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By Emad Farouz

This paper compares the predicted axial capacity of driven Pre-cast Pre-stressed Concrete (PPC) piles for the Lake Gaston Water Treatment Plant (LGWTP) using several design methodologies versus the axial capacity measured from dynamic and static load testing. The LGWTP site is located in Chesapeake, Virginia and is part of the Great Dismal Swamp. The subsurface investigation included soil borings, in-situ dilatometer (DMT) tests, and in-situ piezocone (CPTu) tests. The axial capacity predictions of the PPC piles were performed using the computer programs DRIVEN and FB-DEEP which are based on SPT N-values. Additionally, an empirical method proposed by Martin, et al. (1987) based on local experience with PPC pile design in the Yorktown formation in the Tidewater area of Virginia was also evaluated. Finally, the ?Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chausées (LCPC)? method developed by Bustamante and Gianeselli (1982) based on CPT measurements was also used to develop the axial pile capacity of the piles. This paper shows that the FB-DEEP computer program and the LCPC method provided a reasonably good prediction of the pile axial capacity measured from PDA, CAPWAP, and Static Load Tests in comparison with the other design methods used. The soils in this area develop significant setup over time and it was found that FB-DEEP and the LCPC method are capable of incorporating this setup in the prediction of the long-term axial capacity of driven piles in this area.

Jan 1, 2007

By Nahiri Hirsh

El programa de fortalecimiento de capacidades Capas y Capaces impulsa el trabajo articulado de las instituciones educativas Nuestra Señora de La Merced, Rafael Loayza Guevara y Dos de Mayo, organizaciones de base, Yanacocha y la Dirección Regional de Educación, para el desarrollo sostenible de las comunidades. Se trabaja en el desarrollo y mejora de capacidades técnicas en estudiantes de 3°, 4° y 5° año de secundaria, así como de padres y madres de Cajamarca, con el objetivo de prepararlos para la vida y desterrar la dependencia económica. La capacitación se realiza con métodos innovadores (haciendo uso de laboratorios, equipos y maquinaria moderna) que han logrado convertir al programa en referente del Ministerio de Educación para la educación técnica en instituciones públicas a nivel nacional.

Sep 20, 2019

By J. G. Martin, J. C. Campbell

THE VICTORIA JUNCTION 31,4-million-ton coal preparation complex went into operation in October 1976."' It is designed to produce a metallurgical coking coal by lowering the sulphur and ash content of the raw coal using a heavy-media cycloning process to treat deslimed crushed coal, with scavenging of fine coal by flotation from the primary minus-28-mesh screen product. A secondary H-M cyclone scavenges a thermal-grade coal from the primary H-M cyclone tailing.

Jan 1, 1985

By Dan Currie, Tom Lamb, J. Coady Marsh, Gary Landry

"This paper describes the Cape Breton Development Corporation's experience with the Lovat M-300 tunnel-boring machine at the Donkin-Morien Mine. Between January 3 and December 21, 1984, the 7.6 m (25 It) diameter TBM advanced 3350 m (10 990 ft) . The authors will describe experiences with the machine and highlight the implications of tunnelling machines to underground coal mine development in Canada. IntroductionThe Cape Breton Development Corporation (CBDC) has recently completed the drivage of a 7.6 m (25 ft) diameter tunnel, 3.5 km (2.2 miles) in length , to access the Harbour Coal Seam at the Donkin-Morien Project. The tunnel was successfully driven with the first Canadian rock tunnel-boring machine (RTBM or TBM), designed and built by Lovat Tunnel Equipment, Inc. The initial mine development consists of the drivage of two tunnels to the first major coal seam. Future plans are proposed for the development of a 4 million tonne-per-year mine (Marsh et al., 1983, Gillman, 1982), which will require the drivage of a further two tunnels and could access up to four coal seams. The tunnel cross-sectional areas were designed to provide sufficient ventilation area and access for a production of 4 million tonnes per year."

Jan 1, 1986

By J. Kochhar, Robert G. Cooper

"The Cape Breton Development Corporation is a federal Crown corporation which was formed in 1968. Initially, the Corporation had two divisions - the Industrial Development Division, whose purpose was to stimulate Cape Breton Island's economy, and the Coal Division with a mandate to phase out the operating coal mines. However, that strategy changed in the early 1970s with the Middle East oil crisis. As a result of that crisis, Nova Scotia Power Corporation adopted an ""off oil"" policy. Today, approximately 700/0 of Nova Scotia power needs are met by generation of electricity from coal. Therefore, since the early 1970s, emphasis has been on the rehabilitation of the Cape Breton coal mining business with the opening of three new mines.Today, Devco is solely a coal mining company which employs 3300 people.Physical DescriptionThe mines operate in the Sydney coal field which is located on the eastern tip of Cape Breton. The Corporation leases the deposit from the province of Nova Scotia and its leases cover all coal from the outcrop to the 4000 ft depth. The seams outcrop along the shoreline and dip beneath the ocean floor at dips varying between 5% and 100%.There are eleven seams, of which three - the Harbour, Phalen, and Hub - have been extensively mined."

Jan 1, 1990

By M Graham, R Brunning, C Andringa-Bate, S Westergren

In 2010, Rio Tinto Iron Ore’s operations commenced the planning and design of a sampling and analysis system for the new 50 Mt/a Cape Lambert Port B (CLB) facility. Current sampling systems at the ports consist of automated robotic, mass-based sampling protocols employed at Dampier, and semi-automated, time-based sampling systems operating at Cape Lambert Port A.The new sampling system at CLB has brought together a fully automated sampling and analysis system utilising time-based sampling, with the capacity to sample ore products of medium quality variation as defined in ISO 3082 (ISO, 2009). The CLB system is required to sample at shiploading rates from 6000 t/h to 13 440 t/h and provide full load-port analysis. The sampling approach is to proportionally extend primary increments (of varying mass relative to shiploading rate) to a standard length using variable speed aero-belt conveyor systems. This enables a fixed number of secondary cuts to be achieved for all primary increment masses and to be delivered to the automated cell. The cell is required to be capable of concurrently processing four individual shipments, each containing multiple cargoes.Achieving the target sampling precision for all export cargo sizes has culminated in the planning, design and construction of the largest automated iron ore port laboratory in the world. The CLB sampling and analysis cell was commissioned in Q3 and Q4 2013. This paper discusses the sampling philosophy and commissioning outcomes.CITATION:Brunning, R, Andringa-Bate, C, Graham, M and Westergren, S, 2014. Cape Lambert Port B shiploading, sampling and analysis, in Proceedings Sampling 2014 , pp 79–90 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 29, 2014

By S Russell

The completion of the $1.1 B Cape Lambert Upgrade project is the second ‘pillar’ in Rio Tinto Iron Ore’s expansion program that has enabled Rio Tinto Iron Ore to effectively double iron ore shipping capacity from the Pilbara between 2003 and 2009 to 220 million tonnes per annum (Mt/a), following the successful completion of the Dampier Port upgrade project two years earlier.The Cape Lambert Upgrade has built on and enhanced many of the engineering achievements of the Dampier Port upgrade project, as well as developing innovative and unique engineering solutions for this complex ‘brownfields’ project that presented its own challenges, particularly in this distinctive open-water port environment.The project was implemented in two phases to achieve an increase in port shipping capacity from 55 to 80 Mt/a – an enhancement phase and an expansion phase.The initial enhancement phase, which provided an increase to shipping capacity from 55 to 60 Mt/a, focused on increasing the utilisation and effi ciency of existing plant and equipment with a relatively small capital expenditure.The expansion phase, which provided the increase in shipping capacity to 80 Mt/a, included extending the existing iron ore wharf by 256 m to create four shipping berths, a new shiploader, an expanded stockyard (including a new fourth bucket wheel reclaimer) and a new surge bin facility to maximise outloading tonnage rates.The Cape Lambert Upgrade project was implemented whilst the port remained fully operational and continued to ship record tonnages of iron ore throughout the project duration. This achievement required signifi cant upfront planning and sequencing of construction activities to support the operation of the port. Innovative design and construction techniques were used to mitigate the impact and enable construction activities in and around the operating plant.Throughout the project, new benchmarks in engineering design and construction practices were established, which have since been adopted for new iron ore port facilities currently in planning phases.

Jul 11, 2011

By S. Chilka, I. Maloney, J. Brady

"The purpose of this project was to design the Electrical Service Platform (ESP) for the Cape Wind Offshore Wind Farm. The ESP structure comprises two primary parts: the topside platform housing the electrical equipment and the two jacket substructures providing foundation support to the platform. The topside is supported only by the two inner legs of each jacket. The site water depth is relatively shallow and the seabed comprised of loose sediment subject to severe local scour up to 18 feet. The piles are designed for local scour, storm conditions, vessel impact, ice loads and pile installation fatigue. This paper focuses on the design and construction aspect of this project.PROJECT DESCRIPTIONBackgroundThe Cape Wind project will be located in Nantucket Sound between Cape Cod on the Massachusetts mainland (northeastern coast of the USA) and the Islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket (Fig. 1). The project is to be sited on Horseshoe Shoal, about equal distances from the mainland and the two islands. The project will produce 75% of the electricity used on Cape Cod and the Islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket with zero pollution emissions and resulting in the reduced operations, fuel consumption and pollution emissions from the fossil fuel power plants in the region. The wind farm, if constructed per plan, is expected to be America’s first offshore wind farm.The wind farm will consist of an array of 130 Siemens 3.6-megawatt offshore wind turbines with a combined production capacity of 468-megawatts. The offshore wind turbine towers will be bolted onto the transition pieces supported by monopile foundations driven into seabed. The power from the 130 wind turbine generators will be delivered to the Electrical Service Platform (ESP) by an array of up to 14 seabed conductors."

Jan 1, 2017

By M. King Hubbert

In 1856 Henry Darcy described in an appendix to his book, Les Fontaines Publiques de la Ville de Dijon, a series of experiments on the downward flow of water through filter sands, whereby it was established that the rate of flow is given by the equation: q= - K(h2- h2)/I1 in which q is the volume of water crossing unit area in unit time, I is the thickness of the sand, h1 and h2 the heights above a reference level of the water in manometers terminated above and below the sand, respectively, and K a factor of proportionality. This relationship, appropriately, soon became known as Darcy's law. Subsequently many separate attempts have been made to give Darcy's empirical expression a more general physical fornzulation, with the result that .so many mutually inconsistent expressions of what is purported to he Darcy's law have appeared in published literature that sight has often been lost of Darcy's own work and of its significance. In the present paper, therefore, it shall be our purpose to reinform ourselves upon what Darcy himself did, and then to determine the meaning of his results when expressed explicitly in terms of the pertinent physical variables involved. This will be done first by the empirical method used by Darcy himself, and then by direct derivation from the Navier-Stokes equation of motion of viscous fluids. We find in this manner that: q = (N4(p/p)[g - (l/p) gradPI = WE, is a physical expression for Darcy's law, which is valid for liquids generally, and for gases at pressures higher than about 20 atmospheres. Here N is a shape factor and d a characteristic length of the pore structure of the solid, p and IL are the density and viscosity of the fluid, a = (Nd2)(pip) is the volume conductivity of the system, and E = [g - (l/p) grad p] is the impelling force per unit mass acting upon the fluid. It is found also that Darcy's law is valid only for flow velocities such that the inertial forces are negligible as compared with those arising from viscosity. In general, three-dimensional space there exist two superposed physical fields: a field of force of charucteristic vector E, and a field of flow of vector q. The force field is more general than the flow field since it has values in all space capable of being occupied by the fluid. So long as the fluid density is constant or is a function of the pressure only, curl E = 0, E = - grad F where F = gz + dp/p The field of flow, independently of the force field, must satisfy the conservation of mom, leading to the equation of continuity div pq = — f ap/at , where f is the porosity, und t is the time. For steady rnotion ap/at = 0. and div pq = 0 .

Jan 1, 1957

By Walter Rose, W. A. Bruce

Improved apparatus, methods, and experimental techniques for determining the capillary pressure-saturation relation are described in detail. In this connection a new multi-core procedure has been developed which simplifies the experimental work in the study of relatively homogeneous reservoirs. The basic theory concerning the Leverett capillary pressure function has been extended and has been given some practical application. Some discussion is presented to indicate the relationship of relative permeability to capillary pressure, and to provide a new description of capillary pressure phenomena by introducing the concept of the psi function. INTRODUCTION For the purposes of this paper the capillary character of a porous medium will be defined to express the basic properties of the system, which produce observed results of fluid behavior. These basic properties may be classified in the following manner, according to their relationship to: (a) The geometrical configuration of the interstitial spaces. This involves consideration of the packing of the particles, producing points of grain contact, and variations in pore size distribution. The packing itself is often modified by the secondary processes of mineralization which introduces factors of cementation, and of solution action which causes alteration of pore structure. (b) The physical and chemical nature of the interstitial surfaces. This involves consideration of the presence of interstitial clay coatings, the existence of non-uniform wetting surfaces; or, more generally, a consideration of the tendency towards variable interaction between the interstitial surfaces and the fluid phases saturating the interstitial spaces. (c) The physical and chemical properties of the fluid phases in contact with the interstitial surfaces. This involves consideration of the factors of surface, interfacial and adhesion tensions; contact angles; viscosity; density difference between immiscible fluid phases; and other fluid properties. Fine grained, granular, porous materials such as found in petroleum reser~oir rock possess characteristics which are expressible by (1) permeability, (2) porosity, and (3) the capillary pressure-saturation behavior of immiscible fluids in this medium. These three measurable macroscopic properties depend upon the microscopic properties enumerated above in a manner which defines the capillary character. Systems of capillary tubes or regularly packed spheres may be thought of as ideal and numerous references can be cited in which exact mathematical formulations are developed to show the relationships governing the static distribution and dynamic motion of fluids in their interstitial spaces. The capillary character of non-ideal porous systems such as reservoir rock also is basic in determining the behavior of fluids contained therein; although, in general, the connection is not mathematically derivable but must be approached through indirect experimental measurement. This paper gives consideration to the evaluation of petroleum reservoir rock capillary character. The methods employed may be applied to the solution of problems in other fields, and the conclusions reached should contribute to the basic capillary theory of any porous system containing fluid phases. In this paper, a modification of the core analysis method of capillary pressure is employed and it is intended to show that the capillary character of reservoir rock can be expressed in terms of experimental quantities. A very general method of interpretation correlating the capillary pressure tests with fundamental characteristics such as rock texture, surface areas, permeability, occasionally clay content and cementation is introduced. Eventually an attempt is made for establishing a method of deriving relative permeability to the wetting phase from capillary pressure data. The experimental evaluation of capillary character must be approached in a statistical manner if reservoir properties are to be inferred from data on small cores. This is implied by the heterogeneous character of most petroleum reservoirs, and suggests that considerable intelligence should be applied in core sampling. Finally, this paper supports the view that once the capillary character of a given type of reservoir rock has been established by core analysis, fluid behavior can then be inferred in other similar rock. Although no great progress has been made in establishing what variation can be tolerated without altering the basic fluid behavior properties, evidence will be presented to indicate that certain reservoir formations are sufficiently homogenous with respect to capillary character that the data obtained on one core will be useful in predicting the properties of other cores of similar origin. Tests have shown that cores under consideration can vary widely with respect to porosity and permeability and still be considered similar in capillary character. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS AND TECHNIQUES Various types of displacement cell apparatus for capillary pressure experiments have been described in the literature. Bruce and Welge; Thornton and Marshall; McCullough, Albaugh and Jones3; Hassler and Brunner; Lever-

Jan 1, 1949

By Walter Rose, W. A. Bruce

Improved apparatus, methods, and experimental techniques for determining the capillary pressure-saturation relation are described in detail. In this connection a new multi-core procedure has been developed which simplifies the experimental work in the study of relatively homogeneous reservoirs. The basic theory concerning the Leverett capillary pressure function has been extended and has been given some practical application. Some discussion is presented to indicate the relationship of relative permeability to capillary pressure, and to provide a new description of capillary pressure phenomena by introducing the concept of the psi function. INTRODUCTION For the purposes of this paper the capillary character of a porous medium will be defined to express the basic properties of the system, which produce observed results of fluid behavior. These basic properties may be classified in the following manner, according to their relationship to: (a) The geometrical configuration of the interstitial spaces. This involves consideration of the packing of the particles, producing points of grain contact, and variations in pore size distribution. The packing itself is often modified by the secondary processes of mineralization which introduces factors of cementation, and of solution action which causes alteration of pore structure. (b) The physical and chemical nature of the interstitial surfaces. This involves consideration of the presence of interstitial clay coatings, the existence of non-uniform wetting surfaces; or, more generally, a consideration of the tendency towards variable interaction between the interstitial surfaces and the fluid phases saturating the interstitial spaces. (c) The physical and chemical properties of the fluid phases in contact with the interstitial surfaces. This involves consideration of the factors of surface, interfacial and adhesion tensions; contact angles; viscosity; density difference between immiscible fluid phases; and other fluid properties. Fine grained, granular, porous materials such as found in petroleum reser~oir rock possess characteristics which are expressible by (1) permeability, (2) porosity, and (3) the capillary pressure-saturation behavior of immiscible fluids in this medium. These three measurable macroscopic properties depend upon the microscopic properties enumerated above in a manner which defines the capillary character. Systems of capillary tubes or regularly packed spheres may be thought of as ideal and numerous references can be cited in which exact mathematical formulations are developed to show the relationships governing the static distribution and dynamic motion of fluids in their interstitial spaces. The capillary character of non-ideal porous systems such as reservoir rock also is basic in determining the behavior of fluids contained therein; although, in general, the connection is not mathematically derivable but must be approached through indirect experimental measurement. This paper gives consideration to the evaluation of petroleum reservoir rock capillary character. The methods employed may be applied to the solution of problems in other fields, and the conclusions reached should contribute to the basic capillary theory of any porous system containing fluid phases. In this paper, a modification of the core analysis method of capillary pressure is employed and it is intended to show that the capillary character of reservoir rock can be expressed in terms of experimental quantities. A very general method of interpretation correlating the capillary pressure tests with fundamental characteristics such as rock texture, surface areas, permeability, occasionally clay content and cementation is introduced. Eventually an attempt is made for establishing a method of deriving relative permeability to the wetting phase from capillary pressure data. The experimental evaluation of capillary character must be approached in a statistical manner if reservoir properties are to be inferred from data on small cores. This is implied by the heterogeneous character of most petroleum reservoirs, and suggests that considerable intelligence should be applied in core sampling. Finally, this paper supports the view that once the capillary character of a given type of reservoir rock has been established by core analysis, fluid behavior can then be inferred in other similar rock. Although no great progress has been made in establishing what variation can be tolerated without altering the basic fluid behavior properties, evidence will be presented to indicate that certain reservoir formations are sufficiently homogenous with respect to capillary character that the data obtained on one core will be useful in predicting the properties of other cores of similar origin. Tests have shown that cores under consideration can vary widely with respect to porosity and permeability and still be considered similar in capillary character. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS AND TECHNIQUES Various types of displacement cell apparatus for capillary pressure experiments have been described in the literature. Bruce and Welge; Thornton and Marshall; McCullough, Albaugh and Jones3; Hassler and Brunner; Lever-

Jan 1, 1949

By John C. Calhoun, R. C. Newman

A report is made of experimental work performed on the capillary retention of water within porous solid systems, the displacement being accomplished with air and various organic liquids. A portion of the experiments were designed to measure the lowering of vapor pressure of water within a porous solid with subsequent conversion of such vapor pressure data to capillary pressure values. The form of the capillary pressure curve at high capillary pressures has been elucidated from this data. Certain theoretical approaches are presented to indicate the correlation between work done by previous investigators. The present work is correlated also with theory. Surface area values are calculated for the various core systems studied. INTRODUCTION Leverettl in 1941 presented a paper which gave the essential concepts of capillary behavior in porous solids. His presentation included both theoretical and experimental aspects of the problem. He defined the term "capillary pressure" and applied it to an ideal porous system. His work included the definition of a dimensionless quantity which was a function of fluid saturation and which could be correlated with porosity and permeability for clean, unconsolidated sands. His experimental work was performed by the drainage of water from packed columns of unconsolidated sands. Subsequently, other authors have presented experimental techniques which permit the determination of capillary pressure data on small core samples. Data have been presented on porous systems other than unconsolidated sand and with the use of liquids other than water. Notable among these are the works of Hassler, Brunner and Deahl,2 Bruce and Welge,³ Amyx and Yuster, and Purcell. Others have indicated the applicability of such data to field problems without regard to the theoretical aspects of the capillary pressure saturation function. Within the recent published literature there have also been reported studies of the correlations between capillary pressure data and other fundamental properties of porous solids. It was the intent of the present reported work to investigate the behavior noted by water and various other liquids within porous systems in an attempt to amplify existing correlations between capillary properties, surface properties, and other fundamental characteristics of porous systems. The experimental work described here was performed as two different investigations but due to its nature it is reported as separate phases of the same general topic. CAPILLARY PRESSURE AND VAPOR PRESSURE LOWERING It has long been recognized that the vapor pressure above the curved surface of a liquid is a function of the curvature of the liquid surface." The capillary pressure is also a function of the curvature of the liquid surface. Both capillary pressure values and vapor pressure lowering are, therefore, functions of the liquid saturation of a porous solid. A quantitative relationship between the vapor pressure lowering and the capillary pressure can be simply developed by considering a porous solid system containing water in equilibrium with its vapor. The capillary pressure at any height within the system is defined as Pc= Pv -P1.......(1) where PI is the pressure in the vapor phase and PI is the pressure in the liquid phase. Consider that both the water and its vapor are continuous phases within the system and that at any point the two phases are in equilibrium. The gradients in the liquid and vapor columns within the porous system are: PI = plgdh dPv = pvgdh By integrating these gradients from the point where h = 0 to the height h, values of PI and PI at the point h are found. Let the point where h = 0 be that where Pc = 0. At this point also Pv is equal to Pve, the equilibrium vapor pressure of the liquid above a flat surface. From the first of these integrations since p is independent of height: P = p1gh + P, From the second, by substituting pv = PvM/RT, where M is the molecular RT weight: Pv M Pvo- RT gh By combining the two last equations to eliminate h, one obtains: P1 RT Pv Substituting, values for Pv and Pi in equation (1) gives PyRT RT Pv which is approximately Pc=RT/Mp1 In Pvo/Pv .......(2) This equation relates the vapor pressure above a curved surface with the capillary pressure across the curved surface in terms of measurable quantities. The equivalent of this equation is given by Freundlich."

Jan 1, 1949

By John C. Calhoun, R. C. Newman

A report is made of experimental work performed on the capillary retention of water within porous solid systems, the displacement being accomplished with air and various organic liquids. A portion of the experiments were designed to measure the lowering of vapor pressure of water within a porous solid with subsequent conversion of such vapor pressure data to capillary pressure values. The form of the capillary pressure curve at high capillary pressures has been elucidated from this data. Certain theoretical approaches are presented to indicate the correlation between work done by previous investigators. The present work is correlated also with theory. Surface area values are calculated for the various core systems studied. INTRODUCTION Leverettl in 1941 presented a paper which gave the essential concepts of capillary behavior in porous solids. His presentation included both theoretical and experimental aspects of the problem. He defined the term "capillary pressure" and applied it to an ideal porous system. His work included the definition of a dimensionless quantity which was a function of fluid saturation and which could be correlated with porosity and permeability for clean, unconsolidated sands. His experimental work was performed by the drainage of water from packed columns of unconsolidated sands. Subsequently, other authors have presented experimental techniques which permit the determination of capillary pressure data on small core samples. Data have been presented on porous systems other than unconsolidated sand and with the use of liquids other than water. Notable among these are the works of Hassler, Brunner and Deahl,2 Bruce and Welge,³ Amyx and Yuster, and Purcell. Others have indicated the applicability of such data to field problems without regard to the theoretical aspects of the capillary pressure saturation function. Within the recent published literature there have also been reported studies of the correlations between capillary pressure data and other fundamental properties of porous solids. It was the intent of the present reported work to investigate the behavior noted by water and various other liquids within porous systems in an attempt to amplify existing correlations between capillary properties, surface properties, and other fundamental characteristics of porous systems. The experimental work described here was performed as two different investigations but due to its nature it is reported as separate phases of the same general topic. CAPILLARY PRESSURE AND VAPOR PRESSURE LOWERING It has long been recognized that the vapor pressure above the curved surface of a liquid is a function of the curvature of the liquid surface." The capillary pressure is also a function of the curvature of the liquid surface. Both capillary pressure values and vapor pressure lowering are, therefore, functions of the liquid saturation of a porous solid. A quantitative relationship between the vapor pressure lowering and the capillary pressure can be simply developed by considering a porous solid system containing water in equilibrium with its vapor. The capillary pressure at any height within the system is defined as Pc= Pv -P1.......(1) where PI is the pressure in the vapor phase and PI is the pressure in the liquid phase. Consider that both the water and its vapor are continuous phases within the system and that at any point the two phases are in equilibrium. The gradients in the liquid and vapor columns within the porous system are: PI = plgdh dPv = pvgdh By integrating these gradients from the point where h = 0 to the height h, values of PI and PI at the point h are found. Let the point where h = 0 be that where Pc = 0. At this point also Pv is equal to Pve, the equilibrium vapor pressure of the liquid above a flat surface. From the first of these integrations since p is independent of height: P = p1gh + P, From the second, by substituting pv = PvM/RT, where M is the molecular RT weight: Pv M Pvo- RT gh By combining the two last equations to eliminate h, one obtains: P1 RT Pv Substituting, values for Pv and Pi in equation (1) gives PyRT RT Pv which is approximately Pc=RT/Mp1 In Pvo/Pv .......(2) This equation relates the vapor pressure above a curved surface with the capillary pressure across the curved surface in terms of measurable quantities. The equivalent of this equation is given by Freundlich."

Jan 1, 1949

By John C. Calhoun, Frank T. Bethel

The application of a method for analyzing pressure build-up curves to determine the effective permeability in the Spraberry is presented. Sixteen upper Spraberry wells of the Driver area arc analyzed and show variations in the in-place effective permeability of 2 to 183 md. Since these value- are much larger than the .5 md. or less reported for the matrix rock. a large part of the vertical fractures noted in Spraberry cores- must be considered native to the formation. The effectiveness of the well fracture treatment in connecting the well bore to the native fracture system is analyzed by comparison of the effective permeability as determined from the PI test to that obtained from a pressure build-up curve. These results show that the fracture treatment is sufficiently effective in connecting tile well bore to the native fractrure system to yield a flow capacity within about 50 per cent of that dictated by the native fracture system About two-thirds of the wells show some degree of local blockage. INTRODUCTION Fractured reservoirs have been known in the past.' However, during the past two years the Spraberry formation has directed the attention of the petroleum industry to a study of the performance of a fractured reservoir. The large variation in the number of fractures noted in Spraberry cores rile large variation in the producing ability of offset well.. the dramatic effect of well treatment on well ,productivity. the unknown quantity of oil stored in the fractures and matrix rock. and the unknown oil to be recovered were part of the initial Spraberry puzzle. In this type reservoir where the well treatment is an important factor in determining the productivity. it i- particularly desirable to determine the in-place flow capacity of the drainage area at distance* far removed from the well bore. This value. when compared to the flow capacity obtained from a PI measurement, will show the effectiveness of the well treatment (completion. fracture treatment, acidization. etc. in establishing a flow capacity in the vicinity of the well bore equal to that in the more remote region. The object of this paper i.; to show the application of a method of pressure build-up analysis for this purpose in studying the Upper Spraberry formation in the Driver area. STATEMENT OF THEORY The theoretical basis for the application of a pressure buildup curve to show the effective permeability of the rock at distances far removed from the well bore has been presented in detail in earlier publications.', in the previous development it was shown that pressure build-up behavior of all wells could be reduced to the same dimensionless build-up curve of Fig. 1. This mean.; that the bottom hole pressure of a well after hut-in will rise in such a manner that a plot of pressure against the logaritllm of time yields a straight line. The slope of this linp can be rlzed to calculate the effective permeability as expressed by the following equation: where: effective oil permeability md oil production rate prior to shnt in. STB/I) In practice the flow which occurs into the well bore after shut in and the variation in flow capacity in the immediate vicinity of the well bore usually cause the early part of the build-up curve to be unsatisfactory in the determination of permeability. In general the effect of these factors on the straight line section will become negligible after a time when the of the following equation is equal to 0.1. and the preferred section Of the curve for use in defining the slope lie-

Jan 1, 1953

By G. H. Lair, B. J. Langford, S. H. Rockwood

Volumetric reservoir analysis is dependent upon a firm relationship between porosity, connate water, and net pay. Capillary presswe data on core samples interrelate these three factors. It is shown that other reservoir problems may be resolved: (I) whether water production is indigenous or extraneous to the oil producing interval, (2) an oil-water contact is being approached, and (3) whether the oil-water contact is remotely situated. INTRODUCTION Volumetric analysis of carbonate reservoirs challenges the ingenuity of the reservoir engineer due to an absence of data on the minimum oil-bearing and oil-producing pores of a given reservoir rock. Many studies with this as the ultimate objective are available on the physical characteristics and fluid-flow behaviors of the carbonate reservoir. Some of these publications are: Hassler, Brunner and Deahl's1 study of the role of capillarity in oil production; Jan Law's' and A. C. Bulnes3 statistical treatment of core analysis data; Chalkley's method4,5 or estimating specific surface areas and porosity; Walter Rose's9 report on porosity, reserves, and recovery; Archie's78 tex-tural classification of carbonate rocks; Stewart and Spurlock's9 large core analysis; Purcell'sl0 mercury injection method in studying capillary pressure phenomena; Stewart, Craig, and Morse's" model multiple-phase flow test in investigating the relative permeability effect; and Fatt's12 illumi-nating network model of porous me-dia. The present study shows that the static reservoir parameters of porosity, connate water, and net productive thickness may be interrelated by utilizing a statistical arrangement of mercury capillary pressure data in addition to routine core analysis. This report summarizes the techniques that are followed to obtain these relations which are applicable to carbonate and sandstone reservoirs that do not contain clays. Capillary pressure statistical studies may be extended to include clay-bearing rocks by utilizing water capillary pressure data. POROSITY It is necessary that the laboratory determine the porosity value that includes the pores that are filled with hydrocarbons and water in the reservoir. This is the reservoir's total porosity. When true total porosity values are not available, correlations between porosity and capillary pressure characteristics lose their significance since they cannot be related through oil-base mud core data to the porosity and connate water values found in reservoirs. Methods used to obtain reliable porosity data will not be discussed; however, care should be exercised in selecting samples for measurement. In homogeneously porous formations, small core plugs sampled frequently will furnish adequate information. Where heterogeneity, particularly vugginess, is present, large-core porosity data may be required; in such reservoirs a suite of capillary pressure samples may be selected from small plugs. CAPILLARY PRESSURE Capillary pressure data provide a method for relating two carbonate reservoir parameters, porosity and connate water saturation, which in turn permit delineation of productive rock types necessary for selecting the third parameter, productive thickness. Specific applications of capillary pressure data to petroleum reservoirs were suggested by Archie8 and Pur-cell."' Their work demonstrated that in preferentially water-wet rock, porc

Jan 1, 1958

By W. O. Brown

A laboratory investigation was conducted to determine quantitatively the extent to which connate water was contacted and displaced by invading flood water. In these experiments the connate water in unconsoli-dated sand packed columns was completely displaced by injecting water. The nature of this displacement was similar to that previously described for single-phase miscible fluid displacement studies, and thus the presence of a non-wetting immiscible phase did not appreciably change the nature of the displacement. The effects of water injection rate, column length, and oil viscosity on connate water displacement were investi-gated. It is concluded that the connate water in a reservoir is the water which actually displaces oil from the pores of the rock during a water flood. During a water flood the connate water forms a zone which separates the invading flood water from the continuous oil phase. The size and shape of connate water bank is chiefly dependent oil the oil viscosity and the column length. INTRODUCTION Water flooding is one of the most widely used techniques for the secondary recovery of oil. Presently, however, it is still not possible to recover all the oil in a reservoir by water flooding. The research described in this paper was conducted as part of a study to determine the conditions under which 100 per cent oil recovery could be attained by water flooding. The particular objective of this work was to determine if any chemical agent, regardless of its nature, placed in the flood water could be effective in influencing the mechanism of displacement of the oil by water. It has been known for many years that water does not displace all the oil in a reservoir because a portion of the oil is "trapped" and held immobile by capillary forces. This oil is trapped within the pores of a water-wet rock when it becomes broken into discontinuous globules. Initially, when oil is present at high saturations within the pores of a water-wet rock, the connate water forms rings around the points of contact of the sand grains and may even completely fill small cavities between grains, whereas the oil occupies the larger void spaces between the grains.' Under these conditions, the oil in these spaces is in the form of irregular but continuous filaments, the diameters of which depend on the geometry of the sand pores. The filaments are formed by the oil contained in the small cells which are formed between the sand grains and are connected to their neighboring cells by channels or tunnels formed by pendular rings of water. At a high oil saturation, the oil filaments conform approximately to the shape and size of the cells and their connecting tunnels. Starting with this distribution, as the water saturation is increased the water layers in the small cavities and on the surface of the grains grow. As this occurs, the water rings grow and the diameters of the oil filaments decrease. When an oil filament is reduced to a critically small diameter, the filament breaks, and its tunnel fills completely with water. Any oil which remains within a cell after all its connecting tunnels have been water-filled is trapped as a discontinuous globule. Once the oil has become trapped, the capillary forces oppose distortion of the globules and may prevent their being squeezed through the water-filled tunnels. Only a very small pressure gradient is sufficient to keep oil moving as a continuous filament. On the other hand, once the filament has broken into discontinuous oil droplets a relatively large force is required to distort the surface of a drop and move it through a water-

Jan 1, 1958

By J. S. Osoba, J. G. Richardson, F. M. Perkins

Laboratory experiments have shown profound diffcrences in the behavior of so-called "fresh cores" from the East Texes field and of the same cores after ex~ractio~l with organic solvents. The residual oil satura/ion remaining after waterflooding fresh cores was appreciably lower than the corresponding saturations after flooding extracted cores. This behavior was also reflected in the water-oil relative permeability-saturatiorl relations, which were more favorable for high oil recovery from the fresh cores. These differences were evident not only in the amount of residual oil left after wafer flooding, but also in the saturation water remaining in the core after displacernent by oil. Residual water saturation after displacernetzt of water by oil was higher in the fresh cores than in the extracved core,. Capillary pressure-saturation relations were also different for the fresh crnd extracted cores. Imbibition experiments indicated that both fresh and extracted Bast Texas cores imbibed water spontarteOLISIY, but- the rate of imbibition of water was higher for samp1es after. extraction than it was for fresh core. material. INTRODUCTION Several years ago a series of waterflooding tests was made in the laboratory on a number of Woodbine core samples from the East Texas field. These samples had been stored in containers open to the air and were extracted with organic solvents before they were subjected to the laboratory tests. After water flooding, the residual saturation of kerosene, which was the oil used in the tests, was found to average about 30 per cent. This saturation was higher than expected. In investigating the circumstances which might have been responsible for such a high residual oil saturation, attention was given to possible changes in wetting properties of the rock brought about by the procedure employed in extracting the cores. Preliminary results indicated that the explanation for the high residual oil saturation lay in the wetting behavior of the cores, though what effect extraction had on this behavior was not clear. In consequence, the work described in this report was undertaken in an attempt to investigate the mechanism responsible, and to ascertain the actual residual oil saturation to be expected in the reservoir after water flooding. It was soon found that there were profound differcnces in the behavior of so-called "fresh cores" from the East Texas field and of the same cores after extraction with organic solvents. These differences were evident not only in the amount of residual oil left after water flooding, but also in the saturation of watet remaining in the core after displacement by oil. The complete explanation of this behavior is not yet apparent. The description of work and results described in following sections, therefore, must be considered as an interim report presenting facts which must await additional information before they can be fully interpreted.

Jan 1, 1956

By G. A. Croes, N. Schwarz

This paper reports the results of a series of model displacement experiments carried out for measuring the efficiency of the water-drive process. This series forms a continuation and extension of that described by Engel-herts and Klinkenberg. Detailed information has been obtained on the influence of the oil/water viscosity ratio. The results are represented in the form of a diagram from which both the oil recovery and the water/oil ratio can be easily read off as a function of the total production (oil plus water) for all values of the viscosity ratio M between I and 500. These resu1ts are viewed in the light of the two existing theories on water flooding, viz. that of Buckley and Leverett and that of Dietz. It is shown that if the Buckley-Leverett theory applies, the relation between the relative permeability ratio and saturation, which plays a major role in this theory, (.an be calculated with a high degree of accuracy from the results of the model experiments. Dietz's theory is found to be in agreement with the experimental results in a certain range of circumstances. A discussion of the physical background of the Buckley- Leverett and Dietz theories makes it clear why the latter fails to agree with some of the experimental results. INTRODUCTION For an economical exploitation of oil fields both a rational control of natural (primary) recovery processes and a proper application of artificial (secondary) recovery methods are essential. These require detailed information upon the dependence of the relevant flow processes on the variables by which they are governed. Three methods are available for obtaining this information: (1) (statistical) analysis of actual field data; (2) appropriately scaled model experiments; and (3) mathematical analysis of the physical problem. If sufficient data were available, the first method would, in principle, be the most reliable one, although it has the drawback that the basic relationships between the variables involved are to a large extent obscured by the natural inhomogeneities of most reservoirs. The most profitable procedure seems to be: (a) determining the fundamental relations for idealized reservoirs by methods (2) and (3); (b) checking the consistency of the results obtained by these two methods; and (c) establishing the range of applicability of these methods to actual reservoirs by comparison with the data accumulated under (1). In this paper items (a) and (b) are dealt with for the case of homogeneous loose sands initially saturated

Jan 1, 1956

By M. C. Leverett

KNOWLEDGE of the theory underlying the behavior of mixtures of fluids in reservoir rocks is essential to the proper solution of certain types of problems in petroleum pro-duction, but is as yet incompletely devel-oped. The object of this paper is to show the application of well established thermody-namic and physical principles to these prob-lems, and thus to assist in the development of the basic theory. For convenience the problems to be considered here may be divided into two groups: I. Static problems, involving only the static balance between capillary forces and those due to the difference in densities of the fluids; i.e., gravitational forces. 2. Dynamic problems, involving analysis of the motion of mixtures of immiscible fluids in porous media under the influence of forces due to gravity, capillarity, and an impressed external pressure differential. CAPILLARY EQUILIBRIUM IN SANDS Under this heading the static type of problem will be discussed and the results of experimental investigations on the capillary properties of unconsolidated sands will be presented. Although the discussion of this section is, in a sense, prefatory to the treat-ment of problems of mixture flow, the con-cepts developed here have considerable intrinsic importance apart from their ap-plication to flow problems. For, it is reason-able to postulate that the reservoir fluids are, owing to their long existence in undis-turbed mutual contact prior to exploitation, in substantial equilibrium. It follows that their distribution in the reservoir at the time of tapping should be entirely predict-able from the theory of capillary equi-librium, provided certain experimentally measurable properties of the reservoir rock are known. Knowledge of the distribution of the several fluids in the reservoir is, of course, helpful in the estimation of reserves and in other problems. It is to be emphasized that throughout the discussion of capillary statics it is as-sumed that the fluids are in equilibrium from the capillary standpoint. Thus, water, where it is referred to as being in a reser-voir, will be understood to be interstitial water, present at the time of drilling the reservoir, commonly termed "connate" water. The theory developed here is perfectly general for any porous solid, whether a carefully prepared unconsolidated sand or a natural sandstone from an oil reservoir. At present, however, only problems in-volving clean, unconsolidated sands can be made to yield numerical solutions, since only such sands have been adequately in-vestigated experimentally. Experimental evaluation of the pertinent properties of natural reservoir rocks will permit the ex-tension of the numerical treatment to prob-lems involving these materials. We shall now consider in some detail the static equilibrium of fluid mixtures in porous solids; that is, the manner in which the reservoir fluids are distributed vertically when the forces due to capillarity are just balanced by those due to gravitation.

Jan 1, 1940

By K. Burke, G. Zhan, A. Mayer

A cover with capi1lary barrier effects (CCBE) is being constructed an the AA leach pad at the Barrick Goldstrike mine near Carlin, Nevada. The purpose of the cover is to eliminate/minimize infiltration of meteoric waters into the leach pad. Laboratory and numerical analyses indicate that Carlin Formation siltstone (TCS), a locally available material, has the necessary hydrologic characteristics when placed on the leach pad to act as a CCBE. A pilot study was conducted on a mall-scale test cover placed on the AA leach pad to examine the cover performance under irrigated conditions. The preliminary test results demonstrate that the designed cover is capable of preventing meteoric water infiltration.

Jan 1, 2002