Macroscopic transport properties of porous media depend on textural rock parameters such as porosity, grain size and grain shape distributions, surface-to-volume ratios, and spatial distributions of cement. Although porosity is routinely measured in the laboratory, direct measurements of other textural rock properties can be tedious, time-consuming, or impossible to obtain without special methods such as X-ray microtomography and scanning electron microscopy. However, by using digital three-dimensional pore-scale rock models and physics-based algorithms researchers can calculate both geometrical and transport properties of porous media. Therefore, pore-scale modeling techniques provide a unique opportunity to explore explicit relationships between pore-scale geometry and fluid and electric flow properties. The primary objective of this dissertation is to investigate at the pore-scale level the effects of grain shapes and spatial cement distribution on macroscopic rock properties for improved understanding of various petrophysical correlations. Deposition and compaction of grains having arbitrary angular shapes and various sizes is modeled using novel sedimentation and cementation pore-scale algorithms. Additionally, the algorithms implement numerical quartz precipitation to describe preferential cement growth in pore-throats, pore-bodies, or uniform layers. Subsequently, petrophysical properties such as geometrical pore-size distribution, primary drainage capillary pressure, absolute permeability, streamline-based throat size distribution, and apparent electrical formation factor are calculated for several digital rock models to evaluate petrophysical correlations. Furthermore, two geometrical approximation methods are introduced to model irreducible (connate) water saturation at the pore scale. Consolidated grain packs having comparable porosities and grain size distributions but various grain shapes indicate that realistic angular grain shape distribution gives the best agreement of petrophysical properties with experimental measurements. Cement volume and its spatial distribution significantly affect pore-space geometry and connectivity, and subsequently, macroscopic petrophysical properties of the porous media. For example, low-porosity rocks having similar grain structure but different cement spatial distribution could differ in absolute permeability by two orders of magnitude and in capillary trapped water saturation by a factor of three. For clastic rocks with porosity much higher than percolation threshold porosity, pore-scale modeling results confirm that surface-to-volume ratio and porosity provide sufficient rock-structure character to describe absolute permeability correlations. In comparison to surface-to-volume ratio, capillary trapped (irreducible) water saturation exhibits better correlation with absolute permeability due to weak pore space connectivity in low-porosity samples near the percolation threshold. Furthermore, in grain packs with fine laminations and permeability anisotropy, pore-scale analysis reveals anisotropy in directional drainage capillary- pressure curves and corresponding amounts of capillary-trapped wetting fluid. Finally, results presented in this dissertation indicate that pore-scale modeling methods can competently capture the effects of porous media geometry on macroscopic rock properties. Pore-scale two- and three-phase transport calculations with fast computers can predict petrophysical properties and provide sensitivity analysis of petrophysical properties for accurate reservoir characterization and subsequent field development planning. / text

Grain shape is a key factor affecting the mechanical properties of granular materials. However, grain shape quantification techniques to distinguish one granular material from another have not reached a stage of development for inclusion in modeling the behavior of granular materials. Part of the problem is the equipment of choice for grain shape measurement is the scanning electron microscope. This is a relatively expensive and complex device. In this research, a practical approach using light microscopy to quantify grain shape and to identify the key shape parameters that can distinguish grains was investigated. A light microscope was found to produce grain images with sufficient quality for the purpose of observing the grain shape profile. Several grain shape parameters were determined for eight different sands - four sands chosen for this study and four sands from an outside source. Six of these - Circularity, Roundness, Sphericity, Aspect Ratio, Compactness and ModRatio - are shown to be the key shape parameters that differentiate these sand grains.Relationships between the six key grain shape parameters and dilatancy were developed to enable a better understanding of the mechanics of granular materials and for potential use in practice. Data to build the relationships were obtained using a light microscope, digital image processing software (ImageJ), and direct shear tests on four uniform sands composed of grains with varying, somewhat-homogeneous, shape profiles - ranging from very rounded grains in one granular conglomerate to very angular shaped grains in another.A Weighted Single Sand Shape Factor (WSSSF) was derived from all of the six key shape parameters was developed using Weighted Factor Analysis. A good correlation was found to exist between dilatancy and WSSSF. The correlation also incorporates normal effective stress, relative density and the critical state friction angle. Verification was conducted through the introduction of a subangular to subrounded sand that was not used in building the correlation. The correlation proved to provide a good estimate of the dilatancy of sands based on the physical properties of grains and the applied loading.

A pore-scale understanding of fluid flow underpins the constitutive laws of continuum-scale porous media flow. Porous media flow laws are founded on simplified pore structure such as the classical capillary tube model or the pore-network model, both of which do not include diverging-converging pore geometry in the direction of flow. Therefore, modifications in the fluid flow field due to different pore geometries are not well understood. Thus this may translate to uncertainties on how flow in porous media is predicted in practical applications such as geological sequestration of carbon dioxide, petroleum recovery, and contaminant’s fate in aquifers. To fill this gap, we have investigated the role of a spectrum of diverging-converging pore geometries likely formed due to different grain shapes which may be due to a variety of processes such as weathering, sediment transport, and diagenesis. Our findings describe the physical mechanisms for the failure of Darcy’s Law and the characteristics of Forchheimer Law at increasing Reynolds Number flows. Through fundamental fluid physics, we determined the forces which are most responsible for the continuum-scale porous media hydraulic conductivity (K) or permeability. We show that the pore geometry and the eddies associated therein significantly modify the flow field and the boundary stresses. This has important implications on mineral precipitation-dissolution and microbial growth. We present a new non-dimensional geometric factor β, a metric for diverging-converging pore geometry, which can be used to predict K. This model for K based on β generalizes the original and now widely-used Kozeny (1927) model which was based on straight capillary tubes. Further, in order to better quantify the feasibility of geological CO2 sequestration, we have conducted laboratory fluid flow experiments at reservoir conditions to investigate the controls of media wettability and grain shapes on pore-scale capillary trapping. We present experimental evidence for the snap-off or formation of trapped CO2 ganglion. The total trapping potential is found to be 15% of porosity for a water-wet media. We show that at the pore-scale media wettability and viscous-fingering play a critical role in transport and trapping of CO2. Our investigations clearly show that that in single-phase flow pore geometry significantly modifies pore-scale stresses and impacts continuum-scale flow laws. In two-phase flows, while the media wettability plays a vital role, the mobility ratio of CO2 - brine system significantly controls the CO2 capillary trapping potential- a result which should be taken into consideration while managing CO2 sequestration projects. / text

Results of seismic surveys are routinely used to assess the presence of methane hydrate in deep ocean sediments. Accurate estimates of hydrate distribution and volume within the sediment are required to assess the potential of gas hydrate as an energy resource, driver for climate change or as a geotechnical hazard. However, seismic velocity may be affected not only by the quantity and morphology of the hydrate, but also by the properties of the host sediment, for example its particle size distribution and grain shape. This paper reports the results of experiments conducted to determine dynamic geophysical properties such as compressional wave velocity (Vp), shear wave velocity (Vs) and their respective attenuation measurements (Qp -1 and Qs -1) of specimens with varying amounts of disseminated methane hydrate within materials with different particle shapes and sizes. The results show that the impact of disseminated hydrate is affected both by mean particle size and by particle sphericity, with the surface area of the sediment grains influencing the spread of hydrate throughout a material and therefore it’s bonding capabilities. The sediments with 10% hydrate content show the highest surface areas correspond to the least increase in seismic velocity while sediments with low surface areas gives the most.

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Partitioning of finite strains in different domains within the limb and hinge regions of a fold can be used to understand the deformation processes operative during fold formation. Samples taken from the limb and hinge regions of a gently plunging, asymmetric, tight, mesoscale fold in the Erwin formation of the Blue Ridge in North Carolina were analyzed to determine the deformation mechanisms and strains associated with the folding event. Rf/phi grain shape fabric analysis was conducted for each sample and used to calculate the orientation and magnitude of the final grain shape fabric ellipsoids. Flexural folding and passive-shear folding models predict that the highest finite strains will be recorded in the hinge of a fold. The highest grain shape magnitudes recorded in the North Carolina fold, however, lie along the overturned fold limb. The final geometry of many folds indicates that hinge plane migration processes are active during compressive deformation events. Numeric, conceptual, and analogue based studies have demonstrated the migration of fold hinges during deformation. However, documentation of these processes in field based studies is rare and limited to techniques that are frequently site specific. Methods proven successful in natural studies include the analysis of superposed folding; the migration of earlier hinge-related features such as fractures, cleavage planes, and boudinaged bedding planes; and the kinematic analysis of syntectonic pressure shadows. The magnitude and orientation of the grain shape ellipsoids calculated for the North Carolina fold indicate that rocks in the overturned limb were once located in the hinge of the fold. Subsequent noncoaxial deformation processes operative during folding resulted in the migration of the hinge to its present orientation and position. This relationship indicates that it is possible to use strain/shape fabric analysis as a test for hinge migration in folds, and that this technique may be more generally applicable in natural settings than previously proposed tests. / Master of Science

Submitted by Mariana Dornelles Vargas (marianadv) on 2015-05-29T17:53:11Z No. of bitstreams: 1 analise_influencia.pdf: 4201896 bytes, checksum: 5bde8b1b65dd35cc811456f73f745be3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-29T17:53:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 analise_influencia.pdf: 4201896 bytes, checksum: 5bde8b1b65dd35cc811456f73f745be3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-04-29 / FINEP - Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / UNISINOS - Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos / A construção civil é um setor industrial que provoca elevado impacto ambiental, devido ao grande consumo de matéria-prima. Em função da crescente restrição da extração de areias dos rios e a escassez de areias naturais, com conseqüente elevação de seu custo, a utilização de areia proveniente da britagem de rochas na construção civil tem se tornado cada vez mais comum nos grandes centros urbanos. A utilização deste tipo de areia, fazendo-se uso de procedimentos e equipamentos adequados, pode ser uma alternativa viável para substituição da areia proveniente dos depósitos aluvionares de rios na produção de argamassas de revestimento de alvenarias. Este estudo apresenta e discute as características tecnológicas de três tipos de agregados miúdos com diferentes formas de grãos: uma areia de leito de rio (areia aluvionar) e duas areias de britagem de rocha basáltica, produzidas através de diferentes britadores, e avalia o comportamento de argamassas produzidas com estas areias. As diferenças entre os processos de obtenção resultam em diferenças na distribuição granulométrica, forma e textura superficial dos grãos, alterando o comportamento de argamassas fabricadas com estes agregados. As propriedades de uma argamassa de cimento, cal e areia dosada para a areia de rio foram comparadas com argamassas com o mesmo traço, substituindo-se a areia de rio pelos outros agregados miúdos, e o mesmo procedimento foi realizado para diferentes teores de adição de fíler à argamassa. Utilizou-se cimento CP II Z? 32 e cal CH-I, sendo produzidas vinte misturas de argamassas, oito com areia de britagem passante pelo britador VSI, quatro com areia de britagem passante pelo britador de mandíbulas e oito com areia de rio, no traço de volume em cimento, cal e areia, 1:1:6, com índice de consistência fixado em 260mm + 5mm na mesa de consistência. As propriedades determinadas no estado fresco são o índice de consistência, a reologia (squezze flow e penetração de cone), o teor de ar incorporado, a retenção de água e a densidade de massa. Foram determinadas a densidade de massa, a resistência à compressão e à tração na flexão, a absorção de água por capilaridade, o coeficiente de capilaridade, a absorção de água total, o índice de vazios, a massa específica real, a retração linear e o módulo de elasticidade dinâmico no estado endurecido. Para os ensaios em revestimentos foram utilizados substratos com dois diferentes teores de absorção de água, sendo determinada a resistência de aderência do revestimento e o grau de fissuração. Observou-se diferenças expressivas no comportamento das argamassas confeccionadas com os diferentes agregados, como: perda de trabalhabilidade; perda de densidade de massa; redução da resistência à compressão e da resistência à tração na flexão; diminuição do módulo de elasticidade dinâmico; aumento da absorção de água por imersão; aumento do índice de vazios; e aumento da massa específica. Em função das diferenças morfológicas e das diferenças no teor de fíler na mistura. / The construction industry causes high environmental impact due to large consumption of raw materials. Due to the restriction of sand extraction and the reduction of natural sand, with a consequent increase in cost, the use of crushed fine aggregates in construction has become increasingly common in large urban centers. The use of crushed fine aggregates made with appropriate procedures and equipments can be an alternative to replace the sand extracted of rivers for the production of rendering mortars. This paper discusses the technical characteristics of three different aggregates with distinct morphologies: the natural sand (alluvial sand) and two basalt crushed fine aggregates, produced by different crushers, and evaluate the behavior of mortars produced from these sands. Differences in particle size, shape and surface texture of the grains changes the behavior of mortars made with this aggregates. The properties of a reference mortar made with river sand was compared with others, replacing the river sand aggregate by crushed aggregates, and the same procedure was performed for different levels of addition of fillers in the mortar. Brazilian CP II Z-32 cement and CH-I lime were used for production of twenty mortars: eight with VSI crushed aggregates, four with jaw crushed sand mortars and eight with natural sand. The 1: 1: 6 (cement, lime and sand by volume) proportion was adopted, with consistency index of 260mm±5mm on the consistency table. Properties measured in the fresh state were consistency index, workability (by squezze-flow and cone penetration), air content, water retention and density. On the hardened state, density, compressive strength, flexural strength, capillarity water absorption, water absorption, shrinkage and modulus of elasticity were determined. Rendering mortar were applied over two substrates with different water absorption, determining bond strength and cracking. There were observed significant differences in the behavior of mortars made with different aggregates, as loss of workability and of density, reduction of compressive and flexural strength, decreasing of modulus of elasticity, increasing of absorption and density.

Cotttaer sandstone is a quite popular material used for sculptures and monuments for almost 1,000 years. Such sculptures and monuments will be damaged after several years. The reasons for that could be different: mechanical damage due to carving by sculptors, expansion stresses due to salt crystallization or temperature change. Damages also happen sometimes after inappropriate consolidation. Cottaer sandstone before and after consolidation was investigated by lab testing and numerical simulations in this thesis. The aim is to develop a simulation strategy which can simulate the thermomechanical coupled damage behavior at grain size level. The main research works of this thesis are as follows: *Uniaxial compression tests, Brazilian tension tests and size effect tests were carried out to investigate the mechanical parameters of original Cottaer sandstone. *Ultrasonic wave velocity measurement and special biaxial flexural tests were carried out to determine how deep the consolidation material penetrates and how much strength of sandstones is increased by using two different injection materials. *A Voronoi-based numerical simulation strategy was developed which considers grain size, grain shape and pore size. Mineral components, intra- and inter-granular contacts and intra- and inter-granular fracturing were considered as well. *Uniaxial compression tests and Brazilian tension tests of unconsolidated sandstone were simulated. This simulation strategy can capture inter- and intra-granular fracturing. *Prediction of thermo-mechanical coupled behavior of consolidated and unconsolidated sandstone samples was performed. The simulation results show that thermal properties of grains and filled pores have influence on temperature distribution and fracture development in the sandstone. Also, thermal induced displacements are strongly influenced by boundary condition.

This diploma thesis is focused on optimization of particle size distribution using concrete additions. To design a concrete of excellent properties, it is often necessary to achieve a higher packing density of the mixture by designing a suitable particle size distribution curve. Concrete with special properties and various types of powder additions are also described.

The theoretical part describes the admixtures that are used in cement replacement. Here also summarizes the findings on the influence of granulomentry, grain shape and fineness of admixtures on the density of the cement matrix. The practical part is experimentally verified the influence of fineness admixtures and grain size on the mechanical properties of concrete. Also, the rheological properties of cement are compared with admixtures depending on the type and dosage and time.