Geological Engineering Commons^™

Optimization Of Vibro-Seismic Parameters For Enhanced Oil Recovery Application, Tarek Abdel Aal

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis was conducted in the American University in Cairo by Tarek Ahmed Abdel Fattah Abdel Aal. The thesis is titled ‘Optimization of Vibroseismic Parameters for Enhanced Oil Recovery Application.’ The thesis discusses whether or not the combination of optimized physical vibration parameters with waterflooding would improve porosity, absolute permeability, relative permeability, and recovery when compared with just classical waterflooding. The optimized physical vibration parameters as well as methodology was used from a previous paper that was performed in conjunction with my thesis advisor on similar core samples. The experimentation was performed on five core samples with different porosities and …

Characterization Of The Kansas River Alluvial Aquifer Using Towed Transient Electromagnetic Geophysical Method, Jonathon Daniel Voss

Masters Theses

"Forecasted urban development areas west of Kansas City, Kansas in the coming decades has caused an increase of research into water resources (Butler et al. 2022). A location of investigation has been the Kansas River Alluvial Aquifer (KRAA) for shallow ground water resources. To investigate the KRAA structure and grain texture, the towed transient electromagnetic system (tTEM) in conjunction with direct push electrical conductivity logs and lithology wells were used to investigate four locations between Lawrence and Manhattan, Kansas. In total, 110 line-kilometers of tTEM data was collected. The tTEM data collected were high quality and through inversions of the …

Modeling Heat Propagation And Thermal Enhanced Decay In A Solar Thermal Remediation System, Justin Trainor

All Theses

Low temperature solar thermal remediation is designed to accelerate ongoing biotic and abiotic treatment processes at a much lower temperature and cost than high temperature thermal remediation strategies. An array of borehole heat exchangers are used to circulate a solar-heated fluid through a closed-loop system of thermally conductive pipes. Thermal energy heats the surrounding contaminated zone through the process of thermal conduction which serves to enhance the degradation of the contaminant.

A three dimensional analytical solution was previously constructed to model heat propagation from borehole heat exchangers into the surrounding subsurface. The model utilizes a system of finite line sources …

A Hidden Spider Web Of Roots: Utilizing Ground Penetrating Radar To Uncover Laterally Expansive Roots Of An Oak Tree, Megan Lapkoff

All Theses

Roots are critical to understanding tree health, subsurface biomass, and overall tree root stability. However, accessing tree roots is difficult and traditional methods used to quantify roots harm or kill the tree. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) provides a non-invasive way to characterize subsurface roots without harming the tree. GPR provides high-resolution data and the ability to collect data with high spatial coverage, making it an ideal tool for characterizing roots. GPR works by detecting contrasts in dielectric permittivity or electromagnetic (EM) velocity at interfaces between materials. Small scattering objects, like roots, generate predictable artifacts called diffraction hyperbolas. Diffraction hyperbolas will …

Predicting The Damage Behavior And Fracture Propagation In A 3d-Printed Synthetic Rock Material With The Distinct Element Method (Pfc3d) And Hybrid Finite-Discrete Element Method (Irazu3d), Frankie Johnston

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

The ability to monitor and predict the evolution of rock damage and fracture is key for creating reliable and sustainable civil infrastructure. Rock crack propagation is a complex process that is dependent on material properties such as tensile strength, compressive strength, density, elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, friction coefficient, cohesion, and specimen conditions such as preexisting microcracks, particle size distribution, and mineral distribution. In conjunction with the 56th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, researchers primarily at Purdue University organized the Damage Mechanics Challenge to determine the current state and future direction of the rock modeling community’s ability to simulate rock crack formation. …

Characterization Of The Spatial And Temporal Dynamics Of Floodplain Surface-Water Circulation, Shailesh Cyriel Van Der Steeg

Theses and Dissertations

Floodplains are spatially complex landscapes with a variety of surface features and landforms. These low-relief, low-gradient landscapes may contain extensive networks of well-defined channels and topographically connected depressions, and in some cases, the channels originate as cuts across levees or banks of the main river, referred to as through-bank channels. Corresponding complex patterns of inundation and flow have been detected through remote sensing and in field observations. The complex floodplain flows in response to the passing of flood waves is, however, poorly quantified. This work aims to increase fundamental understanding of floodplain flows and to highlight controls on floodplain wetting, …

Evaluating Geomechanical Uncertainty In Open Pit Mine Planning, Evan Ricchio-Hitchcock

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Open pit mine planning encompasses a variety of uncertainties. Uncertainty due to geomechanics is most critical for a safe operation in an open pit mine. Without sufficient knowledge of the geomechanical properties of the subsurface, a reliability analysis of the slope stability could be challenging. Slope stability is a crucial step in pit optimization since the cash flow analysis of a mine is constrained by a stable slope angle. However, obtaining a stable slope angle with certainty is difficult to achieve as geomechanical parameters are modeled using a very limited number of samples. This thesis proposes a method to integrate …

Tropospheric Correction For Insar Using Machine Learning, Ngo Hi Kenny Yue

Masters Theses

"Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is a popular technique for studying Earth's surface deformation caused by phenomena like earthquakes and subsidence. However, its accuracy is limited by tropospheric delays caused by water vapor in the atmosphere. This limitation can be overcome by using methods that correct for tropospheric noise, such as statistical, empirical, and predictive approaches. This study explores the potential of using machine learning algorithms to predict the zenith total delay caused by tropospheric effects in InSAR measurements. The study employs two different machine learning algorithms, random forest and neural networks, to learn the relationship between numerical weather prediction …

Developing A Regional Scale Landslide Early Warning System In A Data-Sparse Region Using Remote Sensing, Geostatistics, And Google Earth Engine, Vishnu Chakrapani Lekha

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Landslide Early Warning System (LEWS) is a non-structural approach to mitigate landslide risk by alerting vulnerable communities at an early stage. This study aimed to develop a regional LEWS for rain-induced shallow landslides in Idukki, a mountainous district in India with sparse rainfall data. The landslide model consists of a rainfall component and a slope stability component. Satellite precipitation data can be used in data-sparse regions, but they must be calibrated because they tend to underestimate rainfall. To improve the accuracy of satellite data, this study used a geostatistics-based multi-criteria approach to identify optimal locations to install new rain …

Prediction Of Dynamic Subsidence In The Proximity Of Longwall Panel Boundaries, Jesus David Romero Benitez

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

The development of mining subsidence has a dynamic character, and it is related to the mining rate and a time coefficient. Reliable prediction of dynamic deformations is important when planning to undermine important structures that cannot account for large relative deformations and or large horizontal strains. This thesis discusses subsidence development for a number of points over a retreating longwall panel in the eastern US. The prediction points are at different distances from the excavation rib and, therefore, present a different response in terms of dynamic movements. Final movements, i.e., measurements after the panel was fully extracted, were used to …

Identification, Mapping, Analysis, And Dating Of Composite Mega Landslides In The Colorado Plateau, Conor Maris Watkins

Doctoral Dissertations

"This research consists of three articles focusing on landslide complexes within the Grand Canyon region of the Colorado Plateau. This is a vast and remote region of rugged topography. The landslide complexes in this study are greater than 10 million cubic meters in volume. The slides are located within different areas of the region and consist of differing geology but share multiple commonalities. Stratigraphic and structural controls tend to dictate where the slides occur. All of the landslides occur where carbonates and/or sandstones overlie over consolidated shales. The shales are susceptible to creep and strain softening where lateral confinement has …

Energy Dissipation In A Sand Damper Under Cyclic Loading, Ehab Sabi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Various seismic and wind engineering designs and retrofit strategies have been in development to meet structures' proper and safe operation during earthquake and wind excitation. One such method is the addition of fluid and particle dampers, such as sand dampers, in an effort to reduce excessive and dangerous displacements of structures. The present study implements the discrete element method (DEM) to assess the performance of a pressurized sand damper (PSD) and characterize the dissipated energy under cyclic loading. The idea of a PSD is to exploit the increase in shearing resistance of sand under external pressure and the associated ability …

Geology-Based Shear-Wave Velocity Model Of Reference Site Conditions In South Carolina For Seismic Site Response Analysis, Camilius Amevorku

All Dissertations

Assessing earthquake hazard in the State of South Carolina is important because it is one of the most seismically active regions of the eastern United States and has experienced earthquakes of damaging levels in the historical past. Examples of these damaging seismic events are the 1886 Charleston earthquake (M 6.7 to 7.5) and the 1913 Union County earthquake (M 4.5 to 5.5).

Small-strain shear-wave velocity (V_S) is an important parameter in performing site response analysis. The deep nature of the top of reference firm rock (i.e., V_S ≥ 760 m/s or B-C boundary) due to …

Applications Of Temperature Transient Analysis For Reservoir Surveillance, Refaat Galal Aboelfotoh Hashish

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Reservoir monitoring is a key factor in the management of oil and gas resources. With the recent developments of permanent downhole temperature monitoring tools such as Fiber-Optic Distributed Temperature Sensing (FO-DTS), temperature transient analysis has evolved as a new alternative for reservoir monitoring. In this work, different techniques of temperature data analysis are presented for monitoring and characterization of hydrocarbon and geologic carbon storage (GCS) reservoirs. The objective of this study is to present new approaches that enable monitoring injection profile through vertical and horizontal injection wells using temperature warmback analysis. Application of temperature warmback analysis is also extended for …

Experimental Study On Co2-Sensitive Polyacrylamide As Potential In-Situ Sealing Agent For Co2 Leakage Pathways In Geological Storage Sites, Iris Laihmen Quan Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

As the world pushes for ‘greener’ technologies and carbon neutrality, efforts have focused on creating novel ways to mitigate humankind’s carbon footprint. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has become a prevalent technique that has proven to be an effective long-term method to safely relocate excess carbon dioxide (CO₂) into subsurface formations. However, CCS is a newer technique which requires constant monitoring due to potential leakage pathways present in CO₂ storage sites; therefore, a preventive approach to seal leakage pathways is recommended. This dissertation explores the potential of CO₂-sensitive polyacrylamide (CO₂-SPAM) as a novel …

Microbiological, Environmental, And Compositional Factors In Efficacy Of Micp Treatment In Clayey Soils, Somaye Asghari

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Expansive clayey soils can cause billions of dollars of damage to infrastructure such as roads and foundations annually. Researchers propose many techniques (e.g., pre-wetting, soil replacement, and chemical stabilization) to improve the mechanical properties of these soils; however, some of these methods are impractical in certain situations, and are unsustainable in others due to the economic and environmental impacts. One possible method for enhancing soil’s mechanical properties is Microbial Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (MICP). This environmentally friendly technique is a biological process where microbes play a key role in precipitating calcium carbonate. This precipitating calcium carbonate can coat soil particles …

Correlations Of Subsurface Geotechnical And Geophysical Parameters In Central Montana, David Barrick

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

This paper summarizes the results of a suite of tests performed in conjunction with a site investigation for the replacement of six timber bridges in Central Montana and four investigative geotechnical boreholes from a nearby ranch. The sites at the six timber bridges consist of Cretaceous sedimentary rocks (shale with stratified sandstone), overlain by thin layers of residual clays or Quaternary alluvium. The geology at the nearby ranch consists of either Quaternary vuggy travertine or Quaternary alluvium/colluvium deposits overlying residual shale of the Mississippian Heath Formation. In total, 49 samples were collected ranging from three Quaternary travertine HQ core samples, …

Strain-Based Design Of Steel-Polymer-Steel Composite Pipes, Vul Thang

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Many offshore single-wall pipelines and structural failures have occurred in the past. As a result, lives were lost, and billions of dollars were spent. In addition, natural disasters such as earthquake fault zones can cause a large volume of soil movement. This can easily damage single-wall pipelines or piles of fixed offshore platforms in the earthquake fault zone.

Currently, the single-wall pipelines are used for the offshore and onshore oil and gas industry. This research investigated the use of double-wall composite pipe steel-polymer-steel (SPS) in place of single-wall pipe to prevent such failures. The double-wall composite pipe has a larger …

Fate And Transport Of Toxoplasma Gondii Oocysts In Saturated Porous Media: Effects Of Electrolytes And Natural Organic Matter, Christian Pullano

All Theses

Toxoplasma gondii is a pathogenic microorganism that is currently a threat to public health. Understanding the fate and transport of T. gondii through the soil and groundwater is vital in determining the risk it poses to water resources and human health. The physico-chemical interactions between the groundwater and the bio colloid within an aquifer will dictate its mobility and its ability to infect humans. This research examines how various naturally occurring groundwater chemistries containing organic compounds and monovalent and divalent salt solutions will alter the fate and transport of T. gondii. Solutions containing various concentrations of humic acid, fulvic …

Investigating The Possibility Of Using Smelted Water-Cooled Copper Slag Regolith As A Terrestrial Based Lunar Regolith Simulant, Scott A. Morley

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

There is a need for a stable, efficient, and cost-effective option of a terrestrial lunar regolith simulant that can be easily made and at a lower cost to the consumer. A lunar regolith is the layer of unconsolidated rocky material covering bedrock that is on planets. All simulants fabricated for the moon, are based off three types of lunar regolith areas. The first is the lunar highlands which are the high areas of the moon, these areas are anthracitic. The second is lunar mare which is the meteoroid bombarded areas of the moon that look like dark grey areas from …

Characterizing Hydrostratigraphic Communication Of The Semi-Consolidated Sediment Aquifers Of The Flathead Valley In Northwestern Montana Through Hydrogeophysical Surveys, Elizabeth Katherine Breitmeyer

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

To accurately forecast the cascading effects of increased stress to a hydrologic system, characterization of the continuity and permeability of the primary confining layer (PCL) separating the shallow and deep intermontane alluvial aquifers is required. Geophysical methods provide a faster cost-effective alternative to drilling to acquire additional information on the changes of hydrostratigraphy with depth. Geoelectric resistivity models recovered through inversion of TEM central loop sounding data to delineate changes in geoelectric properties with depth, providing information on the depth, thickness and resistivity of the hydrostratigraphy. Comparison of geoelectric resistivity models with well completion report lithologies yield information about the …

Treatment Of Mine Tailings Through Two Methods Of Calcite Precipitation: (I) Using Natural Mineral Trona, (Ii) Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation Via Denitrification, Nathaniel Small

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Mine tailings not only pose environmental risks such as dust emission and acid mine drainage but also present geotechnical risks in cases of tailings dam failures which could lead to loss of human life and severe damages to infrastructure. In-situ cementation of tailings has the potential to reduce the risks associated with such failures as well as the related environmental problems. Over the years, different methods of chemically and microbially induced cementation of tailings have been examined many of which have shown promising results on a laboratory scale and some even on a ϐield scale. In this paper, a new …

Study Of Contamination Resulting From Historical Mining Within The Old Lead Belt: Mineral Fork Watershed, 2021-2022, Tessa Nicole Mortensen

Masters Theses

“The Old Lead Belt in Missouri has been mined extensively over the past two hundred years, and with historical mining practices often not meeting modern environmental protection standards many areas have significant soil and water contamination as a result. This study focuses on the Mineral Fork River’s watershed in Washington County, Missouri, which includes portions of four separate Superfund sites. In this study, we exam the impact of historical mining on the health of alluvial systems, as evaluated by lead, zinc, and barium (barite) concentrations in the suspended and sediments within tributaries of the Mineral Fork River system. To relate …

Groundwater Withdrawal Estimation Using Integrated Remote Sensing Products And Machine Learning, Sayantan Majumdar

Doctoral Dissertations

"The rising demands for water, food, and energy primarily driven by the increasing global population constitute a pressing issue worldwide. Therefore, the water-food-energy nexus plays a substantial role in developing globally applicable sustainable solutions. Recent technological advancements, including the earth observation programs using spaceborne remote sensing platforms, have enabled us to monitor various critical components affecting the globe. Groundwater, which comprises the world's 30% freshwater, is one such key component of the global water resources and supplies nearly half of the global drinking water.

Despite groundwater overdraft in many parts of the world, including the United States (US), there are …

Evaluation Of Production-Well Performance In Response To Formation Clogging And Rehabilitation For The Keweenaw Bay Tribal Fish Hatchery, Brock O. Howell

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Temporally, the KBIC (Keweenaw Bay Indian Community) Hatchery wells have manifested general trends of declining specific capacity and higher energy consumption due to mineral precipitation in and around the production wells. Monitoring data, laboratory water analyses, and downhole video logging have confirmed that naturally occurring minerals are precipitating and clogging the screens and, likely, the surrounding formations. The reduction in fluid pressures in and around the well-screens from active pumping wells is typical but, ultimately alters the geochemical and physical conditions such that dissolved minerals precipitate on and around the well-screens, therefore, effectively clogging the well. The clogging from mineral …

Whitening Of Calcium Carbonate Tailings Using Attrition Process: A Case Study Of Khar Toum Deposit, Lopburi Province, Thailand, Bancha Wongkaewphothong

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is one of the industrial minerals that usually use in various applications in many industries (e.g., plastic, rubber, paint, paper). However, salable CaCO3 products need to meet the requirement for each application. Whiteness is one of property that really important especially the application that concern about the color like paint and paper industries. In this study, to recover and utilize out of spec ores, the effects of attrition scrubbing process (i.e., retention time and solid in pulp) on the whiteness of the CaCO3 tailings were investigated. The CaCO3 samples were screened to obtain –300, +300–600, +600–1000, +1000–2360, …

Effect Of Salinity Contrast Between Formation Water And Injected Low Salinity Water On Low Salinty Water Flooding In Dolostone Formation, Nuttapol Junput

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Low Salinity Waterflooding (LSWF) has gained substantial prominence in current scientific method for oil recovery improvement, owing to its simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and environmental friendliness as an Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) technique. Various studies have highlighted the crucial role of injected brine salinity and the concentration of Potential Determining Ions (PDI) in stimulate oil recovery mechanisms. However, the majority of these studies have predominantly concentrated on sandstone reservoirs. In light of the fact that over 50% of hydrocarbon reserves are situated in carbonate reservoirs, this research focuses specifically on dolomite reservoirs to examine the applicability and feasibility of implementing LSWF in …

Simulation Study On Co2 Enhanced Oil Recovery For Offshore Area In Thailand, Pariwat Wongsriraksa

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Fossil fuels are widely used all over the world. It generates carbon dioxide (CO2) which is one of the main causes for climate change and global warming. One practical technology to reduce CO2 emission is carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) which includes the use of CO2 for enhanced oil recovery (CO2EOR) and storage in the geological reservoir. In Thailand, there are some potential geological reservoirs for CO2EOR due to crude properties, depth of the reservoir and oil saturation, especially in the Gulf of Thailand. However, the high temperatures gradient in the Gulf of Thailand can lead to higher minimum …

Physical Property Measurement Of Surfactant Coupled With Nanoparticles For Enhanced Oil Recovery, Phoo Pwint Nandar

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The residual oil remained in the reservoir after the primary recovery and water flooding can either be produced by increasing the mobility of the oil or by altering the reservoir rock wetting behavior and diminishing the oil water interfacial tension. The surfactant flooding is one of the chemical enhanced oil recovery methods. At the optimal concentration, the surfactant flooding can provide the low interfacial tension favoring to the enhanced oil recovery. In contrast, the loss of the surfactant at the solid-liquid interface due to an adsorption lessens the amount of the surfactant required for oil displacement during the flooding. Therefore, …

Pore Pressure Prediction Using Combination Drilling Efficiency And Hydro-Mechanical Specific Energy Methods, Munawir Arge Pratama Otolomo

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Several methods of pore pressure prediction using drilling parameters were introduced and improved to meet the challenges of accurate prediction at a relatively low cost. Knowledge of pore pressure is essential for safe well planning, cost-effective drilling, and operational decision-making. Conventional methods in pore pressure prediction using drilling parameters have limitations on its application of making the normal compaction trendline that is only applicable in clean shale intervals. In this work, the concept of drilling efficiency (DE) and hydro-mechanical specific energy (HMSE) for predicting formation pore pressure is proposed. This method, termed DE-HMSE, is based on the theory that the …