faria; Vilain, Patrícia; Dantas, M A R

    2014-01-01

    Petroleum reservoir engineering is a complex and interesting field that requires large amount of computational facilities to achieve successful results. Usually, software environments for this field are developed without taking care out of possible interactions and extensibilities required by reservoir engineers. In this paper, we present a research work which it is characterized by the design and implementation based on a software product line model for a real distributed reservoir engineering environment. Experimental results indicate successfully the utilization of this approach for the design of distributed software architecture. In addition, all components from the proposal provided greater visibility of the organization and processes for the reservoir engineers

  9. Modeling a distributed environment for a petroleum reservoir engineering application with software product line

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Faria Scheidt, Rafael; Vilain, Patrícia; Dantas, M. A. R.

    2014-10-01

    Petroleum reservoir engineering is a complex and interesting field that requires large amount of computational facilities to achieve successful results. Usually, software environments for this field are developed without taking care out of possible interactions and extensibilities required by reservoir engineers. In this paper, we present a research work which it is characterized by the design and implementation based on a software product line model for a real distributed reservoir engineering environment. Experimental results indicate successfully the utilization of this approach for the design of distributed software architecture. In addition, all components from the proposal provided greater visibility of the organization and processes for the reservoir engineers.

  10. determination of verticality of reservoir engineering structure

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    applications is 3D survey and management of oil and gas facilities and other engineering structures. This recent .... also affect ground water contamination. 2. VERTICALITY ...... The soil, water and concrete in a Reservoir at the foundation bed ...

  11. Fifteenth workshop on geothermal reservoir engineering: Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1990-01-01

    The Fifteenth Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering was held at Stanford University on January 23--25, 1990. Major topics included: DOE's geothermal research and development program, well testing, field studies, geosciences, geysers, reinjection, tracers, geochemistry, and modeling.

  12. The reservoir engineering report in financial transactions: 'a useful tool - neither panacea nor placebo'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Porter, T.W.

    1996-01-01

    The important role that independent reservoir engineering reports play in the oil and gas industry, was discussed. Among other things, such reports often form the basis upon which oil and gas properties are valued, bought and sold, and of course, they are necessary for the industry to gain access to sources of capital. However, interpretation plays a critical role in the process, and very different conclusions can be drawn by equally reputable and qualified engineers. Because of this, financial investors insist upon independent reservoir engineering reports (and then frequently ignore the limitations and qualifications which are stated in the report). Some of the important limitations stated in reservoir engineering reports were discussed, along with the risks inherent in reservoir engineering reports, and the strategies for minimizing those risks. The engineer's professional responsibilities and potential liabilities in the matter of reserves estimates, were re-stated

  13. Fourteenth workshop geothermal reservoir engineering: Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramey, H.J. Jr.; Kruger, P.; Horne, R.N.; Miller, F.G.; Brigham, W.E.; Cook, J.W.

    1989-01-01

    The Fourteenth Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering was held at Stanford University on January 24--26, 1989. Major areas of discussion include: (1) well testing; (2) various field results; (3) geoscience; (4) geochemistry; (5) reinjection; (6) hot dry rock; and (7) numerical modelling. For these workshop proceedings, individual papers are processed separately for the Energy Data Base.

  14. Fourteenth workshop geothermal reservoir engineering: Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramey, H.J. Jr.; Kruger, P.; Horne, R.N.; Miller, F.G.; Brigham, W.E.; Cook, J.W.

    1989-12-31

    The Fourteenth Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering was held at Stanford University on January 24--26, 1989. Major areas of discussion include: (1) well testing; (2) various field results; (3) geoscience; (4) geochemistry; (5) reinjection; (6) hot dry rock; and (7) numerical modelling. For these workshop proceedings, individual papers are processed separately for the Energy Data Base.

  15. Quantum heat engine operating between thermal and spin reservoirs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Jackson S. S. T.; Gould, Tim; Carvalho, André R. R.; Bedkihal, Salil; Vaccaro, Joan A.

    2018-05-01

    Landauer's erasure principle is a cornerstone of thermodynamics and information theory [R. Landauer, IBM J. Res. Dev. 5, 183 (1961), 10.1147/rd.53.0183]. According to this principle, erasing information incurs a minimum energy cost. Recently, Vaccaro and Barnett [J. A. Vaccaro and S. M. Barnett, Proc. R. Soc. A 467, 1770 (2011), 10.1098/rspa.2010.0577] explored information erasure in the context of multiple conserved quantities and showed that the erasure cost can be solely in terms of spin angular momentum. As Landauer's erasure principle plays a fundamental role in heat engines, their result considerably widens the possible configurations that heat engines can have. Motivated by this, we propose here an optical heat engine that operates under a single thermal reservoir and a spin angular momentum reservoir coupled to a three-level system with two energy degenerate ground states. The proposed heat engine operates without producing waste heat and goes beyond the traditional Carnot engine where the working fluid is subjected to two thermal baths at different temperatures.

  16. A quantum Szilard engine without heat from a thermal reservoir

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamed Mohammady, M.; Anders, Janet

    2017-11-01

    We study a quantum Szilard engine that is not powered by heat drawn from a thermal reservoir, but rather by projective measurements. The engine is constituted of a system { S }, a weight { W }, and a Maxwell demon { D }, and extracts work via measurement-assisted feedback control. By imposing natural constraints on the measurement and feedback processes, such as energy conservation and leaving the memory of the demon intact, we show that while the engine can function without heat from a thermal reservoir, it must give up at least one of the following features that are satisfied by a standard Szilard engine: (i) repeatability of measurements; (ii) invariant weight entropy; or (iii) positive work extraction for all measurement outcomes. This result is shown to be a consequence of the Wigner-Araki-Yanase theorem, which imposes restrictions on the observables that can be measured under additive conservation laws. This observation is a first-step towards developing ‘second-law-like’ relations for measurement-assisted feedback control beyond thermality.

  17. Effective water influx control in gas reservoir development: Problems and countermeasures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xi Feng

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Because of the diversity of geological characteristics and the complexity of percolation rules, many problems are found ineffective water influx control in gas reservoir development. The problems mainly focus on how to understand water influx rules, to establish appropriate countermeasures, and to ensure the effectiveness of technical measures. It is hard to obtain a complete applicable understanding through the isolated analysis of an individual gas reservoir due to many factors such as actual gas reservoir development phase, research work, pertinence and timeliness of measures, and so on. Over the past four decades, the exploration, practicing and tracking research have been conducted on water control in gas reservoir development in the Sichuan Basin, and a series of comprehensive water control technologies were developed integrating advanced concepts, successful experiences, specific theories and mature technologies. Though the development of most water-drive gas reservoirs was significantly improved, water control effects were quite different. Based on this background, from the perspective of the early-phase requirements of water influx control, the influencing factors of a water influx activity, the dynamic analysis method of water influx performance, the optimizing strategy of a water control, and the water control experience of typical gas reservoirs, this paper analyzed the key problems of water control, evaluated the influencing factors of water control effect, explored the practical water control strategies, and proposed that it should be inappropriate to apply the previous water control technological model to actual work but the pertinence should be improved according to actual circumstances. The research results in the paper provide technical reference for the optimization of water-invasion gas reservoir development.

  18. Sediment problems in reservoirs. Control of sediment deposits

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jacobsen, Tom

    1997-12-31

    When a reservoir is formed on a river, sediment will deposit in the reservoir. Such processes are unfortunate, for instance, for the implementation of hydroelectric energy. This thesis studies the problem of reservoir sedimentation and discusses methods of removing the sediments. Various aspects of reservoir sedimentation are discussed. Anthropogenic impacts seem to greatly affect the erosion processes. Temporal distribution is uneven, mainly because of the very large flood events. A world map showing the Reservoir Capacity: Annual Sediment Inflow ratio for reservoirs with volume equal to 10% of annual inflow has been prepared. The map shows that sedimentation is severe in the western parts of North and South America, eastern, southern and northern Africa, parts of Australia and most of Asia. The development of medium-sized reservoirs is difficult, as they are too large for conventional flushing technique and too small to store the sediment that accumulates during their economic lifetime. A computer model, SSIIM, was used with good results in a case study of two flood drawdown trials in Lake Roxburg, New Zealand. Two techniques have been developed that permits controlled suction of sediment and water into a pipe: the Slotted Pipe Sediment Sluicer (SPSS) and the Saxophone Sediment Sluicer (SSS). The techniques exploit the inflow pattern in through a slot in a pipe. An equation describing this inflow pattern was derived and verified experimentally. The SPSS is fixed near the reservoir bed, and sediment that deposits on top of it is removed in the sluicing process. The SSS sluices sediment from the surface of the sediment deposits. Some technical and economic conditions affecting the economics of sediment removal from reservoirs have been identified and studied. 79 refs., 112 figs., 14 tabs.

  19. Seventeenth workshop on geothermal reservoir engineering: Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramey, H.J. Jr.; Kruger, P.; Miller, F.G.; Horne, R.N.; Brigham, W.E.; Cook, J.W. (Stanford Geothermal Program)

    1992-01-31

    PREFACE The Seventeenth Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering was held at Stanford University on January 29-31, 1992. There were one hundred sixteen registered participants which equaled the attendance last year. Participants were from seven foreign countries: Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Mexico and New Zealand. Performance of many geothermal fields outside the United States was described in the papers. The Workshop Banquet Speaker was Dr. Raffaele Cataldi. Dr. Cataldi gave a talk on the highlights of his geothermal career. The Stanford Geothermal Program Reservoir Engineering Award for Excellence in Development of Geothermal Energy was awarded to Dr. Cataldi. Dr. Frank Miller presented the award at the banquet. Thirty-eight papers were presented at the Workshop with two papers submitted for publication only. Dr. Roland Horne opened the meeting and the key note speaker was J.E. ''Ted'' Mock who discussed the DOE Geothermal R. & D. Program. The talk focused on aiding long-term, cost effective private resource development. Technical papers were organized in twelve sessions concerning: geochemistry, hot dry rock, injection, geysers, modeling, and reservoir mechanics. Session chairmen were major contributors to the program and we thank: Sabodh Garg., Jim Lovekin, Jim Combs, Ben Barker, Marcel Lippmann, Glenn Horton, Steve Enedy, and John Counsil. The Workshop was organized by the Stanford Geothermal Program faculty, staff, and graduate students. We wish to thank Pat Ota, Ted Sumida, and Terri A. Ramey who also produces the Proceedings Volumes for publication. We owe a great deal of thanks to our students who operate audiovisual equipment and to Francois Groff who coordinated the meeting arrangements for the Workshop. Henry J. Ramey, Jr. Roland N. Horne Frank G. Miller Paul Kruger William E. Brigham Jean W. Cook -vii

  20. Using reservoir engineering data to solve geological ambiguities : a case study of one of the Iranian carbonate reservoirs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kord, S. [National Iranian South Oil Co. (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2006-07-01

    A fractured carbonate reservoir in southwest Iran was studied with reference to reserve estimation, risk analysis, material balance and recovery factor. The 40 km long and 4 km wide reservoir consists of 2 parts with crest depths of 3780 and 3749 mss respectively. The eastern part is smaller and more productive than the western part which has high water saturation and absolutely no production. Economic production from the reservoir began in 1977. By 2004, the cumulative production had reached 12.064 MMSTB. Of the 6 wells drilled, only 2 wells in the eastern part are productive. This study addressed the main uncertainty of whether the 2 parts of the reservoir are sealed or not. The reservoir is under-saturated but the current pressure is near saturation pressure. The reservoir is divided into the following 4 zones: zones 1 and 2 are productive and consist mainly of carbonate rocks; zone 3 has thin beds of sand and shale; and, zone 4 consists of layers of carbonate, shale, marn, and dolomite. Although there are no faults, mud loss suggests that the reservoir has hairline fractures. Oil in place and reserves were estimated for both parts based on calculated reservoir engineering parameters. Material balance calculations were then performed to analyze and simulate the reservoir. The communication between the 2 parts of the reservoir were examined according to core analysis, rock type, fluid characterization, pressure analysis, water-oil contacts, production history and petrophysical evaluations. The porosity was found to be the same in both parts, but the water saturation and net to gross ratios were different between the eastern and western parts. The petrophysical evaluation revealed that there is no communication between the two parts of the reservoir. 4 refs., 2 figs., 2 appendices.

  1. Sixth workshop on geothermal reservoir engineering: Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramey, H.J. Jr.; Kruger, P. (eds.)

    1980-12-18

    INTRODUCTION TO THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE SIXTH GEOTHERMAL RESERVOIR ENGINEERING WORKSHOP, STANFORD GEOTHERMAL PROGRAM Henry J. Ramey, Jr., and Paul Kruger Co-Principal Investigators Ian G. Donaldson Program Manager Stanford Geothermal Program The Sixth Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering convened at Stanford University on December 16, 1980. As with previous Workshops the attendance was around 100 with a significant participation from countries other than the United States (18 attendees from 6 countries). In addition, there were a number of papers from foreign contributors not able to attend. Because of the success of all the earlier workshops there was only one format change, a new scheduling of Tuesday to Thursday rather than the earlier Wednesday through Friday. This change was in general considered for the better and will be retained for the Seventh Workshop. Papers were presented on two and a half of the three days, the panel session, this year on the numerical modeling intercomparison study sponsored by the Department of Energy, being held on the second afternoon. This panel discussion is described in a separate Stanford Geothermal Program Report (SGP-TR42). This year there was a shift in subject of the papers. There was a reduction in the number of papers offered on pressure transients and well testing and an introduction of several new subjects. After overviews by Bob Gray of the Department of Energy and Jack Howard of Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, we had papers on field development, geopressured systems, production engineering, well testing, modeling, reservoir physics, reservoir chemistry, and risk analysis. A total of 51 papers were contributed and are printed in these Proceedings. It was, however, necessary to restrict the presentations and not all papers printed were presented. Although the content of the Workshop has changed over the years, the format to date has proved to be satisfactory. The objectives of the Workshop, the bringing together of

  2. Biopolitics problems of large-scale hydraulic engineering construction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Romanenko, V.D.

    1997-01-01

    The XX century which will enter in a history as a century of large-scale hydraulic engineering constructions come to the finish. Only on the European continent 517 large reservoirs (more than 1000 million km 3 of water were detained, had been constructed for a period from 1901 till 1985. In the Danube basin a plenty for reservoirs of power stations, navigations, navigating sluices and other hydraulic engineering structures are constructed. Among them more than 40 especially large objects are located along the main bed of the river. A number of hydro-complexes such as Dnieper-Danube and Gabcikovo, Danube-Oder-Labe (project), Danube-Tissa, Danube-Adriatic Sea (project), Danube-Aegean Sea, Danube-Black Sea ones, are entered into operation or are in a stage of designing. Hydraulic engineering construction was especially heavily conducted in Ukraine. On its territory some large reservoirs on Dnieper and Yuzhny Bug were constructed, which have heavily changed the hydrological regime of the rivers. Summarised the results of river systems regulating in Ukraine one can be noted that more than 27 thousand ponds (3 km 3 per year), 1098 reservoirs of total volume 55 km 3 , 11 large channels of total length more than 2000 km and with productivity of 1000 m 2 /s have been created in Ukraine. Hydraulic engineering construction played an important role in development of the industry and agriculture, water-supply of the cities and settlements, in environmental effects, and maintenance of safe navigation in Danube, Dnieper and other rivers. In next part of the paper, the environmental changes after construction of the Karakum Channel on the Aral Sea in the Middle Asia are discussed

  3. Fishery management problems and possibilities on large southeastern reservoirs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parsons, John W.

    1958-01-01

    Principal problems concerning the fisheries of large reservoirs in the Southeast are: inefficient and highly selective exploitation of fish stocks, and protection and reclamation of damaged or threatened fisheries in tailwaters and tributary streams. Seven mainstream reservoirs on which data are available support an average angling pressure of 4.9 trips per acre per year and an average catch of 16 pounds of sport fish and 6 pounds of food fish. Commercial take is 7 pounds per acre. The rate of catch of sport fish, based upon tag returns, is only 3 percent. Sixteen storage reservoirs support an average angling pressure of 5.0 trips per acre per year and an average catch of 13 pounds of sport fish and 1 pound of food fish. Commercial catch is of no significance. Average rate of catch of sport fish is 17 percent of the catchable population. Fish population studies indicate that there are twice as many sport fish and four times as many food fish in mainstream than there are in storage reservoirs.

  4. Petrofacies analysis - the petrophysical tool for geologic/engineering reservoir characterization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Watney, W.L.; Guy, W.J.; Gerlach, P.M. [Kansas Geological Survey, Lawrence, KS (United States)] [and others

    1997-08-01

    Petrofacies analysis is defined as the characterization and classification of pore types and fluid saturations as revealed by petrophysical measures of a reservoir. The word {open_quotes}petrofacies{close_quotes} makes an explicit link between petroleum engineers concerns with pore characteristics as arbiters of production performance, and the facies paradigm of geologists as a methodology for genetic understanding and prediction. In petrofacies analysis, the porosity and resistivity axes of the classical Pickett plot are used to map water saturation, bulk volume water, and estimated permeability, as well as capillary pressure information, where it is available. When data points are connected in order of depth within a reservoir, the characteristic patterns reflect reservoir rock character and its interplay with the hydrocarbon column. A third variable can be presented at each point on the crossplot by assigning a color scale that is based on other well logs, often gamma ray or photoelectric effect, or other derived variables. Contrasts between reservoir pore types and fluid saturations will be reflected in changing patterns on the crossplot and can help discriminate and characterize reservoir heterogeneity. Many hundreds of analyses of well logs facilitated by spreadsheet and object-oriented programming have provided the means to distinguish patterns typical of certain complex pore types for sandstones and carbonate reservoirs, occurrences of irreducible water saturation, and presence of transition zones. The result has been an improved means to evaluate potential production such as bypassed pay behind pipe and in old exploration holes, or to assess zonation and continuity of the reservoir. Petrofacies analysis is applied in this example to distinguishing flow units including discrimination of pore type as assessment of reservoir conformance and continuity. The analysis is facilitated through the use of color cross sections and cluster analysis.

  5. Practices and prospect of petroleum engineering technologies in ultra-deep sour gas reservoirs, Yuanba Gasfield, Sichuan Basin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin Xu

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Located in the Sichuan Basin, the Yuanba Gasfield is the deepest marine sour gas field among those developed in China so far. Its biohermal gas reservoir of the Upper Permian Changxing Fm is characterized by ultra depth, high content of hydrogen sulfide, medium–low porosity and permeability, and small reservoir thickness. Economic evaluation on it shows that horizontal well drilling is the only way to develop this gas reservoir efficiently and to reduce the total development investment. At present, the petroleum engineering technology for this type of ultra-deep sour gas reservoir is less applied in the world, so an ultra-deep horizontal well is subject to a series of petroleum engineering technology difficulties, such as safe and fast well drilling and completion, mud logging, well logging, downhole operation, safety and environmental protection. Based on the successful development experience of the Puguang Gasfield, therefore, Sinopec Southwest Petroleum Engineering Co., Ltd. took the advantage of integrated engineering geology method to carry out specific technical research and perform practice diligently for 7 years. As a result, 18 key items of technologies for ultra-deep sour gas reservoirs were developed, including horizontal-well drilling speed increasing technology, horizontal-well mud logging and well logging technology, downhole operation technology, and safety and environmental protection technology. These technologies were applied in 40 wells during the first and second phases of productivity construction of the Yuanba Gasfield. All the 40 wells have been built into commercial gas wells, and the productivity construction goal of 3.4 billion m3 purified gas has also been achieved. These petroleum engineering technologies for ultra-deep sour gas fields play a reference role in exploring and developing similar gas reservoirs at home and abroad.

  6. Experiences with linear solvers for oil reservoir simulation problems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Joubert, W.; Janardhan, R. [Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States); Biswas, D.; Carey, G.

    1996-12-31

    This talk will focus on practical experiences with iterative linear solver algorithms used in conjunction with Amoco Production Company`s Falcon oil reservoir simulation code. The goal of this study is to determine the best linear solver algorithms for these types of problems. The results of numerical experiments will be presented.

  7. Dam construction as an engineering solution for water supply problem : environmental thrusts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hosseini, A.H. [Alberta Univ., Edmonton, AB (Canada). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering

    2004-09-01

    Water supply management and the potential impacts associated with engineering practices in water supply systems were examined. Global aspects of increasing water demand were presented and compared with populations, urbanization and water demand. Engineering practices in waterworks developments such as dam construction, river intakes, infiltration galleries, wells, boreholes and adits were also discussed. Construction of large dams and the problems associated with damming the rivers were studied as large dams generally have substantial impacts on rivers, watersheds and aquatic ecosystems, leading to the irreversible loss of species populations and ecosystems. These problems include negative impacts on the terrestrial ecosystem, greenhouse gas emissions from reservoirs due to decaying vegetation and carbon inflows from the catchment, changes in flow regimes, trapping of sediments and nutrients behind a dam, blocking migration of aquatic organisms, as well as negative impacts on flood plain ecosystems and fisheries. In addition, a case study, on the environmental impacts associated with damming in Three Gorges Valley in China was presented. 9 refs., 8 figs.

  8. Rock music : a living legend of simulation modelling solves a reservoir problem by playing a different tune

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cope, G.

    2008-07-15

    Tight sand gas plays are low permeability reservoirs that have contributed an output of 5.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas per year in the United States alone. Anadarko Petroleum Corporation has significant production from thousands of wells in Texas, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. Hydraulic fracturing is the key to successful tight sand production. Production engineers use modelling software to calculate a well stimulation program in which large volumes of water are forced under high pressure in the reservoir, fracturing the rock and creating high permeability conduits for the natural gas to escape. Reservoir engineering researchers at the University of Calgary, led by world expert Tony Settari, have improved traditional software modelling of petroleum reservoirs by combining fracture analysis with geomechanical processes. This expertise has been a valuable asset to Anadarko, as the dynamic aspect can have a significant effect on the reservoir as it is being drilled. The challenges facing reservoir simulation is the high computing time needed for analyzing fluid production based on permeability, porosity, gas and fluid properties along with geomechanical analysis. Another challenge has been acquiring high quality field data. Using Anadarko's field data, the University of Calgary researchers found that water fracturing creates vertical primary fractures, and in some cases secondary fractures which enhance permeability. However, secondary fracturing is not permanent in all wells. The newly coupled geomechanical model makes it possible to model fracture growth more accurately. The Society of Petroleum Engineers recently awarded Settari with an award for distinguished achievement in improving the technique and practice of finding and producing petroleum. 1 fig.

  9. INTEGRATED GEOLOGIC-ENGINEERING MODEL FOR REEF AND CARBONATE SHOAL RESERVOIRS ASSOCIATED WITH PALEOHIGHS: UPPER JURASSIC SMACKOVER FORMATION, NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ernest A. Mancini

    2003-09-25

    The University of Alabama in cooperation with Texas A&M University, McGill University, Longleaf Energy Group, Strago Petroleum Corporation, and Paramount Petroleum Company are undertaking an integrated, interdisciplinary geoscientific and engineering research project. The project is designed to characterize and model reservoir architecture, pore systems and rock-fluid interactions at the pore to field scale in Upper Jurassic Smackover reef and carbonate shoal reservoirs associated with varying degrees of relief on pre-Mesozoic basement paleohighs in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. The project effort includes the prediction of fluid flow in carbonate reservoirs through reservoir simulation modeling that utilizes geologic reservoir characterization and modeling and the prediction of carbonate reservoir architecture, heterogeneity and quality through seismic imaging. The primary objective of the project is to increase the profitability, producibility and efficiency of recovery of oil from existing and undiscovered Upper Jurassic fields characterized by reef and carbonate shoals associated with pre-Mesozoic basement paleohighs. The principal research effort for Year 3 of the project has been reservoir characterization, 3-D modeling, testing of the geologic-engineering model, and technology transfer. This effort has included six tasks: (1) the study of seismic attributes, (2) petrophysical characterization, (3) data integration, (4) the building of the geologic-engineering model, (5) the testing of the geologic-engineering model and (6) technology transfer. This work was scheduled for completion in Year 3. Progress on the project is as follows: geoscientific reservoir characterization is completed. The architecture, porosity types and heterogeneity of the reef and shoal reservoirs at Appleton and Vocation Fields have been characterized using geological and geophysical data. The study of rock-fluid interactions has been completed. Observations regarding the diagenetic

  10. Eighteenth workshop on geothermal reservoir engineering: Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramey, H.J. Jr.; Horne, R.J.; Kruger, P.; Miller, F.G.; Brigham, W.E.; Cook, J.W. (Stanford Geothermal Program)

    1993-01-28

    PREFACE The Eighteenth Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering was held at Stanford University on January 26-28, 1993. There were one hundred and seventeen registered participants which was greater than the attendance last year. Participants were from eight foreign countries: Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Guatemala, and Iceland. Performance of many geothermal fields outside the United States was described in several of the papers. Dean Gary Ernst opened the meeting and welcomed the visitors to the campus. The key note speaker was J.E. ''Ted'' Mock who gave a brief overview of the Department of Energy's current plan. The Stanford Geothermal Program Reservoir Engineering Award for Excellence in Development of Geothermal Energy was awarded to Dr. Mock who also spoke at the banquet. Thirty-nine papers were presented at the Workshop with two papers submitted for publication only. Technical papers were organized in twelve sessions concerning: field operations, The Geysers, geoscience, hot-dry-rock, injection, modeling, slim hole wells, geochemistry, well test and wellbore. Session chairmen were major contributors to the program and we thank: John Counsil, Kathleen Enedy, Harry Olson, Eduardo Iglesias, Marcelo Lippmann, Paul Atkinson, Jim Lovekin, Marshall Reed, Antonio Correa, and David Faulder. The Workshop was organized by the Stanford Geothermal Program faculty, staff, and graduate students. We wish to thank Pat Ota, Ted Sumida, and Terri A. Ramey who also produces the Proceedings Volumes for publication. We owe a great deal of thanks to our students who operate audiovisual equipment and to John Hornbrook who coordinated the meeting arrangements for the Workshop. Henry J. Ramey, Jr. Roland N. Horne Frank G. Miller Paul Kruger William E. Brigham Jean W. Cook

  11. Sixteenth workshop on geothermal reservoir engineering: Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramey, H.J. Jr.; Kruger, P.; Miller, F.G.; Horne, R.N.; Brigham, W.E.; Cook, J.W. (Stanford Geothermal Program)

    1991-01-25

    The Sixteenth Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering was held at Stanford University on January 23-25, 1991. The Workshop Banquet Speaker was Dr. Mohinder Gulati of UNOCAL Geothermal. Dr. Gulati gave an inspiring talk on the impact of numerical simulation on development of geothermal energy both in The Geysers and the Philippines. Dr. Gulati was the first recipient of The Stanford Geothermal Program Reservoir Engineering Award for Excellence in Development of Geothermal Energy. Dr. Frank Miller presented the award. The registered attendance figure of one hundred fifteen participants was up slightly from last year. There were seven foreign countries represented: Iceland, Italy, Philippines, Kenya, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Japan. As last year, papers on about a dozen geothermal fields outside the United States were presented. There were thirty-six papers presented at the Workshop, and two papers were submitted for publication only. Attendees were welcomed by Dr. Khalid Aziz, Chairman of the Petroleum Engineering Department at Stanford. Opening remarks were presented by Dr. Roland Horne, followed by a discussion of the California Energy Commission's Geothermal Activities by Barbara Crowley, Vice Chairman; and J.E. ''Ted'' Mock's presentation of the DOE Geothermal Program: New Emphasis on Industrial Participation. Technical papers were organized in twelve sessions concerning: hot dry rock, geochemistry, tracer injection, field performance, modeling, and chemistry/gas. As in previous workshops, session chairpersons made major contributions to the program. Special thanks are due to Joel Renner, Jeff Tester, Jim Combs, Kathy Enedy, Elwood Baldwin, Sabodh Garg, Marcel0 Lippman, John Counsil, and Eduardo Iglesias. The Workshop was organized by the Stanford Geothermal Program faculty, staff, and graduate students. We wish to thank Pat Ota, Angharad Jones, Rosalee Benelli, Jeanne Mankinen, Ted Sumida, and Terri A. Ramey who also

  12. Reservoir Sedimentation: Impact, Extent, and Mitigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hadley, Richard F.

    Storage reservoirs play an important role in water resources development throughout the world. The one problem with reservoirs that is universal is the continual reduction in usable capacity caused by siltation. This book reviews the world picture of erosion and sediment yield, the large variations that exist, and the physical phenomena related to reservoir siltation. The book is in the Technical Paper series of The World Bank (Technical Paper 71) and is not a formal publication. Rather, it is intended to be circulated to encourage discussion and comment and to communicate results quickly. The book is reproduced from typescript, but this does not detract from the value of the contents as a useful text for hydrologrsts, engineers, and soil conservationists in developing countries.

  13. Computational problems in engineering

    CERN Document Server

    Mladenov, Valeri

    2014-01-01

    This book provides readers with modern computational techniques for solving variety of problems from electrical, mechanical, civil and chemical engineering. Mathematical methods are presented in a unified manner, so they can be applied consistently to problems in applied electromagnetics, strength of materials, fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, environmental engineering, biomedical engineering, signal processing, automatic control and more.   • Features contributions from distinguished researchers on significant aspects of current numerical methods and computational mathematics; • Presents actual results and innovative methods that provide numerical solutions, while minimizing computing times; • Includes new and advanced methods and modern variations of known techniques that can solve difficult scientific problems efficiently.  

  14. INTEGRATED GEOLOGIC-ENGINEERING MODEL FOR REEF AND CARBONATE SHOAL RESERVOIRS ASSOCIATED WITH PALEOHIGHS: UPPER JURASSIC SMACKOVER FORMATION, NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ernest A. Mancini

    2001-09-14

    The University of Alabama in cooperation with Texas A&M University, McGill University, Longleaf Energy Group, Strago Petroleum Corporation, and Paramount Petroleum Company are undertaking an integrated, interdisciplinary geoscientific and engineering research project. The project is designed to characterize and model reservoir architecture, pore systems and rock-fluid interactions at the pore to field scale in Upper Jurassic Smackover reef and carbonate shoal reservoirs associated with varying degrees of relief on pre-Mesozoic basement paleohighs in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. The project effort includes the prediction of fluid flow in carbonate reservoirs through reservoir simulation modeling which utilizes geologic reservoir characterization and modeling and the prediction of carbonate reservoir architecture, heterogeneity and quality through seismic imaging. The primary objective of the project is to increase the profitability, producibility and efficiency of recovery of oil from existing and undiscovered Upper Jurassic fields characterized by reef and carbonate shoals associated with pre-Mesozoic basement paleohighs. The principal research effort for Year 1 of the project has been reservoir description and characterization. This effort has included four tasks: (1) geoscientific reservoir characterization, (2) the study of rock-fluid interactions, (3) petrophysical and engineering characterization and (4) data integration. This work was scheduled for completion in Year 1. Overall, the project work is on schedule. Geoscientific reservoir characterization is essentially completed. The architecture, porosity types and heterogeneity of the reef and shoal reservoirs at Appleton and Vocation Fields have been characterized using geological and geophysical data. The study of rock-fluid interactions has been initiated. Observations regarding the diagenetic processes influencing pore system development and heterogeneity in these reef and shoal reservoirs have been

  15. Twenty-first workshop on geothermal reservoir engineering: Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    1996-01-26

    PREFACE The Twenty-First Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering was held at the Holiday Inn, Palo Alto on January 22-24, 1996. There were one-hundred fifty-five registered participants. Participants came from twenty foreign countries: Argentina, Austria, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, France, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK. The performance of many geothermal reservoirs outside the United States was described in several of the papers. Professor Roland N. Horne opened the meeting and welcomed visitors. The key note speaker was Marshall Reed, who gave a brief overview of the Department of Energy's current plan. Sixty-six papers were presented in the technical sessions of the workshop. Technical papers were organized into twenty sessions concerning: reservoir assessment, modeling, geology/geochemistry, fracture modeling hot dry rock, geoscience, low enthalpy, injection, well testing, drilling, adsorption and stimulation. Session chairmen were major contributors to the workshop, and we thank: Ben Barker, Bobbie Bishop-Gollan, Tom Box, Jim Combs, John Counsil, Sabodh Garg, Malcolm Grant, Marcel0 Lippmann, Jim Lovekin, John Pritchett, Marshall Reed, Joel Renner, Subir Sanyal, Mike Shook, Alfred Truesdell and Ken Williamson. Jim Lovekin gave the post-dinner speech at the banquet and highlighted the exciting developments in the geothermal field which are taking place worldwide. The Workshop was organized by the Stanford Geothermal Program faculty, staff, and graduate students. We wish to thank our students who operated the audiovisual equipment. Shaun D. Fitzgerald Program Manager.

  16. In-situ uranium mining: reservoir engineering aspects of leaching and restoration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kabir, M.I.

    1982-01-01

    To establish the feasibility of in-situ mining of uranium, a push-pull test of an in-situ uranium leaching process, which consists of a single injection/production test well and two observation wells, was designed to evaluate the parameters which govern the uranium production and restorability of a solution mined zone. The test procedure itself consists of injection (push cycle) of a preflush followed by lixiviant, a brief soak period (soak cycle), and subsequent production (pull cycle) into the same well. Based on computer modeling, procedures are defined which permit, for a properly designed test, the determination of both restoration and leaching parameters. The test procedure and design recommendations are also outlined. Two numerical simulators which model field scale uranium production and restoration operations are presented. These simulators are able to accommodate various well patterns and irregular reservoir boundaries, physical dispersion, directional permeability variations (if present), and a variety of injection/production strategies. A streamline-concentration balance technique has been used to develop the models. The assumption of time invariant boundary conditions and no transverse dispersion between the streamlines reduces the two dimensional problem to a bundle of one dimensional ones. It has been further shown that the production well effluent histories can easily be obtained by superposing the solution of the concentration balance equations for a single streamline, and thus reducing computation time significantly. Finally, the simulators have been used to study various reservoir engineering aspects to optimize in-situ uranium production from field scale operations

  17. In-situ uranium mining: reservoir engineering aspects of leaching and restoration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kabir, M.I.

    1982-01-01

    To establish the feasibility of in-situ mining of uranium, a push-pull test of an in-situ uranium leaching process, which consists of a single injection/production test well and two observation wells, was designed to evaluate the parameters which govern the uranium production and restorability of a solution mined zone. The test procedure itself consists of injection (push cycle) of a preflush followed by lixiviant, a brief soak period (soak cycle), and subsequent production (pull cycle) into the same well. Based on computer modeling, procedures are defined which permit, for a properly designed test, the determination of both restoration and leaching parameters. The test procedure and design recommendations are also outlined. Two numerical simulators which model field scale uranium production and restoration operations are presented. These simulators are able to accommodate various well patterns and irregular reservoir boundaries, physical dispersion, directional permeability variations (if present), and a variety of injection/production strategies. A streamline-concentration balance technique has been used to develop the models. The assumption of time invariant boundary conditions and no transverse dispersion between the streamlines reduces the two dimensional problem to a bundle of one dimensional ones. It has been further shown that the production well effluent histories can easily be obtained by superposing the solution of the concentration balance equations for a single streamline, and thus reducing computation time significantly. Finally, the simulators have been used to study various reservoir engineering aspects to optimize in-situ uranium production from field scale operations.

  18. Nineteenth workshop on geothermal reservoir engineering: Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramey, H.J. Jr.; Horne, R.J.; Kruger, P.; Miller, F.G.; Brigham, W.E.; Cook, J.W. (Stanford Geothermal Program)

    1994-01-20

    PREFACE The Nineteenth Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering was held at Stanford University on January 18-20, 1994. This workshop opened on a sad note because of the death of Prof. Henry J. Ramey, Jr. on November 19, 1993. Hank had been fighting leukemia for a long time and finally lost the battle. Many of the workshop participants were present for the celebration of his life on January 21 at Stanford's Memorial Church. Hank was one of the founders of the Stanford Geothermal Program and the Geothermal Reservoir Engineering Workshop. His energy, kindness, quick wit, and knowledge will long be missed at future workshops. Following the Preface we have included a copy of the Memorial Resolution passed by the Stanford University Senate. There were one hundred and four registered participants. Participants were from ten foreign countries: Costa Rica, England, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines and Turkey. Workshop papers described the performance of fourteen geothermal fields outside the United States. Roland N. Home opened the meeting and welcomed the visitors to the campus. The key note speaker was J.E. ''Ted'' Mock who gave a presentation about the future of geothermal development. The banquet speaker was Jesus Rivera and he spoke about Energy Sources of Central American Countries. Forty two papers were presented at the Workshop. Technical papers were organized in twelve sessions concerning: sciences, injection, production, modeling, and adsorption. Session chairmen are an important part of the workshop and our thanks go to: John Counsil, Mark Walters, Dave Duchane, David Faulder, Gudmundur Bodvarsson, Jim Lovekin, Joel Renner, and Iraj Ershaghi. The Workshop was organized by the Stanford Geothermal Program faculty, staff, and graduate students. We wish to thank Pat Ota, Ted Sumida, and Terri A. Ramey who also produces the Proceedings Volumes for publication. We owe a great deal of thanks to our students who

  19. Reservoir engineering assessment of Dubti geothermal field, Northern Tendaho Rift, Ethiopia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Battistelli, A.; Ferragina, C. [Aquater S.p.A. (ENI Group), San Lorenzo in Campo (Italy); Yiheyis, A.; Abatneh, W. [Ethiopian Institute of Geological Surveys, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia); Calore, C. [International Institute for Geothermal Research, Pisa (Italy)

    2002-06-01

    Following on from surface exploration surveys performed during the 1970s and early 1980s, exploration drilling was carried out in the Tendaho Rift, in Central Afar (Ethiopia), from October 1993 to June 1995. Three deep and one shallow well were drilled in the central part of the Northern Tendaho Rift to verify the existence of a geothermal reservoir and its possible utilisation for electric power generation. The project was jointly financed by the Ethiopian Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Project activities were performed by the Ethiopian Institute of Geological Surveys and Aquater SpA. The main reservoir engineering data discussed in this paper were collected during drilling and testing of the above four wells, three of which are located inside the Dubti Cotton Plantation, in which a promising hydrothermal area was identified by surface exploration surveys. Drilling confirmed the existence of a liquid-dominated shallow reservoir inside the Dubti Plantation, characterised by a boiling -point-for-depth temperature distribution down to about 500 m depth. The main permeable zones in the Sedimentary Sequence, which is made up of lacustrine deposits, are located in correspondence to basalt lava flow interlayerings, or at the contact between volcanic and sedimentary rocks. At depth, the basaltic lava flows that characterise the Afar Stratoid Series seem to have low permeability, with the exception of fractured zones associated with sub-vertical faults. Two different upflows of geothermal fluids have been inferred: one flow connected to the Dubti fault feeds the shallow reservoir crossed by wells TD-2 and TD-4, where a maximum temperature of 245{sup o}C was recorded; the second flow seems to be connected with a fault located east of well TD-1, where the maximum recorded temperature was 270{sup o}C. A schematic conceptual model of the Dubti hydrothermal area, as derived from reservoir engineering studies integrated with geological

  20. Nanosensors as Reservoir Engineering Tools to Map Insitu Temperature Distributions in Geothermal Reservoirs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morgan Ames

    2011-06-15

    The feasibility of using nanosensors to measure temperature distribution and predict thermal breakthrough in geothermal reservoirs is addressed in this report. Four candidate sensors were identified: melting tin-bismuth alloy nanoparticles, silica nanoparticles with covalently-attached dye, hollow silica nanoparticles with encapsulated dye and impermeable melting shells, and dye-polymer composite time-temperature indicators. Four main challenges associated with the successful implementation of temperature nanosensors were identified: nanoparticle mobility in porous and fractured media, the collection and detection of nanoparticles at the production well, engineering temperature sensing mechanisms that are both detectable and irreversible, and inferring the spatial geolocation of temperature measurements in order to map temperature distribution. Initial experiments were carried out to investigate each of these challenges. It was demonstrated in a slim-tube injection experiment that it is possible to transport silica nanoparticles over large distances through porous media. The feasibility of magnetic collection of nanoparticles from produced fluid was evaluated experimentally, and it was estimated that 3% of the injected nanoparticles were recovered in a prototype magnetic collection device. An analysis technique was tailored to nanosensors with a dye-release mechanism to estimate temperature measurement geolocation by analyzing the return curve of the released dye. This technique was used in a hypothetical example problem, and good estimates of geolocation were achieved. Tin-bismuth alloy nanoparticles were synthesized using a sonochemical method, and a bench heating experiment was performed using these nanoparticles. Particle growth due to melting was observed, indicating that tin-bismuth nanoparticles have potential as temperature nanosensors

  1. Reservoir management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Satter, A.; Varnon, J.E.; Hoang, M.T.

    1992-01-01

    A reservoir's life begins with exploration leading to discovery followed by delineation of the reservoir, development of the field, production by primary, secondary and tertiary means, and finally to abandonment. Sound reservoir management is the key to maximizing economic operation of the reservoir throughout its entire life. Technological advances and rapidly increasing computer power are providing tools to better manage reservoirs and are increasing the gap between good and neural reservoir management. The modern reservoir management process involves goal setting, planning, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, and revising plans. Setting a reservoir management strategy requires knowledge of the reservoir, availability of technology, and knowledge of the business, political, and environmental climate. Formulating a comprehensive management plan involves depletion and development strategies, data acquisition and analyses, geological and numerical model studies, production and reserves forecasts, facilities requirements, economic optimization, and management approval. This paper provides management, engineers, geologists, geophysicists, and field operations staff with a better understanding of the practical approach to reservoir management using a multidisciplinary, integrated team approach

  2. Reservoir management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Satter, A.; Varnon, J.E.; Hoang, M.T.

    1992-01-01

    A reservoir's life begins with exploration leading to discovery followed by delineation of the reservoir, development of the field, production by primary, secondary and tertiary means, and finally to abandonment. Sound reservoir management is the key to maximizing economic operation of the reservoir throughout its entire life. Technological advances and rapidly increasing computer power are providing tools to better manage reservoirs and are increasing the gap between good and neutral reservoir management. The modern reservoir management process involves goal setting, planning, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, and revising plans. Setting a reservoir management strategy requires knowledge of the reservoir, availability of technology, and knowledge of the business, political, and environmental climate. Formulating a comprehensive management plan involves depletion and development strategies, data acquisition and analyses, geological and numerical model studies, production and reserves forecasts, facilities requirements, economic optimization, and management approval. This paper provides management, engineers geologists, geophysicists, and field operations staff with a better understanding of the practical approach to reservoir management using a multidisciplinary, integrated team approach

  3. INTEGRATED GEOLOGIC-ENGINEERING MODEL FOR REEF AND CARBONATE SHOAL RESERVOIRS ASSOCIATED WITH PALEOHIGHS: UPPER JURASSIC SMACKOVER FORMATION, NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ernest A. Mancini

    2002-09-25

    The University of Alabama in cooperation with Texas A&M University, McGill University, Longleaf Energy Group, Strago Petroleum Corporation, and Paramount Petroleum Company are undertaking an integrated, interdisciplinary geoscientific and engineering research project. The project is designed to characterize and model reservoir architecture, pore systems and rock-fluid interactions at the pore to field scale in Upper Jurassic Smackover reef and carbonate shoal reservoirs associated with varying degrees of relief on pre-Mesozoic basement paleohighs in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. The project effort includes the prediction of fluid flow in carbonate reservoirs through reservoir simulation modeling which utilizes geologic reservoir characterization and modeling and the prediction of carbonate reservoir architecture, heterogeneity and quality through seismic imaging. The primary objective of the project is to increase the profitability, producibility and efficiency of recovery of oil from existing and undiscovered Upper Jurassic fields characterized by reef and carbonate shoals associated with pre-Mesozoic basement paleohighs. The principal research effort for Year 2 of the project has been reservoir characterization, 3-D modeling and technology transfer. This effort has included six tasks: (1) the study of rockfluid interactions, (2) petrophysical and engineering characterization, (3) data integration, (4) 3-D geologic modeling, (5) 3-D reservoir simulation and (6) technology transfer. This work was scheduled for completion in Year 2. Overall, the project work is on schedule. Geoscientific reservoir characterization is essentially completed. The architecture, porosity types and heterogeneity of the reef and shoal reservoirs at Appleton and Vocation Fields have been characterized using geological and geophysical data. The study of rock-fluid interactions is near completion. Observations regarding the diagenetic processes influencing pore system development and

  4. Problem Solving Methods in Engineering Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hartvig, Susanne C

    1999-01-01

    This short paper discusses typical engineering tasks and problem solving methods, based on a field study of engineering tasks at a Danish engineering firm. The field study has identified ten classes of design tasks and in this paper these classes are related to problem solving methods. The descri...

  5. Twentieth workshop on geothermal reservoir engineering: Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    1995-01-26

    PREFACE The Twentieth Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering, dedicated to the memory of Professor Hank Ramey, was held at Stanford University on January 24-26, 1995. There were ninety-five registered participants. Participants came from six foreign countries: Japan, Mexico, England, Italy, New Zealand and Iceland. The performance of many geothermal reservoirs outside the United States was described in several of the papers. Professor Roland N. Horne opened the meeting and welcomed visitors to the campus. The key note speaker was Marshall Reed, who gave a brief overview of the Department of Energy's current plan. Thirty-two papers were presented in the technical sessions of the workshop. Technical papers were organized into eleven sessions concerning: field development, modeling, well tesubore, injection, geoscience, geochemistry and field operations. Session chairmen were major contributors to the workshop, and we thank: Ben Barker, Bob Fournier, Mark Walters, John Counsil, Marcelo Lippmann, Keshav Goyal, Joel Renner and Mike Shook. In addition to the technical sessions, a panel discussion was held on ''What have we learned in 20 years?'' Panel speakers included Patrick Muffler, George Frye, Alfred Truesdell and John Pritchett. The subject was further discussed by Subir Sanyal, who gave the post-dinner speech at the banquet. The Workshop was organized by the Stanford Geothermal Program faculty, staff, and graduate students. We wish to thank our students who operated the audiovisual equipment. Shaun D. Fitzgerald Program Manager

  6. Estimating Western U.S. Reservoir Sedimentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bensching, L.; Livneh, B.; Greimann, B. P.

    2017-12-01

    Reservoir sedimentation is a long-term problem for water management across the Western U.S. Observations of sedimentation are limited to reservoir surveys that are costly and infrequent, with many reservoirs having only two or fewer surveys. This work aims to apply a recently developed ensemble of sediment algorithms to estimate reservoir sedimentation over several western U.S. reservoirs. The sediment algorithms include empirical, conceptual, stochastic, and processes based approaches and are coupled with a hydrologic modeling framework. Preliminary results showed that the more complex and processed based algorithms performed better in predicting high sediment flux values and in a basin transferability experiment. However, more testing and validation is required to confirm sediment model skill. This work is carried out in partnership with the Bureau of Reclamation with the goal of evaluating the viability of reservoir sediment yield prediction across the western U.S. using a multi-algorithm approach. Simulations of streamflow and sediment fluxes are validated against observed discharges, as well as a Reservoir Sedimentation Information database that is being developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Specific goals of this research include (i) quantifying whether inter-algorithm differences consistently capture observational variability; (ii) identifying whether certain categories of models consistently produce the best results, (iii) assessing the expected sedimentation life-span of several western U.S. reservoirs through long-term simulations.

  7. Computational problems in science and engineering

    CERN Document Server

    Bulucea, Aida; Tsekouras, George

    2015-01-01

    This book provides readers with modern computational techniques for solving variety of problems from electrical, mechanical, civil and chemical engineering. Mathematical methods are presented in a unified manner, so they can be applied consistently to problems in applied electromagnetics, strength of materials, fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, environmental engineering, biomedical engineering, signal processing, automatic control and more.

  8. Speeding up compositional reservoir simulation through an efficient implementation of phase equilibrium calculation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Belkadi, Abdelkrim; Yan, Wei; Moggia, Elsa

    2013-01-01

    Compositional reservoir simulations are widely used to simulate reservoir processes with strong compositional effects, such as gas injection. The equations of state (EoS) based phase equilibrium calculation is a time consuming part in this type of simulations. The phase equilibrium problem can....... Application of the shadow region method to skip stability analysis can further cut the phase equilibrium calculation time. Copyright 2013, Society of Petroleum Engineers....

  9. Application of Ant-Colony-Based Algorithms to Multi-Reservoir Water Resources Problems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alireza Borhani Darian

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, the continuous Ant Colony Optimization Algorithm (ACOR is used to investigate the optimum operation of complex multi-reservoir systems. The results are compared with those of the well-known Genetic Algorithm (GA. For this purpose, GA and ACOR are used to solve the long-term operation of a three-reservoir system in Karkheh Basin, southwestern Iran. The solution must determine monthly releases from the three reservoirs and their optimum allocations among the four agricultural demand areas. Meanwhile, a minimum discharge must be maintained within the river reaches for environmental concerns. Review of past research shows that only a few applications of Ant Colony have been generally made in water resources system problems; however, up to the time of initiating this paper, we found no other application of the ACOR in this area. Therefore, unlike GA, application of Ant-Colony-based algorithms in water resources systems has not been thoroughly evaluated and deserves  serious study. In this paper, the ACOR is stuided as the most recent Ant-Colony-based algorithm and its application in a multi-reservoir system is evaluated. The results indicate that with when the number of decision variables increases, a longer computational time is required and the optimum solutions found are inferior. Therefore, the ACOR would be unable to solve complex water resources problems unless some modifications are considered. To overcome a part of these drawbacks, a number of techniques are introduced in this paper that considerably improve the quality of the method by decreasing the required computation time and by enhancing optimum solutions found.

  10. Interdisciplinary study of reservoir compartments and heterogeneity. Quarterly technical progress report, July 1995--September 1995

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kirk, C.W. Van; Thompson, R.S.

    1995-10-27

    This United States Department of Energy (DOE) research project was established to document the integrated team approach for solving reservoir engineering problems. A field study integrating the disciplines of geology, geophysics, and petroleum engineering will be the mechanism for documenting the integrated approach. This is an area of keen interest to the oil and gas industry. The goal will be to provide tools and approaches that can be used to detect reservoir compartments, reach a better reserve estimate, and improve profits early in the life of a field.

  11. Predicting petrophysical properties by simultaneous inversion of seismic and reservoir engineering data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mantilla, Andres Eduardo

    Porosity and permeability are the most difficult properties to determine in subsurface reservoir characterization, yet usually they have the largest impact on reserves and production forecasts, and consequently on the economy of a project. The difficulty of estimating them comes from the fact that porosity and permeability may vary significantly over the reservoir volume, but can only be sampled at well locations, often using different technologies at different scales of observation. An accurate estimation of the spatial distribution of porosity and permeability is of key importance, because it translates into higher success rates in infill drilling, and fewer wells required for draining the reservoir. The purpose of this thesis is to enhance the characterization of subsurface reservoirs by improving the prediction of petrophysical properties through the combination of reservoir geophysics and reservoir engineering observations and models. To fulfill this goal, I take advantage of the influence that petrophysical properties have on seismic and production data, and formulate, implement, and demonstrate the applicability of an inversion approach that integrates seismic and production-related observations with a-priori information about porosity and permeability. Being constrained by physical models and observations, the resulting estimates are appropriate for making reservoir management decisions. I use synthetic models to test the proposed inversion approach. Results from these tests show that, because of the excellent spatial coverage of seismic data, incorporating seismic-derived attributes related to petrophysical properties can significantly improve the estimates of porosity and permeability. The results also highlight the importance of using a-priori information about the relationship between porosity and permeability. The last chapters of this thesis describe a practical application of the proposed joint inversion approach. This application includes a rock

  12. On an inverse source problem for enhanced oil recovery by wave motion maximization in reservoirs

    KAUST Repository

    Karve, Pranav M.; Kucukcoban, Sezgin; Kallivokas, Loukas F.

    2014-01-01

    to increase the mobility of otherwise entrapped oil. The goal is to arrive at the spatial and temporal description of surface sources that are capable of maximizing mobility in the target reservoir. The focusing problem is posed as an inverse source problem

  13. Techniques for Analysing Problems in Engineering Projects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thorsteinsson, Uffe

    1998-01-01

    Description of how CPM network can be used for analysing complex problems in engineering projects.......Description of how CPM network can be used for analysing complex problems in engineering projects....

  14. DEVELOPMENT OF RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION TECHNIQUES AND PRODUCTION MODELS FOR EXPLOITING NATURALLY FRACTURED RESERVOIRS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Michael L. Wiggins; Raymon L. Brown; Faruk Civan; Richard G. Hughes

    2002-12-31

    For many years, geoscientists and engineers have undertaken research to characterize naturally fractured reservoirs. Geoscientists have focused on understanding the process of fracturing and the subsequent measurement and description of fracture characteristics. Engineers have concentrated on the fluid flow behavior in the fracture-porous media system and the development of models to predict the hydrocarbon production from these complex systems. This research attempts to integrate these two complementary views to develop a quantitative reservoir characterization methodology and flow performance model for naturally fractured reservoirs. The research has focused on estimating naturally fractured reservoir properties from seismic data, predicting fracture characteristics from well logs, and developing a naturally fractured reservoir simulator. It is important to develop techniques that can be applied to estimate the important parameters in predicting the performance of naturally fractured reservoirs. This project proposes a method to relate seismic properties to the elastic compliance and permeability of the reservoir based upon a sugar cube model. In addition, methods are presented to use conventional well logs to estimate localized fracture information for reservoir characterization purposes. The ability to estimate fracture information from conventional well logs is very important in older wells where data are often limited. Finally, a desktop naturally fractured reservoir simulator has been developed for the purpose of predicting the performance of these complex reservoirs. The simulator incorporates vertical and horizontal wellbore models, methods to handle matrix to fracture fluid transfer, and fracture permeability tensors. This research project has developed methods to characterize and study the performance of naturally fractured reservoirs that integrate geoscience and engineering data. This is an important step in developing exploitation strategies for

  15. Expert vs. novice: Problem decomposition/recomposition in engineering design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Ting

    The purpose of this research was to investigate the differences of using problem decomposition and problem recomposition among dyads of engineering experts, dyads of engineering seniors, and dyads of engineering freshmen. Fifty participants took part in this study. Ten were engineering design experts, 20 were engineering seniors, and 20 were engineering freshmen. Participants worked in dyads to complete an engineering design challenge within an hour. The entire design process was video and audio recorded. After the design session, members participated in a group interview. This study used protocol analysis as the methodology. Video and audio data were transcribed, segmented, and coded. Two coding systems including the FBS ontology and "levels of the problem" were used in this study. A series of statistical techniques were used to analyze data. Interview data and participants' design sketches also worked as supplemental data to help answer the research questions. By analyzing the quantitative and qualitative data, it was found that students used less problem decomposition and problem recomposition than engineer experts in engineering design. This result implies that engineering education should place more importance on teaching problem decomposition and problem recomposition. Students were found to spend less cognitive effort when considering the problem as a whole and interactions between subsystems than engineer experts. In addition, students were also found to spend more cognitive effort when considering details of subsystems. These results showed that students tended to use dept-first decomposition and experts tended to use breadth-first decomposition in engineering design. The use of Function (F), Behavior (B), and Structure (S) among engineering experts, engineering seniors, and engineering freshmen was compared on three levels. Level 1 represents designers consider the problem as an integral whole, Level 2 represents designers consider interactions between

  16. Problem Decomposition and Recomposition in Engineering Design: A Comparison of Design Behavior between Professional Engineers, Engineering Seniors, and Engineering Freshmen

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Ting; Becker, Kurt; Gero, John; DeBerard, Scott; DeBerard, Oenardi; Reeve, Edward

    2016-01-01

    The authors investigated the differences in using problem decomposition and problem recomposition between dyads of engineering experts, engineering seniors, and engineering freshmen. Participants worked in dyads to complete an engineering design challenge within 1 hour. The entire design process was video and audio recorded. After the design…

  17. A History of Geothermal Energy Research and Development in the United States. Reservoir Engineering 1976-2006

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kennedy, B. Mack [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Pruess, Karsten [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Lippmann, Marcelo J. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Majer, Ernest L. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Rose, Peter E. [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Adams, Michael [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Roberston-Tait, Ann [GeothermEx Inc., San Pablo, CA (United States); Moller, Nancy [Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States); Weare, John [Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States); Clutter, Ted [ArtComPhoto (United States); Brown, Donald W. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2010-09-01

    This report, the third in a four-part series, summarizes significant research projects performed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) over 30 years to overcome challenges in reservoir engineering and to make generation of electricity from geothermal resources more cost-competitive.

  18. INTEGRATED GEOLOGIC-ENGINEERING MODEL FOR REEF AND CARBONATE SHOAL RESERVOIRS ASSOCIATED WITH PALEOHIGHS: UPPER JURASSIC SMACKOVER FORMATION, NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ernest A. Mancini

    2004-02-25

    The University of Alabama, in cooperation with Texas A&M University, McGill University, Longleaf Energy Group, Strago Petroleum Corporation, and Paramount Petroleum Company, has undertaken an integrated, interdisciplinary geoscientific and engineering research project. The project is designed to characterize and model reservoir architecture, pore systems and rock-fluid interactions at the pore to field scale in Upper Jurassic Smackover reef and carbonate shoal reservoirs associated with varying degrees of relief on pre-Mesozoic basement paleohighs in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. The project effort includes the prediction of fluid flow in carbonate reservoirs through reservoir simulation modeling which utilizes geologic reservoir characterization and modeling and the prediction of carbonate reservoir architecture, heterogeneity and quality through seismic imaging. The primary goal of the project is to increase the profitability, producibility and efficiency of recovery of oil from existing and undiscovered Upper Jurassic fields characterized by reef and carbonate shoals associated with pre-Mesozoic basement paleohighs. Geoscientific reservoir property, geophysical seismic attribute, petrophysical property, and engineering property characterization has shown that reef (thrombolite) and shoal reservoir lithofacies developed on the flanks of high-relief crystalline basement paleohighs (Vocation Field example) and on the crest and flanks of low-relief crystalline basement paleohighs (Appleton Field example). The reef thrombolite lithofacies have higher reservoir quality than the shoal lithofacies due to overall higher permeabilities and greater interconnectivity. Thrombolite dolostone flow units, which are dominated by dolomite intercrystalline and vuggy pores, are characterized by a pore system comprised of a higher percentage of large-sized pores and larger pore throats. Rock-fluid interactions (diagenesis) studies have shown that although the primary control on

  19. Successful flow testing of a gas reservoir in 3,500 feet of water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shaughnessy, J.M.; Carpenter, R.S.; Coleman, R.A.; Jackson, C.W.

    1992-01-01

    The test of Viosca Knoll Block 957 Well No. 1 Sidetrack No. 2 was Amoco Production Co.'s deepest test from a floating rig. Viosca Knoll 957 is 115 miles southeast of New Orleans in 3,500 ft of water. The test, at a record water depth for the Gulf of Mexico, also set a world water-depth record for testing a gas reservoir. Safety to crew and the environmental were top priorities during the planning. A team consisting of drilling, completion, reservoir, and facilities engineers and a foreman were assigned to plan and implement the test. Early planning involved field, service company, and engineering groups. Every effort was made to identify potential problems and to design the system to handle them. This paper reports that the goals of the test were to determine reservoir properties and reservoir limits. Several significant challenges were involved in the well test. The reservoir was gas with a potentially significant condensate yield. The ability to dispose of the large volumes of produced fluids safely without polluting was critical to maintaining uninterrupted flow. Potential shut-in surface pressure was 6,500 psi. Seafloor temperature in 3,500 ft of water was 39 degrees F

  20. Inverse Problems in Geosciences: Modelling the Rock Properties of an Oil Reservoir

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lange, Katrine

    . We have developed and implemented the Frequency Matching method that uses the closed form expression of the a priori probability density function to formulate an inverse problem and compute the maximum a posteriori solution to it. Other methods for computing models that simultaneously fit data...... of the subsurface of the reservoirs. Hence the focus of this work has been on acquiring models of spatial parameters describing rock properties of the subsurface using geostatistical a priori knowledge and available geophysical data. Such models are solutions to often severely under-determined, inverse problems...

  1. Problem Based Learning for engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Dinesh; Radcliffe, Pj

    2017-07-01

    the role of Problem Based Learning (PBL) is relative clear in domains such as medicine but its efficacy in engineering is as yet less certain. To clarify the role of PBL in engineering, a 3 day workshop was conducted for senior Brazilian engineering academics where they were given the theory and then an immersive PBL experience. One major purpose for running this workshop was for them to identify suitable courses where PBL could be considered. During this workshop, they were split in teams and given a diverse range of problems. At the conclusion of the workshop, a quantifiable survey was conducted and the results show that PBL can deliver superior educational outcomes providing the student group is drawn from the top 5% of the year 12 students, and that significantly higher resources are made available. Thus, any proposed PBL program in engineering must be able to demonstrate that it can meet these requirements before it can move forward to implementation.

  2. Integration of advanced geoscience and engineering techniques to quantify interwell heterogeneity in reservoir models. Final report, September 29, 1993--September 30, 1996

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weiss, W.W.; Buckley, J.S.; Ouenes, A.

    1997-05-01

    The goal of this three-year project was to provide a quantitative definition of reservoir heterogeneity. This objective was accomplished through the integration of geologic, geophysical, and engineering databases into a multi-disciplinary understanding of reservoir architecture and associated fluid-rock and fluid-fluid interactions. This interdisciplinary effort integrated geological and geophysical data with engineering and petrophysical results through reservoir simulation to quantify reservoir architecture and the dynamics of fluid-rock and fluid-fluid interactions. An improved reservoir description allows greater accuracy and confidence during simulation and modeling as steps toward gaining greater recovery efficiency from existing reservoirs. A field laboratory, the Sulimar Queen Unit, was available for the field research. Several members of the PRRC staff participated in the development of improved reservoir description by integration of the field and laboratory data as well as in the development of quantitative reservoir models to aid performance predictions. Subcontractors from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin (UT) collaborated in the research and participated in the design and interpretation of field tests. The three-year project was initiated in September 1993 and led to the development and application of various reservoir description methodologies. A new approach for visualizing production data graphically was developed and implemented on the Internet. Using production data and old gamma rays logs, a black oil reservoir model that honors both primary and secondary performance was developed. The old gamma ray logs were used after applying a resealing technique, which was crucial for the success of the project. In addition to the gamma ray logs, the development of the reservoir model benefitted from an inverse Drill Stem Test (DST) technique which provided initial estimates of the reservoir permeability at different wells.

  3. Thought-evoking approaches in engineering problems

    CERN Document Server

    2014-01-01

    In creating the value-added product in not distant future, it is necessary and inevitable to establish a holistic and though-evoking approach to the engineering problem, which should be at least associated with the inter-disciplinary knowledge and thought processes across the whole engineering spheres. It is furthermore desirable to integrate it with trans-disciplinary aspects ranging from manufacturing culture, through liberal-arts engineering, and industrial sociology.   The thought-evoking approach can be exemplified and typified by representative engineering problems: unveiling essential features in ‘Tangential Force Ratio and Interface Pressure’, prototype development for ‘Bio-mimetic Needle’ and application of ‘Water-jet Machining to Artificial Hip Joint’, product innovation in ‘Heat Sink for Computer’, application of ‘Graph Theory’ to similarity evaluation of production systems, leverage among reciprocity attributes in ‘Industrial and Engineering Designs for Machine Enclosure’,...

  4. Problems in event based engine control

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hendricks, Elbert; Jensen, Michael; Chevalier, Alain Marie Roger

    1994-01-01

    Physically a four cycle spark ignition engine operates on the basis of four engine processes or events: intake, compression, ignition (or expansion) and exhaust. These events each occupy approximately 180° of crank angle. In conventional engine controllers, it is an accepted practice to sample...... the engine variables synchronously with these events (or submultiples of them). Such engine controllers are often called event-based systems. Unfortunately the main system noise (or disturbance) is also synchronous with the engine events: the engine pumping fluctuations. Since many electronic engine...... problems on accurate air/fuel ratio control of a spark ignition (SI) engine....

  5. Analysis of real-time reservoir monitoring : reservoirs, strategies, & modeling.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mani, Seethambal S.; van Bloemen Waanders, Bart Gustaaf; Cooper, Scott Patrick; Jakaboski, Blake Elaine; Normann, Randy Allen; Jennings, Jim (University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX); Gilbert, Bob (University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX); Lake, Larry W. (University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX); Weiss, Chester Joseph; Lorenz, John Clay; Elbring, Gregory Jay; Wheeler, Mary Fanett (University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX); Thomas, Sunil G. (University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX); Rightley, Michael J.; Rodriguez, Adolfo (University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX); Klie, Hector (University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX); Banchs, Rafael (University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX); Nunez, Emilio J. (University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX); Jablonowski, Chris (University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX)

    2006-11-01

    survivability issues. Our findings indicate that packaging represents the most significant technical challenge associated with application of sensors in the downhole environment for long periods (5+ years) of time. These issues are described in detail within the report. The impact of successful reservoir monitoring programs and coincident improved reservoir management is measured by the production of additional oil and gas volumes from existing reservoirs, revitalization of nearly depleted reservoirs, possible re-establishment of already abandoned reservoirs, and improved economics for all cases. Smart Well monitoring provides the means to understand how a reservoir process is developing and to provide active reservoir management. At the same time it also provides data for developing high-fidelity simulation models. This work has been a joint effort with Sandia National Laboratories and UT-Austin's Bureau of Economic Geology, Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, and the Institute of Computational and Engineering Mathematics.

  6. Problem solving in foundation engineering using foundationPro

    CERN Document Server

    Yamin, Mohammad

    2016-01-01

    This book is at once a supplement to traditional foundation engineering textbooks and an independent problem-solving learning tool. The book is written primarily for university students majoring in civil or construction engineering taking foundation analysis and design courses to encourage them to solve design problems. Its main aim is to stimulate problem solving capability and foster self-directed learning. It also explains the use of the foundationPro software, available at no cost, and includes a set of foundation engineering applications. Taking a unique approach, Dr. Yamin summarizes the general step-by-step procedure to solve various foundation engineering problems, illustrates traditional applications of these steps with longhand solutions, and presents the foundationPro solutions. The special structure of the book allows it to be used in undergraduate and graduate foundation design and analysis courses in civil and construction engineering. The book stands as valuable resource for students, faculty, ...

  7. Reservoir sedimentation; a literature survey

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sloff, C.J.

    1991-01-01

    A survey of literature is made on reservoir sedimentation, one of the most threatening processes for world-wide reservoir performance. The sedimentation processes, their impacts, and their controlling factors are assessed from a hydraulic engineering point of view with special emphasis on

  8. Group Design Problems in Engineering Design Graphics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelley, David

    2001-01-01

    Describes group design techniques used within the engineering design graphics sequence at Western Washington University. Engineering and design philosophies such as concurrent engineering place an emphasis on group collaboration for the solving of design problems. (Author/DDR)

  9. Geological rock property and production problems of the underground gas storage reservoir of Ketzin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lange, W

    1966-01-01

    The purpose of the program of operation for an industrial injection of gas is briefly reviewed. It is emphasized that the works constitute the final stage of exploration. The decisive economic and extractive aspects are given. Final remarks deal with the methods of floor consolidation and tightness control. In the interest of the perspective exploration of the reservoir it is concluded and must be realized as an operating principle that the main problem, after determining the probable reservoir structure, consists in determining step-by-step (by combined theoretical, technical and economic parameters) the surface equipment needed from the geological and rock property factors, which were determined by suitable methods (hydro-exploration, gas injection). The technique and time-table of the geological exploration, and the design and construction of the installations will depend on the solution of the main problem. At the beginning, partial capacities will be sufficient for the surface installation. (12 refs.)

  10. Constructing development and integrated coastal zone management in the conditions of the landslide slopes of Cheboksary water reservoir (Volga River)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikonorova, I. V.

    2018-01-01

    Uncontrolled construction and insufficient accounting of engineering-geological and hydro-geological conditions of the coastal zone, intensified technogenic impact on sloping surfaces and active urbanization led to the emergence of serious problems and emergency situations on the coasts of many Volga reservoirs, including the Cheboksary reservoir, within Cheboksary urban district and adjacent territories of Chuvashia. This article is devoted to substantiation of the possibility of rational construction development of landslide slopes of the Cheboksary water reservoir.

  11. Applied Mathematical Problems in Engineering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlos Llopis-Albert

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available There is a close relationship between engineering and mathematics, which has led to the development of new techniques in recent years. Likewise the developments in technology and computers have led to new ways of teaching mathematics for engineering students and the use of modern techniques and methods.  This research aims to provide insight on how to deal with mathematical problems for engineering students. This is performed by means of a fuzzy set/Qualitative Comparative Analysis applied to conflict resolution of Public Participation Projects in support to the EU Water Framework Directive.

  12. A Time Domain Update Method for Reservoir History Matching of Electromagnetic Data

    KAUST Repository

    Katterbauer, Klemens

    2014-03-25

    The oil & gas industry has been the backbone of the world\\'s economy in the last century and will continue to be in the decades to come. With increasing demand and conventional reservoirs depleting, new oil industry projects have become more complex and expensive, operating in areas that were previously considered impossible and uneconomical. Therefore, good reservoir management is key for the economical success of complex projects requiring the incorporation of reliable uncertainty estimates for reliable production forecasts and optimizing reservoir exploitation. Reservoir history matching has played here a key role incorporating production, seismic, electromagnetic and logging data for forecasting the development of reservoirs and its depletion. With the advances in the last decade, electromagnetic techniques, such as crosswell electromagnetic tomography, have enabled engineers to more precisely map the reservoirs and understand their evolution. Incorporating the large amount of data efficiently and reducing uncertainty in the forecasts has been one of the key challenges for reservoir management. Computing the conductivity distribution for the field for adjusting parameters in the forecasting process via solving the inverse problem has been a challenge, due to the strong ill-posedness of the inversion problem and the extensive manual calibration required, making it impossible to be included into an efficient reservoir history matching forecasting algorithm. In the presented research, we have developed a novel Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) based method for incorporating electromagnetic data directly into the reservoir simulator. Based on an extended Archie relationship, EM simulations are performed for both forecasted and Porosity-Saturation retrieved conductivity parameters being incorporated directly into an update step for the reservoir parameters. This novel direct update method has significant advantages such as that it overcomes the expensive and ill

  13. Providing solutions to engineering problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Connop, R.P.P.

    1991-01-01

    BNFL has acquired unique experience over a period of 40 years in specifying, designing and constructing spent fuel reprocessing and associated waste management plant. This experience is currently used to support a pound 5.5 billion capital investment programme. This paper reviews a number of engineering problems and their solutions to highlight BNFL experience in providing comprehensive specification, design and engineering and project management services. (author)

  14. Improved characterization of reservoir behavior by integration of reservoir performances data and rock type distributions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Davies, D.K.; Vessell, R.K. [David K. Davies & Associates, Kingwood, TX (United States); Doublet, L.E. [Texas A& M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)] [and others

    1997-08-01

    An integrated geological/petrophysical and reservoir engineering study was performed for a large, mature waterflood project (>250 wells, {approximately}80% water cut) at the North Robertson (Clear Fork) Unit, Gaines County, Texas. The primary goal of the study was to develop an integrated reservoir description for {open_quotes}targeted{close_quotes} (economic) 10-acre (4-hectare) infill drilling and future recovery operations in a low permeability, carbonate (dolomite) reservoir. Integration of the results from geological/petrophysical studies and reservoir performance analyses provide a rapid and effective method for developing a comprehensive reservoir description. This reservoir description can be used for reservoir flow simulation, performance prediction, infill targeting, waterflood management, and for optimizing well developments (patterns, completions, and stimulations). The following analyses were performed as part of this study: (1) Geological/petrophysical analyses: (core and well log data) - {open_quotes}Rock typing{close_quotes} based on qualitative and quantitative visualization of pore-scale features. Reservoir layering based on {open_quotes}rock typing {close_quotes} and hydraulic flow units. Development of a {open_quotes}core-log{close_quotes} model to estimate permeability using porosity and other properties derived from well logs. The core-log model is based on {open_quotes}rock types.{close_quotes} (2) Engineering analyses: (production and injection history, well tests) Material balance decline type curve analyses to estimate total reservoir volume, formation flow characteristics (flow capacity, skin factor, and fracture half-length), and indications of well/boundary interference. Estimated ultimate recovery analyses to yield movable oil (or injectable water) volumes, as well as indications of well and boundary interference.

  15. Universal approximators for multi-objective direct policy search in water reservoir management problems: a comparative analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giuliani, Matteo; Mason, Emanuele; Castelletti, Andrea; Pianosi, Francesca

    2014-05-01

    The optimal operation of water resources systems is a wide and challenging problem due to non-linearities in the model and the objectives, high dimensional state-control space, and strong uncertainties in the hydroclimatic regimes. The application of classical optimization techniques (e.g., SDP, Q-learning, gradient descent-based algorithms) is strongly limited by the dimensionality of the system and by the presence of multiple, conflicting objectives. This study presents a novel approach which combines Direct Policy Search (DPS) and Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEAs) to solve high-dimensional state and control space problems involving multiple objectives. DPS, also known as parameterization-simulation-optimization in the water resources literature, is a simulation-based approach where the reservoir operating policy is first parameterized within a given family of functions and, then, the parameters optimized with respect to the objectives of the management problem. The selection of a suitable class of functions to which the operating policy belong to is a key step, as it might restrict the search for the optimal policy to a subspace of the decision space that does not include the optimal solution. In the water reservoir literature, a number of classes have been proposed. However, many of these rules are based largely on empirical or experimental successes and they were designed mostly via simulation and for single-purpose reservoirs. In a multi-objective context similar rules can not easily inferred from the experience and the use of universal function approximators is generally preferred. In this work, we comparatively analyze two among the most common universal approximators: artificial neural networks (ANN) and radial basis functions (RBF) under different problem settings to estimate their scalability and flexibility in dealing with more and more complex problems. The multi-purpose HoaBinh water reservoir in Vietnam, accounting for hydropower

  16. A Comparative Analysis of Software Engineering with Mature Engineering Disciplines Using a Problem-Solving Perspective

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tekinerdogan, B.; Aksit, Mehmet; Dogru, Ali H.; Bicer, Veli

    2011-01-01

    Software engineering is compared with traditional engineering disciplines using a domain specific problem-solving model called Problem-Solving for Engineering Model (PSEM). The comparative analysis is performed both from a historical and contemporary view. The historical view provides lessons on the

  17. Matrices in Engineering Problems

    CERN Document Server

    Tobias, Marvin

    2011-01-01

    This book is intended as an undergraduate text introducing matrix methods as they relate to engineering problems. It begins with the fundamentals of mathematics of matrices and determinants. Matrix inversion is discussed, with an introduction of the well known reduction methods. Equation sets are viewed as vector transformations, and the conditions of their solvability are explored. Orthogonal matrices are introduced with examples showing application to many problems requiring three dimensional thinking. The angular velocity matrix is shown to emerge from the differentiation of the 3-D orthogo

  18. An Integrated Architecture for Engineering Problem Solving

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Pisan, Yusuf

    1998-01-01

    .... This thesis describes the Integrated Problem Solving Architecture (IPSA) that combines qualitative, quantitative and diagrammatic reasoning skills to produce annotated solutions to engineering problems...

  19. Introductory Level Problems Illustrating Concepts in Pharmaceutical Engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    McIver, Keith; Whitaker, Kathryn; De Delva, Vladimir; Farrell, Stephanie; Savelski, Mariano J.; Slater, C. Stewart

    2012-01-01

    Textbook style problems including detailed solutions introducing pharmaceutical topics at the level of an introductory chemical engineering course have been created. The problems illustrate and teach subjects which students would learn if they were to pursue a career in pharmaceutical engineering, including the unique terminology of the field,…

  20. Improved Oil Recovery in Fluvial Dominated Deltaic Reservoirs of Kansas - Near-Term

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Green, Don W.; McCune, A.D.; Michnick, M.; Reynolds, R.; Walton, A.; Watney, L.; Willhite, G. Paul

    1999-01-01

    The objective of this project is to address waterflood problems of the type found in Morrow sandstone reservoirs in southwestern Kansas and in Cherokee Group reservoirs in southeastern Kansas. Two demonstration sites operated by different independent oil operators are involved in this project. The Stewart Field is located in Finney County, Kansas and is operated by PetroSantander, Inc. Te Nelson Lease is located in Allen County, Kansas, in the N.E. Savonburg Field and is operated by James E. Russell Petroleum, Inc. General topics to be addressed are (1) reservoir management and performance evaluation, (2) waterflood optimization, and (3) the demonstration of recovery processes involving off-the-shelf technologies which can be used to enhance waterflood recovery, increase reserves, and reduce the abandonment rate of these reservoir types. In the Stewart Project, the reservoir management portion of the project conducted during Budget Period 1 involved performance evaluation. This included (1) reservoir characterization and the development of a reservoir database, (2) volumetric analysis to evaluate production performance, (3) reservoir modeling, (4) laboratory work, (5) identification of operational problems, (6) identification of unrecovered mobile oil and estimation of recovery factors, and (7) Identification of the most efficient and economical recovery process. To accomplish these objectives the initial budget period was subdivided into three major tasks. The tasks were (1) geological and engineering analysis, (2) laboratory testing, and (3) unitization. Due to the presence of different operators within the field, it was necessary to unitize the field in order to demonstrate a field-wide improved recovery process. This work was completed and the project moved into Budget Period 2

  1. The Problem of Ensuring Reliability of Gas Turbine Engines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nozhnitsky, Yu A.

    2018-01-01

    Requirements to advanced engines for civil aviation are discussing. Some significant problems of ensuring reliability of advanced gas turbine engines are mentioned. Special attention is paid to successful utilization of new materials and critical technologies. Also the problem of excluding failure of engine part due to low cycle or high cycle fatigue is discussing.

  2. APPLICATION OF INTEGRATED RESERVOIR MANAGEMENT AND RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jack Bergeron; Tom Blasingame; Louis Doublet; Mohan Kelkar; George Freeman; Jeff Callard; David Moore; David Davies; Richard Vessell; Brian Pregger; Bill Dixon; Bryce Bezant

    2000-03-01

    Reservoir performance and characterization are vital parameters during the development phase of a project. Infill drilling of wells on a uniform spacing, without regard to characterization does not optimize development because it fails to account for the complex nature of reservoir heterogeneities present in many low permeability reservoirs, especially carbonate reservoirs. These reservoirs are typically characterized by: (1) large, discontinuous pay intervals; (2) vertical and lateral changes in reservoir properties; (3) low reservoir energy; (4) high residual oil saturation; and (5) low recovery efficiency. The operational problems they encounter in these types of reservoirs include: (1) poor or inadequate completions and stimulations; (2) early water breakthrough; (3) poor reservoir sweep efficiency in contacting oil throughout the reservoir as well as in the nearby well regions; (4) channeling of injected fluids due to preferential fracturing caused by excessive injection rates; and (5) limited data availability and poor data quality. Infill drilling operations only need target areas of the reservoir which will be economically successful. If the most productive areas of a reservoir can be accurately identified by combining the results of geological, petrophysical, reservoir performance, and pressure transient analyses, then this ''integrated'' approach can be used to optimize reservoir performance during secondary and tertiary recovery operations without resorting to ''blanket'' infill drilling methods. New and emerging technologies such as geostatistical modeling, rock typing, and rigorous decline type curve analysis can be used to quantify reservoir quality and the degree of interwell communication. These results can then be used to develop a 3-D simulation model for prediction of infill locations. The application of reservoir surveillance techniques to identify additional reservoir ''pay'' zones

  3. Comparison of Problem Solving from Engineering Design to Software Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ahmed-Kristensen, Saeema; Babar, Muhammad Ali

    2012-01-01

    Observational studies of engineering design activities can inform the research community on the problem solving models that are employed by professional engineers. Design is defined as an ill-defined problem which includes both engineering design and software design, hence understanding problem...... solving models from other design domains is of interest to the engineering design community. For this paper an observational study of two software design sessions performed for the workshop on “Studying professional Software Design” is compared to analysis from engineering design. These findings provide...... useful insights of how software designers move from a problem domain to a solution domain and the commonalities between software designers’ and engineering designers’ design activities. The software designers were found to move quickly to a detailed design phase, employ co-.evolution and adopt...

  4. Comparison of Problem Solving from Engineering Design to Software Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ahmed-Kristensen, Saeema; Babar, Muhammad Ali

    2012-01-01

    solving models from other design domains is of interest to the engineering design community. For this paper an observational study of two software design sessions performed for the workshop on “Studying professional Software Design” is compared to analysis from engineering design. These findings provide......Observational studies of engineering design activities can inform the research community on the problem solving models that are employed by professional engineers. Design is defined as an ill-defined problem which includes both engineering design and software design, hence understanding problem...... useful insights of how software designers move from a problem domain to a solution domain and the commonalities between software designers’ and engineering designers’ design activities. The software designers were found to move quickly to a detailed design phase, employ co-.evolution and adopt...

  5. Statics formulas and problems : engineering mechanics 1

    CERN Document Server

    Gross, Dietmar; Wriggers, Peter; Schröder, Jörg; Müller, Ralf

    2017-01-01

    This book contains the most important formulas and more than 160 completely solved problems from Statics. It provides engineering students material to improve their skills and helps to gain experience in solving engineering problems. Particular emphasis is placed on finding the solution path and formulating the basic equations. Topics include: - Equilibrium - Center of Gravity, Center of Mass, Centroids - Support Reactions - Trusses - Beams, Frames, Arches - Cables - Work and Potential Energy - Static and Kinetic Friction - Moments of Inertia.

  6. Reservoir characterization based on tracer response and rank analysis of production and injection rates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Refunjol, B.T. [Lagoven, S.A., Pdvsa (Venezuela); Lake, L.W. [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)

    1997-08-01

    Quantification of the spatial distribution of properties is important for many reservoir-engineering applications. But, before applying any reservoir-characterization technique, the type of problem to be tackled and the information available should be analyzed. This is important because difficulties arise in reservoirs where production records are the only information for analysis. This paper presents the results of a practical technique to determine preferential flow trends in a reservoir. The technique is a combination of reservoir geology, tracer data, and Spearman rank correlation coefficient analysis. The Spearman analysis, in particular, will prove to be important because it appears to be insightful and uses injection/production data that are prevalent in circumstances where other data are nonexistent. The technique is applied to the North Buck Draw field, Campbell County, Wyoming. This work provides guidelines to assess information about reservoir continuity in interwell regions from widely available measurements of production and injection rates at existing wells. The information gained from the application of this technique can contribute to both the daily reservoir management and the future design, control, and interpretation of subsequent projects in the reservoir, without the need for additional data.

  7. Dynamics formulas and problems : engineering mechanics 3

    CERN Document Server

    Gross, Dietmar; Wriggers, Peter; Schröder, Jörg; Müller, Ralf

    2017-01-01

    This book contains the most important formulas and more than 190 completely solved problems from Kinetics and Hydrodynamics. It provides engineering students material to improve their skills and helps to gain experience in solving engineering problems. Particular emphasis is placed on finding the solution path and formulating the basic equations. Topics include: - Kinematics of a Point - Kinetics of a Point Mass- Dynamics of a System of Point Masses - Kinematics of Rigid Bodies - Kinetics of Rigid Bodies - Impact - Vibrations - Non-Inertial Reference Frames - Hydrodynamics .

  8. Reviving Abandoned Reservoirs with High-Pressure Air Injection: Application in a Fractured and Karsted Dolomite Reservoir

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Robert Loucks; Stephen C. Ruppel; Dembla Dhiraj; Julia Gale; Jon Holder; Jeff Kane; Jon Olson; John A. Jackson; Katherine G. Jackson

    2006-09-30

    Despite declining production rates, existing reservoirs in the United States contain vast volumes of remaining oil that is not being effectively recovered. This oil resource constitutes a huge target for the development and application of modern, cost-effective technologies for producing oil. Chief among the barriers to the recovery of this oil are the high costs of designing and implementing conventional advanced recovery technologies in these mature, in many cases pressure-depleted, reservoirs. An additional, increasingly significant barrier is the lack of vital technical expertise necessary for the application of these technologies. This lack of expertise is especially notable among the small operators and independents that operate many of these mature, yet oil-rich, reservoirs. We addressed these barriers to more effective oil recovery by developing, testing, applying, and documenting an innovative technology that can be used by even the smallest operator to significantly increase the flow of oil from mature U.S. reservoirs. The Bureau of Economic Geology and Goldrus Producing Company assembled a multidisciplinary team of geoscientists and engineers to evaluate the applicability of high-pressure air injection (HPAI) in revitalizing a nearly abandoned carbonate reservoir in the Permian Basin of West Texas. The Permian Basin, the largest oil-bearing basin in North America, contains more than 70 billion barrels of remaining oil in place and is an ideal venue to validate this technology. We have demonstrated the potential of HPAI for oil-recovery improvement in preliminary laboratory tests and a reservoir pilot project. To more completely test the technology, this project emphasized detailed characterization of reservoir properties, which were integrated to access the effectiveness and economics of HPAI. The characterization phase of the project utilized geoscientists and petroleum engineers from the Bureau of Economic Geology and the Department of Petroleum

  9. Reservoir site evaluation through routing | Ogunlela | Journal of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... m3/s, and a relative attenuation of 41.10%. Also; the reservoir would not be overtopped since the 99.54 m water elevation for the 25-yr, 24-hr storm was below the reservoir embankment top elevation. Keywords:Reservoir routing. Journal of Modeling, Design and Management of Engineering Systems Vol. 3 (1) 2005: pp.

  10. Thermoacoustic engines and refrigerators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Swift, G.

    1996-12-31

    This report is a transcript of a practice lecture given in preparation for a review lecture on the operation of thermoacoustic engines and refrigerators. The author begins by a brief review of the thermodynamic principles underlying the operation of thermoacoustic engines and refrigerators. Remember from thermodynamics class that there are two kinds of heat engines, the heat engine or the prime mover which produces work from heat, and the refrigerator or heat pump that uses work to pump heat. The device operates between two thermal reservoirs at temperatures T{sub hot} and T{sub cold}. In the heat engine, heat flows into the device from the reservoir at T{sub hot}, produces work, and delivers waste heat into the reservoir at T{sub cold}. In the refrigerator, work flows into the device, lifting heat Q{sub cold} from reservoir at T{sub cold} and rejecting waste heat into the reservoir at T{sub hot}.

  11. Problem-based learning biotechnology courses in chemical engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glatz, Charles E; Gonzalez, Ramon; Huba, Mary E; Mallapragada, Surya K; Narasimhan, Balaji; Reilly, Peter J; Saunders, Kevin P; Shanks, Jacqueline V

    2006-01-01

    We have developed a series of upper undergraduate/graduate lecture and laboratory courses on biotechnological topics to supplement existing biochemical engineering, bioseparations, and biomedical engineering lecture courses. The laboratory courses are based on problem-based learning techniques, featuring two- and three-person teams, journaling, and performance rubrics for guidance and assessment. Participants initially have found them to be difficult, since they had little experience with problem-based learning. To increase enrollment, we are combining the laboratory courses into 2-credit groupings and allowing students to substitute one of them for the second of our 2-credit chemical engineering unit operations laboratory courses.

  12. Problems of engineering education and their decision involving industry

    OpenAIRE

    R. P. Simonyants

    2014-01-01

    In Russia, the problems of engineering education are connected with political and economic upheavals of the late last century. At the same time, some leading engineering universities in Russia, such as the Bauman Moscow State Technical University (BMSTU) were resistant to the damaging effects of the crisis. But the methodology and experience of their effective work are insufficiently known.The problems of international engineering school development are also known. The first UNESCO World Repo...

  13. New geomechanical developments for reservoir management; Desenvolvimentos experimentais e computacionais para analises geomecanicas de reservatorio

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soares, Antonio C.; Menezes Filho, Armando Prestes; Silvestre, Jose R. [PETROBRAS S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas (CENPES)

    2008-07-01

    The common assumption that oil is produced under a constant rate only considering reservoir depletion has been questioned for some time. An usual hypothesis is that the physical properties of a reservoir are not constants during time, but they vary according to the properties of reservoir rock and the characteristics of the external loads. More precisely, as soon as a reservoir is explored, the volume of fluid diminishes, decreasing the static pressure and increasing the effective stress over the rock skeleton, which, depending on the nature of rock, can lead to a gradual deformation and alteration of reservoir's porosity and permeability, and oil productivity as well. This paper aims at showing numerical and experimental achievements, developed by the Well bore Engineering Technology Department of CENPES, devoted to the characterization of the influence of stress-strain states on the permeability and production of reservoir rocks. It is believed that these developments can possibly bring some light to the understanding of this complex phenomenon, besides allowing the establishment of more realistic relations involving stress-strain-permeability in coupled fluid dynamic problems. (author)

  14. Teaching Agile Software Engineering Using Problem-Based Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    El-Khalili, Nuha H.

    2013-01-01

    Many studies have reported the utilization of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in teaching Software Engineering courses. However, these studies have different views of the effectiveness of PBL. This paper presents the design of an Advanced Software Engineering course for undergraduate Software Engineering students that uses PBL to teach them Agile…

  15. Problems Caused by Microbes and Treatment Strategies Monitoring and Preventing Reservoir Souring Using Molecular Microbiological Methods (MMM)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gittel, Antje

    The injection of seawater during the process of secondary oil recovery in offshore oilfields supplies huge amounts of sulphate to the prokaryotic reservoir communities. Together with the presence of oil organics and their degradation products as electron donors, this facilitates the enrichment and growth of sulphate-reducing prokaryotes (SRP) in the reservoir, as well as in pipings and top-side installations (Sunde and Torsvik, 2005; Vance and Thrasher, 2005). The activity of SRP causes severe economic problems due to the reactivity and toxicity of the produced hydrogen sulphide (H2S), one of the major problems being reservoir souring. Besides the use of broad-spectrum biocides or inhibitors for sulphate reduction, the addition of nitrate effectively decreased the net production of H2S in model column studies (Myhr et al., 2002; Hubert et al., 2005; Dunsmore et al., 2006) and field trials (Telang et al., 1997; Bødtker et al., 2008). The mechanisms by which nitrate addition might affect souring control are (i) the stimulation of heterotrophic nitrate-reducing bacteria (hNRB) that outcompete SRP for electron donors, (ii) the activity of nitrate-reducing, sulphide-oxidising bacteria (NR-SOB), and (iii) the inhibition of SRP by the production of nitrite and nitrous oxides (Sunde and Torsvik, 2005; Hubert and Voordouw, 2007).

  16. Linked-Class Problem-Based Learning in Engineering: Method and Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunt, Emily M.; Lockwood-Cooke, Pamela; Kelley, Judy

    2010-01-01

    Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a problem-centered teaching method with exciting potential in engineering education for motivating and enhancing student learning. Implementation of PBL in engineering education has the potential to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Two common problems are encountered when attempting to integrate PBL into…

  17. EDITORIAL: Inverse Problems in Engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    West, Robert M.; Lesnic, Daniel

    2007-01-01

    Presented here are 11 noteworthy papers selected from the Fifth International Conference on Inverse Problems in Engineering: Theory and Practice held in Cambridge, UK during 11-15 July 2005. The papers have been peer-reviewed to the usual high standards of this journal and the contributions of reviewers are much appreciated. The conference featured a good balance of the fundamental mathematical concepts of inverse problems with a diverse range of important and interesting applications, which are represented here by the selected papers. Aspects of finite-element modelling and the performance of inverse algorithms are investigated by Autrique et al and Leduc et al. Statistical aspects are considered by Emery et al and Watzenig et al with regard to Bayesian parameter estimation and inversion using particle filters. Electrostatic applications are demonstrated by van Berkel and Lionheart and also Nakatani et al. Contributions to the applications of electrical techniques and specifically electrical tomographies are provided by Wakatsuki and Kagawa, Kim et al and Kortschak et al. Aspects of inversion in optical tomography are investigated by Wright et al and Douiri et al. The authors are representative of the worldwide interest in inverse problems relating to engineering applications and their efforts in producing these excellent papers will be appreciated by many readers of this journal.

  18. A Study of the Optimal Planning Model for Reservoir Sustainable Management- A Case Study of Shihmen Reservoir

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Y. Y.; Ho, C. C.; Chang, L. C.

    2017-12-01

    The reservoir management in Taiwan faces lots of challenge. Massive sediment caused by landslide were flushed into reservoir, which will decrease capacity, rise the turbidity, and increase supply risk. Sediment usually accompanies nutrition that will cause eutrophication problem. Moreover, the unevenly distribution of rainfall cause water supply instability. Hence, how to ensure sustainable use of reservoirs has become an important task in reservoir management. The purpose of the study is developing an optimal planning model for reservoir sustainable management to find out an optimal operation rules of reservoir flood control and sediment sluicing. The model applies Genetic Algorithms to combine with the artificial neural network of hydraulic analysis and reservoir sediment movement. The main objective of operation rules in this study is to prevent reservoir outflow caused downstream overflow, minimum the gap between initial and last water level of reservoir, and maximum sluicing sediment efficiency. A case of Shihmen reservoir was used to explore the different between optimal operating rule and the current operation of the reservoir. The results indicate optimal operating rules tended to open desilting tunnel early and extend open duration during flood discharge period. The results also show the sluicing sediment efficiency of optimal operating rule is 36%, 44%, 54% during Typhoon Jangmi, Typhoon Fung-Wong, and Typhoon Sinlaku respectively. The results demonstrate the optimal operation rules do play a role in extending the service life of Shihmen reservoir and protecting the safety of downstream. The study introduces a low cost strategy, alteration of operation reservoir rules, into reservoir sustainable management instead of pump dredger in order to improve the problem of elimination of reservoir sediment and high cost.

  19. Chemistry and the Internal Combustion Engine II: Pollution Problems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunt, C. B.

    1979-01-01

    Discusses pollution problems which arise from the use of internal combustion (IC) engines in the United Kingdom (UK). The IC engine exhaust emissions, controlling IC engine pollution in the UK, and some future developments are also included. (HM)

  20. Oil Reservoir Production Optimization using Optimal Control

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Völcker, Carsten; Jørgensen, John Bagterp; Stenby, Erling Halfdan

    2011-01-01

    Practical oil reservoir management involves solution of large-scale constrained optimal control problems. In this paper we present a numerical method for solution of large-scale constrained optimal control problems. The method is a single-shooting method that computes the gradients using the adjo...... reservoir using water ooding and smart well technology. Compared to the uncontrolled case, the optimal operation increases the Net Present Value of the oil field by 10%.......Practical oil reservoir management involves solution of large-scale constrained optimal control problems. In this paper we present a numerical method for solution of large-scale constrained optimal control problems. The method is a single-shooting method that computes the gradients using...

  1. A PC/workstation cluster computing environment for reservoir engineering simulation applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hermes, C.E.; Koo, J.

    1995-01-01

    Like the rest of the petroleum industry, Texaco has been transferring its applications and databases from mainframes to PC's and workstations. This transition has been very positive because it provides an environment for integrating applications, increases end-user productivity, and in general reduces overall computing costs. On the down side, the transition typically results in a dramatic increase in workstation purchases and raises concerns regarding the cost and effective management of computing resources in this new environment. The workstation transition also places the user in a Unix computing environment which, to say the least, can be quite frustrating to learn and to use. This paper describes the approach, philosophy, architecture, and current status of the new reservoir engineering/simulation computing environment developed at Texaco's E and P Technology Dept. (EPTD) in Houston. The environment is representative of those under development at several other large oil companies and is based on a cluster of IBM and Silicon Graphics Intl. (SGI) workstations connected by a fiber-optics communications network and engineering PC's connected to local area networks, or Ethernets. Because computing resources and software licenses are shared among a group of users, the new environment enables the company to get more out of its investments in workstation hardware and software

  2. Problem-Based Learning in Engineering Ethics Courses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirkman, Robert

    2016-01-01

    I describe the first stages of a process of design research in which I employ problem-based learning in a course in engineering ethics, which fulfills a requirement for students in engineering degree programs. The aim of the course is to foster development of particular cognitive skills contributing to moral imagination, a capacity to notice,…

  3. Multi-data reservoir history matching of crosswell seismic, electromagnetics and gravimetry data

    KAUST Repository

    Katterbauer, Klemens

    2014-01-01

    Reservoir engineering has become of prime importance for oil and gas field development projects. With rising complexity, reservoir simulations and history matching have become critical for fine-tuning reservoir production strategies, improved

  4. Teaching problem-solving skills to nuclear engineering students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waller, E.; Kaye, M. H.

    2012-08-01

    Problem solving is an essential skill for nuclear engineering graduates entering the workforce. Training in qualitative and quantitative aspects of problem solving allows students to conceptualise and execute solutions to complex problems. Solutions to problems in high consequence fields of study such as nuclear engineering require rapid and accurate analysis of the problems, design of solutions (focusing on public safety, environmental stewardship and ethics), solution execution and monitoring results. A three-month course in problem solving, modelling and simulation was designed and a collaborative approach was undertaken with instructors from both industry and academia. Training was optimised for the laptop-based pedagogy, which provided unique advantages for a course that includes modelling and simulation components. The concepts and tools learned as part of the training were observed to be utilised throughout the duration of student university studies and interviews with students who have entered the workforce indicate that the approaches learned and practised are retained long term.

  5. Solution Tree Problem Solving Procedure for Engineering Analysis ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Illustrations are provided in the thermofluid engineering area to showcase the procedure's applications. This approach has proved to be a veritable tool for enhancing the problem-solving and computer algorithmic skills of engineering students, eliciting their curiosity, active participation and appreciation of the taught course.

  6. Statistical analysis and experiment planning in reservoir engineering; Analyse statistique et planification d'experience en ingenierie de reservoir

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zabalza-Mezghani, I.

    2000-05-24

    The aim of this thesis first part is the prediction of simulated production responses, when controlled or uncontrolled parameters act on them. The specificity of our work was to study an uncontrolled parameter: the geostatistical seed, which leads to an hetero-scedastic response behavior. In this context, a joint modelling of both mean and variance of the response was essential to get an efficient prediction. We have proposed two prediction intervals of the response, which either resorted to bootstrap re-sampling or not, and which were very efficient to predict the response accounting for the hetero-scedastic framework. Another aim of this part was to use the available information on gradient response to improve prediction. We have suggested a Bayesian prediction, that involves both response and gradients, in order to highlight the significance of gradient information to reach safe predictions. In the second part, which deals. with history matching problem, the originality of our work was the resort to experimental designs. This problem, which consists in calibrating a reservoir model with respect to dynamic data, fits the description of an objective function minimization. As the objective function behavior is non-linear and therefore cannot fit a polynomial function, we suggest to combine the simplex method, which permits to select a domain where the objective function reveals simple behavior, and experimental design theory, which allows to build an analytical model of the objective function. A minimization of this analytical model makes it possible to reach the parameter values that ensure dynamic data respect. In this way, this methodology highlights the efficiency of experimental designs for history matching, particularly when optimization methods are inadequate because of non-differentiability, as for the calibration of geostatistical facies models. Several reservoir application cases illustrate the efficiency of the approaches we have proposed in this thesis

  7. HEPATIC TISSUE ENGINEERING (MODERN STATE OF THIS PROBLEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y.S. Gulay

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In this article it was discussed the problem of creation implanted hepatic tissue engineering designs as a modern stage of complex investigation for working out bioartifi cial liver support systems. It was determined that for the positive decision of numerous biological and technological problems it is necessary: to use matrices with determined properties, which mimic properties of hepatic extracellular matrix; to use technology for stereotype sowing of these matrices by both parenchymal and non-parenchymal hepatic cells and to improve the technologies for making and assembling of hepatic tissue-engineering designs.

  8. Problem Based Learning in Engineering Education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dahms, Mona-Lisa; Sauerbier, Gabriele; Stubbe, Korinna

    2006-01-01

    This paper describes a recent EU-project from five European Institutions. The aim was the development and implementation of a new international Master’s programme for staff development, directed towards the introduction of Problem Based Learning methods in the field of engineering education...

  9. Analysis of selected reservoirs functioning in the Wielkopolska region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariusz Sojka

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the problems related to the functioning of reservoirs in the Wielkopolska province and suggests their possible solutions. The reservoirs chosen as examples include typical dam constructions with a single water body (Jeziorsko, Rydzyna, two water body objects with separated preliminary part (Stare Miasto, Kowalskie, Radzyny and lateral constructions (Pakosław, Jutrosin. The reservoirs were built in period from 1970 to 2014. They differ in construction, functions and water management rules. Analysis of the main problems related to the reservoir functioning is aimed at finding ways of improving the construction of new reservoirs that would satisfy increasingly stringent environmental and legal restrictions and the methods of water management in the reservoirs. On the basis of a questionnaire filled in by the reservoir operators, the main problem is water quality. Especially the huge inflow of biogenic compounds causes blooms of algae and overgrowth with riparian vegetation. Some difficulties are also related to management of the reservoirs of multi-purpose operation. It is difficult to take into account the requirements of environmental flow maintenance, flood protection, water supply for agriculture and water use for tourism and recreation and hydropower generation, etc.

  10. Examining the Critical Thinking Dispositions and the Problem Solving Skills of Computer Engineering Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Özyurt, Özcan

    2015-01-01

    Problem solving is an indispensable part of engineering. Improving critical thinking dispositions for solving engineering problems is one of the objectives of engineering education. In this sense, knowing critical thinking and problem solving skills of engineering students is of importance for engineering education. This study aims to determine…

  11. Imaging fluid/solid interactions in hydrocarbon reservoir rocks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uwins, P J; Baker, J C; Mackinnon, I D

    1993-08-01

    The environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) has been used to image liquid hydrocarbons in sandstones and oil shales. Additionally, the fluid sensitivity of selected clay minerals in hydrocarbon reservoirs was assessed via three case studies: HCl acid sensitivity of authigenic chlorite in sandstone reservoirs, freshwater sensitivity of authigenic illite/smectite in sandstone reservoirs, and bleach sensitivity of a volcanic reservoir containing abundant secondary chlorite/corrensite. The results showed the suitability of using ESEM for imaging liquid hydrocarbon films in hydrocarbon reservoirs and the importance of simulating in situ fluid-rock interactions for hydrocarbon production programmes. In each case, results of the ESEM studies greatly enhanced prediction of reservoir/borehole reactions and, in some cases, contradicted conventional wisdom regarding the outcome of potential engineering solutions.

  12. Problems in steel industry for power engineering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dolbenko, E.T.; Kryanin, I.R.

    1979-01-01

    The main problems of steel industry in power engineering are considered. The effect of charge materials upon steel quality is analyzed. Radical dicision of the problem is the ensurance of power engineering plants with high quality original charge materials, which are quite pure according to impurities such as: iron melted from metallized charge or prereduced pellets. The usage of such materials considerably improves the complex of technological and service properties and structure of large responsible products: vessels of the reactor core, especially large shafts and others. For the most responsible power engineering dies it is necessary to smelt steel of 150-200 tons and above. The main direction of steel melting industry is quality steel melting in large 150-200 tons arc furnaces which are equipped with magnetic stirrer installations. It is marked that the branch of power engineering is equipped with unique installations of out-of-furnace steel refining. It is shown that further increase in the metal quality is possible when vacuum and electroslag technique of melting is used. It permits to reduce considerably the amount of sulphur, gases, nonmetallic inclusions, to increase the metal density, to remove zonal segregation in large steel ingots. The main problem in the field of usage of material, produced by new melting methods is the expansion of the product nomenclature and the development of technical conditions, reflecting the increase in material properties as a result of new technique application. Importance of development and introduction of new automation and testing methods in metallurgical processes is marked

  13. The geological model calibration - Learnings from integration of reservoir geology and field performance - Example from the upper carboniferous reservoirs of the Southern North Sea

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Moscariello, A.; Hoof, T.B. van; Kunakbayeva, G.; Veen, J.H. ten; Belt, F. van den; Twerda, A.; Peters, L.; Davis, P.; Williams, H.

    2013-01-01

    The Geological Model Calibration - Learnings from Integration of Reservoir Geology and Field Performance: example from the Upper Carboniferous Reservoirs of the Southern North Sea. Copyright © (2012) by the European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers All rights reserved.

  14. Mechanics of materials formulas and problems : engineering mechanics 2

    CERN Document Server

    Gross, Dietmar; Wriggers, Peter; Schröder, Jörg; Müller, Ralf

    2017-01-01

    This book contains the most important formulas and more than 140 completely solved problems from Mechanics of Materials and Hydrostatics. It provides engineering students material to improve their skills and helps to gain experience in solving engineering problems. Particular emphasis is placed on finding the solution path and formulating the basic equations. Topics include: - Stress - Strain - Hooke’s Law - Tension and Compression in Bars - Bending of Beams - Torsion - Energy Methods - Buckling of Bars - Hydrostatics .

  15. Feasibility study on application of volume acid fracturing technology to tight gas carbonate reservoir development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nianyin Li

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available How to effectively develop tight-gas carbonate reservoir and achieve high recovery is always a problem for the oil and gas industry. To solve this problem, domestic petroleum engineers use the combination of the successful experiences of North American shale gas pools development by stimulated reservoir volume (SRV fracturing with the research achievements of Chinese tight gas development by acid fracturing to propose volume acid fracturing technology for fractured tight-gas carbonate reservoir, which has achieved a good stimulation effect in the pilot tests. To determine what reservoir conditions are suitable to carry out volume acid fracturing, this paper firstly introduces volume acid fracturing technology by giving the stimulation mechanism and technical ideas, and initially analyzes the feasibility by the comparison of reservoir characteristics of shale gas with tight-gas carbonate. Then, this paper analyzes the validity and limitation of the volume acid fracturing technology via the analyses of control conditions for volume acid fracturing in reservoir fracturing performance, natural fracture, horizontal principal stress difference, orientation of in-situ stress and natural fracture, and gives the solution for the limitation. The study results show that the volume acid fracturing process can be used to greatly improve the flow environment of tight-gas carbonate reservoir and increase production; the incremental or stimulation response is closely related with reservoir fracturing performance, the degree of development of natural fracture, the small intersection angle between hydraulic fracture and natural fracture, the large horizontal principal stress difference is easy to form a narrow fracture zone, and it is disadvantageous to create fracture network, but the degradable fiber diversion technology may largely weaken the disadvantage. The practices indicate that the application of volume acid fracturing process to the tight-gas carbonate

  16. The detection of leakages in open reservoirs by the radioisotope sorption method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Owczarczyk, A.; Wierzchnicki, R.; Urbanski, T.; Chmielewski, A.G.; Szpilowski, S.

    1992-01-01

    Location of leakages in large hydro-engineering plants and industrial water reservoirs is of great importance from view-point of both safety and economy of their exploitation. Large variety of water reservoirs encountered in hydro-engineering and industry calls for adaptation of investigation methods to their specific features. In the paper a number of methodological variants of known radiotracer technique developed at the INCT is presented. They are intended to detect and locate leakages in hydro-engineering reservoirs and dams as well as large open industrial tanks. The radioisotopes Au-198 and In-133 m being used for that purpose show excellent sorption characteristic on typical construction materials users to build such objects. (author). 8 refs, 8 figs

  17. Reservoir engineering and hydrogeology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1983-01-01

    Summaries are included which show advances in the following areas: fractured porous media, flow in single fractures or networks of fractures, hydrothermal flow, hydromechanical effects, hydrochemical processes, unsaturated-saturated systems, and multiphase multicomponent flows. The main thrust of these efforts is to understand the movement of mass and energy through rocks. This has involved treating fracture rock masses in which the flow phenomena within both the fractures and the matrix must be investigated. Studies also address the complex coupling between aspects of thermal, hydraulic, and mechanical processes associated with a nuclear waste repository in a fractured rock medium. In all these projects, both numerical modeling and simulation, as well as field studies, were employed. In the theoretical area, a basic understanding of multiphase flow, nonisothermal unsaturated behavior, and new numerical methods have been developed. The field work has involved reservoir testing, data analysis, and case histories at a number of geothermal projects

  18. Optimal reservoir operation policies using novel nested algorithms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delipetrev, Blagoj; Jonoski, Andreja; Solomatine, Dimitri

    2015-04-01

    Historically, the two most widely practiced methods for optimal reservoir operation have been dynamic programming (DP) and stochastic dynamic programming (SDP). These two methods suffer from the so called "dual curse" which prevents them to be used in reasonably complex water systems. The first one is the "curse of dimensionality" that denotes an exponential growth of the computational complexity with the state - decision space dimension. The second one is the "curse of modelling" that requires an explicit model of each component of the water system to anticipate the effect of each system's transition. We address the problem of optimal reservoir operation concerning multiple objectives that are related to 1) reservoir releases to satisfy several downstream users competing for water with dynamically varying demands, 2) deviations from the target minimum and maximum reservoir water levels and 3) hydropower production that is a combination of the reservoir water level and the reservoir releases. Addressing such a problem with classical methods (DP and SDP) requires a reasonably high level of discretization of the reservoir storage volume, which in combination with the required releases discretization for meeting the demands of downstream users leads to computationally expensive formulations and causes the curse of dimensionality. We present a novel approach, named "nested" that is implemented in DP, SDP and reinforcement learning (RL) and correspondingly three new algorithms are developed named nested DP (nDP), nested SDP (nSDP) and nested RL (nRL). The nested algorithms are composed from two algorithms: 1) DP, SDP or RL and 2) nested optimization algorithm. Depending on the way we formulate the objective function related to deficits in the allocation problem in the nested optimization, two methods are implemented: 1) Simplex for linear allocation problems, and 2) quadratic Knapsack method in the case of nonlinear problems. The novel idea is to include the nested

  19. Engineering surveying theory and examination problems for students

    CERN Document Server

    Schofield, W

    2013-01-01

    Engineering Surveying: Theory and Examination Problems for Students, Volume 1, Third Edition discusses topics concerning engineering surveying techniques and instrumentations. The book is comprised of eight chapters that cover several concerns in engineering survey. Chapter 1 discusses the basic concepts of surveying. Chapter 2 deals with simple and precise leveling, while Chapter 3 covers earthworks. The book also talks about the theodolite and its applications, and then discusses optical distance measurement. Curves, underground and hydrographic surveying, and aspects of dimensional control

  20. Using reservoir-engineering to convert a coherent signal in optomechanics with small optomechanical cooperativity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Tao, E-mail: suiyueqiaoqiao@163.com [Key Lab of Coherent Light, Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy, Ministry of Education, and College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China); College of Physics, Tonghua Normal University, Tonghua 134000 (China); Wang, Tie [Department of Physics, College of Science, Yanbian University, Yanji, Jilin 133002 (China); Fu, Changbao [College of Physics, Tonghua Normal University, Tonghua 134000 (China); Su, Xuemei, E-mail: suxm@jlu.edu.cn [Key Lab of Coherent Light, Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy, Ministry of Education, and College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China)

    2017-05-10

    Optomechanical dark mode plays a central role in effective mechanically-mediated conversion of two different cavity fields. In this paper, we present a more efficient method to utilize the dark mode to transfer a coherent signal. When an auxiliary cavity mode is exploited, two approaches are proposed to effectively eliminate the optomechanical bright mode, and only the optomechanical dark mode is left to facilitate state transfer. Even with small cooperativity and different losses for the two target modes, the internal cavity mode-conversion efficiency can also reach unity. - Highlights: • Reservoir-engineering is used for state conversion. • The optomechanical bright mode can be absolutely eliminated. • Small cooperativity and different losses are feasible for ideal conversion efficiency.

  1. Eleventh workshop on geothermal reservoir engineering: Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramey, H.J. Jr.; Kruger, P.; Miller, F.G.; Horne, R.N.; Brigham, W.E.; Counsil, J.R. (Stanford Geothermal Program)

    1986-01-23

    The Eleventh Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering was held at Stanford University on January 21-23, 1986. The attendance was up compared to previous years, with 144 registered participants. Ten foreign countries were represented: Canada, England, France, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and Turkey. There were 38 technical presentations at the Workshop which are published as papers in this Proceedings volume. Six technical papers not presented at the Workshop are also published and one presentation is not published. In addition to these 45 technical presentations or papers, the introductory address was given by J. E. Mock from the Department of Energy. The Workshop Banquet speaker was Jim Combs of Geothermal Resources International, Inc. We thank him for his presentation on GEO geothermal developments at The Geysers. The chairmen of the technical sessions made an important contribution to the Workshop. Other than Stanford faculty members they included: M. Gulati, E. Iglesias, A. Moench, S. Prestwich, and K. Pruess. The Workshop was organized by the Stanford Geothermal Program faculty, staff, and students. We would like to thank J.W. Cook, J.R. Hartford, M.C. King, A.E. Osugi, P. Pettit, J. Arroyo, J. Thorne, and T.A. Ramey for their valued help with the meeting arrangements and preparing the Proceedings. We also owe great thanks to our students who arranged and operated the audio-visual equipment. The Eleventh Workshop was supported by the Geothermal Technology Division of the U.S. Department of Energy through Contract DE-AS03-80SF11459. We deeply appreciate this continued support. January 1986 H.J. Ramey, Jr. P. Kruger R.N. Horne W.E. Brigham F.G. Miller J.R. Counsil

  2. Reservoir simulation with MUFITS code: Extension for double porosity reservoirs and flows in horizontal wells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Afanasyev, Andrey

    2017-04-01

    Numerical modelling of multiphase flows in porous medium is necessary in many applications concerning subsurface utilization. An incomplete list of those applications includes oil and gas fields exploration, underground carbon dioxide storage and geothermal energy production. The numerical simulations are conducted using complicated computer programs called reservoir simulators. A robust simulator should include a wide range of modelling options covering various exploration techniques, rock and fluid properties, and geological settings. In this work we present a recent development of new options in MUFITS code [1]. The first option concerns modelling of multiphase flows in double-porosity double-permeability reservoirs. We describe internal representation of reservoir models in MUFITS, which are constructed as a 3D graph of grid blocks, pipe segments, interfaces, etc. In case of double porosity reservoir, two linked nodes of the graph correspond to a grid cell. We simulate the 6th SPE comparative problem [2] and a five-spot geothermal production problem to validate the option. The second option concerns modelling of flows in porous medium coupled with flows in horizontal wells that are represented in the 3D graph as a sequence of pipe segments linked with pipe junctions. The well completions link the pipe segments with reservoir. The hydraulics in the wellbore, i.e. the frictional pressure drop, is calculated in accordance with Haaland's formula. We validate the option against the 7th SPE comparative problem [3]. We acknowledge financial support by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project No RFBR-15-31-20585). References [1] Afanasyev, A. MUFITS Reservoir Simulation Software (www.mufits.imec.msu.ru). [2] Firoozabadi A. et al. Sixth SPE Comparative Solution Project: Dual-Porosity Simulators // J. Petrol. Tech. 1990. V.42. N.6. P.710-715. [3] Nghiem L., et al. Seventh SPE Comparative Solution Project: Modelling of Horizontal Wells in Reservoir Simulation

  3. Simulation of water-energy fluxes through small-scale reservoir systems under limited data availability

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papoulakos, Konstantinos; Pollakis, Giorgos; Moustakis, Yiannis; Markopoulos, Apostolis; Iliopoulou, Theano; Dimitriadis, Panayiotis; Koutsoyiannis, Demetris; Efstratiadis, Andreas

    2017-04-01

    Small islands are regarded as promising areas for developing hybrid water-energy systems that combine multiple sources of renewable energy with pumped-storage facilities. Essential element of such systems is the water storage component (reservoir), which implements both flow and energy regulations. Apparently, the representation of the overall water-energy management problem requires the simulation of the operation of the reservoir system, which in turn requires a faithful estimation of water inflows and demands of water and energy. Yet, in small-scale reservoir systems, this task in far from straightforward, since both the availability and accuracy of associated information is generally very poor. For, in contrast to large-scale reservoir systems, for which it is quite easy to find systematic and reliable hydrological data, in the case of small systems such data may be minor or even totally missing. The stochastic approach is the unique means to account for input data uncertainties within the combined water-energy management problem. Using as example the Livadi reservoir, which is the pumped storage component of the small Aegean island of Astypalaia, Greece, we provide a simulation framework, comprising: (a) a stochastic model for generating synthetic rainfall and temperature time series; (b) a stochastic rainfall-runoff model, whose parameters cannot be inferred through calibration and, thus, they are represented as correlated random variables; (c) a stochastic model for estimating water supply and irrigation demands, based on simulated temperature and soil moisture, and (d) a daily operation model of the reservoir system, providing stochastic forecasts of water and energy outflows. Acknowledgement: This research is conducted within the frame of the undergraduate course "Stochastic Methods in Water Resources" of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). The School of Civil Engineering of NTUA provided moral support for the participation of the students

  4. Stratigraphic and structural compartmentalization observed within a model turbidite reservoir, Pennsylvanian Upper Jackfork Formation, Hollywood Quarry, Arkansas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Slatt, R. [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States); Jordan, D. [Arco International Oil and Gas Co., Plano, TX (United States); Stone, C. [Arkansas Geological Commission, Little Rock, AR (United States)] [and others

    1995-08-01

    Hollywood Quarry is a 600 x 375 x 150 ft. (200 x 125 x 50m) excavation which provides a window into lower Pennsylvanian Jackfork Formation turbidite stratal architecture along the crest of a faulted anticlinal fold. A variety of turbidite facies are present, including: (a) lenticular, channelized sandstones, pebbly sandstones, and conglomerates within shale, (b) laterally continuous, interbedded thin sandstones and shales, and (c) thicker, laterally continuous shales. The sandstone and shale layers we broken by several strike-slip and reverse faults, with vertical displacements of up to several feet. This combination of facies and structural elements has resulted in a highly compartmentalized stratigraphic interval, both horizontally and vertically, along the anticlinal flexure. The quarry can be considered analogous to a scaled-down turbidite reservoir. Outcrop gamma-ray logs, measured sections, a fault map, and cross sections provide a database which is analogous to what would be available for a subsurface reservoir. Thus, the quarry provides an ideal outdoor geologic and engineering {open_quote}workshop{close_quote} venue for visualizing the potential complexities of a combination structural-stratigraphic (turbidite) reservoir. Since all forms of compartmentalization are readily visible in the quarry, problems related to management of compartmentalized reservoirs can be discussed and analyzed first-hand while standing in the quarry, within this {open_quote}model reservoir{close_quotes}. These problems include: (a) the high degree of stratigraphic and structural complexity that may be encountered, even at close well spacings, (b) uncertainty in well log correlations and log-shape interpretations, (c) variations in volumetric calculations as a function of amount of data available, and (d) potential production problems associated with specific {open_quote}field{close_quote} development plans.

  5. Upper Hiwassee River Basin reservoirs 1989 water quality assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fehring, J.P.

    1991-08-01

    The water in the Upper Hiwassee River Basin is slightly acidic and low in conductivity. The four major reservoirs in the Upper Hiwassee River Basin (Apalachia, Hiwassee, Chatuge, and Nottely) are not threatened by acidity, although Nottely Reservoir has more sulfates than the other reservoirs. Nottely also has the highest organic and nutrient concentrations of the four reservoirs. This results in Nottely having the poorest water clarity and the most algal productivity, although clarity as measured by color and secchi depths does not indicate any problem with most water use. However, chlorophyll concentrations indicate taste and odor problems would be likely if the upstream end of Nottely Reservoir were used for domestic water supply. Hiwassee Reservoir is clearer and has less organic and nutrient loading than either of the two upstream reservoirs. All four reservoirs have sufficient algal activity to produce supersaturated dissolved oxygen conditions and relatively high pH values at the surface. All four reservoirs are thermally stratified during the summer, and all but Apalachia have bottom waters depleted in oxygen. The very short residence time of Apalachia Reservoir, less than ten days as compared to over 100 days for the other three reservoirs, results in it being more riverine than the other three reservoirs. Hiwassee Reservoir actually develops three distinct water temperature strata due to the location of the turbine intake. The water quality of all of the reservoirs supports designated uses, but water quality complaints are being received regarding both Chatuge and Nottely Reservoirs and their tailwaters

  6. Evaluation of creative problem-solving abilities in undergraduate structural engineers through interdisciplinary problem-based learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCrum, Daniel Patrick

    2017-11-01

    For a structural engineer, effective communication and interaction with architects cannot be underestimated as a key skill to success throughout their professional career. Structural engineers and architects have to share a common language and understanding of each other in order to achieve the most desirable architectural and structural designs. This interaction and engagement develops during their professional career but needs to be nurtured during their undergraduate studies. The objective of this paper is to present the strategies employed to engage higher order thinking in structural engineering students in order to help them solve complex problem-based learning (PBL) design scenarios presented by architecture students. The strategies employed were applied in the experimental setting of an undergraduate module in structural engineering at Queen's University Belfast in the UK. The strategies employed were active learning to engage with content knowledge, the use of physical conceptual structural models to reinforce key concepts and finally, reinforcing the need for hand sketching of ideas to promote higher order problem-solving. The strategies employed were evaluated through student survey, student feedback and module facilitator (this author) reflection. The strategies were qualitatively perceived by the tutor and quantitatively evaluated by students in a cross-sectional study to help interaction with the architecture students, aid interdisciplinary learning and help students creatively solve problems (through higher order thinking). The students clearly enjoyed this module and in particular interacting with structural engineering tutors and students from another discipline.

  7. Happy software developers solve problems better: psychological measurements in empirical software engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graziotin, Daniel; Wang, Xiaofeng; Abrahamsson, Pekka

    2014-01-01

    For more than thirty years, it has been claimed that a way to improve software developers' productivity and software quality is to focus on people and to provide incentives to make developers satisfied and happy. This claim has rarely been verified in software engineering research, which faces an additional challenge in comparison to more traditional engineering fields: software development is an intellectual activity and is dominated by often-neglected human factors (called human aspects in software engineering research). Among the many skills required for software development, developers must possess high analytical problem-solving skills and creativity for the software construction process. According to psychology research, affective states-emotions and moods-deeply influence the cognitive processing abilities and performance of workers, including creativity and analytical problem solving. Nonetheless, little research has investigated the correlation between the affective states, creativity, and analytical problem-solving performance of programmers. This article echoes the call to employ psychological measurements in software engineering research. We report a study with 42 participants to investigate the relationship between the affective states, creativity, and analytical problem-solving skills of software developers. The results offer support for the claim that happy developers are indeed better problem solvers in terms of their analytical abilities. The following contributions are made by this study: (1) providing a better understanding of the impact of affective states on the creativity and analytical problem-solving capacities of developers, (2) introducing and validating psychological measurements, theories, and concepts of affective states, creativity, and analytical-problem-solving skills in empirical software engineering, and (3) raising the need for studying the human factors of software engineering by employing a multidisciplinary viewpoint.

  8. Problems of engineering education and their decision involving industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. P. Simonyants

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In Russia, the problems of engineering education are connected with political and economic upheavals of the late last century. At the same time, some leading engineering universities in Russia, such as the Bauman Moscow State Technical University (BMSTU were resistant to the damaging effects of the crisis. But the methodology and experience of their effective work are insufficiently known.The problems of international engineering school development are also known. The first UNESCO World Report on Engineering (2010 assesses the state of engineering education as follows: worldwide shortage of engineers is a threat to the development of society.Based on the analysis of the current state of engineering education in the world and tendencies of development an urgency of its modernization with the focus on the enhancement of practical component has been shown.Topical problems associated with innovations and modernization in engineering education in the field of aerospace technology were discussed at the first international forum, which was held in Beijing Beyhanskom University (BUAA on 8 - 9 September 2012. The author attended this forum and presented his impressions of its work. It was noted that the role of Russia in the global process to form and develop engineering education is ignored. This opinion sounded, generally, in all speakers' reports, apart from ours.The President BUAA, a Professor Jinpeng Huai, and a Professor Qiushi Li. talked about the problems of building the engineering education system in China. It was emphasized that in China a study of engineering education techniques was motivated by the fact that quality assurance of engineering education at U.S. universities does not meet requirements.Attention is drawn to Dr. David Wisler's report who is a representative of the U.S. aerospace industry (General Electric Aviation corporation, actively promoting networking technology "initiative CDIO».The assessment of the engineering education

  9. Prediction of Hydrocarbon Reservoirs Permeability Using Support Vector Machine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Gholami

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Permeability is a key parameter associated with the characterization of any hydrocarbon reservoir. In fact, it is not possible to have accurate solutions to many petroleum engineering problems without having accurate permeability value. The conventional methods for permeability determination are core analysis and well test techniques. These methods are very expensive and time consuming. Therefore, attempts have usually been carried out to use artificial neural network for identification of the relationship between the well log data and core permeability. In this way, recent works on artificial intelligence techniques have led to introduce a robust machine learning methodology called support vector machine. This paper aims to utilize the SVM for predicting the permeability of three gas wells in the Southern Pars field. Obtained results of SVM showed that the correlation coefficient between core and predicted permeability is 0.97 for testing dataset. Comparing the result of SVM with that of a general regression neural network (GRNN revealed that the SVM approach is faster and more accurate than the GRNN in prediction of hydrocarbon reservoirs permeability.

  10. PDVSA Petrolera Sinovensa reservoir engineering project and optimization study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Campos, O. [PDVSA Petroleos de Venezuela SA, Caracas (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of). Petrolera Sinovensa; Patino, J. [Kizer Energy Inc., Katy, TX (United States); Chalifoux, G.V. [Petrospec Engineering Ltd., Edmonton, AB (Canada)

    2009-07-01

    This paper presented a development plan for an extra-heavy oil field in Venezuela's Orinoco belt involving cold heavy oil production (CHOP) as well as a thermal follow-up process to increase the ultimate recovery factor. A reservoir simulation model was used to model various reservoir formations in order to assess their oil recovery potential. Several thermal recovery processes were considered, such as steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD), horizontal alternate steam drive (HASD), cyclic steam stimulation (CSS), horizontal continuous steam drive, and combined drive drainage (CDD). A geological static model and dynamic reservoir model were coupled for the well optimization evaluation. Production data were used to identify trends related to specific geological conditions. The study also examined methods of improving slotted liner designs and evaluated the use of electric heating as a means of improving CHOP performance. Results of the study showed that CDD offered the highest recovery rates as a follow-up to CHOP. The CDD process allowed for the use of existing wells drilled in the field. New horizontal wells will be placed between the existing wells. It was concluded that a CDD pilot should be implemented in order to prepare for a commercial implementation plan. 8 refs., 2 tabs., 14 figs.

  11. EMSE: Synergizing EM and seismic data attributes for enhanced forecasts of reservoirs

    KAUST Repository

    Katterbauer, Klemens

    2014-10-01

    New developments of electromagnetic and seismic techniques have recently revolutionized the oil and gas industry. Time-lapse seismic data is providing engineers with tools to more accurately track the dynamics of multi-phase reservoir fluid flows. With the challenges faced in distinguishing between hydrocarbons and water via seismic methods, the industry has been looking at electromagnetic techniques in order to exploit the strong contrast in conductivity between hydrocarbons and water. Incorporating this information into reservoir simulation is expected to considerably enhance the forecasting of the reservoir, hence optimizing production and reducing costs. Conventional approaches typically invert the seismic and electromagnetic data in order to transform them into production parameters, before incorporating them as constraints in the history matching process and reservoir simulations. This makes automatization difficult and computationally expensive due to the necessity of manual processing, besides the potential artifacts. Here we introduce a new approach to incorporate seismic and electromagnetic data attributes directly into the history matching process. To avoid solving inverse problems and exploit information in the dynamics of the flow, we exploit petrophysical transformations to simultaneously incorporate time lapse seismic and electromagnetic data attributes using different ensemble Kalman-based history matching techniques. Our simulation results show enhanced predictability of the critical reservoir parameters and reduce uncertainties in model simulations, outperforming with only production data or the inclusion of either seismic or electromagnetic data. A statistical test is performed to confirm the significance of the results. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Guiding rational reservoir flood operation using penalty-type genetic algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Li-Chiu

    2008-06-01

    SummaryReal-time flood control of a multi-purpose reservoir should consider decreasing the flood peak stage downstream and storing floodwaters for future usage during typhoon seasons. This study proposes a reservoir flood control optimization model with linguistic description of requirements and existing regulations for rational operating decisions. The approach involves formulating reservoir flood operation as an optimization problem and using the genetic algorithm (GA) as a search engine. The optimizing formulation is expressed not only by mathematical forms of objective function and constraints, but also by no analytic expression in terms of parameters. GA is used to search a global optimum of a mixture of mathematical and nonmathematical formulations. Due to the great number of constraints and flood control requirements, it is difficult to reach a solution without violating constraints. To tackle this bottleneck, the proper penalty strategy for each parameter is proposed to guide the GA searching process. The proposed approach is applied to the Shihmen reservoir in North Taiwan for finding the rational release and desired storage as a case study. The hourly historical data sets of 29 typhoon events that have hit the area in last thirty years are investigated bye the proposed method. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, the simplex method was performed. The results demonstrated that a penalty-type genetic algorithm could effectively provide rational hydrographs to reduce flood damage during the flood operation and to increase final storage for future usages.

  13. ADVANCED TECHNIQUES FOR RESERVOIR SIMULATION AND MODELING OF NONCONVENTIONAL WELLS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Louis J. Durlofsky; Khalid Aziz

    2004-08-20

    Nonconventional wells, which include horizontal, deviated, multilateral and ''smart'' wells, offer great potential for the efficient management of oil and gas reservoirs. These wells are able to contact larger regions of the reservoir than conventional wells and can also be used to target isolated hydrocarbon accumulations. The use of nonconventional wells instrumented with downhole inflow control devices allows for even greater flexibility in production. Because nonconventional wells can be very expensive to drill, complete and instrument, it is important to be able to optimize their deployment, which requires the accurate prediction of their performance. However, predictions of nonconventional well performance are often inaccurate. This is likely due to inadequacies in some of the reservoir engineering and reservoir simulation tools used to model and optimize nonconventional well performance. A number of new issues arise in the modeling and optimization of nonconventional wells. For example, the optimal use of downhole inflow control devices has not been addressed for practical problems. In addition, the impact of geological and engineering uncertainty (e.g., valve reliability) has not been previously considered. In order to model and optimize nonconventional wells in different settings, it is essential that the tools be implemented into a general reservoir simulator. This simulator must be sufficiently general and robust and must in addition be linked to a sophisticated well model. Our research under this five year project addressed all of the key areas indicated above. The overall project was divided into three main categories: (1) advanced reservoir simulation techniques for modeling nonconventional wells; (2) improved techniques for computing well productivity (for use in reservoir engineering calculations) and for coupling the well to the simulator (which includes the accurate calculation of well index and the modeling of multiphase flow

  14. On an inverse source problem for enhanced oil recovery by wave motion maximization in reservoirs

    KAUST Repository

    Karve, Pranav M.

    2014-12-28

    © 2014, Springer International Publishing Switzerland. We discuss an optimization methodology for focusing wave energy to subterranean formations using strong motion actuators placed on the ground surface. The motivation stems from the desire to increase the mobility of otherwise entrapped oil. The goal is to arrive at the spatial and temporal description of surface sources that are capable of maximizing mobility in the target reservoir. The focusing problem is posed as an inverse source problem. The underlying wave propagation problems are abstracted in two spatial dimensions, and the semi-infinite extent of the physical domain is negotiated by a buffer of perfectly-matched-layers (PMLs) placed at the domain’s truncation boundary. We discuss two possible numerical implementations: Their utility for deciding the tempo-spatial characteristics of optimal wave sources is shown via numerical experiments. Overall, the simulations demonstrate the inverse source method’s ability to simultaneously optimize load locations and time signals leading to the maximization of energy delivery to a target formation.

  15. Simulation of Reservoir Sediment Flushing of the Three Gorges Reservoir Using an Artificial Neural Network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xueying Li

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Reservoir sedimentation and its effect on the environment are the most serious world-wide problems in water resources development and utilization today. As one of the largest water conservancy projects, the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR has been controversial since its demonstration period, and sedimentation is the major concern. Due to the complex physical mechanisms of water and sediment transport, this study adopts the Error Back Propagation Training Artificial Neural Network (BP-ANN to analyze the relationship between the sediment flushing efficiency of the TGR and its influencing factors. The factors are determined by the analysis on 1D unsteady flow and sediment mathematical model, mainly including reservoir inflow, incoming sediment concentration, reservoir water level, and reservoir release. Considering the distinguishing features of reservoir sediment delivery in different seasons, the monthly average data from 2003, when the TGR was put into operation, to 2011 are used to train, validate, and test the BP-ANN model. The results indicate that, although the sample space is quite limited, the whole sediment delivery process can be schematized by the established BP-ANN model, which can be used to help sediment flushing and thus decrease the reservoir sedimentation.

  16. Requirements Engineering as Creative Problem Solving: A Research Agenda for Idea Finding

    OpenAIRE

    Maiden, N.; Jones, S.; Karlsen, I. K.; Neill, R.; Zachos, K.; Milne, A.

    2010-01-01

    This vision paper frames requirements engineering as a creative problem solving process. Its purpose is to enable requirements researchers and practitioners to recruit relevant theories, models, techniques and tools from creative problem solving to understand and support requirements processes more effectively. It uses 4 drivers to motivate the case for requirements engineering as a creative problem solving process. It then maps established requirements activities onto one of the longest-esta...

  17. A reservoir engineering assessment of the San Jacinto-Tizate Geothermal Field, Nicaragua

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ostapenko, S.; Spektor, S.; Davila, H.; Porras, E.; Perez, M.

    1996-01-24

    More than twenty yews have passed since geothermal research and drilling took place at the geothermal fields in Nicaragua- Tbe well horn Momotombo Geothermal Field (70 We) has been generating electricity since 1983, and now a new geothermal field is under exploration. the San Jacinto-Tizate. Two reservoirs hydraulic connected were found. The shallow reservoir (270°C) at the depth of 550 - 1200 meters, and the deep one at > 1600 meters. Both of theme are water dominated reservoirs, although a two phase condition exist in the upper part of the shallow one. Different transient tests and a multi-well interference test have been carried out, very high transmissivity value were estimated around the well SJ-4 and average values for the others. A preliminar conceptual model of the geothermal system is given in this paper, as the result of the geology, geophysics, hydrology studies, drilling and reservoir evaluation.

  18. Numerical simulations of coupled problems in engineering

    CERN Document Server

    2014-01-01

    This book presents and discusses mathematical models, numerical methods and computational techniques used for solving coupled problems in science and engineering. It takes a step forward in the formulation and solution of real-life problems with a multidisciplinary vision, accounting for all of the complex couplings involved in the physical description. Simulation of multifaceted physics problems is a common task in applied research and industry. Often a suitable solver is built by connecting together several single-aspect solvers into a network. In this book, research in various fields was selected for consideration: adaptive methodology for multi-physics solvers, multi-physics phenomena and coupled-field solutions, leading to computationally intensive structural analysis. The strategies which are used to keep these problems computationally affordable are of special interest, and make this an essential book.

  19. Geo-Engineering through Internet Informatics (GEMINI)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Watney, W. Lynn; Doveton, John H.; Victorine, John R.; Bohling, Goeffrey C.; Bhattacharya, Saibal; Byers, Alan P.; Carr, Timothy R.; Dubois, Martin K.; Gagnon, Glen; Guy, Willard J.; Look, Kurt; Magnuson, Mike; Moore, Melissa; Olea, Ricardo; Pakalapadi, Jayprakash; Stalder, Ken; Collins, David R.

    2002-06-25

    GEMINI will resolve reservoir parameters that control well performance; characterize subtle reservoir properties important in understanding and modeling hydrocarbon pore volume and fluid flow; expedite recognition of bypassed, subtle, and complex oil and gas reservoirs at regional and local scale; differentiate commingled reservoirs; build integrated geologic and engineering model based on real-time, iterate solutions to evaluate reservoir management options for improved recovery; provide practical tools to assist the geoscientist, engineer, and petroleum operator in making their tasks more efficient and effective; enable evaluations to be made at different scales, ranging from individual well, through lease, field, to play and region (scalable information infrastructure); and provide training and technology transfer to evaluate capabilities of the client.

  20. Integrating Industry in Project Organized Problem Based Learning for Engineering Educations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Kirsten M.

    2006-01-01

    This abstract deals with the challenge of establishing engineering student projects in collaboration with industry. Based on empirical results a set of advices for industrial collaboration in project oriented problem based learning are formulated......This abstract deals with the challenge of establishing engineering student projects in collaboration with industry. Based on empirical results a set of advices for industrial collaboration in project oriented problem based learning are formulated...

  1. Promoting Collaborative Problem-Solving Skills in a Course on Engineering Grand Challenges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zou, Tracy X. P.; Mickleborough, Neil C.

    2015-01-01

    The ability to solve problems with people of diverse backgrounds is essential for engineering graduates. A course on engineering grand challenges was designed to promote collaborative problem-solving (CPS) skills. One unique component is that students need to work both within their own team and collaborate with the other team to tackle engineering…

  2. Monitoring programme of water reservoir Grliste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vuckovic, M; Milenkovic, P.; Lukic, D.

    2002-01-01

    The quality of surface waters is a very important problem incorporated in the environment protection, especially in water resources. The Timok border-land hasn't got sufficient underground and surface waters. This is certificated by the International Association for Water Resource. That was reason for building the water reservoir 'Grliste'. Drinking water from water reservoir 'Grliste' supplies Zajecar and the surroundings. (author)

  3. MODIFIED KACHUGIN METHOD OF ALTERNATIVE SOFTWARE-BASED PROJECTION OF THE PATTERN OF REORGANIZATION OF ABRASION SHORES OF WATER RESERVOIRS IN THE FLAT TERRAIN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sobol' Il'ya Stanislavovich

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Presently, effective regulations employed in the Russian Federation recommend the use of the methods developed by E.G. Kachuchin, G.S. Zolotarev, I.A. Pecherkin, etc. for the projection of patterns of reorganization of coastlines of water reservoirs. One of these methods, developed by E.G. Kachugin, belongs to the group of power methods based on the hypothesis that the amplitudes of destruction of the coast are proportionate to the total wave energy alongside the coastline. The Kachugin method was reworked into a computer-based two-dimensional engineering model of reorganization of the abrasion shore. The model generates alternative projections. It simulates the processes of washout and accumulation of soil in the coastal area and solves the problem of predicting the potential profile of the shore within a pre-set time period or until the abrasion is smoothed away in the course of formation of coastal shallows. The model testing has proven its efficiency in solving the engineering problems of projecting the line of reservoir abrasion shores with a high degree of reliability.

  4. Electrical circuits in biomedical engineering problems with solutions

    CERN Document Server

    Keskin, Ali Ümit

    2017-01-01

    This authored monograph presents a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of electrical circuit theory in biomedical engineering, ideally suited as textbook for a course program. The book contains methods and theory, but the topical focus is placed on practical applications of circuit theory, including problems, solutions and case studies. The target audience primarily comprises researchers and experts in electrical engineering who intend to embark on biomedical applications. The book is also very well suited for graduate students in the field. .

  5. HEPATIC TISSUE ENGINEERING (MODERN STATE OF THIS PROBLEM)

    OpenAIRE

    Y.S. Gulay; M.E. Krasheninnikov; M.Y. Shagidulin; N.A. Onishchenko

    2014-01-01

    In this article it was discussed the problem of creation implanted hepatic tissue engineering designs as a modern stage of complex investigation for working out bioartifi cial liver support systems. It was determined that for the positive decision of numerous biological and technological problems it is necessary: to use matrices with determined properties, which mimic properties of hepatic extracellular matrix; to use technology for stereotype sowing of these matrices by both parenchymal and ...

  6. The Washington Academy of Biomedical Engineering (WABME) Quarterly Workshops: Clinical Problems and Engineering Solutions

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Wong, Kenneth

    2005-01-01

    ... University and Howard University. A prime component of WABME activities is a quarterly series of research workshops, which bring together problem-rich biomedical disciplines and solution-rich engineering and scientific disciplines...

  7. Reliability engineering: Old problems and new challenges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zio, E.

    2009-01-01

    The first recorded usage of the word reliability dates back to the 1800s, albeit referred to a person and not a technical system. Since then, the concept of reliability has become a pervasive attribute worth of both qualitative and quantitative connotations. In particular, the revolutionary social, cultural and technological changes that have occurred from the 1800s to the 2000s have contributed to the need for a rational framework and quantitative treatment of the reliability of engineered systems and plants. This has led to the rise of reliability engineering as a scientific discipline. In this paper, some considerations are shared with respect to a number of problems and challenges which researchers and practitioners in reliability engineering are facing when analyzing today's complex systems. The focus will be on the contribution of reliability to system safety and on its role within system risk analysis

  8. Hydrostatic Pressure Project: Linked-Class Problem-Based Learning in Engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Freddie J.; Lockwood-Cooke, Pamela; Hunt, Emily M.

    2011-01-01

    Over the last few years, WTAMU Mathematics, Engineering and Science faculty has used interdisciplinary projects as the basis for implementation of a linked-class approach to Problem-Based Learning (PBL). A project that has significant relevance to engineering statics, fluid mechanics, and calculus is the Hydrostatic Pressure Project. This project…

  9. Excel 2016 for engineering statistics a guide to solving practical problems

    CERN Document Server

    Quirk, Thomas J

    2016-01-01

    This book shows the capabilities of Microsoft Excel in teaching engineering statistics effectively. Similar to the previously published Excel 2013 for Engineering Statistics, this book is a step-by-step exercise-driven guide for students and practitioners who need to master Excel to solve practical engineering problems. If understanding statistics isn’t your strongest suit, you are not especially mathematically-inclined, or if you are wary of computers, this is the right book for you. Excel, a widely available computer program for students and managers, is also an effective teaching and learning tool for quantitative analyses in engineering courses. Its powerful computational ability and graphical functions make learning statistics much easier than in years past. However,Excel 2016 for Engineering Statistics: A Guide to Solving Practical Problems is the first book to capitalize on these improvements by teaching students and managers how to apply Excel to statistical techniques necessary in their courses and...

  10. Williston Reservoir raising - environmental overview

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1988-07-01

    This preliminary environmental overview report was prepared by B.C. Hydro in June 1987 and revised in July 1988 as an initial assessment of a possible 1.5 m (5 ft.) raise in the Williston Reservoir maximum normal level. The enviromental overview study and the associated engineering and property studies were undertaken to provide information for a decision on whether to initiate more detailed studies. Overview studies are based mainly on available reports, mapping and field data, supplemented by limited site reconnaissance and, in this case, input from key agencies and groups. The lack of adequate mapping of areas which could be affected by reservoir raising did not permit definitive conclusion to be reached. This mapping will be done over the next year to complete the overview assessment. This document covers the impact assessment of socio-economic factors, forestry, reservoir clearing, heritage, recreation, aquatic resources, and wilflife. Further studies in each of these areas are also included. 54 refs., 11 figs., 8 tabs.

  11. Groundwater Salinity Simulation of a Subsurface Reservoir in Taiwan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, H. T.

    2015-12-01

    The subsurface reservoir is located in Chi-Ken Basin, Pescadores (a group islands located at western part of Taiwan). There is no river in these remote islands and thus the freshwater supply is relied on the subsurface reservoir. The basin area of the subsurface reservoir is 2.14 km2 , discharge of groundwater is 1.27×106m3 , annual planning water supplies is 7.9×105m3 , which include for domestic agricultural usage. The annual average temperature is 23.3oC, average moisture is 80~85%, annual average rainfall is 913 mm, but ET rate is 1975mm. As there is no single river in the basin; the major recharge of groundwater is by infiltration. Chi-Ken reservoir is the first subsurface reservoir in Taiwan. Originally, the water quality of the reservoir is good. The reservoir has had the salinity problem since 1991 and it became more and more serious from 1992 until 1994. Possible reason of the salinity problem was the shortage of rainfall or the leakage of the subsurface barrier which caused the seawater intrusion. The present study aimed to determine the leakage position of subsurface barrier that caused the salinity problem. In order to perform the simulation for different possible leakage position of the subsurface reservoir, a Groundwater Modeling System (GMS) is used to define soils layer data, hydro-geological parameters, initial conditions, boundary conditions and the generation of three dimension meshes. A three dimension FEMWATER(Yeh , 1996) numerical model was adopted to find the possible leakage position of the subsurface barrier and location of seawater intrusion by comparing the simulation of different possible leakage with the observations. 1.By assuming the leakage position in the bottom of barrier, the simulated numerical result matched the observation better than the other assumed leakage positions. It showed that the most possible leakage position was at the bottom of the barrier. 2.The research applied three dimension FEMWATER and GMS as an interface

  12. Investigating and developing engineering students' mathematical modelling and problem-solving skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wedelin, Dag; Adawi, Tom; Jahan, Tabassum; Andersson, Sven

    2015-09-01

    How do engineering students approach mathematical modelling problems and how can they learn to deal with such problems? In the context of a course in mathematical modelling and problem solving, and using a qualitative case study approach, we found that the students had little prior experience of mathematical modelling. They were also inexperienced problem solvers, unaware of the importance of understanding the problem and exploring alternatives, and impeded by inappropriate beliefs, attitudes and expectations. Important impacts of the course belong to the metacognitive domain. The nature of the problems, the supervision and the follow-up lectures were emphasised as contributing to the impacts of the course, where students show major development. We discuss these empirical results in relation to a framework for mathematical thinking and the notion of cognitive apprenticeship. Based on the results, we argue that this kind of teaching should be considered in the education of all engineers.

  13. The Hybrid of Classification Tree and Extreme Learning Machine for Permeability Prediction in Oil Reservoir

    KAUST Repository

    Prasetyo Utomo, Chandra

    2011-06-01

    Permeability is an important parameter connected with oil reservoir. Predicting the permeability could save millions of dollars. Unfortunately, petroleum engineers have faced numerous challenges arriving at cost-efficient predictions. Much work has been carried out to solve this problem. The main challenge is to handle the high range of permeability in each reservoir. For about a hundred year, mathematicians and engineers have tried to deliver best prediction models. However, none of them have produced satisfying results. In the last two decades, artificial intelligence models have been used. The current best prediction model in permeability prediction is extreme learning machine (ELM). It produces fairly good results but a clear explanation of the model is hard to come by because it is so complex. The aim of this research is to propose a way out of this complexity through the design of a hybrid intelligent model. In this proposal, the system combines classification and regression models to predict the permeability value. These are based on the well logs data. In order to handle the high range of the permeability value, a classification tree is utilized. A benefit of this innovation is that the tree represents knowledge in a clear and succinct fashion and thereby avoids the complexity of all previous models. Finally, it is important to note that the ELM is used as a final predictor. Results demonstrate that this proposed hybrid model performs better when compared with support vector machines (SVM) and ELM in term of correlation coefficient. Moreover, the classification tree model potentially leads to better communication among petroleum engineers concerning this important process and has wider implications for oil reservoir management efficiency.

  14. Organic and weed control in water supply reservoirs of power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eswaran, M.S.

    2000-01-01

    Aquatic weeds and algal control in water supply reservoirs used for multipurpose use need specific attention, since they pose a lot of problem for the operating plants by affecting (a) the water quality of boiler and feed waters, (b) the performance of DM plants by reducing the efficiency of Anion beds, (c) the performance of Activated Carbon Filters (ACF) and (d) fouling induced corrosion problems in cooling water systems (Heat Exchangers and Piping materials) causing plant outages leading to production losses. The photosynthetic activity of planktonic plants which are growing abundantly in the open reservoir, sustained by the relatively high inorganic phosphate levels shoots up the pH of the reservoir water to very high levels. High pH, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and depleted plants can increase corrosion problems affecting plant performance. This paper focuses on the type of weeds prominent in the water supply reservoir at Kalpakkam and the associated problems in the Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs). (author)

  15. Introduction to Problem Based Learning for Engineering Education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Moesby, Egon; Rosenørn, Torben

    2003-01-01

    Documentation material and working papers for the workshop "Introduction to Problem Based Learning for Engineering Education" held at Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 6 - 10 October 2003. The material support the workshop where the participants go through a complete pre-planning cycle...

  16. Welding problems in nuclear power engineering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zubchenko, A.S.

    1986-01-01

    The problems of welding industry in nuclear power plant engineering, mainly related to the improvement of molten bath protection, are considered. Development of new materials for welding electrodes, for cladding and welding fluxes, is pointed out. Production of the following equipment is brought to a commercial level: welding heads and welding machines for branch pipe welding, anticorrosion cladding, zonal thermal treatment, electron beam welding facilities for the welding and maintenance of turbineblades, equipment for nondestructive testing of welded joints

  17. Geo-Engineering through Internet Informatics (GEMINI); ANNUAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watney, W. Lynn; Doveton, John H.; Victorine, John R.; Bohling, Goeffrey C.; Bhattacharya, Saibal; Byers, Alan P.; Carr, Timothy R.; Dubois, Martin K.; Gagnon, Glen; Guy, Willard J.; Look, Kurt; Magnuson, Mike; Moore, Melissa; Olea, Ricardo; Pakalapadi, Jayprakash; Stalder, Ken; Collins, David R.

    2002-01-01

    GEMINI will resolve reservoir parameters that control well performance; characterize subtle reservoir properties important in understanding and modeling hydrocarbon pore volume and fluid flow; expedite recognition of bypassed, subtle, and complex oil and gas reservoirs at regional and local scale; differentiate commingled reservoirs; build integrated geologic and engineering model based on real-time, iterate solutions to evaluate reservoir management options for improved recovery; provide practical tools to assist the geoscientist, engineer, and petroleum operator in making their tasks more efficient and effective; enable evaluations to be made at different scales, ranging from individual well, through lease, field, to play and region (scalable information infrastructure); and provide training and technology transfer to evaluate capabilities of the client

  18. Investigation of Problem Solving Skills among 12th Grade Engineering Students

    OpenAIRE

    Shanta, Susheela

    2017-01-01

    US competitiveness in the 21st century global economy depends on a workforce that is science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) literate, and has knowledge and skills to tackle complex technological problems. In response to the need for a STEM literate workforce equipped with 21st century skills there is a push for K-12 educational reform. STEM literacy is the ability to use content knowledge and skills in science, technology, engineering and math in solving human problems in a c...

  19. The Application of Problem-Based Learning in Mechanical Engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Putra, Z. A.; Dewi, M.

    2018-02-01

    The course of Technology and Material Testing prepare students with the ability to do a variety of material testing in the study of mechanical engineering. Students find it difficult to understand the materials to make them unable to carry out the material testing in accordance with the purpose of study. This happens because they knowledge is not adequately supported by the competence to find and construct learning experience. In this study, quasy experiment research method with pre-post-test with control group design was used. The subjects of the study were students divided in two groups; control and experiment with twenty-two students in each group. Study result: their grades showed no difference in between the pre-test or post-test in control group, but the difference in grade existed between the pre-test and post-test in experiment group. Yet, there is no significant difference in the study result on both groups. The researcher recommend that it is necessary to develop Problem-Based Learning that suits need analysis on D3 Program for Mechanical Engineering Department at the State University of Padang, to ensure the compatibility between Model of Study and problems and need. This study aims to analyze how Problem-Based Learning effects on the course of Technology and Material Testing for the students of D3 Program of Mechanical Engineering of the State University of Padang.

  20. Perm State University HPC-hardware and software services: capabilities for aircraft engine aeroacoustics problems solving

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demenev, A. G.

    2018-02-01

    The present work is devoted to analyze high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure capabilities for aircraft engine aeroacoustics problems solving at Perm State University. We explore here the ability to develop new computational aeroacoustics methods/solvers for computer-aided engineering (CAE) systems to handle complicated industrial problems of engine noise prediction. Leading aircraft engine engineering company, including “UEC-Aviadvigatel” JSC (our industrial partners in Perm, Russia), require that methods/solvers to optimize geometry of aircraft engine for fan noise reduction. We analysed Perm State University HPC-hardware resources and software services to use efficiently. The performed results demonstrate that Perm State University HPC-infrastructure are mature enough to face out industrial-like problems of development CAE-system with HPC-method and CFD-solvers.

  1. Advanced Techniques for Reservoir Simulation and Modeling of Non-Conventional Wells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Durlofsky, Louis J.

    2000-08-28

    This project targets the development of (1) advanced reservoir simulation techniques for modeling non-conventional wells; (2) improved techniques for computing well productivity (for use in reservoir engineering calculations) and well index (for use in simulation models), including the effects of wellbore flow; and (3) accurate approaches to account for heterogeneity in the near-well region.

  2. Sediment management for reservoir

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rahman, A.

    2005-01-01

    All natural lakes and reservoirs whether on rivers, tributaries or off channel storages are doomed to be sited up. Pakistan has two major reservoirs of Tarbela and Managla and shallow lake created by Chashma Barrage. Tarbela and Mangla Lakes are losing their capacities ever since first impounding, Tarbela since 1974 and Mangla since 1967. Tarbela Reservoir receives average annual flow of about 62 MAF and sediment deposits of 0.11 MAF whereas Mangla gets about 23 MAF of average annual flows and is losing its storage at the rate of average 34,000 MAF annually. The loss of storage is a great concern and studies for Tarbela were carried out by TAMS and Wallingford to sustain its capacity whereas no study has been done for Mangla as yet except as part of study for Raised Mangla, which is only desk work. Delta of Tarbala reservoir has advanced to about 6.59 miles (Pivot Point) from power intakes. In case of liquefaction of delta by tremor as low as 0.12g peak ground acceleration the power tunnels I, 2 and 3 will be blocked. Minimum Pool of reservoir is being raised so as to check the advance of delta. Mangla delta will follow the trend of Tarbela. Tarbela has vast amount of data as reservoir is surveyed every year, whereas Mangla Reservoir survey was done at five-year interval, which has now been proposed .to be reduced to three-year interval. In addition suspended sediment sampling of inflow streams is being done by Surface Water Hydrology Project of WAPDA as also some bed load sampling. The problem of Chasma Reservoir has also been highlighted, as it is being indiscriminately being filled up and drawdown several times a year without regard to its reaction to this treatment. The Sediment Management of these reservoirs is essential and the paper discusses pros and cons of various alternatives. (author)

  3. Class and Home Problems: Humidification, a True "Home" Problem for p. Chemical Engineer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Condoret, Jean-Stephane

    2012-01-01

    The problem of maintaining hygrothermal comfort in a house is addressed using the chemical engineer's toolbox. A simple dynamic modelling proved to give a good description of the humidification of the house in winter, using a domestic humidifier. Parameters of the model were identified from a simple experiment. Surprising results, especially…

  4. Book of abstracts Chemical Engineering: IV All-Russian Conference on chemical engineering, All-Russian Youth Conference on chemical engineering, All-Russian school on chemical engineering for young scientists and specialists. Chemical engineering of nanomaterials. Energy- and resource-saving chemical-engineering processes and problems of their intensification. Processes and apparatuses of chemical engineering, chemical cybernetics. Ecological problems of chemical engineering and related fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zakhodyaeva, Yu.A.; Belova, V.V.

    2012-01-01

    In the given volume of abstracts of the IV All-Russian Conference on chemical engineering, All-Russian Youth Conference on chemical engineering, All-Russian school on chemical engineering for young scientists and specialists (Moscow, March 18-23, 2012) there are the abstracts of the reports concerning chemical engineering of nanomaterials, energy- and resource-saving chemical-engineering processes, processes and apparatuses of chemical engineering, chemical cybernetics, ecological problems of chemical engineering and related fields. The abstracts deal with state-of-the-art and future development of theoretical and experimental investigations as well as with experience in practical realization of development works in the field of chemical engineering and relative areas [ru

  5. Reservoir characterization using production data and time-lapse seismic data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dadashpour, Mohsen

    2009-12-15

    The most commonly encountered, and probably the most challenging task in reservoir engineering, is to describe the reservoir accurately and efficiently. An accurate description of a reservoir is crucial to the management of production and efficiency of oil recovery. Reservoir modeling is an important step in a reservoir's future performance, which is in direct proportion to reservoir management, risk analysis and making key economic decisions. The purpose of reservoir modeling is to not only build a model that is consistent with currently available data, but to build one that gives a good prediction of its future behavior. Updating a reservoir model to behave as closely as possible to the real reservoir is called history matching, and the estimation of reservoir properties using this method is known as parameter estimation problem, which is an inversion process. Parameter estimation is a time consuming and non-unique problem with a large solution space. Saturation and pressure changes, and porosity and permeability distributions are the most common parameters to estimate in the oil industry. These parameters must be specified in every node within a petroleum reservoir simulator. These parameters will be adjusted until the model prediction data match the observation data to a sufficient degree. The solution space reduction in this project is done by adding time-lapse seismic data as a new set of dynamic data to the traditional production histories. Time-lapse (or 4D) seismic consists of two or more 3D seismic surveys shot at different calendar times. Time-lapse seismic surveys produce images at different times in a reservoir's history. The seismic response of a reservoir may change due to changes in pressure, fluid saturation and temperature. These changes in seismic images due to a variation in saturation and pressure can be used as additional observation data. Time-lapse seismic data are dynamical measurements which have a high resolution in the

  6. Putting integrated reservoir characterization into practice - in house training

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wright, F.M. Jr.; Best, D.A.; Clarke, R.T. [Mobile Exploration and Producing Technical Center, Dallas, TX (United States)

    1997-08-01

    The need for even more efficient reservoir characterization and management has forced a change in the way Mobil Oil provides technical support to its production operations. We`ve learned that to be successful, a good understanding of the reservoir is essential. This includes an understanding of the technical and business significance of reservoir heterogeneities at different stages of field development. A multi-disciplinary understanding of the business of integrated reservoir characterization is essential and to facilitate this understanding, Mobil has developed a highly successful {open_quotes}Reservoir Characterization Field Seminar{close_quotes}. Through specific team based case studies that incorporate outcrop examples and data the program provides participants the opportunity to explore historic and alternative approaches to reservoir description, characterization and management. We explore appropriate levels and timing of data gathering, technology applications, risk assessment and management practices at different stages of field development. The case studies presented throughout the course are a unique element of the program which combine real life and hypothetical problem sets that explore how different technical disciplines interact, the approaches to a problem solving they use, the assumptions and uncertainties contained in their contributions and the impact those conclusions may have on other disciplines involved in the overall reservoir management process. The team building aspect of the course was an added bonus.

  7. Investigating and Developing Engineering Students' Mathematical Modelling and Problem-Solving Skills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wedelin, Dag; Adawi, Tom; Jahan, Tabassum; Andersson, Sven

    2015-01-01

    How do engineering students approach mathematical modelling problems and how can they learn to deal with such problems? In the context of a course in mathematical modelling and problem solving, and using a qualitative case study approach, we found that the students had little prior experience of mathematical modelling. They were also inexperienced…

  8. Excel 2013 for engineering statistics a guide to solving practical problems

    CERN Document Server

    Quirk, Thomas J

    2015-01-01

    This is the first book to show the capabilities of Microsoft Excel to teach engineering statistics effectively.  It is a step-by-step exercise-driven guide for students and practitioners who need to master Excel to solve practical engineering problems.  If understanding statistics isn’t your strongest suit, you are not especially mathematically-inclined, or if you are wary of computers, this is the right book for you. Excel, a widely available computer program for students and managers, is also an effective teaching and learning tool for quantitative analyses in engineering courses.  Its powerful computational ability and graphical functions make learning statistics much easier than in years past.  However, Excel 2013 for Engineering Statistics: A Guide to Solving Practical Problems is the first book to capitalize on these improvements by teaching students and managers how to apply Excel to statistical techniques necessary in their courses and work. Each chapter explains statistical formulas and directs...

  9. Improved water management with the development of Snake Lake Reservoir

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kemp, P.; Miller, D.; Webber, J.

    1998-01-01

    The $10.3 million Snake Lake Reservoir which is located south of the TransCanada Highway between Bassano and Brooks, in Alberta, was completed in 1997. It provides 19.1 million cubic meters of storage to improve the water supply for the irrigation of 29,000 hectares of agricultural land in the Eastern Irrigation District. One of challenges that engineers faced during the construction of the reservoir was the extremely soft dam foundation conditions. The resolution of this and other challenges are discussed. In addition to water storage, the reservoir also provides wildlife, recreation and aquaculture opportunities. 8 refs., 5 figs

  10. Integrating gravimetric and interferometric synthetic aperture radar data for enhancing reservoir history matching of carbonate gas and volatile oil reservoirs

    KAUST Repository

    Katterbauer, Klemens

    2016-08-25

    Reservoir history matching is assuming a critical role in understanding reservoir characteristics, tracking water fronts, and forecasting production. While production data have been incorporated for matching reservoir production levels and estimating critical reservoir parameters, the sparse spatial nature of this dataset limits the efficiency of the history matching process. Recently, gravimetry techniques have significantly advanced to the point of providing measurement accuracy in the microgal range and consequently can be used for the tracking of gas displacement caused by water influx. While gravity measurements provide information on subsurface density changes, i.e., the composition of the reservoir, these data do only yield marginal information about temporal displacements of oil and inflowing water. We propose to complement gravimetric data with interferometric synthetic aperture radar surface deformation data to exploit the strong pressure deformation relationship for enhancing fluid flow direction forecasts. We have developed an ensemble Kalman-filter-based history matching framework for gas, gas condensate, and volatile oil reservoirs, which synergizes time-lapse gravity and interferometric synthetic aperture radar data for improved reservoir management and reservoir forecasts. Based on a dual state-parameter estimation algorithm separating the estimation of static reservoir parameters from the dynamic reservoir parameters, our numerical experiments demonstrate that history matching gravity measurements allow monitoring the density changes caused by oil-gas phase transition and water influx to determine the saturation levels, whereas the interferometric synthetic aperture radar measurements help to improve the forecasts of hydrocarbon production and water displacement directions. The reservoir estimates resulting from the dual filtering scheme are on average 20%-40% better than those from the joint estimation scheme, but require about a 30% increase in

  11. Using Ontological Engineering to Overcome AI-ED Problems: Contribution, Impact and Perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mizoguchi, Riichiro; Bourdeau, Jacqueline

    2016-01-01

    This article reflects on the ontology engineering methodology discussed by the paper entitled "Using Ontological Engineering to Overcome AI-ED Problems" published in this journal in 2000. We discuss the achievements obtained in the last 10 years, the impact of our work as well as recent trends and perspectives in ontology engineering for…

  12. Engineering problems of tandem-mirror reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moir, R.W.; Barr, W.L.; Boghosian, B.M.

    1981-01-01

    We have completed a comparative evaluation of several end plug configurations for tandem mirror fusion reactors with thermal barriers. The axi-cell configuration has been selected for further study and will be the basis for a detailed conceptual design study to be carried out over the next two years. The axi-cell end plug has a simple mirror cell produced by two circular coils followed by a transition coil and a yin-yang pair, which provides for MHD stability. This paper discusses some of the many engineering problems facing the designer. We estimated the direct cost to be 2$/W/sub e/. Assuming total (direct and indirect) costs to be twice this number, we need to reduce total costs by factors between 1.7 and 2.3 to compete with future LWRs levelized cost of electricity. These reductions may be possible by designing magnets producing over 20T made possible by use of combinations of superconducting and normal conducting coils as well as improvements in performance and cost of neutral beam and microwave power systems. Scientific and technological understanding and innovation are needed in the area of thermal barrier pumping - a process by which unwanted particles are removed (pumped) from certain regions of velocity and real space in the end plug. Removal of exhaust fuel ions, fusion ash and impurities by action of a halo plasma and plasma dump in the mirror end region is another challenging engineering problem discussed in this paper

  13. Aging Reservoirs in a Changing Climate: Examining Storage Loss of Large Reservoirs and Variability of Sedimentation Rate in a Dominant Cropland Region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahmani, V.; Kastens, J.; deNoyelles, F.; Huggins, D.; Martinko, E.

    2015-12-01

    Dam construction has multiple environmental and hydrological consequences including impacts on upstream and downstream ecosystems, water chemistry, and streamflow. Behind the dam the reservoir can trap sediment from the stream and fill over time. With increasing population and drinking and irrigation water demands, particularly in the areas that have highly variable weather and extended drought periods such as the United States Great Plains, reservoir sedimentation escalates water management concerns. Under nearly all projected climate change scenarios we expect that reservoir water storage and management will come under intense scrutiny because of the extensive use of interstate river compacts in the Great Plains. In the state of Kansas, located in the Great Plains, bathymetric surveys have been completed during the last decade for many major lakes by the Kansas Biological Survey, Kansas Water Office, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In this paper, we studied the spatial and temporal changes of reservoir characteristics including sedimentation yield, depletion rate, and storage capacity loss for 24 federally-operated reservoirs in Kansas. These reservoirs have an average age of about 50 years and collectively have lost approximately 15% of their original capacity, with the highest annual observed single-reservoir depletion rate of 0.84% and sedimentation yield of 1,685 m3 km-2 yr-1.

  14. Frameworks for amending reservoir water management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mower, Ethan; Miranda, Leandro E.

    2013-01-01

    Managing water storage and withdrawals in many reservoirs requires establishing seasonal targets for water levels (i.e., rule curves) that are influenced by regional precipitation and diverse water demands. Rule curves are established as an attempt to balance various water needs such as flood control, irrigation, and environmental benefits such as fish and wildlife management. The processes and challenges associated with amending rule curves to balance multiuse needs are complicated and mostly unfamiliar to non-US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) natural resource managers and to the public. To inform natural resource managers and the public we describe the policies and process involved in amending rule curves in USACE reservoirs, including 3 frameworks: a general investigation, a continuing authority program, and the water control plan. Our review suggests that water management in reservoirs can be amended, but generally a multitude of constraints and competing demands must be addressed before such a change can be realized.

  15. Sedimentation control in the reservoirs by using an obstacle

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2Faculty of Water Sciences Engineering, Shahid Chamran University, Ahwaz, Iran. 3Department of ... some experiments were carried out without an obstacle. Results showed ..... Design and management of dams, reservoirs and watersheds ...

  16. Introducing future engineers to sustainable ecology problems: a case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Filipkowski, A.

    2011-12-01

    The problem of Earth environmental destruction by human activities is becoming dangerous. Engineers responsible for the production of any goods should be well aware of the negative influence of their activities on the state of the planet. This is why the understanding of ecological problems is essential for people responsible for production and industrial design. The energy, which they consume, is increasing the greenhouse effect and the waste poisons the environment. So far, most courses on ecology are offered to specialists in environmental engineering. These courses are filled with many details. The Warsaw Academy of Computer Science, Management and Administration teaches students in the direction of management and production engineering. Upon completion, the students receive the degree of 'engineer'. Their future work will mainly concern management of different types of industrial enterprises and they will be responsible for organising it in such a way as to avoid a dangerous contribution to environmental pollution and climate change. This is why it was decided to introduce a new course entitled 'Principles of Ecology and Environmental Management'. This course is quite broad, concerning almost all technical, law and organisational aspects of the problem. The presentation is made in a spectacular way, aiming to convince students that their future activity must be environmentally friendly. It contains information about international activities in ecology, legal aspects concerning pollution, technical and information methods of monitoring and, finally, the description of 'green' solutions. Altogether, 27 hours of lectures and 15 hours of discussions and students' presentations complete the course. Details of this course are described in this paper.

  17. Design and development of bio-inspired framework for reservoir operation optimization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asvini, M. Sakthi; Amudha, T.

    2017-12-01

    Frameworks for optimal reservoir operation play an important role in the management of water resources and delivery of economic benefits. Effective utilization and conservation of water from reservoirs helps to manage water deficit periods. The main challenge in reservoir optimization is to design operating rules that can be used to inform real-time decisions on reservoir release. We develop a bio-inspired framework for the optimization of reservoir release to satisfy the diverse needs of various stakeholders. In this work, single-objective optimization and multiobjective optimization problems are formulated using an algorithm known as "strawberry optimization" and tested with actual reservoir data. Results indicate that well planned reservoir operations lead to efficient deployment of the reservoir water with the help of optimal release patterns.

  18. Investigation on Reservoir Operation of Agricultural Water Resources Management for Drought Mitigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, C. L.

    2015-12-01

    Investigation on Reservoir Operation of Agricultural Water Resources Management for Drought Mitigation Chung-Lien Cheng, Wen-Ping Tsai, Fi-John Chang* Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University, Da-An District, Taipei 10617, Taiwan, ROC.Corresponding author: Fi-John Chang (changfj@ntu.edu.tw) AbstractIn Taiwan, the population growth and economic development has led to considerable and increasing demands for natural water resources in the last decades. Under such condition, water shortage problems have frequently occurred in northern Taiwan in recent years such that water is usually transferred from irrigation sectors to public sectors during drought periods. Facing the uneven spatial and temporal distribution of water resources and the problems of increasing water shortages, it is a primary and critical issue to simultaneously satisfy multiple water uses through adequate reservoir operations for sustainable water resources management. Therefore, we intend to build an intelligent reservoir operation system for the assessment of agricultural water resources management strategy in response to food security during drought periods. This study first uses the grey system to forecast the agricultural water demand during February and April for assessing future agricultural water demands. In the second part, we build an intelligent water resources system by using the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II), an optimization tool, for searching the water allocation series based on different water demand scenarios created from the first part to optimize the water supply operation for different water sectors. The results can be a reference guide for adequate agricultural water resources management during drought periods. Keywords: Non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II); Grey System; Optimization; Agricultural Water Resources Management.

  19. 78 FR 42030 - Reservoirs at Headwaters of the Mississippi River; Use and Administration

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-15

    ... Headwaters of the Mississippi River; Use and Administration AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD. ACTION... proposing to amend the rules regarding use and administration of the reservoirs at the headwaters of the... Headwaters reservoirs containing minimum flow values that differ from those currently codified in the Code of...

  20. The Problem of Whistleblowing in Engineering Ethics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohishi, Toshihiro

    The purpose of this paper is to clarify the features of whistleblowing by considering the arguments about whistleblowing in engineering ethics. First, I analyze the concept of ‘whistleblowing’ by defining the word as clearly as possible. Second, I examine the standard justification theory of whistleblowing by showing the problems of the theory. Finally, I analyze the dilemma about whistleblowing by revealing a prospective whistleblower‧s struggle to choose moral value or non-moral value.

  1. Ninth workshop on geothermal reservoir engineering: Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramey, H.J. Jr.; Kruger, P.; Miller, F.G.; Horne, R.N.; Brigham, W.E.; Gudmundsson, J.S. (Stanford Geothermal Program)

    1983-12-15

    (Reservoir Chemistry), Malcolm Mossman (Reservoir Chemistry), Greg Raasch (Production), Manny Nathenson (Injection), Susan Petty (Injection), Subir Sanyal (Simulation), Marty Molloy (Petrothermal), and Allen Moench (Reservoir Physics). The Workshop was organized by the Stanford Geothermal Program faculty, staff and students. We would like to thank Jean Cook, Joanne Hartford, Terri Ramey, Amy Osugi, and Marilyn King for their valued help with the Workshop arrangements and the Proceedings. We also owe thanks to the program students who arranged and operated the audio-visual equipment. The Ninth Workshop was supported by the Geothermal and Hydropower Technologies Division of the U . S . Department of Energy through contract DE-AT03-80SF11459. We deeply appreciate this continued support. H. J. Ramey, Jr., R. N. Horne, P. Kruger, W. E. Brigham, F. G. Miller, J. S . Gudmundsson -vii

  2. The landslide problem

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Shanmugam

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The synonymous use of the general term “landslide”, with a built-in reference to a sliding motion, for all varieties of mass-transport deposits (MTD, which include slides, slumps, debrites, topples, creeps, debris avalanches etc. in subaerial, sublacustrine, submarine, and extraterrestrial environments has created a multitude of conceptual and nomenclatural problems. In addition, concepts of triggers and long-runout mechanisms of mass movements are loosely applied without rigor. These problems have enormous implications for studies in process sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy, palaeogeography, petroleum geology, and engineering geology. Therefore, the objective of this critical review is to identify key problems and to provide conceptual clarity and possible solutions. Specific issues are the following: (1 According to “limit equilibrium analyses” in soil mechanics, sediment failure with a sliding motion is initiated over a shear surface when the factor of safety for slope stability (F is less than 1. However, the term landslide is not meaningful for debris flows with a flowing motion. (2 Sliding motion can be measured in oriented core and outcrop, but such measurement is not practical on seismic profiles or radar images. (3 Although 79 MTD types exist in the geological and engineering literature, only slides, slumps, and debrites are viable depositional facies for interpreting ancient stratigraphic records. (4 The use of the term landslide for highvelocity debris avalanches is inappropriate because velocities of mass-transport processes cannot be determined in the rock record. (5 Of the 21 potential triggering mechanisms of sediment failures, frequent short-term events that last for only a few minutes to several hours or days (e.g., earthquakes, meteorite impacts, tsunamis, tropical cyclones, etc. are more relevant in controlling deposition of deep-water sands than sporadic long-term events that last for thousands to millions of

  3. INCREASING HEAVY OIL RESERVES IN THE WILMINGTON OIL FIELD THROUGH ADVANCED RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION AND THERMAL PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Unknown

    2001-08-08

    The objective of this project is to increase the recoverable heavy oil reserves within sections of the Wilmington Oil Field, near Long Beach, California, through the testing and application of advanced reservoir characterization and thermal production technologies. The hope is that successful application of these technologies will result in their implementation throughout the Wilmington Field and, through technology transfer, will be extended to increase the recoverable oil reserves in other slope and basin clastic (SBC) reservoirs. The existing steamflood in the Tar zone of Fault Block II-A (Tar II-A) has been relatively inefficient because of several producibility problems which are common in SBC reservoirs: inadequate characterization of the heterogeneous turbidite sands, high permeability thief zones, low gravity oil and non-uniform distribution of the remaining oil. This has resulted in poor sweep efficiency, high steam-oil ratios, and early steam breakthrough. Operational problems related to steam breakthrough, high reservoir pressure, and unconsolidated sands have caused premature well and downhole equipment failures. In aggregate, these reservoir and operational constraints have resulted in increased operating costs and decreased recoverable reserves. A suite of advanced reservoir characterization and thermal production technologies are being applied during the project to improve oil recovery and reduce operating costs, including: (1) Development of three-dimensional (3-D) deterministic and stochastic reservoir simulation models--thermal or otherwise--to aid in reservoir management of the steamflood and post-steamflood phases and subsequent development work. (2) Development of computerized 3-D visualizations of the geologic and reservoir simulation models to aid reservoir surveillance and operations. (3) Perform detailed studies of the geochemical interactions between the steam and the formation rock and fluids. (4) Testing and proposed application of a

  4. Reservoir safety, politics and conflict resolution : a British experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clark, C.

    1998-01-01

    The flooding problem in southwest England, in particular at Somerset, Bruton, was discussed. Recent research has shown that the reservoir spillways in the area may have been underdesigned. A study was conducted in the late 1970s of the local rainfall data in order to determine whether the Bruton area is subject to an increase in severe rainfall and to determine the design of the dam. The probable maximum flood was calculated using the flood studies report method and was found to be 240 m 3 /s. The spillway was designed accordingly and the dam was constructed in 1984. Later, the probable maximum flood was recalculated using different assumptions and the new value obtained was 360 m 3 /s, an increase of 50 per cent over the original value. A subsequent report by a consulting engineering firm pointed out that some overtopping of the dam crest would have to take place and that the integrity of the dam would have to be maintained by the cover of the grass present. This, and other examples illustrate that reservoir design is not always the result of scientific research designed to prevent future reservoir failures, but that it is driven by political considerations, evolving in response to failures of existing structures. The situation remains unresolved to date, due to hesitation on the part of the Environment Agency, the Institute of Hydrology, and the Department of Environment and Transport to discuss and consider the conflicting results of the new research. 19 refs

  5. Cengklik Reservoir Performance and Its Role for Drought Mitigation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yovi Hardiyanto

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Water availability problem is encountered by Cengklik Reservoir due to drought disaster in the current year. It causes irrigation water crisis over 850 hectares crop field which of 350 hectares were not cultivated. The risk that must be faced by farmers is decrease in potential productivity, losses about more than 2.5 billion. Therefore, it needs technical solution to reduce this drought disaster risk. To obtain an alternative solution against water availability problem for drought disaster mitigation, this research used optimization of reservoir standard operating simulation. It applies field area of rice or Palawija at the second and/or the third cultivation season as decision variable, maximum productivity value as objective function, irrigation water demand as parameter depending on specified alternative crop pattern and schedule, and several constraints comprising 100% of reservoir reliability, all field is irrigated at the first and second season in which maximum non-irrigated crop field at the third cultivation season are 300 hectares. The tool used to conduct optimization was Microsoft Excel software. The result showed that crop pattern considered as an alternative solution against water availability problem in Cengklik reservoir is paddy-paddy-maize at the early of November II cultivated over 433 hectares and 1524 hectares. Risk reduction reached 9.33% in term of reservoir reliability, 23.61% in term of irrigated area, and 27.29% in term of vulnerability towards water availability crisis.

  6. Stirling engines for biomass – what is the problem?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carlsen, Henrik

    2005-01-01

    The External combustion of the Stirling engine makes it very attractive for small-scale Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants using bio-fuels. Especially wood chips are an attractive fuel because of the high melting point and the low content of ash. Unfortunately, it is more complicated than...... expected to use bio-fuels for a Stirling engine. The high temperature in the hot heat exchanger transferring heat from the combustion to the Stirling engine combined with the low heating value of the fuel reduce the obtainable efficiency of the plant. The limitations of the combustion temperature in order...... to avoid melted ash in the combustion chamber decrease the obtainable efficiency even further. If a Stirling engine, which has an efficiency of 28,5% using natural gas, is converted into utilization of bio-fuel, the efficiency will decrease to 17,5%. Another problem for utilization of bio-fuels in Stirling...

  7. Mathematical and field analysis of longitudinal reservoir infill

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ke, W. T.; Capart, H.

    2016-12-01

    In reservoirs, severe problems are caused by infilled sediment deposits. In long term, the sediment accumulation reduces the capacity of reservoir storage and flood control benefits. In the short term, the sediment deposits influence the intakes of water-supply and hydroelectricity generation. For the management of reservoir, it is important to understand the deposition process and then to predict the sedimentation in reservoir. To investigate the behaviors of sediment deposits, we propose a one-dimensional simplified theory derived by the Exner equation to predict the longitudinal sedimentation distribution in idealized reservoirs. The theory models the reservoir infill geomorphic actions for three scenarios: delta progradation, near-dam bottom deposition, and final infill. These yield three kinds of self-similar analytical solutions for the reservoir bed profiles, under different boundary conditions. Three analytical solutions are composed by error function, complementary error function, and imaginary error function, respectively. The theory is also computed by finite volume method to test the analytical solutions. The theoretical and numerical predictions are in good agreement with one-dimensional small-scale laboratory experiment. As the theory is simple to apply with analytical solutions and numerical computation, we propose some applications to simulate the long-profile evolution of field reservoirs and focus on the infill sediment deposit volume resulting the uplift of near-dam bottom elevation. These field reservoirs introduced here are Wushe Reservoir, Tsengwen Reservoir, Mudan Reservoir in Taiwan, Lago Dos Bocas in Puerto Rico, and Sakuma Dam in Japan.

  8. Integrated reservoir assessment and characterization: Final report, October 1, 1985--September 30, 1988

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Honarpour, M.; Szpakiewicz, M.; Sharma, B.; Chang, Ming-Ming; Schatzinger, R.; Jackson, S.; Tomutsa, L.; Maerefat, N.

    1989-05-01

    This report covers the development of a generic approach to reservoir characterization, the preliminary studies leading to the selection of an appropriate depositional system for detailed study, the application of outcrop studies to quantified reservoir characterization, and the construction of a quantified geological/engineering model used to screen the effects and scales of various geological heterogeneities within a reservoir. These heterogeneities result in large production/residual oil saturation contrasts over small distances. 36 refs., 124 figs., 38 tabs.

  9. Testing foreign language impact on engineering students' scientific problem-solving performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tatzl, Dietmar; Messnarz, Bernd

    2013-12-01

    This article investigates the influence of English as the examination language on the solution of physics and science problems by non-native speakers in tertiary engineering education. For that purpose, a statistically significant total number of 96 students in four year groups from freshman to senior level participated in a testing experiment in the Degree Programme of Aviation at the FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences, Graz, Austria. Half of each test group were given a set of 12 physics problems described in German, the other half received the same set of problems described in English. It was the goal to test linguistic reading comprehension necessary for scientific problem solving instead of physics knowledge as such. The results imply that written undergraduate English-medium engineering tests and examinations may not require additional examination time or language-specific aids for students who have reached university-entrance proficiency in English as a foreign language.

  10. Reservoir characterization of Pennsylvanian sandstone reservoirs. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kelkar, M.

    1995-02-01

    This final report summarizes the progress during the three years of a project on Reservoir Characterization of Pennsylvanian Sandstone Reservoirs. The report is divided into three sections: (i) reservoir description; (ii) scale-up procedures; (iii) outcrop investigation. The first section describes the methods by which a reservoir can be described in three dimensions. The next step in reservoir description is to scale up reservoir properties for flow simulation. The second section addresses the issue of scale-up of reservoir properties once the spatial descriptions of properties are created. The last section describes the investigation of an outcrop.

  11. Modelling of sedimentation processes inside Roseires Reservoir (Sudan) (abstract)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ali, Y.S.A.; Omer, A.Y.A.; Crosato, A.

    2013-01-01

    Roseires Reservoir is located on the Blue Nile River, in Sudan (figure 1). It is the first trap to the sediments coming from the upper catchment in Ethiopia, which suffers from high erosion and desertification problems. The reservoir lost already more than one third of its storage capacity due to

  12. Efficiency bounds for nonequilibrium heat engines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mehta, Pankaj; Polkovnikov, Anatoli

    2013-01-01

    We analyze the efficiency of thermal engines (either quantum or classical) working with a single heat reservoir like an atmosphere. The engine first gets an energy intake, which can be done in an arbitrary nonequilibrium way e.g. combustion of fuel. Then the engine performs the work and returns to the initial state. We distinguish two general classes of engines where the working body first equilibrates within itself and then performs the work (ergodic engine) or when it performs the work before equilibrating (non-ergodic engine). We show that in both cases the second law of thermodynamics limits their efficiency. For ergodic engines we find a rigorous upper bound for the efficiency, which is strictly smaller than the equivalent Carnot efficiency. I.e. the Carnot efficiency can be never achieved in single reservoir heat engines. For non-ergodic engines the efficiency can be higher and can exceed the equilibrium Carnot bound. By extending the fundamental thermodynamic relation to nonequilibrium processes, we find a rigorous thermodynamic bound for the efficiency of both ergodic and non-ergodic engines and show that it is given by the relative entropy of the nonequilibrium and initial equilibrium distributions. These results suggest a new general strategy for designing more efficient engines. We illustrate our ideas by using simple examples. -- Highlights: ► Derived efficiency bounds for heat engines working with a single reservoir. ► Analyzed both ergodic and non-ergodic engines. ► Showed that non-ergodic engines can be more efficient. ► Extended fundamental thermodynamic relation to arbitrary nonequilibrium processes

  13. Physical Model-Based Investigation of Reservoir Sedimentation Processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng-Chia Huang

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Sedimentation is a serious problem in the operations of reservoirs. In Taiwan, the situation became worse after the Chi-Chi Earthquake recorded on 21 September 1999. The sediment trap efficiency in several regional reservoirs has been sharply increased, adversely affecting the operations on water supplies. According to the field record, the average annual sediment deposition observed in several regional reservoirs in Taiwan has been increased. For instance, the typhoon event recorded in 2008 at the Wushe Reservoir, Taiwan, produced a 3 m sediment deposit upstream of the dam. The remaining storage capacity in the Wushe Reservoir was reduced to 35.9% or a volume of 53.79 million m3 for flood water detention in 2010. It is urgent that research should be conducted to understand the sediment movement in the Wushe Reservoir. In this study, a scale physical model was built to reproduce the flood flow through the reservoir, investigate the long-term depositional pattern, and evaluate sediment trap efficiency. This allows us to estimate the residual life of the reservoir by proposing a modification of Brune’s method. It can be presented to predict the lifespan of Taiwan reservoirs due to higher applicability in both the physical model and the observed data.

  14. Development of a segmentation method for analysis of Campos basin typical reservoir rocks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rego, Eneida Arendt; Bueno, Andre Duarte [Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (UENF), Macae, RJ (Brazil). Lab. de Engenharia e Exploracao de Petroleo (LENEP)]. E-mails: eneida@lenep.uenf.br; bueno@lenep.uenf.br

    2008-07-01

    This paper represents a master thesis proposal in Exploration and Reservoir Engineering that have the objective to development a specific segmentation method for digital images of reservoir rocks, which produce better results than the global methods available in the bibliography for the determination of rocks physical properties as porosity and permeability. (author)

  15. Use of isotopes techniques during the life cycle of dams and reservoirs: cases in Latin American

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leon, S.H.

    2006-01-01

    In fact, the combined use of isotope and conventional techniques is considered a reliable tool for studying problems related to dam safety and has become a new culture for civil / dam engineers, hydro geologists and researchers who involve in water resource management fields. The use of natural (environmental) and artificial isotopes as tracers together with systematic analyses of the hydrochemistry, electrical conductivity and temperature profiles data during the investigation and monitoring of leakage and seepage in dams and reservoirs are now becoming popular among the dam owners in seeking the best solution for dam related problems. Many studies and experiences worldwide on effective dam management programmes have indicated that any investigation about leakages and seepages are not possible to be accomplished successfully without synergic application of the conventional technologies and isotopic techniques. The major advancement in this area is the measurements study for establishment of baseline hydrogeology at each hydraulic work project like dams and reservoirs. The parameters include hydro chemicals, isotopic and geologic in each basin, river, reservoir, dams, tunnels and groundwater which provide high value information for decision making during all the stages in the life cycle of the dams. Many hydroelectric and water supply projects in latin america apply these investigation strategies. The main target is to investigate and understand the water movement around the dam and its vicinity. Then the specialised work teams will decide for the effective and economic monitoring activities and the implementation of the recommended remedial measures to ensure high standards of safety and security of the large dams and reservoirs. A typical example of specific leakage investigation of la Honda dam is briefly discussed. (Author)

  16. Fuzzy control in environmental engineering

    CERN Document Server

    Chmielowski, Wojciech Z

    2016-01-01

    This book is intended for engineers, technicians and people who plan to use fuzzy control in more or less developed and advanced control systems for manufacturing processes, or directly for executive equipment. Assuming that the reader possesses elementary knowledge regarding fuzzy sets and fuzzy control, by way of a reminder, the first parts of the book contain a reminder of the theoretical foundations as well as a description of the tools to be found in the Matlab/Simulink environment in the form of a toolbox. The major part of the book presents applications for fuzzy controllers in control systems for various manufacturing and engineering processes. It presents seven processes and problems which have been programmed using fuzzy controllers. The issues discussed concern the field of Environmental Engineering. Examples are the control of a flood wave passing through a hypothetical, and then the real Dobczyce reservoir in the Raba River, which is located in the upper Vistula River basin in Southern Poland, th...

  17. Mechanical engineering problems in the TFTR neutral beam system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cannon, D.D.; Bryant, E.H.; Johnson, R.L.; Kim, J.; Queen, C.C.; Schilling, G.

    1975-01-01

    A conceptual design of a prototype beam line for the TFTR Neutral Beam System has been developed. The basic components have been defined, cost estimates prepared, and the necessary development programs identified. Four major mechanical engineering problems, potential solutions and the required development programs are discussed

  18. A Case Study: Problem-Based Learning for Civil Engineering Students in Transportation Courses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahern, A. A.

    2010-01-01

    This paper describes two case studies where problem-based learning (PBL) has been introduced to undergraduate civil engineering students in University College Dublin. PBL has recently been put in place in the penultimate and final year transport engineering classes in the civil engineering degree in University College Dublin. In this case study,…

  19. Level-set techniques for facies identification in reservoir modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iglesias, Marco A.; McLaughlin, Dennis

    2011-03-01

    In this paper we investigate the application of level-set techniques for facies identification in reservoir models. The identification of facies is a geometrical inverse ill-posed problem that we formulate in terms of shape optimization. The goal is to find a region (a geologic facies) that minimizes the misfit between predicted and measured data from an oil-water reservoir. In order to address the shape optimization problem, we present a novel application of the level-set iterative framework developed by Burger in (2002 Interfaces Free Bound. 5 301-29 2004 Inverse Problems 20 259-82) for inverse obstacle problems. The optimization is constrained by (the reservoir model) a nonlinear large-scale system of PDEs that describes the reservoir dynamics. We reformulate this reservoir model in a weak (integral) form whose shape derivative can be formally computed from standard results of shape calculus. At each iteration of the scheme, the current estimate of the shape derivative is utilized to define a velocity in the level-set equation. The proper selection of this velocity ensures that the new shape decreases the cost functional. We present results of facies identification where the velocity is computed with the gradient-based (GB) approach of Burger (2002) and the Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) technique of Burger (2004). While an adjoint formulation allows the straightforward application of the GB approach, the LM technique requires the computation of the large-scale Karush-Kuhn-Tucker system that arises at each iteration of the scheme. We efficiently solve this system by means of the representer method. We present some synthetic experiments to show and compare the capabilities and limitations of the proposed implementations of level-set techniques for the identification of geologic facies.

  20. Level-set techniques for facies identification in reservoir modeling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iglesias, Marco A; McLaughlin, Dennis

    2011-01-01

    In this paper we investigate the application of level-set techniques for facies identification in reservoir models. The identification of facies is a geometrical inverse ill-posed problem that we formulate in terms of shape optimization. The goal is to find a region (a geologic facies) that minimizes the misfit between predicted and measured data from an oil–water reservoir. In order to address the shape optimization problem, we present a novel application of the level-set iterative framework developed by Burger in (2002 Interfaces Free Bound. 5 301–29; 2004 Inverse Problems 20 259–82) for inverse obstacle problems. The optimization is constrained by (the reservoir model) a nonlinear large-scale system of PDEs that describes the reservoir dynamics. We reformulate this reservoir model in a weak (integral) form whose shape derivative can be formally computed from standard results of shape calculus. At each iteration of the scheme, the current estimate of the shape derivative is utilized to define a velocity in the level-set equation. The proper selection of this velocity ensures that the new shape decreases the cost functional. We present results of facies identification where the velocity is computed with the gradient-based (GB) approach of Burger (2002) and the Levenberg–Marquardt (LM) technique of Burger (2004). While an adjoint formulation allows the straightforward application of the GB approach, the LM technique requires the computation of the large-scale Karush–Kuhn–Tucker system that arises at each iteration of the scheme. We efficiently solve this system by means of the representer method. We present some synthetic experiments to show and compare the capabilities and limitations of the proposed implementations of level-set techniques for the identification of geologic facies

  1. Upscaling verticle permeability within a fluvio-aeolian reservoir

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thomas, S.D.; Corbett, P.W.M.; Jensen, J.L. [Heriot-Watt Univ., Edinburgh (United Kingdom)

    1997-08-01

    Vertical permeability (k{sub v}) is a crucial factor in many reservoir engineering issues. To date there has been little work undertaken to understand the wide variation of k{sub v} values measured at different scales in the reservoir. This paper presents the results of a study in which we have modelled the results of a downhole well tester using a statistical model and high resolution permeability data. The work has demonstrates and quantifies a wide variation in k{sub v} at smaller, near wellbore scales and has implications for k{sub v} modelling at larger scales.

  2. Reservoir Characterization using geostatistical and numerical modeling in GIS with noble gas geochemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasquez, D. A.; Swift, J. N.; Tan, S.; Darrah, T. H.

    2013-12-01

    The integration of precise geochemical analyses with quantitative engineering modeling into an interactive GIS system allows for a sophisticated and efficient method of reservoir engineering and characterization. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is utilized as an advanced technique for oil field reservoir analysis by combining field engineering and geological/geochemical spatial datasets with the available systematic modeling and mapping methods to integrate the information into a spatially correlated first-hand approach in defining surface and subsurface characteristics. Three key methods of analysis include: 1) Geostatistical modeling to create a static and volumetric 3-dimensional representation of the geological body, 2) Numerical modeling to develop a dynamic and interactive 2-dimensional model of fluid flow across the reservoir and 3) Noble gas geochemistry to further define the physical conditions, components and history of the geologic system. Results thus far include using engineering algorithms for interpolating electrical well log properties across the field (spontaneous potential, resistivity) yielding a highly accurate and high-resolution 3D model of rock properties. Results so far also include using numerical finite difference methods (crank-nicholson) to solve for equations describing the distribution of pressure across field yielding a 2D simulation model of fluid flow across reservoir. Ongoing noble gas geochemistry results will also include determination of the source, thermal maturity and the extent/style of fluid migration (connectivity, continuity and directionality). Future work will include developing an inverse engineering algorithm to model for permeability, porosity and water saturation.This combination of new and efficient technological and analytical capabilities is geared to provide a better understanding of the field geology and hydrocarbon dynamics system with applications to determine the presence of hydrocarbon pay zones (or

  3. Sensitivity Analysis of Methane Hydrate Reservoirs: Effects of Reservoir Parameters on Gas Productivity and Economics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, B. J.; Gaddipati, M.; Nyayapathi, L.

    2008-12-01

    This paper presents a parametric study on production rates of natural gas from gas hydrates by the method of depressurization, using CMG STARS. Seven factors/parameters were considered as perturbations from a base-case hydrate reservoir description based on Problem 7 of the International Methane Hydrate Reservoir Simulator Code Comparison Study led by the Department of Energy and the USGS. This reservoir is modeled after the inferred properties of the hydrate deposit at the Prudhoe Bay L-106 site. The included sensitivity variables were hydrate saturation, pressure (depth), temperature, bottom-hole pressure of the production well, free water saturation, intrinsic rock permeability, and porosity. A two-level (L=2) Plackett-Burman experimental design was used to study the relative effects of these factors. The measured variable was the discounted cumulative gas production. The discount rate chosen was 15%, resulting in the gas contribution to the net present value of a reservoir. Eight different designs were developed for conducting sensitivity analysis and the effects of the parameters on the real and discounted production rates will be discussed. The breakeven price in various cases and the dependence of the breakeven price on the production parameters is given in the paper. As expected, initial reservoir temperature has the strongest positive effect on the productivity of a hydrate deposit and the bottom-hole pressure in the production well has the strongest negative dependence. Also resulting in a positive correlation is the intrinsic permeability and the initial free water of the formation. Negative effects were found for initial hydrate saturation (at saturations greater than 50% of the pore space) and the reservoir porosity. These negative effects are related to the available sensible heat of the reservoir, with decreasing productivity due to decreasing available sensible heat. Finally, we conclude that for the base case reservoir, the break-even price (BEP

  4. Molecular engineering problems in heat and mass transfer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kotake, S.

    1991-01-01

    As for developing, manufacturing and applying new materials of advanced functions such as high-performance devices and high-temperature materials, fundamental understanding of the phenomena from the standpoint of molecular and atomic levels has been required. In these problems, the processes of heat and mass transfer play an important role, being one of the rate-controlling factors. But the energy levels associated with heat and mass transfer are of the orders much less than those of chemical reaction, and it is not easy to understand the thermal problems on the molecular and atomic basis. This paper views the processes of heat and mass transfer from the dynamical motions of atom and molecule for thermal engineering problems. Especially, problems are considered of heat conduction in fine-ceramics, sintered materials of high heat conductivity or high heat-insulation, phase change of condensation in vapor deposition processes such as CVD and PVD, and radiation in laser processing

  5. Numerical Simulation of Two Dimensional Flows in Yazidang Reservoir

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Lingxiao; Liu, Libo; Sun, Xuehong; Zheng, Lanxiang; Jing, Hefang; Zhang, Xuande; Li, Chunguang

    2018-01-01

    This paper studied the problem of water flow in the Yazid Ang reservoir. It built 2-D RNG turbulent model, rated the boundary conditions, used the finite volume method to discrete equations and divided the grid by the advancing-front method. It simulated the two conditions of reservoir flow field, compared the average vertical velocity of the simulated value and the measured value nearby the water inlet and the water intake. The results showed that the mathematical model could be applied to the similar industrial water reservoir.

  6. NON-INVASIVE INVERSE PROBLEM IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan Havelka

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available In this contribution we focus on recovery of spatial distribution of material parameters utilizing only non-invasive boundary measurements. Such methods has gained its importance as imaging techniques in medicine, geophysics or archaeology. We apply similar principles for non-stationary heat transfer in civil engineering. In oppose to standard technique which rely on external loading devices, we assume the natural fluctuation of temperature throughout day and night can provide sufficient information to recover the underlying material parameters. The inverse problem was solved by a modified regularised Gauss-Newton iterative scheme and the underlying forward problem is solved with a finite element space-time discretisation. We show a successful reconstruction of material parameters on a synthetic example with real measurements. The virtual experiment also reveals the insensitivity to practical precision of sensor measurements.

  7. Problem solving in nuclear engineering using supercomputers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schmidt, F.; Scheuermann, W.; Schatz, A.

    1987-01-01

    The availability of supercomputers enables the engineer to formulate new strategies for problem solving. One such strategy is the Integrated Planning and Simulation System (IPSS). With the integrated systems, simulation models with greater consistency and good agreement with actual plant data can be effectively realized. In the present work some of the basic ideas of IPSS are described as well as some of the conditions necessary to build such systems. Hardware and software characteristics as realized are outlined. (orig.) [de

  8. Nutrient budget for Saguling Reservoir, West Java, Indonesia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Barry T; van Dok, Wendy; Djuangsih, Nani

    2002-04-01

    A preliminary nutrient budget for Saguling Reservoir is reported as a first attempt to quantify the behaviour of nutrients entering this reservoir. This work is part of a larger Indonesia-Australia collaborative research and training project, involving Padjadjaran University and Monash University, established to study nutrient dynamics in Saguling Reservoir. Saguling Reservoir, the first of a chain of three large reservoirs (Saguling, Cirata and Jatilahur), built on the Citarum River in central Java, was completed in 1985. It has already become highly polluted, particularly with domestic and industrial effluent (organic matter, nutrients, heavy metals) from the urban areas of Bandung (population 2 million). The reservoir experiences major water quality problems, including excessive growths of floating plants, toxic cyanobacterial blooms and regular fish-kills. The work reported in this paper shows that Saguling receives a very large nutrient load from the city of Bandung and because of this, is highly eutrophic. It is unlikely that the water quality of Saguling will improve until a substantial part of Bandung is sewered and adequate discharge controls are placed on the many industries in the region upstream of the reservoir.

  9. limnological study of the Guavio Reservoir (Colombia)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roldan, Gabriel; Bohorquez, Amparo; Catano, Ramiro; Ardila, Jorge I

    2000-01-01

    From September to December 1996, a limnological study of el Guavio reservoir from o to 100m deep was undertaken. Samples of plankton were taken and chlorophyll a determined. The study showed a well-mixed column of water. Dissolved oxygen remained 60% saturation at 100m deep. Values of phosphorus and nitrogen, as well chlorophyll was very low. Phytoplankton and zooplankton were diverse. The main problem of the reservoir is sediments coming from very erossionable surroundings

  10. Thirteenth workshop on geothermal reservoir engineering: Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramey, H.J. Jr.; Kruger, P.; Horne, R.N.; Brigham, W.E.; Miller, F.G.; Cook, J.W. (Stanford Geothermal Program)

    1988-01-21

    PREFACE The Thirteenth Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering was held at Stanford University on January 19-21, 1988. Although 1987 continued to be difficult for the domestic geothermal industry, world-wide activities continued to expand. Two invited presentations on mature geothermal systems were a keynote of the meeting. Malcolm Grant presented a detailed review of Wairakei, New Zealand and highlighted plans for new development. G. Neri summarized experience on flow rate decline and well test analysis in Larderello, Italy. Attendance continued to be high with 128 registered participants. Eight foreign countries were represented: England, France, Iceland, Italy, New Zealand, Japan, Mexico and The Philippines. A discussion of future workshops produced a strong recommendation that the Stanford Workshop program continue for the future. There were forty-one technical presentations at the Workshop. All of these are published as papers in this Proceedings volume. Four technical papers not presented at the Workshop are also published. In addition to these forty five technical presentations or papers, the introductory address was given by Henry J. Ramey, Jr. from the Stanford Geothermal Program. The Workshop Banquet speaker was Gustavo Calderon from the Inter-American Development Bank. We thank him for sharing with the Workshop participants a description of the Bank???s operations in Costa Rica developing alternative energy resources, specifically Geothermal, to improve the country???s economic basis. His talk appears as a paper in the back of this volume. The chairmen of the technical sessions made an important contribution to the workshop. Other than Stanford faculty members they included: J. Combs, G. T. Cole, J. Counsil, A. Drenick, H. Dykstra, K. Goyal, P. Muffler, K. Pruess, and S. K. Sanyal. The Workshop was organized by the Stanford Geothermal Program faculty, staff and students. We would like to thank Marilyn King, Pat Oto, Terri Ramey, Bronwyn Jones

  11. Twelfth workshop on geothermal reservoir engineering: Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramey, H.J. Jr.; Kruger, P.; Miller, F.G.; Horne, R.N.; Brigham, W.E.; Rivera, J. (Stanford Geothermal Program)

    1987-01-22

    Preface The Twelfth Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering was held at Stanford University on January 20-22, 1987. The year ending December 1986 was very difficult for the domestic geothermal industry. Low oil prices caused a sharp drop in geothermal steam prices. We expected to see some effect upon attendance at the Twelfth Workshop. To our surprise, the attendance was up by thirteen from previous years, with one hundred and fifty-seven registered participants. Eight foreign countries were represented: England, France, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, and Turkey. Despite a worldwide surplus of oil, international geothermal interest and development is growing at a remarkable pace. There were forty-one technical presentations at the Workshop. All of these are published as papers in this Proceedings volume. Seven technical papers not presented at the Workshop are also published; they concern geothermal developments and research in Iceland, Italy, and New Zealand. In addition to these forty-eight technical presentations or papers, the introductory address was given by Henry J. Ramey, Jr. from the Stanford Geothermal Program. The Workshop Banquet speaker was John R. Berg from the Department of Energy. We thank him for sharing with the Workshop participants his thoughts on the expectations of this agency in the role of alternative energy resources, specifically geothermal, within the country???s energy framework. His talk is represented as a paper in the back of this volume. The chairmen of the technical sessions made an important contribution to the workshop. Other than Stanford faculty members they included: M. Gulati, K. Goyal, G.S. Bodvarsson, A.S. Batchelor, H. Dykstra, M.J. Reed, A. Truesdell, J.S. Gudmundsson, and J.R. Counsil. The Workshop was organized by the Stanford Geothermal Program faculty, staff, and students. We would like to thank Jean Cook, Marilyn King, Amy Osugi, Terri Ramey, and Rosalee Benelli for their valued help with the meeting

  12. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Owned and Operated Reservoirs

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Homeland Security — This dataset shows maximum conservation pool or is a reasonable representation of the boundaries for reservoirs and lakes owned and operated by USACE. Data is from...

  13. Reservoir souring: it is all about risk mitigation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kuijvenhoven, Cor [Shell (Canada)

    2011-07-01

    The presence of H2S in produced fluid can be due to various sources, among which are heat/rock interaction and leaks from other reservoirs. This paper discusses the reasons, risk assessment and tools for mitigating reservoir souring. Uncontrolled microorganism activity can cause a sweet reservoir (without H2S) to become sour (production of H2S). The development of bacteria is one of the main causes of reservoir souring in unconventional gas fields. It is difficult to predict souring in seawater due to produced water re-injection (PWRI). Risk assessment and modeling techniques for reservoir souring are discussed. Some of the factors controlling H2S production include injection location, presence of scavenging minerals and biogenic souring. Mitigation methods such as biocide treatment of injection water, sulphate removal from seawater, microbial monitoring techniques such as the molecular microbiology method (MMM), and enumeration by serial dilution are explained. In summary, it can be concluded that reservoir souring is a long-term problem and should be assessed at the beginning of operations.

  14. Cascade reservoir flood control operation based on risk grading and warning in the Upper Yellow River

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xuejiao, M.; Chang, J.; Wang, Y.

    2017-12-01

    Flood risk reduction with non-engineering measures has become the main idea for flood management. It is more effective for flood risk management to take various non-engineering measures. In this paper, a flood control operation model for cascade reservoirs in the Upper Yellow River was proposed to lower the flood risk of the water system with multi-reservoir by combining the reservoir flood control operation (RFCO) and flood early warning together. Specifically, a discharge control chart was employed to build the joint RFCO simulation model for cascade reservoirs in the Upper Yellow River. And entropy-weighted fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method was adopted to establish a multi-factorial risk assessment model for flood warning grade. Furthermore, after determining the implementing mode of countermeasures with future inflow, an intelligent optimization algorithm was used to solve the optimization model for applicable water release scheme. In addition, another model without any countermeasure was set to be a comparative experiment. The results show that the model developed in this paper can further decrease the flood risk of water system with cascade reservoirs. It provides a new approach to flood risk management by coupling flood control operation and flood early warning of cascade reservoirs.

  15. Problem Solving Method Based on E-Learning System for Engineering Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khazaal, Hasan F.

    2015-01-01

    Encouraging engineering students to handle advanced technology with multimedia, as well as motivate them to have the skills of solving the problem, are the missions of the teacher in preparing students for a modern professional career. This research proposes a scenario of problem solving in basic electrical circuits based on an e-learning system…

  16. Exploitation and Optimization of Reservoir Performance in Hunton Formation, Oklahoma, Budget Period I, Class Revisit

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kelkar, Mohan

    2002-04-02

    This report explains the unusual characteristics of West Carney Field based on detailed geological and engineering analyses. A geological history that explains the presence of mobile water and oil in the reservoir was proposed. The combination of matrix and fractures in the reservoir explains the reservoir?s flow behavior. We confirm our hypothesis by matching observed performance with a simulated model and develop procedures for correlating core data to log data so that the analysis can be extended to other, similar fields where the core coverage may be limited.

  17. Reservoir characterization of the Ordovician Red River Formation in southwest Williston Basin Bowman County, ND and Harding County, SD

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sippel, M.A.; Luff, K.D.; Hendricks, M.L.; Eby, D.E.

    1998-07-01

    This topical report is a compilation of characterizations by different disciplines of the Red River Formation in the southwest portion of the Williston Basin and the oil reservoirs which it contains in an area which straddles the state line between North Dakota and South Dakota. Goals of the report are to increase understanding of the reservoir rocks, oil-in-place, heterogeneity, and methods for improved recovery. The report is divided by discipline into five major sections: (1) geology, (2) petrography-petrophysical, (3) engineering, (4) case studies and (5) geophysical. Interwoven in these sections are results from demonstration wells which were drilled or selected for special testing to evaluate important concepts for field development and enhanced recovery. The Red River study area has been successfully explored with two-dimensional (2D) seismic. Improved reservoir characterization utilizing 3-dimensional (3D) and has been investigated for identification of structural and stratigraphic reservoir compartments. These seismic characterization tools are integrated with geological and engineering studies. Targeted drilling from predictions using 3D seismic for porosity development were successful in developing significant reserves at close distances to old wells. Short-lateral and horizontal drilling technologies were tested for improved completion efficiency. Lateral completions should improve economics for both primary and secondary recovery where low permeability is a problem and higher density drilling is limited by drilling cost. Low water injectivity and widely spaced wells have restricted the application of waterflooding in the past. Water injection tests were performed in both a vertical and a horizontal well. Data from these tests were used to predict long-term injection and oil recovery.

  18. Tidal phenomena in reservoirs; Fenomeno de mare em reservatorios

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pinilla Cortes, John Freddy

    1997-06-01

    This work models the oceanic tidal effect on reservoirs by coupling geomechanic principles with equations for fluid in a deformable porous media. The coupling revealed the importance of establishing properly the system compressibility under the various possible configurations of the loading system. The basic models for infinite reservoir, constant outer-pressure reservoir and closed reservoir were considered. It was verified that it was possible to apply the superposition of effects on the solution for the basic models by carrying a simple transformation on the solution variable. The problem was treated by in the context of test analysis, concerning dimensionless form of variables and the inclusion of well effects. The solution for the infinite reservoir including tidal effects. The solution for the infinite reservoir including tidal effects was obtained in the Laplace space and was inverted numerically by using Crump's routine. The results were incorporated to conventional type curves, and were validated by comparison with real and simulated pressure test data. Finally, alternate practices were suggested to integrate the well test analysis in reservoirs affected by the tidal effect. (author)

  19. Mapping of Reservoir Properties and Facies Through Integration of Static and Dynamic Data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reynolds, Albert C.; Oliver, Dean S.; Zhang, Fengjun; Dong, Yannong; Skjervheim, Jan Arild; Liu, Ning

    2003-03-10

    The goal of this project was to develop computationally efficient automatic history matching techniques for generating geologically plausible reservoir models which honor both static and dynamic data. Solution of this problem was necessary for the quantification of uncertainty in future reservoir performance predictions and for the optimization of reservoir management.

  20. Mapping of Reservoir Properties and Facies Through Integration of Static and Dynamic Data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oliver, Dean S.; Reynolds, Albert C.; Zhang, Fengjun; Li, Ruijian; Abacioglu, Yafes; Dong, Yannong

    2002-03-05

    The goal of this project was to develop computationally efficient automatic history matching techniques for generating geologically plausible reservoir models which honor both static and dynamic data. Solution of this problem is necessary for the quantification of uncertainty in future reservoir performance predictions and for the optimization of reservoir management.

  1. Hydraulic characterization of aquifers, reservoir rocks, and soils: A history of ideas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narasimhan, T. N.

    1998-01-01

    Estimation of the hydraulic properties of aquifers, petroleum reservoir rocks, and soil systems is a fundamental task in many branches of Earth sciences and engineering. The transient diffusion equation proposed by Fourier early in the 19th century for heat conduction in solids constitutes the basis for inverting hydraulic test data collected in the field to estimate the two basic parameters of interest, namely, hydraulic conductivity and hydraulic capacitance. Combining developments in fluid mechanics, heat conduction, and potential theory, the civil engineers of the 19th century, such as Darcy, Dupuit, and Forchheimer, solved many useful problems of steady state seepage of water. Interest soon shifted towards the understanding of the transient flow process. The turn of the century saw Buckingham establish the role of capillary potential in governing moisture movement in partially water-saturated soils. The 1920s saw remarkable developments in several branches of the Earth sciences; Terzaghi's analysis of deformation of watersaturated earth materials, the invention of the tensiometer by Willard Gardner, Meinzer's work on the compressibility of elastic aquifers, and the study of the mechanics of oil and gas reservoirs by Muskat and others. In the 1930s these led to a systematic analysis of pressure transients from aquifers and petroleum reservoirs through the work of Theis and Hurst. The response of a subsurface flow system to a hydraulic perturbation is governed by its geometric attributes as well as its material properties. In inverting field data to estimate hydraulic parameters, one makes the fundamental assumption that the flow geometry is known a priori. This approach has generally served us well in matters relating to resource development primarily concerned with forecasting fluid pressure declines. Over the past two decades, Earth scientists have become increasingly concerned with environmental contamination problems. The resolution of these problems

  2. Reservoir Modeling Combining Geostatistics with Markov Chain Monte Carlo Inversion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zunino, Andrea; Lange, Katrine; Melnikova, Yulia

    2014-01-01

    We present a study on the inversion of seismic reflection data generated from a synthetic reservoir model. Our aim is to invert directly for rock facies and porosity of the target reservoir zone. We solve this inverse problem using a Markov chain Monte Carlo (McMC) method to handle the nonlinear...

  3. Coupling of the reservoir simulator TOUGH and the wellbore simulator WFSA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hadgu, T.; Zimmerman, R.W.; Bodvarsson [Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (United States)

    1995-03-01

    The reservoir simulator TOUGH and the wellbore simulator WFSA have been coupled, so as to allow simultaneous modeling of the flow of geothermal brine in the reservoir as well as in the wellbore. A new module, COUPLE, allows WFSA to be called as a subroutine by TOUGH. The mass flowrate computed by WFSA now serves as a source/sink term for the TOUGH wellblocks. Sample problems are given to illustrate the use of the coupled codes. One of these problems compares the results of the new simulation method to those obtained using the deliverability option in TOUGH. The coupled computing procedure is shown to simulate more accurately the behavior of a geothermal reservoir under exploitation.

  4. Reservoir souring: Problems, uncertainties and modelling. Part I: Problems and uncertainty involved in prediction. Part II: Preliminary investigations of a computational model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paulsen, J.E.; Read, P.A.; Thompson, C.P.; Jelley, C.; Lezeau, P.

    1996-01-01

    The paper relates to improved oil recovery (IOR) techniques by mathematical modelling. The uncertainty involved in modelling of reservoir souring is discussed. IOR processes are speculated to influence a souring process in a positive direction. Most models do not take into account pH in reservoir fluids, and thus do not account for partitioning behaviour of sulfide. Also, sulfide is antagonistic to bacterial metabolism and impedes to bacterial metabolism and impedes the sulfate reduction rate, this may be an important factor in modelling. Biofilms are thought to play a crucial role in a reservoir souring process. Biofilm in a reservoir matrix is different from biofilm in open systems. This has major impact on microbial impact on microbial transport and behaviour. Studies on microbial activity in reservoir matrices must be carried out with model cores, in order to mimic a realistic situation. Sufficient data do not exist today. The main conclusion is that a model does not reflect a true situation before the nature of these elements is understood. A simplified version of an Norwegian developed biofilm model is discussed. The model incorporates all the important physical phenomena studied in the above references such as bacteria growth limited by nutrients and/or energy sources and hydrogen sulfide adsorption. 18 refs., 8 figs., 1 tab

  5. Reservoir souring: Problems, uncertainties and modelling. Part I: Problems and uncertainty involved in prediction. Part II: Preliminary investigations of a computational model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paulsen, J.E. [Rogalandsforskning, Stavanger (Norway); Read, P.A.; Thompson, C.P.; Jelley, C.; Lezeau, P.

    1996-12-31

    The paper relates to improved oil recovery (IOR) techniques by mathematical modelling. The uncertainty involved in modelling of reservoir souring is discussed. IOR processes are speculated to influence a souring process in a positive direction. Most models do not take into account pH in reservoir fluids, and thus do not account for partitioning behaviour of sulfide. Also, sulfide is antagonistic to bacterial metabolism and impedes to bacterial metabolism and impedes the sulfate reduction rate, this may be an important factor in modelling. Biofilms are thought to play a crucial role in a reservoir souring process. Biofilm in a reservoir matrix is different from biofilm in open systems. This has major impact on microbial impact on microbial transport and behaviour. Studies on microbial activity in reservoir matrices must be carried out with model cores, in order to mimic a realistic situation. Sufficient data do not exist today. The main conclusion is that a model does not reflect a true situation before the nature of these elements is understood. A simplified version of an Norwegian developed biofilm model is discussed. The model incorporates all the important physical phenomena studied in the above references such as bacteria growth limited by nutrients and/or energy sources and hydrogen sulfide adsorption. 18 refs., 8 figs., 1 tab.

  6. Master plan: Guntersville Reservoir Aquatic Plant Management. Executive summary

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1992-12-31

    In 1989, Congress provided funding to start a five-year comprehensive project to manage aquatic plants in Guntersville Reservoir, to be jointly implemented by the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). TVA serves as the overall project coordinator and is the lead agency for this project. Known as the Joint Agency Guntersville Project (JAGP), the project will test and demonstrate innovative management technologies, and incorporate the most effective technologies into a comprehensive aquatic plant management plan for Guntersville Reservoir. The JAGP is intended to serve as a National Demonstration Project for aquatic plant management. As part of this JAGP, the Master Plan for Aquatic Plant Management for the Guntersville Reservoir Project, Alabama-Tennessee is authorized by Corps Contract Number DACW62-90-C-0067.

  7. Opportunities to improve oil productivity in unstructured deltaic reservoirs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1991-01-01

    This report contains presentations presented at a technical symposium on oil production. Chapter 1 contains summaries of the presentations given at the Department of Energy (DOE)-sponsored symposium and key points of the discussions that followed. Chapter 2 characterizes the light oil resource from fluvial-dominated deltaic reservoirs in the Tertiary Oil Recovery Information System (TORIS). An analysis of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and advanced secondary recovery (ASR) potential for fluvial-dominated deltaic reservoirs based on recovery performance and economic modeling as well as the potential resource loss due to well abandonments is presented. Chapter 3 provides a summary of the general reservoir characteristics and properties within deltaic deposits. It is not exhaustive treatise, rather it is intended to provide some basic information about geologic, reservoir, and production characteristics of deltaic reservoirs, and the resulting recovery problems.

  8. Inverse problems in the design, modeling and testing of engineering systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alifanov, Oleg M.

    1991-01-01

    Formulations, classification, areas of application, and approaches to solving different inverse problems are considered for the design of structures, modeling, and experimental data processing. Problems in the practical implementation of theoretical-experimental methods based on solving inverse problems are analyzed in order to identify mathematical models of physical processes, aid in input data preparation for design parameter optimization, help in design parameter optimization itself, and to model experiments, large-scale tests, and real tests of engineering systems.

  9. Gendered practices of constructing an engineering identity in a problem-based learning environment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Du, Xiangyun

    2006-01-01

    of an engineering identity with masculinity and the culturally defined engineering competencies leads to different learning experiences for male and female students. The nature of hard-core engineering subjects, based on male interests, privileges men and acts as a barrier to women. The masculine culture......This article examines the learning experiences of engineering students of both genders in a problem-based and project-organized learning environment (PBL) at a Danish university. This study relates an amalgam of theories on learning and gender to the context of engineering education. Based on data...

  10. Optimal nonlinear information processing capacity in delay-based reservoir computers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grigoryeva, Lyudmila; Henriques, Julie; Larger, Laurent; Ortega, Juan-Pablo

    2015-09-01

    Reservoir computing is a recently introduced brain-inspired machine learning paradigm capable of excellent performances in the processing of empirical data. We focus in a particular kind of time-delay based reservoir computers that have been physically implemented using optical and electronic systems and have shown unprecedented data processing rates. Reservoir computing is well-known for the ease of the associated training scheme but also for the problematic sensitivity of its performance to architecture parameters. This article addresses the reservoir design problem, which remains the biggest challenge in the applicability of this information processing scheme. More specifically, we use the information available regarding the optimal reservoir working regimes to construct a functional link between the reservoir parameters and its performance. This function is used to explore various properties of the device and to choose the optimal reservoir architecture, thus replacing the tedious and time consuming parameter scannings used so far in the literature.

  11. Potential petrophysical and chemical property alterations in a compressed air energy storage porous rock reservoir

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stottlemyre, J.A.; Erikson, R.L.; Smith, R.P.

    1979-10-01

    Successful commercialization of Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) systems depends on long-term stability of the underground reservoirs subjected to somewhat unique operating conditions. Specifically, these conditions include elevated and time varying temperatures, effective stresses, and air humidities. To minimize the requirements for premium fuels, it may be desirable to retain the thermal energy of compression. Porous media, e.g., sandstone, may hold promise as elevated temperature reservoirs. In this study, a reservoir composed of clean quartz sandstone and injection air temperatures of 300 to 575/sup 0/K are assumed. Numerical modeling is used to estimate temperature, stress, and humidity conditions within this reference porous media reservoir. A discussion on relative importance to CAES of several potential porous media damage mechanisms is presented. In this context, damage is defined as a reduction in intrinsic permeability (measure of air transport capability), a decrease in effective porosity (measure of storage capability), or an increase in elastic and/or inelastic deformation of the porous material. The potential damage mechanisms presented include: (1) disaggregation, (2) particulate plugging, (3) boundary layer viscosity anomalies, (4) inelastic microstructural consolidation, (5) clay swelling and dispersion, (6) hydrothermal mineral alteration, (7) oxidation reactions, and (8) well casing corrosion. These mechanisms are placed in perspective with respect to anticipated CAES conditions and mechanisms suggested are: (1) of academic interest only, (2) readily identified and controlled via engineering, or (3) potential problem areas requiring additional investigation.

  12. Petroleum Characterisation and Reservoir Dynamics - The Froey Field and the Rind Discovery, Norwegian Continental Shelf

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bhullar, Abid G.

    1999-07-01

    The objective of this thesis is to apply the fundamental principles of petroleum geochemistry integrated with petroleum/reservoir engineering and geological concepts to the dynamics and characterisation of petroleum reservoirs. The study is based on 600 core samples and 9 DST oils from 11 wells in the Froey Field and the Rind Discovery. The work is presented in five papers. Paper 1 is a detailed characterisation of the reservoirs using a petroleum geochemical approach. Paper 2 describes the application of a single reservoir geochemical screening technique to exploration, appraisal and production geology and reservoir/petroleum engineering. Paper 3 compares the Iatroscan TLC-FID screening technique and the extraction efficiency of micro-extraction used in this work with the well-established Rock-Eval geochemical screening method and with the Soxtec extraction method. Paper 4 refines the migration and filling models of Paper 1, and Paper 5 presents a comparison of models of petroleum generation, migration and accumulation based on geochemical data with 1D burial history, a ''pseudo well'' based on actual well data and regional seismic analysis representing the hydrocarbon generative basin conditions.

  13. Seminar Neutronika-2012. Neutron-physical problems of nuclear-power engineering. Program and abstracts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2012-01-01

    On October, 30 - November, 2 in State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation - Institute for Physics and Power Engineering named after A.I. Leypunsky a seminar Neutron-physical problems of nuclear power engineering - Neutronika-2012 took place. On the seminar the following problems were discussed: justification of neutron-physical characteristics of reactor facilities and innovation projects; constant support of neutron-physical calculations of nuclear power installations; numerical simulation during solving reactor physics problems; simulation of neutron-physical processes in reactor facilities by Monte Carlo method; development and verification of programs for reactor facilities neutron-physical calculations; algorithms and programs for solving nonstationary problems of neutron-physical calculation of nuclear reactors; analysis of integral and reactor experiments, experimental database; justification of nuclear and radiation safety of fuel cycle [ru

  14. The Alphabet Soup of HIV Reservoir Markers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharaf, Radwa R; Li, Jonathan Z

    2017-04-01

    Despite the success of antiretroviral therapy in suppressing HIV, life-long therapy is required to avoid HIV reactivation from long-lived viral reservoirs. Currently, there is intense interest in searching for therapeutic interventions that can purge the viral reservoir to achieve complete remission in HIV patients off antiretroviral therapy. The evaluation of such interventions relies on our ability to accurately and precisely measure the true size of the viral reservoir. In this review, we assess the most commonly used HIV reservoir assays, as a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each is vital for the accurate interpretation of results and for the development of improved assays. The quantification of intracellular or plasma HIV RNA or DNA levels remains the most commonly used tests for the characterization of the viral reservoir. While cost-effective and high-throughput, these assays are not able to differentiate between replication-competent or defective fractions or quantify the number of infected cells. Viral outgrowth assays provide a lower bound for the fraction of cells that can produce infectious virus, but these assays are laborious, expensive and substantially underestimate the potential reservoir of replication-competent provirus. Newer assays are now available that seek to overcome some of these problems, including full-length proviral sequencing, inducible HIV RNA assays, ultrasensitive p24 assays and murine adoptive transfer techniques. The development and evaluation of strategies for HIV remission rely upon our ability to accurately and precisely quantify the size of the remaining viral reservoir. At this time, all current HIV reservoir assays have drawbacks such that combinations of assays are generally needed to gain a more comprehensive view of the viral reservoir. The development of novel, rapid, high-throughput assays that can sensitively quantify the levels of the replication-competent HIV reservoir is still needed.

  15. INTELLIGENT COMPUTING SYSTEM FOR RESERVOIR ANALYSIS AND RISK ASSESSMENT OF THE RED RIVER FORMATION

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mark A. Sippel; William C. Carrigan; Kenneth D. Luff; Lyn Canter

    2003-11-12

    Integrated software has been written that comprises the tool kit for the Intelligent Computing System (ICS). The software tools in ICS have been developed for characterization of reservoir properties and evaluation of hydrocarbon potential using a combination of inter-disciplinary data sources such as geophysical, geologic and engineering variables. The ICS tools provide a means for logical and consistent reservoir characterization and oil reserve estimates. The tools can be broadly characterized as (1) clustering tools, (2) neural solvers, (3) multiple-linear regression, (4) entrapment-potential calculator and (5) file utility tools. ICS tools are extremely flexible in their approach and use, and applicable to most geologic settings. The tools are primarily designed to correlate relationships between seismic information and engineering and geologic data obtained from wells, and to convert or translate seismic information into engineering and geologic terms or units. It is also possible to apply ICS in a simple framework that may include reservoir characterization using only engineering, seismic, or geologic data in the analysis. ICS tools were developed and tested using geophysical, geologic and engineering data obtained from an exploitation and development project involving the Red River Formation in Bowman County, North Dakota and Harding County, South Dakota. Data obtained from 3D seismic surveys, and 2D seismic lines encompassing nine prospective field areas were used in the analysis. The geologic setting of the Red River Formation in Bowman and Harding counties is that of a shallow-shelf, carbonate system. Present-day depth of the Red River formation is approximately 8000 to 10,000 ft below ground surface. This report summarizes production results from well demonstration activity, results of reservoir characterization of the Red River Formation at demonstration sites, descriptions of ICS tools and strategies for their application.

  16. Recycling of Clay Sediments for Geopolymer Binder Production. A New Perspective for Reservoir Management in the Framework of Italian Legislation: The Occhito Reservoir Case Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molino, Bruno; De Vincenzo, Annamaria; Ferone, Claudio; Messina, Francesco; Colangelo, Francesco; Cioffi, Raffaele

    2014-07-31

    Reservoir silting is an unavoidable issue. It is estimated that in Italy, the potential rate of silting-up in large reservoirs ranges from 0.1% to 1% in the presence of wooded river basins and intensive agricultural land use, respectively. In medium and small-sized reservoirs, these values vary between 0.3% and 2%. Considering both the types of reservoirs, the annual average loss of storage capacity would be of about 1.59%. In this paper, a management strategy aimed at sediment productive reuse is presented. Particularly, the main engineering outcomes of an extensive experimental program on geopolymer binder synthesis is reported. The case study deals with Occhito reservoir, located in Southern Italy. Clay sediments coming from this silted-up artificial lake were characterized, calcined and activated, by means of a wide set of alkaline activating solutions. The results showed the feasibility of this recovery process, optimizing a few chemical parameters. The possible reuse in building material production (binders, precast concrete, bricks, etc. ) represents a relevant sustainable alternative to landfill and other more consolidated practices.

  17. Recycling of Clay Sediments for Geopolymer Binder Production. A New Perspective for Reservoir Management in the Framework of Italian Legislation: The Occhito Reservoir Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruno Molino

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Reservoir silting is an unavoidable issue. It is estimated that in Italy, the potential rate of silting-up in large reservoirs ranges from 0.1% to 1% in the presence of wooded river basins and intensive agricultural land use, respectively. In medium and small-sized reservoirs, these values vary between 0.3% and 2%. Considering both the types of reservoirs, the annual average loss of storage capacity would be of about 1.59%. In this paper, a management strategy aimed at sediment productive reuse is presented. Particularly, the main engineering outcomes of an extensive experimental program on geopolymer binder synthesis is reported. The case study deals with Occhito reservoir, located in Southern Italy. Clay sediments coming from this silted-up artificial lake were characterized, calcined and activated, by means of a wide set of alkaline activating solutions. The results showed the feasibility of this recovery process, optimizing a few chemical parameters. The possible reuse in building material production (binders, precast concrete, bricks, etc. represents a relevant sustainable alternative to landfill and other more consolidated practices.

  18. Formation evaluation in liquid-dominated geothermal reservoirs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ershaghi, I.; Dougherty, E.E.; Handy, L.L.

    1981-04-01

    Studies relative to some formation evaluation aspects of geothermal reservoirs are reported. The particular reservoirs considered were the liquid dominated type with a lithology of the sedimentary nature. Specific problems of interest included the resistivity behavior of brines and rocks at elevated temperatures and studies on the feasibility of using the well log resistivity data to obtain estimates of reservoir permeability. Several papers summarizing the results of these studies were presented at various technical meetings for rapid dissemination of the results to potential users. These papers together with a summary of data most recently generated are included. A brief review of the research findings precedes the technical papers. Separate abstracts were prepared for four papers. Five papers were abstracted previously for EDB.

  19. Avoid, Control, Succumb, or Balance: Engineering Students' Approaches to a Wicked Sustainability Problem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lönngren, Johanna; Ingerman, Åke; Svanström, Magdalena

    2017-01-01

    Wicked sustainability problems (WSPs) are an important and particularly challenging type of problem. Science and engineering education can play an important role in preparing students to deal with such problems, but current educational practice may not adequately prepare students to do so. We address this gap by providing insights related to…

  20. Integration and the hold-up problem in the design organization for engineering projects

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zerjav, Vedran; Hartmann, Timo; Javernick-Will, A.; Chinowsky, P.

    2012-01-01

    The paper presents a perspective of the design organization in engineering projects based on the economic concept of the hold-up problem. By integrating the economic theories on the boundaries of organizations into the existing knowledge on design in engineering projects, the paper hypothesizes a

  1. Mercury mass balance study in Wujiangdu and Dongfeng Reservoirs, Guizhou, China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feng Xinbin; Jiang Hongmei; Qiu Guangle; Yan Haiyu; Li Guanghui; Li Zhonggen

    2009-01-01

    From October 2003 to September 2004, we conducted a detailed study on the mass balance of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) of Dongfeng (DF) and Wujiangdu (WJD) reservoirs, which were constructed in 1992 and 1979, respectively. Both reservoirs were net sinks for THg on an annual scale, absorbing 3319.5 g km -2 for DF Reservoir, and 489.2 g km -2 for WJD Reservoirs, respectively. However, both reservoirs were net sources of MeHg to the downstream ecosystems. DF Reservoir provided a source of 32.9 g MeHg km -2 yr -1 , yielding 10.3% of the amount of MeHg that entered the reservoir, and WJD Reservoir provided 140.9 g MeHg km -2 yr -1 , yielding 82.5% of MeHg inputs. Our results implied that water residence time is an important variable affecting Hg methylation rate in the reservoirs. Our study shows that building a series of reservoirs in line along a river changes the riverine system into a natural Hg methylation factory which markedly increases the %MeHg in the downstream reservoirs; in effect magnifying the MeHg buildup problem in reservoirs. - Reservoirs are the sink of total mercury but source of methylmercury to the aquatic systems.

  2. An integrated “Reservoir-Plant” strategy for a sustainable and efficient use of geothermal resources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Franco, Alessandro; Vaccaro, Maurizio

    2012-01-01

    A multidisciplinary approach for the design of geothermal power plants for water dominant resources is here proposed. The importance of a strategic approach is underlined, considering all the connections between the analysis of the geothermal potential of the reservoir (geophysical exploration and geochemical analysis) with the design of the plant based on thermodynamic and energy considerations, mainly regarding ORC (Organic Rankine Cycles) power plants. This multidisciplinary approach is fundamental for the objective of a sustainable exploitation of medium to low enthalpy sources. The aim of this study is to propose the optimization and management of the global system “reservoir-power plant” as the task of geothermal projects. This approach can be pursued only in a multidisciplinary perspective in which both Engineering and Geological aspects are involved. Numerical simulation appears to be an essential interacting step. After analyzing the problems caused by an incorrect characterization of geothermal source, reinjection temperature and strategy, a method for the numerical simulation of geothermal reservoirs long-term behavior/capacity is discussed. This could be the key instrument to synthesize the strategy inputs. A numerical modeling is performed, using as reference data the history matching of a well known and completely analyzed geothermal field. -- Highlights: ► Design of Binary plants based on Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). ► A multidisciplinary approach for the design of geothermal power plants is proposed. ► Optimization of global system Reservoir-Plant is the aim of a geothermal project. ► Numerical simulation is strategic for the design of a geothermal ORC power plant. ► A numerical model of a geothermal reservoir has been realized and simulated.

  3. Multipurpose Water Reservoir Management: An Evolutionary Multiobjective Optimization Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luís A. Scola

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The reservoirs that feed large hydropower plants should be managed in order to provide other uses for the water resources. Those uses include, for instance, flood control and avoidance, irrigation, navigability in the rivers, and other ones. This work presents an evolutionary multiobjective optimization approach for the study of multiple water usages in multiple interlinked reservoirs, including both power generation objectives and other objectives not related to energy generation. The classical evolutionary algorithm NSGA-II is employed as the basic multiobjective optimization machinery, being modified in order to cope with specific problem features. The case studies, which include the analysis of a problem which involves an objective of navigability on the river, are tailored in order to illustrate the usefulness of the data generated by the proposed methodology for decision-making on the problem of operation planning of multiple reservoirs with multiple usages. It is shown that it is even possible to use the generated data in order to determine the cost of any new usage of the water, in terms of the opportunity cost that can be measured on the revenues related to electric energy sales.

  4. Optimisation of production from an oil-reservoir using augmented Lagrangian methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Doublet, Daniel Christopher

    2007-07-01

    This work studies the use of augmented Lagrangian methods for water flooding production optimisation from an oil reservoir. Commonly, water flooding is used as a means to enhance oil recovery, and due to heterogeneous rock properties, water will flow with different velocities throughout the reservoir. Due to this, water breakthrough can occur when great regions of the reservoir are still unflooded so that much of the oil may become 'trapped' in the reservoir. To avoid or reduce this problem, one can control the production so that the oil recovery rate is maximised, or alternatively the net present value (NPV) of the reservoir is maximised. We have considered water flooding, using smart wells. Smart wells with down-hole valves gives us the possibility to control the injection/production at each of the valve openings along the well, so that it is possible to control the flowregime. One can control the injection/production at all valve openings, and the setting of the valves may be changed during the production period, which gives us a great deal of control over the production and we want to control the injection/ production so that the profit obtained from the reservoir is maximised. The problem is regarded as an optimal control problem, and it is formulated as an augmented Lagrangian saddle point problem. We develop a method for optimal control based on solving the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions for the augmented Lagrangian functional, a method, which to my knowledge has not been presented in the literature before. The advantage of this method is that we do not need to solve the forward problem for each new estimate of the control variables, which reduces the computational effort compared to other methods that requires the solution of the forward problem every time we find a new estimate of the control variables, such as the adjoint method. We test this method on several examples, where it is compared to the adjoint method. Our numerical experiments show

  5. Solving computationally expensive engineering problems

    CERN Document Server

    Leifsson, Leifur; Yang, Xin-She

    2014-01-01

    Computational complexity is a serious bottleneck for the design process in virtually any engineering area. While migration from prototyping and experimental-based design validation to verification using computer simulation models is inevitable and has a number of advantages, high computational costs of accurate, high-fidelity simulations can be a major issue that slows down the development of computer-aided design methodologies, particularly those exploiting automated design improvement procedures, e.g., numerical optimization. The continuous increase of available computational resources does not always translate into shortening of the design cycle because of the growing demand for higher accuracy and necessity to simulate larger and more complex systems. Accurate simulation of a single design of a given system may be as long as several hours, days or even weeks, which often makes design automation using conventional methods impractical or even prohibitive. Additional problems include numerical noise often pr...

  6. Operational trade-offs in reservoir control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Georgakakos, Aris P.

    1993-11-01

    Reservoir operation decisions require constant reevaluation in the face of conflicting objectives, varying hydrologic conditions, and frequent operational policy changes. Optimality is a relative concept very much dependent on the circumstances under which a decision is made. More than anything else, reservoir management authorities need the means to assess the impacts of various operational options. It is their responsibility to define what is desirable after a thorough evaluation of the existing circumstances. This article presents a model designed to generate operational trade-offs common among reservoir systems. The model avoids an all-encompassing problem formulation and distinguishes three operational modes (levels) corresponding to normal, drought, and flood operations. Each level addresses only relevant system elements and uses a static and a dynamic control module to optimize turbine performance within each planning period and temporally. The model is used for planning the operation of the Savannah River System.

  7. A theoretical study on the performances of thermoelectric heat engine and refrigerator with two-dimensional electron reservoirs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luo, Xiaoguang; Long, Kailin; Wang, Jun; Qiu, Teng; He, Jizhou; Liu, Nian

    2014-01-01

    Theoretical thermoelectric nanophysics models of low-dimensional electronic heat engine and refrigerator devices, comprising two-dimensional hot and cold reservoirs and an interconnecting filtered electron transport mechanism have been established. The models were used to numerically simulate and evaluate the thermoelectric performance and energy conversion efficiencies of these low-dimensional devices, based on three different types of electron transport momentum-dependent filters, referred to herein as k x , k y , and k r filters. Assuming the Fermi-Dirac distribution of electrons, expressions for key thermoelectric performance parameters were derived for the resonant transport processes, in which the transmission of electrons has been approximated as a Lorentzian resonance function. Optimizations were carried out and the corresponding optimized design parameters have been determined, including but not limited to the universal theoretical upper bound of the efficiency at maximum power for heat engines, and the maximum coefficient of performance for refrigerators. From the results, it was determined that k r filter delivers the best thermoelectric performance, followed by the k x filter, and then the k y filter. For refrigerators with any one of three filters, an optimum range for the full width at half maximum of the transport resonance was found to be B T.

  8. A review on hydraulic fracturing of unconventional reservoir

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Quanshu Li

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Hydraulic fracturing is widely accepted and applied to improve the gas recovery in unconventional reservoirs. Unconventional reservoirs to be addressed here are with very low permeability, complicated geological settings and in-situ stress field etc. All of these make the hydraulic fracturing process a challenging task. In order to effectively and economically recover gas from such reservoirs, the initiation and propagation of hydraulic fracturing in the heterogeneous fractured/porous media under such complicated conditions should be mastered. In this paper, some issues related to hydraulic fracturing have been reviewed, including the experimental study, field study and numerical simulation. Finally the existing problems that need to be solved on the subject of hydraulic fracturing have been proposed.

  9. Bayesian inversion of seismic and electromagnetic data for marine gas reservoir characterization using multi-chain Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ren, Huiying; Ray, Jaideep; Hou, Zhangshuan; Huang, Maoyi; Bao, Jie; Swiler, Laura

    2017-12-01

    In this study we developed an efficient Bayesian inversion framework for interpreting marine seismic amplitude versus angle (AVA) and controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM) data for marine reservoir characterization. The framework uses a multi-chain Markov-chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampler, which is a hybrid of DiffeRential Evolution Adaptive Metropolis (DREAM) and Adaptive Metropolis (AM) samplers. The inversion framework is tested by estimating reservoir-fluid saturations and porosity based on marine seismic and CSEM data. The multi-chain MCMC is scalable in terms of the number of chains, and is useful for computationally demanding Bayesian model calibration in scientific and engineering problems. As a demonstration, the approach is used to efficiently and accurately estimate the porosity and saturations in a representative layered synthetic reservoir. The results indicate that the seismic AVA and CSEM joint inversion provides better estimation of reservoir saturations than the seismic AVA-only inversion, especially for the parameters in deep layers. The performance of the inversion approach for various levels of noise in observational data was evaluated – reasonable estimates can be obtained with noise levels up to 25%. Sampling efficiency due to the use of multiple chains was also checked and was found to have almost linear scalability.

  10. Bayesian inversion of seismic and electromagnetic data for marine gas reservoir characterization using multi-chain Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ren, Huiying; Ray, Jaideep; Hou, Zhangshuan; Huang, Maoyi; Bao, Jie; Swiler, Laura

    2017-01-01

    In this paper we developed an efficient Bayesian inversion framework for interpreting marine seismic Amplitude Versus Angle and Controlled-Source Electromagnetic data for marine reservoir characterization. The framework uses a multi-chain Markov-chain Monte Carlo sampler, which is a hybrid of DiffeRential Evolution Adaptive Metropolis and Adaptive Metropolis samplers. The inversion framework is tested by estimating reservoir-fluid saturations and porosity based on marine seismic and Controlled-Source Electromagnetic data. The multi-chain Markov-chain Monte Carlo is scalable in terms of the number of chains, and is useful for computationally demanding Bayesian model calibration in scientific and engineering problems. As a demonstration, the approach is used to efficiently and accurately estimate the porosity and saturations in a representative layered synthetic reservoir. The results indicate that the seismic Amplitude Versus Angle and Controlled-Source Electromagnetic joint inversion provides better estimation of reservoir saturations than the seismic Amplitude Versus Angle only inversion, especially for the parameters in deep layers. The performance of the inversion approach for various levels of noise in observational data was evaluated — reasonable estimates can be obtained with noise levels up to 25%. Sampling efficiency due to the use of multiple chains was also checked and was found to have almost linear scalability.

  11. Bayesian inversion of seismic and electromagnetic data for marine gas reservoir characterization using multi-chain Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Huiying; Ray, Jaideep; Hou, Zhangshuan; Huang, Maoyi; Bao, Jie; Swiler, Laura

    2017-12-01

    In this study we developed an efficient Bayesian inversion framework for interpreting marine seismic Amplitude Versus Angle and Controlled-Source Electromagnetic data for marine reservoir characterization. The framework uses a multi-chain Markov-chain Monte Carlo sampler, which is a hybrid of DiffeRential Evolution Adaptive Metropolis and Adaptive Metropolis samplers. The inversion framework is tested by estimating reservoir-fluid saturations and porosity based on marine seismic and Controlled-Source Electromagnetic data. The multi-chain Markov-chain Monte Carlo is scalable in terms of the number of chains, and is useful for computationally demanding Bayesian model calibration in scientific and engineering problems. As a demonstration, the approach is used to efficiently and accurately estimate the porosity and saturations in a representative layered synthetic reservoir. The results indicate that the seismic Amplitude Versus Angle and Controlled-Source Electromagnetic joint inversion provides better estimation of reservoir saturations than the seismic Amplitude Versus Angle only inversion, especially for the parameters in deep layers. The performance of the inversion approach for various levels of noise in observational data was evaluated - reasonable estimates can be obtained with noise levels up to 25%. Sampling efficiency due to the use of multiple chains was also checked and was found to have almost linear scalability.

  12. Freshwater reservoir effect variability in Northern Germany

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Philippsen, B.; Heinemeier, J.

    2013-01-01

    The freshwater reservoir effect is a potential problem when radiocarbon dating fish bones, shells, human bones, or food crusts on pottery from sites near rivers or lakes. The reservoir age in hardwater rivers can be up to several thousand years and may be highly variable. Accurate 14C dating of f...... that can also be expected for the past. This knowledge will be applied to the dating of food crusts on pottery from the Mesolithic sites Kayhude at the Alster River and Schlamersdorf at the Trave River, both in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany....

  13. Improving Geologic and Engineering Models of Midcontinent Fracture and Karst-Modified Reservoirs Using New 3-D Seismic Attributes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Susan Nissen; Saibal Bhattacharya; W. Lynn Watney; John Doveton

    2009-03-31

    Our project goal was to develop innovative seismic-based workflows for the incremental recovery of oil from karst-modified reservoirs within the onshore continental United States. Specific project objectives were: (1) to calibrate new multi-trace seismic attributes (volumetric curvature, in particular) for improved imaging of karst-modified reservoirs, (2) to develop attribute-based, cost-effective workflows to better characterize karst-modified carbonate reservoirs and fracture systems, and (3) to improve accuracy and predictiveness of resulting geomodels and reservoir simulations. In order to develop our workflows and validate our techniques, we conducted integrated studies of five karst-modified reservoirs in west Texas, Colorado, and Kansas. Our studies show that 3-D seismic volumetric curvature attributes have the ability to re-veal previously unknown features or provide enhanced visibility of karst and fracture features compared with other seismic analysis methods. Using these attributes, we recognize collapse features, solution-enlarged fractures, and geomorphologies that appear to be related to mature, cockpit landscapes. In four of our reservoir studies, volumetric curvature attributes appear to delineate reservoir compartment boundaries that impact production. The presence of these compartment boundaries was corroborated by reservoir simulations in two of the study areas. Based on our study results, we conclude that volumetric curvature attributes are valuable tools for mapping compartment boundaries in fracture- and karst-modified reservoirs, and we propose a best practices workflow for incorporating these attributes into reservoir characterization. When properly calibrated with geological and production data, these attributes can be used to predict the locations and sizes of undrained reservoir compartments. Technology transfer of our project work has been accomplished through presentations at professional society meetings, peer-reviewed publications

  14. Collaborative Systems Thinking: A Response to the Problems Faced by Systems Engineering's 'Middle Tier'

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phfarr, Barbara B.; So, Maria M.; Lamb, Caroline Twomey; Rhodes, Donna H.

    2009-01-01

    Experienced systems engineers are adept at more than implementing systems engineering processes: they utilize systems thinking to solve complex engineering problems. Within the space industry demographics and economic pressures are reducing the number of experienced systems engineers that will be available in the future. Collaborative systems thinking within systems engineering teams is proposed as a way to integrate systems engineers of various experience levels to handle complex systems engineering challenges. This paper uses the GOES-R Program Systems Engineering team to illustrate the enablers and barriers to team level systems thinking and to identify ways in which performance could be improved. Ways NASA could expand its engineering training to promote team-level systems thinking are proposed.

  15. Multi-data reservoir history matching of crosswell seismic, electromagnetics and gravimetry data

    KAUST Repository

    Katterbauer, Klemens

    2014-01-01

    Reservoir engineering has become of prime importance for oil and gas field development projects. With rising complexity, reservoir simulations and history matching have become critical for fine-tuning reservoir production strategies, improved subsurface formation knowledge and forecasting remaining reserves. The sparse spatial sampling of production data has posed a significant challenge for reducing uncertainty of subsurface parameters. Seismic, electromagnetic and gravimetry techniques have found widespread application in enhancing exploration for oil and gas and monitor reservoirs, however these data have been interpreted and analyzed mostly separately rarely utilizing the synergy effects that may be attainable. With the incorporation of multiple data into the reservoir history matching process there has been the request knowing the impact each incorporated observation has on the estimation. We present multi-data ensemble-based history matching framework for the incorporation of multiple data such as seismic, electromagnetics, and gravimetry for improved reservoir history matching and provide an adjointfree ensemble sensitivity method to compute the impact of each observation on the estimated reservoir parameters. The incorporation of all data sets displays the advantages multiple data may provide for enhancing reservoir understanding and matching, with the impact of each data set on the matching improvement being determined by the ensemble sensitivity method.

  16. Petroleum reservoir fault reactivation problem analysis through finite element viscodamage model; Analise de problema de reativacao de falha em reservatorio de petroleo por modelo de viscodano via metodo dos elementos finitos

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fernandes, Julliana de P.V.; Guimaraes, Leonardo J. do N.; Gomes, Igor F.; Pontes Filho, Ivaldo Dario da S. [Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE (Brazil)

    2008-07-01

    Recently, many new constitutive models for geomechanical materials were developed taking into account its complex behavior. The continuum damage mechanics, formulated according to irreversible thermodynamics principles, can be used to model materials subjected to degradation of its mechanical properties. Reservoir depletion may result in compaction and subsidence that induces fault reactivation, among others consequences. The fault reactivation problem in petroleum reservoirs has been widely studied as its changes completely the flow regime in subsurface. Isotropic damage model can be used to model the fault reactivation process, where its hydro-mechanical properties (stiffness and permeability) are affected during the reservoir production. In this paper, a fault reactivation case in a synthetic reservoir is presented and a sensibility analysis is carried out to identify the main variables that influence this process. (author)

  17. Gas condensate reservoir performance : part 1 : fluid characterization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thomas, F.B.; Bennion, D.B. [Hycal Energy Research Laboratories Ltd., Calgary, AB (Canada); Andersen, G. [ChevronTexaco, Calgary, AB (Canada)

    2006-07-01

    Phase behaviour in gas condensate reservoirs is sensitive to changes in pressure and temperature, which can lead to significant errors in fluid characterization. The challenging task of characterizing in situ fluids in gas condensate reservoirs was discussed with reference to the errors that occur as a result of the complex coupling between phase behavior and geology. This paper presented techniques for reservoir sampling and characterization and proposed methods for minimizing errors. Errors are often made in the classification of dew point systems because engineering criteria does not accurately represent the phase behavior of the reservoir. For example, the fluid of a certain condensate yield may be categorized as a wet gas rather than a retrograde condensate fluid. It was noted that the liquid yield does not dictate whether the fluid is condensate or wet gas, but rather where the reservoir temperature is situated in the pressure temperature phase loop. In order to proceed with a viable field development plan and optimization, the reservoir fluid must be understood. Given that gas productivity decreases with liquid drop out in the near wellbore region, capillary pressure plays a significant role in retrograde reservoirs. It was noted that well understood parameters will lead to a better assessment of the amount of hydrocarbon in place, the rate at which the resource can be produced and optimization strategies as the reservoir matures. It was concluded that multi-rate sampling is the best method to use in sampling fluids since the liquid yield changes as a function of rate. Although bottom-hole sampling in gas condensate reservoirs may be problematic, it should always be performed to address any concerns for liquid-solid separation. Produced fluids typically reveal a specific signature that informs the operator of in situ properties. This paper presented examples that pertain to wet versus retrograde condensate behavior and the presence of an oil zone. The

  18. Power control system for a hot gas engine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berntell, John O.

    1986-01-01

    A power control system for a hot gas engine of the type in which the power output is controlled by varying the mean pressure of the working gas charge in the engine has according to the present invention been provided with two working gas reservoirs at substantially different pressure levels. At working gas pressures below the lower of said levels the high pressure gas reservoir is cut out from the control system, and at higher pressures the low pressure gas reservoir is cut out from the system, thereby enabling a single one-stage compressor to handle gas within a wide pressure range at a low compression ratio.

  19. Decision Analysis on Survey and SOil Investigation Problem in Power Engineering Consultant

    OpenAIRE

    Setyaman, Amy Maulany; Sunitiyoso, Yos

    2013-01-01

    The study aims to gather and organize information for decision making against the problems arising in Power Engineering Consultant's survey and soil investigation product due to new policy in production cost efficiency that is implemented in 2012. The study conducted using Kepner and Tragoe's analytical process that consisted of four stages analytical process such as situation analysis, problem analysis, decision making analysis and potential problem analysis. As for the decision making analy...

  20. Chalk as a reservoir

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fabricius, Ida Lykke

    , and the best reservoir properties are typically found in mudstone intervals. Chalk mudstones vary a lot though. The best mudstones are purely calcitic, well sorted and may have been redeposited by traction currents. Other mudstones are rich in very fine grained silica, which takes up pore space and thus...... basin, so stylolite formation in the chalk is controlled by effective burial stress. The stylolites are zones of calcite dissolution and probably are the source of calcite for porefilling cementation which is typical in water zone chalk and also affect the reservoirs to different extent. The relatively...... have hardly any stylolites and can have porosity above 40% or even 50% and thus also have relatively high permeability. Such intervals have the problem though, that increasing effective stress caused by hydrocarbon production results in mechanical compaction and overall subsidence. Most other chalk...

  1. Integrating geologic and engineering data into 3-D reservoir models: an example from norman wells field, NWT, Canada

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yose, L.A.

    2004-01-01

    A case study of the Norman Wells field will be presented to highlight the work-flow and data integration steps associated with characterization and modeling of a complex hydrocarbon reservoir. Norman Wells is a Devonian-age carbonate bank ('reef') located in the Northwest Territories of Canada, 60 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle. The reservoir reaches a maximum thickness of 130 meters in the reef interior and thins toward the basin due to depositional pinch outs. Norman Wells is an oil reservoir and is currently under a 5-spot water injection scheme for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). EOR strategies require a detailed understanding of how reservoir flow units, flow barriers and flow baffles are distributed to optimize hydrocarbon sweep and recovery and to minimize water handling. Reservoir models are routinely used by industry to characterize the 3-D distribution of reservoir architecture (stratigraphic layers, depositional facies, faults) and rock properties (porosity. permeability). Reservoir models are validated by matching historical performance data (e.g., reservoir pressures, well production or injection rates). Geologic models are adjusted until they produce a history match, and model adjustments are focused on inputs that have the greatest geologic uncertainty. Flow simulation models are then used to optimize field development strategies and to forecast field performance under different development scenarios. (author)

  2. Considering heterogeneities by transmissibilities averaging on adapted meshes in reservoir simulation; Prise en compte des heterogeneites par prise de moyenne des transmissivites sur maillages adaptes en simulation de reservoir

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Urgelli, D

    1998-10-16

    Reservoir heterogeneity can be described using geostatistical models. But these models generate the heterogeneity on millions of fine grid blocks, which leads to prohibitive computational costs for reservoir simulations. In order to reduce the number of grid blocks, averaging techniques are needed to up-scale the fine scale permeabilities to the larger scales appropriate for flow simulation and engineering calculations. Grid block permeability up-scaling for numerical reservoir simulations has been discussed for a long time in the literature. It is now recognized that a full permeability tensor is needed to get an accurate reservoir description. But, the equivalent permeability on coarse grid blocks cannot be used directly on the numerical scheme. Usually, the harmonic average of the coarse grid block permeability is used for the transmissibility calculation, but it might cause a loss of accuracy. The purpose of this thesis is to present a new procedure for computing the equivalent transmissibility in the discretized flow equations on Cartesian grids and Corner Point Geometry grids. An application of this technique to a finite volume type numerical scheme is detailed. The principle of this technique is to calculate a permeability term on a shifted block placed between the two adjacent blocks where the transmissibility must be determined. At the field scale, the flow region can be divided into two types : a linear flow pattern with a low pressure gradient far from the wells and a radial flow pattern with a high pressure gradient in the vicinity of the wells. The radial flow region is usually more important for the prediction of production forecast, because it is directly related to the well. This was demonstrated theoretically and numerically for 2-D problem. The transmissibility up-scaling in radial flow pattern consists to determine the transmissibilities in the vicinity of wells and the numerical Productivity Index simultaneously. This new method called `shifted

  3. Engineering Encounters: Identifying an Engineering Design Problem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chizek, Lisa; VanMeeteren, Beth; McDermott, Mark; Uhlenberg, Jill

    2018-01-01

    Engineering is an intriguing way for students to connect the design process with their knowledge of science (NRC 2012). This article describes the "Engineering a Pancake Recipe" design process which was created to make the structure and properties of matter more meaningful for fifth grade students. The whole pancake recipe engineering…

  4. Fortescue reservoir development and reservoir studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Henzell, S.T.; Hicks, G.J.; Horden, M.J.; Irrgang, H.R.; Janssen, E.J.; Kable, C.W.; Mitchell, R.A.H.; Morrell, N.W.; Palmer, I.D.; Seage, N.W.

    1985-03-01

    The Fortescue field in the Gippsland Basin, offshore southeastern Australia is being developed from two platforms (Fortescue A and Cobia A) by Esso Australia Ltd. (operator) and BHP Petroleum. The Fortescue reservoir is a stratigraphic trap at the top of the Latrobe Group of sediments. It overlies the western flank of the Halibut and Cobia fields and is separated from them by a non-net sequence of shales and coals which form a hydraulic barrier between the two systems. Development drilling into the Fortescue reservoir commenced in April 1983 with production coming onstream in May 1983. Fortescue, with booked reserves of 44 stock tank gigalitres (280 million stock tank barrels) of 43/sup 0/ API oil, is the seventh major oil reservoir to be developed in the offshore Gippsland Basin by Esso/BHP. In mid-1984, after drilling a total of 20 exploration and development wells, and after approximately one year of production, a detailed three-dimensional, two-phase reservoir simulation study was performed to examine the recovery efficiency, drainage patterns, pressure performance and production rate potential of the reservoir. The model was validated by history matching an extensive suite of Repeat Formation Test (RFT) pressure data. The results confirmed the reserves basis, and demonstrated that the ultimate oil recovery from the reservoir is not sensitive to production rate. This result is consistent with studies on other high quality Latrobe Group reservoirs in the Gippsland Basin which contain undersaturated crudes and receive very strong water drive from the Basin-wide aquifer system. With the development of the simulation model during the development phase, it has been possible to more accurately define the optimal well pattern for the remainder of the development.

  5. Avoid, Control, Succumb, or Balance: Engineering Students' Approaches to a Wicked Sustainability Problem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lönngren, Johanna; Ingerman, Åke; Svanström, Magdalena

    2017-08-01

    Wicked sustainability problems (WSPs) are an important and particularly challenging type of problem. Science and engineering education can play an important role in preparing students to deal with such problems, but current educational practice may not adequately prepare students to do so. We address this gap by providing insights related to students' abilities to address WSPs. Specifically, we aim to (I) describe key constituents of engineering students' approaches to a WSP, (II) evaluate these approaches in relation to the normative context of education for sustainable development (ESD), and (III) identify relevant aspects of learning related to WSPs. Aim I is addressed through a phenomenographic study, while aims II and III are addressed by relating the results to research literature about human problem solving, sustainable development, and ESD. We describe four qualitatively different ways of approaching a specific WSP, as the outcome of the phenomenographic study: A. Simplify and avoid, B. Divide and control, C. Isolate and succumb, and D. Integrate and balance. We identify approach D as the most appropriate approach in the context of ESD, while A and C are not. On this basis, we identify three learning objectives related to students' abilities to address WSPs: learn to use a fully integrative approach, distinguish WSPs from tame and well-structured problems, and understand and consider the normative context of SD. Finally, we provide recommendations for how these learning objectives can be used to guide the design of science and engineering educational activities.

  6. Advantageous Reservoir Characterization Technology in Extra Low Permeability Oil Reservoirs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yutian Luo

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper took extra low permeability reservoirs in Dagang Liujianfang Oilfield as an example and analyzed different types of microscopic pore structures by SEM, casting thin sections fluorescence microscope, and so on. With adoption of rate-controlled mercury penetration, NMR, and some other advanced techniques, based on evaluation parameters, namely, throat radius, volume percentage of mobile fluid, start-up pressure gradient, and clay content, the classification and assessment method of extra low permeability reservoirs was improved and the parameter boundaries of the advantageous reservoirs were established. The physical properties of reservoirs with different depth are different. Clay mineral variation range is 7.0%, and throat radius variation range is 1.81 μm, and start pressure gradient range is 0.23 MPa/m, and movable fluid percentage change range is 17.4%. The class IV reservoirs account for 9.56%, class II reservoirs account for 12.16%, and class III reservoirs account for 78.29%. According to the comparison of different development methods, class II reservoir is most suitable for waterflooding development, and class IV reservoir is most suitable for gas injection development. Taking into account the gas injection in the upper section of the reservoir, the next section of water injection development will achieve the best results.

  7. MeProRisk - a toolbox for evaluating risks in exploration, development, and operation of geothermal reservoirs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clauser, C.

    2009-04-01

    When developing geothermal resources, the risk of failure is still high when compared to hydrocarbon exploration. The MeProRisk projects aims at the improvement of strategies in all phases of the reservoir life cycle. It is a joint enterprise of five university institutes at RWTH Aachen University, Free University Berlin, and Kiel University. Two partners, namely Geophysica Beratunggesellschaft mbH, (Aachen), and RWE Dea AG (Hamburg) present the industrial side. It is funded by the German Ministry of Education and Science (BMBF). The key idea followed in this project is that the development of the understanding of a given reservoir is an iterative process. Starting from geological base knowledge and geophysical exploration one or more conceptual models will emerge, which will be incorporated in first numerical models. The use of inverse techniques in a broad sense will not only lead to an optimal model, but will produce uncertainty and resolution estimates for this model. This information may be used for further setup of optimal experiments, including the choice of exploration well locations. In later stages of reservoir development, the numerical models will be continuously updated based on the most recent models. Once wells have been drilled, the character of experiments shifts from static methods to dynamic interaction with the reservoir, e.g. by injection experiments and their monitoring. The use of all the methods with one simulation tool poses large challenges. Inverse problems require orders of magnitude larger computer resources, and the development of appropriate theoretical and numerical methods for this is on of the primary aims of this project. Due to the less obvious signatures of geothermally relevant targets, it is also necessary to improve the experimental base for model setup and update by developing new and better methods for some of the key problems in the case of geothermal targets. Among these are the development of methods to estimate

  8. Application of Integrated Reservoir Management and Reservoir Characterization to Optimize Infill Drilling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    P. K. Pande

    1998-10-29

    Initial drilling of wells on a uniform spacing, without regard to reservoir performance and characterization, must become a process of the past. Such efforts do not optimize reservoir development as they fail to account for the complex nature of reservoir heterogeneities present in many low permeability reservoirs, and carbonate reservoirs in particular. These reservoirs are typically characterized by: o Large, discontinuous pay intervals o Vertical and lateral changes in reservoir properties o Low reservoir energy o High residual oil saturation o Low recovery efficiency

  9. A priori data-driven multi-clustered reservoir generation algorithm for echo state network.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiumin Li

    Full Text Available Echo state networks (ESNs with multi-clustered reservoir topology perform better in reservoir computing and robustness than those with random reservoir topology. However, these ESNs have a complex reservoir topology, which leads to difficulties in reservoir generation. This study focuses on the reservoir generation problem when ESN is used in environments with sufficient priori data available. Accordingly, a priori data-driven multi-cluster reservoir generation algorithm is proposed. The priori data in the proposed algorithm are used to evaluate reservoirs by calculating the precision and standard deviation of ESNs. The reservoirs are produced using the clustering method; only the reservoir with a better evaluation performance takes the place of a previous one. The final reservoir is obtained when its evaluation score reaches the preset requirement. The prediction experiment results obtained using the Mackey-Glass chaotic time series show that the proposed reservoir generation algorithm provides ESNs with extra prediction precision and increases the structure complexity of the network. Further experiments also reveal the appropriate values of the number of clusters and time window size to obtain optimal performance. The information entropy of the reservoir reaches the maximum when ESN gains the greatest precision.

  10. The role of reservoir characterization in the reservoir management process (as reflected in the Department of Energy`s reservoir management demonstration program)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fowler, M.L. [BDM-Petroleum Technologies, Bartlesville, OK (United States); Young, M.A.; Madden, M.P. [BDM-Oklahoma, Bartlesville, OK (United States)] [and others

    1997-08-01

    Optimum reservoir recovery and profitability result from guidance of reservoir practices provided by an effective reservoir management plan. Success in developing the best, most appropriate reservoir management plan requires knowledge and consideration of (1) the reservoir system including rocks, and rock-fluid interactions (i.e., a characterization of the reservoir) as well as wellbores and associated equipment and surface facilities; (2) the technologies available to describe, analyze, and exploit the reservoir; and (3) the business environment under which the plan will be developed and implemented. Reservoir characterization is the essential to gain needed knowledge of the reservoir for reservoir management plan building. Reservoir characterization efforts can be appropriately scaled by considering the reservoir management context under which the plan is being built. Reservoir management plans de-optimize with time as technology and the business environment change or as new reservoir information indicates the reservoir characterization models on which the current plan is based are inadequate. BDM-Oklahoma and the Department of Energy have implemented a program of reservoir management demonstrations to encourage operators with limited resources and experience to learn, implement, and disperse sound reservoir management techniques through cooperative research and development projects whose objectives are to develop reservoir management plans. In each of the three projects currently underway, careful attention to reservoir management context assures a reservoir characterization approach that is sufficient, but not in excess of what is necessary, to devise and implement an effective reservoir management plan.

  11. Local Refinement of the Super Element Model of Oil Reservoir

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.B. Mazo

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a two-stage method for petroleum reservoir simulation. The method uses two models with different degrees of detailing to describe hydrodynamic processes of different space-time scales. At the first stage, the global dynamics of the energy state of the deposit and reserves is modeled (characteristic scale of such changes is km / year. The two-phase flow equations in the model of global dynamics operate with smooth averaged pressure and saturation fields, and they are solved numerically on a large computational grid of super-elements with a characteristic cell size of 200-500 m. The tensor coefficients of the super-element model are calculated using special procedures of upscaling of absolute and relative phase permeabilities. At the second stage, a local refinement of the super-element model is constructed for calculating small-scale processes (with a scale of m / day, which take place, for example, during various geological and technical measures aimed at increasing the oil recovery of a reservoir. Then we solve the two-phase flow problem in the selected area of the measure exposure on a detailed three-dimensional grid, which resolves the geological structure of the reservoir, and with a time step sufficient for describing fast-flowing processes. The initial and boundary conditions of the local problem are formulated on the basis of the super-element solution. This approach allows us to reduce the computational costs in order to solve the problems of designing and monitoring the oil reservoir. To demonstrate the proposed approach, we give an example of the two-stage modeling of the development of a layered reservoir with a local refinement of the model during the isolation of a water-saturated high-permeability interlayer. We show a good compliance between the locally refined solution of the super-element model in the area of measure exposure and the results of numerical modeling of the whole history of reservoir

  12. Reservoir compartmentalization and management strategies: Lessons learned in the Illinois basin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grube, J.P.; Crockett, J.E.; Huff, B.G. [and others

    1997-08-01

    A research project jointly sponsored by the US Department of Energy and the Illinois State Geological Survey focused on the Cypress and Aux Vases Formations (Mississippian), major clastic reservoirs in the Illinois Basin. Results from the research showed that understanding the nature and distribution of reservoir compartments, and using effective reservoir management strategies, can significantly improve recovery efficiencies from oil fields in this mature basin. Compartments can be most effectively drained where they are geologically well defined and reservoir management practices are coordinated through unified, compartment-wide, development programs. Our studies showed that the Cypress and Aux Vases reservoirs contain lateral and vertical permeability barriers forming compartments that range in size from isolated, interlaminated sandstone and shale beds to sandstone bodies tens of feet in thickness and more than a mile in length. Stacked or shingled, genetically similar sandstone bodies are commonly separated by thin impermeable intervals that can be difficult to distinguish on logs and can, therefore, cause correlation problems, even between wells drilled on spacing of less than ten acres. Lateral separation of sandstone bodies causes similar problems. Reservoir compartmentalization reduces primary and particularly secondary recovery by trapping pockets of by-passed or banked oil. Compartments can be detected by comparing recovery factors of genetically similar sandstone bodies within a field; using packers to separate commingled intervals and analyzing fluid recoveries and pressures; making detailed core-to-log calibrations that identify compartment boundaries; and analyzing pressure data from waterflood programs.

  13. Fuzzy rule-based model for hydropower reservoirs operation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moeini, R.; Afshar, A.; Afshar, M.H. [School of Civil Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2011-02-15

    Real-time hydropower reservoir operation is a continuous decision-making process of determining the water level of a reservoir or the volume of water released from it. The hydropower operation is usually based on operating policies and rules defined and decided upon in strategic planning. This paper presents a fuzzy rule-based model for the operation of hydropower reservoirs. The proposed fuzzy rule-based model presents a set of suitable operating rules for release from the reservoir based on ideal or target storage levels. The model operates on an 'if-then' principle, in which the 'if' is a vector of fuzzy premises and the 'then' is a vector of fuzzy consequences. In this paper, reservoir storage, inflow, and period are used as premises and the release as the consequence. The steps involved in the development of the model include, construction of membership functions for the inflow, storage and the release, formulation of fuzzy rules, implication, aggregation and defuzzification. The required knowledge bases for the formulation of the fuzzy rules is obtained form a stochastic dynamic programming (SDP) model with a steady state policy. The proposed model is applied to the hydropower operation of ''Dez'' reservoir in Iran and the results are presented and compared with those of the SDP model. The results indicate the ability of the method to solve hydropower reservoir operation problems. (author)

  14. Engineering Courses on Computational Thinking Through Solving Problems in Artificial Intelligence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Piyanuch Silapachote

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Computational thinking sits at the core of every engineering and computing related discipline. It has increasingly emerged as its own subject in all levels of education. It is a powerful cornerstone for cognitive development, creative problem solving, algorithmic thinking and designs, and programming. How to effectively teach computational thinking skills poses real challenges and creates opportunities. Targeting entering computer science and engineering undergraduates, we resourcefully integrate elements from artificial intelligence (AI into introductory computing courses. In addition to comprehension of the essence of computational thinking, practical exercises in AI enable inspirations of collaborative problem solving beyond abstraction, logical reasoning, critical and analytical thinking. Problems in machine intelligence systems intrinsically connect students to algorithmic oriented computing and essential mathematical foundations. Beyond knowledge representation, AI fosters a gentle introduction to data structures and algorithms. Focused on engaging mental tool, a computer is never a necessity. Neither coding nor programming is ever required. Instead, students enjoy constructivist classrooms designed to always be active, flexible, and highly dynamic. Learning to learn and reflecting on cognitive experiences, they rigorously construct knowledge from collectively solving exciting puzzles, competing in strategic games, and participating in intellectual discussions.

  15. Gravity Effect on Two-Phase Immiscible Flows in Communicating Layered Reservoirs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Xuan; Shapiro, Alexander; Stenby, Erling Halfdan

    2012-01-01

    An upscaling method is developed for two-phase immiscible incompressible flows in layered reservoirs with good communication between the layers. It takes the effect of gravity into consideration. Waterflooding of petroleum reservoirs is used as a basic example for application of this method....... An asymptotic analysis is applied to a system of 2D flow equations for incompressible fluids at high-anisotropy ratios, but low to moderate gravity ratios, which corresponds to the most often found reservoir conditions. The 2D Buckley–Leverett problem is reduced to a system of 1D parabolic equations...

  16. Nonconservative Forces via Quantum Reservoir Engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vuglar, Shanon L.; Zhdanov, Dmitry V.; Cabrera, Renan; Seideman, Tamar; Jarzynski, Christopher; Bondar, Denys I.

    2018-06-01

    A systematic approach is given for engineering dissipative environments that steer quantum wave packets along desired trajectories. The methodology is demonstrated with several illustrative examples: environment-assisted tunneling, trapping, effective mass assignment, and pseudorelativistic behavior. Nonconservative stochastic forces do not inevitably lead to decoherence—we show that purity can be well preserved. These findings highlight the flexibility offered by nonequilibrium open quantum dynamics.

  17. Development of a Geomorphology-Based Framework for Cultural Resources Management, Dworshak Reservoir, Idaho

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Corcoran, Maureen

    2001-01-01

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center developed a technical framework for identifying, evaluating, and mitigating impacts to cultural resource sites affected by reservoir operation in the Columbia River System...

  18. Optimisation of decision making under uncertainty throughout field lifetime: A fractured reservoir example

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, Dan; Demyanov, Vasily; Christie, Mike; Bakay, Alexander; Gopa, Konstantin

    2016-10-01

    Assessing the change in uncertainty in reservoir production forecasts over field lifetime is rarely undertaken because of the complexity of joining together the individual workflows. This becomes particularly important in complex fields such as naturally fractured reservoirs. The impact of this problem has been identified in previous and many solutions have been proposed but never implemented on complex reservoir problems due to the computational cost of quantifying uncertainty and optimising the reservoir development, specifically knowing how many and what kind of simulations to run. This paper demonstrates a workflow that propagates uncertainty throughout field lifetime, and into the decision making process by a combination of a metric-based approach, multi-objective optimisation and Bayesian estimation of uncertainty. The workflow propagates uncertainty estimates from appraisal into initial development optimisation, then updates uncertainty through history matching and finally propagates it into late-life optimisation. The combination of techniques applied, namely the metric approach and multi-objective optimisation, help evaluate development options under uncertainty. This was achieved with a significantly reduced number of flow simulations, such that the combined workflow is computationally feasible to run for a real-field problem. This workflow is applied to two synthetic naturally fractured reservoir (NFR) case studies in appraisal, field development, history matching and mid-life EOR stages. The first is a simple sector model, while the second is a more complex full field example based on a real life analogue. This study infers geological uncertainty from an ensemble of models that are based on the carbonate Brazilian outcrop which are propagated through the field lifetime, before and after the start of production, with the inclusion of production data significantly collapsing the spread of P10-P90 in reservoir forecasts. The workflow links uncertainty

  19. Monte Carlo reservoir analysis combining seismic reflection data and informed priors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zunino, Andrea; Mosegaard, Klaus; Lange, Katrine

    2015-01-01

    Determination of a petroleum reservoir structure and rock bulk properties relies extensively on inference from reflection seismology. However, classic deterministic methods to invert seismic data for reservoir properties suffer from some limitations, among which are the difficulty of handling...... with the goal to directly infer the rock facies and porosity of a target reservoir zone. We thus combined a rock-physics model with seismic data in a single inversion algorithm. For large data sets, theMcMC method may become computationally impractical, so we relied on multiple-point-based a priori information...... to quantify geologically plausible models. We tested this methodology on a synthetic reservoir model. The solution of the inverse problem was then represented by a collection of facies and porosity reservoir models, which were samples of the posterior distribution. The final product included probability maps...

  20. Reservoirs operation and water resources utilization coordination in Hongshuihe basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Chonghao; Chi, Kaige; Pang, Bo; Tang, Hongbin

    2018-06-01

    In the recent decade, the demand for water resources has been increasing with the economic development. The reservoirs of cascade hydropower stations in Hongshuihe basin, which are constructed with a main purpose of power generation, are facing more integrated water resources utilization problem. The conflict between power generation of cascade reservoirs and flood control, shipping, environmental protection and water supply has become increasingly prominent. This paper introduces the general situation and integrated water demand of cascade reservoirs in Hongshuihe basin, and it analyses the impact of various types of integrated water demand on power generation and supply. It establishes mathematic models, constrained by various types of integrated water demand, to guide the operation and water resources utilization management of cascade reservoirs in Hongshuihe basin. Integrated water coordination mechanism of Hongshuihe basin is also introduced. It provides a technical and management guide and demonstration for cascade reservoirs operation and integrated water management at home and abroad.

  1. Mercury-free PVT apparatus for thermophysical property analyses of hydrocarbon reservoir fluids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lansangan, R.M.; Lievois, J.S.

    1992-08-31

    Typical reservoir fluid analyses of complex, multicomponent hydrocarbon mixtures include the volumetric properties, isothermal compressibility, thermal expansivity, equilibrium ratios, saturation pressure, viscosities, etc. These parameters are collectively referred to as PVT properties, an acronym for the primary state variables; pressure, volume, and temperature. The reservoir engineer incorporates this information together with the porous media description in performing material balance calculations. These calculations lead to the determination (estimation) of the initial hydrocarbon in-place, the future reservoir performance, the optimal production scheme, and the ultimate hydrocarbon recovery. About four years ago, Ruska Instrument Corporation embarked on a project to develop an apparatus designed to measure PVT properties that operates free of mercury. The result of this endeavor is the 2370 Hg-Free PVT system which has been in the market for the last three years. The 2370 has evolved from the prototype unit to its present configuration which is described briefly in this report. The 2370 system, although developed as a system-engineered apparatus based on existing technology, has not been exempt from this burden-of-proof Namely, the performance of the apparatus under routine test conditions with real reservoir fluids. This report summarizes the results of the performance and applications testing of the 2370 Hg-Free PVT system. Density measurements were conducted on a pure fluid. The results were compared against literature values and the prediction of an equation of state. Routine reservoir fluid analyses were conducted with a black oil and a retrograde condensate gas mixtures. Limited comparison of the results were performed based on the same tests performed on a conventional mercury-based PVT apparatus. The results of these tests are included in this report.

  2. Detecting the leakage source of a reservoir using isotopes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yi, Peng; Yang, Jing; Wang, Yongdong; Mugwanezal, Vincent de Paul; Chen, Li; Aldahan, Ala

    2018-07-01

    A good monitoring method is vital for understanding the sources of a water reservoir leakage and planning for effective restoring. Here we present a combination of several tracers ( 222 Rn, oxygen and hydrogen isotopes, anions and temperature) for identification of water leakage sources in the Pushihe pumped storage power station which is in the Liaoning province, China. The results show an average 222 Rn activity of 6843 Bq/m 3 in the leakage water, 3034 Bq/m 3 in the reservoir water, and 41,759 Bq/m 3 in the groundwater. Considering that 222 Rn activity in surface water is typically less than 5000 Bq/m 3 , the low level average 222 Rn activity in the leakage water suggests the reservoir water as the main source of water. Results of the oxygen and hydrogen isotopes show comparable ranges and values in the reservoir and the leakage water samples. However, important contribution of the groundwater (up to 36%) was present in some samples from the bottom and upper parts of the underground powerhouse, while the leakage water from some other parts indicate the reservoir water as the dominant source. The isotopic finding suggests that the reservoir water is the main source of the leakage water which is confirmed by the analysis of anions (nitrate, sulfate, and chloride) in the water samples. The combination of these tracer methods for studying dam water leakage improves the accuracy of identifying the source of leaks and provide a scientific reference for engineering solutions to ensure the dam safety. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Engineering-Based Problem Solving in the Middle School: Design and Construction with Simple Machines

    Science.gov (United States)

    English, Lyn D.; Hudson, Peter; Dawes, Les

    2013-01-01

    Incorporating engineering concepts into middle school curriculum is seen as an effective way to improve students' problem-solving skills. A selection of findings is reported from a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-based unit in which students in the second year (grade 8) of a three-year longitudinal study explored…

  4. Reservoir effects in radiocarbon dating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Head, M.J.

    1997-01-01

    Full text: The radiocarbon dating technique depends essentially on the assumption that atmospheric carbon dioxide containing the cosmogenic radioisotope 14 C enters into a state of equilibrium with all living material (plants and animals) as part of the terrestrial carbon cycle. Terrestrial reservoir effects occur when the atmospheric 14 C signal is diluted by local effects where systems depleted in 14 C mix with systems that are in equilibrium with the atmosphere. Naturally, this can occur with plant material growing close to an active volcano adding very old CO 2 to the atmosphere (the original 14 C has completely decayed). It can also occur in highly industrialised areas where fossil fuel derived CO 2 dilutes the atmospheric signal. A terrestrial reservoir effect can occur in the case of fresh water shells living in rivers or lakes where there is an input of ground water from springs or a raising of the water table. Soluble bicarbonate derived from the dissolution of very old limestone produces a 14 C dilution effect. Land snail shells and stream carbonate depositions (tufas and travertines) can be affected by a similar mechanism. Alternatively, in specific cases, these reservoir effects may not occur. This means that general interpretations assuming quantitative values for these terrestrial effects are not possible. Each microenvironment associated with samples being analysed needs to be evaluated independently. Similarly, the marine environment produces reservoir effects. With respect to marine shells and corals, the water depth at which carbonate growth occurs can significantly affect quantitative 14 C dilution, especially in areas where very old water is uplifted, mixing with top layers of water that undergo significant exchange with atmospheric CO 2 . Hence, generalisations with respect to the marine reservoir effect also pose problems. These can be exacerbated by the mixing of sea water with either terrestrial water in estuaries, or ground water where

  5. Class III Mid-Term Project, "Increasing Heavy Oil Reserves in the Wilmington Oil Field Through Advanced Reservoir Characterization and Thermal Production Technologies"

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scott Hara

    2007-03-31

    The overall objective of this project was to increase heavy oil reserves in slope and basin clastic (SBC) reservoirs through the application of advanced reservoir characterization and thermal production technologies. The project involved improving thermal recovery techniques in the Tar Zone of Fault Blocks II-A and V (Tar II-A and Tar V) of the Wilmington Field in Los Angeles County, near Long Beach, California. A primary objective has been to transfer technology that can be applied in other heavy oil formations of the Wilmington Field and other SBC reservoirs, including those under waterflood. The first budget period addressed several producibility problems in the Tar II-A and Tar V thermal recovery operations that are common in SBC reservoirs. A few of the advanced technologies developed include a three-dimensional (3-D) deterministic geologic model, a 3-D deterministic thermal reservoir simulation model to aid in reservoir management and subsequent post-steamflood development work, and a detailed study on the geochemical interactions between the steam and the formation rocks and fluids. State of the art operational work included drilling and performing a pilot steam injection and production project via four new horizontal wells (2 producers and 2 injectors), implementing a hot water alternating steam (WAS) drive pilot in the existing steamflood area to improve thermal efficiency, installing a 2400-foot insulated, subsurface harbor channel crossing to supply steam to an island location, testing a novel alkaline steam completion technique to control well sanding problems, and starting on an advanced reservoir management system through computer-aided access to production and geologic data to integrate reservoir characterization, engineering, monitoring, and evaluation. The second budget period phase (BP2) continued to implement state-of-the-art operational work to optimize thermal recovery processes, improve well drilling and completion practices, and evaluate the

  6. Optimizing Fracture Treatments in a Mississippian "Chat" Reservoir, South-Central Kansas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    K. David Newell; Saibal Bhattacharya; Alan Byrnes; W. Lynn Watney; Willard Guy

    2005-10-01

    This project is a collaboration of Woolsey Petroleum Corporation (a small independent operator) and the Kansas Geological Survey. The project will investigate geologic and engineering factors critical for designing hydraulic fracture treatments in Mississippian ''chat'' reservoirs. Mississippian reservoirs, including the chat, account for 159 million m3 (1 billion barrels) of the cumulative oil produced in Kansas. Mississippian reservoirs presently represent {approx}40% of the state's 5.6*106m3 (35 million barrels) annual production. Although geographically widespread, the ''chat'' is a heterogeneous reservoir composed of chert, cherty dolomite, and argillaceous limestone. Fractured chert with micro-moldic porosity is the best reservoir in this 18- to 30-m-thick (60- to 100-ft) unit. The chat will be cored in an infill well in the Medicine Lodge North field (417,638 m3 [2,626,858 bbls] oil; 217,811,000 m3 [7,692,010 mcf] gas cumulative production; discovered 1954). The core and modern wireline logs will provide geological and petrophysical data for designing a fracture treatment. Optimum hydraulic fracturing design is poorly defined in the chat, with poor correlation of treatment size to production increase. To establish new geologic and petrophysical guidelines for these treatments, data from core petrophysics, wireline logs, and oil-field maps will be input to a fracture-treatment simulation program. Parameters will be established for optimal size of the treatment and geologic characteristics of the predicted fracturing. The fracturing will be performed and subsequent wellsite tests will ascertain the results for comparison to predictions. A reservoir simulation program will then predict the rate and volumetric increase in production. Comparison of the predicted increase in production with that of reality, and the hypothetical fracturing behavior of the reservoir with that of its actual behavior, will serve as tests of

  7. Nested algorithms for optimal reservoir operation and their embedding in a decision support platform

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Delipetrev, B.

    2016-01-01

    Reservoir operation is a multi-objective optimization problem traditionally solved with dynamic programming (DP) and stochastic dynamic programming (SDP) algorithms. The thesis presents novel algorithms for optimal reservoir operation named nested DP (nDP), nested SDP (nSDP), nested reinforcement

  8. Pre-drilling prediction techniques on the high-temperature high-pressure hydrocarbon reservoirs offshore Hainan Island, China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hanyu; Liu, Huaishan; Wu, Shiguo; Sun, Jin; Yang, Chaoqun; Xie, Yangbing; Chen, Chuanxu; Gao, Jinwei; Wang, Jiliang

    2018-02-01

    Decreasing the risks and geohazards associated with drilling engineering in high-temperature high-pressure (HTHP) geologic settings begins with the implementation of pre-drilling prediction techniques (PPTs). To improve the accuracy of geopressure prediction in HTHP hydrocarbon reservoirs offshore Hainan Island, we made a comprehensive summary of current PPTs to identify existing problems and challenges by analyzing the global distribution of HTHP hydrocarbon reservoirs, the research status of PPTs, and the geologic setting and its HTHP formation mechanism. Our research results indicate that the HTHP formation mechanism in the study area is caused by multiple factors, including rapid loading, diapir intrusions, hydrocarbon generation, and the thermal expansion of pore fluids. Due to this multi-factor interaction, a cloud of HTHP hydrocarbon reservoirs has developed in the Ying-Qiong Basin, but only traditional PPTs have been implemented, based on the assumption of conditions that do not conform to the actual geologic environment, e.g., Bellotti's law and Eaton's law. In this paper, we focus on these issues, identify some challenges and solutions, and call for further PPT research to address the drawbacks of previous works and meet the challenges associated with the deepwater technology gap. In this way, we hope to contribute to the improved accuracy of geopressure prediction prior to drilling and provide support for future HTHP drilling offshore Hainan Island.

  9. Fluvial facies reservoir productivity prediction method based on principal component analysis and artificial neural network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pengyu Gao

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available It is difficult to forecast the well productivity because of the complexity of vertical and horizontal developments in fluvial facies reservoir. This paper proposes a method based on Principal Component Analysis and Artificial Neural Network to predict well productivity of fluvial facies reservoir. The method summarizes the statistical reservoir factors and engineering factors that affect the well productivity, extracts information by applying the principal component analysis method and approximates arbitrary functions of the neural network to realize an accurate and efficient prediction on the fluvial facies reservoir well productivity. This method provides an effective way for forecasting the productivity of fluvial facies reservoir which is affected by multi-factors and complex mechanism. The study result shows that this method is a practical, effective, accurate and indirect productivity forecast method and is suitable for field application.

  10. analysis of pressure variation of fluid in bounded circular reservoirs

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    user

    analysis of the analysed finite element, imposing the boundary conditions and finally, getting the results that ... in reservoir engineering applications [2–7]. ... THEORY. The law of conservation of mass, Darcy's law and the equation of state has been combined to obtain the ..... fields in laser-two-layer solids weak interactions.

  11. An efficient algorithm for removal of inactive blocks in reservoir simulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abou-Kassem, J.H.; Ertekin, T. (Pennsylvania State Univ., PA (United States))

    1992-02-01

    In the efficient simulation of reservoirs having irregular boundaries one is confronted with two problems: the removal of inactive blocks at the matrix level and the development and application of a variable band-width solver. A simple algorithm is presented that provides effective solutions to these two problems. The algorithm is demonstrated for both the natural ordering and D4 ordering schemes. It can be easily incorporated in existing simulators and results in significant savings in CPU and matrix storage requirements. The removal of the inactive blocks at the matrix level plays a major role in effecting these savings whereas the application of a variable band-width solver plays an enhancing role only. The value of this algorithm lies in the fact that it takes advantage of irregular reservoir boundaries that are invariably encountered in almost all practical applications of reservoir simulation. 11 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs.

  12. Integrated water resources management using engineering measures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Y.

    2015-04-01

    The management process of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) consists of aspects of policies/strategies, measures (engineering measures and non-engineering measures) and organizational management structures, etc., among which engineering measures such as reservoirs, dikes, canals, etc., play the backbone that enables IWRM through redistribution and reallocation of water in time and space. Engineering measures are usually adopted for different objectives of water utilization and water disaster prevention, such as flood control and drought relief. The paper discusses the planning and implementation of engineering measures in IWRM of the Changjiang River, China. Planning and implementation practices of engineering measures for flood control and water utilization, etc., are presented. Operation practices of the Three Gorges Reservoir, particularly the development and application of regulation rules for flood management, power generation, water supply, ecosystem needs and sediment issues (e.g. erosion and siltation), are also presented. The experience obtained in the implementation of engineering measures in Changjiang River show that engineering measures are vital for IWRM. However, efforts should be made to deal with changes of the river system affected by the operation of engineering measures, in addition to escalatory development of new demands associated with socio-economic development.

  13. Integrated water resources management using engineering measures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Huang

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The management process of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM consists of aspects of policies/strategies, measures (engineering measures and non-engineering measures and organizational management structures, etc., among which engineering measures such as reservoirs, dikes, canals, etc., play the backbone that enables IWRM through redistribution and reallocation of water in time and space. Engineering measures are usually adopted for different objectives of water utilization and water disaster prevention, such as flood control and drought relief. The paper discusses the planning and implementation of engineering measures in IWRM of the Changjiang River, China. Planning and implementation practices of engineering measures for flood control and water utilization, etc., are presented. Operation practices of the Three Gorges Reservoir, particularly the development and application of regulation rules for flood management, power generation, water supply, ecosystem needs and sediment issues (e.g. erosion and siltation, are also presented. The experience obtained in the implementation of engineering measures in Changjiang River show that engineering measures are vital for IWRM. However, efforts should be made to deal with changes of the river system affected by the operation of engineering measures, in addition to escalatory development of new demands associated with socio-economic development.

  14. APPLYING PROFESSIONALLY ORIENTED PROBLEMS OF MATHEMATICAL MODELING IN TEACHING STUDENTS OF ENGINEERING DEPARTMENTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natal’ya Yur’evna Gorbunova

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available We described several aspects of organizing student research work, as well as solving a number of mathematical modeling problems: professionally-oriented, multi-stage, etc. We underlined the importance of their economic content. Samples of using such problems in teaching Mathematics at agricultural university were given. Several questions connected with information material selection and peculiarities of research problems application were described. Purpose. The author aims to show the possibility and necessity of using professionally-oriented problems of mathematical modeling in teaching Mathematics at agricultural university. The subject of analysis is including such problems into educational process. Methodology. The main research method is dialectical method of obtaining knowledge of finding approaches to selection, writing and using mathematical modeling and professionally-oriented problems in educational process; the methodology is study of these methods of obtaining knowledge. Results. As a result of analysis of literature, students opinions, observation of students work, and taking into account personal teaching experience, it is possible to make conclusion about importance of using mathematical modeling problems, as it helps to systemize theoretical knowledge, apply it to practice, raise students study motivation in engineering sphere. Practical implications. Results of the research can be of interest for teachers of Mathematics in preparing Bachelor and Master students of engineering departments of agricultural university both for theoretical research and for modernization of study courses.

  15. Compositional simulations of producing oil-gas ratio behaviour in low permeable gas condensate reservoir

    OpenAIRE

    Gundersen, Pål Lee

    2013-01-01

    Master's thesis in Petroleum engineering Gas condensate flow behaviour below the dew point in low permeable formations can make accurate fluid sampling a difficult challenge. The objective of this study was to investigate the producing oil-gas ratio behaviour in the infinite-acting period for a low permeable gas condensate reservoir. Compositional isothermal flow simulations were performed using a single-layer, radial and two-dimensional, gas condensate reservoir model with low permeabili...

  16. Managing geological uncertainty in CO2-EOR reservoir assessments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Welkenhuysen, Kris; Piessens, Kris

    2014-05-01

    Recently the European Parliament has agreed that an atlas for the storage potential of CO2 is of high importance to have a successful commercial introduction of CCS (CO2 capture and geological storage) technology in Europe. CO2-enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) is often proposed as a promising business case for CCS, and likely has a high potential in the North Sea region. Traditional economic assessments for CO2-EOR largely neglect the geological reality of reservoir uncertainties because these are difficult to introduce realistically in such calculations. There is indeed a gap between the outcome of a reservoir simulation and the input values for e.g. cost-benefit evaluations, especially where it concerns uncertainty. The approach outlined here is to turn the procedure around, and to start from which geological data is typically (or minimally) requested for an economic assessment. Thereafter it is evaluated how this data can realistically be provided by geologists and reservoir engineers. For the storage of CO2 these parameters are total and yearly CO2 injection capacity, and containment or potential on leakage. Specifically for the EOR operation, two additional parameters can be defined: the EOR ratio, or the ratio of recovered oil over injected CO2, and the CO2 recycling ratio of CO2 that is reproduced after breakthrough at the production well. A critical but typically estimated parameter for CO2-EOR projects is the EOR ratio, taken in this brief outline as an example. The EOR ratio depends mainly on local geology (e.g. injection per well), field design (e.g. number of wells), and time. Costs related to engineering can be estimated fairly good, given some uncertainty range. The problem is usually to reliably estimate the geological parameters that define the EOR ratio. Reliable data is only available from (onshore) CO2-EOR projects in the US. Published studies for the North Sea generally refer to these data in a simplified form, without uncertainty ranges, and are

  17. EXPLOITATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF RESERVOIR PERFORMANCE IN HUNTON FORMATION, OKLAHOMA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mohan Kelkar

    2002-03-31

    The West Carney Field in Lincoln County, Oklahoma is one of few newly discovered oil fields in Oklahoma. Although profitable, the field exhibits several unusual characteristics. These include decreasing water-oil ratios, decreasing gas-oil ratios, decreasing bottomhole pressures during shut-ins in some wells, and transient behavior for water production in many wells. This report explains the unusual characteristics of West Carney Field based on detailed geological and engineering analyses. We propose a geological history that explains the presence of mobile water and oil in the reservoir. The combination of matrix and fractures in the reservoir explains the reservoir's flow behavior. We confirm our hypothesis by matching observed performance with a simulated model and develop procedures for correlating core data to log data so that the analysis can be extended to other, similar fields where the core coverage may be limited.

  18. Thermal noise engines

    OpenAIRE

    Kish, Laszlo B.

    2010-01-01

    Electrical heat engines driven by the Johnson-Nyquist noise of resistors are introduced. They utilize Coulomb's law and the fluctuation-dissipation theorem of statistical physics that is the reverse phenomenon of heat dissipation in a resistor. No steams, gases, liquids, photons, combustion, phase transition, or exhaust/pollution are present here. In these engines, instead of heat reservoirs, cylinders, pistons and valves, resistors, capacitors and switches are the building elements. For the ...

  19. Thermal mapping studies at Kadra reservoir near Kaiga generating station site

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ravi, P.M.; Nayak, P.D.; Sudhakar, J.; Mishra, D.G.; Hegde, A.G.

    2007-01-01

    An inherent problem in nuclear and thermal power plants are the release of heat energy into the environment through cooling system to water bodies such as lakes, rivers, estuaries and oceans. Two NPPs of Kaiga Generating Station, discharge the thermal effluent to the nearby Kadra reservoir. This paper presents the results of three year long comprehensive thermal mapping studies conducted by ESL, KGS as part of the Thermal Ecological Studies sponsored by Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS), Department of Atomic Energy. Present studies clearly demonstrate that the thermally influenced zone in the reservoir is limited to a small volume of the reservoir and is not likely to lead any irreversible adverse impact on the ecosystem of the reservoir. (author)

  20. The Application of GA, SMPSO and HGAPSO in Optimal Reservoirs Operation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alireza Moghaddam

    2017-02-01

    probability of caughting in local optima for SMPSO is great whereas GA can make the diverse optimal solutions. For this reason, in this paper was trying to improve the performance of the GA and SMPSO and remove their disadvantage based on combining them and presenting a new hybrid method. The results showed the HGAPSO method which presented in this paper to use without any complexity and additional operator to GA and SMPSO has the ability to use for reservoir operation with large-scale. In addition it is suggested which the HGAPSO apply to other water resources engineering problems.

  1. Ensemble-Based Data Assimilation in Reservoir Characterization: A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seungpil Jung

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a review of ensemble-based data assimilation for strongly nonlinear problems on the characterization of heterogeneous reservoirs with different production histories. It concentrates on ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF and ensemble smoother (ES as representative frameworks, discusses their pros and cons, and investigates recent progress to overcome their drawbacks. The typical weaknesses of ensemble-based methods are non-Gaussian parameters, improper prior ensembles and finite population size. Three categorized approaches, to mitigate these limitations, are reviewed with recent accomplishments; improvement of Kalman gains, add-on of transformation functions, and independent evaluation of observed data. The data assimilation in heterogeneous reservoirs, applying the improved ensemble methods, is discussed on predicting unknown dynamic data in reservoir characterization.

  2. TROPHIC STATE OF SMALL RETENTION RESERVOIRS IN PODLASIE VOIVODESHIP

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joanna Szczykowska

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The study was carried out using water samples from two small retention reservoirs located in the communes: Czarna Białostocka and Turośń Kościelna in Podlaskie Voivodeship. The main tasks of both reservoirs are to improve the water balance by means of regulating the levels and water outflow. Three characteristic measurement and control points were selected on both reservoirs in accordance to the water flow in the longitudinal section. The first and third points were located near the inflow and outflow of water, while the second in the middle of the reservoirs. Samples of water for the study were collected from the surface layer of the shore zone of the reservoirs once a month from March 2015 to February 2017 (water from two hydrological years was analyzed. Water samples were subject to determination of total phosphorus, total nitrogen, and chlorophyll “a” concentrations, as well as turbidity. Contamination of the water reservoirs with biogenic compounds is a common problem and at the same time difficult to eliminate due to the scattered nature of external sources of pollution, especially in the case of agricultural catchments, as well as the inflow of untreated sewage from areas directly adjacent to the reservoirs. Based on achieved results, high values of TSI (TN, TSI (TP, TSI (Chl, and overall TSI, clearly indicate the progressive degradation of water quality in analyzed reservoirs. Appearing water blooms due to the mass development of phytoplankton adversely affect the quality of water in the reservoirs and biochemical processes occurring both in water and bottom sediments, are conditioned by progressive eutrophication.

  3. EXPLORING THE PROBLEMS FACED BY TECHNICAL SCHOOL STUDENTS IN LEARNING ENGINEERING COURSES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    RAMLEE MUSTAPHA

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The teaching of engineering courses is relatively challenging due to the nature of the courses that are perceived as “difficult courses” by a number of students. Thus, the purpose of this action research was to explore the problems faced by electrical and electronic engineering (PKEE students studying a difficult topic–transistor. This research was also aimed at identifying the students’ attitude towards Problem-based Learning (PBL. Literature has shown that PBL could enhance students’ understanding and make the learning more meaningful. The theoretical framework of this study was based on Kemmis and Mc Taggart model. Cooperative learning method was also utilised in this study consisted of Jigsaw technique in the first and second rounds of the study. In the final round, the discussion method was used. In an action research design, a classroom is a usual research site. Thus, an engineering class of 30 Form 5 students in a Technical School was selected. The PBL method was applied in the class for a nine-week duration. Empirical data were gathered from peer assessment, observation, and pre- and post-tests. The data were described descriptively using frequency, mean and standard deviation. The main results show that the students were more interactive and their post-test result shows significant increases. In terms of the attitude towards PBL, the participants rated PBL highly. The participants also assert that the main benefits of PBL include enhancing their collaborative and problem-solving skills.

  4. An ensemble-based method for constrained reservoir life-cycle optimization

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Leeuwenburgh, O.; Egberts, P.J.P.; Chitu, A.G.

    2015-01-01

    We consider the problem of finding optimal long-term (life-cycle) recovery strategies for hydrocarbon reservoirs by use of simulation models. In such problems the presence of operating constraints, such as for example a maximum rate limit for a group of wells, may strongly influence the range of

  5. Technical problems and future underground engineering experiments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Higgins, G H [Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, University of California, Livermore, CA (United States)

    1969-07-01

    The technical problems to be solved in future underground engineering experiments are of two kinds. One concerns adequate description of the variation of nuclear explosion effects with physical nd chemical properties of the explosion site. The other concerns engineering of the explosive detonation system to provide adequate safety and security, concurrently with minimum total costs per explosion. The semiempirical equations for explosion effects can be trusted only in the range of explosive energy, depth of burst, and rock type for which there is prior experience. Effects calculations based on the principles of continuum mechanics and measurable geophysical properties appear to work in the few test cases, such as Gasbuggy, to which they have been applied. These calculational methods must be tested in a variety of situations. The relevance of dynamic and static measurements on Dragon Trail, Bronco, Rulison, Stoop, Ketch, and Pinedale to proving the methods are discussed in this paper. The traditional methods of assembling and fielding nuclear explosives have evolved from practice at the Nevada Test Site. These provide great flexibility and assure maximum recovery of all data from each test, thus minimizing the time required to achieve desired results. Timing and firing, radiation monitoring, explosives assembly and emplacement, explosive performance, weather monitoring, and dynamic measurements of earth and building motion have all been handled traditionally as independent functions. To achieve lower costs in underground engineering experiments and projects, one prototype system combining all electronic, measurement, and communication functions is being built. Much further work will be required to complete this effort, including, especially, an examination of safety criteria and means for assuring operational and public safety at reduced costs. (author)

  6. Technical problems and future underground engineering experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Higgins, G.H.

    1969-01-01

    The technical problems to be solved in future underground engineering experiments are of two kinds. One concerns adequate description of the variation of nuclear explosion effects with physical nd chemical properties of the explosion site. The other concerns engineering of the explosive detonation system to provide adequate safety and security, concurrently with minimum total costs per explosion. The semiempirical equations for explosion effects can be trusted only in the range of explosive energy, depth of burst, and rock type for which there is prior experience. Effects calculations based on the principles of continuum mechanics and measurable geophysical properties appear to work in the few test cases, such as Gasbuggy, to which they have been applied. These calculational methods must be tested in a variety of situations. The relevance of dynamic and static measurements on Dragon Trail, Bronco, Rulison, Stoop, Ketch, and Pinedale to proving the methods are discussed in this paper. The traditional methods of assembling and fielding nuclear explosives have evolved from practice at the Nevada Test Site. These provide great flexibility and assure maximum recovery of all data from each test, thus minimizing the time required to achieve desired results. Timing and firing, radiation monitoring, explosives assembly and emplacement, explosive performance, weather monitoring, and dynamic measurements of earth and building motion have all been handled traditionally as independent functions. To achieve lower costs in underground engineering experiments and projects, one prototype system combining all electronic, measurement, and communication functions is being built. Much further work will be required to complete this effort, including, especially, an examination of safety criteria and means for assuring operational and public safety at reduced costs. (author)

  7. Mechatronic Control Engineering: A Problem Oriented And Project Based Learning Curriculum In Mechatronic

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Henrik Clemmensen; Andersen, Torben Ole; Hansen, Michael Rygaard

    2008-01-01

    Mechatronics is a field of multidisciplinary engineering that not only requires knowledge about different technical areas, but also insight into how to combine technologies optimally, to design efficient products and systems.This paper addresses the group project based and problem-oriented learning...... the well established methods from control engineering form very powerful techniques in both analysis and synthesis of mechatronic systems. The necessary skills for mechatronic engineers are outlined followed up by a discussion on how problem oriented project based learning is implemented. A complete...... curriculum named Mechatronic Control Engineering is presented, which is started at Aalborg University, Denmark, and the content of the semesters and projects are described. The projects are all characterized by the use of simulation and control for the purpose of analyzing and designing complex commercial...

  8. Large reservoirs: Chapter 17

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miranda, Leandro E.; Bettoli, Phillip William

    2010-01-01

    Large impoundments, defined as those with surface area of 200 ha or greater, are relatively new aquatic ecosystems in the global landscape. They represent important economic and environmental resources that provide benefits such as flood control, hydropower generation, navigation, water supply, commercial and recreational fisheries, and various other recreational and esthetic values. Construction of large impoundments was initially driven by economic needs, and ecological consequences received little consideration. However, in recent decades environmental issues have come to the forefront. In the closing decades of the 20th century societal values began to shift, especially in the developed world. Society is no longer willing to accept environmental damage as an inevitable consequence of human development, and it is now recognized that continued environmental degradation is unsustainable. Consequently, construction of large reservoirs has virtually stopped in North America. Nevertheless, in other parts of the world construction of large reservoirs continues. The emergence of systematic reservoir management in the early 20th century was guided by concepts developed for natural lakes (Miranda 1996). However, we now recognize that reservoirs are different and that reservoirs are not independent aquatic systems inasmuch as they are connected to upstream rivers and streams, the downstream river, other reservoirs in the basin, and the watershed. Reservoir systems exhibit longitudinal patterns both within and among reservoirs. Reservoirs are typically arranged sequentially as elements of an interacting network, filter water collected throughout their watersheds, and form a mosaic of predictable patterns. Traditional approaches to fisheries management such as stocking, regulating harvest, and in-lake habitat management do not always produce desired effects in reservoirs. As a result, managers may expend resources with little benefit to either fish or fishing. Some locally

  9. Application of an engineering problem-solving methodology to address persistent problems in patient safety: a case study on retained surgical sponges after surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Devon E; Watts, Bradley V

    2013-09-01

    Despite innumerable attempts to eliminate the postoperative retention of surgical sponges, the medical error persists in operating rooms worldwide and places significant burden on patient safety, quality of care, financial resources, and hospital/physician reputation. The failure of countless solutions, from new sponge counting methods to radio labeled sponges, to truly eliminate the event in the operating room requires that the emerging field of health-care delivery science find innovative ways to approach the problem. Accordingly, the VA National Center for Patient Safety formed a unique collaboration with a team at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College to evaluate the retention of surgical sponges after surgery and find a solution. The team used an engineering problem solving methodology to develop the best solution. To make the operating room a safe environment for patients, the team identified a need to make the sponge itself safe for use as opposed to resolving the relatively innocuous counting methods. In evaluation of this case study, the need for systematic engineering evaluation to resolve problems in health-care delivery becomes clear.

  10. Total output operation chart optimization of cascade reservoirs and its application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang, Zhiqiang; Ji, Changming; Sun, Ping; Wang, Liping; Zhang, Yanke

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • We propose a new double nested model for cascade reservoirs operation optimization. • We use two methods to extract the output distribution ratio. • The adopted two methods perform better than the widely used methods at present. • Stepwise regression method performs better than mean value method on the whole. - Abstract: With the rapid development of cascade hydropower stations in recent decades, the cascade system composed of multiple reservoirs needs unified operation and management. However, the output distribution problem has not yet been solved reasonably when the total output of cascade system obtained, which makes the full utilization of hydropower resources in cascade reservoirs very difficult. Discriminant criterion method is a traditional and common method to solve the output distribution problem at present, but some shortcomings cannot be ignored in the practical application. In response to the above concern, this paper proposes a new total output operation chart optimization model and a new optimal output distribution model, the two models constitute to a double nested model with the goal of maximizing power generation. This paper takes the cascade reservoirs of Li Xianjiang River in China as an instance to obtain the optimal total output operation chart by the proposed double nested model and the 43 years historical runoff data, progressive searching method and progressive optimality algorithm are used in solving the model. In order to take the obtained total output operation chart into practical operation, mean value method and stepwise regression method are adopted to extract the output distribution ratios on the basis of the optimal simulation intermediate data. By comparing with discriminant criterion method and conventional method, the combined utilization of total output operation chart and output distribution ratios presents better performance in terms of power generation and assurance rate, which proves it is an effective

  11. Testing Foreign Language Impact on Engineering Students' Scientific Problem-Solving Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tatzl, Dietmar; Messnarz, Bernd

    2013-01-01

    This article investigates the influence of English as the examination language on the solution of physics and science problems by non-native speakers in tertiary engineering education. For that purpose, a statistically significant total number of 96 students in four year groups from freshman to senior level participated in a testing experiment in…

  12. Understanding the True Stimulated Reservoir Volume in Shale Reservoirs

    KAUST Repository

    Hussain, Maaruf

    2017-06-06

    Successful exploitation of shale reservoirs largely depends on the effectiveness of hydraulic fracturing stimulation program. Favorable results have been attributed to intersection and reactivation of pre-existing fractures by hydraulically-induced fractures that connect the wellbore to a larger fracture surface area within the reservoir rock volume. Thus, accurate estimation of the stimulated reservoir volume (SRV) becomes critical for the reservoir performance simulation and production analysis. Micro-seismic events (MS) have been commonly used as a proxy to map out the SRV geometry, which could be erroneous because not all MS events are related to hydraulic fracture propagation. The case studies discussed here utilized a fully 3-D simulation approach to estimate the SRV. The simulation approach presented in this paper takes into account the real-time changes in the reservoir\\'s geomechanics as a function of fluid pressures. It is consisted of four separate coupled modules: geomechanics, hydrodynamics, a geomechanical joint model for interfacial resolution, and an adaptive re-meshing. Reservoir stress condition, rock mechanical properties, and injected fluid pressure dictate how fracture elements could open or slide. Critical stress intensity factor was used as a fracture criterion governing the generation of new fractures or propagation of existing fractures and their directions. Our simulations were run on a Cray XC-40 HPC system. The studies outcomes proved the approach of using MS data as a proxy for SRV to be significantly flawed. Many of the observed stimulated natural fractures are stress related and very few that are closer to the injection field are connected. The situation is worsened in a highly laminated shale reservoir as the hydraulic fracture propagation is significantly hampered. High contrast in the in-situ stresses related strike-slip developed thereby shortens the extent of SRV. However, far field nature fractures that were not connected to

  13. Case study of a problem-based learning course of physics in a telecommunications engineering degree

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macho-Stadler, Erica; Jesús Elejalde-García, Maria

    2013-08-01

    Active learning methods can be appropriate in engineering, as their methodology promotes meta-cognition, independent learning and problem-solving skills. Problem-based learning is the educational process by which problem-solving activities and instructor's guidance facilitate learning. Its key characteristic involves posing a 'concrete problem' to initiate the learning process, generally implemented by small groups of students. Many universities have developed and used active methodologies successfully in the teaching-learning process. During the past few years, the University of the Basque Country has promoted the use of active methodologies through several teacher training programmes. In this paper, we describe and analyse the results of the educational experience using the problem-based learning (PBL) method in a physics course for undergraduates enrolled in the technical telecommunications engineering degree programme. From an instructors' perspective, PBL strengths include better student attitude in class and increased instructor-student and student-student interactions. The students emphasised developing teamwork and communication skills in a good learning atmosphere as positive aspects.

  14. Application of artificial intelligence to reservoir characterization: An interdisciplinary approach. Quarterly progress report, April 1 1996--June 30, 1996

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kerr, D.R.; Thompson, L.G.; Shenoi, S.

    1997-03-01

    The basis of this research is to apply novel techniques from Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems in capturing, integrating and articulating key knowledge from geology, geostatistics, and petroleum engineering to develop accurate descriptions of petroleum reservoirs. The ultimate goal is to design and implement a single powerful expert system for use by small producers and independents to efficiently exploit reservoirs. The main challenge of the proposed research is to automate the generation of detailed reservoir descriptions honoring all the available {open_quotes}soft{close_quotes} and {open_quotes}hard{close_quotes} data that ranges from qualitative and semi-quantitative geological interpretations to numeric data obtained from cores, well tests, well logs and production statistics. It involves significant amount of information exchange between researchers in geology, geostatistics, and petroleum engineering. Computer science (and artificial intelligence) provides the means to effectively acquire, integrate and automate the key expertise in the various disciplines in a reservoir characterization expert system. Additional challenges are the verification and validation of the expert system, since much of the interpretation of the experts is based on extended experience in reservoir characterization. The overall project plan to design the system to create integrated reservoir descriptions begins by initially developing an Al-based methodology for producing large-scale reservoir descriptions generated interactively from geology and well test data. Parallel to this task is a second task that develops an Al-based methodology that uses facies-biased information to generate small-scale descriptions of reservoir properties such as permeability and porosity. The third task involves consolidation and integration of the large-scale and small-scale methodologies to produce reservoir descriptions honoring all the available data.

  15. Systems engineering: A problem of perception

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Senglaub, M.

    1995-08-01

    The characterization of systems engineering as a discipline, process, procedure or a set of heuristics will have an impact on the implementation strategy, the training methodology, and operational environment. The systems engineering upgrade activities in the New Mexico Weapons Development Center and a search of systems engineering related information provides evidence of a degree of ambiguity in this characterization of systems engineering. A case is made in this article for systems engineering being the engineering discipline applied to the science of complexity. Implications of this characterization and some generic issues are delineated with the goal of providing an enterprise with a starting point for developing its business environment.

  16. CO2 interfacial properties: application to multiphase flow at reservoir conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chalbaud, C.

    2007-07-01

    In this work we deal with the interfacial properties of CO 2 at reservoir conditions with a special interest on deep saline aquifers. Each chapter of this dissertation represents a different physical scale studied with different experimental devices and simulation tools. The results obtained in the first part of this study represent a complete data set of brine-CO 2 interfacial tension at reservoir conditions. A semi-analytical equation is proposed in order to facilitate the work of reservoir engineers. The second deals with the interfacial properties at the pore scale using glass micro-models at different wettability conditions. This part shows the wetting behavior of CO 2 on hydrophobic or oil-wet solid surfaces. A pore network model was used for the interpretation and exploitation of these results. The third part corresponds to two different experimental approaches at the core scale at different wettability conditions associated to a modelling at flue Darcy scale. This part is a significant contribution to the validation of COORES compositional reservoir simulator developed by IFP. It has also allow us to estimate multiphase properties, Pc and kr, for brine-CO 2 systems at reservoir conditions. This study presents the necessary scales to model CO 2 storage in deep saline aquifers. (author)

  17. Improved Efficiency of Miscible CO2 Floods and Enhanced Prospects for CO2 Flooding Heterogeneous Reservoirs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grigg, Reid B.; Schechter, David S.

    1999-10-15

    The goal of this project is to improve the efficiency of miscible CO2 floods and enhance the prospects for flooding heterogeneous reservoirs. This report provides results of the second year of the three-year project that will be exploring three principles: (1) Fluid and matrix interactions (understanding the problems). (2) Conformance control/sweep efficiency (solving the problems. 3) Reservoir simulation for improved oil recovery (predicting results).

  18. Investigating leaks in dams and reservoirs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2003-01-01

    Millions of people throughout the world depend on dams and reservoirs for electricity, water and flood protection. Dams require significant investment to build and maintain, and yet their usefulness and integrity are constantly threatened by leakage and sedimentation. Isotope hydrology techniques, combined with conventional analytical methods, are a cost-effective tool to reduce such threats. The International Atomic Energy Agency is promoting their use to protect these investments and improve management, particularly by supporting specialized teams of scientists and engineers to investigate dam leakage in African countries on request. (IAEA)

  19. Toward Teaching Methods that Develop Learning and Enhance Problem Solving Skills in Engineering Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loji, K.

    2012-01-01

    Problem solving skills and abilities are critical in life and more specifically in the engineering field. Unfortunately, significant numbers of South African students who are accessing higher education lack problem solving skills and this results in poor academic performance jeopardizing their progress especially from first to second year. On the…

  20. Interpreting isotopic analyses of microbial sulfate reduction in oil reservoirs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hubbard, C. G.; Engelbrektson, A. L.; Druhan, J. L.; Cheng, Y.; Li, L.; Ajo Franklin, J. B.; Coates, J. D.; Conrad, M. E.

    2013-12-01

    Microbial sulfate reduction in oil reservoirs is often associated with secondary production of oil where seawater (28 mM sulfate) is commonly injected to maintain reservoir pressure and displace oil. The hydrogen sulfide produced can cause a suite of operating problems including corrosion of infrastructure, health exposure risks and additional processing costs. We propose that monitoring of the sulfur and oxygen isotopes of sulfate can be used as early indicators that microbial sulfate reduction is occurring, as this process is well known to cause substantial isotopic fractionation. This approach relies on the idea that reactions with reservoir (iron) minerals can remove dissolved sulfide, thereby delaying the transport of the sulfide through the reservoir relative to the sulfate in the injected water. Changes in the sulfate isotopes due to microbial sulfate reduction may therefore be measurable in the produced water before sulfide is detected. However, turning this approach into a predictive tool requires (i) an understanding of appropriate fractionation factors for oil reservoirs, (ii) incorporation of isotopic data into reservoir flow and reactive transport models. We present here the results of preliminary batch experiments aimed at determining fractionation factors using relevant electron donors (e.g. crude oil and volatile fatty acids), reservoir microbial communities and reservoir environmental conditions (pressure, temperature). We further explore modeling options for integrating isotope data and discuss whether single fractionation factors are appropriate to model complex environments with dynamic hydrology, geochemistry, temperature and microbiology gradients.

  1. The Implementation and Evaluation of a Project-Oriented Problem-Based Learning Module in a First Year Engineering Programme

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLoone, Seamus C.; Lawlor, Bob J.; Meehan, Andrew R.

    2016-01-01

    This paper describes how a circuits-based project-oriented problem-based learning educational model was integrated into the first year of a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronic Engineering programme at Maynooth University, Ireland. While many variations of problem based learning exist, the presented model is closely aligned with the model used in…

  2. Effect of reservoir heterogeneity on air injection performance in a light oil reservoir

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hu Jia

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Air injection is a good option to development light oil reservoir. As well-known that, reservoir heterogeneity has great effect for various EOR processes. This also applies to air injection. However, oil recovery mechanisms and physical processes for air injection in heterogeneous reservoir with dip angle are still not well understood. The reported setting of reservoir heterogeneous for physical model or simulation model of air injection only simply uses different-layer permeability of porous media. In practice, reservoir heterogeneity follows the principle of geostatistics. How much of contrast in permeability actually challenges the air injection in light oil reservoir? This should be investigated by using layered porous medial settings of the classical Dykstra-Parsons style. Unfortunately, there has been no work addressing this issue for air injection in light oil reservoir. In this paper, Reservoir heterogeneity is quantified based on the use of different reservoir permeability distribution according to classical Dykstra-Parsons coefficients method. The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of reservoir heterogeneity on physical process and production performance of air injection in light oil reservoir through numerical reservoir simulation approach. The basic model is calibrated based on previous study. Total eleven pseudo compounders are included in this model and ten complexity of reactions are proposed to achieve the reaction scheme. Results show that oil recovery factor is decreased with the increasing of reservoir heterogeneity both for air and N2 injection from updip location, which is against the working behavior of air injection from updip location. Reservoir heterogeneity sometimes can act as positive effect to improve sweep efficiency as well as enhance production performance for air injection. High O2 content air injection can benefit oil recovery factor, also lead to early O2 breakthrough in heterogeneous reservoir. Well

  3. Modelling CO2 emissions from water surface of a boreal hydroelectric reservoir.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Weifeng; Roulet, Nigel T; Kim, Youngil; Strachan, Ian B; Del Giorgio, Paul; Prairie, Yves T; Tremblay, Alain

    2018-01-15

    To quantify CO 2 emissions from water surface of a reservoir that was shaped by flooding the boreal landscape, we developed a daily time-step reservoir biogeochemistry model. We calibrated the model using the measured concentrations of dissolved organic and inorganic carbon (C) in a young boreal hydroelectric reservoir, Eastmain-1 (EM-1), in northern Quebec, Canada. We validated the model against observed CO 2 fluxes from an eddy covariance tower in the middle of EM-1. The model predicted the variability of CO 2 emissions reasonably well compared to the observations (root mean square error: 0.4-1.3gCm -2 day -1 , revised Willmott index: 0.16-0.55). In particular, we demonstrated that the annual reservoir surface effluxes were initially high, steeply declined in the first three years, and then steadily decreased to ~115gCm -2 yr -1 with increasing reservoir age over the estimated "engineering" reservoir lifetime (i.e., 100years). Sensitivity analyses revealed that increasing air temperature stimulated CO 2 emissions by enhancing CO 2 production in the water column and sediment, and extending the duration of open water period over which emissions occur. Increasing the amount of terrestrial organic C flooded can enhance benthic CO 2 fluxes and CO 2 emissions from the reservoir water surface, but the effects were not significant over the simulation period. The model is useful for the understanding of the mechanism of C dynamics in reservoirs and could be used to assist the hydro-power industry and others interested in the role of boreal hydroelectric reservoirs as sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. A remote sensing method for estimating regional reservoir area and evaporative loss

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hua; Gorelick, Steven M.; Zimba, Paul V.; Zhang, Xiaodong

    2017-12-01

    Evaporation from the water surface of a reservoir can significantly affect its function of ensuring the availability and temporal stability of water supply. Current estimations of reservoir evaporative loss are dependent on water area derived from a reservoir storage-area curve. Such curves are unavailable if the reservoir is located in a data-sparse region or questionable if long-term sedimentation has changed the original elevation-area relationship. We propose a remote sensing framework to estimate reservoir evaporative loss at the regional scale. This framework uses a multispectral water index to extract reservoir area from Landsat imagery and estimate monthly evaporation volume based on pan-derived evaporative rates. The optimal index threshold is determined based on local observations and extended to unobserved locations and periods. Built on the cloud computing capacity of the Google Earth Engine, this framework can efficiently analyze satellite images at large spatiotemporal scales, where such analysis is infeasible with a single computer. Our study involves 200 major reservoirs in Texas, captured in 17,811 Landsat images over a 32-year period. The results show that these reservoirs contribute to an annual evaporative loss of 8.0 billion cubic meters, equivalent to 20% of their total active storage or 53% of total annual water use in Texas. At five coastal basins, reservoir evaporative losses exceed the minimum freshwater inflows required to sustain ecosystem health and fishery productivity of the receiving estuaries. Reservoir evaporative loss can be significant enough to counterbalance the positive effects of impounding water and to offset the contribution of water conservation and reuse practices. Our results also reveal the spatially variable performance of the multispectral water index and indicate the limitation of using scene-level cloud cover to screen satellite images. This study demonstrates the advantage of combining satellite remote sensing and

  5. Simulating reservoir lithologies by an actively conditioned Markov chain model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Runhai; Luthi, Stefan M.; Gisolf, Dries

    2018-06-01

    The coupled Markov chain model can be used to simulate reservoir lithologies between wells, by conditioning them on the observed data in the cored wells. However, with this method, only the state at the same depth as the current cell is going to be used for conditioning, which may be a problem if the geological layers are dipping. This will cause the simulated lithological layers to be broken or to become discontinuous across the reservoir. In order to address this problem, an actively conditioned process is proposed here, in which a tolerance angle is predefined. The states contained in the region constrained by the tolerance angle will be employed for conditioning in the horizontal chain first, after which a coupling concept with the vertical chain is implemented. In order to use the same horizontal transition matrix for different future states, the tolerance angle has to be small. This allows the method to work in reservoirs without complex structures caused by depositional processes or tectonic deformations. Directional artefacts in the modeling process are avoided through a careful choice of the simulation path. The tolerance angle and dipping direction of the strata can be obtained from a correlation between wells, or from seismic data, which are available in most hydrocarbon reservoirs, either by interpretation or by inversion that can also assist the construction of a horizontal probability matrix.

  6. Applications of artificial intelligence in engineering problems. Vol. 1 and 2. Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sriram, D; Adey, R [eds.

    1986-01-01

    The purpose of the first international conference on the application of AI to engineering problems is to provide a forum for engineers all over the world to present their work on these applications. The interest being shown in the engineering community is evident by the large number of papers from the conference that are compiled into these volumes. The topics span various engineering disciplines. These topics are grouped into the following categories: - Knowledge representation and acquisition. Robotics. Natural language processing. Inexact inference techniques. General design methodologies. Constraints. Design strategies specific to a particular domain. Diagnostic systems. Intelligent front ends. Tools and techniques for building expert systems. Most of the papers deal with knowledge-based expert systems. In addition to the regular sessions, two sessions discussing a number of ongoing projects were also included in the conference. A panel on the future of AI in the engineering industry and another panel on networking were scheduled. Distinguished invited speakers from academia and industry presented lectures on their experiences with the application of AI.

  7. THE TRAVELLING SALESMAN PROBLEM IN THE ENGINEERING EDUCATION PROGRAMMING CURRICULUM

    OpenAIRE

    Yevgeny Gayev; Vadim Kalmikov

    2017-01-01

    Objective: To make students familiar with the famous Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) and suggest the latter to become a common exercise in engineering programming curriculum provided the students master computer science in the easy programming environment MATLAB. Methods: easy programming in MATLAB makes true such modern educational approach as “discovery based” methodology. Results: a MATLAB TSP-program oriented to Ukrainian map is suggested that allows to pictorially demonstrate the proces...

  8. Williston Reservoir: Site preparation and post-flood cleanup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loose, J.A.

    1990-01-01

    Williston Reservoir is the second largest in Canada and ranks ninth on the world scale. It was formed by the construction of the W.A.C. Bennet Dam and is the most important hydroelectric storage reservoir and largest body of fresh water in British Columbia. Site preparation for the reservoir began in 1962, with pre-flood clearing involving salvage of merchantable timber, handfalling, machine downing, burning of slash and burial. Post-flood cleanup included timber salvage, bailing and burning debris, tractor piling and burning, crane piling in shallows, underwater cutting, and hand cutting during low drawdown. Various types of floating debris have presented problems for recreational use, log booming and transport, waterways and aviation. Protection of the spillway is accomplished with a floating boom upstream of the channel. Administration, funding, forest clearance, salvage methods, clearing standards, wood volumes, project costs, environmental concerns, and future priorities are discussed. 5 figs., 2 tabs

  9. Studying Operation Rules of Cascade Reservoirs Based on Multi-Dimensional Dynamics Programming

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhiqiang Jiang

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Although many optimization models and methods are applied to the optimization of reservoir operation at present, the optimal operation decision that is made through these models and methods is just a retrospective review. Due to the limitation of hydrological prediction accuracy, it is practical and feasible to obtain the suboptimal or satisfactory solution by the established operation rules in the actual reservoir operation, especially for the mid- and long-term operation. In order to obtain the optimized sample data with global optimality; and make the extracted operation rules more reasonable and reliable, this paper presents the multi-dimensional dynamic programming model of the optimal joint operation of cascade reservoirs and provides the corresponding recursive equation and the specific solving steps. Taking Li Xianjiang cascade reservoirs as a case study, seven uncertain problems in the whole operation period of the cascade reservoirs are summarized after a detailed analysis to the obtained optimal sample data, and two sub-models are put forward to solve these uncertain problems. Finally, by dividing the whole operation period into four characteristic sections, this paper extracts the operation rules of each reservoir for each section respectively. When compared the simulation results of the extracted operation rules with the conventional joint operation method; the result indicates that the power generation of the obtained rules has a certain degree of improvement both in inspection years and typical years (i.e., wet year; normal year and dry year. So, the rationality and effectiveness of the extracted operation rules are verified by the comparative analysis.

  10. Interdisciplinary study of reservoir compartments and heterogeneity. Final report, October 1, 1993--December 31, 1996

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Van Kirk, C.

    1998-01-01

    A case study approach using Terry Sandstone production from the Hambert-Aristocrat Field, Weld County, Colorado was used to document the process of integration. One specific project goal is to demonstrate how a multidisciplinary approach can be used to detect reservoir compartmentalization and improve reserve estimates. The final project goal is to derive a general strategy for integration for independent operators. Teamwork is the norm for the petroleum industry where teams of geologists, geophysicists, and petroleum engineers work together to improve profits through a better understanding of reservoir size, compartmentalization, and orientation as well as reservoir flow characteristics. In this manner, integration of data narrows the uncertainty in reserve estimates and enhances reservoir management decisions. The process of integration has proven to be iterative. Integration has helped identify reservoir compartmentalization and reduce the uncertainty in the reserve estimates. This research report documents specific examples of integration and the economic benefits of integration.

  11. Amplitude various angles (AVA) phenomena in thin layer reservoir: Case study of various reservoirs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nurhandoko, Bagus Endar B., E-mail: bagusnur@bdg.centrin.net.id, E-mail: bagusnur@rock-fluid.com [Wave Inversion and Subsurface Fluid Imaging Research Laboratory (WISFIR), Basic Science Center A 4" t" hfloor, Physics Dept., FMIPA, Institut Teknologi Bandung (Indonesia); Rock Fluid Imaging Lab., Bandung (Indonesia); Susilowati, E-mail: bagusnur@bdg.centrin.net.id, E-mail: bagusnur@rock-fluid.com [Rock Fluid Imaging Lab., Bandung (Indonesia)

    2015-04-16

    Amplitude various offset is widely used in petroleum exploration as well as in petroleum development field. Generally, phenomenon of amplitude in various angles assumes reservoir’s layer is quite thick. It also means that the wave is assumed as a very high frequency. But, in natural condition, the seismic wave is band limited and has quite low frequency. Therefore, topic about amplitude various angles in thin layer reservoir as well as low frequency assumption is important to be considered. Thin layer reservoir means the thickness of reservoir is about or less than quarter of wavelength. In this paper, I studied about the reflection phenomena in elastic wave which considering interference from thin layer reservoir and transmission wave. I applied Zoeppritz equation for modeling reflected wave of top reservoir, reflected wave of bottom reservoir, and also transmission elastic wave of reservoir. Results show that the phenomena of AVA in thin layer reservoir are frequency dependent. Thin layer reservoir causes interference between reflected wave of top reservoir and reflected wave of bottom reservoir. These phenomena are frequently neglected, however, in real practices. Even though, the impact of inattention in interference phenomena caused by thin layer in AVA may cause inaccurate reservoir characterization. The relation between classes of AVA reservoir and reservoir’s character are different when effect of ones in thin reservoir and ones in thick reservoir are compared. In this paper, I present some AVA phenomena including its cross plot in various thin reservoir types based on some rock physics data of Indonesia.

  12. Amplitude various angles (AVA) phenomena in thin layer reservoir: Case study of various reservoirs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    thfloor, Physics Dept., FMIPA, Institut Teknologi Bandung (Indonesia); Rock Fluid Imaging Lab., Bandung (Indonesia))" data-affiliation=" (Wave Inversion and Subsurface Fluid Imaging Research Laboratory (WISFIR), Basic Science Center A 4thfloor, Physics Dept., FMIPA, Institut Teknologi Bandung (Indonesia); Rock Fluid Imaging Lab., Bandung (Indonesia))" >Nurhandoko, Bagus Endar B.; Susilowati

    2015-01-01

    Amplitude various offset is widely used in petroleum exploration as well as in petroleum development field. Generally, phenomenon of amplitude in various angles assumes reservoir’s layer is quite thick. It also means that the wave is assumed as a very high frequency. But, in natural condition, the seismic wave is band limited and has quite low frequency. Therefore, topic about amplitude various angles in thin layer reservoir as well as low frequency assumption is important to be considered. Thin layer reservoir means the thickness of reservoir is about or less than quarter of wavelength. In this paper, I studied about the reflection phenomena in elastic wave which considering interference from thin layer reservoir and transmission wave. I applied Zoeppritz equation for modeling reflected wave of top reservoir, reflected wave of bottom reservoir, and also transmission elastic wave of reservoir. Results show that the phenomena of AVA in thin layer reservoir are frequency dependent. Thin layer reservoir causes interference between reflected wave of top reservoir and reflected wave of bottom reservoir. These phenomena are frequently neglected, however, in real practices. Even though, the impact of inattention in interference phenomena caused by thin layer in AVA may cause inaccurate reservoir characterization. The relation between classes of AVA reservoir and reservoir’s character are different when effect of ones in thin reservoir and ones in thick reservoir are compared. In this paper, I present some AVA phenomena including its cross plot in various thin reservoir types based on some rock physics data of Indonesia

  13. Assessing the impact on intercultural competencies when engineering students solve problems in multicultural teams

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Lars Peter; Nygaard, Bjørn; Madsen, Linda

    2011-01-01

    solving problems in teams two times a year in all of their bachelor education. In at least four of the engineering education institutes in Denmark experiments on helping mixed student teams to perform better in their project work have been carried out for some years using a classic engineering trial......’ intercultural competencies. It was decided to start a formal research project to investigate some of the existing experiments helping mixed teams to cope with project work in intercultural teams. During spring 2010 the setup for the research project was developed by a group of representatives from...... as exchange students or to take a full degree. Project organized Problem based Learning is used to a high extent at most of the engineering educations in Denmark, using large scale project work (up to 15 ECTS each semester) solved in teams (3-7 students in each team). In more and more situations the teams...

  14. The Researches on Reasonable Well Spacing of Gas Wells in Deep and low Permeability Gas Reservoirs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bei, Yu Bei; Hui, Li; Lin, Li Dong

    2018-06-01

    This Gs64 gas reservoir is a condensate gas reservoir which is relatively integrated with low porosity and low permeability found in Dagang Oilfield in recent years. The condensate content is as high as 610g/m3. At present, there are few reports about the well spacing of similar gas reservoirs at home and abroad. Therefore, determining the reasonable well spacing of the gas reservoir is important for ensuring the optimal development effect and economic benefit of the gas field development. This paper discusses the reasonable well spacing of the deep and low permeability gas reservoir from the aspects of percolation mechanics, gas reservoir engineering and numerical simulation. considering there exist the start-up pressure gradient in percolation process of low permeability gas reservoir, this paper combined with productivity equation under starting pressure gradient, established the formula of gas well spacing with the formation pressure and start-up pressure gradient. The calculation formula of starting pressure gradient and well spacing of gas wells. Adopting various methods to calculate values of gas reservoir spacing are close to well testing' radius, so the calculation method is reliable, which is very important for the determination of reasonable well spacing in low permeability gas reservoirs.

  15. Providing Formative Assessment to Students Solving Multipath Engineering Problems with Complex Arrangements of Interacting Parts: An Intelligent Tutor Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steif, Paul S.; Fu, Luoting; Kara, Levent Burak

    2016-01-01

    Problems faced by engineering students involve multiple pathways to solution. Students rarely receive effective formative feedback on handwritten homework. This paper examines the potential for computer-based formative assessment of student solutions to multipath engineering problems. In particular, an intelligent tutor approach is adopted and…

  16. Analysis of Sedimentation in Wonogiri Reservoir

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tri Joko Inti Budi Santosa

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The Wonogiri reservoir which has 730 million cubic meters of total storage, 90 square kilometers of water area, and 1260 square kilometers of catchment area, is located in the Wonogiri Regency, Central Java Province. It was first established in 1981 and began its operation in 1982 with the expectation that it would last for about 100 years. Today (2002 the reservoir has got a serious problem of sedimentation. The sedimentation is so large that it would decrease the capacity storage of the reservoir and would shorten the length of operation. Therefore, it is necessary to predict the sediment that comes into the reservoir. This research would be based on the total sediment calculation of the sedimentation, through some methods, such as echo sounding measured data, land erosion (USLE, the calculation of the sediment in rivers. This research calculates the sediment capacities based on the water flow data and the sediment rating curves in rivers of Keduang, Tirtomoyo, Temon, upstream reach of Bengawan Solo, Alang, and Wuryantoro. The suspended load was calculated based on the sediment rating curves, whereas the bed load was computed as the percentage of the suspended load. The sum of both calculation results would be the total sediment. The calculation result showed that the total sediment which has come into the reservoir is 6.68 million cubic meters per year. As a comparison, the writer noted that the former researcher using echo sounding method done by the Faculty of Geography of the Universitas Gadjah Mada in 1985, it found that the total sediment capacity which came into the reservoir was 6.60 million cubic meters per year or 5.40 mm per year of sheet erosion. The other research using echo sounding method done by JICA in 2000 found that the total sediment which had come into the reservoir was 4.50 million cubic meters per year or 3.50 mm per year of sheet erosion. By knowing the results of calculation of the total sediment, we can learn that

  17. Neonatal intensive care unit: Reservoirs of Nosocomial pathogens ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Improvement in the care and treatment of neonates had contributed to their increased survival. Nosocomial infection remains an important problem in intensive care units. Hospital wards had been shown to act as reservoirs of pathogenic microorganisms associated with infection. To assess the prevalence of pathogenic ...

  18. Legal study on water environmental protection of Three Gorges Reservoir Area

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    DENG He

    2007-01-01

    Water environment security of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area has become a more extensive concern since the impoundment of the reservoir. This paper describes the existing water environmental hazards and defects in current legal system for water environmental protection in this area, and also discusses their possible causes and potential problems in the future based on first hand materials and other literature. According to the theories of integrated river basin management and environmental equity principle, legal proposals are put forward, which include building an unitary legal system dedicated to the Reservoir Area, setting up a basin authority of the Yangtze River to preside over the resources protection and development, using interests' compensation system to solve interest conflicts among different reaches, and making concrete regulations to direct public participation in water environmental security protection of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area.

  19. Uncertainty Quantification with Applications to Engineering Problems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bigoni, Daniele

    in measurements, predictions and manufacturing, and we can say that any dynamical system used in engineering is subject to some of these uncertainties. The first part of this work presents an overview of the mathematical framework used in Uncertainty Quantification (UQ) analysis and introduces the spectral tensor...... and thus the UQ analysis of the associated systems will benefit greatly from the application of methods which require few function evaluations. We first consider the propagation of the uncertainty and the sensitivity analysis of the non-linear dynamics of railway vehicles with suspension components whose......-scale problems, where efficient methods are necessary with today’s computational resources. The outcome of this work was also the creation of several freely available Python modules for Uncertainty Quantification, which are listed and described in the appendix....

  20. The further environmental development of Polyphyto Hydroelectric Project reservoir in Kozani prefecture and its contribution to the life quality improvement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saounatsou, Chara; Georgi, Julia

    2014-08-01

    The Polyphyto Hydroelectric Project was constructed in 1974 and it has been operating since on the Aliakmonas River, Kozani prefecture, by the Greek Public Power Corporation. The construction of the Ilarion Hydroelectric Project, upstream from the Polyphyto Reservoir, has been recently completed and will start operating in the near future. Apart from hydroelectric power production, the Polyphyto reservoir provides flood control to the areas below the Polyphyto dam. It is also used to manage water provision to the city of Thessaloniki and adjacent agricultural plain, providing at the same time cooling water to the Thermo Electric Projects in Ptolemaida. The Polyphyto reservoir has potential for further development as an economic fulcrum to the region in which is located. The Kozani and Servia-Velvendos Municipalities have proceeded to the construction of several touristic, nautical - athletic and fishing projects. In order to promote such developments, while preserving the artificial wetland, flora and fauna of the Polyphyto Reservoir, it is important to reduce the fluctuation of the reservoir elevation which according to its technical characteristics is 21m. The aim of this paper is to propose the combined operation of the two Hydroelectric Project reservoirs to satisfy all the present Polyphyto Hydroelectric Project functions and to reduce the annual fluctuation of the Polyphyto Reservoir. The HEC-5, Version 8 / 1998 computer model was used in our calculations, as developed by the Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC) of the US Army Corps of Engineers for reservoir operation simulation. Five possible operation scenarios are tested in this paper to show that the present fluctuation of the Polyphyto Reservoir can be reduced, with some limitations, except during dry weather periods.

  1. Parallel Numerical Simulations of Water Reservoirs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres, Pedro; Mangiavacchi, Norberto

    2010-11-01

    The study of the water flow and scalar transport in water reservoirs is important for the determination of the water quality during the initial stages of the reservoir filling and during the life of the reservoir. For this scope, a parallel 2D finite element code for solving the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations coupled with scalar transport was implemented using the message-passing programming model, in order to perform simulations of hidropower water reservoirs in a computer cluster environment. The spatial discretization is based on the MINI element that satisfies the Babuska-Brezzi (BB) condition, which provides sufficient conditions for a stable mixed formulation. All the distributed data structures needed in the different stages of the code, such as preprocessing, solving and post processing, were implemented using the PETSc library. The resulting linear systems for the velocity and the pressure fields were solved using the projection method, implemented by an approximate block LU factorization. In order to increase the parallel performance in the solution of the linear systems, we employ the static condensation method for solving the intermediate velocity at vertex and centroid nodes separately. We compare performance results of the static condensation method with the approach of solving the complete system. In our tests the static condensation method shows better performance for large problems, at the cost of an increased memory usage. Performance results for other intensive parts of the code in a computer cluster are also presented.

  2. Genetic Algorithm (GA Method for Optimization of Multi-Reservoir Systems Operation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shervin Momtahen

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available A Genetic Algorithm (GA method for optimization of multi-reservoir systems operation is proposed in this paper. In this method, the parameters of operating policies are optimized using system simulation results. Hence, any operating problem with any sort of objective function, constraints and structure of operating policy can be optimized by GA. The method is applied to a 3-reservoir system and is compared with two traditional methods of Stochastic Dynamic Programming and Dynamic Programming and Regression. The results show that GA is superior both in objective function value and in computational speed. The proposed method is further improved using a mutation power updating rule and a varying period simulation method. The later is a novel procedure proposed in this paper that is believed to help in solving computational time problem in large systems. These revisions are evaluated and proved to be very useful in converging to better solutions in much less time. The final GA method is eventually evaluated as a very efficient procedure that is able to solve problems of large multi-reservoir system which is usually impossible by traditional methods. In fact, the real performance of the GA method starts where others fail to function.

  3. Quantum heat engines and refrigerators: continuous devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kosloff, Ronnie; Levy, Amikam

    2014-01-01

    Quantum thermodynamics supplies a consistent description of quantum heat engines and refrigerators up to a single few-level system coupled to the environment. Once the environment is split into three (a hot, cold, and work reservoir), a heat engine can operate. The device converts the positive gain into power, with the gain obtained from population inversion between the components of the device. Reversing the operation transforms the device into a quantum refrigerator. The quantum tricycle, a device connected by three external leads to three heat reservoirs, is used as a template for engines and refrigerators. The equation of motion for the heat currents and power can be derived from first principles. Only a global description of the coupling of the device to the reservoirs is consistent with the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Optimization of the devices leads to a balanced set of parameters in which the couplings to the three reservoirs are of the same order and the external driving field is in resonance. When analyzing refrigerators, one needs to devote special attention to a dynamical version of the third law of thermodynamics. Bounds on the rate of cooling when Tc→0 are obtained by optimizing the cooling current. All refrigerators as Tc→0 show universal behavior. The dynamical version of the third law imposes restrictions on the scaling as Tc→0 of the relaxation rate γc and heat capacity cV of the cold bath.

  4. A Typology of Engineering Designs in Problem-Based Projects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Samuel Brüning; Bigum, Per Valentin

    include a set of general characteristics of great engineering solutions and a typology of three solution archetypes. The study labels these archetypes as 1) the adapted solution, 2) the “either/or”-solution, and 3) the multiple-elements solution. For each archetype, the paper specifies the corresponding...... class of problems that the archetype can logically address. In addition, the paper delineates (1) how each archetype relates to a project’s analysis and (2) how each archetype is evaluated, implemented and operated. The typology aids both students and project supervisors in conducting reports...

  5. Reservoir Engineering Optimization Strategies for Subsurface CO{sub 2} Storage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mclntire, Blayde; McPherson, Brian

    2013-09-30

    The purpose of this report is to outline a methodology for calculating the optimum number of injection wells for geologic CCS. The methodology is intended primarily for reservoir pressure management, and factors in cost as well. Efficiency may come in many forms depending on project goals; therefore, various results are presented simultaneously. The developed methodology is illustrated via application in a case study of the Rocky Mountain Carbon Capture and Storage (RMCCS) project, including a CCS candidate site near Craig, Colorado, USA. The forecasting method provided reasonable estimates of cost and injection volume when compared to simulated results.

  6. The influence of reservoir heterogeneities on geothermal doublet performance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Doddema, Leon

    2012-01-01

    SUMMARY The current main problem with deep geothermal energy in the Netherlands is the uncertainty in terms of attainable flow rate and life time. The goal of this research is therefore modeling a geothermal doublet in a heterogeneous reservoir, using a

  7. Improved Efficiency of Miscible CO2 Floods and Enhanced Prospects for CO2 Flooding Heterogeneous Reservoirs; ANNUAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grigg, Reid B.; Schechter, David S.

    1999-01-01

    The goal of this project is to improve the efficiency of miscible CO2 floods and enhance the prospects for flooding heterogeneous reservoirs. This report provides results of the second year of the three-year project that will be exploring three principles: (1) Fluid and matrix interactions (understanding the problems). (2) Conformance control/sweep efficiency (solving the problems. 3) Reservoir simulation for improved oil recovery (predicting results)

  8. SC: A NOVEL FUZZY CRITERION FOR SOLVING ENGINEERING AND CONSTRAINED OPTIMIZATION PROBLEMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergio G. De los Cobos Silva

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available In this paper a novel fuzzy convergence system (SC and its fundamentals are presented. The model was implemented on a monoobjetive PSO algorithm with three phases: 1 Stabilization, 2 generation and breadth-first search, and 3 generation and depth-first. The system SC-PSO-3P was tested with several benchmark engineering problems and with several CEC2006 problems. The computing experience and comparison with previously reported results is presented. In some cases the results reported in the literature are improved.

  9. Adaptive forward-inverse modeling of reservoir fluids away from wellbores; TOPICAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ziagos, J P; Gelinas, R J; Doss, S K; Nelson, R G

    1999-01-01

    This Final Report contains the deliverables of the DeepLook Phase I project entitled, ''Adaptive Forward-Inverse Modeling of Reservoir Fluids Away from Wellbores''. The deliverables are: (i) a description of 2-D test problem results, analyses, and technical descriptions of the techniques used, (ii) a listing of program setup commands that construct and execute the codes for selected test problems (these commands are in mathematical terminology, which reinforces technical descriptions in the text), and (iii) an evaluation and recommendation regarding continuance of this project, including considerations of possible extensions to 3-D codes, additional technical scope, and budget for the out-years. The far-market objective in this project is to develop advanced technologies that can help locate and enhance the recovery of oil from heterogeneous rock formations. The specific technical objective in Phase I was to develop proof-of-concept of new forward and inverse (F-I) modeling techniques[Gelinas et al, 1998] that seek to enhance estimates (images) of formation permeability distributions and fluid motion away from wellbore volumes. This goes to the heart of improving industry's ability to jointly image reservoir permeability and flow predictions of trapped and recovered oil versus time. The estimation of formation permeability away from borehole measurements is an ''inverse'' problem. It is an inseparable part of modeling fluid flows throughout the reservoir in efforts to increase the efficiency of oil recovery at minimum cost. Classic issues of non-uniqueness, mathematical instability, noise effects, and inadequate numerical solution techniques have historically impeded progress in reservoir parameter estimations. Because information pertaining to fluid and rock properties is always sampled sparsely by wellbore measurements, a successful method for interpolating permeability and fluid data between the measurements must be: (i) physics-based, (ii) conditioned by signal

  10. Stochastic nonlinear time series forecasting using time-delay reservoir computers: performance and universality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grigoryeva, Lyudmila; Henriques, Julie; Larger, Laurent; Ortega, Juan-Pablo

    2014-07-01

    Reservoir computing is a recently introduced machine learning paradigm that has already shown excellent performances in the processing of empirical data. We study a particular kind of reservoir computers called time-delay reservoirs that are constructed out of the sampling of the solution of a time-delay differential equation and show their good performance in the forecasting of the conditional covariances associated to multivariate discrete-time nonlinear stochastic processes of VEC-GARCH type as well as in the prediction of factual daily market realized volatilities computed with intraday quotes, using as training input daily log-return series of moderate size. We tackle some problems associated to the lack of task-universality for individually operating reservoirs and propose a solution based on the use of parallel arrays of time-delay reservoirs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. General Properties for an Agrawal Thermal Engine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paéz-Hernández, Ricardo T.; Chimal-Eguía, Juan Carlos; Sánchez-Salas, Norma; Ladino-Luna, Delfino

    2018-04-01

    This paper presents a general property of endoreversible thermal engines known as the Semisum property previously studied in a finite-time thermodynamics context for a Curzon-Ahlborn (CA) engine but now extended to a simplified version of the CA engine studied by Agrawal in 2009 (A simplified version of the Curzon-Ahlborn engine, European Journal of Physics 30 (2009), 1173). By building the Ecological function, proposed by Angulo-Brown (An ecological optimization criterion for finite-time heat engines, Journal of Applied Physics 69 (1991), 7465-7469) in 1991, and considering two heat transfer laws an analytical expression is obtained for efficiency and power output which depends only on the heat reservoirs' temperature. When comparing the existing efficiency values of real power plants and the theoretical efficiencies obtained in this work, it is observed that the Semisum property is satisfied. Moreover, for the Newton and the Dulong-Petit heat transfer laws the existence of the g function is demonstrated and we confirm that in a Carnot-type thermal engine there is a general property independent of the heat transfer law used between the thermal reservoirs and the working substance.

  12. Activist engineering: changing engineering practice by deploying praxis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karwat, Darshan M A; Eagle, Walter E; Wooldridge, Margaret S; Princen, Thomas E

    2015-02-01

    In this paper, we reflect on current notions of engineering practice by examining some of the motives for engineered solutions to the problem of climate change. We draw on fields such as science and technology studies, the philosophy of technology, and environmental ethics to highlight how dominant notions of apoliticism and ahistoricity are ingrained in contemporary engineering practice. We argue that a solely technological response to climate change does not question the social, political, and cultural tenet of infinite material growth, one of the root causes of climate change. In response to the contemporary engineering practice, we define an activist engineer as someone who not only can provide specific engineered solutions, but who also steps back from their work and tackles the question, What is the real problem and does this problem "require" an engineering intervention? Solving complex problems like climate change requires radical cultural change, and a significant obstacle is educating engineers about how to conceive of and create "authentic alternatives," that is, solutions that differ from the paradigm of "technologically improving" our way out of problems. As a means to realize radically new solutions, we investigate how engineers might (re)deploy the concept of praxis, which raises awareness in engineers of the inherent politics of technological design. Praxis empowers engineers with a more comprehensive understanding of problems, and thus transforms technologies, when appropriate, into more socially just and ecologically sensitive interventions. Most importantly, praxis also raises a radical alternative rarely considered-not "engineering a solution." Activist engineering offers a contrasting method to contemporary engineering practice and leads toward social justice and ecological protection through problem solving by asking not, How will we technologize our way out of the problems we face? but instead, What really needs to be done?

  13. Development of a national, dynamic reservoir-sedimentation database

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, J.R.; Bernard, J.M.; Stewart, D.W.; McFaul, E.J.; Laurent, K.W.; Schwarz, G.E.; Stinson, J.T.; Jonas, M.M.; Randle, T.J.; Webb, J.W.

    2010-01-01

    The importance of dependable, long-term water supplies, coupled with the need to quantify rates of capacity loss of the Nation’s re servoirs due to sediment deposition, were the most compelling reasons for developing the REServoir- SEDimentation survey information (RESSED) database and website. Created under the auspices of the Advisory Committee on Water Information’s Subcommittee on Sedimenta ion by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the RESSED database is the most comprehensive compilation of data from reservoir bathymetric and dry-basin surveys in the United States. As of March 2010, the database, which contains data compiled on the 1950s vintage Soil Conservation Service’s Form SCS-34 data sheets, contained results from 6,616 surveys on 1,823 reservoirs in the United States and two surveys on one reservoir in Puerto Rico. The data span the period 1755–1997, with 95 percent of the surveys performed from 1930–1990. The reservoir surface areas range from sub-hectare-scale farm ponds to 658 km2 Lake Powell. The data in the RESSED database can be useful for a number of purposes, including calculating changes in reservoir-storage characteristics, quantifying sediment budgets, and estimating erosion rates in a reservoir’s watershed. The March 2010 version of the RESSED database has a number of deficiencies, including a cryptic and out-of-date database architecture; some geospatial inaccuracies (although most have been corrected); other data errors; an inability to store all data in a readily retrievable manner; and an inability to store all data types that currently exist. Perhaps most importantly, the March 2010 version of RESSED database provides no publically available means to submit new data and corrections to existing data. To address these and other deficiencies, the Subcommittee on Sedimentation, through the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, began a collaborative project in

  14. The HYDROMED model and its application to semi-arid Mediterranean catchments with hill reservoirs 3: Reservoir storage capacity and probability of failure model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Ragab

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper addresses the issue of "what reservoir storage capacity is required to maintain a yield with a given probability of failure?". It is an important issue in terms of construction and cost. HYDROMED offers a solution based on the modified Gould probability matrix method. This method has the advantage of sampling all years data without reference to the sequence and is therefore particularly suitable for catchments with patchy data. In the HYDROMED model, the probability of failure is calculated on a monthly basis. The model has been applied to the El-Gouazine catchment in Tunisia using a long rainfall record from Kairouan together with the estimated Hortonian runoff, class A pan evaporation data and estimated abstraction data. Generally, the probability of failure differed from winter to summer. Generally, the probability of failure approaches zero when the reservoir capacity is 500,000 m3. The 25% probability of failure (75% success is achieved with a reservoir capacity of 58,000 m3 in June and 95,000 m3 in January. The probability of failure for a 240,000 m3 capacity reservoir (closer to storage capacity of El-Gouazine 233,000 m3, is approximately 5% in November, December and January, 3% in March, and 1.1% in May and June. Consequently there is no high risk of El-Gouazine being unable to meet its requirements at a capacity of 233,000 m3. Subsequently the benefit, in terms of probability of failure, by increasing the reservoir volume of El-Gouazine to greater than the 250,000 m3 is not high. This is important for the design engineers and the funding organizations. However, the analysis is based on the existing water abstraction policy, absence of siltation rate data and on the assumption that the present climate will prevail during the lifetime of the reservoir. Should these conditions change, a new analysis should be carried out. Keywords: HYDROMED, reservoir, storage capacity, probability of failure, Mediterranean

  15. A Tool for Assessing Future Capacity Loss Due to Sedimentation in the United States' Reservoirs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinson, A. O.; Baker, B.; White, K. D.

    2017-12-01

    Federal reservoirs are critical components of the United States' water supply, flood risk management, hydropower and navigation infrastructure. These reservoirs included capacity for storage loss due to the deposition of sediment by inflowing streams in their original design. However, the actual rate of capacity loss experienced is controlled in part by climate, topography, soils, and land use/land cover, and may vary from the design. To assess the current and future vulnerability of its reservoirs to sedimentation. USACE has developed an online planning tool to identify USACE reservoirs where sedimentation is currently a problem (e.g., sedimentation rate exceeds design sedimentation rate, or zone losses disproportionately affect authorized purposes), and reservoirs where rates are expected to increase significantly in the future. The goal is to be able to prioritize operation and maintenance actions to minimize the effects of reservoir capacity loss on authorized purposes and help maximize reservoir use life.

  16. Mathematical simulation of oil reservoir properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramirez, A.; Romero, A.; Chavez, F.; Carrillo, F.; Lopez, S.

    2008-01-01

    The study and computational representation of porous media properties are very important for many industries where problems of fluid flow, percolation phenomena and liquid movement and stagnation are involved, for example, in building constructions, ore processing, chemical industries, mining, corrosion sciences, etc. Nevertheless, these kinds of processes present a noneasy behavior to be predicted and mathematical models must include statistical analysis, fractal and/or stochastic procedures to do it. This work shows the characterization of sandstone berea core samples which can be found as a porous media (PM) in natural oil reservoirs, rock formations, etc. and the development of a mathematical algorithm for simulating the anisotropic characteristics of a PM based on a stochastic distribution of some of their most important properties like porosity, permeability, pressure and saturation. Finally a stochastic process is used again to simulated the topography of an oil reservoir

  17. Developing Creativity and Problem-Solving Skills of Engineering Students: A Comparison of Web- and Pen-and-Paper-Based Approaches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valentine, Andrew; Belski, Iouri; Hamilton, Margaret

    2017-01-01

    Problem-solving is a key engineering skill, yet is an area in which engineering graduates underperform. This paper investigates the potential of using web-based tools to teach students problem-solving techniques without the need to make use of class time. An idea generation experiment involving 90 students was designed. Students were surveyed…

  18. Coupling of a reservoir model and of a poro-mechanical model. Application to the study of the compaction of petroleum reservoirs and of the associated subsidence; Couplage d'un modele de gisement et d'un modele mecanique. Application a l'etude de la compaction des reservoirs petroliers et de la subsidence associee

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bevillon, D.

    2000-11-30

    The aim of this study is to provide a better description of the rock contribution to fluid flows in petroleum reservoirs. The production of oil/gas in soft highly compacting reservoirs induces important reduction of the pore volume, which increases oil productivity. This compaction leads to undesirable effects such as surface subsidence or damage of well equipment. Analysis of compaction and subsidence can be performed using either engineering reservoir models or coupled poro-mechanical models. Poro-mechanical model offers a rigorous mechanical framework, but does not permit a complete description of the fluids. The reservoir model gives a good description of the fluid phases, but the description of the mechanic phenomenon is then simplified. To satisfy the set of equations (mechanical equilibrium and diffusivity equations), two simulators can be used together sequentially. Each of the two simulators solves its own system independently, and information passed both directions between simulators. This technique is usually referred to the partially coupled scheme. In this study, reservoir and hydro-mechanical simulations show that reservoir theory is not a rigorous framework to represent the evolution of the high porous rocks strains. Then, we introduce a partially coupled scheme that is shown to be consistent and unconditionally stable, which permits to describe correctly poro-mechanical theory in reservoir models. (author)

  19. One-dimensional simulation of stratification and dissolved oxygen in McCook Reservoir, Illinois

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robertson, Dale M.

    2000-01-01

    As part of the Chicagoland Underflow Plan/Tunnel and Reservoir Plan, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District, plans to build McCook Reservoir.a flood-control reservoir to store combined stormwater and raw sewage (combined sewage). To prevent the combined sewage in the reservoir from becoming anoxic and producing hydrogen sulfide gas, a coarse-bubble aeration system will be designed and installed on the basis of results from CUP 0-D, a zero-dimensional model, and MAC3D, a three-dimensional model. Two inherent assumptions in the application of MAC3D are that density stratification in the simulated water body is minimal or not present and that surface heat transfers are unimportant and, therefore, may be neglected. To test these assumptions, the previously tested, one-dimensional Dynamic Lake Model (DLM) was used to simulate changes in temperature and dissolved oxygen in the reservoir after a 1-in-100-year event. Results from model simulations indicate that the assumptions made in MAC3D application are valid as long as the aeration system, with an air-flow rate of 1.2 cubic meters per second or more, is operated while the combined sewage is stored in the reservoir. Results also indicate that the high biochemical oxygen demand of the combined sewage will quickly consume the dissolved oxygen stored in the reservoir and the dissolved oxygen transferred through the surface of the reservoir; therefore, oxygen must be supplied by either the rising bubbles of the aeration system (a process not incorporated in DLM) or some other technique to prevent anoxia.

  20. Development Of Entrepreneur Learning Model Based On Problem Based Learning To Increase Competency Independence And Creativity Students Of Industrial Engineering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leola Dewiyani

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Currently it is undeniable that the competition to get a job is very tight and of course universities have an important role in printing human resources that can compete globally not least with the Department of Industrial Engineering Faculty of Engineering Muhammadiyah University of Jakarta FT UMJ. Problems that occur is based on the analysis obtained from the track record of graduates researchers found that 60 percent of students of Industrial Engineering FT UMJ work not in accordance with the level of education owned so financially their income is still below the standard. This study aims to improve the competence of students of Industrial Engineering Department FT UMJ in entrepreneurship courses especially through the development of Problem Based Learning based learning model. Specific targets of this research were conducted with the aim to identify and analyze the need to implement learning model based on Problem Based Learning Entrepreneurship and to design and develop the model of entrepreneurship based on Problem Based Learning to improve the competence independence and creativity of Industrial Engineering students of FT UMJ in Entrepreneurship course. To achieve the above objectives this research uses research and development R amp D method. The product produced in this research is the detail of learning model of entrepreneurial model based on Problem Based Learning entrepreneurship model based on Problem Based Learning and international journals

  1. Cased-hole log analysis and reservoir performance monitoring

    CERN Document Server

    Bateman, Richard M

    2015-01-01

    This book addresses vital issues, such as the evaluation of shale gas reservoirs and their production. Topics include the cased-hole logging environment, reservoir fluid properties; flow regimes; temperature, noise, cement bond, and pulsed neutron logging; and casing inspection. Production logging charts and tables are included in the appendices. The work serves as a comprehensive reference for production engineers with upstream E&P companies, well logging service company employees, university students, and petroleum industry training professionals. This book also: ·       Provides methods of conveying production logging tools along horizontal well segments as well as measurements of formation electrical resistivity through casing ·       Covers new information on fluid flow characteristics in inclined pipe and provides new and improved nuclear tool measurements in cased wells ·       Includes updates on cased-hole wireline formation testing  

  2. Carbon-oxygen log applications in complex reservoir evaluation by neutron interactions from (D,T) accelerators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lochmann, M.J.; Berg, L.O.; Ivey, R.C.

    1983-01-01

    Granite Wash reservoirs in Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado and New Mexico have proven to be effective commercial producers of hydrocarbons. Substantial drilling activity continues to penetrate this formation either as a primary or secondary objective. A new technique to provide additional lithologic data to engineers and geologists will yield significant benefits in the evaluation and treatment of these reservoirs. This information can be obtained by data available from spectrum analysis through the use of tools such as the Carbon/Oxygen Log, Spectralog and NGS

  3. Physically - engineering problems of the Salaspils Nuclear reactor: Solutions and their topicality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mozgirs, Z.V.

    2005-01-01

    The paper generalizes technical solutions of physically-engineering problems of the Salaspils nuclear research reactor, experience of its modernization and exploitation. New equipment and the related technical solutions have been tested at the Salaspils reactor during its operation time and are now recommended for further use at nuclear reactors. (author)

  4. The Problem-Solving Process in Physics as Observed When Engineering Students at University Level Work in Groups

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gustafsson, Peter; Jonsson, Gunnar; Enghag, Margareta

    2015-01-01

    The problem-solving process is investigated for five groups of students when solving context-rich problems in an introductory physics course included in an engineering programme. Through transcripts of their conversation, the paths in the problem-solving process have been traced and related to a general problem-solving model. All groups exhibit…

  5. Training of innovative engineers for problems of modernization of a domestic production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brusakova I.

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The actual problem of training of innovative managers for problems of modernization of a domestic production is considered in research. Practice of application of innovative engineering in the sphere of modernization of industrial productions is studied. The perspective of an integrated approach to management of innovative processes is investigated, including competence-based approach to training of innovative managers and modern instruments of management of finance innovative business - processes. Authors offered new approaches to formation of innovative capacity of the domestic industrial enterprises. Different ways of innovation creation are discussing.

  6. SEA-MAP: A cost effective method for production from deepwater reservoirs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wybro, P.G.; Chaisson, M.

    1994-01-01

    SEA Engineering Marginal field Autonomous Production (SEAMAP) based on a small tension leg platform is a concept for commercially viable production from deepwater reservoirs. Considerable engineering effort has and is still being made to find ways of commercially developing the deepwater Gulf of Mexico reserves. The limited number of actual deepwater developments would appear to indicate the energy industry at present remains reluctant to proceed with the development of many of the known discoveries. The major deterrents have been the major investment required in order to implement the development plans combined with uncertainties regarding reservoir performance. Mindful of this situation, SEA-MAP evolved from a perceived need for a low cost deepwater production system viable for relatively small reserves. The capital risk exposure is more sustainable and the major part of the facilities can be relocated to another site. Conversely, field production can be increased at a later stage with additional SEA-MAP platforms SEA-MAP offers a potential means, with minimum capital expenditure, of initiating production autonomously from a deepwater field, obtaining reservoir data and thereafter producing and performing workover activities during the field life. After producing from the field for a period, it may be determined that additional wells are needed. Such a situation leads into a logical phased development comprising more than one small platform or the relocation of an existing structure. Deepwater development can thus be approached cautiously, with minimized capital risk, minimal start-up investment and subsequent self-financing phased production

  7. Using Chemicals to Optimize Conformance Control in Fractured Reservoirs; TOPICAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seright, Randall S.; Liang, Jenn-Tai; Schrader, Richard; Hagstrom II, John; Wang, Ying; Kumar, Ananad; Wavrik, Kathryn

    2001-01-01

    This report describes work performed during the third and final year of the project, Using Chemicals to Optimize Conformance Control in Fractured Reservoirs. This research project had three objectives. The first objective was to develop a capability to predict and optimize the ability of gels to reduce permeability to water more than that to oil or gas. The second objective was to develop procedures for optimizing blocking agent placement in wells where hydraulic fractures cause channeling problems. The third objective was to develop procedures to optimize blocking agent placement in naturally fractured reservoirs

  8. Improved recovery from Gulf of Mexico reservoirs. Quarterly status report, January 1--March 31, 1996

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kimbrell, W.C.; Bassiouni, Z.A.; Bourgoyne, A.T.

    1996-04-30

    On February 18, 1992, Louisiana State University with two technical subcontractors, BDM, Inc. and ICF, Inc., began a research program to estimate the potential oil and gas reserve additions that could result from the application of advanced secondary and enhanced oil recovery technologies and the exploitation of undeveloped and attic oil zones in the Gulf of Mexico oil fields that are related to piercement salt domes. This project is a one year continuation of this research and will continue work in reservoir description, extraction processes, and technology transfer. Detailed data will be collected for two previously studies reservoirs: a South Marsh Island reservoir operated by Taylor Energy and one additional Gulf of Mexico reservoir operated by Mobil. Additional reservoirs identified during the project will also be studied if possible. Data collected will include reprocessed 2-D seismic data, newly acquired 3-D data, fluid data, fluid samples, pressure data, well test data, well logs, and core data/samples. The new data will be used to refine reservoir and geologic characterization of these reservoirs. Further laboratory investigation will provide additional simulation input data in the form of PVT properties, relative permeabilities, capillary pressure, and water compatibility. Geological investigations will be conducted to refine the models of mud-rich submarine fan architectures used by seismic analysts and reservoir engineers. Research on advanced reservoir simulation will also be conducted. This report describes a review of fine-grained submarine fans and turbidite systems.

  9. Analytical Solution for 2D Inter-Well Porous Flow in a Rectangular Reservoir

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Junfeng Ding

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Inter-well fluid flows through porous media are commonly encountered in the production of groundwater, oil, and geothermal energy. In this paper, inter-well porous flow inside a rectangular reservoir is solved based on the complex variable function theory combined with the method of mirror images. In order to derive the solution analytically, the inter-well flow is modeled as a 2D flow in a homogenous and isotropic porous medium. The resulted exact analytical solution takes the form of an infinite series, but it can be truncated to give high accuracy approximation. In terms of nine cases of inter-well porous flow associated with enhanced geothermal systems, the applications of the obtained analytical solution are demonstrated, and the convergence properties of the truncated series are investigated. It is shown that the convergent rate of the truncated series increases with the symmetric level of well distribution inside the reservoir, and the adoption of Euler transform significantly accelerates the convergence of alternating series cases associated with asymmetric well distribution. In principle, the analytical solution proposed in this paper can be applied to other scientific and engineering fields, as long as the involved problem is governed by 2D Laplace equation in a rectangular domain and subject to similar source/sink and boundary conditions, i.e., isolated point sources/sinks and uniform Dirichlet or homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions.

  10. Optimisation of Oil Production in Two – Phase Flow Reservoir Using Simultaneous Method and Interior Point Optimiser

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lerch, Dariusz Michal; Völcker, Carsten; Capolei, Andrea

    2012-01-01

    in the reservoir. A promising decrease of these remained resources can be provided by smart wells applying water injections to sustain satisfactory pressure level in the reservoir throughout the whole process of oil production. Basically to enhance secondary recovery of the remaining oil after drilling, water...... is injected at the injection wells of the down-hole pipes. This sustains the pressure in the reservoir and drives oil towards production wells. There are however, many factors contributing to the poor conventional secondary recovery methods e.g. strong surface tension, heterogeneity of the porous rock...... fields, or closed loop optimisation, can be used for optimising the reservoir performance in terms of net present value of oil recovery or another economic objective. In order to solve an optimal control problem we use a direct collocation method where we translate a continuous problem into a discrete...

  11. Investigation of seasonal thermal flow in a real dam reservoir using 3-D numerical modeling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Üneş Fatih

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Investigations indicate that correct estimation of seasonal thermal stratification in a dam reservoir is very important for the dam reservoir water quality modeling and water management problems. The main aim of this study is to develop a hydrodynamics model of an actual dam reservoir in three dimensions for simulating a real dam reservoir flows for different seasons. The model is developed using nonlinear and unsteady continuity, momentum, energy and k-ε turbulence model equations. In order to include the Coriolis force effect on the flow in a dam reservoir, Coriolis force parameter is also added the model equations. Those equations are constructed using actual dimensions, shape, boundary and initial conditions of the dam and reservoir. Temperature profiles and flow visualizations are used to evaluate flow conditions in the reservoir. Reservoir flow’s process and parameters are determined all over the reservoir. The mathematical model developed is capable of simulating the flow and thermal characteristics of the reservoir system for seasonal heat exchanges. Model simulations results obtained are compared with field measurements obtained from gauging stations for flows in different seasons. The results show a good agreement with the field measurements.

  12. Multi-data reservoir history matching for enhanced reservoir forecasting and uncertainty quantification

    KAUST Repository

    Katterbauer, Klemens

    2015-04-01

    Reservoir simulations and history matching are critical for fine-tuning reservoir production strategies, improving understanding of the subsurface formation, and forecasting remaining reserves. Production data have long been incorporated for adjusting reservoir parameters. However, the sparse spatial sampling of this data set has posed a significant challenge for efficiently reducing uncertainty of reservoir parameters. Seismic, electromagnetic, gravity and InSAR techniques have found widespread applications in enhancing exploration for oil and gas and monitoring reservoirs. These data have however been interpreted and analyzed mostly separately, rarely exploiting the synergy effects that could result from combining them. We present a multi-data ensemble Kalman filter-based history matching framework for the simultaneous incorporation of various reservoir data such as seismic, electromagnetics, gravimetry and InSAR for best possible characterization of the reservoir formation. We apply an ensemble-based sensitivity method to evaluate the impact of each observation on the estimated reservoir parameters. Numerical experiments for different test cases demonstrate considerable matching enhancements when integrating all data sets in the history matching process. Results from the sensitivity analysis further suggest that electromagnetic data exhibit the strongest impact on the matching enhancements due to their strong differentiation between water fronts and hydrocarbons in the test cases.

  13. Gypsy Field Project in Reservoir Characterization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    John P. Castagna; William J. Lamb; Carlos Moreno; Roger Young; Lynn Soreghan

    2006-01-01

    The objective of the Gypsy Project was to properly calculate seismic attributes and integrate these into a reservoir characterization project. Significant progress was made on the project in four areas. (1) Attenuation: In order for seismic inversion for rock properties or calculation of seismic attributes used to estimate rock properties to be performed validly, it is necessary to deal with seismic data that has had true amplitude and frequency content restored to account for earth filtering effects that are generally not included in seismic reservoir characterization methodologies. This requires the accurate measurement of seismic attenuation, something that is rarely achieved in practice. It is hoped that such measurements may also provide additional independent seismic attributes for use in reservoir characterization studies. In 2000, we were concerned with the ground truthing of attenuation measurements in the vicinity of wells. Our approach to the problem is one of extracting as time varying wavelet and relating temporal variations in the wavelet to an attenuation model of the earth. This method has the advantage of correcting for temporal variations in the reflectivity spectrum of the earth which confound the spectral ratio methodology which is the most commonly applied means of measuring attenuation from surface seismic data. Part I of the report describes our efforts in seismic attenuation as applied to the Gypsy data. (2) Optimal Attributes: A bewildering array of seismic attributes is available to the reservoir geoscientist to try to establish correlations to rock properties. Ultimately, the use of such a large number of degrees of freedom in the search for correlations with limited well control leads to common misapplication of statistically insignificant results which yields invalid predictions. Cross-validation against unused wells can be used to recognize such problems, but does not offer a solution to the question of which attributes should be used

  14. A New Method for Fracturing Wells Reservoir Evaluation in Fractured Gas Reservoir

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jianchun Guo

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Natural fracture is a geological phenomenon widely distributed in tight formation, and fractured gas reservoir stimulation effect mainly depends on the communication of natural fractures. Therefore it is necessary to carry out the evaluation of this reservoir and to find out the optimal natural fractures development wells. By analyzing the interactions and nonlinear relationships of the parameters, it establishes three-level index system of reservoir evaluation and proposes a new method for gas well reservoir evaluation model in fractured gas reservoir on the basis of fuzzy logic theory and multilevel gray correlation. For this method, the Gaussian membership functions to quantify the degree of every factor in the decision-making system and the multilevel gray relation to determine the weight of each parameter on stimulation effect. Finally through fuzzy arithmetic operator between multilevel weights and fuzzy evaluation matrix, score, rank, the reservoir quality, and predicted production will be gotten. Result of this new method shows that the evaluation of the production coincidence rate reaches 80%, which provides a new way for fractured gas reservoir evaluation.

  15. Prediction of radionuclide accumulation in main ecosystem components of NPP cooling water reservoirs and assessment of acceptable radionuclide disposal into water reservoir

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Egorov, Yu.A.; Kazakov, S.V.

    1987-01-01

    The problems of prediction of radionuclide accumulation in ecosystem main components of NPP cooling water-reservoirs (CWR) and assessment of radionuclide acceptable disposal into water reservoir are considered. Two models are nessecary for the calculation technique: model of radionuclide migration and accumulation in CWR ecosystem components and calculation model of population dose commitment due to water consumption (at the public health approach to the normalization of the NPP radioactive effect on CWC) or calculation model of dose commitment on hydrocenosis components (at the ecological approach to the normalization). Analytical calculations and numerical calculation results in the model CWC, located in the USSR middle region, are presented

  16. Hybrid intelligent optimization methods for engineering problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pehlivanoglu, Yasin Volkan

    The purpose of optimization is to obtain the best solution under certain conditions. There are numerous optimization methods because different problems need different solution methodologies; therefore, it is difficult to construct patterns. Also mathematical modeling of a natural phenomenon is almost based on differentials. Differential equations are constructed with relative increments among the factors related to yield. Therefore, the gradients of these increments are essential to search the yield space. However, the landscape of yield is not a simple one and mostly multi-modal. Another issue is differentiability. Engineering design problems are usually nonlinear and they sometimes exhibit discontinuous derivatives for the objective and constraint functions. Due to these difficulties, non-gradient-based algorithms have become more popular in recent decades. Genetic algorithms (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms are popular, non-gradient based algorithms. Both are population-based search algorithms and have multiple points for initiation. A significant difference from a gradient-based method is the nature of the search methodologies. For example, randomness is essential for the search in GA or PSO. Hence, they are also called stochastic optimization methods. These algorithms are simple, robust, and have high fidelity. However, they suffer from similar defects, such as, premature convergence, less accuracy, or large computational time. The premature convergence is sometimes inevitable due to the lack of diversity. As the generations of particles or individuals in the population evolve, they may lose their diversity and become similar to each other. To overcome this issue, we studied the diversity concept in GA and PSO algorithms. Diversity is essential for a healthy search, and mutations are the basic operators to provide the necessary variety within a population. After having a close scrutiny of the diversity concept based on qualification and

  17. NN-Based Implicit Stochastic Optimization of Multi-Reservoir Systems Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matteo Sangiorgio

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Multi-reservoir systems management is complex because of the uncertainty on future events and the variety of purposes, usually conflicting, of the involved actors. An efficient management of these systems can help improving resource allocation, preventing political crisis and reducing the conflicts between the stakeholders. Bellman stochastic dynamic programming (SDP is the most famous among the many proposed approaches to solve this optimal control problem. Unfortunately, SDP is affected by the curse of dimensionality: computational effort increases exponentially with the complexity of the considered system (i.e., number of reservoirs, and the problem rapidly becomes intractable. This paper proposes an implicit stochastic optimization approach for the solution of the reservoir management problem. The core idea is using extremely flexible functions, such as artificial neural networks (NN, for designing release rules which approximate the optimal policies obtained by an open-loop approach. These trained NNs can then be used to take decisions in real time. The approach thus requires a sufficiently long series of historical or synthetic inflows, and the definition of a compromise solution to be approximated. This work analyzes with particular emphasis the importance of the information which represents the input of the control laws, investigating the effects of different degrees of completeness. The methodology is applied to the Nile River basin considering the main management objectives (minimization of the irrigation water deficit and maximization of the hydropower production, but can be easily adopted also in other cases.

  18. Sedimentation problems and solutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williams, D.T.

    1991-01-01

    Roseires Dam and reservoir are located in Sudan, Africa on the Blue Nile River. The hydropower from the reservoir provides approximately 80% of the power used in Sudan, thus having a tremendous economic impact on the country. The reservoir was first impounded in 1966 and has been filled annually since then. The Blue Nile has historically been known to carry heavy sediment loads which is associated with erosion from overgrazing in Ethiopia, the Blue Nile's headwaters. During the flood season, the dam's turbine intakes become blocked with debris and sediment. After a severe blockage in 1981, which prevented hydropower generation for several days, consultants from USAID were asked to make recommendations on reducing the sediment and debris impacts on reservoir operations. This led to debris clearing and dredging equipment acquisitions in 1982. In 1988, blockage occurred again during the flood season. This writer was asked by the World Bank to travel to Sudan, investigate the sediment and debris problems, examine the USAID recommendations, comment on potential sediment and debris problems associated with a proposed plan to raise the dam, make additional recommendations, and return to Sudan several times to determine the effectiveness of there recommendations. This paper discussed the results of the aforementioned activities and describes the new recommendations made by this writer

  19. Research on Life Science and Life Support Engineering Problems of Manned Deep Space Exploration Mission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qi, Bin; Guo, Linli; Zhang, Zhixian

    2016-07-01

    Space life science and life support engineering are prominent problems in manned deep space exploration mission. Some typical problems are discussed in this paper, including long-term life support problem, physiological effect and defense of varying extraterrestrial environment. The causes of these problems are developed for these problems. To solve these problems, research on space life science and space medical-engineering should be conducted. In the aspect of space life science, the study of space gravity biology should focus on character of physiological effect in long term zero gravity, co-regulation of physiological systems, impact on stem cells in space, etc. The study of space radiation biology should focus on target effect and non-target effect of radiation, carcinogenicity of radiation, spread of radiation damage in life system, etc. The study of basic biology of space life support system should focus on theoretical basis and simulating mode of constructing the life support system, filtration and combination of species, regulation and optimization method of life support system, etc. In the aspect of space medical-engineering, the study of bio-regenerative life support technology should focus on plants cultivation technology, animal-protein production technology, waste treatment technology, etc. The study of varying gravity defense technology should focus on biological and medical measures to defend varying gravity effect, generation and evaluation of artificial gravity, etc. The study of extraterrestrial environment defense technology should focus on risk evaluation of radiation, monitoring and defending of radiation, compound prevention and removal technology of dust, etc. At last, a case of manned lunar base is analyzed, in which the effective schemes of life support system, defense of varying gravity, defense of extraterrestrial environment are advanced respectively. The points in this paper can be used as references for intensive study on key

  20. EXPLOITATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF RESERVOIR PERFORMANCE IN HUNTON FORMATION, OKLAHOMA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mohan Kelkar

    2004-10-01

    West Carney field--one of the newest fields discovered in Oklahoma--exhibits many unique production characteristics. These characteristics include: (1) decreasing water-oil ratio; (2) decreasing gas-oil ratio followed by an increase; (3) poor prediction capability of the reserves based on the log data; and (4) low geological connectivity but high hydrodynamic connectivity. The purpose of this investigation is to understand the principal mechanisms affecting the production, and propose methods by which we can extend the phenomenon to other fields with similar characteristics. In our experimental investigation section, we present the data on surfactant injection in near well bore region. We demonstrate that by injecting the surfactant, the relative permeability of water could be decreased, and that of gas could be increased. This should result in improved gas recovery from the reservoir. Our geological analysis of the reservoir develops the detailed stratigraphic description of the reservoir. Two new stratigraphic units, previously unrecognized, are identified. Additional lithofacies are recognized in new core descriptions. Our engineering analysis has determined that well density is an important parameter in optimally producing Hunton reservoirs. It appears that 160 acre is an optimal spacing. The reservoir pressure appears to decline over time; however, recovery per well is only weakly influenced by the pressure. This indicates that additional opportunity to drill wells exists in relatively depleted fields. A simple material balance technique is developed to validate the recovery of gas, oil and water. This technique can be used to further extrapolate recoveries from other fields with similar field characteristics.

  1. Water coning in porous media reservoirs for compressed air energy storage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wiles, L.E.; McCann, R.A.

    1981-06-01

    The general purpose of this work is to define the hydrodynamic and thermodynamic response of a CAES porous media reservoir subjected to simulated air mass cycling. This research will assist in providing design guidelines for the efficient and stable operation of the air storage reservoir. This report presents the analysis and results for the two-phase (air-water), two-dimensional, numerical modeling of CAES porous media reservoirs. The effects of capillary pressure and relative permeability were included. The fluids were considered to be immisicible; there was no phase change; and the system was isothermal. The specific purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the reservoir parameters that were believed to be important to water coning. This phenomenon may occur in reservoirs in which water underlies the air storage zone. It involves the possible intrusion of water into the wellbore or near-wellbore region. The water movement is in response to pressure gradients created during a reservoir discharge cycle. Potential adverse effects due to this water movement are associated with the pressure response of the reservoir and the geochemical stability of the near-wellbore region. The results obtained for the simulated operation of a CAES reservoir suggest that water coning should not be a severe problem, due to the slow response of the water to the pressure gradients and the relatively short duration in which those gradients exist. However, water coning will depend on site-specific conditions, particularly the fluid distributions following bubble development, and, therefore, a water coning analysis should be included as part of site evaluation.

  2. Understanding ill-structured engineering ethics problems through a collaborative learning and argument visualization approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoffmann, Michael; Borenstein, Jason

    2014-03-01

    As a committee of the National Academy of Engineering recognized, ethics education should foster the ability of students to analyze complex decision situations and ill-structured problems. Building on the NAE's insights, we report about an innovative teaching approach that has two main features: first, it places the emphasis on deliberation and on self-directed, problem-based learning in small groups of students; and second, it focuses on understanding ill-structured problems. The first innovation is motivated by an abundance of scholarly research that supports the value of deliberative learning practices. The second results from a critique of the traditional case-study approach in engineering ethics. A key problem with standard cases is that they are usually described in such a fashion that renders the ethical problem as being too obvious and simplistic. The practitioner, by contrast, may face problems that are ill-structured. In the collaborative learning environment described here, groups of students use interactive and web-based argument visualization software called "AGORA-net: Participate - Deliberate!". The function of the software is to structure communication and problem solving in small groups. Students are confronted with the task of identifying possible stakeholder positions and reconstructing their legitimacy by constructing justifications for these positions in the form of graphically represented argument maps. The argument maps are then presented in class so that these stakeholder positions and their respective justifications become visible and can be brought into a reasoned dialogue. Argument mapping provides an opportunity for students to collaborate in teams and to develop critical thinking and argumentation skills.

  3. Modeling and simulation of different and representative engineering problems using Network Simulation Method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez-Pérez, J F; Marín, F; Morales, J L; Cánovas, M; Alhama, F

    2018-01-01

    Mathematical models simulating different and representative engineering problem, atomic dry friction, the moving front problems and elastic and solid mechanics are presented in the form of a set of non-linear, coupled or not coupled differential equations. For different parameters values that influence the solution, the problem is numerically solved by the network method, which provides all the variables of the problems. Although the model is extremely sensitive to the above parameters, no assumptions are considered as regards the linearization of the variables. The design of the models, which are run on standard electrical circuit simulation software, is explained in detail. The network model results are compared with common numerical methods or experimental data, published in the scientific literature, to show the reliability of the model.

  4. Reservoir Simulation on the Cerro Prieto Geothermal Field: A Continuing Study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Castaneda, M.; Marquez, R.; Arellano, V.; Esquer, C.A.

    1983-12-15

    The Cerro Prieto geothermal field is a liquid-dominated geothermal reservoir of complex geological and hydrological structure. It is located at the southern end of the Salton-Mexicali trough which includes other geothermal anomalies as Heber and East Mesa. Although in 1973, the initial power plant installed capacity was 75 MW of electrical power, this amount increased to 180 MW in 1981 as field development continued. It is expected to have a generating capacity of 620 MW by the end of 1985, when two new plants will be completely in operation. Questions about field deliverability, reservoir life and ultimate recovery related to planned installations are being presently asked. Numerical modeling studies can give very valuable answers to these questions, even at the early stages in the development of a field. An effort to simulate the Cerro Prieto geothermal reservoir has been undergoing for almost two years. A joint project among Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE), Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas (IIE) and Intercomp of Houstin, Texas, was created to perform reservoir engineering and simulation studies on this field. The final project objective is tosimulate the behavior of the old field region when production from additional wells located in the undeveloped field zones will be used for feeding the new power plants.

  5. Evaluation of an Empirical Reservoir Shape Function to Define Sediment Distributions in Small Reservoirs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bogusław Michalec

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Understanding and defining the spatial distribution of sediment deposited in reservoirs is essential not only at the design stage but also during the operation. The majority of research concerns the distribution of sediment deposition in medium and large water reservoirs. Most empirical methods do not provide satisfactory results when applied to the determination of sediment deposition in small reservoirs. Small reservoir’s volumes do not exceed 5 × 106 m3 and their capacity-inflow ratio is less than 10%. Long-term silting measurements of three small reservoirs were used to evaluate the method described by Rahmanian and Banihashemi for predicting sediment distributions in small reservoirs. Rahmanian and Banihashemi stated that their model of distribution of sediment deposition in water reservoir works well for a long duration operation. In the presented study, the silting rate was used in order to determine the long duration operation. Silting rate is a quotient of volume of the sediment deposited in the reservoir and its original volume. It was stated that when the silting rate had reached 50%, the sediment deposition in the reservoir may be described by an empirical reservoir depth shape function (RDSF.

  6. New approaches to screening infrastructure investments in multi-reservoir systems- Evaluating proposed dams in Ethiopia and Kenya

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harou, J. J.; Geressu, R. T.; Hurford, A. P.

    2014-12-01

    Two approaches have been used traditionally to screen infrastructure investments in multi-reservoir systems: scenario analysis of a few simulated designs and deterministic optimization, sometimes using hydro-economic models or screening optimization models. Simulation models realistically represent proposed water systems and can easily include multiple performance metrics; however each prospective system operating rules need to be formulated and simulated for each proposed design (time consuming. Optimization models have been used to overcome this burden. Screening optimization models use integer or non-linear programming and can be challenging to apply to large and/or multi-objective systems. Hydro-economic models that use deterministic (implicit stochastic) optimization must be modified to examine each different plan and they cannot always reproduce realistic or politically acceptable system operations. In this presentation we demonstrate the application of a new screening approach to multi-reservoir systems where operating rules and new assets (dams) are simultaneously optimized in a multi-criteria context. Results are not least cost investment plans that satisfy reliability or other engineering constraints, but rather Pareto-optimal sets of asset portfolios that work well under historical and/or future scenarios. This is achieved by using stakeholder-built simulation models linked to multi-criteria search algorithms (e.g. many objective evolutionary algorithms, MOEA). Typical output is demonstrated through two case-studies on the Tana and Blue Nile rivers where operating rules and reservoir assets are efficiently screened together considering stakeholder-defined metrics. The focus on the Tana system is how reservoir operating rules and new irrigation schemes should be co-managed to limit ecological damages. On the Nile system, we identify Blue Nile river reservoir capacities that least negatively impact downstream Nile nations. Limitations and new directions of

  7. An Analysis Model for Water Cone Subsidence in Bottom Water Drive Reservoirs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jianjun; Xu, Hui; Wu, Shucheng; Yang, Chao; Kong, lingxiao; Zeng, Baoquan; Xu, Haixia; Qu, Tailai

    2017-12-01

    Water coning in bottom water drive reservoirs, which will result in earlier water breakthrough, rapid increase in water cut and low recovery level, has drawn tremendous attention in petroleum engineering field. As one simple and effective method to inhibit bottom water coning, shut-in coning control is usually preferred in oilfield to control the water cone and furthermore to enhance economic performance. However, most of the water coning researchers just have been done on investigation of the coning behavior as it grows up, the reported studies for water cone subsidence are very scarce. The goal of this work is to present an analytical model for water cone subsidence to analyze the subsidence of water cone when the well shut in. Based on Dupuit critical oil production rate formula, an analytical model is developed to estimate the initial water cone shape at the point of critical drawdown. Then, with the initial water cone shape equation, we propose an analysis model for water cone subsidence in bottom water reservoir reservoirs. Model analysis and several sensitivity studies are conducted. This work presents accurate and fast analytical model to perform the water cone subsidence in bottom water drive reservoirs. To consider the recent interests in development of bottom drive reservoirs, our approach provides a promising technique for better understanding the subsidence of water cone.

  8. Oxygen sensor equipped engine operation on methanol/gasoline blends and phase separation problems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Last, A J; Lawson, A; Simmons, E W; Mackay, D; Tsang, M; Maund, G B

    1980-01-01

    A study was made to address problems related to Canadian utilization of methanol/gasoline blends. These problems are: (1) cold weather operation; (2) water sensitivity to phase separation in winter; (3) vehicle compatibility: fuel/air ratio control, flexibility for vehicle movement outside of areas where methanol might be available. Specifically, the operation of the HydroShear (an in-line hydraulic emulsifier) on the two separated phases of a methanol/gasoline/water blend was examined. Fuel maps, by engine dynamometer testing, were generated using methanol/gasoline blends containing 15% to 65% methanol. The capability of an oxygen sensor, located in the exhaust system, to control the fuel/air ratio was found to be adequate within the 15% to 65% methanol/gasoline blends. A fuel injected Volvo 244DL with lambda-sond emission control and a carburetted Chevrolet Monza with 3-way catalyst closed loop feedback emission control system were the two engines selected for this study.

  9. Artificial membrane-binding proteins stimulate oxygenation of stem cells during engineering of large cartilage tissue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, James P. K.; Shakur, Rameen; Horne, Joseph P.; Dickinson, Sally C.; Armstrong, Craig T.; Lau, Katherine; Kadiwala, Juned; Lowe, Robert; Seddon, Annela; Mann, Stephen; Anderson, J. L. Ross; Perriman, Adam W.; Hollander, Anthony P.

    2015-06-01

    Restricted oxygen diffusion can result in central cell necrosis in engineered tissue, a problem that is exacerbated when engineering large tissue constructs for clinical application. Here we show that pre-treating human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) with synthetic membrane-active myoglobin-polymer-surfactant complexes can provide a reservoir of oxygen capable of alleviating necrosis at the centre of hyaline cartilage. This is achieved through the development of a new cell functionalization methodology based on polymer-surfactant conjugation, which allows the delivery of functional proteins to the hMSC membrane. This new approach circumvents the need for cell surface engineering using protein chimerization or genetic transfection, and we demonstrate that the surface-modified hMSCs retain their ability to proliferate and to undergo multilineage differentiation. The functionalization technology is facile, versatile and non-disruptive, and in addition to tissue oxygenation, it should have far-reaching application in a host of tissue engineering and cell-based therapies.

  10. Characterization of oil and gas reservoirs and recovery technology deployment on Texas State Lands

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tyler, R.; Major, R.P.; Holtz, M.H. [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)] [and others

    1997-08-01

    Texas State Lands oil and gas resources are estimated at 1.6 BSTB of remaining mobile oil, 2.1 BSTB, or residual oil, and nearly 10 Tcf of remaining gas. An integrated, detailed geologic and engineering characterization of Texas State Lands has created quantitative descriptions of the oil and gas reservoirs, resulting in delineation of untapped, bypassed compartments and zones of remaining oil and gas. On Texas State Lands, the knowledge gained from such interpretative, quantitative reservoir descriptions has been the basis for designing optimized recovery strategies, including well deepening, recompletions, workovers, targeted infill drilling, injection profile modification, and waterflood optimization. The State of Texas Advanced Resource Recovery program is currently evaluating oil and gas fields along the Gulf Coast (South Copano Bay and Umbrella Point fields) and in the Permian Basin (Keystone East, Ozona, Geraldine Ford and Ford West fields). The program is grounded in advanced reservoir characterization techniques that define the residence of unrecovered oil and gas remaining in select State Land reservoirs. Integral to the program is collaboration with operators in order to deploy advanced reservoir exploitation and management plans. These plans are made on the basis of a thorough understanding of internal reservoir architecture and its controls on remaining oil and gas distribution. Continued accurate, detailed Texas State Lands reservoir description and characterization will ensure deployment of the most current and economically viable recovery technologies and strategies available.

  11. Efficacy of an Online Resource for Teaching Interpersonal Problem Solving Skills to Women Graduate Students in Engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bekki, Jennifer M.; Bernstein, Bianca; Fabert, Natalie; Gildar, Natalie; Way, Amy

    2014-01-01

    Interpersonal problem solving skills allow engineers to prevent interpersonal difficulties more effectively and to manage conflict, both of which are critical to successful participation on teams. This research provides evidence that the "Career"WISE online learning environment can improve those skills among women in engineering graduate…

  12. Applications of artificial intelligence in engineering problems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sriram, D; Adey, R

    1986-01-01

    This book presents the papers given at a conference on the use of artificial intelligence in engineering. Topics considered at the conference included Prolog logic, expert systems, knowledge representation and acquisition, knowledge bases, machine learning, robotics, least-square algorithms, vision systems for robots, natural language, probability, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, and electrical engineering.

  13. Maximization of wave motion within a hydrocarbon reservoir for wave-based enhanced oil recovery

    KAUST Repository

    Jeong, C.

    2015-05-01

    © 2015 Elsevier B.V. We discuss a systematic methodology for investigating the feasibility of mobilizing oil droplets trapped within the pore space of a target reservoir region by optimally directing wave energy to the region of interest. The motivation stems from field and laboratory observations, which have provided sufficient evidence suggesting that wave-based reservoir stimulation could lead to economically viable oil recovery.Using controlled active surface wave sources, we first describe the mathematical framework necessary for identifying optimal wave source signals that can maximize a desired motion metric (kinetic energy, particle acceleration, etc.) at the target region of interest. We use the apparatus of partial-differential-equation (PDE)-constrained optimization to formulate the associated inverse-source problem, and deploy state-of-the-art numerical wave simulation tools to resolve numerically the associated discrete inverse problem.Numerical experiments with a synthetic subsurface model featuring a shallow reservoir show that the optimizer converges to wave source signals capable of maximizing the motion within the reservoir. The spectra of the wave sources are dominated by the amplification frequencies of the formation. We also show that wave energy could be focused within the target reservoir area, while simultaneously minimizing the disturbance to neighboring formations - a concept that can also be exploited in fracking operations.Lastly, we compare the results of our numerical experiments conducted at the reservoir scale, with results obtained from semi-analytical studies at the granular level, to conclude that, in the case of shallow targets, the optimized wave sources are likely to mobilize trapped oil droplets, and thus enhance oil recovery.

  14. 78 FR 78717 - Reservoirs at Headwaters of the Mississippi River; Use and Administration

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-27

    ... Headwaters of the Mississippi River; Use and Administration AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD. ACTION... administration of the reservoirs at the headwaters of the Mississippi River by deleting from the Code of Federal... values that differ from those currently codified in the Code of Federal Regulations. Deleting all...

  15. Modeling reservoir geomechanics using discrete element method : Application to reservoir monitoring

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alassi, Haitham Tayseer

    2008-09-15

    Understanding reservoir geomechanical behavior is becoming more and more important for the petroleum industry. Reservoir compaction, which may result in surface subsidence and fault reactivation, occurs during reservoir depletion. Stress changes and possible fracture development inside and outside a depleting reservoir can be monitored using time-lapse (so-called '4D') seismic and/or passive seismic, and this can give valuable information about the conditions of a given reservoir during production. In this study we will focus on using the (particle-based) Discrete Element Method (DEM) to model reservoir geomechanical behavior during depletion and fluid injection. We show in this study that DEM can be used in modeling reservoir geomechanical behavior by comparing results obtained from DEM to those obtained from analytical solutions. The match of the displacement field between DEM and the analytical solution is good, however there is mismatch of the stress field which is related to the way stress is measured in DEM. A good match is however obtained by measuring the stress field carefully. We also use DEM to model reservoir geomechanical behavior beyond the elasticity limit where fractures can develop and faults can reactivate. A general technique has been developed to relate DEM parameters to rock properties. This is necessary in order to use correct reservoir geomechanical properties during modeling. For any type of particle packing there is a limitation that the maximum ratio between P- and S-wave velocity Vp/Vs that can be modeled is 3 . The static behavior for a loose packing is different from the dynamic behavior. Empirical relations are needed for the static behavior based on numerical test observations. The dynamic behavior for both dense and loose packing can be given by analytical relations. Cosserat continuum theory is needed to derive relations for Vp and Vs. It is shown that by constraining the particle rotation, the S-wave velocity can be

  16. Estimation of Bank Erosion Due To Reservoir Operation in Cascade (Case Study: Citarum Cascade Reservoir

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sri Legowo

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Sedimentation is such a crucial issue to be noted once the accumulated sediment begins to fill the reservoir dead storage, this will then influence the long-term reservoir operation. The sediment accumulated requires a serious attention for it may influence the storage capacity and other reservoir management of activities. The continuous inflow of sediment to the reservoir will decrease the capacity of reservoir storage, the reservoir value in use, and the useful age of reservoir. Because of that, the rate of the sediment needs to be delayed as possible. In this research, the delay of the sediment rate is considered based on the rate of flow of landslide of the reservoir slope. The rate of flow of the sliding slope can be minimized by way of each reservoir autonomous efforts. This effort can be performed through; the regulation of fluctuating rate of reservoir surface current that does not cause suddenly drawdown and upraising as well. The research model is compiled using the searching technique of Non Linear Programming (NLP.The rate of bank erosion for the reservoir variates from 0.0009 to 0.0048 MCM/year, which is no sigrificant value to threaten the life time of reservoir.Mean while the rate of watershed sediment has a significant value, i.e: 3,02 MCM/year for Saguling that causes to fullfill the storage capacity in 40 next years (from years 2008.

  17. An Introduction to Parallel Cluster Computing Using PVM for Computer Modeling and Simulation of Engineering Problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spencer, VN

    2001-01-01

    An investigation has been conducted regarding the ability of clustered personal computers to improve the performance of executing software simulations for solving engineering problems. The power and utility of personal computers continues to grow exponentially through advances in computing capabilities such as newer microprocessors, advances in microchip technologies, electronic packaging, and cost effective gigabyte-size hard drive capacity. Many engineering problems require significant computing power. Therefore, the computation has to be done by high-performance computer systems that cost millions of dollars and need gigabytes of memory to complete the task. Alternately, it is feasible to provide adequate computing in the form of clustered personal computers. This method cuts the cost and size by linking (clustering) personal computers together across a network. Clusters also have the advantage that they can be used as stand-alone computers when they are not operating as a parallel computer. Parallel computing software to exploit clusters is available for computer operating systems like Unix, Windows NT, or Linux. This project concentrates on the use of Windows NT, and the Parallel Virtual Machine (PVM) system to solve an engineering dynamics problem in Fortran

  18. The Ardross reservoir gridblock analogue: Sedimentology, statistical representivity, and flow upscaling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ringrose, P.; Pickup, G.; Jensen, J. [Heriot-Watt Univ., Edinburgh (United Kingdom)] [and others

    1997-08-01

    We have used a reservoir gridblock-sized outcrop (10m by 100m) of fluvio-deltaic sandstones to evaluate the importance of internal heterogeneity for a hypothetical waterflood displacement process. Using a dataset based on probe permeameter measurements taken from two vertical transacts representing {open_quotes}wells{close_quotes} (5cm sampling) and one {open_quotes}core{close_quotes} sample (exhaustive 1mm-spaced sampling), we evaluate the permeability variability at different lengthscales, the correlation characteristics (structure of the variogram, function), and larger-scale trends. We then relate these statistical measures to the sedimentology. We show how the sediment architecture influences the effective tensor permeability at the lamina and bed scale, and then calculate the effective relative permeability functions for a waterflood. We compare the degree of oil recovery from the formation: (a) using averaged borehole data and no geological structure, and (b) modelling the sediment architecture of the interwell volume using mixed stochastic/deterministic methods. We find that the sediment architecture has an important effect on flow performance, mainly due to bedscale capillary trapping and a consequent reduction in the effective oil mobility. The predicted oil recovery differs by 18% when these small-scale effects are included in the model. Traditional reservoir engineering methods, using averages permeability values, only prove acceptable in high-permeability and low-heterogeneity zones. The main outstanding challenge, represented by this illustration of sub-gridblock scale heterogeneity, is how to capture the relevant geological structure along with the inherent geo-statistical variability. An approach to this problem is proposed.

  19. EUTROPHICATION OF WATER RESERVOIRS AND ROLE OF MACROPHYTES IN THIS PROCESS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joanna Jadwiga Sender

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents the problem related with the process of eutrophication, with special emphasis on dam reservoirs. Eutrophication is a global process, threatening the water ecosystem on every continent. It often leads to their degradation. Particularly vulnerable to eutrophication are artificial reservoirs which are dam reservoirs. This paper describes the mechanisms of eutrophication. We also pointed to the importance of aquatic plants in the process of water purification, as well as the possibility of multilateral use. Recently, in the world and in Poland there is a tendency to pay attention to the natural or semi-natural method of water purification (including constructed wetland. On the one hand, the presence of macrophytes in water bodies is a guarantor of good ecological status, on the other hand, the undeniable aesthetic value.

  20. Enhanced characterization of reservoir hydrocarbon components using electromagnetic data attributes

    KAUST Repository

    Katterbauer, Klemens; Arango, Santiago; Sun, Shuyu; Hoteit, Ibrahim

    2015-01-01

    Advances in electromagnetic imaging techniques have led to the growing utilization of this technology for reservoir monitoring and exploration. These exploit the strong conductivity contrast between the hydrocarbon and water phases and have been used for mapping water front propagation in hydrocarbon reservoirs and enhancing the characterization of the reservoir formation. The conventional approach for the integration of electromagnetic data is to invert the data for saturation properties and then subsequently use the inverted properties as constraints in the history matching process. The non-uniqueness and measurement errors may however make this electromagnetic inversion problem strongly ill-posed, leading to potentially inaccurate saturation profiles. Another limitation of this approach is the uncertainty of Archie's parameters in relating rock conductivity to water saturation, which may vary in the reservoir and are generally poorly known. We present an Ensemble Kalman Filter framework for efficiently integrating electromagnetic data into the history matching process and for simultaneously estimating the Archie's parameters and the variance of the observation error of the electromagnetic data. We apply the proposed framework to a compositional reservoir model. We aim at assessing the relevance of EM data for estimating the different hydrocarbon components of the reservoir. The experimental results demonstrate that the individual hydrocarbon components are generally well matched, with nitrogen exhibiting the strongest improvement. The estimated observation error standard deviations are also within expected levels (between 5 and 10%), significantly contributing to the robustness of the proposed EM history matching framework. Archie's parameter estimates approximate well the reference profile and assist in the accurate description of the electrical conductivity properties of the reservoir formation, hence leading to estimation accuracy improvements of around 15%.

  1. Enhanced characterization of reservoir hydrocarbon components using electromagnetic data attributes

    KAUST Repository

    Katterbauer, Klemens

    2015-12-23

    Advances in electromagnetic imaging techniques have led to the growing utilization of this technology for reservoir monitoring and exploration. These exploit the strong conductivity contrast between the hydrocarbon and water phases and have been used for mapping water front propagation in hydrocarbon reservoirs and enhancing the characterization of the reservoir formation. The conventional approach for the integration of electromagnetic data is to invert the data for saturation properties and then subsequently use the inverted properties as constraints in the history matching process. The non-uniqueness and measurement errors may however make this electromagnetic inversion problem strongly ill-posed, leading to potentially inaccurate saturation profiles. Another limitation of this approach is the uncertainty of Archie\\'s parameters in relating rock conductivity to water saturation, which may vary in the reservoir and are generally poorly known. We present an Ensemble Kalman Filter framework for efficiently integrating electromagnetic data into the history matching process and for simultaneously estimating the Archie\\'s parameters and the variance of the observation error of the electromagnetic data. We apply the proposed framework to a compositional reservoir model. We aim at assessing the relevance of EM data for estimating the different hydrocarbon components of the reservoir. The experimental results demonstrate that the individual hydrocarbon components are generally well matched, with nitrogen exhibiting the strongest improvement. The estimated observation error standard deviations are also within expected levels (between 5 and 10%), significantly contributing to the robustness of the proposed EM history matching framework. Archie\\'s parameter estimates approximate well the reference profile and assist in the accurate description of the electrical conductivity properties of the reservoir formation, hence leading to estimation accuracy improvements of around

  2. Modeling and simulation of different and representative engineering problems using Network Simulation Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-01-01

    Mathematical models simulating different and representative engineering problem, atomic dry friction, the moving front problems and elastic and solid mechanics are presented in the form of a set of non-linear, coupled or not coupled differential equations. For different parameters values that influence the solution, the problem is numerically solved by the network method, which provides all the variables of the problems. Although the model is extremely sensitive to the above parameters, no assumptions are considered as regards the linearization of the variables. The design of the models, which are run on standard electrical circuit simulation software, is explained in detail. The network model results are compared with common numerical methods or experimental data, published in the scientific literature, to show the reliability of the model. PMID:29518121

  3. Superconductor Particles As The Working Media Of A Heat Engine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keefe, Peter D.

    2011-12-01

    A heat engine is presented in which the working media comprises a multiplicity of mutually isolated particles of Type I superconductor which are selectively processed through H-T phase space so as to convert a heat influx from a high temperature heat reservoir into a useful work output, wherein no heat is rejected to a low temperature heat reservoir.

  4. SILTATION IN RESERVOIRS

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Keywords: reservoir model, siltation, sediment, catchment, sediment transport. 1. Introduction. Sediment ... rendered water storage structures useless in less than 25 years. ... reservoir, thus reducing the space available for water storage and ...

  5. Estimating the Optimal Capacity for Reservoir Dam based on Reliability Level for Meeting Demands

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehrdad Taghian

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: One of the practical and classic problems in the water resource studies is estimation of the optimal reservoir capacity to satisfy demands. However, full supplying demands for total periods need a very high dam to supply demands during severe drought conditions. That means a major part of reservoir capacity and costs is only usable for a short period of the reservoir lifetime, which would be unjustified in economic analysis. Thus, in the proposed method and model, the full meeting demand is only possible for a percent time of the statistical period that is according to reliability constraint. In the general methods, although this concept apparently seems simple, there is a necessity to add binary variables for meeting or not meeting demands in the linear programming model structures. Thus, with many binary variables, solving the problem will be time consuming and difficult. Another way to solve the problem is the application of the yield model. This model includes some simpler assumptions and that is so difficult to consider details of the water resource system. The applicationof evolutionary algorithms, for the problems have many constraints, is also very complicated. Therefore, this study pursues another solution. Materials and Methods: In this study, for development and improvement the usual methods, instead of mix integer linear programming (MILP and the above methods, a simulation model including flow network linear programming is used coupled with an interface manual code in Matlab to account the reliability based on output file of the simulation model. The acre reservoir simulation program (ARSP has been utilized as a simulation model. A major advantage of the ARSP is its inherent flexibility in defining the operating policies through a penalty structure specified by the user. The ARSP utilizes network flow optimization techniques to handle a subset of general linear programming (LP problems for individual time intervals

  6. Optimal Operation of Hydropower Reservoirs under Climate Change: The Case of Tekeze Reservoir, Eastern Nile

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fikru Fentaw Abera

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Optimal operation of reservoirs is very essential for water resource planning and management, but it is very challenging and complicated when dealing with climate change impacts. The objective of this paper was to assess existing and future hydropower operation at the Tekeze reservoir in the face of climate change. In this study, a calibrated and validated Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT was used to model runoff inflow into the Tekeze hydropower reservoir under present and future climate scenarios. Inflow to the reservoir was simulated using hydro-climatic data from an ensemble of downscaled climate data based on the Coordinated Regional climate Downscaling Experiment over African domain (CORDEX-Africa with Coupled Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5 simulations under Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 climate scenarios. Observed and projected inflows to Tekeze hydropower reservoir were used as input to the US Army Corps of Engineer’s Reservoir Evaluation System Perspective Reservoir Model (HEC-ResPRM, a reservoir operation model, to optimize hydropower reservoir release, storage and pool level. Results indicated that climate change has a clear impact on reservoir inflow and showed increase in annual and monthly inflow into the reservoir except in dry months from May to June under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 climate scenarios. HEC-ResPRM optimal operation results showed an increase in Tekeze reservoir power storage potential up to 25% and 30% under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 climate scenarios, respectively. This implies that Tekeze hydropower production will be affected by climate change. This analysis can be used by water resources planners and mangers to develop reservoir operation techniques considering climate change impact to increase power production.

  7. Improving reservoir history matching of EM heated heavy oil reservoirs via cross-well seismic tomography

    KAUST Repository

    Katterbauer, Klemens

    2014-01-01

    Enhanced recovery methods have become significant in the industry\\'s drive to increase recovery rates from oil and gas reservoirs. For heavy oil reservoirs, the immobility of the oil at reservoir temperatures, caused by its high viscosity, limits the recovery rates and strains the economic viability of these fields. While thermal recovery methods, such as steam injection or THAI, have extensively been applied in the field, their success has so far been limited due to prohibitive heat losses and the difficulty in controlling the combustion process. Electromagnetic (EM) heating via high-frequency EM radiation has attracted attention due to its wide applicability in different environments, its efficiency, and the improved controllability of the heating process. While becoming a promising technology for heavy oil recovery, its effect on overall reservoir production and fluid displacements are poorly understood. Reservoir history matching has become a vital tool for the oil & gas industry to increase recovery rates. Limited research has been undertaken so far to capture the nonlinear reservoir dynamics and significantly varying flow rates for thermally heated heavy oil reservoir that may notably change production rates and render conventional history matching frameworks more challenging. We present a new history matching framework for EM heated heavy oil reservoirs incorporating cross-well seismic imaging. Interfacing an EM heating solver to a reservoir simulator via Andrade’s equation, we couple the system to an ensemble Kalman filter based history matching framework incorporating a cross-well seismic survey module. With increasing power levels and heating applied to the heavy oil reservoirs, reservoir dynamics change considerably and may lead to widely differing production forecasts and increased uncertainty. We have shown that the incorporation of seismic observations into the EnKF framework can significantly enhance reservoir simulations, decrease forecasting

  8. Nagylengyel: an interesting reservoir. [Yugoslovia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dedinszky, J

    1971-04-01

    The Nagylengyel oil field, discovered in 1951, has oil-producing formations mostly in the Upper-Triassic dolomites, in the Norian-Ractian transition formations, in the Upper-Cretaceous limestones and shales, and in the Miocene. The formation of the reservoir space occurred in many stages. A porous, cavernous fractured reservoir is developed in the Norian principal dolomite. A cavernous fractured reservoir exists in the Cretaceous limestone and in the Cretaceous shale and porous fractured reservoir is developed in the Miocene. The derivation of the model of the reservoir, and the conservative evaluation of the volume of the reservoir made it possible to use secondary recovery.

  9. SIMULATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF THE HYDRAULIC FRACTURING OPERATION IN A HEAVY OIL RESERVOIR IN SOUTHERN IRAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    REZA MASOOMI

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Extraction of oil from some Iranian reservoirs due to high viscosity of their oil or reducing the formation permeability due to asphaltene precipitation or other problems is not satisfactory. Hydraulic fracturing method increases production in the viscous oil reservoirs that the production rate is low. So this is very important for some Iranian reservoirs that contain these characteristics. In this study, hydraulic fracturing method has been compositionally simulated in a heavy oil reservoir in southern Iran. In this study, the parameters of the fracture half length, the propagation direction of the cracks and the depth of fracturing have been considered in this oil reservoir. The aim of this study is to find the best scenario which has the highest recovery factor in this oil reservoir. For this purpose the parameters of the length, propagation direction and depth of fracturing have been optimized in this reservoir. Through this study the cumulative oil production has been evaluated with the compositional simulation for the next 10 years in this reservoir. Also at the end of this paper, increasing the final production of this oil reservoir caused by optimized hydraulic fracturing has been evaluated.

  10. Sulfate-Reducing Prokaryotes from North Sea Oil reservoirs; organisms, distribution and origin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beeder, Janiche

    1997-12-31

    During oil production in the North Sea, anaerobic seawater is pumped in which stimulates the growth of sulphate-reducing prokaryotes that produce hydrogen sulphide. This sulphide causes major health hazards, economical and operational problems. As told in this thesis, several strains of sulphate reducers have been isolated from North Sea oil field waters. Antibodies have been produced against these strains and used to investigate the distribution of sulphate reducers in a North Sea oil reservoir. The result showed a high diversity among sulphate reducers, with different strains belonging to different parts of the reservoir. Some of these strains have been further characterized. The physiological and phylogenetic characterization showed that strain 7324 was an archaean. Strain A8444 was a bacterium, representing a new species of a new genus. A benzoate degrading sulphate reducing bacterium was isolated from injection water, and later the same strain was detected in produced water. This is the first field observations indicating that sulphate reducers are able to penetrate an oil reservoir. It was found that the oil reservoir contains a diverse population of thermophilic sulphate reducers able to grow on carbon sources in the oil reservoir, and to live and grow in this extreme environment of high temperature and pressure. The mesophilic sulphate reducers are established in the injection water system and in the reservoir near the injection well during oil production. The thermophilic sulphate reducers are able to grow in the reservoir prior to, as well as during production. It appears that the oil reservoir is a natural habitat for thermophilic sulphate reducers and that they have been present in the reservoir long before production started. 322 refs., 9 figs., 11 tabs.

  11. Sulfate-Reducing Prokaryotes from North Sea Oil reservoirs; organisms, distribution and origin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beeder, Janiche

    1996-12-31

    During oil production in the North Sea, anaerobic seawater is pumped in which stimulates the growth of sulphate-reducing prokaryotes that produce hydrogen sulphide. This sulphide causes major health hazards, economical and operational problems. As told in this thesis, several strains of sulphate reducers have been isolated from North Sea oil field waters. Antibodies have been produced against these strains and used to investigate the distribution of sulphate reducers in a North Sea oil reservoir. The result showed a high diversity among sulphate reducers, with different strains belonging to different parts of the reservoir. Some of these strains have been further characterized. The physiological and phylogenetic characterization showed that strain 7324 was an archaean. Strain A8444 was a bacterium, representing a new species of a new genus. A benzoate degrading sulphate reducing bacterium was isolated from injection water, and later the same strain was detected in produced water. This is the first field observations indicating that sulphate reducers are able to penetrate an oil reservoir. It was found that the oil reservoir contains a diverse population of thermophilic sulphate reducers able to grow on carbon sources in the oil reservoir, and to live and grow in this extreme environment of high temperature and pressure. The mesophilic sulphate reducers are established in the injection water system and in the reservoir near the injection well during oil production. The thermophilic sulphate reducers are able to grow in the reservoir prior to, as well as during production. It appears that the oil reservoir is a natural habitat for thermophilic sulphate reducers and that they have been present in the reservoir long before production started. 322 refs., 9 figs., 11 tabs.

  12. A Simple Approach to Dynamic Material Balance in Gas-Condensate Reservoirs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heidari Sureshjani M.

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available In traditional material balance calculations, shut-in well pressure data are used to determine average reservoir pressure while recent techniques do not require the well to be shut-in and use instead flowing well pressure-rate data. These methods, which are known as “dynamic” material balance, are developed for single-phase flow (oil or gas in reservoirs. However, utilization of such methods for gas-condensate reservoirs may create significant errors in prediction of average reservoir pressure due to violation of the single-phase assumption in such reservoirs. In a previous work, a method for production data analysis in gas-condensate reservoirs was developed. The method required standard gas production rate, producing gas-oil ratio, flowing well pressure, CVD data and relative permeability curves. This paper presents a new technique which does not need relative permeability curves and flowing well pressure. In this method, the producing oil-gas ratio is interpolated in the vaporized oil in gas phase (Rv versus pressure (p data in the CVD table and the corresponding pressure is located. The parameter pressure/two-phase deviation factor (p/ztp is then evaluated at the determined pressure points and is plotted versus produced moles (np which forms a straight line. The nature of this plot is such that its extrapolation to point where p/ztp = 0 will give initial moles in place. Putting initial pressure/initial two-phase deviation factor (pi/ztp,i (known parameter and estimated initial moles (ni into the material balance equation, average reservoir pressure can be determined. A main assumption behind the method is that the region where both gas and condensate phases are mobile is of negligible size compared to the reservoir. The approach is quite simple and calculations are much easier than the previous work. It provides a practical engineering tool for industry studies as it requires data which are generally available in normal production

  13. Adapting Experiential Learning to Develop Problem-Solving Skills in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Engineering Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marshall, Matthew M; Carrano, Andres L; Dannels, Wendy A

    2016-10-01

    Individuals who are deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions, and this may be due in part to their level of preparation in the development and retention of mathematical and problem-solving skills. An approach was developed that incorporates experiential learning and best practices of STEM instruction to give first-year DHH students enrolled in a postsecondary STEM program the opportunity to develop problem-solving skills in real-world scenarios. Using an industrial engineering laboratory that provides manufacturing and warehousing environments, students were immersed in real-world scenarios in which they worked on teams to address prescribed problems encountered during the activities. The highly structured, Plan-Do-Check-Act approach commonly used in industry was adapted for the DHH student participants to document and communicate the problem-solving steps. Students who experienced the intervention realized a 14.6% improvement in problem-solving proficiency compared with a control group, and this gain was retained at 6 and 12 months, post-intervention. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Decision Support System for Reservoir Management and Operation in Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Navar, D. A.

    2016-12-01

    Africa is currently experiencing a surge in dam construction for flood control, water supply and hydropower production, but ineffective reservoir management has caused problems in the region, such as water shortages, flooding and loss of potential hydropower generation. Our research aims to remedy ineffective reservoir management by developing a novel Decision Support System(DSS) to equip water managers with a technical planning tool based on the state of the art in hydrological sciences. The DSS incorporates a climate forecast model, a hydraulic model of the watershed, and an optimization model to effectively plan for the operation of a system of cascade large-scale reservoirs for hydropower production, while treating water supply and flood control as constraints. Our team will use the newly constructed hydropower plants in the Omo Gibe basin of Ethiopia as the test case. Using the basic HIDROTERM software developed in Brazil, the General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) utilizes a combination of linear programing (LP) and non-linear programming (NLP) in conjunction with real time hydrologic and energy demand data to optimize the monthly and daily operations of the reservoir system. We compare the DSS model results with the current reservoir operating policy used by the water managers of that region. We also hope the DSS will eliminate the current dangers associated with the mismanagement of large scale water resources projects in Africa.

  15. Impact of Sedimentation hazard at Jor Reservoir, Batang Padang Hydroelectric Scheme in Malaysia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luis, Jansen; Mohd Sidek, Lariyah; Jajarmizadeh, Milad

    2016-03-01

    Sedimentation in reservoir can be treated as a hazard because it affects the overall safety of the dam. It is a growing concern for reservoir operators throughout the world as it impacts the operability of the hydropower plant and its function as flood control. The objective of the study is to carry out reservoir bathymetric survey to determine the storage volume available at Jor reservoir. The paper intends to discuss the results of two successive surveys carried out in year 2007 and 2010 and comparison with historical data in1968 owing to analyse of sedimentation trend. The result showed that the total storage loss is approximately 43% with an estimated deposited sediment volume of 1.4 million m3 in year 2010. The sedimentation rate is estimated at 3.3% for the years surveyed which is greater than the world average of 0.93%. The findings from the survey are used to develop a revised elevation-storage curve which could be used by the operator and engineers to carry out future power generation planning and flood study predictions. The findings are also expected to be used to determine the optimum method for sediment management and hydro-mechanical protection.

  16. Engineering Risk Assessment of Space Thruster Challenge Problem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathias, Donovan L.; Mattenberger, Christopher J.; Go, Susie

    2014-01-01

    The Engineering Risk Assessment (ERA) team at NASA Ames Research Center utilizes dynamic models with linked physics-of-failure analyses to produce quantitative risk assessments of space exploration missions. This paper applies the ERA approach to the baseline and extended versions of the PSAM Space Thruster Challenge Problem, which investigates mission risk for a deep space ion propulsion system with time-varying thruster requirements and operations schedules. The dynamic mission is modeled using a combination of discrete and continuous-time reliability elements within the commercially available GoldSim software. Loss-of-mission (LOM) probability results are generated via Monte Carlo sampling performed by the integrated model. Model convergence studies are presented to illustrate the sensitivity of integrated LOM results to the number of Monte Carlo trials. A deterministic risk model was also built for the three baseline and extended missions using the Ames Reliability Tool (ART), and results are compared to the simulation results to evaluate the relative importance of mission dynamics. The ART model did a reasonable job of matching the simulation models for the baseline case, while a hybrid approach using offline dynamic models was required for the extended missions. This study highlighted that state-of-the-art techniques can adequately adapt to a range of dynamic problems.

  17. Reservoirs on the mountain rivers and their safety

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ts.Z. Basilashvili

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Water resource issues and problems in the world's developing countries, present special challenges, as development of these countries significantly depends on the utilization of water resources. Georgia nestled between the Black Sea, Russia, and Turkey, and surrounded by the Caucasus Mountains, occupies a unique geographic space, which gives it strategic importance far beyond its size. Though blessed by its rich hydro resources, Georgia due to its uneven distribution, experiences some problems as the demand on water frequently doesn't coincide with water provision. As a result it causes acute deficit situation. Due to the global warming of the climate, it is expected that the fresh water amount will decrease in Georgia. This is why it is necessary to approach the use of water resources in a complex way by means of water reservoirs, which will enable attaining of a large economic effect. In the mountainous conditions filling of reservoirs take place in spring time, when snow and glaciers melt. In Georgia as in mountainous country, abundant rains take place, thus causing catastrophic flooding on rivers. In summer and winter water amount decreases 10 times and irrigation, water provision and energy production is impeded. Thus, the lack of water just like the excess amount of water causes damage. This is why it is needed to forecast water amount in water reservoirs for different periods of the year. But in a complex, mountainous terrain operative data of hydrometeorology is not sufficient for application of modern mathematical methods. We have elaborated multiple-factor statistical model for a forecast, which by means of different mathematical criteria and methods can simultaneously research the increase of the timeliness of forecasts and the level of their precision. We have obtained methodologies for short and long term forecasts of inflowing water properties in Georgia's main water reservoirs to further plan optimally and regulate water resources

  18. Integrating Creativity Training into Problem and Project-Based Learning (PBL) Curriculum in Engineering Education

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhou, Chunfang

    2012-01-01

    In order to foster creative engineers, a creativity training programme was carried out in medialogy education in a Problem and Project-Based Learning (PBL) environment at Aalborg University, Denmark. This paper focuses on the question of how engineering students perceive the strategy of integrating...... creativity training into a PBL curriculum. A total of 20 medialogy students in the training programme were interviewed. The data shows that the training programme was thought useful and students get benefits such as gaining project work skills, creative concepts and confidence of being creative. However...

  19. Strontium isotopic signatures of oil-field waters: Applications for reservoir characterization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnaby, R.J.; Oetting, G.C.; Gao, G.

    2004-01-01

    The 87Sr/86Sr compositions of formation waters that were collected from 71 wells producing from a Pennsylvanian carbonate reservoir in New Mexico display a well-defined distribution, with radiogenic waters (up to 0.710129) at the updip western part of the reservoir, grading downdip to less radiogenic waters (as low as 0.708903 to the east. Salinity (2800-50,000 mg/L) displays a parallel trend; saline waters to the west pass downdip to brackish waters. Elemental and isotopic data indicate that the waters originated as meteoric precipitation and acquired their salinity and radiogenic 87Sr through dissolution of Upper Permian evaporites. These meteoric-derived waters descended, perhaps along deeply penetrating faults, driven by gravity and density, to depths of more than 7000 ft (2100 m). The 87 Sr/86Sr and salinity trends record influx of these waters along the western field margin and downdip flow across the field, consistent with the strong water drive, potentiometric gradient, and tilted gas-oil-water contacts. The formation water 87Sr/86Sr composition can be useful to evaluate subsurface flow and reservoir behavior, especially in immature fields with scarce pressure and production data. In mature reservoirs, Sr Sr isotopes can be used to differentiate original formation water from injected water for waterflood surveillance. Strontium isotopes thus provide a valuable tool for both static and dynamic reservoir characterization in conjunction with conventional studies using seismic, log, core, engineering, and production data. Copyright ??2004. The American Association of Petroleum Geologist. All rights reserved.

  20. Real-time management of a multipurpose water reservoir with a heteroscedastic inflow model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pianosi, F.; Soncini-Sessa, R.

    2009-10-01

    Stochastic dynamic programming has been extensively used as a method for designing optimal regulation policies for water reservoirs. However, the potential of this method is dramatically reduced by its computational burden, which often forces to introduce strong approximations in the model of the system, especially in the description of the reservoir inflow. In this paper, an approach to partially remedy this problem is proposed and applied to a real world case study. It foresees solving the management problem on-line, using a reduced model of the system and the inflow forecast provided by a dynamic model. By doing so, all the hydrometeorological information that is available in real-time is fully exploited. The model here proposed for the inflow forecasting is a nonlinear, heteroscedastic model that provides both the expected value and the standard deviation of the inflow through dynamic relations. The effectiveness of such model for the purpose of the reservoir regulation is evaluated through simulation and comparison with the results provided by conventional homoscedastic inflow models.

  1. MAPPING OF RESERVOIR PROPERTIES AND FACIES THROUGH INTEGRATION OF STATIC AND DYNAMIC DATA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Albert C. Reynolds; Dean S. Oliver; Fengjun Zhang; Yannong Dong; Jan Arild Skjervheim; Ning Liu

    2003-01-01

    Knowledge of the distribution of permeability and porosity in a reservoir is necessary for the prediction of future oil production, estimation of the location of bypassed oil, and optimization of reservoir management. But while the volume of data that can potentially provide information on reservoir architecture and fluid distributions has increased enormously in the past decade, it is not yet possible to make use of all the available data in an integrated fashion. While it is relatively easy to generate plausible reservoir models that honor static data such as core, log, and seismic data, it is far more difficult to generate plausible reservoir models that honor dynamic data such as transient pressures, saturations, and flow rates. As a result, the uncertainty in reservoir properties is higher than it could be and reservoir management can not be optimized. The goal of this project is to develop computationally efficient automatic history matching techniques for generating geologically plausible reservoir models which honor both static and dynamic data. Solution of this problem is necessary for the quantification of uncertainty in future reservoir performance predictions and for the optimization of reservoir management. Facies (defined here as regions of relatively uniform petrophysical properties) are common features of all reservoirs. Because the flow properties of the various facies can vary greatly, knowledge of the location of facies boundaries is of utmost importance for the prediction of reservoir performance and for the optimization of reservoir management. When the boundaries between facies are fairly well known, but flow properties are poorly known, the average properties for all facies can be determined using traditional techniques. Traditional history matching honors dynamic data by adjusting petrophysical properties in large areas, but in the process of adjusting the reservoir model ignores the static data and often results in implausible reservoir

  2. Valuing hydrological alteration in Multi-Objective reservoir management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bizzi, S.; Pianosi, F.; Soncini-Sessa, R.

    2012-04-01

    Water management through dams and reservoirs is worldwide necessary to support key human-related activities ranging from hydropower production to water allocation for agricultural production, and flood risk mitigation. Advances in multi-objectives (MO) optimization techniques and ever growing computing power make it possible to design reservoir operating policies that represent Pareto-optimal tradeoffs between the multiple interests analysed. These progresses if on one hand are likely to enhance performances of commonly targeted objectives (such as hydropower production or water supply), on the other risk to strongly penalize all the interests not directly (i.e. mathematically) optimized within the MO algorithm. Alteration of hydrological regime, although is a well established cause of ecological degradation and its evaluation and rehabilitation are commonly required by recent legislation (as the Water Framework Directive in Europe), is rarely embedded as an objective in MO planning of optimal releases from reservoirs. Moreover, even when it is explicitly considered, the criteria adopted for its evaluation are doubted and not commonly trusted, undermining the possibility of real implementation of environmentally friendly policies. The main challenges in defining and assessing hydrological alterations are: how to define a reference state (referencing); how to define criteria upon which to build mathematical indicators of alteration (measuring); and finally how to aggregate the indicators in a single evaluation index that can be embedded in a MO optimization problem (valuing). This paper aims to address these issues by: i) discussing benefits and constrains of different approaches to referencing, measuring and valuing hydrological alteration; ii) testing two alternative indices of hydrological alteration in the context of MO problems, one based on the established framework of Indices of Hydrological Alteration (IHA, Richter et al., 1996), and a novel satisfying the

  3. Geology of the Roswell artesian basin, New Mexico, and its relation to the Hondo Reservoir and Effect on artesian aquifer storage of flood water in Hondo Reservoir

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bean, Robert T.; Theis, Charles V.

    1949-01-01

    In the Roswell Basin in southeastern New Mexico artesian water is produced from cavernous zones in the carbonate rocks of the San Andres formation and the lower part of the Chalk Bluff formation, both of Permian age. The Hondo Reservoir, 9 miles west-southwest of Roswell, was completed by the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation in 1907, to store waters of the Rio Hondo for irrigation. The project was not successful, as the impounded water escaped rapidly through holes in the gypsum and limestone of the San Andres formation constituting its floor. Of 27,000 acre~feet that entered the reservoir between 1908 and 1913, only 1,100 acre-feet was drawn Ollt for use, the remainder escaping through the floor of the reservoir. Since 1939, plans have been drawn up by the State Engineer and by Federal agencies to utilize the reservoir to protect Roswell from floods. It has also been suggested that water from the Pecos River might be diverted into underground storage through the reservoir. Sinkholes in the Roswell Basin are largely clustered in areas where gypsum occurs in the bedrock. Collapse of strata is due to solution of underlying rock commonly containing gypsum. Domes occur in gypsiferous strata near Salt Creek. The Bottomless Lakes, sinkhole lakes in the escarpment on the east side of the Pecos, are believed to have developed in north-south hinge-line fractures opened when the westernmost beds in the escarpment collapsed. Collapse was due to solution and removal of gypsiferous rock by artesian water which now fills the lakes.

  4. The environmental impact of the Petit Saut reservoir in French Guiana

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gregoire, A.; Sissakian, C.

    1993-01-01

    The construction of the Petit Saut reservoir in French Guiana is aimed not only at generating power, but also at maintaining the human and economic environment, as well as the natural heritage. These environmental factors are especially important in view of the fact that many aspects of the Amazonian rainforest remain unknown. Analysis of the ecosystem at the site, under the aegis of the dam's Scientific Committee, which has brought together experts from the leading French research agencies, has been going on for some ten years. It has revealed the foreseeable problems and has served as a basis for conservation measures to reduce their consequences. Predictions of the impacts result from experience with other reservoirs in intertropical regions, and from a water quality model developed for the Petit Saut reservoir by the R and D Division of Electricite de France. (author)

  5. Governing Engineering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buch, Anders

    2012-01-01

    Most people agree that our world face daunting problems and, correctly or not, technological solutions are seen as an integral part of an overall solution. But what exactly are the problems and how does the engineering ‘mind set’ frame these problems? This chapter sets out to unravel dominant...... perspectives in challenge per-ception in engineering in the US and Denmark. Challenge perception and response strategies are closely linked through discursive practices. Challenge perceptions within the engineering community and the surrounding society are thus critical for the shaping of engineering education...... and the engineering profession. Through an analysis of influential reports and position papers on engineering and engineering education the chapter sets out to identify how engineering is problematized and eventually governed. Drawing on insights from governmentality studies the chapter strives to elicit the bodies...

  6. Governing Engineering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buch, Anders

    2011-01-01

    Abstract: Most people agree that our world faces daunting problems and, correctly or not, technological solutions are seen as an integral part of an overall solution. But what exactly are the problems and how does the engineering ‘mind set’ frame these problems? This chapter sets out to unravel...... dominant perspectives in challenge perception in engineering in the US and Denmark. Challenge perception and response strategies are closely linked through discursive practices. Challenge perceptions within the engineering community and the surrounding society are thus critical for the shaping...... of engineering education and the engineering profession. Through an analysis of influential reports and position papers on engineering and engineering education the chapter sets out to identify how engineering is problematized and eventually governed. Drawing on insights from governmentality studies the chapter...

  7. Ecological investigations at power plant cooling lakes, reservoirs, and ponds: an annotated bibliography. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yost, F.E.; Talmage, S.S.

    1981-06-01

    Presented as an annotated bibliography are 541 references dealing with ecological investigations at power plants which use cooling lakes, ponds, or reservoirs. The references were obtained from open literature and from environmental reports and impact statements prepared for or by the electric utility industry. The literature covers the period 1950 through mid-1980. Topics covered include site-specific studies at facilities using cooling lakes, ponds, or reservoirs, as well as special studies, engineering studies, and general studies. References are arranged alphabetically by author and indexes are provided to personal and corporate authors, facility names, regions, and taxonomic names

  8. MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF UNSTEADY FILTRATION OF ELASTIC LIQUID IN AN INHOMOGENEOUS RESERVOIR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. G. Balamirzoev

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The article considers the possibility of numerical solution of two-dimensional problem of unsteady filtration in an inhomogeneous elastic liquid reservoir. The problem of finding the distribution of the pressure p(x,y,t in the process of exploitation of deposits is reduced to the solution of a differential equation of parabolic type with variable coefficients. The problem is solved approximately by using the method of finite differences.

  9. Monte Carlo Analysis of Reservoir Models Using Seismic Data and Geostatistical Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zunino, A.; Mosegaard, K.; Lange, K.; Melnikova, Y.; Hansen, T. M.

    2013-12-01

    We present a study on the analysis of petroleum reservoir models consistent with seismic data and geostatistical constraints performed on a synthetic reservoir model. Our aim is to invert directly for structure and rock bulk properties of the target reservoir zone. To infer the rock facies, porosity and oil saturation seismology alone is not sufficient but a rock physics model must be taken into account, which links the unknown properties to the elastic parameters. We then combine a rock physics model with a simple convolutional approach for seismic waves to invert the "measured" seismograms. To solve this inverse problem, we employ a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method, because it offers the possibility to handle non-linearity, complex and multi-step forward models and provides realistic estimates of uncertainties. However, for large data sets the MCMC method may be impractical because of a very high computational demand. To face this challenge one strategy is to feed the algorithm with realistic models, hence relying on proper prior information. To address this problem, we utilize an algorithm drawn from geostatistics to generate geologically plausible models which represent samples of the prior distribution. The geostatistical algorithm learns the multiple-point statistics from prototype models (in the form of training images), then generates thousands of different models which are accepted or rejected by a Metropolis sampler. To further reduce the computation time we parallelize the software and run it on multi-core machines. The solution of the inverse problem is then represented by a collection of reservoir models in terms of facies, porosity and oil saturation, which constitute samples of the posterior distribution. We are finally able to produce probability maps of the properties we are interested in by performing statistical analysis on the collection of solutions.

  10. a Stochastic Approach to Multiobjective Optimization of Large-Scale Water Reservoir Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bottacin-Busolin, A.; Worman, A. L.

    2013-12-01

    A main challenge for the planning and management of water resources is the development of multiobjective strategies for operation of large-scale water reservoir networks. The optimal sequence of water releases from multiple reservoirs depends on the stochastic variability of correlated hydrologic inflows and on various processes that affect water demand and energy prices. Although several methods have been suggested, large-scale optimization problems arising in water resources management are still plagued by the high dimensional state space and by the stochastic nature of the hydrologic inflows. In this work, the optimization of reservoir operation is approached using approximate dynamic programming (ADP) with policy iteration and function approximators. The method is based on an off-line learning process in which operating policies are evaluated for a number of stochastic inflow scenarios, and the resulting value functions are used to design new, improved policies until convergence is attained. A case study is presented of a multi-reservoir system in the Dalälven River, Sweden, which includes 13 interconnected reservoirs and 36 power stations. Depending on the late spring and summer peak discharges, the lowlands adjacent to Dalälven can often be flooded during the summer period, and the presence of stagnating floodwater during the hottest months of the year is the cause of a large proliferation of mosquitos, which is a major problem for the people living in the surroundings. Chemical pesticides are currently being used as a preventive countermeasure, which do not provide an effective solution to the problem and have adverse environmental impacts. In this study, ADP was used to analyze the feasibility of alternative operating policies for reducing the flood risk at a reasonable economic cost for the hydropower companies. To this end, mid-term operating policies were derived by combining flood risk reduction with hydropower production objectives. The performance

  11. Engineering-Based Problem Solving Strategies in AP Calculus: An Investigation into High School Student Performance on Related Rate Free-Response Problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thieken, John

    2012-01-01

    A sample of 127 high school Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus students from two schools was utilized to study the effects of an engineering design-based problem solving strategy on student performance with AP style Related Rate questions and changes in conceptions, beliefs, and influences. The research design followed a treatment-control multiple…

  12. New Developments of Computational Fluid Dynamics and Their Applications to Practical Engineering Problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Hudong

    2001-06-01

    There have been considerable advances in Lattice Boltzmann (LB) based methods in the last decade. By now, the fundamental concept of using the approach as an alternative tool for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been substantially appreciated and validated in mainstream scientific research and in industrial engineering communities. Lattice Boltzmann based methods possess several major advantages: a) less numerical dissipation due to the linear Lagrange type advection operator in the Boltzmann equation; b) local dynamic interactions suitable for highly parallel processing; c) physical handling of boundary conditions for complicated geometries and accurate control of fluxes; d) microscopically consistent modeling of thermodynamics and of interface properties in complex multiphase flows. It provides a great opportunity to apply the method to practical engineering problems encountered in a wide range of industries from automotive, aerospace to chemical, biomedical, petroleum, nuclear, and others. One of the key challenges is to extend the applicability of this alternative approach to regimes of highly turbulent flows commonly encountered in practical engineering situations involving high Reynolds numbers. Over the past ten years, significant efforts have been made on this front at Exa Corporation in developing a lattice Boltzmann based commercial CFD software, PowerFLOW. It has become a useful computational tool for the simulation of turbulent aerodynamics in practical engineering problems involving extremely complex geometries and flow situations, such as in new automotive vehicle designs world wide. In this talk, we present an overall LB based algorithm concept along with certain key extensions in order to accurately handle turbulent flows involving extremely complex geometries. To demonstrate the accuracy of turbulent flow simulations, we provide a set of validation results for some well known academic benchmarks. These include straight channels, backward

  13. The Improvement of Particle Swarm Optimization: a Case Study of Optimal Operation in Goupitan Reservoir

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Haichen; Qin, Tao; Wang, Weiping; Lei, Xiaohui; Wu, Wenhui

    2018-02-01

    Due to the weakness in holding diversity and reaching global optimum, the standard particle swarm optimization has not performed well in reservoir optimal operation. To solve this problem, this paper introduces downhill simplex method to work together with the standard particle swarm optimization. The application of this approach in Goupitan reservoir optimal operation proves that the improved method had better accuracy and higher reliability with small investment.

  14. Research on Water Velocity Measurement of Reservoir Based on Pressure Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoqiang Zhao

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available To address the problem that pressure sensor can only measure the liquid level in reservoir, we designed a current velocity measurement system of reservoir based on pressure sensor, analyzed the error of current velocity measurement system, and proposed the error processing method and corresponding program. Several tests and experimental results show that in this measurement system, the liquid level measurement standard deviation is no more than 0.01 cm, and the current velocity measurement standard deviation is no more than 0.35 mL/s, which proves that the pressure sensor can measure both liquid level and current velocity synchronously.

  15. Impacts of water quality variation and rainfall runoff on Jinpen Reservoir, in Northwest China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zi-zhen Zhou

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available The seasonal variation characteristics of the water quality of the Jinpen Reservoir and the impacts of rainfall runoff on the reservoir were investigated. Water quality monitoring results indicated that, during the stable stratification period, the maximum concentrations of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, ammonia nitrogen, total organic carbon, iron ion, and manganese ion in the water at the reservoir bottom on September 6 reached 2.5 mg/L, 0.12 mg/L, 0.58 mg/L, 3.2 mg/L, 0.97 mg/L, and 0.32 mg/L, respectively. Only heavy storm runoff can affect the main reservoir and cause the water quality to seriously deteriorate. During heavy storms, the stratification of the reservoir was destroyed, and the reservoir water quality consequently deteriorated due to the high-turbidity particulate phosphorus and organic matter in runoff. The turbidity and concentrations of total phosphorus and total organic carbon in the main reservoir increased to 265 NTU, 0.224 mg/L, and 3.9 mg/L, respectively. Potential methods of dealing with the water problems in the Jinpen Reservoir are proposed. Both in stratification and in storm periods, the use of measures such as adjusting intake height, storing clean water, and releasing turbid flow can be helpful to safeguarding the quality of water supplied to the water treatment plants.

  16. A unique research partnership investigating the fundamental principles of subsurface carbon dioxide behaviour and carbonate reservoirs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macdonald, I.; Blunt, M. J.; Maitland, G. C.

    2017-12-01

    Carbonate reservoirs hold the majority of CO2 sequestration potential, however, they are also more complicated than sandstone reservoirs in terms of heterogeneity and potential reactivity impact on operations. There are both significant carbonate reservoir CO2 sinks and CO2 point sources around Qatar making carbon capture and storage a potential decarbonisation pathway. The Qatar Carbonates and Carbon Storage Research Centre (QCCSRC) was formed in 2009 to address the gaps in our current knowledge of both local carbonate reservoir platforms and how CO2 would behave post sequestration. Our work spans 35 graduated PhD students, 10 still studying, 29 post-doctoral researchers, 18 faculty members all aided by 5 support staff and more than 100 MSc and summer students from 30 different countries, the centre has published over 150 papers in over 40 different journals. Our research is based within the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Earth Science and Engineering. Our team annually attends over 20 conferences world-wide to disseminate our findings and activity engage in outreach events (UNFCCC, science festivals, social media, science bars, school visits, etc.). QCCSRC is a research framework agreement over 10 years and valued at $70 million between Qatar Petroleum, Shell, the Qatar Science and Technology Park and Imperial College London bringing together each organisation's unique capabilities. This novel quadruple helix management structure is responsible for the largest single industrially funded research programme conducted at Imperial College London. Our research has focused on data to create and/or improve predictive models for CO2 storage in carbonate reservoirs. Our three broad thematic areas include: Rocks : Rock-fluid interactions : Fluid-fluid interactions and are supported by 5 laboratories. Overall this unique programme is an example of how to approach grand challenges in the energy-carbon dilemma through long-term and multidisciplinary

  17. Prediction of Gas Injection Performance for Heterogeneous Reservoirs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blunt, Martin J.; Orr, Franklin M.

    1999-05-17

    This report describes research carried out in the Department of Petroleum Engineering at Stanford University from September 1997 - September 1998 under the second year of a three-year grant from the Department of Energy on the "Prediction of Gas Injection Performance for Heterogeneous Reservoirs." The research effort is an integrated study of the factors affecting gas injection, from the pore scale to the field scale, and involves theoretical analysis, laboratory experiments, and numerical simulation. The original proposal described research in four areas: (1) Pore scale modeling of three phase flow in porous media; (2) Laboratory experiments and analysis of factors influencing gas injection performance at the core scale with an emphasis on the fundamentals of three phase flow; (3) Benchmark simulations of gas injection at the field scale; and (4) Development of streamline-based reservoir simulator. Each state of the research is planned to provide input and insight into the next stage, such that at the end we should have an integrated understanding of the key factors affecting field scale displacements.

  18. Risk Decision Making Model for Reservoir Floodwater resources Utilization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, X.

    2017-12-01

    Floodwater resources utilization(FRU) can alleviate the shortage of water resources, but there are risks. In order to safely and efficiently utilize the floodwater resources, it is necessary to study the risk of reservoir FRU. In this paper, the risk rate of exceeding the design flood water level and the risk rate of exceeding safety discharge are estimated. Based on the principle of the minimum risk and the maximum benefit of FRU, a multi-objective risk decision making model for FRU is constructed. Probability theory and mathematical statistics method is selected to calculate the risk rate; C-D production function method and emergy analysis method is selected to calculate the risk benefit; the risk loss is related to flood inundation area and unit area loss; the multi-objective decision making problem of the model is solved by the constraint method. Taking the Shilianghe reservoir in Jiangsu Province as an example, the optimal equilibrium solution of FRU of the Shilianghe reservoir is found by using the risk decision making model, and the validity and applicability of the model are verified.

  19. Three-component seismic data in thin interbedded reservoir exploration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Li-Yan; Wang, Yan-Chun; Pei, Jiang-Yun

    2015-03-01

    We present the first successful application of three-component seismic data to thin interbedded reservoir characterization in the Daqing placanticline of the LMD oilfield. The oilfield has reached the final high water cut stage and the principal problem is how to recognize the boundaries of sand layers that are thicker than 2 m. Conventional interpretation of single PP-wave seismic data results in multiple solutions, whereas the introduction of PS-wave enhances the reliability of interpretation. We analyze the gas reservoir characteristics by joint PP- and PS-waves, and use the amplitude and frequency decomposition attributes to delineate the gas reservoir boundaries because of the minimal effect of fluids on S-wave. We perform joint inversion of PP- and PS-waves to obtain V P/ V S, λρ, and µ ρ and map the lithology changes by using density, λρ, and µ ρ. The 3D-3C attribute λρ slices describe the sand layers distribution, while considering the well log data, and point to favorable region for tapping the remaining oil.

  20. Environmental Problems Associated With Decommissioning The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Pond

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farfan, E. B.; Jannik, G. T.; Marra, J. C.; Oskolkov, B. Ya.; Bondarkov, M. D.; Gaschak, S. P.; Maksymenko, A. M.; Maksymenko, V. M.; Martynenko, V. I.

    2009-01-01

    Decommissioning of nuclear power plants and other nuclear fuel cycle facilities has been an imperative issue lately. There exist significant experience and generally accepted recommendations on remediation of lands with residual radioactive contamination; however, there are hardly any such recommendations on remediation of cooling ponds that, in most cases, are fairly large water reservoirs. The literature only describes remediation of minor reservoirs containing radioactive silt (a complete closure followed by preservation) or small water reservoirs resulting in reestablishing natural water flows. Problems associated with remediation of river reservoirs resulting in flooding of vast agricultural areas also have been described. In addition, the severity of environmental and economic problems related to the remedial activities is shown to exceed any potential benefits of these activities. One of the large, highly contaminated water reservoirs that require either remediation or closure is Karachay Lake near the MAYAK Production Association in the Chelyabinsk Region of Russia where liquid radioactive waste had been deep well injected for a long period of time. Backfilling of Karachay Lake is currently in progress. It should be noted that secondary environmental problems associated with its closure are considered to be of less importance since sustaining Karachay Lake would have presented a much higher radiological risk. Another well-known highly contaminated water reservoir is the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) Cooling Pond, decommissioning of which is planned for the near future. This study summarizes the environmental problems associated with the ChNPP Cooling Pond decommissioning

  1. Environmental Problems Associated With Decommissioning The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Pond

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farfan, E. B.; Jannik, G. T.; Marra, J. C.; Oskolkov, B. Ya.; Bondarkov, M. D.; Gaschak, S. P.; Maksymenko, A. M.; Maksymenko, V. M.; Martynenko, V. I.

    2009-11-09

    Decommissioning of nuclear power plants and other nuclear fuel cycle facilities has been an imperative issue lately. There exist significant experience and generally accepted recommendations on remediation of lands with residual radioactive contamination; however, there are hardly any such recommendations on remediation of cooling ponds that, in most cases, are fairly large water reservoirs. The literature only describes remediation of minor reservoirs containing radioactive silt (a complete closure followed by preservation) or small water reservoirs resulting in reestablishing natural water flows. Problems associated with remediation of river reservoirs resulting in flooding of vast agricultural areas also have been described. In addition, the severity of environmental and economic problems related to the remedial activities is shown to exceed any potential benefits of these activities. One of the large, highly contaminated water reservoirs that require either remediation or closure is Karachay Lake near the MAYAK Production Association in the Chelyabinsk Region of Russia where liquid radioactive waste had been deep well injected for a long period of time. Backfilling of Karachay Lake is currently in progress. It should be noted that secondary environmental problems associated with its closure are considered to be of less importance since sustaining Karachay Lake would have presented a much higher radiological risk. Another well-known highly contaminated water reservoir is the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) Cooling Pond, decommissioning of which is planned for the near future. This study summarizes the environmental problems associated with the ChNPP Cooling Pond decommissioning.

  2. ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH DECOMMISSIONING THE CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR POWER PLANT COOLING POND

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farfan, E.

    2009-09-30

    Decommissioning of nuclear power plants and other nuclear fuel cycle facilities has been an imperative issue lately. There exist significant experience and generally accepted recommendations on remediation of lands with residual radioactive contamination; however, there are hardly any such recommendations on remediation of cooling ponds that, in most cases, are fairly large water reservoirs. The literature only describes remediation of minor reservoirs containing radioactive silt (a complete closure followed by preservation) or small water reservoirs resulting in reestablishing natural water flows. Problems associated with remediation of river reservoirs resulting in flooding of vast agricultural areas also have been described. In addition, the severity of environmental and economic problems related to the remedial activities is shown to exceed any potential benefits of these activities. One of the large, highly contaminated water reservoirs that require either remediation or closure is Karachay Lake near the MAYAK Production Association in the Chelyabinsk Region of Russia where liquid radioactive waste had been deep well injected for a long period of time. Backfilling of Karachay Lake is currently in progress. It should be noted that secondary environmental problems associated with its closure are considered to be of less importance since sustaining Karachay Lake would have presented a much higher radiological risk. Another well-known highly contaminated water reservoir is the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) Cooling Pond, decommissioning of which is planned for the near future. This study summarizes the environmental problems associated with the ChNPP Cooling Pond decommissioning.

  3. Multi-data reservoir history matching for enhanced reservoir forecasting and uncertainty quantification

    KAUST Repository

    Katterbauer, Klemens; Arango, Santiago; Sun, Shuyu; Hoteit, Ibrahim

    2015-01-01

    Reservoir simulations and history matching are critical for fine-tuning reservoir production strategies, improving understanding of the subsurface formation, and forecasting remaining reserves. Production data have long been incorporated

  4. All-optical reservoir computing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duport, François; Schneider, Bendix; Smerieri, Anteo; Haelterman, Marc; Massar, Serge

    2012-09-24

    Reservoir Computing is a novel computing paradigm that uses a nonlinear recurrent dynamical system to carry out information processing. Recent electronic and optoelectronic Reservoir Computers based on an architecture with a single nonlinear node and a delay loop have shown performance on standardized tasks comparable to state-of-the-art digital implementations. Here we report an all-optical implementation of a Reservoir Computer, made of off-the-shelf components for optical telecommunications. It uses the saturation of a semiconductor optical amplifier as nonlinearity. The present work shows that, within the Reservoir Computing paradigm, all-optical computing with state-of-the-art performance is possible.

  5. Sedimentological and Geomorphological Effects of Reservoir Flushing: The Cachi Reservoir, Costa Rica, 1996

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brandt, Anders; Swenning, Joar

    1999-01-01

    Physical geography, hydrology, geomorphology, sediment transport, erosion, sedimentation, dams, reservoirs......Physical geography, hydrology, geomorphology, sediment transport, erosion, sedimentation, dams, reservoirs...

  6. Optimising reservoir operation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ngo, Long le

    Anvendelse af optimeringsteknik til drift af reservoirer er blevet et væsentligt element i vandressource-planlægning og -forvaltning. Traditionelt har reservoirer været styret af heuristiske procedurer for udtag af vand, suppleret i en vis udstrækning af subjektive beslutninger. Udnyttelse af...... reservoirer involverer en lang række interessenter med meget forskellige formål (f.eks. kunstig vanding, vandkraft, vandforsyning mv.), og optimeringsteknik kan langt bedre lede frem til afbalancerede løsninger af de ofte modstridende interesser. Afhandlingen foreslår en række tiltag, hvormed traditionelle...

  7. Phenotypic plasticity in fish life-history traits in two neotropical reservoirs: Petit-Saut Reservoir in French Guiana and Brokopondo Reservoir in Suriname

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bernard de Mérona

    Full Text Available Fish species are known for their large phenotypic plasticity in life-history traits in relation to environmental characteristics. Plasticity allows species to increase their fitness in a given environment. Here we examined the life-history response of fish species after an abrupt change in their environment caused by the damming of rivers. Two reservoirs of different age, both situated on the Guiana Shield, were investigated: the young Petit-Saut Reservoir in French Guiana (14 years and the much older Brokopondo Reservoir in Suriname (44 years. Six life-history traits in 14 fish species were studied and compared to their value in the Sinnamary River prior to the completion of Petit-Saut Reservoir. The traits analyzed were maximum length, absolute and relative length at first maturation, proportion of mature oocytes in ripe gonad, batch fecundity and mean size of mature oocytes. The results revealed a general increase of reproductive effort. All species showed a decrease in maximum length. Compared to the values observed before the dam constructions, eight species had larger oocytes and three species showed an increased batch fecundity. These observed changes suggest a trend towards a pioneer strategy. The changes observed in Petit-Saut Reservoir also seemed to apply to the 30 years older Brokopondo Reservoir suggesting that these reservoirs remain in a state of immaturity for a long time.

  8. Transport of reservoir fines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yuan, Hao; Shapiro, Alexander; Stenby, Erling Halfdan

    Modeling transport of reservoir fines is of great importance for evaluating the damage of production wells and infectivity decline. The conventional methodology accounts for neither the formation heterogeneity around the wells nor the reservoir fines’ heterogeneity. We have developed an integral...... dispersion equation in modeling the transport and the deposition of reservoir fines. It successfully predicts the unsymmetrical concentration profiles and the hyperexponential deposition in experiments....

  9. Feasibility study of an aeration treatment system in a raw water storage reservoir used as a potable water source

    OpenAIRE

    Fronk, Robert Charles

    1996-01-01

    The systems engineering process has been utilized to determine the feasibility of an aeration treatment system for a raw water storage reservoir used as a potable water source. This system will be used to ensure a consistently high quality of raw water by the addition of dissolved oxygen into the reservoir. A needs analysis establishes the importance and requirements for a consistently high quality of raw water used as a source for a potable water treatment facility. This s...

  10. Reservoir Changes Derived from Seismic Observations at The Geysers Geothermal Field, CA, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gritto, R.; Jarpre, S.

    2012-04-01

    Induced seismicity associated with the exploitation of geothermal fields is used as a tool to characterize and delineate changes associated with injection and production of fluids from the reservoir. At the same time public concern of felt seismicity has led to objections against the operation of geothermal reservoirs in close proximity to population centers. Production at the EGS sites in Basel (Switzerland) was stopped after renewed seismicity caused concern and objection from the public in the city. Operations in other geothermal reservoirs had to be scaled back or interrupted due to an unexpected increase in seismicity (Soultz-sous-forêt, France, Berlín, El Salvador). As a consequence of these concerns and in order to optimize the use of induced seismicity for reservoir engineering purposes, it becomes imperative to understand the relationship between seismic events and stress changes in the reservoir. We will address seismicity trends at The Geysers Geothermal Reservoir, CA USA, to understand the role of historical seismicity associated with past injection of water and/or production of steam. Our analysis makes use of a comprehensive database of earthquakes and associated phase arrivals from 2004 to 2011. A high-precision sub-set of the earthquake data was selected to analyze temporal changes in seismic velocities and Vp/Vs-ratio throughout the whole reservoir. We find relatively low Vp/Vs values in 2004 suggestive of a vapor dominated reservoir. With passing time, however, the observed temporal increase in Vp/Vs, coupled with a decrease in P- and S-wave velocities suggests the presence of fluid-filled fractured rock. Considering the start of a continuous water injection project in 2004, it can be concluded that the fluid saturation of the reservoir has successfully recovered. Preliminary results of 3-D velocity inversions of seismic data appear to corroborate earlier findings that the lowest Vp/Vs estimates are observed in the center of the reservoir

  11. Advances in photonic reservoir computing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van der Sande, Guy; Brunner, Daniel; Soriano, Miguel C.

    2017-05-01

    We review a novel paradigm that has emerged in analogue neuromorphic optical computing. The goal is to implement a reservoir computer in optics, where information is encoded in the intensity and phase of the optical field. Reservoir computing is a bio-inspired approach especially suited for processing time-dependent information. The reservoir's complex and high-dimensional transient response to the input signal is capable of universal computation. The reservoir does not need to be trained, which makes it very well suited for optics. As such, much of the promise of photonic reservoirs lies in their minimal hardware requirements, a tremendous advantage over other hardware-intensive neural network models. We review the two main approaches to optical reservoir computing: networks implemented with multiple discrete optical nodes and the continuous system of a single nonlinear device coupled to delayed feedback.

  12. The Effect on Pupils' Science Performance and Problem-Solving Ability through Lego: An Engineering Design-Based Modeling Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yanyan; Huang, Zhinan; Jiang, Menglu; Chang, Ting-Wen

    2016-01-01

    Incorporating scientific fundamentals via engineering through a design-based methodology has proven to be highly effective for STEM education. Engineering design can be instantiated for learning as they involve mental and physical stimulation and develop practical skills especially in solving problems. Lego bricks, as a set of toys based on design…

  13. Sudden water pollution accidents and reservoir emergency operations: impact analysis at Danjiangkou Reservoir.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Hezhen; Lei, Xiaohui; Shang, Yizi; Duan, Yang; Kong, Lingzhong; Jiang, Yunzhong; Wang, Hao

    2018-03-01

    Danjiangkou Reservoir is the source reservoir of the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project (MRP). Any sudden water pollution accident in the reservoir would threaten the water supply of the MRP. We established a 3-D hydrodynamic and water quality model for the Danjiangkou Reservoir, and proposed scientific suggestions on the prevention and emergency management for sudden water pollution accidents based on simulated results. Simulations were performed on 20 hypothetical pollutant discharge locations and 3 assumed amounts, in order to model the effect of pollutant spreading under different reservoir operation types. The results showed that both the location and mass of pollution affected water quality; however, different reservoir operation types had little effect. Five joint regulation scenarios, which altered the hydrodynamic processes of water conveyance for the Danjiangkou and Taocha dams, were considered for controlling pollution dispersion. The results showed that the spread of a pollutant could be effectively controlled through the joint regulation of the two dams and that the collaborative operation of the Danjiangkou and Taocha dams is critical for ensuring the security of water quality along the MRP.

  14. Solving bi-level optimization problems in engineering design using kriging models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Yi; Liu, Xiaojie; Du, Gang

    2018-05-01

    Stackelberg game-theoretic approaches are applied extensively in engineering design to handle distributed collaboration decisions. Bi-level genetic algorithms (BLGAs) and response surfaces have been used to solve the corresponding bi-level programming models. However, the computational costs for BLGAs often increase rapidly with the complexity of lower-level programs, and optimal solution functions sometimes cannot be approximated by response surfaces. This article proposes a new method, namely the optimal solution function approximation by kriging model (OSFAKM), in which kriging models are used to approximate the optimal solution functions. A detailed example demonstrates that OSFAKM can obtain better solutions than BLGAs and response surface-based methods, and at the same time reduce the workload of computation remarkably. Five benchmark problems and a case study of the optimal design of a thin-walled pressure vessel are also presented to illustrate the feasibility and potential of the proposed method for bi-level optimization in engineering design.

  15. Quantification of Libby Reservoir Levels Needed to Maintain or Enhance Reservoir Fisheries, 1983-1987 Methods and Data Summary.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chisholm, Ian

    1989-12-01

    Libby Reservoir was created under an International Columbia River Treaty between the United States and Canada for cooperative water development of the Columbia River Basin. The authorized purpose of the dam is to provide power, flood control, and navigation and other benefits. Research began in May 1983 to determine how operations of Libby dam impact the reservoir fishery and to suggest ways to lessen these impacts. This study is unique in that it was designed to accomplish its goal through detailed information gathering on every trophic level in the reservoir system and integration of this information into a quantitative computer model. The specific study objectives are to: quantify available reservoir habitat, determine abundance, growth and distribution of fish within the reservoir and potential recruitment of salmonids from Libby Reservoir tributaries within the United States, determine abundance and availability of food organisms for fish in the reservoir, quantify fish use of available food items, develop relationships between reservoir drawdown and reservoir habitat for fish and fish food organisms, and estimate impacts of reservoir operation on the reservoir fishery. 115 refs., 22 figs., 51 tabs.

  16. Characteristics of volcanic reservoirs and distribution rules of effective reservoirs in the Changling fault depression, Songliao Basin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pujun Wang

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available In the Songliao Basin, volcanic oil and gas reservoirs are important exploration domains. Based on drilling, logging, and 3D seismic (1495 km2 data, 546 sets of measured physical properties and gas testing productivity of 66 wells in the Changling fault depression, Songliao Basin, eruptive cycles and sub-lithofacies were distinguished after lithologic correction of the 19,384 m volcanic well intervals, so that a quantitative analysis was conducted on the relation between the eruptive cycles, lithologies and lithofacies and the distribution of effective reservoirs. After the relationship was established between lithologies, lithofacies & cycles and reservoir physical properties & oil and gas bearing situations, an analysis was conducted on the characteristics of volcanic reservoirs and the distribution rules of effective reservoirs. It is indicated that 10 eruptive cycles of 3 sections are totally developed in this area, and the effective reservoirs are mainly distributed at the top cycles of eruptive sequences, with those of the 1st and 3rd Members of Yingcheng Formation presenting the best reservoir properties. In this area, there are mainly 11 types of volcanic rocks, among which rhyolite, rhyolitic tuff, rhyolitic tuffo lava and rhyolitic volcanic breccia are the dominant lithologies of effective reservoirs. In the target area are mainly developed 4 volcanic lithofacies (11 sub-lithofacies, among which upper sub-lithofacies of effusive facies and thermal clastic sub-lithofacies of explosion lithofacies are predominant in effective reservoirs. There is an obvious corresponding relationship between the physical properties of volcanic reservoirs and the development degree of effective reservoirs. The distribution of effective reservoirs is controlled by reservoir physical properties, and the formation of effective reservoirs is influenced more by porosity than by permeability. It is concluded that deep volcanic gas exploration presents a good

  17. Feasibility of Optimizing Recovery and Reserves from a Mature and Geological Complex Multiple Turbidite Offshore Calif. Reservoir through the Drilling and Completion of a Trilateral Horizontal Well

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coombs, Steven F.

    1999-01-01

    The main objective of this project is to devise an effective redevelopment strategy to combat producibility problems related to the Repetto turbidite sequences of the Carpinteria Field. The lack of adequate reservoir characterization, high-water cut production, and scaling problems have in the past contributed to the field's low productivity. To improve productivity and enhance recoverable reserves, the following specific goals are proposed: (1) Develop an integrated database of all existing data from work done by the former ownership group. (2) Expand reservoir drainage and reduce sand problems through horizontal well drilling and completion. (3) Operate and validate reservoirs' conceptual model by incorporating new data from the proposed trilateral well. (4) Transfer methodologies employed in geologic modeling and drilling multilateral wells to other operators with similar reservoirs

  18. THE TRAVELLING SALESMAN PROBLEM IN THE ENGINEERING EDUCATION PROGRAMMING CURRICULUM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yevgeny Gayev

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To make students familiar with the famous Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP and suggest the latter to become a common exercise in engineering programming curriculum provided the students master computer science in the easy programming environment MATLAB. Methods: easy programming in MATLAB makes true such modern educational approach as “discovery based” methodology. Results: a MATLAB TSP-program oriented to Ukrainian map is suggested that allows to pictorially demonstrate the process of optimal route search with an option to decelerate or accelerate the demonstration. The program is guessed to be useful both for learning the TSP as one of fundamental logistics problems and as an intriguing programming curriculum excersize. Several sub-programs according to key stone Computer Science Curriculum have also been suggested. This lies in line with recent “discovery based” learning methodology. Discussion: we explain how to create this program for visual discrete optimization, suggest required subprograms belonging to key stone programming algorithms including rather modern graphical user interface (GUI, how to use this MATLAB TSP-program for demonstration the drastical grows of solution time required. Conclusions: easy programming being realized in MATLAB makes dificult curriculum problems attractive to students; it focuses them to main problem’ features, laws and algorithms implementing the “discovery based” methodology in such a way.

  19. Ephemeral-fluvial sediments as potential hydrocarbon reservoirs. Vol. 1: Sedimentology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Taylor, K.S.

    1994-12-31

    Although reservoirs formed from ephemeral-fluvial sandstones have previously been considered relatively simple, unresolved problems of sandbody correlation and production anomalies demonstrate the need for improved understanding of their internal complexity. Outcropping ephemeral-fluvial systems have been studied in order to determine the main features and processes occurring in sand-rich ephemeral systems and to identify which features will be of importance in a hydrocarbon reservoir. The Lower Jurassic Upper Moenave and Kayenta Formations of south-eastern Utah and northern Arizona comprise series of stacked, sand-dominated sheet-like palaeochannels suggestive of low sinuosity, braided systems. Low subsidence rates and rapid lateral migration rates enabled channels to significantly modify their widths during high discharge. (author)

  20. Modeling Reservoir-River Networks in Support of Optimizing Seasonal-Scale Reservoir Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villa, D. L.; Lowry, T. S.; Bier, A.; Barco, J.; Sun, A.

    2011-12-01

    HydroSCOPE (Hydropower Seasonal Concurrent Optimization of Power and the Environment) is a seasonal time-scale tool for scenario analysis and optimization of reservoir-river networks. Developed in MATLAB, HydroSCOPE is an object-oriented model that simulates basin-scale dynamics with an objective of optimizing reservoir operations to maximize revenue from power generation, reliability in the water supply, environmental performance, and flood control. HydroSCOPE is part of a larger toolset that is being developed through a Department of Energy multi-laboratory project. This project's goal is to provide conventional hydropower decision makers with better information to execute their day-ahead and seasonal operations and planning activities by integrating water balance and operational dynamics across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. This presentation details the modeling approach and functionality of HydroSCOPE. HydroSCOPE consists of a river-reservoir network model and an optimization routine. The river-reservoir network model simulates the heat and water balance of river-reservoir networks for time-scales up to one year. The optimization routine software, DAKOTA (Design Analysis Kit for Optimization and Terascale Applications - dakota.sandia.gov), is seamlessly linked to the network model and is used to optimize daily volumetric releases from the reservoirs to best meet a set of user-defined constraints, such as maximizing revenue while minimizing environmental violations. The network model uses 1-D approximations for both the reservoirs and river reaches and is able to account for surface and sediment heat exchange as well as ice dynamics for both models. The reservoir model also accounts for inflow, density, and withdrawal zone mixing, and diffusive heat exchange. Routing for the river reaches is accomplished using a modified Muskingum-Cunge approach that automatically calculates the internal timestep and sub-reach lengths to match the conditions of

  1. Injection, injectivity and injectability in geothermal operations: problems and possible solutions. Phase I. Definition of the problems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vetter, O.J.; Crichlow, H.B.

    1979-02-14

    The following topics are covered: thermodynamic instability of brine, injectivity loss during regular production and injection operations, injectivity loss caused by measures other than regular operations, heat mining and associated reservoir problems in reinjection, pressure maintenance through imported make-up water, suggested solutions to injection problems, and suggested solutions to injection problems: remedial and stimulation measures. (MHR)

  2. Seismic attributes characterization for Albian reservoirs in shallow Santos Basin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vincentelli, Maria Gabriela C.; Barbosa, Mauro [HRT Petroleum, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2008-07-01

    The Santos basin southwest area is characterized by gas production, but it shows an exploratory problem due to the lack of good reservoirs facies. The main reservoirs are the Albian calcarenites, which show low porosities values (about 2%) in the northwest portion of the study area. From wire log analysis, it was interpreted that the porosity values can reach 15% at the south-west portion, both in the Caravela, Cavalo Marinho and Tubarao oil/gas fields and in the neighborhood of these fields. In order to find the best places to drill exploration wells at Shallow Santos, it is recommended to apply analyses of seismic attributes including: main average amplitude, energy, RMS, main amplitude, etc. Once the application of this methodology is restricted to 3D seismic data, in this study, a pseudo-3D seismic volume was built from 9,635 km of seismic lines, and 13 wells were used for reservoir facies control. As a result, the presence of good facies reservoirs in this area of the basin is restricted to trends with a NE-SW direction, and their presence is not only associated with the structural highs, this fact explains the dry wells over rollover structures. (author)

  3. Cesium reservoir and interconnective components

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-03-01

    The program objective is to demonstrate the technology readiness of a TFE (thermionic fuel element) suitable for use as the basic element in a thermionic reactor with electric power output in the 0.5 to 5.0 MW range. A thermionic converter must be supplied with cesium vapor for two reasons. Cesium atoms adsorbed on the surface of the emitter cause a reduction of the emitter work function to permit high current densities without excessive heating of the emitter. The second purpose of the cesium vapor is to provide space-charge neutralization in the emitter-collector gap so that the high current densities may flow across the gap unattenuated. The function of the cesium reservoir is to provide a source of cesium atoms, and to provide a reserve in the event that cesium is lost from the plasma by any mechanism. This can be done with a liquid cesium metal reservoir in which case it is heated to the desired temperature with auxiliary heaters. In a TFE, however, it is desirable to have the reservoir passively heated by the nuclear fuel. In this case, the reservoir must operate at a temperature intermediate between the emitter and the collector, ruling out the use of liquid reservoirs. Integral reservoirs contained within the TFE will produce cesium vapor pressures in the desired range at typical electrode temperatures. The reservoir material that appears to be the best able to meet requirements is graphite. Cesium intercalates easily into graphite, and the cesium pressure is insensitive to loading for a given intercalation stage. The goals of the cesium reservoir test program were to verify the performance of Cs-graphite reservoirs in the temperature-pressure range of interest to TFE operation, and to test the operation of these reservoirs after exposure to a fast neutron fluence corresponding to seven year mission lifetime. In addition, other materials were evaluated for possible use in the integral reservoir

  4. Mouillabilité et réservoirs pétroliers Wettability and Oil Reservoirs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cuiec L.

    2006-11-01

    Full Text Available Dans la première partie de cet article, des considérations générales relatives à la mouillabilité sont exposées, en particulier sur les points suivants : - définition; - importance sur le comportement d'un système milieu poreux/fluide 1/fluide 2; - méthodes d'évaluation. Puis, différents aspects des problèmes posés par ce paramètre lors de l'étude des gisements sont abordés. Tout d'abord, le problème de l'obtention d'échantillons de roche-réservoir ayant des propriétés de surface représentatives est examiné; en effet, une telle obtention est indispensable pour réaliser des expériences de laboratoire significatives. Les causes de modification des propriétés de surface entre le réservoir et le laboratoire sont passées en revue. L'impossibilité d'empêcher à coup sûr de telles modifications justifie l'utilisation d'une procédure de restauration des propriétés originelles qui est ensuite décrite. L'existence de réservoirs non mouillables à l'eau n'est pas aussi rare que d'aucuns le pensaient il y a seulement une dizaine d'années. De nombreux travaux extraits de la littérature ou réalisés à l'Institut Français du Pétrole (IFP illustrent ce point. Enfin, l'état des connaissances concernant l'origine de la non-mouillabilité à l'eau est présenté. In the first part of this paper, general considerations about wettability are given, including:(a definition;(b importance of this parameter on the behavior of a porous-medium/fluid 1/fluid 2 system;(c methods of evaluation. Then we will examine various aspects of problems that arise for petroleum engineers because of this parameter. First of all, we will take up the problem of obtaining representative samples from the standpoint of surface properties. Obtaining such samples is indispensable for performing meaningful laboratory experiments. The causes of changes, in the surface properties of reservoir rock samples between the field and the laboratory will be

  5. Air injection low temperature oxidation process for enhanced oil recovery from light oil reservoirs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tunio, A.H.; Harijan, K.

    2010-01-01

    This paper represents EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery) methods to recover unswept oil from depleted light oil reservoirs. The essential theme here is the removal of oxygen at LTO (Low Temperature Oxidation) from the injected air for a light oil reservoir by means of some chemical reactions occurring between oil and oxygen. In-situ combustion process, HTO (High Temperature Oxidation) is not suitable for deep light oil reservoirs. In case of light oil reservoirs LTO is more suitable to prevail as comparative to HTO. Few laboratory experimental results were obtained from air injection process, to study the LTO reactions. LTO process is suitable for air injection rate in which reservoir has sufficiently high temperature and spontaneous reaction takes place. Out comes of this study are the effect of LTO reactions in oxygen consumption and the recovery of oil. This air injection method is economic compared to other EOR methods i.e. miscible hydrocarbon gas, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide flooding etc. This LTO air injection process is suitable for secondary recovery methods where water flooding is not feasible due to technical problems. (author)

  6. A hybrid framework for reservoir characterization using fuzzy ranking and an artificial neural network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Baijie; Wang, Xin; Chen, Zhangxin

    2013-08-01

    Reservoir characterization refers to the process of quantitatively assigning reservoir properties using all available field data. Artificial neural networks (ANN) have recently been introduced to solve reservoir characterization problems dealing with the complex underlying relationships inherent in well log data. Despite the utility of ANNs, the current limitation is that most existing applications simply focus on directly implementing existing ANN models instead of improving/customizing them to fit the specific reservoir characterization tasks at hand. In this paper, we propose a novel intelligent framework that integrates fuzzy ranking (FR) and multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural networks for reservoir characterization. FR can automatically identify a minimum subset of well log data as neural inputs, and the MLP is trained to learn the complex correlations from the selected well log data to a target reservoir property. FR guarantees the selection of the optimal subset of representative data from the overall well log data set for the characterization of a specific reservoir property; and, this implicitly improves the modeling and predication accuracy of the MLP. In addition, a growing number of industrial agencies are implementing geographic information systems (GIS) in field data management; and, we have designed the GFAR solution (GIS-based FR ANN Reservoir characterization solution) system, which integrates the proposed framework into a GIS system that provides an efficient characterization solution. Three separate petroleum wells from southwestern Alberta, Canada, were used in the presented case study of reservoir porosity characterization. Our experiments demonstrate that our method can generate reliable results.

  7. Calibration of Seismic Attributes for Reservoir Characterization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wayne D. Pennington

    2002-09-29

    The project, "Calibration of Seismic Attributes for Reservoir Characterization," is now complete. Our original proposed scope of work included detailed analysis of seismic and other data from two to three hydrocarbon fields; we have analyzed data from four fields at this level of detail, two additional fields with less detail, and one other 2D seismic line used for experimentation. We also included time-lapse seismic data with ocean-bottom cable recordings in addition to the originally proposed static field data. A large number of publications and presentations have resulted from this work, inlcuding several that are in final stages of preparation or printing; one of these is a chapter on "Reservoir Geophysics" for the new Petroleum Engineering Handbook from the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Major results from this project include a new approach to evaluating seismic attributes in time-lapse monitoring studies, evaluation of pitfalls in the use of point-based measurements and facies classifications, novel applications of inversion results, improved methods of tying seismic data to the wellbore, and a comparison of methods used to detect pressure compartments. Some of the data sets used are in the public domain, allowing other investigators to test our techniques or to improve upon them using the same data. From the public-domain Stratton data set we have demonstrated that an apparent correlation between attributes derived along 'phantom' horizons are artifacts of isopach changes; only if the interpreter understands that the interpretation is based on this correlation with bed thickening or thinning, can reliable interpretations of channel horizons and facies be made. From the public-domain Boonsville data set we developed techniques to use conventional seismic attributes, including seismic facies generated under various neural network procedures, to subdivide regional facies determined from logs into productive and non-productive subfacies, and we

  8. CALIBRATION OF SEISMIC ATTRIBUTES FOR RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wayne D. Pennington; Horacio Acevedo; Aaron Green; Joshua Haataja; Shawn Len; Anastasia Minaeva; Deyi Xie

    2002-10-01

    The project, ''Calibration of Seismic Attributes for Reservoir Calibration,'' is now complete. Our original proposed scope of work included detailed analysis of seismic and other data from two to three hydrocarbon fields; we have analyzed data from four fields at this level of detail, two additional fields with less detail, and one other 2D seismic line used for experimentation. We also included time-lapse seismic data with ocean-bottom cable recordings in addition to the originally proposed static field data. A large number of publications and presentations have resulted from this work, including several that are in final stages of preparation or printing; one of these is a chapter on ''Reservoir Geophysics'' for the new Petroleum Engineering Handbook from the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Major results from this project include a new approach to evaluating seismic attributes in time-lapse monitoring studies, evaluation of pitfalls in the use of point-based measurements and facies classifications, novel applications of inversion results, improved methods of tying seismic data to the wellbore, and a comparison of methods used to detect pressure compartments. Some of the data sets used are in the public domain, allowing other investigators to test our techniques or to improve upon them using the same data. From the public-domain Stratton data set we have demonstrated that an apparent correlation between attributes derived along ''phantom'' horizons are artifacts of isopach changes; only if the interpreter understands that the interpretation is based on this correlation with bed thickening or thinning, can reliable interpretations of channel horizons and facies be made. From the public-domain Boonsville data set we developed techniques to use conventional seismic attributes, including seismic facies generated under various neural network procedures, to subdivide regional facies determined from logs into

  9. MeProRisk - a Joint Venture for Minimizing Risk in Geothermal Reservoir Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clauser, C.; Marquart, G.

    2009-12-01

    Exploration and development of geothermal reservoirs for the generation of electric energy involves high engineering and economic risks due to the need for 3-D geophysical surface surveys and deep boreholes. The MeProRisk project provides a strategy guideline for reducing these risks by combining cross-disciplinary information from different specialists: Scientists from three German universities and two private companies contribute with new methods in seismic modeling and interpretation, numerical reservoir simulation, estimation of petrophysical parameters, and 3-D visualization. The approach chosen in MeProRisk consists in considering prospecting and developing of geothermal reservoirs as an iterative process. A first conceptual model for fluid flow and heat transport simulation can be developed based on limited available initial information on geology and rock properties. In the next step, additional data is incorporated which is based on (a) new seismic interpretation methods designed for delineating fracture systems, (b) statistical studies on large numbers of rock samples for estimating reliable rock parameters, (c) in situ estimates of the hydraulic conductivity tensor. This results in a continuous refinement of the reservoir model where inverse modelling of fluid flow and heat transport allows infering the uncertainty and resolution of the model at each iteration step. This finally yields a calibrated reservoir model which may be used to direct further exploration by optimizing additional borehole locations, estimate the uncertainty of key operational and economic parameters, and optimize the long-term operation of a geothermal resrvoir.

  10. Wildland fire management. Volume 1: Prevention methods and analysis. [systems engineering approach to California fire problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weissenberger, S. (Editor)

    1973-01-01

    A systems engineering approach is reported for the problem of reducing the number and severity of California's wildlife fires. Prevention methodologies are reviewed and cost benefit models are developed for making preignition decisions.

  11. Simulation-optimization model of reservoir operation based on target storage curves

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong-bin Fang

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes a new storage allocation rule based on target storage curves. Joint operating rules are also proposed to solve the operation problems of a multi-reservoir system with joint demands and water transfer-supply projects. The joint operating rules include a water diversion rule to determine the amount of diverted water in a period, a hedging rule based on an aggregated reservoir to determine the total release from the system, and a storage allocation rule to specify the release from each reservoir. A simulation-optimization model was established to optimize the key points of the water diversion curves, the hedging rule curves, and the target storage curves using the improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO algorithm. The multi-reservoir water supply system located in Liaoning Province, China, including a water transfer-supply project, was employed as a case study to verify the effectiveness of the proposed join operating rules and target storage curves. The results indicate that the proposed operating rules are suitable for the complex system. The storage allocation rule based on target storage curves shows an improved performance with regard to system storage distribution.

  12. The microbiology of hydorcarbon degradation in subsurface petroleum reservoirs: perspectives and prospects.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Roling, W.F.M.; Head, I.M.; Larter, S.R.

    2003-01-01

    The majority of the Earth's petroleum resource is partly biodegraded. This is of considerable practical significance and can limit economic exploitation of petroleum reserves and lead to problems during petroleum production. Knowledge of the microorganisms present in petroleum reservoirs, their

  13. Finite element methods for engineering sciences. Theoretical approach and problem solving techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chaskalovic, J. [Ariel University Center of Samaria (Israel); Pierre and Marie Curie (Paris VI) Univ., 75 (France). Inst. Jean le Rond d' Alembert

    2008-07-01

    This self-tutorial offers a concise yet thorough grounding in the mathematics necessary for successfully applying FEMs to practical problems in science and engineering. The unique approach first summarizes and outlines the finite-element mathematics in general and then, in the second and major part, formulates problem examples that clearly demonstrate the techniques of functional analysis via numerous and diverse exercises. The solutions of the problems are given directly afterwards. Using this approach, the author motivates and encourages the reader to actively acquire the knowledge of finite- element methods instead of passively absorbing the material, as in most standard textbooks. The enlarged English-language edition, based on the original French, also contains a chapter on the approximation steps derived from the description of nature with differential equations and then applied to the specific model to be used. Furthermore, an introduction to tensor calculus using distribution theory offers further insight for readers with different mathematical backgrounds. (orig.)

  14. The Primary Experiments of an Analysis of Pareto Solutions for Conceptual Design Optimization Problem of Hybrid Rocket Engine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kudo, Fumiya; Yoshikawa, Tomohiro; Furuhashi, Takeshi

    Recentry, Multi-objective Genetic Algorithm, which is the application of Genetic Algorithm to Multi-objective Optimization Problems is focused on in the engineering design field. In this field, the analysis of design variables in the acquired Pareto solutions, which gives the designers useful knowledge in the applied problem, is important as well as the acquisition of advanced solutions. This paper proposes a new visualization method using Isomap which visualizes the geometric distances of solutions in the design variable space considering their distances in the objective space. The proposed method enables a user to analyze the design variables of the acquired solutions considering their relationship in the objective space. This paper applies the proposed method to the conceptual design optimization problem of hybrid rocket engine and studies the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  15. Advanced Oil Recovery Technologies for Improved Recovery from Slope Basin Clastic Reservoirs, Nash Draw Brushy Canyon Pool, Eddy County, NM

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Murphy, Mark B.

    1999-02-24

    The Nash Draw Brushy Canyon Pool in Eddy County New Mexico is a cost-shared field demonstration project in the US Department of Energy Class II Program. A major goal of the Class III Program is to stimulate the use of advanced technologies to increase ultimate recovery from slope-basin clastic reservoirs. Advanced characterization techniques are being used at the Nash Draw project to develop reservoir management strategies for optimizing oil recovery from this Delaware reservoir. Analysis, interpretation, and integration of recently acquired geologic, geophysical, and engineering data revealed that the initial reservoir characterization was too simplistic to capture the critical features of this complex formation. Contrary to the initial characterization, a new reservoir description evolved that provided sufficient detail regarding the complexity of the Brushy Canyon interval at Nash Draw. This new reservoir description is being used as a risk reduction tool to identify ''sweet spots'' for a development drilling program as well as to evaluate pressure maintenance strategies. The reservoir characterization, geological modeling, 3-D seismic interpretation, and simulation studies have provided a detailed model of the Brushy Canyon zones. This model was used to predict the success of different reservoir management scenarios and to aid in determining the most favorable combination of targeted drilling, pressure maintenance, well simulation, and well spacing to improve recovery from this reservoir.

  16. Intracranial Pressure-Guided Shunt Valve Adjustments with the Miethke Sensor Reservoir.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antes, Sebastian; Stadie, Axel; Müller, Simon; Linsler, Stefan; Breuskin, David; Oertel, Joachim

    2018-01-01

    Telemetric intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring seems to be a promising therapy-supporting option in shunt-treated patients. Benefits become obvious when headaches are unspecific and clinical symptoms cannot be related to possible overdrainage or underdrainage. In this study, we evaluated a new telemetric device to individually adjust shunt valves according to ICP measurements. Between December 2015 and November 2016, 25 patients with suspected suboptimal shunt valve settings underwent insertion of a telemetric ICP sensor (Sensor Reservoir; Christoph Miethke, Potsdam, Germany). Over a 1-year period, a total of 183 telemetric ICP measurements and 85 shunt valve adjustments were carried out. Retrospective statistic analyses focused on valve adjustments, ICP values, and clinical outcomes. ICP-guided valve adjustments positively changed the clinical state in 18 out of 25 patients. Clinical improvement over time was associated with significant changes of the valve settings and ICP values. Interestingly, a therapeutically normalized ICP profile was not automatically associated with clinical improvement. The Sensor Reservoir is an important and valuable tool for shunt-treated patients suffering from drainage-related problems. The possibility to simultaneously recognize and solve shunt problems represents the decisive advantage. Nevertheless, measurements with the Sensor Reservoir did not allow for the determination of default valve settings or universal target ICP values. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Monitoring marginal erosion in hydroelectric reservoirs with terrestrial mobile laser scanner

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. M. G. Tommaselli

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Marginal erosions in reservoirs of hydroelectric plants have caused economic and environmental problems concerning hydroelectric power generation, reduction of productive areas and devaluing land parcels. The real extension and dynamics of these erosion processes are not well known for Brazilian reservoirs. To objectively assess these problems Unesp (Univ Estadual Paulista and Duke Energy are developing a joint project which aims at the monitoring the progression of some erosive processes and understanding the causes and the dynamics of this phenomenon. Mobile LASER scanning was considered the most suitable alternative for the challenges established in the project requirements. A MDL DynaScan Mobile LASER M150 scanner was selected which uses RTK for real time positioning integrated to an IMU, enabling instantaneous generation of georeferenced point clouds. Two different reservoirs were choose for monitoring: Chavantes (storage plant and Rosana (run-of-river plant, both in the Paranapanema River, border of São Paulo and Paraná States, Brazil. The monitoring areas are scanned quarterly and analysed with base on the point cloud, meshes, contours and cross sections. Cross sections are used to visualize and compute the rate and the dynamics of erosion. Some examples and quantitative results are presented along with an analysis of the proposed technique. Some recommendations to improve the field work and latter data processing are also introduced.

  18. An Effective Reservoir Parameter for Seismic Characterization of Organic Shale Reservoir

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Luanxiao; Qin, Xuan; Zhang, Jinqiang; Liu, Xiwu; Han, De-hua; Geng, Jianhua; Xiong, Yineng

    2017-12-01

    Sweet spots identification for unconventional shale reservoirs involves detection of organic-rich zones with abundant porosity. However, commonly used elastic attributes, such as P- and S-impedances, often show poor correlations with porosity and organic matter content separately and thus make the seismic characterization of sweet spots challenging. Based on an extensive analysis of worldwide laboratory database of core measurements, we find that P- and S-impedances exhibit much improved linear correlations with the sum of volume fraction of organic matter and porosity than the single parameter of organic matter volume fraction or porosity. Importantly, from the geological perspective, porosity in conjunction with organic matter content is also directly indicative of the total hydrocarbon content of shale resources plays. Consequently, we propose an effective reservoir parameter (ERP), the sum of volume fraction of organic matter and porosity, to bridge the gap between hydrocarbon accumulation and seismic measurements in organic shale reservoirs. ERP acts as the first-order factor in controlling the elastic properties as well as characterizing the hydrocarbon storage capacity of organic shale reservoirs. We also use rock physics modeling to demonstrate why there exists an improved linear correlation between elastic impedances and ERP. A case study in a shale gas reservoir illustrates that seismic-derived ERP can be effectively used to characterize the total gas content in place, which is also confirmed by the production well.

  19. Integrated Approach to Drilling Project in Unconventional Reservoir Using Reservoir Simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stopa, Jerzy; Wiśniowski, Rafał; Wojnarowski, Paweł; Janiga, Damian; Skrzypaszek, Krzysztof

    2018-03-01

    Accumulation and flow mechanisms in unconventional reservoir are different compared to conventional. This requires a special approach of field management with drilling and stimulation treatments as major factor for further production. Integrated approach of unconventional reservoir production optimization assumes coupling drilling project with full scale reservoir simulation for determine best well placement, well length, fracturing treatment design and mid-length distance between wells. Full scale reservoir simulation model emulate a part of polish shale - gas field. The aim of this paper is to establish influence of technical factor for gas production from shale gas field. Due to low reservoir permeability, stimulation treatment should be direct towards maximizing the hydraulic contact. On the basis of production scenarios, 15 stages hydraulic fracturing allows boost gas production over 1.5 times compared to 8 stages. Due to the possible interference of the wells, it is necessary to determine the distance between the horizontal parts of the wells trajectories. In order to determine the distance between the wells allowing to maximize recovery factor of resources in the stimulated zone, a numerical algorithm based on a dynamic model was developed and implemented. Numerical testing and comparative study show that the most favourable arrangement assumes a minimum allowable distance between the wells. This is related to the volume ratio of the drainage zone to the total volume of the stimulated zone.

  20. A Hybrid Optimization Method for Solving Bayesian Inverse Problems under Uncertainty.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kai Zhang

    Full Text Available In this paper, we investigate the application of a new method, the Finite Difference and Stochastic Gradient (Hybrid method, for history matching in reservoir models. History matching is one of the processes of solving an inverse problem by calibrating reservoir models to dynamic behaviour of the reservoir in which an objective function is formulated based on a Bayesian approach for optimization. The goal of history matching is to identify the minimum value of an objective function that expresses the misfit between the predicted and measured data of a reservoir. To address the optimization problem, we present a novel application using a combination of the stochastic gradient and finite difference methods for solving inverse problems. The optimization is constrained by a linear equation that contains the reservoir parameters. We reformulate the reservoir model's parameters and dynamic data by operating the objective function, the approximate gradient of which can guarantee convergence. At each iteration step, we obtain the relatively 'important' elements of the gradient, which are subsequently substituted by the values from the Finite Difference method through comparing the magnitude of the components of the stochastic gradient, which forms a new gradient, and we subsequently iterate with the new gradient. Through the application of the Hybrid method, we efficiently and accurately optimize the objective function. We present a number numerical simulations in this paper that show that the method is accurate and computationally efficient.

  1. Reservoir floodplains support distinct fish assemblages

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miranda, Leandro E.; Wigen, S. L.; Dagel, Jonah D.

    2014-01-01

    Reservoirs constructed on floodplain rivers are unique because the upper reaches of the impoundment may include extensive floodplain environments. Moreover, reservoirs that experience large periodic water level fluctuations as part of their operational objectives seasonally inundate and dewater floodplains in their upper reaches, partly mimicking natural inundations of river floodplains. In four flood control reservoirs in Mississippi, USA, we explored the dynamics of connectivity between reservoirs and adjacent floodplains and the characteristics of fish assemblages that develop in reservoir floodplains relative to those that develop in reservoir bays. Although fish species richness in floodplains and bays were similar, species composition differed. Floodplains emphasized fish species largely associated with backwater shallow environments, often resistant to harsh environmental conditions. Conversely, dominant species in bays represented mainly generalists that benefit from the continuous connectivity between the bay and the main reservoir. Floodplains in the study reservoirs provided desirable vegetated habitats at lower water level elevations, earlier in the year, and more frequently than in bays. Inundating dense vegetation in bays requires raising reservoir water levels above the levels required to reach floodplains. Therefore, aside from promoting distinct fish assemblages within reservoirs and helping promote diversity in regulated rivers, reservoir floodplains are valued because they can provide suitable vegetated habitats for fish species at elevations below the normal pool, precluding the need to annually flood upland vegetation that would inevitably be impaired by regular flooding. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  2. Approaches to identifying reservoir heterogeneity and reserve growth opportunities from subsurface data: The Oficina Formation, Budare field, Venezuela

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hamilton, D.S.; Raeuchle, S.K.; Holtz, M.H. [Bureau of Economic Geology, Austin, TX (United States)] [and others

    1997-08-01

    We applied an integrated geologic, geophysical, and engineering approach devised to identify heterogeneities in the subsurface that might lead to reserve growth opportunities in our analysis of the Oficina Formation at Budare field, Venezuela. The approach involves 4 key steps: (1) Determine geologic reservoir architecture; (2) Investigate trends in reservoir fluid flow; (3) Integrate fluid flow trends with reservoir architecture; and (4) Estimate original oil-in-place, residual oil saturation, and remaining mobile oil, to identify opportunities for reserve growth. There are three main oil-producing reservoirs in the Oficina Formation that were deposited in a bed-load fluvial system, an incised valley-fill, and a barrier-strandplain system. Reservoir continuity is complex because, in addition to lateral facies variability, the major Oficina depositional systems were internally subdivided by high-frequency stratigraphic surfaces. These surfaces define times of intermittent lacustrine and marine flooding events that punctuated the fluvial and marginal marine sedimentation, respectively. Syn and post depositional faulting further disrupted reservoir continuity. Trends in fluid flow established from initial fluid levels, response to recompletion workovers, and pressure depletion data demonstrated barriers to lateral and vertical fluid flow caused by a combination of reservoir facies pinchout, flooding shale markers, and the faults. Considerable reserve growth potential exists at Budare field because the reservoir units are highly compartment by the depositional heterogeneity and structural complexity. Numerous reserve growth opportunities were identified in attics updip of existing production, in untapped or incompletely drained compartments, and in field extensions.

  3. A rationale for reservoir management economics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hickman, T.S.

    1995-01-01

    Significant economic benefits can be derived from the application f reservoir management. The key elements in economical reservoir management are the efficient use of available resources and optimization of reservoir exploitation through a multidisciplined approach. This paper describes various aspects of and approaches to reservoir management and provides case histories that support the findings

  4. An adjustable Brownian heat engine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asfaw, Mesfin; Bekele, Mulugeta

    2002-09-01

    A microscopic heat engine is modeled as a Brownian particle in a sawtooth potential (with load) moving through a highly viscous medium driven by the thermal kick it gets from alternately placed hot and cold heat reservoirs. We found a closed form expression for the current as a function of the parameters characterizing the model. Depending on the values these model parameters take, the engine is also found to function as a refrigerator. Expressions for the efficiency as well as for the refrigerator performance are also reported. Study of how these quantities depend on the model parameters enabled us in identifying the points in the parameter space where the engine performs either with maximum power or with optimized efficiency. The corresponding efficiencies of the engine are then compared with those of the endoreversible and Carnot engines. (author)

  5. [Application of in situ cryogenic Raman spectroscopy to analysis of fluid inclusions in reservoirs].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yong; Lin, Cheng-yan; Yu, Wen-quan; Zheng, Jie; Wang, Ai-guo

    2010-01-01

    Identification of salts is a principal problem for analysis of fluid inclusions in reservoirs. The fluid inclusions from deep natural gas reservoirs in Minfeng sub-sag were analyzed by in situ cryogenic Raman spectroscopy. The type of fluid inclusions was identified by Raman spectroscopy at room temperature. The Raman spectra show that the inclusions contain methane-bearing brine aqueous liquids. The fluid inclusions were analyzed at -180 degrees C by in situ cryogenic Raman spectroscopy. The spectra show that inclusions contain three salts, namely NaCl2, CaCl2 and MgCl2. Sodium chloride is most salt component, coexisting with small calcium chloride and little magnesium chloride. The origin of fluids in inclusions was explained by analysis of the process of sedimentation and diagenesis. The mechanism of diagenesis in reservoirs was also given in this paper. The results of this study indicate that in situ cryogenic Raman spectroscopy is an available method to get the composition of fluid inclusions in reservoirs. Based on the analysis of fluid inclusions in reservoirs by in situ cryogenic Raman spectroscopy with combination of the history of sedimentation and diagenesis, the authors can give important evidence for the type and mechanism of diagenesis in reservoirs.

  6. Finite-Time Thermoeconomic Optimization of a Solar-Driven Heat Engine Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernando Angulo-Brown

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available In the present paper, the thermoeconomic optimization of an irreversible solar-driven heat engine model has been carried out by using finite-time/finite-size thermodynamic theory. In our study we take into account losses due to heat transfer across finite time temperature differences, heat leakage between thermal reservoirs and internal irreversibilities in terms of a parameter which comes from the Clausius inequality. In the considered heat engine model, the heat transfer from the hot reservoir to the working fluid is assumed to be Dulong-Petit type and the heat transfer to the cold reservoir is assumed of the Newtonian type. In this work, the optimum performance and two design parameters have been investigated under two objective functions: the power output per unit total cost and the ecological function per unit total cost. The effects of the technical and economical parameters on the thermoeconomic performance have been also discussed under the aforementioned two criteria of performance.

  7. INCREASING WATERFLOOD RESERVES IN THE WILMINGTON OIL FIELD THROUGH IMPROVED RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION AND RESERVOIR MANAGEMENT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scott Walker; Chris Phillips; Roy Koerner; Don Clarke; Dan Moos; Kwasi Tagbor

    2002-02-28

    This project increased recoverable waterflood reserves in slope and basin reservoirs through improved reservoir characterization and reservoir management. The particular application of this project is in portions of Fault Blocks IV and V of the Wilmington Oil Field, in Long Beach, California, but the approach is widely applicable in slope and basin reservoirs. Transferring technology so that it can be applied in other sections of the Wilmington Field and by operators in other slope and basin reservoirs is a primary component of the project. This project used advanced reservoir characterization tools, including the pulsed acoustic cased-hole logging tool, geologic three-dimensional (3-D) modeling software, and commercially available reservoir management software to identify sands with remaining high oil saturation following waterflood. Production from the identified high oil saturated sands was stimulated by recompleting existing production and injection wells in these sands using conventional means as well as a short radius redrill candidate. Although these reservoirs have been waterflooded over 40 years, researchers have found areas of remaining oil saturation. Areas such as the top sand in the Upper Terminal Zone Fault Block V, the western fault slivers of Upper Terminal Zone Fault Block V, the bottom sands of the Tar Zone Fault Block V, and the eastern edge of Fault Block IV in both the Upper Terminal and Lower Terminal Zones all show significant remaining oil saturation. Each area of interest was uncovered emphasizing a different type of reservoir characterization technique or practice. This was not the original strategy but was necessitated by the different levels of progress in each of the project activities.

  8. Effect of Discrete Fracture Network Characteristics on the Sustainability of Heat Production in Enhanced Geothermal Reservoirs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riahi, A.; Damjanac, B.

    2013-12-01

    Viability of an enhanced or engineered geothermal reservoir is determined by the rate of produced fluid at production wells and the rate of temperature drawdown in the reservoir as well as that of the produced fluid. Meeting required targets demands sufficient permeability and flow circulation in a relatively large volume of rock mass. In-situ conditions such overall permeability of the bedrock formation, magnitude and orientation of stresses, and the characteristics of the existing Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) greatly affect sustainable heat production. Because much of the EGS resources are in formations with low permeability, different stimulation techniques are required prior to the production phase to enhance fluid circulation. Shear stimulation or hydro-shearing is the method of injecting a fluid into the reservoir with the aim of increasing the fluid pressure in the naturally fractured rock and inducing shear failure or slip events. This mechanism can enhance the system's permeability through permanent dilatational opening of the sheared fractures. Using a computational modeling approach, the correlation between heat production and DFN statistical characteristics, namely the fracture length distribution, fracture orientation, and also fracture density is studied in this paper. Numerical analyses were completed using two-dimensional distinct element code UDEC (Itasca, 2011), which represents rock masses as an assembly of interacting blocks separated by fractures. UDEC allows for simulation of fracture propagation along the predefined planes only (i.e., the trajectory of the hydraulic fracture is not part of the solution of the problem). Thus, the hydraulic fracture is assumed to be planar, aligned with the direction of the major principal stress. The pre-existing fractures were represented explicitly. They are discontinuities which deform elastically, but also can open and slip (Coulomb slip law) as a function of pressure and total stress changes. The fluid

  9. Exploration and reservoir characterization; Technology Target Areas; TTA2 - Exploration and reservoir characterisation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2008-07-01

    In future, research within exploration and reservoir characterization will play an even more important role for Norway since resources are decreasing and new challenges like deep sea, harsh environment and last but not least environmental issues have to be considered. There are two major fields which have to be addressed within exploration and reservoir characterization: First, replacement of reserves by new discoveries and ultimate field recoveries in mature basins at the Norwegian Continental shelf, e.g. at the Halten Terrace has to be addressed. A wealth of data exists in the more mature areas. Interdisciplinary integration is a key feature of reservoir characterization, where available data and specialist knowledge need to be combined into a consistent reservoir description. A systematic approach for handling both uncertainties in data sources and uncertainties in basic models is needed. Fast simulation techniques are necessary to generate models spanning the event space, covering both underground based and model-based uncertainties. Second, exploration in frontier areas like the Barents Sea region and the deeper Voering Basin has to be addressed. The scarcity of wells in these frontier areas leads to uncertainties in the geological understanding. Basin- and depositional modelling are essential for predicting where source rocks and reservoir rocks are deposited, and if, when and which hydrocarbons are generated and trapped. Predictive models and improved process understanding is therefore crucial to meet these issues. Especially the challenges related to the salt deposits e.g. sub-salt/sub-basalt reservoir definitions in the Nordkapp Basin demands up-front research and technology developments. TTA2 stresses the need to focus on the development of new talents. We also see a strong need to push cooperation as far as possible in the present competitive environment. Projects that may require a substantial financial commitment have been identified. The following

  10. Automation of reverse engineering process in aircraft modeling and related optimization problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, W.; Swetits, J.

    1994-01-01

    During the year of 1994, the engineering problems in aircraft modeling were studied. The initial concern was to obtain a surface model with desirable geometric characteristics. Much of the effort during the first half of the year was to find an efficient way of solving a computationally difficult optimization model. Since the smoothing technique in the proposal 'Surface Modeling and Optimization Studies of Aerodynamic Configurations' requires solutions of a sequence of large-scale quadratic programming problems, it is important to design algorithms that can solve each quadratic program in a few interactions. This research led to three papers by Dr. W. Li, which were submitted to SIAM Journal on Optimization and Mathematical Programming. Two of these papers have been accepted for publication. Even though significant progress has been made during this phase of research and computation times was reduced from 30 min. to 2 min. for a sample problem, it was not good enough for on-line processing of digitized data points. After discussion with Dr. Robert E. Smith Jr., it was decided not to enforce shape constraints in order in order to simplify the model. As a consequence, P. Dierckx's nonparametric spline fitting approach was adopted, where one has only one control parameter for the fitting process - the error tolerance. At the same time the surface modeling software developed by Imageware was tested. Research indicated a substantially improved fitting of digitalized data points can be achieved if a proper parameterization of the spline surface is chosen. A winning strategy is to incorporate Dierckx's surface fitting with a natural parameterization for aircraft parts. The report consists of 4 chapters. Chapter 1 provides an overview of reverse engineering related to aircraft modeling and some preliminary findings of the effort in the second half of the year. Chapters 2-4 are the research results by Dr. W. Li on penalty functions and conjugate gradient methods for

  11. Alien fish species in reservoir systems in Turkey: a review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deniz Innal

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Turkey’s natural river systems have been anthropogenically altered in the past century. Native fish communities of river systems have comeunder increasing pressure from water engineering projects, pollution, overfishing and the movements of alien fish species. Introduction ofalien fishes is one of the main threats to the survival and genetic integrity of native fishes around the world. In Turkey, alien freshwater fish are continuing to increase in number of species, abundance, and distribution. The present paper reviews fish stocking studies in Turkey’s reservoirs.

  12. Chemical engineering problems of radioactive waste fixation by vitrification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylor, R.F.

    1985-01-01

    Basic features are reviewed of the chemical engineering problems faced in the vitrification of the high-level radioactive liquid wastes resulting from the reprocessing of nuclear fuel. After an outline of glass solution properties and formation kinetics the constituent elements of the vitrification route are examined in turn: waste feed evaporation and denitration, calcination, offgas treatment, and finally melting and product quality. Plant and experimental data for each stage are discussed with comparison between process routes and with reference to the underlying principles. Attention is drawn to the future need for higher trapping efficiencies and for dealing with a wider range of species in offgas treatments as higher burnup fuels are processed after shorter cooling times from reactor. Two areas of present study where deeper insight into underlying process mechanics is needed are, firstly, the association of waste material with glass formers in the wet or sinter stages and secondly their incorporation and mixing reaction in the melt. Fuller understanding here would bring direct benefit to process performance and handling. The problems discussed are not of a nature to jeopardize the vitrification routes but if product quality does come to rely heavily on process control then demonstrable confidence in the behaviour of the central physico-chemical interactions is indispensable. (author)

  13. The pressure equation arising in reservoir simulation. Mathematical properties, numerical methods and upscaling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nielsen, Bjoern Fredrik

    1997-12-31

    The main purpose of this thesis has been to analyse self-adjoint second order elliptic partial differential equations arising in reservoir simulation. It studies several mathematical and numerical problems for the pressure equation arising in models of fluid flow in porous media. The theoretical results obtained have been illustrated by a series of numerical experiments. The influence of large variations in the mobility tensor upon the solution of the pressure equation is analysed. The performance of numerical methods applied to such problems have been studied. A new upscaling technique for one-phase flow in heterogeneous reservoirs is developed. The stability of the solution of the pressure equation with respect to small perturbations of the mobility tensor is studied. The results are used to develop a new numerical method for a model of fully nonlinear water waves. 158 refs, 39 figs., 12 tabs.

  14. The pressure equation arising in reservoir simulation. Mathematical properties, numerical methods and upscaling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nielsen, Bjoern Fredrik

    1998-12-31

    The main purpose of this thesis has been to analyse self-adjoint second order elliptic partial differential equations arising in reservoir simulation. It studies several mathematical and numerical problems for the pressure equation arising in models of fluid flow in porous media. The theoretical results obtained have been illustrated by a series of numerical experiments. The influence of large variations in the mobility tensor upon the solution of the pressure equation is analysed. The performance of numerical methods applied to such problems have been studied. A new upscaling technique for one-phase flow in heterogeneous reservoirs is developed. The stability of the solution of the pressure equation with respect to small perturbations of the mobility tensor is studied. The results are used to develop a new numerical method for a model of fully nonlinear water waves. 158 refs, 39 figs., 12 tabs.

  15. The Effect of Model Grid Resolution on the Distributed Hydrologic Simulations for Forecasting Stream Flows and Reservoir Storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turnbull, S. J.

    2017-12-01

    Within the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), reservoirs are typically operated according to a rule curve that specifies target water levels based on the time of year. The rule curve is intended to maximize flood protection by specifying releases of water before the dominant rainfall period for a region. While some operating allowances are permissible, generally the rule curve elevations must be maintained. While this operational approach provides for the required flood control purpose, it may not result in optimal reservoir operations for multi-use impoundments. In the Russian River Valley of California a multi-agency research effort called Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) is assessing the application of forecast weather and streamflow predictions to potentially enhance the operation of reservoirs in the watershed. The focus of the study has been on Lake Mendocino, a USACE project important for flood control, water supply, power generation and ecological flows. As part of this effort the Engineer Research and Development Center is assessing the ability of utilizing the physics based, distributed watershed model Gridded Surface Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis (GSSHA) model to simulate stream flows, reservoir stages, and discharges while being driven by weather forecast products. A key question in this application is the effect of watershed model resolution on forecasted stream flows. To help resolve this question, GSSHA models of multiple grid resolutions, 30, 50, and 270m, were developed for the upper Russian River, which includes Lake Mendocino. The models were derived from common inputs: DEM, soils, land use, stream network, reservoir characteristics, and specified inflows and discharges. All the models were calibrated in both event and continuous simulation mode using measured precipitation gages and then driven with the West-WRF atmospheric model in prediction mode to assess the ability of the model to function in short term, less than one week

  16. Reservoir Characterization, Production Characteristics, and Research Needs for Fluvial/Alluvial Reservoirs in the United States

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cole, E.L.; Fowler, M.L.; Jackson, S.R.; Madden, M.P.; Raw-Schatzinger, V.; Salamy, S.P.; Sarathi, P.; Young, M.A.

    1999-04-28

    The Department of Energy's (DOE's) Oil Recovery Field Demonstration Program was initiated in 1992 to maximize the economically and environmentally sound recovery of oil from known domestic reservoirs and to preserve access to this resource. Cost-shared field demonstration projects are being initiated in geology defined reservoir classes which have been prioritized by their potential for incremental recovery and their risk of abandonment. This document defines the characteristics of the fifth geological reservoir class in the series, fluvial/alluvial reservoirs. The reservoirs of Class 5 include deposits of alluvial fans, braided streams, and meandering streams. Deposit morphologies vary as a complex function of climate and tectonics and are characterized by a high degree of heterogeneity to fluid flow as a result of extreme variations in water energy as the deposits formed.

  17. On-line Optimization-Based Simulators for Fractured and Non-fractured Reservoirs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Milind D. Deo

    2005-08-31

    Oil field development is a multi-million dollar business. Reservoir simulation is often used to guide the field management and development process. Reservoir characterization and geologic modeling tools have become increasingly sophisticated. As a result the geologic models produced are complex. Most reservoirs are fractured to a certain extent. The new geologic characterization methods are making it possible to map features such as faults and fractures, field-wide. Significant progress has been made in being able to predict properties of the faults and of the fractured zones. Traditionally, finite difference methods have been employed in discretizing the domains created by geologic means. For complex geometries, finite-element methods of discretization may be more suitable. Since reservoir simulation is a mature science, some of the advances in numerical methods (linear, nonlinear solvers and parallel computing) have not been fully realized in the implementation of most of the simulators. The purpose of this project was to address some of these issues. {sm_bullet} One of the goals of this project was to develop a series of finite-element simulators to handle problems of complex geometry, including systems containing faults and fractures. {sm_bullet} The idea was to incorporate the most modern computing tools; use of modular object-oriented computer languages, the most sophisticated linear and nonlinear solvers, parallel computing methods and good visualization tools. {sm_bullet} One of the tasks of the project was also to demonstrate the construction of fractures and faults in a reservoir using the available data and to assign properties to these features. {sm_bullet} Once the reservoir model is in place, it is desirable to find the operating conditions, which would provide the best reservoir performance. This can be accomplished by utilization optimization tools and coupling them with reservoir simulation. Optimization-based reservoir simulation was one of the

  18. Reservoir architecture and tough gas reservoir potential of fluvial crevasse-splay deposits

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Toorenenburg, K.A.; Donselaar, M.E.; Weltje, G.J.

    2015-01-01

    Unconventional tough gas reservoirs in low-net-to-gross fluvial stratigraphic intervals may constitute a secondary source of fossil energy to prolong the gas supply in the future. To date, however, production from these thin-bedded, fine-grained reservoirs has been hampered by the economic risks

  19. Increasing Crop Yields in Water Stressed Countries by Combining Operations of Freshwater Reservoir and Wastewater Reclamation Plant

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhushan, R.; Ng, T. L.

    2015-12-01

    Freshwater resources around the world are increasing in scarcity due to population growth, industrialization and climate change. This is a serious concern for water stressed countries, including those in Asia and North Africa where future food production is expected to be negatively affected by this. To address this problem, we investigate the potential of combining freshwater reservoir and wastewater reclamation operations. Reservoir water is the cheaper source of irrigation, but is often limited and climate sensitive. Treated wastewater is a more reliable alternative for irrigation, but often requires extensive further treatment which can be expensive. We propose combining the operations of a reservoir and a wastewater reclamation plant (WWRP) to augment the supply from the reservoir with reclaimed water for increasing crop yields in water stressed regions. The joint system of reservoir and WWRP is modeled as a multi-objective optimization problem with the double objective of maximizing the crop yield and minimizing total cost, subject to constraints on reservoir storage, spill and release, and capacity of the WWRP. We use the crop growth model Aquacrop, supported by The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), to model crop growth in response to water use. Aquacrop considers the effects of water deficit on crop growth stages, and from there estimates crop yield. We generate results comparing total crop yield under irrigation with water from just the reservoir (which is limited and often interrupted), and yield with water from the joint system (which has the potential of higher supply and greater reliability). We will present results for locations in India and Africa to evaluate the potential of the joint operations for improving food security in those areas for different budgets.

  20. Development of gas and gas condensate reservoirs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-12-01

    In the study of gas reservoir development, the first year topics are restricted on reservoir characterization. There are two types of reservoir characterization. One is the reservoir formation characterization and the other is the reservoir fluid characterization. For the reservoir formation characterization, calculation of conditional simulation was compared with that of unconditional simulation. The results of conditional simulation has higher confidence level than the unconditional simulation because conditional simulation considers the sample location as well as distance correlation. In the reservoir fluid characterization, phase behavior calculations revealed that the component grouping is more important than the increase of number of components. From the liquid volume fraction with pressure drop, the phase behavior of reservoir fluid can be estimated. The calculation results of fluid recombination, constant composition expansion, and constant volume depletion are matched very well with the experimental data. In swelling test of the reservoir fluid with lean gas, the accuracy of dew point pressure forecast depends on the component characterization. (author). 28 figs., 10 tabs.