bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Generation, Stabilization and Migration Rules of Crude Oil Emulsion During the Process of Amphiphilic Polymer Flooding
Authors: Lu Yao , Li Zhe , Wu Hairong , Jiang Jiatong , Jiang Jianfang , Hou Jirui , Kang Wanli , Yang Hongbin , Zhang Xiangfeng , Bai Baojun
Published: March 2018

It has been proven by field tests that crude oil recovery could be enhanced with the generation of stable emulsions. Amphiphilic polymers display better capability in emulsifying crude oil as compared with that of traditional polymers attributing to the co-existence of hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups in molecular chains. To investigate the generation of emulsified oil droplets with the hydrophobically modified polyacrylamide (HMPAM) in reservoirs, porous mesh shearing method to generate emulsions was first conducted. The stabilization mechanism was then elucidated by comparing properties of emulsions which are stabilized by HMPAM with different degree of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) inclusion. The flow behavior of various HMPAM emulsions was further evaluated by rheological method and comparative seepage experiments. The results show that the snapping action of residual oil and the shearing action of HMPAM solution in porous media are the main reasons of the generation of emulsions, the emulsifying property of which is mainly affected by the concentration of HMPAM, injection rate, migration distance as well as the average diameter of pore throats. β-CD could mask hydrophobic groups on HMPAM molecules because of the host-guest interaction, resulting in a transition of corresponding polymer emulsion from stable state to unstable one. Over 80% reduction in stability index is observed after inclusion for the emulsion with polymer concentration above the critical aggregation concentration, indicating that the presence of hydrophobic groups is the most important source of emulsifying and stabilizing capability of HMPAM. Furthermore, the viscoelasticity of the emulsion system is enhanced by the synergistic effect of supramolecular networks and emulsified oil droplet. During its transport through porous media, the polymer emulsion shows high flow resistance and its injection pressure exhibits an obviously creeping fluctuation increasing phenomenon as compared to surfactant emulsion and sheared polymer solution.
An Experimental Investigation of Polymer Mechanical Degradation at cm and m Scale
Authors: Åsen Siv Marie , Stavland Arne , Strand Daniel , Hiorth Aksel
Published: March 2018

In this work, we challenge the common understanding that mechanical degradation takes place at the rock surface or within the first few mm. The effect of core length on mechanical degradation of synthetic EOR polymers was investigated. We constructed a novel experimental set-up for studying mechanical degradation at different flow rates as a function of distances travelled. The set-up enabled us to evaluate degradation in serial mounted core segments of 3, 5, 8 and 13 cm individually or combined. By recycling we could also evaluate degradation at effective distances up to 20 m. By low rate reinjecting of polymers previously degraded at higher rates, we simulated the effect of radial flow on degradation.

Experiments were performed with two different polymers (high molecular weight HPAM and low molecular weight ATBS) in two different brines (0.5% NaCl and synthetic seawater).

In linear flow at high shear rates, we observed a decline in degradation rate with distance travelled, but a plateau was not observed. Even after 20 m there was still some degradation taking place. The molecular weight (MW) of the degraded polymer could be matched with a power law dependency, MWD ~L-x, where x for the HPAM was 0.07 and x for ATBS was 0.03.

We conclude that in linear flow, the mechanical degradation depends on the core length. However, in radial flow where the velocity decreases by length, the mechanical degradation reaches equilibrium with no further degradation deeper into the formation.

For the experiments where we evaluated degradation over large distances at high shear rates, we observed a decline in degradation rate with distance travelled, but we could not conclude that we reached a plateau. Even after 20 m there is still some degradation taking place. It is important to consider this knowledge when interpreting core scale experiments. However, the observed degradation is associated with high-pressure gradients, in the order of 100 bar/meter, which at field scale is not realistic.

We confirmed previous findings; degradation depends on salinity and molecular weight. Results show that in all experiments with significant degradation, most of the degradation takes place in the first core segment. Moreover, the higher the shear rate and degradation, the higher is the fraction of degradation that occurs in the first core segment.
Ethane-Enriched Gas Injection EOR in Niobrara and Codell: A Dual-Porosity Compositional Model
Authors: Ning Yanrui , Kazemi Hossein
Published: March 2018

The Niobrara and Codell in the Wattenberg Field of the Denver-Julesburg Basin (DJ Basin)have been in the centerstage of horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing ever since 2007. Based on the current well completion strategy, oil rates drop to 20 bbl/day/well in five years of primary production. The cumulative primary production in the first five years amounts to 3%. Nonetheless, a substantial amount of producible hydrocarbon still remains. In this paper, we propose a most feasible enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique for the Niobrara and Codell and other similar unconventional oil reservoirs. Realizing the unavailability of CO2 in the area while having easy access to methane, ethane, propane and butane, we designed an injecting gas consisting of ethane enriched with methane, propane and butane for EOR. A dual-porosity compositional model was constructed using data from seismic, well logs, core analysis, and production performance. After successful history matching, as well as verification with seismic and microseismic interpretations, a producer with five years of production history was converted to an EOR-gas injector in the numerical model. We used the model to determine the optimal injection gas composition for producing the largest amount of oil. We also studied the contribution of molecular diffusion at the fracture-matrix interface for the incremental oil recovery from gas injection. Model results indicate that converting three producers to injector wells, and producing from the remaining eight producers, yielded total oil recovery of 4.68% in fifteen years of production with 13% of which attributed to gas injection EOR.
Screening for EOR and Estimating Potential Incremental Oil Recovery on the Norwegian Continental Shelf
Authors: Smalley P. C. , Muggeridge A. H. , Dalland M. , Helvig O. S. , Høgnesen E. J. , Hetland M. , Østhus A.
Published: March 2018

This paper presents an improved approach for rapid screening of candidate fields for EOR and estimation of the associated incremental oil recovery, and the results of applying it systematically to oil fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), an area that already has a high average recovery factor (47%). Identifying, piloting and implementing new improved recovery methods within a reasonable time is important if substantial remaining oil volumes on the NCS are not to be left behind.

The approach uses up-to-date screening criteria, and has more sophisticated routines for calculating screening scores and incremental oil recovery compared to previous published methods. The EOR processes screened for are: hydrocarbon miscible and immiscible WAG, CO2 miscible and immiscible WAG, alkaline, polymer, surfactant, surfactant/polymer, low salinity, low salinity/polymer, thermally activated polymers and conventional near well gel treatments. Overall screening scores are derived from sliding-scale scores for individual screening criteria, weighted for importance, and with the ability to define non-zero scores when non-critical criteria are outside their desired range, so avoiding the problem of processes being ruled out completely even though rock or fluid properties are only marginally outside the threshold of applicability. Incremental recoveries are estimated taking into account the existing recovery processes in the field and are capped by theoretical maximum recovery factors derived from theoretical/laboratory values for displacement and sweep. The methodology calculates the expected increment (and uncertainty range) for each EOR process and the increments for the top three compatible process combinations.

The methodology was implemented in a spreadsheet-based tool that allowed multiple fields to be screened and the results compared and evaluated. The new tool was used to estimate the potential EOR opportunity for 53 reservoirs from 27 oil fields on the NCS. The results indicate a mid case EOR technical potential of 592 million standard cubic metres (MSm3) with a low- to high case range of 320-860 MSm3. The most promising processes are low salinity with polymer, surfactant with polymer, and miscible hydrocarbon and CO2 gas injection. Some field clusters were identified that could provide economies of scale for such processes.

The EOR screening study has enabled the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate to advocate EOR-technology studies, including pilots, in specific regions or fields. Such pilots will play an important role in verifying process feasibility and narrowing the uncertainty range for incremental recovery potential.
Machine Learning-Based Optimization of Well Locations and WAG Parameters under Geologic Uncertainty
Authors: Nwachukwu Azor , Jeong Hoonyoung , Sun Alexander , Pyrcz Michael , Lake Larry W.
Published: March 2018

The effects of well locations and control parameters on reservoir responses is important during CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) and water-alternating-gas (WAG) injection. Oil recovery and CO2 storage capacity typically vary with respect to corresponding changes in WAG ratio, slug size, and injector locations. The relationships between control parameters and response variables are usually studied using compositional simulators. However, the computational expense required to run such simulators could hinder their applicability to optimization procedures requiring many evaluations. Surrogate models (proxies) provide inexpensive alternatives for approximating reservoir responses. In this study, a machine learning-based proxy is developed to predict responses to changes in location and control parameters during WAG injection.

Slight adjustments in injector well locations, WAG ratio and slug size could yield dramatic changes in the objective function responses. This complex relationship between control parameters and reservoir-wide responses makes data-driven methods an attractive option. We extend a recently developed machine learning approach in which the primary predictors are physical well locations, and water and gas injection rates, and the primary response is net present value (NPV). Because of the complexity of the response surface, we augmented the predictor variables with well-to-well pairwise connectivities, injector block permeabilities and porosities, and initial injector block saturations. Connectivities are represented by ‘diffusive times of flight’ of the pressure front, which is computed using the Fast Marching Method. Training observations are obtained from a handful of compositional simulations. We then used the Extreme Gradient Boosting method (XGBoost) to build intelligent proxies for making predictions given any set of observations.

We propose a hyperdimensional, simultaneous optimization of well locations and controls using a novel optimization scheme similar Mesh Adaptive Direct Search (MADS). Our optimization scheme was developed to fully take advantage of the speed and statistical output of the proxy. The proposed approach is demonstrated using a case study in which the underlying geology is uncertain. Results show significant correlation between proxy predictions and reservoir simulations, which validates application of the trained proxy. In addition, we demonstrate that simultaneous optimization of location and controls yields improvements over a sequential approach without any significant increase in computational cost.
A New Chemical EOR Surfactant Polymer Flood Model
Authors: Huang C. K. , Shiralkar G. S. , Li G. , Abbas S.
Published: March 2018

General Overview

This paper describes a new chemical EOR numerical model capable of simulating surfactant and polymer floods. We present the highlights of a highly efficient and robust IMPES implementation within a legacy, in-house gas-oil-water compositional simulator. The additional computational overhead, over say a waterflood calculation, is on the order of only 20% for large scale (type pattern model) simulations. We present performance results both in serial as well as parallel (multi-processor) mode.

Flow within all three Winsor Type environments is modeled, with the ability to transition between the different types. The effects of a separate microemulsion (ME) phase are accounted for. Temperature effects on surfactant phase behavior as well as on adsorption are also considered. Other important physical effects that are modeled include phase trapping and oil bypassed by surfactant, near wellbore polymer injectivity and the reduction of surfactant adsorption associated with a sacrificial agent such as alkali. Gas phase is included in the model.

The model has been extensively benchmarked against another reservoir simulator. We also present some validation results at the laboratory as well as at the field scale.
Case Studies: Pressure-Transient Analysis for Water Injector with the Influence of Waterflood-Induced Fractures in Tight Reservoir
Authors: Wang Yang , Cheng Shiqing , Zhang Kaidi , Xu Jianchun , Qin Jiazheng , He Youwei , Luo Le , Yu Haiyang
Published: March 2018

Pressure-transient analysis (PTA) of water injectors with waterflood-induced fractures (WIFs) is much more complicated than hydraulic fracturing producers due to the variation of fracture properties in the shutting time. In plenty of cases, current analysis techniques could result in misleading interpretations if the WIFs are not well realized or characterized. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis for five cases that focuses on the interpretation of different types of pressure responses in water injectors.

The characteristic of radial composite model of water injector indicates the water erosion and expansion of mini-fractures in the inner region. The commonplace phenomena of prolonged storage effect, bi-storage effect and interpreted considerably large storage coefficient suggest that WIF(s) may be induced by long time water injection. Based on this interpreted large storage coefficient, fracture half-length can be obtained. In the meanwhile, the fracture length shrinks and fracture conductivity decreases as the closing of WIF, which has a considerable influence on pressure responses. Results show that the upward of pressure derivative curve may not only be caused by closed outer boundary condition, but also the decreasing of fracture conductivity (DFC). As for multiple WIFs, they would close successively after shutting in the well due to the different stress conditions perpendicular to fracture walls, which behaves as several unit slopes on the pressure derivative curves in the log-log plot.

Aiming at different representative types of pressure responses cases in Huaqing reservoir, Changqing Oilfield, we innovatively analyze them from a different perspective and get a new understanding of water injector behaviors with WIF(s), which provides a guideline for the interpretation of water injection wells in tight reservoirs.
Immiscible Nitrogen Flooding in Bentheimer Sandstones: Comparing Gas Injection Schemes for Enhanced Oil Recovery
Authors: Janssen Martijn T. , Azimi Fardin , Zitha Pacelli L.
Published: March 2018

Gas injection is a widely applied enhanced oil recovery method. However, poor vertical and areal sweep efficiency result in inefficient oil displacement. For improving gas mobility control, Water-Alternating- Gas injection has often been applied. The goal of this study was to compare several immiscible nitrogen injection schemes and to investigate how rock-fluid and fluid-fluid interactions control the immiscible flooding process. Well-controlled core-flood experiments were performed in Bentheimer sandstone cores. Nitrogen was injected into cores saturated with n-hexadecane at connate water saturation at constant pressures (5 and 10 bar) and while varying backpressure (5 to 60 bar). Nitrogen was also injected at residual oil to waterflood and a Water-Alternating-Gas injection scheme was assessed. Coreflood results clearly demonstrated the beneficial effects of Water-Alternating-Gas injection over continuous gas injection. The findings in this study suggest that a) an increase in pressure favours oil recovery slightly during continuous nitrogen injection at connate water saturation, b) residual oil saturation for immiscible nitrogen flooding is lower under three-phase flow compared to two-phase flow and c) the relatively high oil recovery, i.e. lower ultimate residual oil saturation, by Water-Alternating- Gas injection is most likely related to an increase in trapped gas saturation.
Estimation of Capillary Pressure and Relative Permeability from Downhole Advanced Wireline Measurements for Waterflooding Design
Authors: Al-Rushaid Mona , Al-Rashidi Hamad , Ahmad Munir , Azari Mehdi , Hadibeik Hamid , Kalawina Mahmoud , Hashmi Gibran , Hamza Farrukh , Ramakrishna Sandeep
Published: March 2018

Reservoir relative permeability and capillary pressure, as a function of saturation, is important for assessing reservoir hydrocarbon recovery, selecting the well completion method, and determining the production strategy because they are fundamental inputs to reservoir simulation for predicting lifetime production of a well. Estimation of relative permeability and capillary pressure curves at reservoir conditions is also an important task for successful planning of waterflooding and enhanced oil recovery. The relative permeability and capillary pressure data estimated from core analysis might cause concern regarding representativeness, and adjustments are typically necessary for successful production forecasting. This paper proposes a new method to obtain relative permeability and capillary pressure curves with downhole pressure-transient analysis (PTA) of mini-drillstem tests (miniDSTs) and well log-derived saturations.

The new approach was based on performing miniDSTs in the free water, oil, and oil-water transition zones. Analyses of the miniDST buildup tests provided absolute formation permeability, endpoints of relative permeability to both oil and water, and curvature of the relative permeability data. Additionally, resistivity, dielectric, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) logs were used to determine irreducible water, residual oil, and transition zone saturations. Combining these downhole measurements provided the relative permeability and capillary pressure curves.
Best Practices for Laboratory Evaluation of Immiscible WAG
Authors: Itriago Yani C. , Araujo Mariela , Molinaris John
Published: March 2018

Immiscible Water Alternating Gas (IWAG) is an EOR process whereby water and immiscible gas are alternately injected into a reservoir to provide better sweep efficiency and reduce gas channelling from injectors to producer wells, aiming to stabilize the displacement front and increase contact with the unswept areas of the reservoir. In this work, we present a summary of best practices for laboratory evaluation of IWAG. This work was motivated by observations related to the way laboratory measurements are normally done, which could result in erroneous interpretation if the results were to be used directly for the design of a field application.

The set of best practices were collected from own work expanding over two decades of laboratory work, discussion with experts from laboratory services and research centres, and a comprehensive literature review. They were tested in a laboratory workflow and compared to conventional workflows used by most laboratories. The recommended approach covers steps from sample preparation, experimental setup, measurement protocols, guideline for process design, and data QA/QC for later use in reservoir simulation.

Among the best practices, particular attention is given to the type of fluids and samples used for the measurements based on the strong effect of rock-fluid interactions on the IWAG performance. The layout of the experimental setup, and how the injection and displacement process is done and the flow effects quantified. Other best practices relate to the selection of the WAG slug ratio, and required initial conditions of the core where the laboratory testing is done. The number of cycles in the WAG injection affects the recovery. On the initial condition of the sample, the knowledge of the sample wettability at the start of the WAG is critical since the optimum ratio is influenced by the wetting state of the rock. A WAG ratio of 1:1, which is the most popular in field applications, is not necessarily the most appropriate.

Regarding flow properties, relative permeability should be evaluated under three-phase conditions and making sure hysteresis effects are well captured data in general not readily available. Special attention should be given to the selection of correlations for calculating three-phase relative permeability widely reported in the literature; in most cases they are not accurate for WAG injection since they do not consider special treatment of water-gas cycle.

We present a side by side comparison of the impact on the laboratory results will be given on using recommended best practices to more routine laboratory implementations. These best practices, with focus on immiscible WAG, provide a new unique workflow for the execution of laboratory programs supporting a better understanding of the involved phenomena and providing accurate data for immiscible WAG process design.
Theoretical Investigation of the Transition from Spontaneous to Forced Imbibition
Authors: Deng Lichi , King Michael J.
Published: March 2018

Spontaneous and forced imbibition are recognized as important recovery mechanisms in naturally fractured reservoirs as the capillary force controls the movement of the fluid between the matrix and the fracture. For unconventional reservoirs, imbibition is also important as the capillary pressure is more dominant in these tighter formations, and the theoretical understanding of the flow mechanism for the imbibition process will benefit the understanding of important multiphase flow phenomenons like water blocking. In this paper, a new semi-analytic method is presented to examine the interaction between spontaneous and forced imbibition and to quantitatively represent the transient imbibition process. The methodology solves the partial differential equation of unsteady state immiscible, incompressible flow with arbitrary saturation-dependent functions using the normalized water flux concept, which is very identical to the fractional flow terminology used in traditional Buckley-Leverett analysis. The result gives a universal inherent relationship between time, normalized water flux, saturation profile and the ratio between co-current and total flux. The current analysis also develops a novel stability envelope outside of which the flow becomes unstable due to strong capillary forces, and the characteristic dimensionless parameter shown in the envelope is derived from the intrinsic properties of the rock and fluid system and can describe the relative magnitude of capillary and viscous forces at the continuum scale. This dimensionless parameter is consistently applicable in both capillary dominated and viscous dominated flow conditions.
Suppressing Frontal Instabilities and Stabilizing Miscible Displacements with Time-Dependent Rates for Improved Oil Recovery
Authors: Yuan Qingwang , Wang Shuoshi , Wang Jinjie , Zeng Fanhua , Knorr Kelvin D. , Imran Muhammad
Published: March 2018

The frontal instabilities are a key control factor which can significantly affect the sweep efficiency and oil recovery in miscible flooding processes. Under unfavorable viscosity ratio between injection solvent and oil, the frontal instabilities are nearly unavoidable. However, how to suppress the instabilities, especially with low additional costs, should be carefully investigated. The present study examines the time-dependent displacement rates on flow instabilities in miscible flooding. Within the capacity of injection pumps, the injection rates are varied with time in a fast alternating manner. It is found that this kind of variable rates can stabilizing frontal instabilities by enhancing initial uniform mixing of solvent and oil. It therefore suppresses the later development of instabilities. Eventually, a much less unstable front is obtained when compared with the constant injection rate. Other parameters such as the amplitude of rates are also examined. The variations of propagation of front with time are analyzed for the change of rate strength. It is can therefore be concluded that this kind of time-dependent rate can improve oil recovery at very low additional rate within the capacity of pumps for the field EOR processes.
Unstable Waterflood Performance Diagnostic Methods
Authors: Tillero Edwin , Mogollón Jose Luis , Gomez Delfín , Zambrano Hector
Published: March 2018

This paper discusses a review and adaptation of some classic waterflood performance analytical methods, such as X-plot, comprehensive Y-plot (cY-plot), and WOR vs cumulative oil (Np) for the case of unstable immiscible displacement (viscous-oil fingering effect). These methods were reviewed based on fractional flow analysis (FFA) for unstable immiscible waterflood.

These classic techniques account for the solution of the one-dimension frontal advance Buckley-Leverett theory (1942), assuming stable flow. In addition, the traditional semilog linear relationship between oil-water relative permeability ratio and water saturationis assumed (constant parameters A and B). Those assumptions tend toover predict ultimate oil recovery for the case of viscous-oil waterfloods because flow functions do not capture the viscous fingering effect.

This work proposes to redefine aforementioned classic waterflood performance analytical methods with novel oil and water relative permeability expressions derived from the effective-fingering model(EFM) presented by Luo et al. (2016), which accounts for viscous fingering effects. In addition, an accurate exponential expression of kro/krw ratio as function of water saturation and an exact solution for a water saturation-dependent parameter B (named Bj) are proposed. New approaches of classic analytical methods were derived, and both laboratory and field cases were tested at the light of new equations.

Adaptation of classic equations (stable) to solutions that account for unstable flow results in more reliable diagnostic-plot techniques for the case of viscous-oil, allowing to correct predictions of oil and water production in the case of heavy-oil waterflooding Additionally, new equations resulted in unified solutions that can be applied for both stable and unstable waterflood and help to improve reliability when estimating ultimate oil recovery, volumetric sweep efficiency, and various reservoir parameters. In the presence of viscous fingering, the water breakthrough and oil recovery from new X, cY, and WOR functions are viscous-finger number dependent (Nvf). The bigger the Nvf the lower the oil recovery, the earlier the water breakthrough, and the narrower the water saturation ranges.

In its entirety, these novel waterflood performance analytical methods incorporate viscous fingering features in the traditional flow functions, encouraging the ability to predict ultimate oil recovery for both unstable and stable waterflooding cases and for chemical flooding (i.e., polymer with future adaptation) in heavy-oil reservoirs and facilitating the optimization of heavy-oil enhanced oil recovery (EOR) projects. These results might provide a basis to adapt other classic waterflood performance analytical methods.
Compositional Simulation of CO2 Huff-n-Puff in Eagle Ford Tight Oil Reservoirs with CO2 Molecular Diffusion, Nanopore Confinement and Complex Natural Fractures
Authors: Yu Wei , Zhang Yuan , Varavei Abdoljalil , Sepehrnoori Kamy , Zhang Tongwei , Wu Kan , Miao Jijun
Published: March 2018

The effectiveness of CO2 injection as a Huff-n-Puff process in tight oil reservoirs with complex fractures needs to be investigated due to the fast decline of primary production and low recovery factor. Although numerous experimental and numerical studies have proven the potential of CO2 Huff-n-Puff, relatively few numerical compositional models exist to comprehensively and efficiently simulate and evaluate CO2 Huff-n-Puff considering CO2 molecular diffusion, nanopore confinement, and complex fractures based on an actual tight-oil well. The objective of this study is to introduce a numerical compositional model with an embedded discrete fracture model (EDFM) method to simulate CO2 Huff-n-Puff in an actual Eagle Ford tight oil well. Through non-neighboring connections, the EDFM method can properly and efficiently handle any complex fracture geometries without the need of local grid refinement (LGR) nearby fractures. Based on the actual Eagle Ford well, we build a 3D reservoir model including one horizontal well and multiple hydraulic and natural fractures. Six fluid pseudocomponents were considered. We performed history matching with measured flow rates and bottomhole pressure using the EDFM and LGR methods. The comparison results show that a good history match was obtained and a great agreement between EDFM and LGR was achieved. However, the EDFM method performs faster than the LGR method. After history matching, we evaluated the CO2 Huff-n-Puff effectiveness considering CO2 molecular diffusion and nanopore confinement. The traditional phase equilibrium calculation was modified to calculate the critical fluid properties with nanopore confinement. The simulation results show that the CO2 Huff-n-Puff with smaller CO2 diffusion coefficients underperforms the primary production without CO2 injection; nevertheless, the CO2 Huff-n-Puff with larger CO2 diffusion coefficients performs better than the primary production. In addition, both CO2 molecular diffusion and nanopore confinement are favorable for the CO2 Huff-n-Puff effectiveness. The relative increase of cumulative oil production after 7300 days with CO2 diffusion coefficient of 0.01 cm2/s and nanopore size of 10 nm is about 12% for this actual Eagle Ford well. Furthermore, when considering complex natural fractures, the relative increase of cumulative oil production is about 8%. This study provides critical insights into a better understanding of the impacts of CO2 molecular diffusion, nanopore confinement, and complex natural fractures on well performance during CO2 Huff-n-Puff process in the Eagle Ford tight oil reservoirs.
Promoting Values of Religious Tolerance through Moroccan ELT Textbooks
Authors: Ait Bouzid Hassan
Published: March 2018

This paper examines the religious content of three Moroccan second year Baccalaureate ELT textbooks. It studies the representation of religion as a cultural perspective in these textbooks to investigate whether they raise Moroccan learners’ awareness of other religions. It is built on the premise that the spread of religious intolerance is fueled by being insufficiently or inappropriately informed about local and foreign religions. It therefore draws the attention of ELT practitioners to recognizing the role ELT textbooks could play in reducing illiteracy about religions and fostering positive attitudes towards other religions. The study evolved within the theoretical framework of the Standards-Based Approach. It adopted a concurrent triangulation design and used mixed content analysis to analyze the data. The findings revealed that the examined textbooks do not sensitize learners about respect for diversity, tolerance and peaceful coexistence among different religions. Ultimately, some ways in which religious antagonism could be minimized are suggested.
Critical Reflections on the Effective Implementation of ICTs in Moroccan Universities
Authors: Laabidi Hicham
Published: March 2018

Computers offer several opportunities that encourage the promotion of teaching and learning experiences.  Like many other nations, Morocco has understood the importance of using computers in schools and universities. For this reason, the Moroccan government has launched several projects aiming at the diffusion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in education system. Actually, ICTs are useful for both teachers and students in the sense that they help teachers develop professionally. Also, students can increase their achievements and become independent learners. This paper aims to examine the various factors that have high impact on English professors’ use of computer technologies for pedagogical purposes in Moroccan universities. Descriptive analysis of means, and standard deviations were used to analyse the collected data. Also, inferential statistics, mainly Pearson Product Moment Correlation, were employed to account for this correlation. The findings revealed that lack of institutional support has a big influence on professors’ decision to utilize or refrain from using ICTs in their classroom practices.
In vitro Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity Analysis of Ten Tannery Chemicals Using SOS/umu Tests and High-content In vitro Micronucleus Tests
Authors: Huang Zehao , Li Na , Rao Kaifeng , Liu Cuiting , Wang Zijian , Ma Mei
Published: March 2018

Background:

More than 2,000 chemicals have been used in the tannery industry.
Although some tannery chemicals have been reported to have harmful effects on both human health
and the environment, only a few have been subjected to genotoxicity and cytotoxicity evaluations.

Objective:

This study focused on cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of ten tannery chemicals widely used
in China.

Materials and Methods:

DNA-damaging effects were measured using the SOS/umu test with
Salmonella typhimurium TA1535/pSK1002. Chromosome-damaging and cytotoxic effects were
determined with the high-content in vitro Micronucleus test (MN test) using the human-derived cell
lines MGC-803 and A549.

Conclusion:

The cytotoxicity of the ten tannery chemicals differed somewhat between the two cell
assays, with A549 cells being more sensitive than MGC-803 cells. None of the chemicals induced
DNA damage before metabolism, but one was found to have DNA-damaging effects on metabolism.
Four of the chemicals, DY64, SB1, DB71 and RR120, were found to have chromosome-damaging
effects. A Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) analysis indicated that one structural
feature favouring chemical genotoxicity, Hacceptor-path3-Hacceptor, may contribute to the
chromosome-damaging effects of the four MN-test-positive chemicals.
Bioanalytical Method Development and Validation for the Determination of Vasopressin Receptor Antagonist Conivaptan in Mouse Plasma at NanoLevel and its Pharmacokinetic Application
Authors: Alrabiah Haitham , Bakheit Ahmed , Attia Sabray , Mostafa Gamal A.E.
Published: March 2018

Background:

Conivaptan inhibits two of vasopressin receptor (vasopressin receptor V1a and
V2). Conivaptan is used for the treatment of hyponatremia, and in some instances, for the treatment of
the heart failure.

Methods:

The present study aimed to develop a simple, sensitive, and accurate HPLC with ultraviolet
detection for the assay of conivaptan (CON) in mouse plasma using bisoprolol as internal standard (IS).
A precipitation procedure was used to extract CON and the IS from the mouse plasma. CON was chromatographically
separated using a C18 analytical column at 25°C. The separation was carried out using
a mixture of phosphate buffer (50 mM): acetonitrile (60: 40, v/v, pH 4.5) with a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min
and detection was performed at 240 nm.

Results:

The assay was validated according to the US Food and Drug (FDA) guidelines. The method
demonstrated linearity over a concentration range of 150 - 2000 ng/mL (correlation coefficient: r 2 =
0.9985). The mean recovery of CON from the mouse plasma was 101.13%. All validation parameters
for CON were within the acceptable range.

Conclusion:

The investigated method has been shown to be suitable for estimating the CON in plasma
samples, and this method is sensitive and highly selective, allowing the estimation of its concentrations
up to the nano-scale. The suggested method was successfully used in a pharmacokinetic study of CON
in mouse plasma.
Tracing Aluminium-based Adjuvants: Their Interactions with Immune Competent Cells and their Effect on Mitochondrial Activity
Authors: Danielsson Ravi , Svensson Andreas , Falkman Peter , Eriksson Håkan
Published: March 2018

Background:

Studies revealing the immune stimulatory properties of aluminium-based adjuvants (ABAs) have been impaired by the absence of simple and reliable methods of tracing the adjuvants and their effect on biochemical processes upon endocytosis.

Objective:

To verify that labelling of ABAs with lumogallion doesn’t affect the physicochemical properties of the adjuvant; tracing cellular interaction with aluminium adjuvants; explore their effect on metabolic activity upon endocytosis.

Methods:

Physicochemical characterization by Z-potential and size distribution of ABAs labelled with lumogallion. Cellular interactions with ABAs by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Metabolic activity explored by measuring transformation of tetrazolium into formazan.

Results:

No or minor change of zeta potential and average particle size of lumogallion labelled aluminium oxyhydroxide, AlO(OH) and aluminium hydroxyphosphate, Al(OH)x(PO4)y. Both phagocytosing and non-phagocytosing leukocytes became associated with ABAs at concentrations expected after in vivo administration of a vaccine. The ABAs were relatively toxic, affecting both lymphocytes and monocytes, and Al(OH)x(PO4)y was more toxic than AlO(OH). Endocytosed aluminium adjuvant particles were not secreted from the cells and remained intracellular throughout several cell divisions. The presence of ABAs increased the mitochondrial activity of the monocytic cell line THP-1 and peripheral monocytes, as based on the transformation of tetrazolium into formazan.

Conclusion:

Lumogallion labelled ABAs is a valuable tool tracing interactions between ABAs and cells. Labelled ABAs can be traced intracellularly and ABAs are likely to remain intracellular for a long period of time. Intracellular ABAs increase the mitochondrial activity and the presence of intracellular Al ions is suggested to cause an increased mitochondrial activity.
Assessing Residential Satisfaction by Level of Residence in Off-Campus Environment
Authors: Muslim Muhammad Hilmy , Abdul Karim Hafazah , Che Abdullah Ishak , Ahmad Puziah
Published: March 2018

This study aims to clarify the explanatory factors and the extent to which those factors help to predict the overall residential satisfaction among students living off-campus. This survey utilized a stratified sample of individuals with a questionnaire which was administered to 341 non-resident (NR) students, in seven groups of neighborhoods in the city of Shah Alam. In the analytic process, a Factor Analysis procedure is applied to reduce the data set and to uncover the relationships between various factors and dimensions of the students’ residential satisfaction. Descriptive results show a degree of satisfaction with each level of the residential environment.Keywords: Residential satisfaction; levels of environment; off-campus environmenteISSN 2398-4295 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.
Measuring Park Usage in Malaysian Greens
Authors: Abdul Malek Nurhayati , Mariapan Manohar , Ab Rahman Nik Ismail Azlan
Published: March 2018

This study validates the park usage scales for green open spaces in Malaysia. The measures on park usage were developed using three usage scales, which are activities, passive activity and active activity. Samples of 414 daily park users were analyzed, results showed good-fit indices on each construct confirming the theory behind each and every item used in the study. Despite several reductions on the items, the Confirmatory Factor Analysis(CFA) on park usage yield good internal consistencies making it suitable for its use in the research design focusing in measuring the usage of Malaysian park users.Keywords: Park Usage; Green Open Spaces; Malaysian; Measurement; CFA.eISSN 2398-4295 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.
Place Attachment as Indicator for Place Significance and Value
Authors: Ujang Norsidah , Zakariya Khalilah
Published: March 2018

Place attachment is a form of connection between a person and the environmental setting. In the production of urban places, planners and designers mainly focus on the quality of the physical components. However, the aspects of meanings and attachment are not adequately considered in the planning and decision-making process. This study utilizes semi-structured interview method to examine place attachment dimensions in understanding the values of a place in the life of the users. Sample cases include examining attachment to streets in the city centre of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was evident that users’ roles and ethnic backgrounds influenced their responses. Attachment to the places was economically, socially and culturally oriented and prevalent in their daily experience of the places, and the place memories recalled. Keywords: Place attachment; meaning; value; userseISSN 2398-4295 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.
Pro-Environment Being Ecological Attachments
Authors: Abraham Juneman , Rufaedah Any
Published: March 2018

This research related five attachment objects altogether, i.e. home attachment, neighborhood cohesion, workplace/campus attachment, city attachment, and national identity, with general pro-environmental behavior. Additional analysis included prejudice toward pro-environmental activists and psycho-socio-demographic profiles as explanatory variables. The participants were 262 urban young adults (121 males, 141 females; Mage = 30.09 years, SDage = 9.82 years) who are citizens of Jakarta and its surrounding areas. The result showed that the higher the attachment to, consecutively, workplace/campus, city, and neighborhood, the higher the general pro-environmental behavior. Home attachment, national identity, and prejudice toward pro-environmental activists could not predict pro-environmental behavior.Keywords: pro-environment; community; attachment; urban psychologyeISSN 2398-4295 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.
Preschool Design and School Readiness
Authors: Shaari Mariam Felani , Sh Ahmad Sabarinah
Published: March 2018

Preschool physical environments significantly affect children behavior and development. Efforts by the Malaysian Government to improve the quality of preschool education shows a lack of emphasis on the physical learning environment - despite overall improvements, school readiness remains moderate. In Malaysia, the impact of preschool physical learning environments on children's school readiness is still unclear; thus, this paper aims to investigate, highlight and conclude a clear theoretical relationship between these two aspects through literature review. Findings are hoped to lay the groundworks for future research into this matter to improve preschool education in Malaysia.
Commercial Buildings as Public Spaces
Authors: Adhitama Gregorius Prasetyo , Komatsu Hisashi
Published: March 2018

This research aims to verify the contribution of three commercial buildings in providing places for public in Bandung and Jakarta city in Indonesia. To achieve this goal, some field observations, interviews and evaluation of public activities at the buildings were conducted. The public uses and the ways the company manages the buildings that enable public activities were evaluated. The results of this research show that some types of public activities are identified. The types of the public activities are related to the ways the company manages the places and the physical characters of the places.
INVESTIGATION OF THE USE OF RECYCLED ASPHALT CONCRETE MATERIAL TO THE SURFACE LAYERS
Authors: TERZİ Serdal , ALALI Fadıl
Published: March 2018

In this study, Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement
(RAP) were used in Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) samples, stability and flow resistance
and Indirect Tensile Strength Test (IDT) of HMA samples were investigated.
Initially, optimum bitumen content of wearing course was determined by Marshall
Stability test method and then RAP, 5 to 50 % in terms of total asphalt
concrete samples weight was added to HMA
samples at the predefined optimum bitumen content. Besides, control samples
were performed and compared with the RAP added samples. Test results show that
Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) can be used in wearing course as an additive
in accordance with Turkey General Directorate of Highways (GDH) specification
limits. This paper demonstrates that the asphalt mixtures containing RAP
performed at least like, or better than, that of conventional asphalt
materials.
POMZA AGREGALI KÖPÜK BETONLARIN ÖZELLİKLERİNİN ARAŞTIRILMASI
Authors: Kılınçarslan Şemsettin , Davraz Metin , Akça Mehmet
Published: March 2018

Volkanik faaliyetler sonucu
oluşan pomza, gözenekli ve içeriğinde kristal suyu yer almayan bir kayaçtır.
Gözenekli olması sebebiyle kullanıldığı alanlarda, ısı ve ses geçirgenliği
yönünden avantaj sağlamaktadır. Ayrıca gözenekli olduğu için de hafiftir.
Pomzanın hafif olması, ısı ve ses yalıtım özelliklerinin iyi olması nedeniyle
inşaat sektöründe çeşitli yapı malzemelerinin üretiminde kullanım alanı
bulmaktadır. Buna rağmen, pomzanın inşaat sektöründe yaygın kullanılan
geleneksel yapı malzemelerine göre kullanım oranı oldukça azdır. Bunun
sebeplerinden biri ise ülkemizde bulunan bu doğal kaynakla ilgili yeterli
akademik çalışmaların olmamasıdır. Bu çalışma kapsamında; Isparta, Kayseri,
Nevşehir ve Karaman pomzaları kullanılarak köpük beton üretilmiştir. Ayrıca,
pomza agregası yerine taş unu (kireçtaşı) kullanılarak kontrol betonu da
üretilmiştir. Toplamda deneysel uygulamalar için 5 farklı köpük beton üretimi
yapılmıştır. Üretilen köpük beton numunelerinin birim hacim kütle, basınç
dayanımı, ısı iletkenlik katsayısı, ses yutma katsayısı ve ses iletim kaybı
değerleri belirlenmiştir.