Pore-Scale Numerical Investigation on Chemical Stimulation in Coal and Permeability Enhancement for Coal Seam Gas Production

Permeability is a controlling factor for gas migration in coal seam reservoirs and has invariably been the barrier to economically viable gas production in certain deposits. Cleats are the main conduits for gas flow in coal seams though cleat mineralisation is known to significantly reduce permeability. Cleat demineralisation by the use of acids may enhance the effective cleat aperture and therefore permeability. This modelling study examines how acids transport through coal subject to reactive cleat mineralisation, and develops a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms controlling permeability change from pore scale to sample scale. A novel Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM)-based numerical model for the simulation, prediction, and visualisation of the reaction transport is proposed to numerically investigate relationships between physio-chemical changes and permeability during coal stimulation. In particular, the work studies the interaction of acidic fluids (HCl) with reactive mineral (e.g. calcite) and assumed non-reactive mineral (e.g. coal) surfaces, mineral dissolution and mass transfer, and resultant porosity change. The reaction of a calcite cemented core sub-plug from the Bandanna Formation of Bowen Basin (Australia), is used as a study case. LBM simulations revealed a permeability enhancement (27.15 times of the pre-flooding permeability) along the x-axis after 20 min HCl flooding of a \(5.3~\hbox {cm} \times 5.3~\hbox {cm} \times 1.3~\hbox {cm}\) sub-section. The analysis and evaluation of the 4D permeability evolution is conducted as a contribution work for the fluid flow modelling in the subsurface petrophysical conditions, at the micron to centimetre scales. The simulation results demonstrate the proposed algorithm is capable for studies of multiple mineral reactions with disparate reaction rates.     

Lead(II) ion detection in purified drinking water by nickel hexacyanoferrate-modified n-Si electrode in presence of dihydroxybenzene

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - To develop feasible probes for heavy metal ions has been considered as one of the most important research topics, due to the significance in monitoring and...     

Design and optimization of a fused‐silica microfluidic device for separation of trivalent lanthanides by isotachophoresis

Elemental analysis of rare earth elements is essential in a variety of fields including environmental monitoring and nuclear safeguards; however, current techniques are often labor intensive, time consuming, and/or costly to perform. The difficulty arises in preparing samples, which requires separating the chemically and physically similar lanthanides. However, by transitioning these separations to the microscale, the speed, cost, and simplicity of sample preparation can be drastically improved. Here, all fourteen non‐radioactive lanthanides (lanthanum through lutetium minus promethium) are separated by ITP for the first time in a serpentine fused‐silica microchannel (70 µm wide × 70 µm tall × 33 cm long) in <10 min at voltages ≤8 kV with limits of detection on the order of picomoles. This time includes the 2 min electrokinetic injection time at 2 kV to load sample into the microchannel. The final leading electrolyte consisted of 10 mM ammonium acetate, 7 mM α‐hydroxyisobutyric acid, 1% polyvinylpyrrolidone, and the final terminating electrolyte consisted of 10 mM acetic acid, 7 mM α‐hydroxyisobutyric acid, and 1% polyvinylpyrrolidone. Electrophoretic electrodes are embedded in the microchip reservoirs so that voltages can be quickly applied and switched during operation. The limits of detection are quantified using a commercial capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detector (C⁴D) to calculate ITP zone lengths in combination with ITP theory. Optimization of experimental procedures and reproducibility based on statistical analysis of subsequent experimental results are addressed. Percent error values in band length and conductivity are ≤8.1 and 0.37%, respectively.     

Workforce staffing and scheduling: Hospital nursing specific models

Decisions relating to hospital nurse staffing and scheduling are among the most important decisions made in hospitals today. Staffing and scheduling choices must be made which will result in timely and high-quality care to patients. These choices are complicated by the requirement for round-the-clock staffing in many hospital nursing units, a severe nursing shortage, and an outcry from many quarters to cut costs of health care. In general, patients today are kept in hospitals only if they are in need of highly skilled nursing care. In this paper we present a review of some of the issues in health care currently influencing the hospital nurse staffing and scheduling environment. In addition, we review the literature that illustrates nurse manager's concerns, and approaches taken in the past by operations researchers to address those concerns. We present some data from a recent study of nurse managers in 31 hospitals that illustrates the complexity of the issues. We conclude with a discussion of future research directions in hospital nurse staffing and scheduling.     

A novel staining technique for studying toughening mechanisms in saturated acrylic rubber-modified polymers

A novel technique which utilizes a two-stage staining approach, (i.e., styrene absorption followed by osmium tetraoxide staining) is introduced for staining saturated polyacrylate rubbers. This novel staining approach, which stains and hardens polyacrylate rubber, is found to be useful for room temperature microtomy of polyacrylate rubber-modified polymers. Therefore, both the morphology and the crack tip toughening mechanisms of polyacrylate rubber-modified systems can be studied. Details concerning staining time, staining media, and use of solvents are discussed.     

Changes in glottal configuration in women after loud talking

The purpose of this investigation was to examine changes in glottal configuration in women under a variety of pitch and loudness conditions after an interval of loud reading. Twelve young adult women with normal laryngeal structures were photographed under stroboscopic light and sustained the vowel /i/ for a minimum of 3 s, at three pitch levels and three loudness levels, before and after a 15-min interval of loud reading. Results indicate that female speakers tend to alter glottic configurations across phonatory conditions after loud reading, particularly during high-pitch phonation. Specifically, five subjects tended to increase glottal closure, one tended to increase glottal opening, two tended to maintain the identical configuration, and four demonstrated no consistent pattern of response.     

Fluctuations in intramolecular line shapes—random matrix theory

Random matrix theory is used to develop a model for the distribution of energy levels and intensities in intramolecular line shapes. The effects of missing lines, either due to their weak intensity, or due to the finite spectral resolution, are quantitatively incorporated. It is shown how the information regarding spectral fluctuations in intermediate size molecules is eroded in the large molecule statistical limit. Our predictions are compared with recent experimental data on highly vibrationally excited acetylene, and the relevant statistical measures are calculated.