AbstractTo see if and how abrasive potential as well as drilling efficiency change due to rock heating, Cerchar scratch tests were performed on six types of rock at eight temperature levels. Results indicate that rock abrasivity is temperature-dependent. The change of rock abrasivity expressed by the Cerchar abrasivity index can be divided into two stages on either side of 500 °C. Meanwhile, the drilling efficiency expressed by the Cerchar abrasion ratio can significantly be enhanced, especially when the heating temperature exceeds 500 °C. The observation of damaged surfaces indicates that the material volume removed from the rock surface increase after rock heating. The worn steel surfaces (115CrV3 tool steel) shows the severe plastic deformation and fracturing associated with cracking, delamination, dislocation and chipping of the steel.
AbstractThe study of water infiltration helps to investigate the pollutants' migration, grasp the mechanism of the water cycle, and correctly evaluate water resources. This paper reveals the mechanism of compacted loess's one-dimensional vertical water infiltration characteristics using a low-cost water infiltration device. In addition, it investigates particle arrangement and pore size distribution characteristics using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The test finding suggests that the loess's early-stage infiltration rate is significant, and the dry density is not related to the infiltration characteristics. With the advance of the wetting front, the infiltration rate decreases under air resistance. The unsaturated permeability decreases with dry density at lower matric suction while unaffected by the dry density at higher matric suction. Moreover, the volume and connectivity of pores mainly control the water infiltration characteristics. Finally, based on the test results, a method for rapidly predicting the unsaturated permeability of loess is proposed. The results of the study help predict contaminant transport and guide groundwater extraction and management.
AbstractThermal conductivity is a key parameter for many soil applications, especially for dimensioning shallow and very shallow geothermal systems based on the possible heat extraction rate and for modelling heat transfer processes around high voltage underground cables. Due to the limited purview of direct thermal conductivity measurements, for an investigation of extensive areas, usually other geophysical methods like electrical resistivity tomography measurements are applied. To derive thermal conductivity of soil from geoelectrical measurements a relation between electrical and thermal conductivity is needed. Until now only few approaches worked on a direct correlation between both conductivities. Due to the difficulties of a direct relation, within this study a modular approach of a mediate correlation between electrical and thermal conductivity was investigated. Therefore, a direct relationship between a corrected electrical conductivity and water content as well as the standard and simple thermal conductivity model of Kersten (Bull of the Univ Minnesota 28:1–227, 1949) was used. To develop this concept soil types of sand, silt loam and clay were investigated where different saturation steps and pressure loads were applied. For each configuration electrical and thermal conductivity as well as water content and bulk density was determined. To refine the results of the calculated water content a corrective factor was applied. Furthermore, bulk density as an inlet parameter of the Kersten equation was also derived based on electrical conductivity. The suggested proceeding enables the determination of thermal conductivity solely based on electrical conductivity without prior soil property information.
Experiments measuring kaolinite dissolution rates were carried out using a stirred-flow reactor at temperatures of 25, 50, and 80°C and in the pH range 2 to 4.2. All experiments were conducted under far-from-equilibrium conditions (ΔG < −2.9kcal/mol) and with minimum potential catalysts or inhibitors present in the solution. Therefore, the changes in the dissolution rates should be dominantly a function of the pH and the temperature. At 25 and 50°C the dissolution rate is independent of pH in the pH range 2 to 3, while at 80°C the dissolution rate is proportional to aH+0.4±0.2 The same proportionality of the rate to aH+0.4±0.14 was found at 25 and 50°C in the pH range of 3 to 4. In contrast to the results of previous studies, between pH 3 and 4 there is little or no difference between the pH reaction orders at 25 and 50°C (and also no difference at 80°C, based on previous studies. The similarity of reaction orders at different temperatures suggests that there is no pH effect on the activation energy of the kaolinite dissolution reaction, within the analytical error of our data. Using all the pH and temperature data, the activation energy obtained is 7.0 ± 1.1 kcal/mol.
N. Graham, Chenghanzhi Jiang, Xiang-zhong Li
et al.
This paper presents information concerning the influence of solution pH on the aqueous reaction between potassium ferrate and phenol and three chlorinated phenols: 4-chlorophenol (CP), 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP), 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP). The redox potential and aqueous stability of the ferrate ion, and the reactivity of dissociating compounds, are known to be pH dependent. Laboratory tests have been undertaken over a wide range of pH (5.8-11) and reactant concentrations (ferrate:compound molar ratios of 1:1 to 8:1). The reactivity of trichloroethylene was also investigated as a reference compound owing to its non-dissociating nature. The extent of compound degradation by ferrate was found to be highly pH dependent, and the optimal pH (maximum degradation) decreased in the order: phenol/CP, DCP, TCP; at the optimal pH the degree of degradation of these compounds was similar. The results indicate that for the group of phenol and chlorophenols studied, the presence of an increasing number of chlorine substituent atoms corresponds to an increasing reactivity of the undissociated compound, and a decreasing reactivity of the dissociated compound.