Packing states of ideal reservoir sands: Insights from simulation of porosity reduction by grain rearrangement     

Gert Jan Weltje  Luc J.H. Alberts 《Sedimentary Geology》2011,242(1-4):52-64

The question being tackled in this study is to which extent grain rearrangement contributes to porosity reduction in very well sorted quartzose sands (ideal reservoir sands). A numerical model, RAMPAGE (an acronym of random packing generator), has been developed to address this long-standing problem. RAMPAGE represents a synthesis of various algorithms designed to simulate packing of equal-sized spheres, which have been used to represent ideal solids, liquids, and gases, as well as natural porous media. The results of RAMPAGE simulations compare favourably to theoretical and experimental data from various disciplines and allow delineation of the field of gravitationally stable random packing of equal-sized spheres in the 2-D state space of porosity (P) versus mean coordination number (N). Three end-member packing states have been identified: random loose packing (RLP: P = 45.4%, N = 5.2), random close packing (RCP: P = 36.3%, N = 7.0), and bridged random close packing (Bridged RCP: P = 39.5%, N = 5.2). Unlike previously proposed models, RAMPAGE can simulate the transition from RLP to any other point in the stability field. The RLP state is fully consistent with wet-packed porosities of synthetic sands with lognormal mass-size distributions reported in the literature. The much higher in-situ porosity values reported for modern (air-packed) sands are unlikely to be preserved at depth on geological time scales. Data on the relation between intergranular volume and burial depth indicate that the observed intergranular volume reduction in the upper ~ 800 m of the sediment column corresponds to the evolution of RLP to RCP, and is thus fully explained by non-destructive grain rearrangement.  相似文献   

A quantitative reconstruction of organic matter and nutrient diagenesis in Mediterranean Sea sediments over the Holocene   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Daniel C. Reed  Caroline P. Slomp  Gert J. de Lange 《Geochimica et cosmochimica acta》2011,75(19):5540-5558

A multicomponent diagenetic model was developed and applied to reconstruct the conditions under which the most recent sapropel, S1, was deposited in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Simulations demonstrate that bottom waters must have been anoxic and sulphidic during the formation of S1 and that organic matter deposition was approximately three times higher than at present. Nevertheless, most present day sediment and pore water profiles — with the exception of pyrite, iron oxyhydroxides, iron-bound phosphorus and phosphate — can be reproduced under a wide range of redox conditions during formation of S1 by varying the depositional flux of organic carbon. As a result, paleoredox indicators (e.g., C_org:S ratio, C_org:P_org ratio, trace metals) are needed when assessing the contribution of oxygen-depletion and enhanced primary production to the formation of organic-rich layers in the geological record. Furthermore, simulations show that the organic carbon concentration in sediments is a direct proxy for export production under anoxic bottom waters.The model is also used to examine the post-depositional alteration of the organic-rich layer focussing on nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic carbon dynamics. After sapropel formation, remineralisation is dominated by aerobic respiration at a rate that is inversely proportional to the time since bottom waters became oxic once again. A sensitivity analysis was undertaken to identify the most pertinent parameters in regulating the oxidation of sapropels, demonstrating that variations in sedimentation rate, depositional flux of organic carbon during sapropel formation, bottom water oxygen concentration, and porosity have the largest impact. Simulations reveal that sedimentary nutrient cycling was markedly different during the formation of S1, as well as after reoxygenation of bottom waters. Accumulation of organic nitrogen in sediments doubled during sapropel deposition, representing a significant nitrogen sink. Following reventilation of deep waters, N₂ production by denitrification was almost 12 times greater than present day values. Phosphorus cycling also exhibits a strong redox sensitivity. The benthic efflux of phosphate was up to 3.5 times higher during the formation of S1 than at present due to elevated depositional fluxes of organic matter coupled with enhanced remineralisation of organic phosphorus. Reoxygenation of bottom waters leads to a large phosphate pulse to the water column that declines rapidly with time due to rapid oxidation of organic material. The oxidation of pyrite at the redox front forms iron oxyhydroxides that bind phosphorus and, thus, attenuate the benthic phosphate efflux. These results underscore the contrasting effects of oxygen-depletion on sedimentary nitrogen and phosphorus cycling. The simulations also confirm that the current conceptual paradigm of sapropel formation and oxidation is valid and quantitatively coherent.  相似文献   

Catabolic and anabolic energy for chemolithoautotrophs in deep-sea hydrothermal systems hosted in different rock types     

Jan P. Amend  Thomas M. McCollom  Wolfgang Bach 《Geochimica et cosmochimica acta》2011,75(19):5736-5748

Active deep-sea hydrothermal vents are hosted by a range of different rock types, including basalt, peridotite, and felsic rocks. The associated hydrothermal fluids exhibit substantial chemical variability, which is largely attributable to compositional differences among the underlying host rocks. Numerical models were used to evaluate the energetics of seven inorganic redox reactions (potential catabolisms of chemolithoautotrophs) and numerous biomolecule synthesis reactions (anabolism) in a representative sampling of these systems, where chemical gradients are established by mixing hydrothermal fluid with seawater. The wide ranging fluid compositions dictate demonstrable differences in Gibbs energies (ΔG_r) of these catabolic and anabolic reactions in three peridotite-hosted, six basalt-hosted, one troctolite-basalt hybrid, and two felsic rock-hosted systems. In peridotite-hosted systems at low to moderate temperatures (<∼45 °C) and high seawater:hydrothermal fluid (SW:HF) mixing ratios (>10), hydrogen oxidation yields the most catabolic energy, but the oxidation of methane, ferrous iron, and sulfide can also be moderately exergonic. At higher temperatures, and consequent SW:HF mixing ratios <10, anaerobic processes dominate the energy landscape; sulfate reduction and methanogenesis are more exergonic than any of the aerobic respiration reactions. By comparison, in the basalt-hosted and felsic rock-hosted systems, sulfide oxidation was the predominant catabolic energy source at all temperatures (and SW:HF ratios) considered. The energetics of catabolism at the troctolite-basalt hybrid system were intermediate to these extremes. Reaction energetics for anabolism in chemolithoautotrophs—represented here by the synthesis of amino acids, nucleotides, fatty acids, saccharides, and amines—were generally most favorable at moderate temperatures (22-32 °C) and corresponding SW:HF mixing ratios (∼15). In peridotite-hosted and the troctolite-basalt hybrid systems, ΔG_r for primary biomass synthesis yielded up to ∼900 J per g dry cell mass. The energetics of anabolism in basalt- and felsic rock-hosted systems were far less favorable. The results suggest that in peridotite-hosted (and troctolite-basalt hybrid) systems, compared with their basalt (and felsic rock) counterparts, microbial catabolic strategies—and consequently variations in microbial phylotypes—may be far more diverse and some biomass synthesis may yield energy rather than imposing a high energetic cost.  相似文献   

A lacustrine GDGT-temperature calibration from the Scandinavian Arctic to Antarctic: Renewed potential for the application of GDGT-paleothermometry in lakes   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Emma J. Pearson  Steve Juggins  Jan Weckström  David B. Ryves  Roland Schmidt 《Geochimica et cosmochimica acta》2011,75(20):6225-6238

Quantitative climate reconstructions are fundamental to understand long-term trends in natural climate variability and to test climate models used to predict future climate change. Recent advances in molecular geochemistry have led to calibrations using glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs), a group of temperature-sensitive membrane lipids found in Archaea and bacteria. GDGTs have been used to construct temperature indices for oceans (TEX₈₆ index) and soils (MBT/CBT index). The aim of this study is to examine GDGT-temperature relationships and assess the potential of constructing a GDGT-based palaeo-thermometer for lakes. We examine GDGT-temperature relationships using core top sediments from 90 lakes across a north-south transect from the Scandinavian Arctic to Antarctica including sites from Finland, Sweden, Siberia, the UK, Austria, Turkey, Ethiopia, Uganda, Chile, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. We examine a suite of 15 GDGTs, including compounds used in the TEX₈₆ and MBT/CBT indices and reflecting the broad range of GDGT inputs to small lake systems.GDGTs are present in varying proportions in all lakes examined. The TEX₈₆ index is not applicable to our sites because of the large relative proportions of soil derived and methanogenic components. Similarly, the MBT/CBT index is also not applicable and predicts temperatures considerably lower than those measured. We examine relationships between individual GDGT compounds and temperature, pH, conductivity and water depth. Temperature accounts for a large and statistically independent fraction of variation in branched GDGT composition. We propose a GDGT-temperature regression model with high accuracy and precision (R² = 0.88; RMSE = 2.0 °C; RMSEP = 2.1 °C) for use in lakes based on a subset of branched GDGT compounds and highlight the potential of this new method for reconstructing past temperatures using lake sediments.  相似文献   

Acidities of confined water in interlayer space of clay minerals     

Xiandong Liu  Xiancai Lu  Evert Jan Meijer  for the Collab 《Geochimica et cosmochimica acta》2011,75(17):4978-4986

The acid chemistry of confined waters in smectite interlayers have been investigated with first principles molecular dynamics (FPMD) simulations. Aiming at a systematic picture, we establish the model systems to take account of the three possible controlling factors: layer charge densities (0 e, 0.5 e and 1.0 e per cell), layer charge locations (tetrahedral and octahedral) and interlayer counterions (Na⁺ and Mg²⁺). For all models, the interlayer structures are characterized in detail. Na⁺ and Mg²⁺ show significantly different hydration characteristics: Mg²⁺ forms a rigid octahedral hydration shell and resides around the midplane, whereas Na⁺ binds to a basal oxygen atom and forms a very flexible hydration shell, which consists of five waters on average and shows very fast water exchanges. The method of constraint is employed to enforce the water dissociation reactions and the thermodynamic integration approach is used to derive the free-energy values and the acidity constants. Based on the simulations, the following points have been gained. (1) The layer charge is found to be the direct origin of water acidity enhancement in smectites because the neutral pore almost does not have influences on water dissociations but all charged pores do. (2) With a moderate charge density of 0.5 e per cell, the interlayer water shows a pKa value around 11.5. While increasing layer charge density to 1.0 e, no obvious difference is found for the free water molecules. Since 1.0 e is at the upper limit of smectites’ layer charge, it is proposed that the calculated acidity of free water in octahedrally substituted Mg²⁺-smectite, 11.3, can be taken as the lower limit of acidities of free waters. (3) In octahedrally and tetrahedrally substituted models, the bound waters of Mg²⁺ show very low pKa values: 10.1 vs 10.4. This evidences that smectites can also promote the dissociations of the coordinated waters of metal cations. The comparison between the two Mg²⁺-smectites reveals that different layer charge locations do not lead to obvious differences for bound and free water acidities.  相似文献   

Integration of the life of field seismic data with the reservoir model at the Valhall Field‡     

Jean‐Paul van Gestel  Kevin D. Best  Olav I. Barkved  Jan H. Kommedal 《Geophysical Prospecting》2011,59(4):673-681

The frequent time‐lapse observations from the life of field seismic system across the Valhall field provide a wealth of information. The responses from the production and injection wells can be observed through time‐shift and amplitude changes. These observations can be compared to modelled synthetic seismic responses from a reservoir simulation model of the Valhall Field. The observed differences between the observations and the modelling are used to update and improve the history match of the reservoir model. The uncertainty of the resulting model is reduced and a more confident prediction of future reservoir performance is provided. A workflow is presented to convert the reservoir model to a synthetic seismic response and compare the results to the observed time‐lapse responses for any time range and area of interest. Correlation based match quality factors are calculated to quantify the visual differences. This match quality factor allows us to quantitatively compare alternative reservoir models to help identify the parameters that best match the seismic observations. Three different case studies are shown where this workflow has helped to reduce the uncertainty range associated with specific reservoir parameters. By updating various reservoir model parameters we have been able to improve the match to the observations and thereby improve the overall reservoir model predictability. The examples show positive results in a range of different reservoir modelling issues, which indicates the flexibility of this workflow and the ability to have an impact in most reservoir modelling challenges.  相似文献   

River channel and bar patterns explained and predicted by an empirical and a physics‐based method     

Maarten G. Kleinhans  Jan H. van den Berg 《地球表面变化过程与地形》2011,36(6):721-738

Our objective is to understand general causes of different river channel patterns. In this paper we compare an empirical stream power‐based classification and a physics‐based bar pattern predictor. We present a careful selection of data from the literature that contains rivers with discharge and median bed particle size ranging over several orders of magnitude with various channel patterns and bar types, but no obvious eroding or aggrading tendency. Empirically a continuum is found for increasing specific stream power, here calculated with pattern‐independent variables: mean annual flood, valley gradient and channel width predicted with a hydraulic geometry relation. ‘Thresholds’, above which certain patterns emerge, were identified as a function of bed sediment size. Bar theory predicts nature and presence of bars and bar mode, here converted to active braiding index (B_i). The most important variables are actual width–depth ratio and nonlinearity of bed sediment transport. Results agree reasonably well with data. Empirical predictions are somewhat better than bar theory predictions, because the bank strength is indirectly included in the empirical prediction. In combination, empirical and theoretical prediction provide partial explanations for bar and channel patterns. Increasing potential‐specific stream power implies more energy to erode banks and indeed correlates to channels with high width–depth ratio. Bar theory predicts that such rivers develop more bars across the width (higher B_i). At the transition from meandering to braiding, weakly braided rivers and meandering rivers with chutes are found. Rivers with extremely low stream power and width–depth ratios hardly develop bars or dynamic meandering and may be straight or sinuous or, in case of disequilibrium sediment feed, anastomosing. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

A Dutch multi-date land use database: Identification of real and methodological changes     

Gerard W. Hazeu  Arnold K. Bregt  Allard J.W. de Wit  Jan G.P.W. Clevers 《International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation》2011

Land cover and land use are important information sources for environmental issues. One of the most important changes at the Earth's surface concerns land cover and land use. Knowledge about the location and type of these changes is essential for environmental modeling and management. Remote sensing data in combination with additional spatial data are recognized as an important source of information to detect these land cover and land use changes.  相似文献   

3D modeling of light interception in heterogeneous forest canopies using ground-based LiDAR data     

Dimitry Van der Zande  Jan Stuckens  Willem W. Verstraeten  Simone Mereu  Bart Muys  Pol Coppin 《International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation》2011

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Skyline-based registration of 3D laser scans     

Andreas Nüchter  Stanislav Gutev  Dorit Borrmann  Jan Elseberg 《地球空间信息科学学报》2011,14(2):85-90

Acquisition and registration of terrestrial 3D laser scans is a fundamental task in mapping and modeling of cities in three dimensions. To automate this task marker-free registration methods are required. Based on the existence of skyline features, this paper proposes a novel method. The skyline features are extracted from panoramic 3D scans and encoded as strings enabling the use of string matching for merging the scans. Initial results of the proposed method in the old city center of Bremen are pre-sented.  相似文献