158results about "Prospecting/detection of underground water" patented technology

A tracer composite comprises a tracer disposed in a metal-based carrier which comprises: a cellular nanomatrix and a metal matrix disposed in the cellular nanomatrix, wherein the tracer is detectable at a range of from about 1 ppt to about 1,000 ppm.

A new approach is disclosed for measuring the pressure of tight gas reservoirs, using information obtain from continuous injection prior to hydraulic fracture stimulation. The technique can be obtained utilizing either bottom-hole or surface pressure gauges and properly instrumented surface injection pumps. The analysis is completed by plotting injection and rate data in a specialized form from terms arranged in Darcy's radial flow equation to obtain a curve or trend. The key component to proper application of this technique is to obtain both baseline and one or more calibration data sets. These calibration data sets are obtained by either increasing or decreasing the injection pressure and / or rate from the baseline data. Initial reservoir pressure is assumed, but the calibration data indicates if the guess was too high or low. Accurate estimates of reservoir pressure may be obtained in a few iterations.

The present invention presents a method for determining shallow water flow risk using seismic data. The seismic data can be processed to enhance its stratigraphic resolution by sub-sampling the seismic data to less than a two-millisecond interval. Performing a stratigraphic analysis on the seismic data and evaluating the seismic attributes of the seismic data can be used to select a control location. A pre-stack waveform inversion is applied to seismic data at a selected control location to provide an elastic model, which includes pressure-wave velocity and shear-wave velocity. The shallow water flow risk is then determined using the elastic model by comparing the pressure-wave velocity to the shear-wave velocity. A post-stack inversion can be applied on the seismic data using the elastic model to model a 3D volume to determine the shallow water flow risk across the 3D volume.

A ball penetrometer probe for in situ measurement of soft soil properties, particularly in the seabed, comprises a spherical body and slender shaft assembly, and either individually or in combination, an anti-friction sleeve enclosing the shaft and / or a peripheral porous ring on the spherical body with connecting internal passages through the shaft assembly, the shaft being adapted to attach to an electronic transducer module. The ball penetrometer is deployed to penetrate the soil bed, to continuously measure the soil bearing forces resisting penetration and withdrawal of the ball, to optionally measure the pore water pressure of the soil in contact with the ball and to transmit the measurement data from the probe to a remote operating station, either by wireless means such as an acoustic transducer or via a wired electrical connection.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus, based on the use of a neural network (NN), for (a) predicting important groundwater / surface water output / state variables, (b) optimizing groundwater / surface water control variables, and / or (c) sensitivity analysis, to identify physical relationships between input and output / state variables used to model the groundwater / surface water system or to analyze the performance parameters of the neural network.

The invention discloses a method for measuring a karst underground water migration path by taking sugars as tracers. The method particularly includes the steps: arranging and designing a launching trap and a monitoring well; pre-treating the tracers; throwing the tracers; determining a water flow direction; determining the flow speed of underground water; determining the throwing quantity of the tracers; throwing the tracers into the launching trap; sampling and detecting the tracers in the monitoring well; analyzing the underground water migration path according to results. The sugars are used as the tracers for detecting the flow speed and the flow direction of the karst underground water and are non-toxic, pollution-free, low in natural background value, free of interference, stable in chemical performance, easy in detection, high in sensitivity and low in cost, the migration direction of the underground water is not changed, environmental pollution is avoided, and harm to health of operators is also avoided.

Sensors are permanently placed in the ground near observation and injection wells in order to passively and continuously monitor the status of seawater advance toward fresh water aquifers near coastal cities as well as the status of fresh water injected into the injection wells. Such sensor devices are installed in the ground and electrically connected to surface acquisition equipment that would, without human intervention, transmit acquired data to a centralized facility for processing and interpretation. Various types of sensors can be used: the sensors used for general reservoir monitoring and / or the sensors used for leak detection, soil heating, and temperature mapping. Alternatively, a special type of sensor can be designed and provided for the purpose of monitoring the status of seawater advance toward fresh water aquifers.

The invention provides a single-well underground water seepage flow velocity and flow direction measuring method and measuring instrument. The measuring instrument includes a controller and a seepage detector, the seepage detector includes a shell, an upper separator plate, an inclinometry integrated sensor, a pendulum bob and pressure sensors, the pendulum bob and the center of the upper separator plate are connected through a string, due to the function of water flow, a pendulum ball at the bottom of the pendulum bob is subjected to continuous seepage force, the seepage force is transited to the adjacent pressure sensor through a disc, at the same time, the inclinometry integrated sensor measures an inclination angle and an azimuth angle of the measuring instrument and azimuth angles of the pressure sensors, a gravity component of the pendulum bob at the moment can be known, and through vector calculation of force, the magnitude and direction of the seepage force can be judged and thus is indirectly converted into the flow velocity and flow direction of seepage. The measuring instrument has the characteristics of simple structure, low power consumption and the like, and the measuring method can be widely applied to seepage condition monitoring of underground buildings or rock and earth masses such as side slopes, underground diaphragm walls and dams.

The method comprises: using the feature of the pressure, that is the pressure can be fast transferred in underground water continuous medium, and be rapidly sensed, and be easy to be measured, to form a seepage pressure field; wherein, the pressure is used as a tracer; a pressure sensor is used to sense the correlated relation between the increased / decreased amounts of the tracer and the stratum medium; making GRS positioning, wireless data transmission; automatically generating and controlling pressure source; seepage database integration; computer analysis, calculation and recognition in order to display the hydrogeology engineering construction element under different boundary condition.

A device and a method for measuring fluid flow and solute mass transport in flow systems includes a casing (1) having inlet (3) and outlet (9) openings and a fluid passageway therebetween, the casing containing at least one fluid permeable insoluble adsorbent matrix (7) and at least one tracer material (5, 5′) located in the fluid passageway. The tracer material (5,5′) is a fluid permeable partially soluble material which at least prior to installation is not physically or chemically bonded to the adsorbent matrix (7) and is either mixed with the adsorbent matrix or is located in at least one section (4,4′) of the casing (1) separate from but in contact with at least one section (6,6′) of the casing holding the insoluble adsorbent matrix (7,7′). The device is intended to be installed in a medium having a fluid path therein.

Apparatus and a method are described for prospecting for water ice on heavenly bodies with the apparatus consisting of site preparation tools and a water ice detector unit. The apparatus is attached at the end of any robotic arm equipped lander or rover spacecraft; for instance, lander designs such as Mars Phoenix or rover designs such as Mars Spirit and Opportunity. Supported on an internal, moveable carriage, the apparatus is also incorporated into smaller, dedicated water ice detection rover spacecraft. The water ice detection unit inserts electrodes into or against a potential water ice deposit and confirms the presence of water ice by making combination impedance and thermal conductivity measurements.

A method for distinguishing water bursting source of a coal mine comprises the specific steps as follows: 1, determining the hydrogeological characteristics of a target area; 2, conducting water sample collection and detection on the target area; 3, preliminarily analyzing the information of water samples in the target area; 4, determining the finger-print sensitive area in the three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum of DOM (Dissolved Organic Matter) in different water bearing layers in the target area; 5, establishing a hydrochemical characteristic information table of each water layer in the target area. The method provided by the invention is fast in distinguishing, and can establish the hydrochemical characteristics of different water bearing layers by utilizing the total content and the fluorescence characteristics of DOM in groundwater, so as to provide a technical method for distinguishing a water bursting source, provide hydrochemical characteristic data that can easily distinguish water bearing layers for water prevention and control, determine an accurate water bursting source for water shutoff in the process that water bursting happens in the coal mine, and buy precious time for emergency rescue and disaster relief.

A method for determining mobile water saturation in a reservoir having a borehole extending through the reservoir is disclosed. The method involves obtaining a first borehole data log while the reservoir is subjected to first fluid conditions, and causing a mobile water displacement in the reservoir by changing the fluid conditions in the borehole to cause the reservoir to be subjected to second fluid conditions, the second fluid conditions differing from the first fluid conditions. The method further involves obtaining a second borehole data log under the second fluid conditions, and estimating the mobile water displacement using the first and second data logs, the estimated mobile water displacement providing an estimate of the mobile water saturation in the reservoir.

A method to determine water saturation of laminated sand-shale formations based on measurements of formation and shale resistivity anisotropy, the fraction of shale, and the porosity.

A method to determine water saturation of laminated sand-shale formations based on measurements of formation and shale resistivity anisotropy, the fraction of shale, and the porosity.

Continuous capillary pressure (Pc) curves of subsurface rock formations adjacent wells are determined based on translation relaxation time (T2) data from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and from wireline well logs, such as resistivity logs, to obtain water saturation (Sw) of the rock in the formations. The T2 data and the hydrocarbon density, water density, free water level, and paleo-water level of the formation are processed to obtain parameters of Thomeer hyperbolas that closely conform to water saturation values obtained from the other well logs. The Thomeer hyperbolas so determined are converted to capillary pressure curves.

A well test method for use in tight gas reservoirs prior to hydraulic fracture stimulation. The method can use injection of water using low-rate surface pumps into the reservoir below parting pressure. The measured rates and pressures are converted to sandface rate and pressure datasets for each stage. The technique can utilize either surface or bottom-hole pressure sensors. The resulting sandface datasets are analyzed using the baseline / calibration method or other analysis appropriate to stage data to determine reservoir flow properties. The small-volume, staged well test enables estimation of the flow properties of reservoir, including pressure and permeability, in hours rather than days.

The invention discloses a method for determining the evapotranspiration of a reference crop, which belongs to the field of agricultural scientific research. The method comprises the following steps: calculating the evapotranspirations pET0 and hET0 of 72 pentads each year of m meteorological sites in n years; calculating the ratio of pET0 to hET0; and then calculating the average value Ks of the ratio based on the pentads and the average value Ksj of the ratio based on years in each pentad; obtaining the Ks and the Ksj at any position in a target area through a spatial interpolation method; calculating the hET0 aiming at a target location in the target area; and calculating the evapotranspiration of the reference crop at the target location based on that ET0 is equal to K * hET0, wherein K is equal to Ks or Ksj. The method needs fewer basic meteorological data, and only needs the average maximum and minimum temperatures in a period of time to be measured; besides, the method is simple and convenient for calculation, is easy to master, and does not lose accuracy at the same time, is suitable to calculate the reference crop evapotranspiration at any place and in any time period in the range of the main land.

A method for determining an amount of a liquid energy commodity in storage in an underground cavern generally comprises the steps of: establishing a volume function for a brine pond associated with the underground cavern; acquiring an image of the brine pond; transmitting the acquired image to a central processing facility; analyzing the acquired image to calculate a depth of the brine in the brine pond; estimating the volume of the brine in the brine pond based on the calculated depth and using the volume function; determining the amount of the liquid energy commodity in storage in the underground cavern associated with the brine pond based on the estimated volume of the brine in the brine pond; and communicating information about the amount of the liquid energy commodity in storage to a third-party market participant.

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a method of determining underground liquid (e.g., water) content. Embodiments of the method may include: receiving a scan of an area at a first polarization, the scan scans including first L band microwave reflections from the area. Embodiments of the invention may include receiving an optical data at a wavelength of 1 millimeter to 10 nanometers. Embodiments of the method may further include filtering electromagnetic noise from the scan using the optical data. Embodiments of the method may further include creating a water roughness map based on typical roughness values of various types of water sources and the filtered scan, identifying a first type of water sources using the water roughness map and the filtered scan and calculating the water content at locations in the area based on the identified first type of water sources.

An underground water resource monitoring and management system is described. The station is a complete hydrological and weather station and / or network capable of measuring, analyzing, storing and / or transmitting hundreds of parameters, such as but not limited to, quality and / or quantity of water and surroundings, and weather factors (e.g., rain, wind, etc), or any combination thereof.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus, based on the use of a neural network (NN), for (a) predicting important groundwater / surface water output / state variables, (b) optimizing groundwater / surface water control variables, and / or (c) sensitivity analysis, to identify physical relationships between input and output / state variables used to model the groundwater / surface water system or to analyze the performance parameters of the neural network.

The invention discloses a method used for determining the evapotranspiration of crops on site, belonging to the field of agricultural science and technology. The method comprises the steps as follows: data on soil water potential and soil volumetric moisture content of more than 5 layers of soil layers with different depths is measured on site in real time; wherein, at least one layer is below the root layer of the crops; a plurality of data pairs on unsaturated hydraulic conductivity-volume water content of all soil layers above the zero flux plane below the root layer are obtained when the zero flux plane exists below the root layer of the crops, thus obtaining the mathematical relationship of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity-volume water content of all soil layers, therefore, the water flux of all soil layers below the root layer can be obtained, thus determining the evapotranspiration by a water balance method. The method of the invention can be used for determining the evapotranspiration of the crops on site, destroys no soils, is convenient and precise, and can work out the evapotranspiration of the crops at the time interval without observing the zero flux.

Method for recognizing one or more properties of a geological formation by the injection of a fluid into at least one borehole within the formation. The injection fluid either has a different resistivity to the formation and / or formation fluids or has the capacity to change the resistivity of the formation and / or formation fluids. Resistivity mapping is undertaken to determine the distribution of the injected fluid and to therefore understand the permeability structure and fluid distribution of the formation. In addition the injected fluid or mixture of injected and formation fluids can be ignited. By making consecutive resistivity mapping of the formation at selected time intervals during injection, the flow path of injected fluid can be determined by using the collected time lapse resistivity data.

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a method of determining underground liquid (e.g., water) content. Embodiments of the method may include: receiving a first scan and a second scan of an area at a first polarization, the first scan and second scans including first L band microwave reflections from the area. Embodiments of the method may further include filtering electromagnetic noise from the first scan using the second scan. Embodiments of the method may further include creating a water roughness map based on typical roughness values of various types of water sources and the filtered first scan, identifying a first type of water sources using the water roughness map and the filtered first scan and calculating the water content at locations in the area based on the identified first type of water sources.

The invention is directed to a system for remote groundwater monitoring. The system includes one or more sensor modules configured for distribution in one or more groundwater monitoring wells. Each sensor module is adapted to acquire multi-parameter sensor data from each groundwater monitoring well. The multi-parameter sensor data includes electrochemical property data and electrical property data of groundwater in each groundwater monitoring well. One or more hubs are coupled to the one or more sensor modules for retrieving the multi-parameter sensor data and wirelessly communicating with an online server to upload the multi-parameter sensor data to the online server.

The systems and methods described herein allow for intercepting submarine groundwater discharge to be used as a supply source for desalination processes. In one practice a dye-dilution seepage meter is employed as a device for locating water sources. These meters can be placed in estuaries and other locations that may be candidate locations to test for flows of groundwater. In areas of suspected SGD, the meters can be deployed to quantify the potential yield and quality (e.g. salt content) of the resource. Regarding the water quality, it is important to note that even brackish water sources can greatly reduce the energy needed to achieve potable water by desalination.

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for estimating a parameter of interest of a downhole fluid using a fluid analysis module. The fluid analysis module may include: at least one nano element and a processor configured to estimate an impedance of the at least one nano element. The fluid analysis module may include an AC power supply configured to supply electrical signals at a plurality of frequencies through the at least one nano element. The method may include bringing the downhole fluid into contact with the at least one nano element; supplying electrical signals through the at least one nano element at a plurality of frequencies; generating impedance information for the at least one nano element in response to the electrical signals; and estimating the at least one parameter of interest using the impedance information.

The present invention is one generalized tracing and diluting method for monoporate penetration flow rate measurement. The method includes: measuring perpendicular flow inside the pore via peak-peak method; injecting tracer agent to the measured section of the pore in spot or sectional feeding mode; data acquisition to record density and variation of tracer agent; and calculating the osmotic flow rate and horizontal flow rate of underground water by applying generalized diluting method. Compared with prior art, the present invention is superior in that by means of the simple method, precise hydrogeological parameters may be obtained without stopping water flow.