Drilling

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Earth and Environmental Science

Kinds of Drilling

  • scientific drilling

  • Terms modified by Drilling

  • drilling degree
  • drilling program
  • drilling project

  • Selected Abstracts


    DRILLING DOWN IN NEUROETHICS

    BIOETHICS, Issue 6 2009
    FRANÇOISE BAYLIS
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    Quaternary vertical offset and average slip rate of the Nojima Fault on Awaji Island, Japan

    ISLAND ARC, Issue 3-4 2001
    Akihiro Murata
    Abstract Drilling was carried out to penetrate the Nojima Fault where the surface rupture occurred associated with the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake. Two 500 m boreholes were successfully drilled through the fault zone at a depth of 389.4 m. The drilling data show that the relative uplift of the south-east side of the Nojima Fault (south-west segment) was approximately 230 m. The Nojima branch fault, which branches from the Nojima Fault, is inferred to extend to the Asano Fault. From the structural contour map of basal unconformity of the Kobe Group, the vertical component of displacement of the Nojima branch,Asano Fault is estimated to be 260,310 m. Because the vertical component of displacement on the Nojima Fault of the north-east segment is a total of those of the Nojima Fault of the south-west segment and of the Nojima branch,Asano Fault, it is estimated to total to 490,540 m. From this, the average vertical component of the slip rate on the Nojima Fault is estimated to be 0.4,0.45 m/103 years for the past 1.2 million years. [source]


    Zircon U,Pb age and Hf isotope evidence for contrasting origin of bimodal protoliths for ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks from the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling project

    JOURNAL OF METAMORPHIC GEOLOGY, Issue 8 2007
    R.-X. CHEN
    Abstract A combined study of zircon morphology, U,Pb ages and Hf isotopes as well as whole-rock major and trace elements was carried out for ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) eclogite and felsic gneiss from the main hole (MH) of the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling (CCSD) project in the Sulu orogen. The results show contrasting Hf isotope compositions for bimodal UHP metaigneous rocks, pointing to contrasting origins for their protoliths (thus dual-bimodal compositions). The samples of interest were from two continuous core segments from CCSD MH at depths of 734.21,737.16 m (I) and 929.67,932.86 m (II) respectively. Zircon U,Pb dating for four samples from the two core segments yields two groups of ages at 784 ± 17 and 222 ± 3 Ma, respectively, corresponding to protolith formation during supercontinental rifting and metamorphic growth during continental collision. Although the Triassic UHP metamorphism significantly reset the zircon U,Pb system of UHP rocks, the Hf isotope compositions of igneous zircon can be used to trace their protolith origin. Contrasting types of initial Hf isotope ratios are, respectively, correlated with segments I and II, regardless of their lithochemistry. The first type shows positive ,Hf(t) values of 7.8 ± 3.1 to 6.0 ± 3.0, with young Hf model age of 1.03 and 1.11 Ga. The second type exhibits negative ,Hf(t) values of ,6.9 ± 1.6 to ,9.1 ± 1.1, with old Hf model ages of 2.11 and 2.25 Ga. It appears that the UHP rocks from the two segments have protoliths of contrasting origin. Consistent results are also obtained from their trace element compositions suggesting that mid-Neoproterozoic protoliths of bimodal UHP metaigneous rocks formed during supercontinental rifting at the northern margin of the South China Block. Thus, the first type of bimodal magmatism formed by rapid reworking of juvenile crust, whereas the second type of bimodal magmatism was principally generated by rift anatexis of Paleoproterozoic crust. Melting of orogenic lithosphere has potential to bring about bimodal magmatism with contrasting origins. Because arc,continent collision zones are the best place to accumulate both juvenile and ancient crusts, the contrasting types of bimodal magmatism are proposed to occur in an arc,continent collision orogen during the supercontinental rifting, in response to the attempted breakup of the supercontinent Rodinia at c. 780 Ma. [source]


    An international and multidisciplinary drilling project into a young complex impact structure: The 2004 ICDP Bosumtwi Crater Drilling Project,An overview

    METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 4-5 2007
    Christian KOEBERL
    It is the source crater of the Ivory Coast tektites. The structure was excavated in 2.1,2.2 Gyr old metasediments and metavolcanics of the Birimian Supergroup. A drilling project was conceived that would combine two major scientific interests in this crater: 1) to obtain a complete paleoenvironmental record from the time of crater formation about one million years ago, at a near-equatorial location in Africa for which very few data are available so far, and 2) to obtain a complete record of impactites at the central uplift and in the crater moat, for ground truthing and comparison with other structures. Within the framework of an international and multidisciplinary drilling project led by the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP), 16 drill cores were obtained from June to October 2004 at six locations within Lake Bosumtwi, which is 8.5 km in diameter. The 14 sediment cores are currently being investigated for paleoenvironmental indicators. The two impactite cores LB-07A and LB-08A were drilled into the deepest section of the annular moat (540 m) and the flank of the central uplift (450 m), respectively. They are the main subject of this special issue of Meteoritics & Planetary Science, which represents the first detailed presentations of results from the deep drilling into the Bosumtwi impactite sequence. Drilling progressed in both cases through the impact breccia layer into fractured bedrock. LB-07A comprises lithic (in the uppermost part) and suevitic impact breccias with appreciable amounts of impact melt fragments. The lithic clast content is dominated by graywacke, besides various metapelites, quartzite, and a carbonate target component. Shock deformation in the form of quartz grains with planar microdeformations is abundant. First chemical results indicate a number of suevite samples that are strongly enriched in siderophile elements and Mg, but the presence of a definite meteoritic component in these samples cannot be confirmed due to high indigenous values. Core LB-08A comprises suevitic breccia in the uppermost part, followed with depth by a thick sequence of graywacke-dominated metasediment with suevite and a few granitoid dike intercalations. It is assumed that the metasediment package represents bedrock intersected in the flank of the central uplift. Both 7A and 8A suevite intersections differ from suevites outside of the northern crater rim. Deep drilling results confirmed the gross structure of the crater as imaged by the pre-drilling seismic surveys. Borehole geophysical studies conducted in the two boreholes confirmed the low seismic velocities for the post-impact sediments (less than 1800 m/s) and the impactites (2600,3300 m/s). The impactites exhibit very high porosities (up to 30 vol%), which has important implications for mechanical rock stability. The statistical analysis of the velocities and densities reveals a seismically transparent impactite sequence (free of prominent internal reflections). Petrophysical core analyses provide no support for the presence of a homogeneous magnetic unit (= melt breccia) within the center of the structure. Borehole vector magnetic data point to a patchy distribution of highly magnetic rocks within the impactite sequence. The lack of a coherent melt sheet, or indeed of any significant amounts of melt rock in the crater fill, is in contrast to expectations from modeling and pre-drilling geophysics, and presents an interesting problem for comparative studies and requires re-evaluation of existing data from other terrestrial impact craters, as well as modeling parameters. [source]


    Vp/Vs Anisotropy and Implications for Crustal Composition Identification and Earthquake Prediction

    ACTA GEOLOGICA SINICA (ENGLISH EDITION), Issue 4 2009
    Qian WANG
    Abstract: The ratio of P- to S-wave velocities (Vp/Vs) is regarded as one of the most diagnostic properties of natural rocks. It has been used as a discriminant of composition for the continental crust and provides valuable constraints on its formation and evolution processes. Furthermore, the spatial and temporal changes in Vp/Vs before and after earthquakes are probably the most promising avenue to understanding the source mechanics and possibly predicting earthquakes. Here we calibrate the variations in Vp/Vs in dry, anisotropic crustal rocks and provide a set of basic information for the interpretation of future seismic data from the Wenchuan earthquake Fault zone Scientific Drilling (WFSD) project and other surveys. Vp/Vs is a constant (,0) for an isotropic rock. However, most of crustal rocks are anisotropic due to lattice-preferred orientations of anisotropic minerals (e.g., mica, amphibole, plagioclase and pyroxene) and cracks as well as thin compositional layering. The Vp/Vs ratio of an anisotropic rock measured along a selected pair of propagation-vibration directions is an apparent value (,ij) that is significantly different from the value for its isotropic counterpart (,0). The usefulness of apparent Vp/Vs ratios as a diagnostic of crustal composition depends largely on rock seismic anisotropy. A 5% of P- and S-wave velocity anisotropy is sufficient to make it impossible to determine the crustal composition using the conventional criteria (Vp/Vs,1.756 for felsic rocks, 1.7561.944 fluid-filled porous/fractured or partially molten rocks) if the information about the wave propagation-polarization directions with respect to the tectonic framework is unknown. However, the variations in Vp/Vs measured from borehole seismic experiments can be readily interpreted according to the orientations of the ray path and the polarization of the shear waves with respect to the present-day principal stress directions (i.e., the orientation of cracks) and the frozen fabric (i.e., foliation and lineation). [source]


    Fabrication of enclosed SU-8 tips for electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry

    ELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 24 2005
    Santeri Tuomikoski Dr.
    Abstract We describe a novel electrospray tip design for MS which is fabricated completely out of SU-8 photoepoxy. A three-layer SU-8 fabrication process provides fully enclosed channels and tips. The tip shape and alignment of all SU-8 layers is done lithographically and is therefore very accurate. Fabrication process enables easy integration of additional fluidic functions on the same chip. Separation channels can be made with exactly the same process. Fluidic inlets are made in SU-8 during the fabrication process and no drilling or other postprocessing is needed. Channels have been fabricated and tested in the size range of 10,,m×10,,m,50,,m×200,,m. Mass spectrometric performance of the tips has been demonstrated with both pressure-driven flow and EOF. SU-8 microtips have been shown to produce stable electrospray with EOF in a timescale of tens of minutes. With pressure driven flow stable spray is maintained for hours. Taylor cone was shown to be small in volume and well defined even with the largest channel cross section. The spray was also shown to be well directed with our tip design. [source]


    Analyses of the Performance Potential of Oxidic PVD Wear-Protection Coatings on Cutting Tools Using the Example of Crystalline ,-Al2O3,

    ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 7 2008
    F. Klocke
    This paper focuses on the high performance potential of oxidic PVD coatings on cutting tools using the example of crystalline ,-Al2O3. The materials used during the cutting processes were the nickel-based alloy, Inconel 718, in wet-cut drilling and milling as well as a quenched and tempered steel in dry-cut milling. The conclusion that may be drawn from these analyses is that oxidic PVD coatings are characterised by outstanding wear behaviour and can contribute to a significant increase in cutting performance. [source]


    Potential agronomic options for energy-efficient sugar beet-based bioethanol production in northern Japan

    GCB BIOENERGY, Issue 3 2009
    NOBUHISA KOGA
    Abstract Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L. subsp. vulgaris) is deemed to be one of the most promising bioethanol feedstock crops in northern Japan. To establish viable sugar beet-based bioethanol production systems, energy-efficient protocols in sugar beet cultivation are being intensively sought. On this basis, the effects of alternative agronomic practices for sugar beet production on total energy inputs (from fuels and agricultural materials during cultivation and transportation) and ethanol yields (estimated from sugar yields) were assessed in terms of (i) direct drilling, (ii) reduced tillage (no moldboard plowing), (iii) no-fungicide application, (iv) using a high-yielding beet genotype, (v) delayed harvesting and (vi) root+crown harvesting. Compared with the conventional sugar beet production system used in the Tokachi region of Hokkaido, northern Japan, which makes use of transplants, direct drilling and no-fungicide application contributed to reduced energy inputs from raising seedlings and fungicides, respectively, but sugar (or ethanol) yields were also reduced by these practices, to a greater equivalent extent than the reductions in energy inputs. Consequently, direct drilling (6.84 MJ L,1) and no-fungicide application (7.78 MJ L,1) worsened the energy efficiency (total energy inputs to produce 1 L of ethanol), compared with conventional sugar beet production practices (5.82 MJ L,1). Sugar yields under conventional plow-based tillage and reduced tillage practices were similar, but total energy inputs were reduced as a result of reduced fuel consumption from not plowing. Hence, reduced tillage showed improved energy efficiency (5.36 MJ L,1). The energy efficiency was also improved by using a high-yielding genotype (5.23 MJ L,1) and root+crown harvesting (5.21 MJ L,1). For these practices, no major changes in total energy inputs were noted, but sugar yields were consistently increased. Neither total energy inputs nor ethanol yields were affected by extending the vegetative growing period by delaying harvesting. [source]


    Real-time mud gas logging and sampling during drilling

    GEOFLUIDS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2006
    J. ERZINGER
    Abstract Continuous mud gas loggings during drilling as well as offline mud gas sampling are standard procedures in oil and gas operations, where they are used to test reservoir rocks for hydrocarbons while drilling. Our research group has developed real-time mud gas monitoring techniques for scientific drilling in non-hydrocarbon formations mainly to sample and study the composition of crustal gases. We describe in detail this technique and provide examples for the evaluation of the continuous gas logs, which are not always easy to interpret. Hydrocarbons, helium, radon and with limitations carbon dioxide and hydrogen are the most suitable gases for the detection of fluid-bearing horizons, shear zones, open fractures, sections of enhanced permeability and permafrost methane hydrate occurrences. Off-site isotope studies on mud gas samples helped reveal the origin and evolution of deep-seated crustal fluids. [source]


    The Swedish Deep Drilling Program: the quest for the Earth's inner secrets

    GEOLOGY TODAY, Issue 6 2009
    Henning Lorenz
    The Swedish Deep Drilling Program (SDDP) has been initiated to study fundamental problems of the dynamic Earth system, its natural history and evolution. Many key scientific questions can be addressed through in situ investigations only, requiring deep continental drilling. Some are unique to Scandinavia, most are of international interest and significance. At present, five core projects (Fig. 1) with international teams are integrating scientific problems with societal and industrial applications. If SDDP succeeds to attract the funding required, Sweden will have a number of world-class boreholes at key locations by 2020. Figure 1. Locations of SDDP drilling project proposals. PFDP,Postglacial Fault Drilling Project; PaMVAS,Palaeoproterozoic mineralized volcanic arc systems: the Skellefte District; COSC,Collisional Orogeny in the Scandinavian Caledonides; DRL,The Dellen Impact Crater, a geoscientific deep rock laboratory; SELHO,Svecofennian accretion, an example of the early structural evolution in a large hot orogen; CISP,Concentric Impact Structures in the Palaeozoic: the Lockne and Siljan craters. Background and inset image from Blue Marble Next Generation data set (NASA Earth Observatory, http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/BlueMarble/). [source]


    Geothermal prognoses for tunnels in the Andes / . Geothermische Prognose für Andentunnel

    GEOMECHANICS AND TUNNELLING, Issue 5 2010
    Mag. Giorgio Höfer-Öllinger
    Geothermal energy - Geothermie; Reconnaissance - Baugrunderkundung; Hydrology - Hydrologie; Geology - Geologie Abstract Geothermal prognoses were carried out for two tunnel projects in the Andes, each running between Argentina and Chile. Different methods were applied in accordance with the different project phases. For the feasibility study of a 52 km long railway tunnel, hydrogeological mapping and hydrochemical analyses were carried out as well as isotope analyses on a thermal spring. An attempt to use silica and ionic solute geothermometers produced different results. For the central section of the tunnel temperatures are assumed to reach 50 to 70 °C and further investigations are recommended. The second tunnel project is now in the design phase. Two investigation phases have been completed including geological/ hydrogeological mapping, water sampling and analysis and core drilling. The geothermal gradient is well known from borehole temperature measurements. The thermal conductivity of the rocks was determined from core samples in a laboratory, and an average heat flow of approximately 100 mW/m2 was calculated. During the driving of the tunnel, temperatures of just over 50 °C are expected. Für zwei Tunnelvorhaben in den Anden, jeweils zwischen Argentinien und Chile, wurden geothermische Prognosen durchgeführt. Für verschiedene Projektphasen kamen entsprechend unterschiedliche Methoden zur Anwendung: Für eine Machbarkeitsstudie eines 52 km langen Eisenbahntunnels wurde eine Quellkartierung mit Probennahme durchgeführt sowie Isotopenanalytik an einer Thermalquelle. Ein Versuch, Geothermometer anhand der Lösungsfracht des Quellwassers zu verwenden, scheiterte. Für den zentralen Bereich des Tunnels werden Temperaturen von 50 bis 70 °C vermutet, weitere Erkundungen wurden empfohlen. Das zweite Tunnelvorhaben ist in der Planungsphase deutlich weiter. Neben Kartierungen liegen zwei Erkundungsphasen mit Kernbohrungen vor. Aus Bohrlochmessungen ist der geothermische Gradient bekannt, die Wärmeleitfähigkeit der Gesteine wurde anhand von Bohrkernen im Labor ermittelt. Es konnte ein durchschnittlicher Wärmefluss von etwa 100 mW/m2 errechnet werden, für den Tunnelvortrieb werden Gebirgstemperaturen von maximal knapp über 50 °C erwartet. [source]


    Die Detektionseffizienz von Vorausbohrungen im Tunnelbau

    GEOMECHANICS AND TUNNELLING, Issue 5 2008
    Hans-Jakob Ziegler Dr. phil.nat.
    Vor allem im Zusammenhang mit den großen Tunnelprojekten werden Vorausbohrungen zur Erkundung des Gebirges systematisch durchgeführt. Wie die Erfahrungen vom Lötschberg- und Gotthard-Basistunnel zeigen, handelt es sich dabei um ein effizientes Hilfsmittel, um "unerwünschte Ereignisse" wie Schlamm- und Wassereinbrüche oder das Anfahren von unerwarteten Störungszonen zu vermeiden. Nur in drei Fällen traten solche "unerwünschten Ereignisse" bisher auf der betrachteten, ausgebrochenen Tunnelstrecke von insgesamt etwa 100 km auf. Dies zeigt klar den großen Nutzen von Vorausbohrungen für die Arbeits- und Planungssicherheit im modernen Tunnelbau. Die vorgestellten Beispiele belegen aber auch, dass auch mit den effizientesten Vorausbohrungen die Eintretenswahrscheinlichkeit von "unerwünschten Ereignissen" nie Null sein wird. The detection efficacy of reconnaissance drilling in tunnelling Mainly in connection with major tunnel projects, reconnaissance drilling is systematically used to survey the host rock. As shows the experience from the Lötschberg- and the Gotthard basetunnels, reconnaissance drilling is an efficient tool in avoiding "unwanted hazards" like mud or water intrusions, or the penetration of unexpected fracture or failure zones. On the observed excavated tunnel distance of about 100 km, up to now, such "unwanted hazards" occurred tree times only. This clearly demonstrates the important benefit of reconnaissance drilling for work and planning security in modern tunnelling. However, the examples presented also make obvious, that even with the most efficient reconnaissance drilling the probability of an "unwanted hazard" will never become zero. [source]


    Seismic constraints on the three-dimensional geometry of low-angle intracrustal reflectors in the Southern Iberia Abyssal Plain

    GEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2008
    S. M. Dean
    SUMMARY Several lines of evidence suggest that simple shear rifting of the continental crust, in the form of low-angle detachment faulting, occurred during the final stages of continental breakup between West Iberia and the Grand Banks. The primary evidence for such faulting is the occurrence of low-angle, high amplitude reflectors within the basement adjacent to the ocean,continent transition zone. Here we present a series of intersecting, depth migrated seismic reflection profiles that image one such reflector, the H-reflector, located on the southern edge of Galicia Bank. ,H' lies beneath several boreholes drilled during ODP Legs 149 and 173, in a region where the oceanward extent of extended continental crust steps at least 150 km westward from its location in the southern Iberia Abyssal Plain to its location off the relatively shallow Galicia Bank. In our profiles ,H' appears to define a surface that extends over a region of at least 200 km2 and that dips down ,19° to the north, towards Galicia Bank. The profiles show that a close affinity exists between ,H' and the most seaward continental crust. Based on geophysical data and ODP drilling results, we infer that the basement above ,H' is composed of continental crust deformed by extensional faults into a series of wedge-shaped blocks and thin slivers. These basement wedges have a complex 3-D geometry. ,H' rises to the basement surface on a number of the seismic profiles and appears to define locally the oceanward extent of continental fault blocks. [source]


    The hydroelectric problem of porous rocks: inversion of the position of the water table from self-potential data

    GEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2004
    A. Revil
    SUMMARY The self-potential (SP) method is a fast and cheap reconnaissance tool sensitive to ground water flow in unconfined aquifers. A model based on the use of Green's functions for the coupled hydroelectric problem yields an integral equation relating the SP field to the distribution of the piezometric head describing the phreatic surface and to the electrical resistivity contrast through this phreatic surface. We apply this model to SP data measured on the south flank of the Piton de la Fournaise volcano, a large shield volcano located on Réunion island, Indian ocean. The phreatic surface, inverted with the help of the Simplex algorithm from the SP data, agrees well with the available information in this area [one borehole and electromagnetic (EM) data]. This interpretation scheme, which we call electrography, has many applications to the crucial problem of water supply in volcanic areas where drilling is expensive. [source]


    Approaches for derivation of environmental quality criteria for substances applied in risk assessment of discharges from offshore drilling operations

    INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2008
    Dag Altin
    Abstract In order to achieve the offshore petroleum industries "zero harm" goal to the environment, the environmental impact factor for drilling discharges was developed as a tool to identify and quantify the environmental risks associated with disposal of drilling discharges to the marine environment. As an initial step in this work the main categories of substances associated with drilling discharges and assumed to contribute to toxic or nontoxic stress were identified and evaluated for inclusion in the risk assessment. The selection were based on the known toxicological properties of the substances, or the total amount discharged together with their potential for accumulation in the water column or sediments to levels that could be expected to cause toxic or nontoxic stress to the biota. Based on these criteria 3 categories of chemicals were identified for risk assessment the water column and sediments: Natural organic substances, metals, and drilling fluid chemicals. Several approaches for deriving the environmentally safe threshold concentrations as predicted no effect concentrations were evaluated in the process. For the water column consensus were reached for using the species sensitivity distribution approach for metals and the assessment factor approach for natural organic substances and added drilling chemicals. For the sediments the equilibrium partitioning approach was selected for all three categories of chemicals. The theoretically derived sediment quality criteria were compared to field-derived threshold effect values based on statistical approaches applied on sediment monitoring data from the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The basis for derivation of predicted no effect concentration values for drilling discharges should be consistent with the principles of environmental risk assessment as described in the Technical Guidance Document on Risk Assessment issued by the European Union. [source]


    Adaptive remeshing in large plastic strain with damage

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 1 2005
    H. Borouchaki
    Abstract The analysis of mechanical structures using the finite element method in the framework of large elasto-plastic strain, needs frequent remeshing of the deformed domain during the computation. Indeed, the remeshing is due to the large geometrical distortion of finite elements and the adaptation to the physical behaviour of the solution as the plastic strain or the damage fields. This paper gives the necessary steps to remesh a mechanical structure during large elasto-plastic deformations with damage. An important part of this process concerns the geometrical and physical error estimates. The proposed method is integrated in a computational environment using the ABAQUS/Explicit solver and the BL2D-V2 adaptive mesher. After recalling the formulation of the elasto-plastic problem with damage, four types of applications using the proposed adaptive remeshing are given: orthogonal cutting, side-pressing of an infinite cylinder, blanking and backward extrusion with drilling. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Use of slopelimiter techniques in traditional numerical methods for multi-phase flow in pipelines and wells

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 7 2005
    R. J. Lorentzen
    Abstract The aim of this paper is to show how simple and traditional methods for simulating multi-phase flow can be improved by introducing higher order accuracy. Numerical diffusion is reduced to a minimum by using slopelimiter techniques, and better predictions of flow rates and pressure are obtained. Slopelimiter techniques, originally developed to achieve higher order of accuracy in Godunov's method, is applied to a method following a finite element approach and a predictor,corrector shooting technique. These methods are tested and compared to a Godunov-type scheme recently developed for multi-phase flow. Implementation of Godunov-type schemes for multi-phase flow tends to be a complicated and challenging task. Introducing the slopelimiter techniques in the finite element approach and the predictor,corrector shooting technique is however simple, and provides an overall reduction of the numerical diffusion. The focus is on using these techniques to improve the mass transport description, since this is the main concern in the applications needed. The presented schemes represent different semi-implicit approaches for simulating multi-phase flow. An evaluation of higher order extensions, as well as a comparison by itself, is of large interest. We present a model for two-phase flow in pipelines and wells, and an outline of the numerical methods and the extensions to second order spatial accuracy. Several examples motivated by applications in underbalanced drilling are presented, and the advantages of using higher order schemes are illustrated. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    In vitro human nail penetration and kinetics of panthenol

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE, Issue 4 2007
    X. Hui
    Synopsis The in vitro absorption of panthenol into and through the human nail was examined in this study. Panthenol, the alcohol form of pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), is believed to act as a humectant and improve the flexibility and strength of nails. A liquid nail treatment formulated with panthenol (2%) was compared to a solution of panthenol (2%) in water. Fingernail specimens were dosed daily for 7 days with either the nail treatment (non-lacquer film forming) formulation or aqueous solution with sampling performed every 24 h. Panthenol concentrations were determined in the dorsal surface, interior (by drilling and removal) and in the supporting bed under the human nail. Panthenol levels in the dorsal nail (R2 = 0.87; P < 0.001), nail interior (R2 = 0.94; P < 0.001) and nail supporting bed (R2 = 0.79; P < 0.003) showed a significant linear increase with each day of dosing. Significantly more panthenol was delivered into the interior nail and supporting bed by a nail treatment formulation than from an aqueous solution. The film acts not only as a reservoir of panthenol, but also acts to increase the hydration of the nail and the thermodynamic activity of panthenol as well, thereby enhancing diffusion. [source]


    Optimal setpoint chasing in dynamic positioning of deep-water drilling and intervention vessels

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBUST AND NONLINEAR CONTROL, Issue 13 2001
    Asgeir J. Sørensen
    Abstract Conventional controller designs for dynamic positioning of ships and floating marine structures have so far been based on the principle on automatic positioning in the horizontal-plane about desired position and heading co-ordinates defined by the operator. A three degrees-of-freedom multivariable controller either of linear or nonlinear type, normally with feedback signals from surge, sway and yaw position and velocities, has been regarded as adequate for the control objective. For floating structures with small waterplane area such as semi-submersibles, feedback from roll and pitch angular rotation velocity may also be included to avoid thrust-induced roll and pitch motions that are caused by the hydrodynamic and the geometrical couplings between the horizontal and vertical planes. However, for certain marine operations this control philosophy may not be the most appropriate approach ensuring safety and cost effectiveness. For drilling and work-over operations the main positioning objective is to minimize the bending stresses along the riser and the riser angle magnitudes at the well head on the subsea structure, and at the top joint as well. A positioning control strategy solely based on manual setting of the desired position co-ordinates may not be the most optimal solution for these applications. In this paper a new hybrid dynamic positioning controller, that also accounts for riser angle offsets and bending stresses is proposed. It is shown that a significant reduction in riser angle magnitude can be achieved. Simulations with a drilling semi-submersible demonstrate the effect of the proposed control strategy. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Eclogites from the Chinese continental scientific drilling borehole, their petrology and different P-T evolutions

    ISLAND ARC, Issue 4 2007
    Yong-Feng Zhu
    Abstract Four phengite-bearing eclogites, taken from different depths of the Chinese continental scientific drilling (CCSD) borehole in the Sulu ultrahigh pressure terrane, eastern China, were studied with the electron microprobe. The compositional zonations of garnet and omphacite are moderate, whereas phengite compositions generally vary significantly in a single sample from core to rim by decrease of the Si content. Various geothermobarometric methods were applied to constrain the P-T conditions of these eclogites on the basis of the compositional variability of the above minerals. The constrained P-T path for sample B218 is characterized by pressure decrease from ca 3.0 GPa (ca 600°C) to 1.3 GPa (ca 550°C). Eclogite B310 yielded P-T conditions of 3.0 GPa and 750°C. The path for eclogite B1008 starts at about 650°C and 3.6,3.9 GPa (stage I) followed by a pressure decrease to 2.8,3.0 GPa and a significant temperature rise (stages II and IIIa, 750,810°C). Afterwards, this rock cooled down to 620,660°C at still high pressures (2.5,2.7 GPa, stage IIIb). Retrograde conditions were about 670°C and 1.3 GPa (stage IV). Eclogite B1039 yielded a P-T path starting at ca 600°C and 3.3,3.9 GPa (stage I). A pressure decrease to about 3.0 GPa (stage II, 590,610°C) and then a moderate isobaric temperature increase to ca 630°C (stage III) followed. Stage IV is characterized by temperatures of 650°C at pressures close to 1.3 GPa. During and after this stage (hydrous) fluids partially rich in potassium penetrated the rocks causing minor changes. Relatively high oxygen fugacities led to andradite and magnetite among the newly formed minerals. We think that the above findings can be best explained by mass flow in a subduction channel. Thus, we conclude that the assembly of UHP rocks of the CCSD site, eclogites, quartzofeldspathic rocks, and peridotites, cannot represent a crustal section that was already coherent at UHP conditions as it is the common belief currently. The coherency was attained after significant exhumation of these UHP rocks. [source]


    Studies on three species of Trichogramma.

    JOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 3-4 2000

    The foraging strategies for both food or hosts of three trichogrammatid species: Trichogramma evanescens, Trichogramma cacoecia and Trichogramma dendrolimi were compared using artificial patches of Sitotroga cerealella eggs. In all experiments, inexperienced and newly emerged wasps of < 1 h old were singly tested. When the females were allowed to land upon the hosts, the decision-making process for initial acceptance or rejection was species-dependent. The initial search in T. evanescens was for food, whereas T. dendrolimi or T. cacoeciae start to oviposit immediately after their emergence. When honey-deprived or undeprived females were each exposed to single patches for 20 or 60 min, variations in mean number of probing females ,drilling and ovipositing' were also species-dependent. Acceptance of host eggs by honey-deprived females and subsequent egg deposition were higher in both T. cacoeciae and T. dendrolimi than in T. evanescens. For all species, the probing of honey-undeprived females was higher than that of deprived ones. When the exposure period was prolonged to 24 or 48 h and the number of patches per female increased to three, most of the honey-deprived or undeprived T. evanescens females attacked one patch, and only a few of them attacked two patches. Foraging activity of honey-deprived females of T. cacoeciae was restricted to single patches, whereas most undeprived ones attacked more than one patch. In contrast, honey-deprived or undeprived T. dendrolimi females attacked more than one patch. The experiments showed that T. dendrolimi females have more powerful ovipositing urges than looking for food and that the opposite was the case for T. evanescens, with T. cacoeciae being intermediate. [source]


    A retrospective analysis of two independent prospective cartilage repair studies: autogenous perichondrial grafting versus subchondral drilling 10 years post-surgery

    JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH, Issue 2 2002
    Phianne S. J. M. Bouwmeester
    Background: Experimental data indicate that perichondrial grafting to restore articular cartilage defects will result in repair with hyaline-like cartilage. In contrast, debridement and drilling results in repair with fibro-cartilage. In this retrospective study the longterm clinical results of both procedures were compared to evaluate the theoretical benefit of repair with hyaline-like tissue. Methods: From two independent studies patients were selected with a cartilage defect in their knee. The selection was performed using strict inclusion criteria published elsewhere [Bouwmeester et al. Int. Orthop. 21 (1997) 313]. The patients were treated with either a perichondrium transplantation (PT group, n = 14) or with an ,open' debridement and drilling procedure (DD group, n = 11). The results of both procedures after 10,11 years were evaluated using the Hospital for Special Surgery Knee Score (HSSS), X-ray examination, clinical examination and visual analogue scales (VAS) for pain during walking and at rest. Results: Both procedures resulted in a general improvement compared to the situation before the operation. After an average of 10 years in the PT group there were three failures, in the DD group none, success rates were 78% and 100%, respectively. When comparing the successful PT patients with the DD patients, there were no differences in HSSS and VAS data. Both groups showed an equal number of irregular operation surface sites on X-ray (PT 9/11 versus DD 8/10). Conclusions: This study shows that clinically at 10 years follow-up no difference was observed between debridement and drilling and perichondrium transplantation for treatment of an isolated cartilage defect. This raises questions about ongoing research to develop methods in order to improve the results of debridement and drilling as therapy for an isolated cartilage defect in a young patient (, 40 years). © 2002 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. [source]


    Use of Synthetic Aperture Radar for Selecting Alaskan Lakes for Winter Water Use,

    JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION, Issue 2 2008
    D.M. White
    Abstract:, Water resources are limited in many areas of the North Slope, Alaska, particularly during winter. Water is used by the oil industry for ice road construction and maintenance, drilling and facility operations, and potable water supplies. The coastal plain between Teshekpuk Lake, in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) and the Colville River has numerous shallow lakes, but further south in the northern foothills of the Brooks Range, and east to the Canning River, lakes are fewer. While many oil and gas lease sales have been conducted, or are proposed, access to the leases may be limited because of the lack of available water for ice road construction. Ice roads are the main means by which exploration is conducted in the Arctic, putting a stress on freshwater bodies that do not freeze to the lakebed in winter. Lakes that do not freeze to the lakebed also serve as overwintering habitat for fish. The purpose of this paper is to report on the potential distribution of water bodies that may provide overwinter water in selected areas from Teshekpuk Lake to the Canning River. The project used synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery to search for the presence of water in lakes in March 2006. In the Kuparuk and Canning SAR images, 52 and 61% of lakes were frozen to their beds by March 2006, accounting for 49 and 57% of the lake area in these study regions. Conversely, only 2% of the lakes in the Teshekpuk region were frozen to the bottom by March 2006. Unfrozen water was more available because of deeper and more numerous lakes in the Teshekpuk Lake region (west) than in the Canning River area (east). While only specific SAR tiles were analyzed herein, the method will be a useful tool for land managers who seek to evaluate the potential for ice road construction across the Arctic. [source]


    Semiarid land rehabilitation by direct drilling in the South Island, New Zealand,plant species and establishment technology

    LAND DEGRADATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2004
    B. J. Wills
    Abstract Large areas of the east coast and inland basins of the South Island, New Zealand, are affected by periodic drought and/or semiarid climatic conditions, particularly during cyclic El Niño climatic events. The severity of these environmental conditions places great stress on introduced and native pasture species and frequently results in poor establishment of new pastures using standard drilling techniques. The objective of this study was to determine effective, practical means of rehabilitating semiarid land (about 470,mm annual rainfall) on a site in Central Otago. A comparison of two direct drilling methods, a novel strip-seeder drill and a standard hoe-coulter drill, was conducted in a trial initiated during spring 1998. Five drought-tolerant forage species were established: wheatgrass (Thinopyron intermedium), tall oat grass (Arrhenatherum elatius), birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), hairy dorycnium (Dorycnium hirsutum) and bluebush (Kochia prostrata). For the 2000/2001 growing season, species established with the strip-seeder drill had an overall mean herbage biomass of 235,g,m,,2,, three-times that for the hoe-coulter drill (77,g,m,,2,, P,<,0·001). Differences in herbage biomass between species were observed, with hairy dorycnium (mean 328,g,m,,2,) producing significantly (P,<,0·001) more herbage biomass than the other species. After the third spring, the percentage ground cover recorded from transects across the strip-seeder drill plots (cf. the hoe-coulter drill) was: wheatgrass,41,per,cent (10,per,cent); tall oat grass,44,per,cent (25,per,cent); birdsfoot trefoil,25,per,cent (5,per,cent); hairy dorycnium,50,per,cent (19,per,cent); and bluebush,4,per,cent (0,per,cent). The native plant content of the resident vegetation was reduced as a result of the drilling treatments and also when fertilizer was added to undistrubed pasture. The strip-seeder drill is capable of providing superior plant growth on dryland sites even during adverse drought conditions. It produces a furrow approximately 16,cm wider than the hoe-coulter drill, exerts a greater shattering effect on the soil structure and places fertilizer at depth. It is suggested that this assists plant establishment by providing good seedling protection from wind and sun, and subsequent plant growth by allowing easier root penetration to the subsoil where nutrients and moisture are available. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    High Power Diode Lasers and Current Applications

    LASER TECHNIK JOURNAL, Issue 3 2009
    Enabling features for DPSSL, laser micro processing
    In the recent years diode lasers have been established in many areas of industry and research. Especially the pumping of solid state lasers (DPSSL) is major field of application for high power diode lasers enabling solutions in many laser micro processes like cutting, sintering, structuring as well as drilling. This article reports progresses in the past as well as state of the art of high power diode lasers and describes their major applications. [source]


    Cambrian high-resolution biostratigraphy and carbon isotope chemostratigraphy in Scania, Sweden: first record of the SPICE and DICE excursions in Scandinavia

    LETHAIA, Issue 1 2009
    PER AHLBERG
    A core drilling (Andrarum-3), from the classical locality at Andrarum, Scania, southernmost Sweden, penetrated a 28.90-m-thick Cambrian succession. The core comprises dark grey to black, finely laminated mudstones and shales with early concretionary carbonate lenses (stinkstones or orsten) and a few primary carbonate beds. The middle Cambrian (provisional Series 3) part of the core comprises 17.35 m, whereas the Furongian Series (upper Cambrian) part covers the remaining 11.55 m. Nineteen trilobite and two phosphatocopine genera are present in the middle Cambrian, whereas the less diverse Furongian interval yielded four trilobite and three phosphatocopine genera. Other, less frequent, faunal elements include conodonts (s. l.), brachiopods, sponge spicules, bradoriids, and coprolites. Trilobites and phosphatocopines were used to subdivide the core into seven biozones ranging from the Ptychagnostus atavus Zone to the Parabolina spinulosa Zone (P. spinulosa Subzone). Carbon isotopic analyses (,13Corg) through the core show two important excursions, the negative DrumIan Carbon isotope Excursion (DICE) in the Pt. atavus Zone, and the Steptoean Positive Carbon Isotope Excursion (SPICE) beginning near the first appearance of Glyptagnostus reticulatus and extending upward into the Olenus and Agnostus (Homagnostus) obesus Zone. The DICE displays a peak value, in the samples at hand, of ,30.45,,13Corg in the lower part of the P. atavus Zone. The ,13Corg values increase through the overlying L. laevigata and A. pisiformis zones and display peak values of c. ,28.00,,13Corg in the lowermost Furongian Olenus wahlenbergi and O. attenuatus subzones. Thereafter the values decrease significantly through the O. scanicus Subzone. Both isotopic excursions have been documented from several palaeocontinents, but never before from Baltica. Moreover, for the first time these excursions are recorded from organic matter in an alum shale setting. The recorded shift of +1.50,2.00,,13Corg is approximately half the magnitude of the SPICE documented from other regions. This discrepancy may be related to temporal variations in the type, origin, or diagenesis of the organic fraction analysed. [source]


    Intense drilling in the Carboniferous brachiopod Cardiarina cordata Cooper, 1956

    LETHAIA, Issue 2 2003
    ALAN P. HOFFMEISTER
    The brachiopod Cardiarina cordata, collected from a Late Pennsylvanian (Virgilian) limestone unit in Grapevine Canyon (Sacramento Mts., New Mexico), reveals frequent drillings: 32.7% (n = 400) of these small, invariably articulated specimens (<2 mm size) display small (<0.2 mm), round often beveled holes that are typically single and penetrate one valve of an articulated shell. The observed drilling frequency is comparable with frequencies observed in the Late Mesozoic and Cenozoic. The drilling organism displayed high valve and site selectivity, although the exact nature of the biotic interaction recorded by drill holes (parasitism vs. predation) cannot be established. In addition, prey/host size may have been an important factor in the selection of prey/host taxa by the predator/parasite. These results suggest that drilling interactions occasionally occurred at high (Cenozoic-like) frequencies in the Paleozoic. However, such anomalously high frequencies may have been restricted to small prey/host with small drill holes. Small drillings in C. cordata, and other Paleozoic brachiopods, may record a different guild of predators/parasites than the larger, but less common, drill holes previously documented for Paleozoic brachiopods, echinoderms, and mollusks. [source]


    EFFECTS OF AN OFFSHORE OIL DEVELOPMENT ON LOCAL ABUNDANCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF RINGED SEALS (PHOCA HISPIDA) OF THE ALASKAN BEAUFORT SEA,

    MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2005
    Valerie D. Moulton
    Abstract This study investigates how densities of ringed seals were affected by construction and oil production activities at Northstar, an artificial island built in the nearshore Alaskan Beaufort Sea. Intensive and replicated aerial surveys of seals on landfast ice were conducted during six spring seasons: for three seasons before island construction began (1997,1999); after a winter of intensive island construction (2000); and after more limited construction plus drilling (2001) and drilling plus oil production (2002). A Poisson regression model was used to examine seal densities relative to distance from Northstar after allowance for environmental covariates. Post hoc power analysis indicated that the study design and Poisson regression approach had high power to detect small-scale changes in seal densities near Northstar if such changes had occurred. However, seal densities during spring were not significantly affected by proximity to Northstar in 2000,2002. Habitat, temporal, and weather factors did have significant effects on seal densities. This study shows that effects of the Northstar oil development on local distribution of basking ringed seals are no more than slight, and are small relative to the effects of natural environmental factors. An understanding of environmental effects is essential when assessing potential impacts of industrial activity on ringed seals. [source]


    An international and multidisciplinary drilling project into a young complex impact structure: The 2004 ICDP Bosumtwi Crater Drilling Project,An overview

    METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 4-5 2007
    Christian KOEBERL
    It is the source crater of the Ivory Coast tektites. The structure was excavated in 2.1,2.2 Gyr old metasediments and metavolcanics of the Birimian Supergroup. A drilling project was conceived that would combine two major scientific interests in this crater: 1) to obtain a complete paleoenvironmental record from the time of crater formation about one million years ago, at a near-equatorial location in Africa for which very few data are available so far, and 2) to obtain a complete record of impactites at the central uplift and in the crater moat, for ground truthing and comparison with other structures. Within the framework of an international and multidisciplinary drilling project led by the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP), 16 drill cores were obtained from June to October 2004 at six locations within Lake Bosumtwi, which is 8.5 km in diameter. The 14 sediment cores are currently being investigated for paleoenvironmental indicators. The two impactite cores LB-07A and LB-08A were drilled into the deepest section of the annular moat (540 m) and the flank of the central uplift (450 m), respectively. They are the main subject of this special issue of Meteoritics & Planetary Science, which represents the first detailed presentations of results from the deep drilling into the Bosumtwi impactite sequence. Drilling progressed in both cases through the impact breccia layer into fractured bedrock. LB-07A comprises lithic (in the uppermost part) and suevitic impact breccias with appreciable amounts of impact melt fragments. The lithic clast content is dominated by graywacke, besides various metapelites, quartzite, and a carbonate target component. Shock deformation in the form of quartz grains with planar microdeformations is abundant. First chemical results indicate a number of suevite samples that are strongly enriched in siderophile elements and Mg, but the presence of a definite meteoritic component in these samples cannot be confirmed due to high indigenous values. Core LB-08A comprises suevitic breccia in the uppermost part, followed with depth by a thick sequence of graywacke-dominated metasediment with suevite and a few granitoid dike intercalations. It is assumed that the metasediment package represents bedrock intersected in the flank of the central uplift. Both 7A and 8A suevite intersections differ from suevites outside of the northern crater rim. Deep drilling results confirmed the gross structure of the crater as imaged by the pre-drilling seismic surveys. Borehole geophysical studies conducted in the two boreholes confirmed the low seismic velocities for the post-impact sediments (less than 1800 m/s) and the impactites (2600,3300 m/s). The impactites exhibit very high porosities (up to 30 vol%), which has important implications for mechanical rock stability. The statistical analysis of the velocities and densities reveals a seismically transparent impactite sequence (free of prominent internal reflections). Petrophysical core analyses provide no support for the presence of a homogeneous magnetic unit (= melt breccia) within the center of the structure. Borehole vector magnetic data point to a patchy distribution of highly magnetic rocks within the impactite sequence. The lack of a coherent melt sheet, or indeed of any significant amounts of melt rock in the crater fill, is in contrast to expectations from modeling and pre-drilling geophysics, and presents an interesting problem for comparative studies and requires re-evaluation of existing data from other terrestrial impact craters, as well as modeling parameters. [source]


    Origin and emplacement of the impact formations at Chicxulub, Mexico, as revealed by the ICDP deep drilling at Yaxcopoil-1 and by numerical modeling

    METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 7 2004
    Dieter Stöffler
    We present and interpret results of petrographic, mineralogical, and chemical analyses of the 1511 m deep ICDP Yaxcopoil-1 (Yax-1) drill core, with special emphasis on the impactite units. Using numerical model calculations of the formation, excavation, and dynamic modification of the Chicxulub crater, constrained by laboratory data, a model of the origin and emplacement of the impact formations of Yax-1 and of the impact structure as a whole is derived. The lower part of Yax-1 is formed by displaced Cretaceous target rocks (610 m thick), while the upper part comprises six suevite-type allochthonous breccia units (100 m thick). From the texture and composition of these lithological units and from numerical model calculations, we were able to link the seven distinct impact-induced units of Yax-1 to the corresponding successive phases of the crater formation and modification, which are as follows: 1) transient cavity formation including displacement and deposition of Cretaceous "megablocks;" 2) ground surging and mixing of impact melt and lithic clasts at the base of the ejecta curtain and deposition of the lower suevite right after the formation of the transient cavity; 3) deposition of a thin veneer of melt on top of the lower suevite and lateral transport and brecciation of this melt toward the end of the collapse of the transient cavity (brecciated impact melt rock); 4) collapse of the ejecta plume and deposition of fall-back material from the lower part of the ejecta plume to form the middle suevite near the end of the dynamic crater modification; 5) continued collapse of the ejecta plume and deposition of the upper suevite; 6) late phase of the collapse and deposition of the lower sorted suevite after interaction with the inward flowing atmosphere; 7) final phase of fall-back from the highest part of the ejecta plume and settling of melt and solid particles through the reestablished atmosphere to form the upper sorted suevite; and 8) return of the ocean into the crater after some time and minor reworking of the uppermost suevite under aquatic conditions. Our results are compatible with: a) 180 km and 100 km for the diameters of the final crater and the transient cavity of Chicxulub, respectively, as previously proposed by several authors, and b) the interpretation of Chicxulub as a peak-ring impact basin that is at the transition to a multi-ring basin. [source]