Process Based Reconstruction of Sandstones and Prediction of Transport Properties

We present a process based method for reconstructing the full three-dimensional microstructure of sandstones. The method utilizes petrographical information obtained from two-dimensional thin sections to stochastically model the results of the main sandstone forming processes – sedimentation, compaction, and diagenesis. We apply the method to generate Fontainebleau sandstone and compare quantitatively the reconstructed microstructure with microtomographic images of the actual sandstone. The comparison shows that the process based reconstruction reproduces adequately important intrinsic properties of the actual sandstone, such as the degree of connectivity, the specific internal surface, and the two-point correlation function. A statistical reconstruction of Fontainebleau sandstone that matches the porosity and two-point correlation function of the microtomography data differs strongly from the actual sandstone in its connectivity properties. Transport properties of the samples are determined by solving numerically the local equations governing the transport. Computed permeabilities and formation factors of process based reconstructions of Fontainebleau sandstone compare well with experimental measurements over a wide range of porosity.     

Novel cellulose acetate membrane blended with phospholipid polymer for hemocompatible filtration system

To improve the blood compatibility of cellulose acetate (CA) membranes for hemofiltration, a novel CA membrane blended with 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) copolymer was designed for a hemocompatible filtration system. The MPC copolymer (PMB30) was synthesized from MPC and n-butyl methacrylate. The polymer solution for making the membrane was prepared from a solvent mixture composed of N,N-dimethylformamide, acetone, and 2-propanol. The CA and CA/PMB30 blended membranes with an asymmetric and porous structure were prepared by a phase inversion process. The mechanical properties and solute permeability of the CA/PMB30 blended membrane could be controlled by preparation conditions such as the composition of the solvents and the solvent evaporation time. The CA/PMB30 blended membrane showed both good water and solute permeabilities in comparison with the CA membrane. Also, the molecular weight of the solute passed through the membrane was changed by the addition of PMB30, and good permselectivity could be obtained. Moreover, the CA/PMB30 blended membranes had excellent blood compatibility such as protein adsorption resistivity compared to the CA membrane due to location of the MPC units in the PMB30 at the surface.     

Investigations on the peculiar permeation properties of volatile organic compounds and permanent gases through PTMSP

In contrast to common glassy polymers, poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) (PTMSP), a high free volume glassy polymer, shows a preferable permeation of large condensable organic vapors in comparison to permanent gases. In order to investigate this phenomenon, a systematic permeability study over a large activity range has been performed on PTMSP with three types of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as diffusing probes: toluene, dimethylketone and dichloromethane. PTMSP was synthesized with different catalytic systems (Nb or Ta based) able to induce controlled sub-molecular cis–trans structures. Whereas dimethylketone and dichloromethane permeability can be correctly described by a classical dual-mode equation, a peculiar bell shaped pattern was obtained for toluene, with a minimum permeability located at an activity value around a=0.3–0.4. In that case, only a dual-mode expression taking into account a concentration dependent diffusion coefficient can account for the results.

On the other hand some apparent conflicting data recorded from PTMSP brand new films were related to the microstructure of the polymer main chain thanks to ¹³C NMR spectroscopy analysis showing importance of cis- and trans-forms of the main chain of PTMSP. cis-Structure is more flexible and can be responsible for the creation of a higher density physical network (HDN) in polymeric matrix; conversely, trans-structure is more rigid and can provide lower density physical network (LDN). The higher permeability recorded for several probes through PTMSP synthesized with TaCl₅/Al(i-Bu)₃ catalytic system compared to those of NbCl₅ based polymer can be explained by the geometric difference of the macromolecule networks.     

Non-supercritically dried silica–silica composite aerogel and its possible application for confining simulated nuclear wastes

The simpler non-supercritical drying approach has been used for the first time for the preparation of silica–silica composite aerogels (CA) and the efficiency of the process being demonstrated by testing the use of the aerogels for simulated high level nuclear waste confinement. Compositions of 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 wt% of silica (aerosil® 380) in silica–aerogel were prepared by introducing pyrogenic silica in to silica sol derived by hydrolysis of Tetraethoxy silane (TEOS). The silica–silica composite aerogels (CA) possessed very high surface area and low bulk densities. The effectiveness of the prepared composite aerogels as precursor for high level nuclear waste immobilized glass is also presented. Neodymium nitrate dissolved in isopropanol is used to simulate +3 valent actinides. The stability of neodymium in the glass matrix has been found to be extremely high. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been used to characterise the aerogels as well as neodymium incorporated sintered gels. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies of the sintered samples reveal the formation of neodymium silicates.     

Mass transfer characteristics for VOC permeation through flat sheet porous and composite membranes: The impact of the different membrane layers on the overall membrane resistance

In this paper, the mass transfer coefficients for trichloroethylene (TCE), toluene (TOL) and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) are experimentally determined for different porous and composite membranes. For polypropylene/polyvinylidenedifluoride porous layer/thin film polydimethylsiloxane dense layer composite membranes, membrane mass transfer coefficients are 2.55E−03, 2.82E−03 and 2.90E−03 m/s for TCE, TOL and DMS in N₂ at 30.0 ± 0.1 °C, respectively. For polyester/polyacrylonitrile porous layer/thin film polydimethylsiloxane dense layer composite membranes, they are higher, namely 4.28E−03, 4.55E−03 and 4.81E−03 m/s for TCE, TOL and DMS in N₂ at 30.0 ± 0.1 °C, respectively. Analysis of the contribution of the dense layer of both composite membranes to the total membrane resistance for mass transfer, showed that this contribution was small for both composite membranes. The higher mass transfer coefficients of the thin film polydimethylsiloxane composite membranes from this study in comparison to others from the literature are primarily due to improvement of the mass transfer characteristics of the porous layer. Analysis of the mass transfer characteristics of the different porous layers of which the total porous layer is composed, showed that the contribution of the porous “backing” layer for mechanical support can be substantial in comparison to the porous layer in contact with the dense layer.     

Improved Halbach sensor for NMR scanning of drill cores

A lightweight Halbach magnet system for use in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies on drill cores was designed and built. It features an improved homogeneous magnetic field with a strength of 0.22 T and a maximum accessible sensitive volume. Additionally, it is furnished with a sliding table for automatic scans of cylindrical samples. This device is optimized for nondestructive online measurements of porosity and pore size distributions of water-saturated full cylindrical and split semicylindrical drill cores of different diameters. The porosity of core plugs with diameters from 20 to 80 mm can be measured routinely using exchangeable radiofrequency coils. Advanced NMR techniques that provide 2D T(1)-T(2) correlations with an average measurement time of 30 min and permeability estimates can be performed with a special insert suitable for small core plugs with diameter and length of 20 mm.     

Exploring the surface permeability of nanoporous particles by pulsed field gradient NMR

A new method to determine the surface permeability of nanoporous particles is proposed. It is based on the comparison of experimental data on tracer exchange and intracrystalline molecular mean square displacements as obtained by the PFG NMR tracer desorption technique with the corresponding solutions of the diffusion equation via dynamical Monte Carlo simulations. The method is found to be particularly sensitive in the "intermediate" regime, when the influence of intracrystalline diffusion and surface resistances of the nanoporous crystal on molecular transport are comparable and the conventional method fails. As an example, the surface permeabilities of two samples of zeolite NaCaA with different crystal sizes are determined with methane, as a probe molecule, at room temperature.     

动态条件下超声储层水敏性去除实验研究*

利用自主研制的超声发生仪,选取不同渗透率的天然岩心,模拟实际地层的温度、压力进行室内驱替实验,评价了渗流过程中超声作用对储层水敏性伤害去除的影响。研究表明,对于去除储层水敏性,超声频率存在最佳范围,频率与功率存在一定的补偿关系;超声最佳处理时间与储层物性有一定联系;渗透率恢复率与储层物性呈现较复杂的关系。研究结果有助于进一步认识超声水敏性去除的作用机理。     

Poromechanical Modelling and Inverse Approach of Drying Tests on Weakly Permeable Porous Rocks

The present paper deals with the determination of permeability in partially saturated conditions for weakly permeable porous rocks such as argillites or deep clayey formations. The level of permeability can be obtained via the measurements of transient weight loss of a sample submitted to a decrease in relative humidity imposed by saline solution in a hermetic chamber. An identification method based on simplified uncoupled 1D-linear and 1D-non-linear modelling was presented in a previous paper (Giraud et al. Trans Porous Media 69(2):259–280, 2006). The present paper takes into account generalized mass transfer phenomena such as Darcean advective transport of liquid and gas mixtures and Fickean diffusive transport of the vapour specie inside a gas mixture. Poromechanical coupling as well as 3D effects due to the geometry and finite dimensions of the tested samples are also covered by this approach. The coupled THM finite element computer code Code_Aster is then used to model the forward problem. The parameter identification procedure is based upon the solution of an inverse problem. The Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm was used for the problem of minimization. Comparisons between previous simplified 1D modelling and 2D-axisymmetrical coupled modelling show that the former method efficiently provides the correct order of magnitude of the level of permeability or the equivalent storage coefficients. Due to the boundary condition, the real 2D-axisymmetrical geometry of the sample must not be neglected if we are to obtain accurate results.     

Technique under compressive stress for determining the magneto-elastic effects in ferrites

A method for determining the magneto-elastic effects in spinel ferrites at high frequencies is presented. To investigate the high-frequency properties of different ferrite materials under stress, a reflection/transmission cell had been designed. In the measurement technique described here, we use a cell which based on a modified reflection/transmission line. This setup allows measurement of permeability under stress up to 20 MPa from 1 MHz to 10 GHz. Specific retrieval procedures have been developed to take into account the modifications in the line geometry. In this study, the permeability properties of spinel ferrites versus frequency between 1 MHz and 6 GHz as a function of the applied stress are showed. The two most important contributions of the permeability are the wall bulging and the gyro-magnetism which have a different behavior versus the applied stress.