AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Application of polymer gels for profile modification and sweep improvement of gas flooding

Early CO[sub 2] breakthrough can be a serious problem during miscible and immiscible CO[sub 2] flooding of reservoirs with heterogeneous formations. One potential method to reduce the problem of gas channeling is the use of a gel to restrict flow of fluids into the high-permeability zones. This study included evaluation of several different candidates for their potential as gelled polymer treatments for in situ profile modification. The objective of gel treatments is to restrict flow through fractures and high permeability zones without significantly damaging the adjacent oil productive zones. This involves injection of viscous polymer solution, hopefully into a high-permeability zone. In this study, layered sandpacks were used to show the effect of gelant mobility on gel penetration and placement. X-ray computerized tomography (CT) was used to visualize the flow path of the injected gelant and the location of gel placement. A conventional gel of xanthan and Cr(III) as a crosslinking agent was used for experimental model studies. The results of experimental model studies demonstrated the effects of viscous crossflow which may damage the oil productive strata. More specifically these studies of layered models showed that unless there is a very high-permeability contrast, such as a fractured zone, a considerable volume of viscous crossflow will occur with damage to oil productive strata. These results indicated the need for injection and placement of a low viscosity gelant prior to gelation.

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Low-rank coal-water slurry combustion: Final report for the period ending June 30, 1986. [Made from hot-water dried coal]

The combustion behavior of Hot-Water-Dried slurries of selected low rank coals was investigated during a three year program, using the 550,000 Btu/hr ash fouling furnace at the University of North Dakota Energy Research Center. Combustion of the slurries presented no additional problems of handling, feeding, flame stability or carbon burnout compared to powdered coals or inburning commercial bituminous coal slurries. Heating values of the slurries ranged from 5600 to 7400 Btu/lb, with solids loadings of 55 to 60%. Essentially complete (99% ) carbon burnout was achieved in all tests. Furnace operating conditions included fuel residence time of three seconds, and an exit furnace temperature of 2000/sup 0/F. Compared with powdered coal, the flame produced in slurry combustion is distributed further through the furnace combustion zone, with lower peak temperatures than observed with powdered coal combustion. For three of the four coals studied, the weight of ash deposits on simulated boiler tubes per weight of total ash input was lower for slurry combustion than for powdered coal. In the case of one subbituminous coal, however, the amounts of the deposits were greater than the deposits produced in powdered coal combustion. There was no significant difference in the combustion behavior of slurries prepared at different temperatures by hot water drying. However, x-ray diffraction analyses of deposits produced in combustion of powdered coal, indicates that mineral species present were predominantly simple oxides and sulfates, while for deposits produced in combustion of slurry, tube fouling deposits were primarily of complex aluminosilicates. This evidence indicates that the combustion characteristics of slurries do have some differences and effects on character of the ash deposits. 38 refs., 19 figs., 4 tabs.

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Decontamination Systems Information and Research Program. Quarterly technical progress report, July 1--September 30, 1993

Progress reports are presented for the following projects: systematic assessment of the state of hazardous waste clean-up technologies; site remediation technologies--drain-enhanced soil flushing (DESF) for organic contaminants removal; excavation systems for hazardous waste sites; chemical destruction of polychlorinated biphenyls; development of organic sensors--monolayer and multilayer self-assembled films for chemical sensors; Winfield Lock and Dam remediation; Winfield cleanup survey; assessment of technologies for hazardous waste site remediation--non-treatment technologies and pilot scale test facility implementation; assessment of environmental remediation storage technology; assessment of environmental remediation excavation technology; assessment of environmental remediation monitoring technology; and remediation of hazardous sites with steam reforming.

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Design and construction of an experiment for two-phase flow in fractured porous media

In numerical reservoir simulation naturally fractured reservoirs are commonly divided into matrix and fracture systems. The high permeability fractures are usually entirely responsible for flow between blocks and flow to the wells. The flow in these fractures is modeled using Darcy`s law and its extension to multiphase flow by means of relative permeabilities. The influence and measurement of fracture relative permeability for two-phase flow in fractured porous media have not been studied extensively, and the few works presented in the literature are contradictory. Experimental and numerical work on two-phase flow in fractured porous media has been initiated. An apparatus for monitoring this type of flow was designed and constructed. It consists of an artificially fractured core inside an epoxy core holder, detailed pressure and effluent monitoring, saturation measurements by means of a CT-scanner and a computerized data acquisition system. The complete apparatus was assembled and tested at conditions similar to the conditions expected for the two-phase flow experiments. Fine grid simulations of the experimental setup-were performed in order to establish experimental conditions and to study the effects of several key variables. These variables include fracture relative permeability and fracture capillary pressure. The numerical computations show that the flow is dominated by capillary imbibition, and that fracture relative permeabilities have only a minor influence. High oil recoveries without water production are achieved due to effective water imbibition from the fracture to the matrix. When imbibition is absent, fracture relative permeabilities affect the flow behavior at early production times.

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Modeling of hydrologic conditions and solute movement in processed oil shale waste embankments under simulated climatic conditions

The scope of the research program and the continuation is to study interacting hydrologic, geotechnical, and chemical factors affecting the behavior and disposal of combusted processed oil shale. The research combines bench-scale testing with large scale research sufficient to describe commercial scale embankment behavior. The large scale approach was accomplished by establishing five lysimeters, each 7.3 [times] 3.0 [times] 3.0 m deep, filled with processed oil shale that has been retorted and combusted by the Lurgi-Ruhrgas (Lurgi) process. Approximately 400 tons of Lurgi processed oil shale waste was provided by Rio Blanco Oil Shale Co., Inc. (RBOSC) through a separate cooperative agreement with the University of Wyoming (UW) to carry out this study. Three of the lysimeters were established at the RBOSC Tract C-a in the Piceance Basin of Colorado. Two lysimeters were established in the Environmental Simulation Laboratory (ESL) at UW. The ESL was specifically designed and constructed so that a large range of climatic conditions could be physically applied to the processed oil shale which was filled in the lysimeter cells.

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Prediction of fracture extent by simulation of gas well pressure and production behavior

The use of transient gas reservoir simulation techniques for the purpose of evaluating fracture geometry in two different types of formations is described. Extensive efforts were made to determine fracture length and reservoir permeability by history matching well pressure tests for one well in a sandstone formation and one well in the Devonian Shale formation. In both cases all available information was used regarding fluid and formation properties. For each of these wells field data were available which consisted of both well test and production performance. In the sandstone well it was also desired to determine why the wells initial production during drilling operations (approximately 7 MMSCFD) decreased after an extensive hydraulic fracturing operation. Different combinations of grid-block sizes and different fracture representations were used in an effort to characterize the permeability distribution and fracture extent. Two different combinations of fracture lengths and formation permeability distributions were found to reasonably match the well pressure history. The high initial productivity was explained by the fact that a high permeability zone (5-10 md) had to be used in an unfractured zone to match the well test performance. It is concluded that numerical simulation can be a valuable tool in evaluating the critical parameters in low permeability stimulated gas reservoirs. Moreover, simulation can be used whenever well test data are not amenable to conventional or type-curve analysis. Finally, by observing if the parameters determined from the well test match also give good agreement when simulating the production history, an extraordinary level of confidence can be placed in the results.

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Lithologic description of cored wells No. 11940 and No. 12041 in the Devonian Shale in the Cottageville, West Virginia area

This report presents a detailed lithologic description of the Devonian Shale as observed in cores taken in Jackson County, West Virginia. The cored well (E.L. Bailer No. 11940) is located approximately five miles southwest of the town of Cottageville, West Virginia. The second cored well (W.L. Pinnell No. 12041) is located three miles west of Cottageville, West Virginia. The purpose of the cored wells is to characterize in detail the Devonian Shale in the western portion of West Virginia. Analysis of the core material will provide information to be used in designing stimulation techniques for the improvement of gas production from the Devonian Shale. The core data will be used in designing an experiment to drill a well directionally deviated to intercept an optimum number of natural fractures that exist in high hydrocarbon zones within the shale reservoir in this area of western West Virginia. Specifically, the core data will locate and characterize those zones of brown shale with high hydrocarbon content. The lithologic information will correlate stratigraphically these zones in a particular area of the Appalachian Basin. The well will be deviated to an inclination of 60/sup 0/ and then be stimulated by multiple stage hydraulic fracturing in an effort to improve the rate of recovery of gas from the shale and the total amount of reserves assigned to a single well.

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Advanced turbine design for coal-fueled engines

The objective of this task is to perform a technical assessment of turbine blading for advanced second generation PFBC conditions, identify specific problems/issues, and recommend an approach for solving any problems identified. A literature search was conducted, problems associated with hot corrosion defined and limited experiments performed. Sulfidation corrosion occurs in industrial, marine and aircraft gas turbine engines and is due to the presence of condensed alkali (sodium) sulfates. The principle source of the alkali in industrial, marine and aircraft gas turbine engines is sea salt crystals. The principle source of the sulfur is not the liquid fuels, but the same ocean born crystals. Moreover deposition of the corrosive salt occurs primarily by a non-equilibrium process. Sodium will be present in the cleaned combusted gases that enter the PFBC turbine. Although equilibrium condensation is not favored, deposition via impaction is probable. Marine gas turbines operate in sodium chloride rich environments without experiencing the accelerated attack noted in coal fired boilers where condensed chlorides contact metallic surfaces. The sulfates of calcium and magnesium are the products of the reactions used to control sulfur. Based upon industrial gas turbine experience and laboratory tests, calcium and magnesium sulfates are, at temperatures up to 1500[degrees]F (815[degrees]C), relatively innocuous salts. In this study it is found that at 1650[degrees]F (900[degrees]C) and above, calcium sulfate becomes an aggressive corrodent.

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Thermodynamic modeling for organic solid precipitation

A generalized predictive model which is based on thermodynamic principle for solid-liquid phase equilibrium has been developed for organic solid precipitation. The model takes into account the effects of temperature, composition, and activity coefficient on the solubility of wax and asphaltenes in organic solutions. The solid-liquid equilibrium K-value is expressed as a function of the heat of melting, melting point temperature, solubility parameter, and the molar volume of each component in the solution. All these parameters have been correlated with molecular weight. Thus, the model can be applied to crude oil systems. The model has been tested with experimental data for wax formation and asphaltene precipitation. The predicted wax appearance temperature is very close to the measured temperature. The model not only can match the measured asphaltene solubility data but also can be used to predict the solubility of asphaltene in organic solvents or crude oils. The model assumes that asphaltenes are dissolved in oil in a true liquid state, not in colloidal suspension, and the precipitation-dissolution process is reversible by changing thermodynamic conditions. The model is thermodynamically consistent and has no ambiguous assumptions.

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Deep gas in the Barbados accretionary prism: Sources, migration, detection: Final report

The project objectives are: (1) to detect the existence on Barbados of gas derived from underthrust or underplated sediments at the prism base (now at 20 to 25 km in depth,7870 ); (2) to understand the conditions and processes of organic maturation within and below the accretionary prism and the evolution of migration plants and reservoirs for gas within this progressively deforming mass; (3) to consider further strategies and methodologies by which gases generated at deep and shallow depths may be discriminated; (4) to study processes of accretion and structure generated in an active intra-oceanic subduction zone (Lesser Antilles) with large influx of terrigenous sediments; and (5) to provide a modern analog for the structural and hydrocarbon evolution of ancient Cordilleran accretionary complexes that incorporate an abundance of terrigenous sediment. Contents of this report include: forearcs and hydrocarbons; forearcs in global context, Lesser Antilles forearc; geologic evolution of Barbados; organic and hydrocarbon contents; thermal; deformation and structures; fluid emission; applications to ancient US prisms; and conclusions.

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Integrated low emission cleanup system for direct coal-fueled turbines (electrostatic agglomeration)

The objective of this contract is to investigate the removal of SO[sub x] and particulate matter from direct coal-fired combustion gas streams at high temperature and high pressure conditions. This investigation will be accomplished through a bench-scale testing and evaluation program employing sorbent mixed with a coal-water slurry for SO[sub x] removal, and an innovative particulate control concept. The particulate control device utilizes electrostatic agglomeration followed by a high efficiency mechanical collector (cyclone). The process goal is to achieve particulate collection efficiency better than that required by the 1979 new source performance standards. An additional goal is to demonstrate 70% SO[sub x] removal efficiency. This research project is now in the second of a 3 phase (phase II) project. Phase II is to fabricate the combustor and particulate control devices and install the system at a test facility located at Research-Cottrell's, KVB Western Laboratory, Santa Ana, CA. There are three functional categories, or tasks which are to be completed in sequence. These tasks are itemized as follows: design, procurement, and installation, shakedown and startup, and reporting.

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Characterization of the WRI entrained-flow reactor

The ultimate goal of the current research has been to obtain kinetic and stoichiometric data on the high-heating-rate pyrolysis of a western oil shale. To accomplish this, a reactor system had to be chosen that could attain the high heating rates observed in fluid beds, but avoid some of their limitations. one of the most favorable high-heating-rate systems for accurate reaction research is an entrained-flow reactor. With proper design, heating rates can equal and surpass those observed in fluid-bed reactors, and product recovery is simpler and more efficient. To obtain the larger amounts of solid and liquid products needed for detailed chemical and physical analyses, the system need only be run for a longer time. Western Research Institute has designed, constructed, and begun operating a high-heating-rate, pressurized, entrained-flow reactor system. This reactor system was developed to provide kinetic and stoichiometric data on the high-heating-rate pyrolysis of oil shale and to optimize operating conditions for the scale-up of a proprietary commercial process. This report describes the reactor system and its performance characteristics.

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Monolithic solid oxide fuel cell technology advancement for coal-based power generation. Final report, September 1989--March 1994

This project has successfully advanced the technology for MSOFCs for coal-based power generation. Major advances include: tape-calendering processing technology, leading to 3X improved performance at 1000 C; stack materials formulations and designs with sufficiently close thermal expansion match for no stack damage after repeated thermal cycling in air; electrically conducting bonding with excellent structural robustness; and sealants that form good mechanical seals for forming manifold structures. A stack testing facility was built for high-spower MSOFC stacks. Comprehensive models were developed for fuel cell performance and for analyzing structural stresses in multicell stacks and electrical resistance of various stack configurations. Mechanical and chemical compatibility properties of fuel cell components were measured; they show that the baseline Ca-, Co-doped interconnect expands and weakens in hydrogen fuel. This and the failure to develop adequate sealants were the reason for performance shortfalls in large stacks. Small (1-in. footprint) two-cell stacks were fabricated which achieved good performance (average area-specific-resistance 1.0 ohm-cm{sup 2} per cell,8335 ); however, larger stacks had stress-induced structural defects causing poor performance.

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Economic feasibility analysis of distributed electric power generation based upon the natural gas-fired fuel cell. Final report

The final report provides a summary of results of the Cost of Ownership Model and the circumstances under which a distributed fuel cell is economically viable. The analysis is based on a series of micro computer models estimate the capital and operations cost of a fuel cell central utility plant configuration. Using a survey of thermal and electrical demand profiles, the study defines a series of energy user classes. The energy user class demand requirements are entered into the central utility plant model to define the required size the fuel cell capacity and all supporting equipment. The central plant model includes provisions that enables the analyst to select optional plant features that are most appropriate to a fuel cell application, and that are cost effective. The model permits the choice of system features that would be suitable for a large condominium complex or a residential institution such as a hotel, boarding school or prison. Other applications are also practical; however, such applications have a higher relative demand for thermal energy, a characteristic that is well-suited to a fuel cell application with its free source of hot water or steam. The analysis combines the capital and operation from the preceding models into a Cost of Ownership Model to compute the plant capital and operating costs as a function of capacity and principal features and compares these estimates to the estimated operating cost of the same central plant configuration without a fuel cell.

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Targeted technology applications for infield reserve growth: A synopsis of the Secondary Natural Gas Recovery project, Gulf Coast Basin. Topical report, September 1988--April 1993

The Secondary Natural Gas Recovery (SGR): Targeted Technology Applications for Infield Reserve Growth is a joint venture research project sponsored by the Gas Research Institute (GRI), the US Department of Energy (DOE), the State of Texas through the Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin, with the cofunding and cooperation of the natural gas industry. The SGR project is a field-based program using an integrated multidisciplinary approach that integrates geology, geophysics, engineering, and petrophysics. A major objective of this research project is to develop, test, and verify those technologies and methodologies that have near- to mid-term potential for maximizing recovery of gas from conventional reservoirs in known fields. Natural gas reservoirs in the Gulf Coast Basin are targeted as data-rich, field-based models for evaluating infield development. The SGR research program focuses on sandstone-dominated reservoirs in fluvial-deltaic plays within the onshore Gulf Coast Basin of Texas. The primary project research objectives are: To establish how depositional and diagenetic heterogeneities cause, even in reservoirs of conventional permeability, reservoir compartmentalization and hence incomplete recovery of natural gas. To document examples of reserve growth occurrence and potential from fluvial and deltaic sandstones of the Texas Gulf Coast Basin as a natural laboratory for developing concepts and testing applications. To demonstrate how the integration of geology, reservoir engineering, geophysics, and well log analysis/petrophysics leads to strategic recompletion and well placement opportunities for reserve growth in mature fields.

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Determinations of ash formation and deposition mechanisms at Minnesota Power Clay Boswell Station

The University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) conducted a two-part investigation of known and suspected ash-related problems that occur when a Montana subbituminous coal is burned in Unit 4 of the Clay Boswell Steam Electric Station near Cohasset, Minnesota. The research was performed in cooperation with Minnesota Power and a coal company. The target coal was termed ``Coal A`` to maintain confidentiality. A second Montana subbituminous coal, ``Coal B,`` was used for comparison purposes. The first part of the work was designed to determine whether firing Coal A created deposition or corrosion problems in the convective pass of the boiler. There were three areas of interest: corrosion of steam tubes in the reheater, downstream and cross-pendent deposits in the primary superheater and economizer, and hard deposits at the top of the secondary superheater. The goal of the second part of the investigation was to determine why the opacity of plant emissions were higher when burning 100% Coal A as compared to a 70/30 blend of Coal A and Coal B. Once the causes of the higher opacity were identified, a strategy for reducing the emissions was to be proposed.

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