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The exceptionally low geothermal gradient (~2 °C/100 m) in the Tarim Basin, notably in the Shuntuoguole (STGL) area with depths exceeding 7000 m, has catalyzed the discovery of ultra-deep liquid hydrocarbons. Yet, the genesis of these hydrocarbons remains elusive, presenting significant challenges to further exploration and development endeavors. To address this quandary, an extensive analysis involving biomarker assessments and compound-specific δ2H and δ13C isotopic evaluations of n-alkanes was conducted, unveiling the secondary alterations and origins of these crude oils. For the first time, an approximately horizontal distribution of compound-specific δ2H and δ13C in n-alkanes was observed. Through the integration of diagnostic biomarker compounds, it was elucidated that the STGL crude oils did not undergo significant biodegradation, thermal alteration, or thermal sulfate reduction. Biomarker- and compound-specific C/H isotopic correlations suggest that the STGL crude oil predominantly originates from the Lower Cambrian calcareous shale, positing it as a potential end-member oil for this lithofacial source rock. Furthermore, the STGL crude oil exhibits similar biomarker configurations (notably abundant C28 triaromatic sterones, C23 tricyclic terpenoids, and aryl isoprenoids, with minimal 4-methylstane and gammacerane presence) to those oils previously considered as mixed from the Tazhong and Tabei Uplifts within the Tarim Basin. This similarity suggests that these previously deemed mixed oils may also derive from the Lower Cambrian calcareous shale. Consequently, more focused investigations into the Lower Cambrian calcareous shale are imperative to bolster refined deep and ultra-deep petroleum exploration efforts within the Tarim Basin in forthcoming studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a decade of observations of pulse arrival times for 85 pulsars using the Nanshan radio telescope from July 2002 to March 2014. The Cholesky method can accurately estimate the covariance function of the timing residuals, significantly improving the parameter's estimation accuracy when red noise is prominent. We utilize the Cholesky method to determine positions and basic timing parameters of these pulsars, as well as to obtain timing residuals. Most of these sources showed evidence of significant timing irregularities, which are described. The spectral analyses of timing residuals are presented for pulsars showing obvious red noise. Our results show that timing residuals in half of these pulsars are attributed to rotational irregularities. The red noise in normal pulsars may originate from a random walk in spin frequency or spin-down rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately predicting permeability is important to elucidate the fluid mobility and development potential of tight reservoirs. However, for tight sandstones with the same porosity, permeability can change by nearly three orders of magnitude, which greatly increases the difficulty of permeability prediction. In this paper, we performed casting thin section, scanning electron microscopy and high-pressure mercury injection experiments to analyze the influence of pore structure parameters and fractal dimensions on the permeability of Chang 7 tight sandstones. Furthermore, the key parameters affecting the permeability were optimized, and a new permeability prediction model was established. The results show that the pore throat structure of Chang 7 tight sandstone exhibits three-stage fractal characteristics. Thus, the pore throat structure was divided into large pore throat, medium pore throat and small pore throat. The large pore throat reflects the microfracture system, whose fractal dimension was distributed above 2.99, indicating that the heterogeneity of the large pore throat was the strongest. The medium pore throat is dominated by the conventional pore throat system, and its fractal dimension ranged from 2.378 to 2.997. Small pore throats are mainly composed of the tree-shaped pore throat system, and its fractal dimension varied from 2.652 to 2.870. The medium pore throat volume and its fractal dimension were key factors affecting the permeability of Chang 7 tight sandstones. A new permeability prediction model was established based on the medium pore throat volume and its fractal dimension. Compared to other models, the prediction results of the new model are the best according to the analysis of root mean square value, average absolute percentage error and correlation coefficient. These results indicate that the permeability of tight sandstones can be accurately predicted using mesopore throat volume and fractal dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the rapidly evolving domain of the Internet of Things (IoT), devices play an instrumental role in high-stakes scenarios like search and rescue (SAR) operations. Traditional decision-making processes within SAR missions often struggle to cope with the dynamic and unpredictable nature of such environments, leading to inefficiencies and delayed responses. This paper aims to explore the potential of multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) to improve the decision-making process within SAR operations underpinned by IoT. Functional, current methods are limited by their static decision frameworks and inability to adapt in real time to the chaotic variables present in SAR situations. We introduced a novel MARL framework and compared its performance against benchmark strategies, specifically the multi-agent deep deterministic policy gradient (MADDPG) approach. Uniquely enhanced by online knowledge transfer, the framework leverages the capabilities of the deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) method. The preliminary findings underscore the proposed framework's superior efficiency and speed in SAR contexts. Our research highlights MARL's transformative potential, positing it as a groundbreaking strategy for IoT-based decision making in high-pressure SAR environments with suggestions for further studies in varied real-world scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although tight oil reservoirs have abundant resources, their recovery efficiency is generally low. In recent years, CO2 injection huff-n-puff has become an effective method for improving oil recovery on the basis of depleted production of volume-fracturing horizontal wells in tight oil reservoirs. In order to study the effects of CO2 huff-n-puff (CO2-HnP) on production, a compositional numerical simulation study of CO2 huff-n-puff (CO2-HnP) was conducted in tight oil reservoirs with complex fractures. Embedded discrete fracture model technology was used in the simulations to characterize complex fractures. The process of CO2 huff-n-puff (CO2-HnP) was simulated, which consists of CO2 injection, CO2 soaking, and CO2 production. Taking into account the threshold pressure gradient and stress sensitivity in the model, we conducted a series of numerical simulations with different production condition parameters, such as bottom-hole pressure, CO2 injection rate, injection time, soaking time, and the number of cycles of CO2 huff-n-puff (CO2-HnP). Then, the effects of these sensitivity parameters on the cumulative oil production (COP) were studied. The results indicate that the threshold pressure gradient and rock stress sensitivity factors greatly affect the pressure field of tight reservoirs and the cumulative oil production (COP) of multistage-fracturing horizontal wells. The production parameters all have an impact on the COP. The injection rate and circulation number both have optimal values, and the injection time and soak time tend to have less significant effects on the growth of cumulative oil production over time. According to the numerical simulation, the optimal solution is 5 × 104 m3/day injection rate per cycle, 25 days of injection time, 35 days of soaking time, three cycles, and production for 5 years, which can obtain the optimal cumulative oil production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic geochemistry experiments, X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), N2 adsorption, CO2 adsorption, and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D NMR) were performed on ten Chang 7 shale samples (Longdong area, Ordos Basin) to elucidate their pore structure and the characteristics of oil occurrence. Moreover, the factors influencing free oil were discussed, and an occurrence model was established. FE-SEM analysis reveals that the pore types include interparticle pores, intraplatelet pores within clay aggregates, rare fracture pores, and organic matter (OM) pores. The pores are predominantly slit-shaped. The development of micropores was mainly contributed to by OM. Quartz and clay minerals influence the development of macropores and mesopores, feldspar mainly controls macropore development, and pyrite most strongly affects micropore development. Micropores and mesopores constitute the main total pore specific surface area, while mesopores and macropores are the main contributors to the total pore volume. Pores > 2 nm are the main storage spaces for shale oil, and free oil mainly occurs in pores > 20 nm. Adsorbed oil and free oil were assessed by NMR T1–T2 mapping. The adsorbed oil signal intensities range from 7.5–23.4 a.u. per g of rock, and the free oil signal intensities range from 4.4–23.2 a.u. per g of rock. The free oil proportions are 15.9–70.6% (average of 44.2%). The free oil proportion is negatively correlated with the clay mineral content and total organic carbon (TOC) content but positively correlated with the saturated hydrocarbon content and volume of pores > 20 nm. The results of this study could help optimize favorable shale oil target areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sixth member of the Triassic Yanchang Formation (Chang 6 member) in the Dalugou area of the Jing'an Oilfield in the Ordos Basin is a typical ultra-low-permeability lithological reservoir. The Dalugou area has achieved some development progress in the past few years. With the development of the Chang 6 member in the Dalugou area, a better understanding of the sedimentary microfacies and depositional patterns is needed for precise oil development. The purpose of the study of the reservoir description is to understand the reservoir more accurately and provide a solid geological basis for the adjustment of the development strategy of the Chang 6 reservoir. The Chang 6 member of the Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Dalugou area of the Jing'an Oilfield belongs to the subfacies of the delta front, and the reservoir in the study area is mainly the underwater distributary channel deposition. There are two main depositional patterns in the study area: the dendritic sandstone depositional pattern and the lobate sandstone depositional pattern. The study on the sedimentary types and patterns of the Chang 6 member of the Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Dalugou Area of the Jing'an Oilfield can provide significant information for the evaluation of reservoir characterization. Furthermore, the heterogeneity of the Chang 6 reservoir under various depositional patterns has an important influence on oil enrichment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pore structure and its complexity play a critical role in fluid migration and recovery efficiency. Multiple pore types, broad pore size distribution (PSD), and extremely irregular pore morphology hinder the comprehensive investigation of pore systems and their complexity in low-permeability conglomerates. In this study, the multi-scale pore system and fractal characteristics of the Permian Lower Wuerhe Formation and Triassic Baikouquan Formation conglomerates from the Junggar Basin were investigated, combining physical property analysis, casting thin sections, scanning electron microscopy, and Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The results show that the pore system of conglomerates consists of residual intergranular pores (RIPs), dissolution pores (DPs), clay-related pores (CRPs), and microfractures. Three types of PSD were identified according to the shape of the T2 spectrum. Based on the fractal characteristics derived from NMR data, pore systems in conglomerates were divided into macropores (mainly RIPs and DPs), mesopores (mainly CRPs), and micropores (reflect adsorption spaces). The fractal dimension of macropores (D3) increases with the increase of clay mineral content and the decrease of contents of quartz and feldspar. Moreover, the volume of macropores decreases with the increase of clay mineral content and the decrease of contents of quartz and feldspar. In addition, the fractal dimensions and volumes of mesopores and micropores have no obvious relationship with mineral composition. D3 and macropore volume control the physical properties and fluid mobility of conglomerates. T2,gm shows a strong negative correlation with D3 and macropore volume. Meanwhile, the high value of D3 would reduce the volume of macropores. These results demonstrate that D3 is a good indicator to reveal the quality of pore structure in low-permeability conglomerates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravity flow deposits are important hydrocarbon reservoirs in deep lacustrine deposits. Previous studies have paid much attention to the hydrocarbon reservoirs in those intrabasinal classic turbidite deposits. However, relatively little is known about the distribution of oil reservoirs in those extrabasinal hyperpycnal flow deposits. With the help of cores and wireline logging data, the present study undertakes a description and interpretation of subsurface shale oil reservoirs in the deep lake deposits in Chang 7 member, Yanchang Formation, Ordos Basin. Parallel bedded fine sandstone (Sh), massive bedded fine sandstone (Sm), massive bedded fine sandstone with mud clasts (Smg), deformed bedded siltstone (Fd), wave-lenticular bedded siltstone (Fh) and black shale (M) were found and interpreted in those deep lake deposits. The deposits were interpreted as hyperpycnal flow deposits which developed in channel, levee and deep lacustrine facies. The development of the Chang 7 sand body increased gradually, and the sand body of Chang 71 was found to be the main position of sandy hyperpycnites. The fine description of the sand body indicated a channelized sedimentary pattern. The thick sandy hyperpycnites mainly developed in the middle of those channels, and the eastern part of the study area was found to be the main deposition position of the hyperpycnal flow deposits. From the perspective of plane overlap and single well analysis, a thick sand body is the favorable position for the development of an oil reservoir, which has a significant control effect on the reservoir scale and oil production. This research can aid in understanding the facies distribution of hyperpycnal flows and has implications for hydrocarbon reservoir exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saturated hydrocarbons are widely used in the valuation of source rocks and oils, but the applicability of related parameters has received less attention. Based on the thermal simulation experiments on Mesozoic source rocks in the Yingen-Ejinaqi Basin, and the GC-MS analysis of the saturated hydrocarbon fractions of the expelled oils and extracts from solid residues, the applicability of the parameters related to lacustrine source rocks and oil were discussed. The results indicated that: Controlled by thermal degradation, both the relative abundance of the tricyclic terpenoids in terpenoids and the pregnane (including L pregnane) in steroids increased with the increase in maturity. Maturity had little effect on some environmental parameters of lacustrine source rocks and oils, such as Pr/Ph and gammacerane index, they were still effective even at the high-over maturity stage. But maturity had a significant influence on the method of using saturated hydrocarbons to identify the source of organic matter, because only at the thermal stage of Ro < 1.45%, might it effectively identify the source of organic matter by using the dominant peak of n-alkanes method and the relative abundance of C27–C29 steranes method. Most saturated hydrocarbon maturity parameters had their valid scope of application, such as C29 20S/(20S + 20R) steranes, C29αββ/(ααα + αββ) steranes and C31αβ22S/(22S + 22R) homohopanes were only effective when the Ro value was below 2.06%, for the parameter's value would be "inverted" in the stage of over-maturity (Ro > 2.06%). However, the parameter Ts/(Ts + Tm) was effective in the whole thermal evolution process, reflecting good applicability. This study clarifies the validity of the application of commonly used saturated hydrocarbon parameters, and it can provide some reference for relevant studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: Using Support Vector Machine identified the macerals in the laminae. Identifying organic matter in laminae is fundamental to petroleum geology; however, many factors restrict manual quantification. Therefore, computer recognition is an appropriate method for accurately identifying microscopic components. In this study, we used support vector machine (SVM) to classify the preprocessed photomicrographs into seven categories: pyrite, amorphous organic matter, mineral matter, alginite, sporinite, vitrinite, and inertinite. Then, we performed a statistical analysis of the classification results and highlighted spatial aggregation of some categories using the kernel density estimation method. The results showed that the SVM can satisfactorily identify the macerals and minerals of the laminae, and its overall accuracy, kappa, precision, recall, and F1 are 82.86%, 0.80, 85.15%, 82.86%, and 82.75%, respectively. Statistical analyses revealed that pyrite was abundantly distributed in bright laminae; vitrinite and sporinite were abundantly distributed in dark laminae; and alginite and inertinite were equally distributed. Finally, the kernel density maps showed that all classification results, except inertinite, were characterized by aggregated distributions: pyrite with the distribution of multi-core centers, alginite, and sporinite with dotted distribution, and vitrinite with stripe distribution, respectively. This study may provide a new method to quantify the organic matter in laminae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to analyze the organic matter (OM) composition, this study carefully identified the OM types of 66 samples from Well A in the Dingshan area under microscope, and made an effort to obtain the semi-quantitative statistics contents of different bio-precursor derived OM. The results of OM content obtained under microscope showed a strong positive relationship (R2 = 0.85) with the TOC content analyzed by carbon–sulfur analyzer. The OM contained bethic algae debris, phytoplankton amorphous organic matter (AOM), acritarch, vitrinite-like particles, zooplankton (including graptolite, chitinozoa and others) and solid bitumen which was secondary formation OM. The phytoplankton AOM, graptolite and solid bitumen were the dominated OM in this interval. Solid bitumen (8%~11%) was filled at the bottom of the Wufeng Formation, which could be one reason for the high shale gas production in the lower part of this shale interval. N2 adsorption results showed that micropores and mesopores were predominant in this shale gas system, while pore volumes illustrated better positive relationships with organic matter than minerals, especially AOM content. Thus, both solid bitumen and AOM kerogen were the main sources for shale gas generation in this shale gas system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishing a suitable classification and evaluation scheme is crucial for sweet spot prediction and efficient development of shale oil in the Chang 71-2 sub-member of the Longdong area. In this paper, a series of experiments, such as casting thin sections (CTS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), low-temperature nitrogen adsorption (LTNA), high-pressure mercury intrusion porosimetry (HMIP), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), were integrated to classify the pore throats and shale oil reservoirs in the study area. Moreover, the pore structure characteristics of different types of reservoirs and their contributions to productivity were revealed. The results show that the pore-throat system can be divided into four parts: large pore throats (>0.2 μm), medium pore throats (0.08~0.2 μm), small pore throats (0.03~0.08 μm), and micropore throats (<0.03 μm). Based on the development degree of various pore throats, the reservoir is divided into four types: type I (Φ ≥ 10%, K > 0.1 mD), type II (Φ ≥ 8%, 0.05 mD < K < 0.1 mD), type III (Φ ≥ 5%, 0.02 mD < K < 0.05 mD) and type IV (Φ < 5% or K < 0.02 mD). From type I to IV reservoirs, the proportion of dissolved pores and intergranular pores gradually decreases, and the proportion of intercrystalline pores increases. The proportion of large pore throats gradually decreases, and the proportions of medium pore throats and small pore throats increase initially and then decrease, while the proportion of micropore throats increases successively. The NMR pore size distribution changes from the right peak to the left peak. The developed section of the type I reservoir corresponds to the oil layer, and the developed section of the type I and II reservoirs corresponds to the poor oil layer. In contrast, the developed section of the type III and IV reservoirs corresponds to the dry layer. The daily production from single wells is primarily attributable to type I and II reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Benxi Formation of the Carboniferous system of the Upper Paleozoic in the Ordos Basin, there are many sets of coal measures dark organic-rich shale, being marine continental transitional facies, with significant unconventional natural gas potential. Previous studies are only limited to the evaluation of tight sandstone reservoir in this set of strata, with no sufficient study on gas bearing and geological characteristics of organic-rich shale, restricting the exploration and evaluation of shale gas resources. In this study, analysis has been conducted on the organic carbon content, the major elements, the trace elements, and the mineral composition of core samples from the Benxi Formation in key drilling sections. In addition, qualitative and quantitative pore observation and characterization of core samples have been conducted. The sedimentary environments and reservoir characteristics of the shale of the Benxi Formation have been analyzed. Combined with the gas content analyzing the results of the field coring samples, the shale gas resource potentials of the Benxi Formation have been studied, and the geological characteristics of the Benxi Formation shale gas in the eastern Ordos Basin have been made clear, to provide a theoretical basis for shale gas resource evaluation of the Benxi Formation in the Ordos Basin. The results show that (1) in the Hutian Member, Pangou Member, and Jinci Member of the Benxi Formation, organic-rich shale is well developed, with the characteristics of seawater input as a whole. There is a slight difference in sedimentary redox index, which shows that the reducibility increases gradually from bottom to top. (2) There is an evident difference in the mineral characteristics of shale in these three members. The Hutian Member is rich in clay minerals, while the Jinci Member is high in quartz minerals. (3) The pores are mainly inorganic mineral intergranular pores, clay interlayer fractures, and micro fractures, and organic matter pores are developed on the surface of local organic matter. (4) The mud shale in the Jinci Member has a large cumulative thickness, has relatively high gas-bearing property, and is rich in brittle minerals. The Jinci Member is a favorable section for shale gas exploration of the Benxi Formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) technique has been considered as a promising approach to prolong the lifetime of energy-constraint wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In this paper, a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) full-duplex (FD) bidirectional wireless sensor network (BWSN) with SWIPT is investigated. Based on minimum total mean-square-error (total-MSE) criterion, a joint optimization problem for source and relay beamforming and source receiving subject to transmitting power and harvesting energy constraints is established. Since this problem is non-convex, an iterative algorithm based on feasible point pursuit-successive convex approximation (FPP-SCA) is derived to obtain a local optimum. Moreover, considering the scenarios in which source and relay nodes equipped with the same and different numbers of antennas, a low-complexity diagonalizing design-based scheme is employed to simplify each non-convex subproblem into convex problems and to reduce the computational complexity. Numerical results of the total-MSE and bit error rate (BER) are implemented to demonstrate the performance of the two different schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a multiple-input multiple-output amplify-and-forward wireless multiple-hop sensor network (WMSN). The simultaneous wireless information and power transfer technology is deployed to potentially achieve an autonomous system. We investigate two practical receiver schemes, which are the power splitting (PS) and the time switching (TS). The power splitting receiver splits received signals into two streams, one for information decoding (ID) and the other for energy harvesting (EH). On the other hand, the time switching receiver only serves in ID mode or energy harvesting mode during a certain time slot. Subject to transmit power constraints and destination harvested energy constraint, we aim to obtain a joint beam-forming solution of source and relay precoders to maximize the maximum achievable rate of the WSN. In order to make the non-convex problem tractable, diagonalization-based alternating optimization algorithms are proposed. Numerical results show the convergence and good performance of the proposed algorithms under both PS and TS protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) technique has been regarded as an appealing approach to prolong the lifetime of wireless sensor networks. However, co-channel interferences with SWIPT in wireless networks have not been investigated from a green communication perspective. In this paper, joint transmit and receive beamforming design for a full-duplex multiple-input multiple-output amplify-and-forward relay system with simultaneous wireless information and power transfer in WSNs is investigated. Multiple co-channel interferers are considered at the relay and destination sensor nodes. To minimize the mean-squared-error of the system, joint source and relay beamforming optimization is proposed while guaranteeing the transmit power constraints and destination's energy harvesting constraint. An iterative algorithm based on alternating optimization with successive convex approximation which converges to a local optimum is proposed to solve the non-convex problem. Moreover, a low-complexity scheme is derived to reduce the computational complexity. Simulations for MSE versus iterations and MSE versus signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) demonstrate the convergence and good performance of the proposed schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]