Study on frequency optimization and mechanism of ultrasonic waves assisting water flooding in low-permeability reservoirs

Water flooding is one of widely used technique to improve oil recovery from conventional reservoirs, but its performance in low-permeability reservoirs is barely satisfactory. Besides adding chemical agents, ultrasonic wave is an effective and environmental-friendly strategy to assist in water flooding for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in unconventional reservoirs. The acoustic frequency plays a dominating role in the EOR performance of ultrasonic wave and is usually optimized through a series of time-consuming laboratory experiments. Hence, this study proposes an unsupervised learning method to group low-permeability cores in terms of permeability, porosity and wettability. This grouping algorithm succeeds to classify the 100 natural cores adopted in this study into five categories and the water flooding experiment certificates the accuracy and reliability of the clustering results. It is proved that ultrasonic waves can further improve the oil recovery yielded by water-flooding, especially in the oil-wet and weakly water-wet low-permeability cores. Furthermore, we investigated the EOR mechanism of ultrasonic waves in the low-permeability reservoir via scanning electron microscope observation, infrared characterization, interfacial tension and oil viscosity measurement. Although ultrasonic waves cannot ameliorate the components of light oil as dramatically as those of heavy oil, such compound changes still contribute to the oil viscosity and oil-water interfacial tension reductions. More importantly, ultrasonic waves may modify the micromorphology of low-permeability cores and improve the pore connectivity.     

基于改进PSO的超声雾化电源频率跟踪研究*

超声波雾化技术由于其良好的雾化效果获得了广泛关注，具有极大的研究价值和应用前景。但是在超声雾化的过程中，由于换能器的温度变化、刚度变化以及在水中的负载变化等因素，会产生谐振频率漂移的现象。当工作频率偏移谐振频率时，将造成换能器的工作效率降低和元器件损坏等问题。针对此问题，设计了基于改进粒子群算法优化PID参数的超声雾化电源频率跟踪算法，并对该算法进行频率跟踪的仿真验证和实验对比，在频率跟踪上实现了更好的效果，使换能器能够稳定工作在谐振状态，提高了电源的利用率。     

Ultrasound treatments improve germinability of soybean seeds: The key role of working frequency

In this paper, the effects of ultrasound with different frequency modes on the sprouting rate, sprouting vigor, metabolism-related enzyme activity and late nutrient accumulation in soybean were investigated, and the mechanism of dual-frequency ultrasound promoting bean sprout development was explored. The results showed that, compared with control, the sprouting time was shortened by 24 h after dual-frequency ultrasound treatment (20/60 kHz), and the longest shoot was 7.82 cm at 96 h. Meanwhile, ultrasonic treatment significantly enhanced the activities of protease, amylase, lipase and peroxidase (p < 0.05), particularly the phenylalanine ammonia-lyase increased by 20.50%, which not only accelerated the seed metabolism, but also led to the accumulation of phenolics (p < 0.05), as well as more potent antioxidant activity at later stages of sprouting. In addition, the seed coat exhibited remarkable cracks and holes after ultrasonication, resulting in accelerated water absorption. Moreover, the immobilized water in seeds increased significantly, which was beneficial to seed metabolism and later sprouting. These findings confirmed that dual-frequency ultrasound pretreatment has a great potential to be used for seed sprouting and promoting the accumulation of nutrients in bean sprouts by accelerating water absorption and increasing enzyme activity.     

The influence of air content in water on ultrasonic cavitation field

Cavitation is a complex physical phenomenon affected by many factors, one of which is the gas dissolved in the medium. Researchers have given some efforts to the influence of gas content on sonoluminescence or some specific chemical reactions in and around the bubble, but limited work has been reported about the influence on the ultrasonic cavitation field distribution. In this work, the intensity distribution of the ultrasound field in a cleaning tank has been measured with the hydrophone. After analysed and visualised by MATLAB software, it was found that the cavitation intensity distribution in degassed water was much better than that in tap water. And further study proved that degassing process can improve the cavitation effect dramatically both in intensity and scope. Finally, the cavitation fields in mediums with different gas content were measured and the specific influence of air content on cavitation field was discussed.     

Pressure-broadening in the THz frequency region: The 1.113 THz line of water

It is well established that water plays a fundamental role in various atmospheric phenomena and that the accuracy of its collisional broadening parameters has a crucial influence on reduction of remote sensing data. Nevertheless, in this field the experimental data are still scarce and consequently the estimates reported in spectroscopic databases are not always reliable and/or accurate. In the view of filling this gap, the self-, N₂- and O₂-broadening parameters of the J=1_1,1←0_0,0 rotational transition of water (1.113 THz) have been determined at room temperature. The experimental investigation has also been supported by theoretical calculations.     

超声清洗过程环境压力对声空化效应的影响*

在不同深度条件下的水下构建物超声清洗中,声空化是重要的源动力之一。为探明水下环境压力对声空化的影响,本文基于数值计算的方法,通过对超声波作用下气泡动力学的研究,讨论了环境压力对空化泡溃灭时的气泡最大半径、释放能量以及溃灭功率等因素的影响。结果表明：空化泡最大半径与环境压力在一定范围内呈近似线性关系;随着环境压力增大,空化泡释放能量和溃灭功率均显著减小,且两者在变化趋势和变化幅度上几乎一致;当环境压力大于声压幅值时,空化泡的最大半径、内部压强、内部温度与释放能量均远低于空化发生在环境压力小于声压幅值时的情形。     

The influence of water on extinction and ignition of hydrogen and methane flames

The influence of water vapor on critical conditions of extinction and autoignition of premixed and nonpremixed flames is investigated. The fuels tested are hydrogen (H₂) and methane (CH₄). Studies on premixed systems are carried out by injecting a premixed reactant stream made up of fuel, oxygen (O₂), and nitrogen (N₂) from one duct, and an inert-gas stream of N₂ from the other duct. Critical conditions of extinction are measured for various amounts of water vapor added to the premixed reactant stream. The ratio of fuel to oxygen is maintained at a constant value, and the amounts of water vapor and nitrogen are so chosen that the adiabatic temperature remains the same. This ensures that the physical influence of water is the same for all cases. Therefore, changes in values for the critical conditions of extinction are attributed to the chemical influence of water vapor. Studies on nonpremixed systems are carried out by injecting a fuel stream made up of fuel and N₂ from one duct ,and an oxidizer stream made up of O₂ and N₂ from the other duct. Critical conditions of extinction are measured with water vapor added to the oxidizer stream. The concentrations of reactants are so chosen that the adiabatic temperature and the flame position stay the same for all cases. Critical conditions of autoignition are measured by preheating the oxidizer stream of the nonpremixed system. Water vapor is added to the oxidizer stream. Numerical calculations are performed using a detailed chemical-kinetic mechanism and compared with measurements. Experimental and numerical studies show that addition of water makes the premixed and nonpremixed flames easier to extinguish and harder to ignite. The chemical influence of water is attributed to its enhanced chaperon efficiency in three body reactions.     

An experimental study on the motion of water droplets in oil under ultrasonic irradiation

The motion of a single water droplet in oil under ultrasonic irradiation is investigated with high-speed photography in this paper. First, we described the trajectory of water droplet in oil under ultrasonic irradiation. Results indicate that in acoustic field the motion of water droplet subjected to intermittent positive and negative ultrasonic pressure shows obvious quasi-sinusoidal oscillation. Afterwards, the influence of major parameters on the motion characteristics of water droplet was studied, such as acoustic intensity, ultrasonic frequency, continuous phase viscosity, interfacial tension, and droplet diameter, etc. It is found that when the acoustic intensity and frequency are 4.89 W cm⁻² and 20 kHz respectively, which are the critical conditions, the droplet varying from 250 to 300 μm in lower viscous oil has the largest oscillation amplitude and highest oscillation frequency.     

Effect of polymer adsorption on the water structure at the quartz/water interface studied by optical sum frequency generation

The effect of polymers weakly adsorbed on a quartz surface on the structure of the interfacial water molecules was investigated by optical sum frequency (SF) spectroscopy. As polymers, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), poly(propylene glycol) (PPG), and two types of tri-block copolymer of Pluronic L64 and 17R-4 were used. SF intensity spectra of OH stretching mode of water molecules at the interface between a quartz substrate and aqueous solutions of the polymers were measured. The total SF intensity of the interfacial water of the L64 aqueous solution was smaller than those of other solutions. This result indicates that the L64 aqueous solution has smaller number of oriented interfacial water molecules. It is suggested that the rapid motion of hydrophilic parts of the adsorbed L64 disturbs the average orientation of the interfacial water molecules. On the other hand, the SF intensity from the interfacial water molecules of aqueous solutions with high ion strength did not depend on the species of the polymers in the solutions. The latter result suggests that the hydration of ions determines the structure of the interfacial water molecules.     

切削参数对KDP晶体加工表面实际频率特征的影响

针对采用单点金刚石超精加工的KDP晶体光学表面,研究了切削参数对微观形貌频率特征的影响。通过功率谱密度获得表面轮廓频率分布,并用连续小波重构加工过程中随切削用量变化的微观轮廓频率特征。结果表明：切削参数对微观形貌的影响具体表现在实际频率特征上,中频特征波长及幅值反映了切深及转速变化,随切深及转速增加,幅值变大;低频特征反映了进给量变化,随着进给量变小,频率及幅值变小;高频特征是加工过程中振动及材料各向异性的具体表现。     

The influence of laser power and repetition rate on oxygen and nitrogen insertion into titanium using pulsed Nd:YAG laser irradiation

Oxygen and nitrogen insertion in a titanium substrate is performed in air using a Q-switched Nd-YAG laser. This process modifies the surface by the formation of specific layers on the substrate. These layers show different properties, largely influenced by the insertion of elements in the layers. The treatment conditions, especially the laser parameters (fluence and repetition rate), must be known and controlled. Using nuclear analysis, we demonstrate that oxygen insertion is mainly influenced by repetition rate, and that nitrogen insertion is controlled by laser fluence. The physical phenomena involved in the oxygen and nitrogen insertion are discussed.     

Sonocrystallisation of ZIF-8 in water with high excess of ligand: Effects of frequency,power and sonication time

A systematic study on the sonocrystallisation of ZIF-8 (zeolitic imidazolate framework-8) in a water-based system was investigated under different mixing speeds, ultrasound frequencies, calorimetric powers and sonication time. Regardless of the synthesis technique, pure crystals of ZIF-8 with high BET (Brunauer, Emmett and Teller) specific surface area (SSA) can be obtained in water after only 5 s. Furthermore, 5 s sonication produced even smaller crystals (~0.08 µm). The type of technique applied for producing the ZIF-8 crystals did not have any significant impact on crystallinity, purity and yield. Crystal morphology and size were affected by the use of ultrasound and mixing, obtaining nanoparticles with a more spherical shape than in silent condition (no ultrasound and mixing). However, no specific trends were observed with varying frequency, calorimetric power and mixing speed. Ultrasound and mixing may have an effect on the nucleation step, causing the fast production of nucleation centres. Furthermore, the BET SSA increased with increasing mixing speed. With ultrasound, the BET SSA is between the values obtained under silent condition and with mixing. A competition between micromixing and shockwaves has been proposed when sonication is used for ZIF-8 production. The former increases the BET SSA, while the latter could be responsible for porosity damage, causing a decrease of the surface area.     

高功率钕玻璃激光三倍频脉冲时间波形的研究

基于目前国内规模最大的激光驱动器——“神光Ⅱ”八路基频光已经实现功率平衡运行，通过改变其中若干路三倍频系统各调谐量的偏离，对输出三倍频波形进行束与束之间的横向对比研究.研究发现，对于Ⅱ类-Ⅱ类偏振失配三倍频系统，在影响转换效率的三个调谐量中，偏振分配角失配Δθ_p对三倍频波形影响最大；在入射基频功率密度约为1.0GW/cm²情况下，当三倍频系统三个调谐量都处在最佳匹配时，三倍频波形半峰全宽τ最小.研究工作为最终实现“神光Ⅱ”八路光束三倍频功率平衡输出提供了晶体调试 关键词： 三倍频 时间波形 功率平衡     

Numerical simulation on the influence of water spray in thermal plasma treatment of CF4 gas

Nitrogen thermal plasma generated by a non-transferred DC arc plasma torch was used to decompose tetrafluoromethane (CF₄). In the thermal decomposition process, water was used as a chemical reactant source. Two kinds of water spray methods were compared: water spray directly to the arc plasma flame and indirectly to the reactor tube wall. Although the same operating conditions of input power, waste gas, and sprayed water flow rate were employed for each water spray methods, a relatively higher decomposition rate was achieved in the case of water spray to the reactor wall. In order to investigate the effects of water spraying direction on the thermal decomposition process, a numerical simulation on the thermal plasma flow characteristics was carried out considering water injection in the reactor. The simulation was performed using commercial fluid dynamics software of the FLUENT, which is suitable for calculating a complex flow. From the results, it was revealed that water spray to the reactor wall and use of a relatively small quantity of water are more effective methods for decomposition of CF₄, because a sufficiently high temperature area and long reaction time can be maintained over large area.     

In‐situ X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy of trimethyl aluminum and water half‐cycle treatments on HF‐treated and O3‐oxidized GaN substrates

We have investigated the effect of trimethyl aluminum (TMA) and water (H₂O) half‐cycle treatments on HF‐treated, and O₃‐oxidized GaN surfaces at 300 °C. The in‐situ X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicate no significant re‐growth of Ga–O–N or self‐cleaning on HF‐treated and O₃‐oxidized GaN substrates with exposure to water and TMA. This result is different from the self‐cleaning effect of Ga₂O₃ seen on sulfur‐treated GaAs or InGaAs substrates. O₃ causes aggressive oxidation of GaN substrate and direct O–N bonding compared to H₂O. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Sono-physical and sono-chemical effects of ultrasound: Primary applications in extraction and freezing operations and influence on food components

Ultrasound is an advanced non-thermal food-processing technology that has received increasing amounts of interest as an alternative to, or an adjuvant method for, conventional processing techniques. This review explores the sono-physical and sono-chemical effects of ultrasound on food processing as it reviews two typical food-processing applications that are predominantly driven by sono-physical effects, namely ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and ultrasound-assisted freezing (UAF), and the components modifications to food matrices that can be triggered by sono-chemical effects. Efficiency enhancements and quality improvements in products (and extracts) using ultrasound are discussed in terms of mechanism and principles for a range of food-matrix categories, while efforts to improve existing ultrasound-assist patterns was also seen. Furthermore, the progress of experimental ultrasonic equipments for UAE and UAF as food-processing technologies, the core of the development in food-processing techniques is considered. Moreover, sono-chemical reactions that are usually overlooked, such as degradation, oxidation and other particular chemical modifications that occur in common food components under specific conditions, and the influence on bioactivity, which was also affected by food processing to varying degrees, are also summarised. Further trends as well as some challenges for, and limitations of, ultrasound technology for food processing, with UAE and UAF used as examples herein, are also taken into consideration and possible future recommendations were made.     

The influence of combined low-strength ultrasonics and micro-aerobic pretreatment process on methane generation and sludge digestion: Lipase enzyme,microbial activation,and energy yield

Low-frequency ultrasonics is a potential technology to reduce the hydrolysis phase period in anaerobic digestion process. In this study, the influence of combined low frequency ultrasonics and micro-aerobic (MA) pretreatment on sewage sludge solubilization, enzyme activity and anaerobic digestion were assessed. Initially, the effect of ultrasonic density (0.012, 0.014, 0.016, 0.018, 0.1, 0.12 and 0.14 W/mL) and irradiation time (1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10 and 12 min) of 20 kHz frequency waves were investigated. Accordingly, the effect of micro-aerobic pretreatment (Air flow rate (AFR) = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.5 VVM) within 20, 30, 40.48 and 60 h were examined. In addition, the effect of combined pretreatment on COD solubilization, lipase enzyme activation, ATP, percentage of live bacteria and methane gas production during the anaerobic process were examined. The results showed that the highest lipase activity (14.9 Umol/mL) was obtained under the effect of ultrasonic density of 0.1 W/ml within 9 min. The highest solubilization (65%) was observed under optimal micro-aerobic conditions: AFR = 0.2 (VVM) and micro-aerobic time: 40 h. Combined ultrasonic and micro-aerobic (US + MA) pretreatment increases the solubilization (70%), microbial activity (2080%) and lipase enzymatic activity (129%) compared to individual pretreatment. The Biogas production during anaerobic digestion pretreated with combined methods increased by 193% compared to the control, while the elevated values of biogas production in reactors pretreated by ultrasonic and micro-aerobic pretreatment alone were observed to be 101% and 165%, respectively. The net energy in reactor with the combined pre-treatment methods was calculated to be 1.26 kWh, while this value for control, pretreated ultrasonic and micro-aerobic reactors were obtained to be 0.56, 0.67 and 1.2 kWh, respectively.     

The influence of surface reconstruction on the kinetics of adsorption-desorption processes: A Monte Carlo study of a simple model

The influence of surface reconstruction on the kinetics of adsorption-desorption processes is studied through a simple two-position model by means of Monte Carlo simulation. Effects due to constraints on the translational motion of activated complexes and to heterogeneity are particularly investigated. Heterogeneity emerges as the most important factor to explain the huge variation of the preexponential Arrhenius parameter with coverage observed in the H/W(001) system. In the present model it is conjectured that heterogeneity originates from additional interactions of H with surface or sub-surface W atoms when hydrogen is adsorbed on sites where surface W atoms are farther apart due to reconstruction.     

Investigation of the adsorption mechanism of water nanocluster on the substrate: The size and interaction strength effect

Molecular dynamics simulation is utilized to investigate the effects of both the size of a water nanocluster and the interaction strength between the water nanocluster and a solid surface on the dynamic behavior of the water nanocluster when it is adsorbed on a solid surface. The simulation results demonstrate that both the size and the interaction strength influence the adsorption behavior of the water nanocluster on the substrate. When the interaction strength between water molecules and the substrate is strong, the morphology of the water nanocluster adsorbed on the substrate will tend to be flatter in shape. However, when the interaction strength is weak, the morphology of the water nanocluster is a semi-spherical shape. The size of the water nanocluster causes the water molecules in the first layer to lay flatter on the substrate at stronger interaction strengths. As the interaction strengths exceed 1.5 kcal mol⁻¹, the value of orientation factor will reverse its trend for water nanoclusters with different sizes, with the smaller water nanocluster having the smallest orientation factor.     

Low frequency in situ metrology of absorption and dispersion of sound absorbing porous materials based on high power ultrasonic non-linearly demodulated waves

The present work is related to acoustic in situ free-field measurements of sound absorption in porous materials, such as cellular plastic foams, glass-wool or recycled felt materials. The emphasis is given towards fine metrology of absorption in view of potential industrial applications. A powerful ultrasonic array working at 40 kHz is used. It enables to measure absorption acoustical data down to 100 Hz due to the exploitation of the non-linear ultrasonic demodulation phenomenon in air. Fine measurements of acoustic absorption are compared to numerical predictions based on the “equivalent-fluid” model (when the squeleton frame is motionless), and to some measurements performed on a Brüel and Kjaer impedance tube. Dispersion curves are also measured and compared to the numerical predictions for some automotive felt materials which are compressed at various ratios. Data obtained with a dedicated portable instrument are also discussed for the same type of materials and configurations.