Fate and identification of oil-brine contamination in different hydrogeologic settings

USGS Publications Warehouse

Whittemore, Donald O.

2007-01-01

Past disposal of oil-field brine at the surface has caused substantial contamination of water resources in Kansas. Natural saline water occurs in and discharges from Permian bedrock in parts of the state, and other anthropogenic sources of saline water exist, requiring clear identification of different sources. Time-series analysis of Cl- concentration and streamflow relative to pre-contamination contents, and end-member mixing plots, especially for Br- and Cl-, are practical methods for source differentiation and quantification. Although regulations preventing escape of saltwater from oil wells were first passed in Kansas in 1935, much oil and gas brine was disposed on the surface through the 1940s. Hydrogeologic characteristics of the areas with past surface disposal of oil brine differ appreciably and result in large differences in the ratio of saltwater transported in streams or ground water. Much of the brine disposed during the 1910s to 1940s in an area of silty clay soils overlying shale and limestone bedrock in south-central Kansas soon ran off or was flushed from the surface by rain into streams. Chloride concentration in the rivers draining this area often exceeded 1000 mg/L after the start of oil production up to the 1950s. Chloride content in the rivers then generally declined to about 100 mg/L or less in recent low flows. Oil brine was also disposed in surface ponds overlying the unconsolidated High Plains aquifer in south-central Kansas from the latter 1920s into the 1940s. Most of the surface-disposed brine infiltrated to the underlying aquifer. Where the High Plains aquifer is thin, saltwater has migrated along the top of clay layers or the underlying shaly bedrock and either discharged into small streams or flowed into thicker parts of the aquifer. Where the aquifer is thick, surface-disposed oil brine moved downward until reaching clay lenses, migrated latterly to the edge of the clay, and again moved downward if still dense enough. Water-level declines from pumping have increased the lateral migration rate of the saltwater contamination in the aquifer towards water-supply wells. The period of flushing most of the surface-disposed saltwater from the area of shale and limestone bedrock is on the order of many decades but is at least many centuries for the deeper parts of the High Plains aquifer. ?? 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Geochemical evidence for possible natural migration of Marcellus Formation brine to shallow aquifers in Pennsylvania

PubMed Central

Warner, Nathaniel R.; Jackson, Robert B.; Darrah, Thomas H.; Osborn, Stephen G.; Down, Adrian; Zhao, Kaiguang; White, Alissa; Vengosh, Avner

2012-01-01

The debate surrounding the safety of shale gas development in the Appalachian Basin has generated increased awareness of drinking water quality in rural communities. Concerns include the potential for migration of stray gas, metal-rich formation brines, and hydraulic fracturing and/or flowback fluids to drinking water aquifers. A critical question common to these environmental risks is the hydraulic connectivity between the shale gas formations and the overlying shallow drinking water aquifers. We present geochemical evidence from northeastern Pennsylvania showing that pathways, unrelated to recent drilling activities, exist in some locations between deep underlying formations and shallow drinking water aquifers. Integration of chemical data (Br, Cl, Na, Ba, Sr, and Li) and isotopic ratios (87Sr/86Sr, 2H/H, 18O/16O, and 228Ra/226Ra) from this and previous studies in 426 shallow groundwater samples and 83 northern Appalachian brine samples suggest that mixing relationships between shallow ground water and a deep formation brine causes groundwater salinization in some locations. The strong geochemical fingerprint in the salinized (Cl > 20 mg/L) groundwater sampled from the Alluvium, Catskill, and Lock Haven aquifers suggests possible migration of Marcellus brine through naturally occurring pathways. The occurrences of saline water do not correlate with the location of shale-gas wells and are consistent with reported data before rapid shale-gas development in the region; however, the presence of these fluids suggests conductive pathways and specific geostructural and/or hydrodynamic regimes in northeastern Pennsylvania that are at increased risk for contamination of shallow drinking water resources, particularly by fugitive gases, because of natural hydraulic connections to deeper formations. PMID:22778445

Geochemical evidence for possible natural migration of Marcellus Formation brine to shallow aquifers in Pennsylvania.

PubMed

Warner, Nathaniel R; Jackson, Robert B; Darrah, Thomas H; Osborn, Stephen G; Down, Adrian; Zhao, Kaiguang; White, Alissa; Vengosh, Avner

2012-07-24

The debate surrounding the safety of shale gas development in the Appalachian Basin has generated increased awareness of drinking water quality in rural communities. Concerns include the potential for migration of stray gas, metal-rich formation brines, and hydraulic fracturing and/or flowback fluids to drinking water aquifers. A critical question common to these environmental risks is the hydraulic connectivity between the shale gas formations and the overlying shallow drinking water aquifers. We present geochemical evidence from northeastern Pennsylvania showing that pathways, unrelated to recent drilling activities, exist in some locations between deep underlying formations and shallow drinking water aquifers. Integration of chemical data (Br, Cl, Na, Ba, Sr, and Li) and isotopic ratios ((87)Sr/(86)Sr, (2)H/H, (18)O/(16)O, and (228)Ra/(226)Ra) from this and previous studies in 426 shallow groundwater samples and 83 northern Appalachian brine samples suggest that mixing relationships between shallow ground water and a deep formation brine causes groundwater salinization in some locations. The strong geochemical fingerprint in the salinized (Cl > 20 mg/L) groundwater sampled from the Alluvium, Catskill, and Lock Haven aquifers suggests possible migration of Marcellus brine through naturally occurring pathways. The occurrences of saline water do not correlate with the location of shale-gas wells and are consistent with reported data before rapid shale-gas development in the region; however, the presence of these fluids suggests conductive pathways and specific geostructural and/or hydrodynamic regimes in northeastern Pennsylvania that are at increased risk for contamination of shallow drinking water resources, particularly by fugitive gases, because of natural hydraulic connections to deeper formations.

Brine Migration from a Flooded Salt Mine in the Genesee Valley, Livingston County, New York: Geochemical Modeling and Simulation of Variable-Density Flow

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yager, Richard M.; Misut, Paul E.; Langevin, Christian D.; Parkhurst, David L.

2009-01-01

The Retsof salt mine in upstate New York was flooded from 1994 to 1996 after two roof collapses created rubble chimneys in overlying bedrock that intersected a confined aquifer in glacial sediments. The mine now contains about 60 billion liters of saturated halite brine that is slowly being displaced as the weight of overlying sediments causes the mine cavity to close, a process that could last several hundred years. Saline water was detected in the confined aquifer in 2002, and a brine-mitigation project that includes pumping followed by onsite desalination was implemented in 2006 to prevent further migration of saline water from the collapse area. A study was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey using geochemical and variable-density flow modeling to determine sources of salinity in the confined aquifer and to assess (1) processes that control movement and mixing of waters in the collapse area, (2) the effect of pumping on salinity, and (3) the potential for anhydrite dissolution and subsequent land subsidence resulting from mixing of waters induced by pumping. The primary source of salinity in the collapse area is halite brine that was displaced from the flooded mine and transported upward by advection and dispersion through the rubble chimneys and surrounding deformation zone. Geochemical and variable-density modeling indicate that salinity in the upper part of the collapse area is partly derived from inflow of saline water from bedrock fracture zones during water-level recovery (January 1996 through August 2006). The lateral diversion of brine into bedrock fracture zones promoted the upward migration of mine water through mixing with lower density waters. The relative contributions of mine water, bedrock water, and aquifer water to the observed salinity profile within the collapse area are controlled by the rates of flow to and from bedrock fracture zones. Variable-density simulations of water-level recovery indicate that saline water has probably not migrated beyond the collapse area, while simulations of pumping indicate that further upward migration of brine and saline water is now prevented by groundwater withdrawals under the brine-mitigation project. Geochemical modeling indicates that additional land subsidence as a result of anhydrite dissolution in the collapse area is not a concern, as long as the rate of brine pumping is less than the rate of upward flow of brine from the flooded mine. The collapse area above the flooded salt mine is within a glacially scoured bedrock valley that is filled with more than 150 meters of glacial drift. A confined aquifer at the bottom of the glacial sediments (referred to as the lower confined aquifer, or LCA) was the source of most of the water that flooded the mine. Two rubble chimneys that formed above the roof collapses in 1994 hydraulically connect the flooded mine to the LCA through 180 meters of sedimentary rock. From 1996 through 2006, water levels in the aquifer system recovered and the brine-displacement rate ranged from 4.4 to 1.6 liters per second, as estimated from land-surface subsidence above the mine. A zone of fracturing within the bedrock (the deformation zone) formed around the rubble chimneys as rock layers sagged toward the mine cavity after the roof collapses. Borehole geophysical surveys have identified three saline-water-bearing fracture zones in the bedrock: at stratigraphic contacts between the Onondaga and Bertie Limestones (O/B-FZ) and the Bertie Limestone and the Camillus Shale (B/C-FZ), and in the Syracuse Formation (Syr-FZ). The only outlets for brine displaced from the mine are through the rubble chimneys, but some of the brine could be diverted laterally into fracture zones in the rocks that lie between the mine and the LCA. Inverse geochemical models developed using PHREEQC indicate that halite brine in the flooded mine is derived from a mixture of freshwater from the LCA (81 percent), saline water from bedrock fracture zones (16 per

Halite Brine in the Onondaga Trough near Syracuse, New York: Characterization and Simulation of Variable-Density Flow

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yager, Richard M.; Kappel, William M.; Plummer, Niel

2007-01-01

Halite brine (saturation ranging from 45 to 80 percent) lies within glacial-drift deposits that fill the Onondaga Trough, a 40-km long bedrock valley deepened by Pleistocene ice near Syracuse, N.Y. The most concentrated brine occupies the northern end of the trough, more than 15 kilometers (km) beyond the northern limit of halite beds in the Silurian Salina Group, the assumed source of salt. The chemical composition of the brine and its radiocarbon age estimated from geochemical modeling with NETPATH suggest that the brine formed through dissolution of halite by glacial melt water, and later mixed with saline bedrock water about 16,500 years ago. Transient variable-density flow simulations were conducted with SEAWAT to assess current (2005) ground-water flow conditions within the glacial drift. A transient three-dimensional (3D) model using a grid spacing of 100 meters (m) and maximum layer spacing of 30 m was used to simulate a 215-year period from 1790 to 2005. The model was calibrated to observations of water levels, chloride concentrations, and discharges of water and chloride. The model produced an acceptable match to the measured data and provided a reasonable representation of the density distribution within the brine pool. The simulated mass of chloride in storage declined steadily during the 215-year period; however, the decline was mainly due to dispersion, which is probably overestimated because of the large layer spacing. Model results suggest that saline water from waste-disposal operations associated with a chemical plant has migrated beneath the western shore of Onondaga Lake. Two-dimensional (2D) cross-sectional models of the aquifer system within the Onondaga Trough were prepared to test the plausibility of a hypothesis that the brine was derived from a relict source of halite that was dissolved by glacial melt water. The 2D models used parameter estimates obtained with the calibrated 3D model. Model results indicated the brine could have migrated from the bedded-halite subcrop area and remained in the glacial sediments at the northern end of trough for over 16,000 years, as suggested by radiocarbon dating. The 2D models also indicated that slow dissipation of brine occurs through a mixing zone formed by upward flow of freshwater over the southern end of the brine pool. The simulated depletion rate is controlled by the rate of mixing, which is limited by the specified grid resolution and the accuracy of the numerical method used to solve the advection-dispersion equation. A numerical solution obtained by using an implicit finite-difference method with upstream weighting and a 2D grid containing a column and layer spacing of 76 m and 3 m, respectively, provided an acceptable match to chloride concentration profiles measured at three locations within the Onondaga Trough.

Results for the Brine Evaporation Bag (BEB) Brine Processing Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Delzeit, Lance; Flynn, Michael; Fisher, John; Shaw, Hali; Kawashima, Brian; Beeler, David; Howard, Kevin

2015-01-01

The recent Brine Processing Test compared the NASA Forward Osmosis Brine Dewatering (FOBD), Paragon Ionomer Water Processor (IWP), UMPQUA Ultrasonic Brine Dewatering System (UBDS), and the NASA Brine Evaporation Bag (BEB). This paper reports the results of the BEB. The BEB was operated at 70 deg C and a base pressure of 12 torr. The BEB was operated in a batch mode, and processed 0.4L of brine per batch. Two different brine feeds were tested, a chromic acid-urine brine and a chromic acid-urine-hygiene mix brine. The chromic acid-urine brine, known as the ISS Alternate Pretreatment Brine, had an average processing rate of 95 mL/hr with a specific power of 5kWhr/L. The complete results of these tests will be reported within this paper.

Active CO2 Reservoir Management for Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration: Impact on Permitting, Monitoring, and Public Acceptance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buscheck, T. A.; Chen, M.; Sun, Y.; Hao, Y.; Court, B.; Celia, M. A.; Wolery, T.; Aines, R. D.

2011-12-01

CO2 capture and sequestration (CCS) integrated with geothermal energy production in deep geological formations can play an important role in reducing CO2 emissions to the atmosphere and thereby mitigate global climate change. For industrial-scale CO2 injection in saline formations, pressure buildup can limit storage capacity and security. Active CO2 Reservoir Management (ACRM) combines brine production with CO2 injection to relieve pressure buildup, increase injectivity, manipulate CO2 migration, constrain brine leakage, and enable beneficial utilization of produced brine. Therefore, ACRM can be an enabler of carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS). Useful products may include freshwater, cooling water, make-up water for pressure support in oil, gas, and geothermal reservoir operations, and geothermal energy production. Implementation barriers to industrial-scale CCS include concerns about (1) CO2 sequestration security and assurance, (2) pore-space competition with neighboring subsurface activities, (3) CO2 capture costs, and (4) water-use demands imposed by CCS operations, which is particularly important where water resources are already scarce. CCUS, enabled by ACRM, has the potential of addressing these barriers. Pressure relief from brine production can substantially reduce the driving force for potential CO2 and brine migration, as well as minimize interference with neighboring subsurface activities. Electricity generated from geothermal energy can offset a portion of the parasitic energy and financial costs of CCS. Produced brine can be used to generate freshwater by desalination technologies, such as RO, provide a source for saltwater cooling systems or be used as make-up water for oil, gas, or geothermal reservoir operations, reducing the consumption of valuable freshwater resources. We examine the impact of brine production on reducing CO2 and brine leakage. A volumetric balance between injected and produced fluids minimizes the spatial extent of the pressure perturbation, substantially reducing both the Area of Review (AoR) and interactions with neighboring subsurface activities. This will reduce pore-space competition between neighboring subsurface activities, allowing for independent planning, assessment, and permitting. Because post-injection pressure buildup is virtually eliminated, this could have a major impact on post-injection monitoring requirements. Reducing the volume of rock over which brine can migrate may significantly affect site characterization requirements, as well as the impact of parametric and conceptual model uncertainties, such as those related to abandoned wells. ACRM-CCUS has the potential of playing a beneficial role in site-characterization, permitting, and monitoring activities, and in gaining public acceptance. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Brine Pockets in the Icy Shell on Europa: Distribution, Chemistry, and Habitability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zolotov, M. Yu; Shock, E. L.; Barr, A. C.; Pappalardo, R. T.

2004-01-01

On Earth, sea ice is rich in brine, salt, and gas inclusions that form through capturing of seawater during ice formation. Cooling of the ice over time leads to sequential freezing of captured sea-water, precipitation of salts, exsolution of gases, and formation of brine channels and pockets. Distribution and composition of brines in sea ice depend on the rate of ice formation, vertical temperature gradient, and the age of the ice. With aging, the abundance of brine pockets decreases through downward migration. De- spite low temperatures and elevated salinities, brines in sea ice provide a habitat for photosynthetic and chemosynthetic organisms. On Europa, brine pockets and channels could exist in the icy shell that may be from a few km to a few tens of km thick and is probably underlain by a water ocean. If the icy shell is relatively thick, convection could develop, affecting the temperature pattern in the ice. To predict the distribution and chemistry of brine pockets in the icy shell we have combined numerical models of the temperature distribution within a convecting shell, a model for oceanic chemistry, and a model for freezing of Europan oceanic water. Possible effects of brine and gas inclusions on ice rheology and tectonics are discussed.

Wind effects on prey availability: How northward migrating waders use brackish and hypersaline lagoons in the sivash, Ukraine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verkuil, Yvonne; Koolhaas, Anita; Van Der Winden, Jan

Large numbers of waders migrating northward in spring use the Sivash, a large system of shallow, brackish and hypersaline lagoons in the Black Sea and Azov Sea region (Ukraine). The bottoms of these lagoons are often uncovered by the wind. Hence, for waders the time and space available for feeding depend on wind conditions. In hypersaline lagoons the benthic and pelagic fauna was very poor, consisting mainly of chironomid larvae (0.19 g AFDM·m -2) and brine shrimps Artemia salina, respectively. Brine shrimp abundance was correlated with salinity, wind force, wind direction and water depth. Dunlin Calidris alpina and curlew sandpiper Calidris ferruginea were the only species feeding on brine shrimp. As brine shrimp densities are higher in deeper water, smaller waders such as broad-billed sandpipers Limicola falcinellus are too short-legged to reach exploitable densities of brine shrimp. In brackish lagoons the benthic and pelagic fauna was rich, consisting of polychaetes, bivalves, gastropods, chironomid larvae, isopods and amphipods (8.9 to 30.5 g AFDM·m -2), but there were no brine shrimps. Prey biomass increased with the distance from the coast, being highest on the site that was most frequently inundated. Dunlin, broad-billed sandpiper and grey plover Pluvialis squatarola were the most abundant birds in the brackish lagoon. Due to the effects of wind-tides only a small area was usually available as a feeding site. Gammarus insensibilis was the alternative prey resource in the water layer, and their density varied with wind direction in the same way as brine shrimp. Curlew sandpipers and dunlins in the hypersaline lagoons and broad-billed sandpipers in the brackish lagoons often changed feeding sites, probably following the variation in prey availability. Only because of the large size and variety of lagoons are waders in the Sivash always able to find good feeding sites.

Hydrothermal dolomitization of the Bekhme formation (Upper Cretaceous), Zagros Basin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Record of oil migration and degradation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansurbeg, Howri; Morad, Daniel; Othman, Rushdy; Morad, Sadoon; Ceriani, Andrea; Al-Aasm, Ihsan; Kolo, Kamal; Spirov, Pavel; Proust, Jean Noel; Preat, Alain; Koyi, Hemin

2016-07-01

The common presence of oil seepages in dolostones is widespread in Cretaceous carbonate successions of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This integrated field, petrographic, chemical, stable C, O and Sr isotopes, and fluid inclusion study aims to link dolomitization to the origin and geochemical evolution of fluids and oil migration in the Upper Cretaceous Bekhme carbonates. Flux of hot basinal (hydrothermal) brines, which is suggested to have occurred during the Zagros Orogeny, resulted in dolomitization and cementation of vugs and fractures by coarse-crystalline saddle dolomite, equant calcite and anhydrite. The saddle dolomite and host dolostones have similar stable isotopic composition and formed prior to oil migration from hot (81-115 °C) basinal NaCl-MgCl2-H2O brines with salinities of 18-22 wt.% NaCl eq. The equant calcite cement, which surrounds and hence postdates saddle dolomite, has precipitated during oil migration from cooler (60-110 °C) NaCl-CaCl2-H2O brines (14-18 wt.% NaCl eq). The yellowish fluorescence color of oil inclusions in the equant calcite indicates that the oil had API gravity of 15-25° composition, which is lighter than present-day oil in the reservoirs (API of 10-17°). This difference in oil composition is attributed to oil degradation by the flux of meteoric water, which is evidenced by the low δ13C values (- 8.5‰ to - 3.9‰ VPDB) as well as by nil salinity and low temperature in fluid inclusions of late columnar calcite cement. This study demonstrates that linking fluid flux history and related diagenesis to the tectonic evolution of the basin provides important clues to the timing of oil migration, degradation and reservoir evolution.

Distribution of Iodine and Its Geochronological Implications for Gas Field Brine in Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomaru, H.; Hirose, N.; Miyazato, S.

2017-12-01

Global distribution of iodine is very heterogeneous in location and chemical species; 65% of total iodine is produced in Chile as solid nitrate (e.g. caliche) and 30% in Japan as solute mainly in gas field brine. In the latter case, because iodine has a close association with marine organic materials such as algae, iodine had been liberated into the surrounding aqueous phase during the generation of oil and gas and traveled together with oil/gas to the current deposit. The distribution of iodine therefore reflects the environments of accumulation and secondary migration of iodine during its diagenetic processes. Here we present the concentrations of total iodine (127-I) and a long-lived radioisotope (129-I) in gas field brines in Japan to understand the behavior of iodine in response to the development of present geological setting including oil field in terms of its geochronological signals using 129-I. The concentrations of iodine dissolved in gas field brines and hot/cold springs in nearby areas are relatively high compared with the seawater composition, although the chloride concentrations are lower than the seawater. This is due to the delivery of iodine from organic-rich sediments into the current deposits. The 129-I has decayed since the deposition of iodine-rich organic materials from the seawater following the standard decay curve, however, the129-I concentrations are relatively low compared with the age of host sediments of the fluids, which indicates iodine has derived secondary from old sediments responsible for the generation of gas. The 129-I and halogen composition also indicate these fluids mix with pre-anthropogenic seawater during the migration. These results characterize the history of long-term migration of iodine in organic-rich marine system.

Monitoring CO 2 sequestration into deep saline aquifer and associated salt intrusion using coupled multiphase flow modeling and time lapse electrical resistivity tomography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chuan Lu; CHI Zhang; Hai Hanag

2014-04-01

Successful geological storage and sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2) require efficient monitoring of the migration of CO2 plume during and after large-scale injection in order to verify the containment of the injected CO2 within the target formation and to evaluate potential leakage risk. Field studies have shown that surface and cross-borehole electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) can be a useful tool in imaging and characterizing solute transport in heterogeneous subsurface. In this synthetic study, we have coupled a 3-D multiphase flow model with a parallel 3-D time-lapse ERT inversion code to explore the feasibility of using time-lapse ERT for simultaneously monitoringmore » the migration of CO2 plume in deep saline formation and potential brine intrusion into shallow fresh water aquifer. Direct comparisons of the inverted CO2 plumes resulting from ERT with multiphase flow simulation results indicate the ERT could be used to delineate the migration of CO2 plume. Detailed comparisons on the locations, sizes and shapes of CO2 plume and intruded brine plumes suggest that ERT inversion tends to underestimate the area review of the CO2 plume, but overestimate the thickness and total volume of the CO2 plume. The total volume of intruded brine plumes is overestimated as well. However, all discrepancies remain within reasonable ranges. Our study suggests that time-lapse ERT is a useful monitoring tool in characterizing the movement of injected CO2 into deep saline aquifer and detecting potential brine intrusion under large-scale field injection conditions.« less

Mechanisms of sulfate removal from subsurface calcium chloride brines: Heletz-Kokhav oilfields, Israel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavrieli, Ittai; Starinsky, Avraham; Spiro, Baruch; Aizenshtat, Zeev; Nielsen, Heimo

1995-09-01

The evolution of the Ca-chloride brines in the Heletz Formation, Lower Cretaceous, in the southern coastal plain of Israel was reconstructed through the study of its sulfate concentration and isotopic composition. Particular emphasis was given to the brine-oil interaction in the oilfields and to the sulfate depletion and lower SO 4/Cl ratio in brines in contact with hydrocarbons (oil brines) relative to "oil-free" from dry wells in the same oilfields. A method is presented for a calculation of the amount of sulfate removed from the original seawater in the various stages of its evolution to Ca-chloride brine. These stages include evaporation, dolomitization, and sulfate reduction in different stages of its evolution, from early diagenetic processes to the contact with crude oil. In the present study, based on the δ34S SO 4 and SO 4/Cl ratio, it was found that in the Heletz brines most of the sulfate (80-94%) was removed from the original seawater prior to their interaction with the hydrocarbons and only a negligible fraction of few percent of the sulfate was removed during the crude oil-water contact. The Ca-chloride brines evolved from Messinian (Upper Miocene) seawater that underwent evaporation during the desiccation of the Mediterranean. Sulfate was removed from Messinian lagoon (s) during gypsum precipitation due to evaporation and dolomitization. Bacterial sulfate reduction further depleted the brine in sulfate and changed its isotopic composition, from its original Miocene seawater composition of δ34S SO 4 ˜ 20%o, 26%o. Overall, some 50% of the original sulfate, as normalized to chloride, was removed from the original lagoon through the above processes, mostly by gypsum precipitation. Eastward migration of the Messinian Ca-Chloride brine into the Heletz Formation was accompanied by dolomitization of the country rock. Final depletion of sulfate from the brines took place, and possibly still occurs, in the presence of crude oil in the oilfields. The two oil-producing fields, Heletz and Kokhav, occupy different areas on a Rayleigh distillation diagram. Sulfate depletion in both fields is accompanied by an increase in δ34S SO 4, which reaches a maximum value of 59%o. The above correlation is explained by bacterial sulfate reduction facilitated by the contact with the crude. Samples collected from the same boreholes at time intervals of several months show two opposing trends: sulfate concentration decrease accompanied by increase in δ34S SO 4, and vice versa. While the first can be explained as in situ bacterial sulfate reduction, the latter attest to subsurface brine migration, as would be expected in oil-producing fields.

Projected effects of proposed chloride-control projects on shallow ground water; preliminary results for the Wichita River basin, Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garza, Sergio

1983-01-01

Two-dimensional mathematical computer models were developed for aquifer simulation of: (1) Steady-state conditions in a fresh-water system and (2) transient conditions in a brine- fresh-water system where the density effects of the brine are considered. The main results 'of projecting the effects of the proposed Truscott Brine Lake on the fresh-water aquifer are: (1) Hydraulic head rises of 5 to 40 feet would be confined to areas near the proposed dam and along the lake shoreline, and (2) migration of salt water downstream from the dam generally would be limited to less than 1 mile and apparently would not reach equilibrium during the 100-year duration of the project. The modeling efforts did not include possible effects related to hydrodynamic dispersion in the brine- fresh-water system. Possible changes in the hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer, due to physical and chemical interactions in the brine and fresh-water environments, also were not considered.

CO2 exsolution - challenges and opportunities in subsurface flow management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuo, Lin; Benson, Sally

2014-05-01

In geological carbon sequestration, a large amount of injected CO2 will dissolve in brine over time. Exsolution occurs when pore pressures decline and CO2 solubility in brine decreases, resulting in the formation of a separate CO2 phase. This scenario occurs in storage reservoirs by upward migration of carbonated brine, through faults, leaking boreholes or even seals, driven by a reverse pressure gradient from CO2 injection or ground water extraction. In this way, dissolved CO2 could migrate out of storage reservoirs and form a gas phase at shallower depths. This paper summarizes the results of a 4-year study regarding the implications of exsolution on storage security, including core-flood experiments, micromodel studies, and numerical simulation. Micromodel studies have shown that, different from an injected CO2 phase, where the gas remains interconnected, exsolved CO2 nucleates in various locations of a porous medium, forms disconnected bubbles and propagates by a repeated process of bubble expansion and snap-off [Zuo et al., 2013]. A good correlation between bubble size distribution and pore size distribution is observed, indicating that geometry of the pore space plays an important role in controlling the mobility of brine and exsolved CO2. Core-scale experiments demonstrate that as the exsolved gas saturation increases, the water relative permeability drops significantly and is disproportionately reduced compared to drainage relative permeability [Zuo et al., 2012]. The CO2 relative permeability remains very low, 10-5~10-3, even when the exsolved CO2 saturation increases to over 40%. Furthermore, during imbibition with CO2 saturated brines, CO2 remains trapped even under relatively high capillary numbers (uv/σ~10-6) [Zuo et al., submitted]. The water relative permeability at the imbibition endpoint is 1/3~1/2 of that with carbonated water displacing injected CO2. Based on the experimental evidence, CO2 exsolution does not appear to create significant risks for storage security. Falta et al. [2013] show that if carbonated brine migrates upwards and exsolution occurs, brine migration would be greatly reduced and limited by the presence of exsolved CO2 and the consequent low relatively permeability to brine. Similarly, if an exsolved CO2 phase were to evolve in seals, for example, after CO2 injection stops, the effect would be to reduce the permeability to brine and the CO2 would have very low mobility. This flow blocking effect is also studied with water/oil/CO2 [Zuo et al., 2013]. Experiments show that exsolved CO2 performs as a secondary residual phase in porous media that effectively blocks established water flow paths and deviates water to residual oil zones, thereby increasing recovery. Overall, our studies suggest that CO2 exsolution provides an opportunity for mobility control in subsurface processes. However, the lack of simulation capability that accounts for differences between gas injection and gas exsolution creates challenges for modeling and hence, designing studies to exploit the mobility reduction capabilities of CO2 exsolution. Using traditional drainage multiphase flow parameterization in simulations involving exsolution will lead to large errors in transport rates. Development of process dependent parameterizations of multiphase flow properties will be a key next step and will help to unlock the benefits from gas exsolution. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This work is funded by the Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP) at Stanford University. This work was also supported by U.S. EPA, Science To Achieve Results (STAR) Program, Grant #: 834383, 2010-2012. REFERENCES Falta, R., L. Zuo and S.M. Benson (2013). Migration of exsolved CO2 following depressurization of saturated brines. Journal of Greenhouse Gas Science and Technology, 3(6), 503-515. Zuo, L., S.C.M. Krevor, R.W. Falta, and S.M. Benson (2012). An experimental study of CO2 exsolution and relative permeability measurements during CO2 saturated water depressurization. Transp. Porous Media, 91(2), 459-478. Zuo, L., C. Zhang, R.W. Falta, and S.M. Benson (2013). Micromodel investigations of CO2 exsolution from carbonated water in sedimentary rocks. Adv. Water Res., 53, 188-197. Zuo, L., and S.M. Benson (2013). Exsolution enhanced oil recovery with concurrent CO2 sequestration. Energy Procedia, 37, 6957-6963. Zuo, L., and S.M. Benson. Different Effects of Imbibed and Exsolved Residually Trapped CO2 in Sandstone. Submitted to Geophysical Research Letters.

Hydrothermal zebra dolomite in the Great Basin, Nevada--attributes and relation to Paleozoic stratigraphy, tectonics, and ore deposits

USGS Publications Warehouse

Diehl, S.F.; Hofstra, A.H.; Koenig, A.E.; Emsbo, P.; Christiansen, W.; Johnson, Chad

2010-01-01

In other parts of the world, previous workers have shown that sparry dolomite in carbonate rocks may be produced by the generation and movement of hot basinal brines in response to arid paleoclimates and tectonism, and that some of these brines served as the transport medium for metals fixed in Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) and sedimentary exhalative (Sedex) deposits of Zn, Pb, Ag, Au, or barite. Numerous occurrences of hydrothermal zebra dolomite (HZD), comprised of alternating layers of dark replacement and light void-filling sparry or saddle dolomite, are present in Paleozoic platform and slope carbonate rocks on the eastern side of the Great Basin physiographic province. Locally, it is associated with mineral deposits of barite, Ag-Pb-Zn, and Au. In this paper the spatial distribution of HZD occurrences, their stratigraphic position, morphological characteristics, textures and zoning, and chemical and stable isotopic compositions were determined to improve understanding of their age, origin, and relation to dolostone, ore deposits, and the tectonic evolution of the Great Basin. In northern and central Nevada, HZD is coeval and cogenetic with Late Devonian and Early Mississippian Sedex Au, Zn, and barite deposits and may be related to Late Ordovician Sedex barite deposits. In southern Nevada and southwest California, it is cogenetic with small MVT Ag-Pb-Zn deposits in rocks as young as Early Mississippian. Over Paleozoic time, the Great Basin was at equatorial paleolatitudes with episodes of arid paleoclimates. Several occurrences of HZD are crosscut by Mesozoic or Cenozoic intrusions, and some host younger pluton-related polymetallic replacement and Carlin-type gold deposits. The distribution of HZD in space (carbonate platform, margin, and slope) and stratigraphy (Late Neoproterozoic Ediacaran-Mississippian) roughly parallels that of dolostone and both are prevalent in Devonian strata. Stratabound HZD is best developed in Ediacaran and Cambrian units, whereas discordant HZD is proximal to high-angle structures at the carbonate platform margin, such as strike-slip and growth faults and dilational jogs. Fabric-selective replacement and dissolution features (e.g., collapse breccias, voids with geopetal textures) are common, with remaining void space lined with light-colored dolomite crystals that exhibit zoning under cathodoluminescence. Zoned crystals usually contain tiny ( ~70 degrees C. The oxygen isotopic compositions of HZD are consistent with formation temperatures of 50-150 degrees C requiring brine circulation to depths of 2-5 km, or more. The few HZD occurrences with the highest concentrations of metals (especially Fe, Mn, and Zn) and the largest isotopic shifts are closely associated with Sedex or MVT deposits known to have formed from hotter brines (e.g., Th > 150-250 degrees C). These relationships permit that HZD formed at about the same time as dolostone, from brines produced by the evaporation of seawater during arid paleoclimates at equatorial paleolatitudes. Both dolostone and HZD may have formed as basinal brines, which migrated seaward from evaporative pans on the platform, with dolostone forming at low temperatures along shallow migration pathways through permeable limestones, and HZD forming at high temperatures along deeper migration pathways through basal aquifers and dilatant high-angle faults. The small MVT deposits were chemical traps where hot brines encountered rocks or fluids containing reduced sulfur. The abundant Sedex deposits mark sites where hot brine discharged at the seafloor in adjacent basins. Thus the distribution of HZD may map deep migration pathways and upflow zones between eastern shallow marine facies, where evaporative brine could have been generated, and western Sedex deposits, where heated brines discharged along faults into platform margin, slope, and basin facies. The small size and scarcity of Pb-Zn depos

Two-brine model of the genesis of strata-bound Zechstein deposits (Kupferschiefer type), Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kucha, H.; Pawlikowski, M.

1986-01-01

These Kupferschiefer deposits were probably formed as a result of a mixing of two brines. The upper cold brine (UCB) is an unmineralized brine rich in Na, Ca, Cl and SO4, with a pH>7 and originating from evaporites overlying the metal-bearing Zechstein rocks. The lower hot brine (LHB) rich in Mg, K, Cl, SO4 and CO3 with a pH<=7 formed in sediments in the central part of the Zechstein basin at a depth of 7,000 m. This brine was subjected to heating and upward convection toward the Fore-Sudetic monocline along the bottom of the Z1 carbonates. During its migration, it caused albitization, serpentinization and leaching of the primary metal deposits in rocks underlying the Zechstein becoming enriched in heavy metals. The mineralization process, being a result of the mixing of the two brines (UCB and LHB), and catalytic oxidation of the organic matter of the black shale were initiated at shallow depths in the area of the Fore-Sudetic monocline. The boundary of the two brines generally overlapped the strike of the black shale. Parts of the deposit with shale-free host rock suggest that the action of two brines alone was capable of producing economic concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn. Where the boundary of the two brines overlaps the autooxidation zone (the black shale bottom) and also coincides with γ radiation of thucholite, concentrations of noble metals result. The characteristic vertical distribution of the triplet Cu→Pb→Zn from the bottom upward is universal in the Kupferschiefer environment.

Effect of ionic strength on barium transport in porous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Zi; Prigiobbe, Valentina

2018-02-01

Hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) is a well stimulation technique used to extract resources from a low permeability formation. Currently, the most common application of fracking is for the extraction of oil and gas from shale. During the operation, a large volume of brine, rich in hazardous chemicals, is produced. Spills of brine from wells or pits might negatively impact underground water resources and, in particular, one of the major concerns is the migration of radionuclides, such as radium (Ra2+), into the shallow subsurface. However, the transport behaviour of Ra2+ through a reactive porous medium under conditions typical of a brine, i.e., high salinity, is not well understood, yet. Here, a study on the transport behaviour of barium (Ba2+, congener of radium) through a porous medium containing a common mineral such as goethite (FeO(OH)) is presented. Batch and column flood tests were carried out at conditions resembling the produced brine, i.e., large values of ionic strength (I), namely, 1 to 3 mol/kg. The measurements were described with the triple layer surface complexation model coupled with the Pitzer activity coefficient method and a reactive transport model, in the case of the transport tests. The experimental results show that the adsorption of Ba2+ onto FeO(OH) increases with pH but decreases with I and it becomes negligible at the brine conditions. Moreover, even if isotherms show adsorption at large I, at the same conditions during transport, Ba2+ travels without retardation through the FeO(OH) porous medium. The triple layer model agrees very well with all batch data but it does not describe well the transport tests in all cases. In particular, the model cannot match the pH measurements at large I values. This suggests that the chemical reactions at the solid-liquid interface do not capture the mechanism of Ba2+ adsorption onto FeO(OH) at large salinity. Finally, this study suggests that barium, and potentially its congeners, namely, radium, calcium, magnesium, and strontium, may travel at the average flow velocity through a soil where the dominant reactive mineral is goethite.

Changes in migration mode of brine and supercritical CO2 in imbibition process under steady flow state of very slow fluid velocities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kogure, Tetsuya; Zhang, Yi; Nishizawa, Osamu; Xue, Ziqiu

2018-05-01

Relative permeability curves and flow mechanisms of CO2 and brine in Berea sandstone were investigated during a two-phase flow imbibition process, where CO2 saturation in the rock decreased from 55 per cent to 9 per cent by stepwise decrease of CO2/brine injection ratios. Total fluid flow velocity was 4.25 × 10-6 m/s, corresponding to the capillary number of order ˜10-8 for CO2 flow. The relative permeability curves showed a slight hysteresis compared to those during the drainage process. Local CO2 saturation and the differential pressure showed temporal fluctuations when the average differential pressure showed constant values or very small trends. The fluctuations in local CO2 saturation correlate with local porosity distributions. The differential pressure between the inlet and outlet ends showed the largest fluctuation when the CO2/brine ratio equals to one. A final brine-only injection resulted in more CO2 trapped within low porosity zones. These results suggest important roles of ganglion dynamics in the low flow rate ranges, where fluid pathways undergo repetitive brine snap-off and coalescence of CO2 ganglia that causes morphological changes in distributions of CO2 pathways.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rutqvist, Jonny; Blanco Martin, Laura; Mukhopadhyay, Sumit

In this report, we present FY2014 progress by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) related to modeling of coupled thermal-hydrological-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes in salt and their effect on brine migration at high temperatures. LBNL’s work on the modeling of coupled THMC processes in salt was initiated in FY2012, focusing on exploring and demonstrating the capabilities of an existing LBNL modeling tool (TOUGH-FLAC) for simulating temperature-driven coupled flow and geomechanical processes in salt. This work includes development related to, and implementation of, essential capabilities, as well as testing the model against relevant information and published experimental data related to the fate andmore » transport of water. we provide more details on the FY2014 work, first presenting updated tools and improvements made to the TOUGH-FLAC simulator, and the use of this updated tool in a new model simulation of long-term THM behavior within a generic repository in a salt formation. This is followed by the description of current benchmarking and validations efforts, including the TSDE experiment. We then present the current status in the development of constitutive relationships and the dual-continuum model for brine migration. We conclude with an outlook for FY2015, which will be much focused on model validation against field experiments and on the use of the model for the design studies related to a proposed heater experiment.« less

An alternative hypothesis for sink development above salt cavities in the Detroit area

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stump, Daniel; Nieto, A.S.; Ege, J.R.

1982-01-01

Subsidence and sink formation resulting from brining operations in the Windsor-Detroit area include the 1954 sink at the Canadian Salt Company brine field near Windsor, Ontario, and the 1971 sinks at the BASF Wyandotte Corporation brine field at Grosse Ile, Mich. Earlier investigations into both occurrences concluded that the mechanism of sink development consisted of the gradual stoping of poorly supported brine-gallery roof rock to the near surface with subsequent surface collapse. A more recent study attempted to describe the mechanism of sink development in terms of the geometry of a cylindrical chimney formed by stoping of roof rock, the height of a cavity at depth, the depth of overlying rock, and the bulking ratio of the rubble formed during stoping. Persons with extensive experience in solution mining in the Windsor-Detroit area have expressed doubt that the stoping mechanism could fully explain the development of these sinks. Further, they have proposed that the relatively shallow (300-ft-deep) Sylvania Sandstone, in this case, may be responsible for the sinks by a secondary undermining mechanism to be examined in this paper. The mechanism involves downwarping of the beds overlying the salt cavity and development of a shallower cavity in the Sylvania Sandstone by downward migration of cohesionless sand grains from the Sylvania through openings in the disturbed rock to the lower cavity. This study indicates that under natural conditions the Sylvania will not migrate, even in the presence of large underground water flows because the sandstone possesses some cohesion throughout its depth. However, further investigation has formulated a mechanism that could allow the Sylvania Sandstone to loose its cohesion in response to high horizontal stresses. These stresses could be the result of deformation that accompanies general subsidence and (or) of past geologic processes. Included in this study were experimental and analytical investigations. As determined by uniaxial and triaxial testing, the Sylvania Sandstone in the Detroit area has been shown to have low compressive strength. In addition, it exhibits an explosive type failure whereby over 50 percent of the sample is reduced to loose granular sand. As a result of these characteristics, the Sylvania Sandstone can loose its cohesion when subjected to high horizontal stresses. Efforts at mechanically modeling the Sylvania were made to account for the measurements and observations. Linear arch theory was used for an elastic analysis. Linear arch theory predicts two modes of failure: (1) arch crushing, a compressive failure of the upper portion of the arch due to compressive stresses exceeding the compressive strength of the material, and (2) arch collapse, a sagging of the beds due to compressive strains which reduce the arch line to a length less than the original arch length. The arch crushing mode of failure would then yield the loose granular sand as observed in laboratory testing. Arch collapse would simply result in bed sagging without granulation of the sandstone. Arch collapse is favored by thin-bedded material while arch crushing is favored by thick-bedded material. Arch crushing seems to be a likely mode of failure for the Windsor-Detroit sinks. It is believed that after a crushing failure the sand-water slurry (specific gravity 1.2) which exceeds the density of the cavity brine will migrate downward through cracks and open joints eventually reaching the practically limitless open spaces of the rubble column and salt cavity. As the extent of the cavity within the Sylvania increases in depth and width because of sand migration, a critical span will be reached where the immediately overlying upper Sylvania and the overlying Detroit River Dolomite will fail. The collapse will allow a path for the approximately 100 ft of clay to collapse, resulting in a sink as the surface manifestation.

Evaluation of Brine Processing Technologies for Spacecraft Wastewater

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaw, Hali L.; Flynn, Michael; Wisniewski, Richard; Lee, Jeffery; Jones, Harry; Delzeit, Lance; Shull, Sarah; Sargusingh, Miriam; Beeler, David; Howard, Jeanie;

Hydrogeologic aspects of brine disposal in the East Poplar oil field, Fort Peck Indian Reservation, northeastern Montana

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Craigg, S.D.; Thamke, J.N.

1993-04-01

The East Poplar Oil Field encompasses about 70 square miles in the south-central part of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Oil production began in 1952 from the Mississippian Madison Group. Production depths range from about 5,500 to 6,000 feet below land surface. Large quantities of brine (water having a dissolved-solids concentration greater than 35,000 milligrams per liter) have been produced with the oil. The brine has a dissolved-solids concentration of as much as 160,000 milligrams per liter. Most of the brine has been disposed of by injection into shallower subsurface formations (mainly the Lower Cretaceous Dakota Sandstone at depths ofmore » about 3,300 feet and the Upper Cretaceous Judith River Formation at depths of about 1,000 feet). Smaller quantities of brine have been directed to storage and evaporation pits. Handling, transport, and disposal of the brine have resulted in its movement into and migration through shallow Quaternary alluvial and glacial deposits along the Poplar River valley. Locally, domestic water supplies are obtained from these deposits. The major point, sources of shallow ground-water contamination probably is leakage of brine from corroded disposal-well casing and pipelines. Using electromagnetic geophysical techniques and auger drilling, three saline-water plumes in alluvial deposits and one plum in glacial deposits have been delineated. Dominant constituents in plume areas are sodium and chloride, whereas those in nonplume areas are sodium and bicarbonate.« less

Application of geoelectric and electromagnetic methods for the detection of failing zones and brine rising zones in the vicinity of a potential CO2-storage site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herd, Rainer; Krause, Yvonne; Schafrik, Wlad

2013-04-01

Within the framework of the project "brine - CO2 storage in eastern Brandenburg" geophysical investigations are conducted by the German Research Center for Geoscience (GFZ), Potsdam and the Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU), Cottbus on different scales in order to investigate underground situations and evaluate methods suitable for a salinization early warning system. The research of BTU is focused on the distribution of underground structures up to a maximum depth of 200m. Of prevalent interest are the detection capabilities for near surface failing zones which might serve as favored pathways for brine migration and the status-quo of the freshwater-saltwater boundary. Geophysical investigations with the frequency domain electromagnetic (FDEM) and direct current (DC) geoelectric methods are qualified for the identification and monitoring of brine displacement as the measuring parameter is the resistivity/conductivity of the subsurface. In eastern Brandenburg the Oligocene Rupelian clay represents the barrier horizon separating the freshwater and saline aquifers. Due to postglacial processes this layer is locally reduced or totally eroded and might enhance upward brine migration during pressure increase. The areas of investigation were selected by known high fluid conductivity values (hydro chemical indication) and the potential presence of quaternary erosion channels in the Rupelian clay (geological indication). The geophysical results yield a vertical and horizontal resistivity/conductivity distribution. The interpretation is done by lithology profiles of nearby boreholes and correlation with fluid conductivities in groundwater wells. The results of FDEM and DC on coincident profiles are generally in accordance and show that both methods are suitable with DC geoelectrics supplementing a higher resolution close to the surface (max. 80m depth) and the electromagnetics adding coarser/less detailed conductivity information of the deeper underground (down to 200m depth).

Development of a CO 2 Chemical Sensor for Downhole CO 2 Monitoring in Carbon Sequestration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Ning

Geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO 2) has been proposed as a viable means for reducing anthropogenic CO 2 emissions. The means for geological sequestration of CO 2 is injection of supercritical CO 2 underground, which requires the CO 2 to remain either supercritical, or in solution in the water/brine present in the underground formation. However, there are aspects of geologic sequestration that need further study, particularly in regards to safety. To date, none of the geologic sequestration locations have been tested for storage integrity under the changing stress conditions that apply to the sequestration of very large amounts ofmore » CO 2. Establishing environmental safety and addressing public concerns require widespread monitoring of the process in the deep subsurface. In addition, studies of subsurface carbon sequestration such as flow simulations, models of underground reactions and transports require a comprehensive monitoring process to accurately characterize and understand the storage process. Real-time information about underground CO 2 movement and concentration change is highly helpful for: (1) better understanding the uncertainties present in CO 2 geologic storage; (2) improvement of simulation models; and (3) evaluation of the feasibility of geologic CO 2 storage. Current methods to monitor underground CO 2 storage include seismic, geoelectric, isotope and tracer methods, and fluid sampling analysis. However, these methods commonly resulted low resolution, high cost, and the inability to monitor continuously over the long time scales of the CO 2 storage process. A preferred way of monitoring in-situ underground CO 2 migration is to continuous measure CO 2 concentration change in brine during the carbon storage process. An approach to obtain the real time information on CO 2 concentration change in formation solution is highly demanded in carbon storage to understand the CO 2 migration subsurface and to answer the public safety problem. The objective of the study is to develop a downhole CO 2 sensor that can in-situ, continuously monitor CO 2 concentration change in deep saline. The sensor is a Severinghaus-type CO 2 sensor with small size, which renders it can be embedded in monitoring well casing or integrated with pressure/temperature transducers, enabling the development of “smart” wells. The studies included: (1) prepare and characterize metal-oxide electrodes. Test the electrodes response to pH change. Investigate different ions and brine concentration effects on the electrode’s performance. Study the stability of the electrode in brine solution; (2) fabricate a downhole CO 2 sensor with the metal-oxide electrodes prepared in the laboratory. Test the performance of the CO 2 sensor in brine solutions. Study high pressure effects on the performance of the sensor; (3) design and conduct CO 2/brine coreflooding experiments with the CO2 sensor. Monitor CO 2 movement along the core and test the performance of the sensor in coreflooding tests. Develop a data acquisition system that can digitize the sensor’s output voltage. Our completed research has resulted in deep understanding of downhole CO 2 sensor development and CO 2 monitoring in CO 2 storage process. The developed downhole CO 2 sensor included a metal-oxide electrode, a gas-permeable membrane, a porous steel cup, and a bicarbonate-based internal electrolyte solution. Iridium oxide-based electrode was prepared and used for preparation the CO 2 sensor. The prepared iridium oxide-based electrode displayed a linearly response to pH change. Different factors such as different ions and ions concentration, temperature, and pressure effects on the electrode performance on pH response were investigated. The results indicated that the electrode exhibited a good performance even in high salt concentration of produced water. To improve the electrode performance under high pressure, IrO 2 nanoparticles with the particle size in the range of 1-2 nm were prepared and electrodeposited on stainless steel substrate by cyclic voltammetry. It was observed that the thin film of iridium oxide was formed on the substrate surface and such iridium oxide-based electrode displayed excellent performance under high pressure for longer term. A downhole CO 2 sensor with the iridium oxide-based electrode was prepared. The working principle of the CO 2 sensor is based on the measurement of the pH change of the internal electrolyte solution caused by the hydrolysis of CO 2 and then determination of the CO 2 concentration in water. The prepared downhole CO 2 sensor had the size of diameter of 0.7 in. and length of 1.5 in. The sensor was tested under the pressures of 500 psi, 2,000 psi, and 3,000 psi. A linear correlation was observed between the sensor potential change and dissolved CO 2 concentration in water. The response time of the CO 2 sensor was in the range of 60-100 minutes. Further tests indicated that the CO 2 sensor exhibited good reproducibility under high pressure. A CO 2/brine coreflooding system was constructed to simulate the real-world CO 2 storage process. The prepared downhole CO 2 sensor was loaded in the system to monitor CO 2 movement during CO 2/brine coreflooding test. The results indicated that the sensor could detect CO 2 movement in the tests. Further studies showed that the sensor could be recovered by brine flooding after CO 2/brine flushed the core. The results of the coreflooding tests demonstrated that the sensor had potential application for CO 2 monitoring in carbon sequestration. A data acquisition system for the downhoe CO 2 sensor was developed and coded. The system converted the sensor output signal into digital data and transported the data from downhole to wellhead surface. The data acquisition system was tested and evaluated in the laboratory with the prepared sensor for data collection.« less

Preliminary Feasibility Testing of the BRIC Brine Water Recovery Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, Michael R.; Pensinger, Stuart; Pickering, Karen D.

2011-01-01

The Brine Residual In-Containment (BRIC) concept was developed as a new technology to recover water from spacecraft wastewater brines. Such capability is considered critical to closing the water loop and achieving a sustained human presence in space. The intention of the BRIC concept is to increase the robustness and efficiency of the dewatering process by performing drying inside the container used for the final disposal of the residual brine solid. Recent efforts in the development of BRIC have focused on preliminary feasibility testing using a laboratory- assembled pre-prototype unit. Observations of the drying behavior of actual brine solutions processed under BRIC-like conditions has been of particular interest. To date, experiments conducted with three types of analogue spacecraft wastewater brines have confirmed the basic premise behind the proposed application of in-place drying for these solutions. Specifically, the dried residual mass from these solutions have tended to exhibit characteristics of adhesion and flow that are expected to continue to challenge process stream management in spacecraft brine dewatering system designs. Yet, these same characteristics may favor the development of capillary- and surface-tension-based approaches envisioned as part of an ultimate microgravity-compatible BRIC design. In addition, preliminary feasibility testing of the BRIC pre-prototype confirmed that high rates of water recovery, up to 98% of the available brine water, may be possible while still removing the majority of the brine contaminants from the influent brine stream. These and other observations from testing are reported.

10 CFR 960.4-2-3 - Rock characteristics.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... thermal, chemical, mechanical, and radiation stresses expected to be induced by repository construction... engineering measures beyond reasonably available technology for the construction, operation, and closure of..., brine migration, or other physical, chemical, or radiation-related phenomena that could be expected to...

10 CFR 960.4-2-3 - Rock characteristics.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... thermal, chemical, mechanical, and radiation stresses expected to be induced by repository construction... engineering measures beyond reasonably available technology for the construction, operation, and closure of..., brine migration, or other physical, chemical, or radiation-related phenomena that could be expected to...

Evidence for Late-Paleozoic brine migration in Cambrian carbonate rocks of the central and southern Appalachians: Implications for Mississippi Valley-type sulfide mineralization

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hearn, P.P.; Sutter, J.F.; Belkin, H.E.

1987-01-01

Many Lower Paleozoic limestones and dolostones in the Valley and Ridge province of the central and southern Appalachians contain 10 to 25 weight percent authigenic potassium feldspar. This was considered to be a product of early diagenesis, however, 40Ar 39Ar analyses of overgrowths on detrital K-feldspar in Cambrian carbonate rocks from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Tennessee yield Late Carboniferous-Early Permian ages (278-322 Ma). Simple mass balance calculations suggest that the feldspar could not have formed isochemically, but required the flux of multiple pore volumes of fluid through the rocks, reflecting regional fluid migration events during the Late-Paleozoic Alleghanian orogeny. Microthermometric measurements of fluid inclusions in overgrowths on detrital K-feldspar and quartz grains from unmineralized rocks throughout the study area indicate homogenization temperatures from 100?? to 200??C and freezing point depressions of -14?? to -18.5??C (18-21 wt.% NaCl equiv). The apparent similarity of these fluids to fluid inclusions in ore and gangue minerals of nearby Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) deposits suggests that the regional occurrences of authigenic K-feldspar and MVT mineralization may be genetically related. This hypothesis is supported by the discovery of authigenic K-feldspar intergrown with sphalerite in several mines of the Mascot-Jefferson City District, E. Tennessee. Regional potassic alteration in unmineralized carbonate rocks and localized occurrences of MVT mineralization are both explainable by a gravity-driven flow model, in which deep brines migrate towards the basin margin under a hydraulic gradient established during the Alleghanian orogeny. The authigenic K-feldspar may reflect the loss of K during disequilibrium cooling of the ascending brines. MVT deposits are probably localized manifestations of the same migrating fluids, occurring where the necessary physical and chemical traps are present. ?? 1987.

Numerical studies of CO2 and brine leakage into a shallow aquifer through an open wellbore

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jingrui; Hu, Litang; Pan, Lehua; Zhang, Keni

2018-03-01

Industrial-scale geological storage of CO2 in saline aquifers may cause CO2 and brine leakage from abandoned wells into shallow fresh aquifers. This leakage problem involves the flow dynamics in both the wellbore and the storage reservoir. T2Well/ECO2N, a coupled wellbore-reservoir flow simulator, was used to analyze CO2 and brine leakage under different conditions with a hypothetical simulation model in water-CO2-brine systems. Parametric studies on CO2 and brine leakage, including the salinity, excess pore pressure (EPP) and initially dissolved CO2 mass fraction, are conducted to understand the mechanism of CO2 migration. The results show that brine leakage rates increase proportionally with EPP and inversely with the salinity when EPP varies from 0.5 to 1.5 MPa; however, there is no CO2 leakage into the shallow freshwater aquifer if EPP is less than 0.5 MPa. The dissolved CO2 mass fraction shows an important influence on the CO2 plume, as part of the dissolved CO2 becomes a free phase. Scenario simulation shows that the gas lifting effect will significantly increase the brine leakage rate into the shallow freshwater aquifer under the scenario of 3.89% dissolved CO2 mass fraction. The equivalent porous media (EPM) approach used to model the wellbore flow has been evaluated and results show that the EPM approach could either under- or over-estimate brine leakage rates under most scenarios. The discrepancies become more significant if a free CO2 phase evolves. Therefore, a model that can correctly describe the complex flow dynamics in the wellbore is necessary for investigating the leakage problems.

Potential environmental issues of CO2 storage in deep saline aquifers: Geochemical results from the Frio-I Brine Pilot test, Texas, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kharaka, Yousif K.; Thordsen, James J.; Hovorka, Susan D.; Nance, H. Seay; Cole, David R.; Phelps, Tommy J.; Knauss, Kevin G.

2009-01-01

Sedimentary basins in general, and deep saline aquifers in particular, are being investigated as possible repositories for large volumes of anthropogenic CO2 that must be sequestered to mitigate global warming and related climate changes. To investigate the potential for the long-term storage of CO2 in such aquifers, 1600 t of CO2 were injected at 1500 m depth into a 24-m-thick "C" sandstone unit of the Frio Formation, a regional aquifer in the US Gulf Coast. Fluid samples obtained before CO2 injection from the injection well and an observation well 30 m updip showed a Na–Ca–Cl type brine with ∼93,000 mg/L TDS at saturation with CH4 at reservoir conditions; gas analyses showed that CH4 comprised ∼95% of dissolved gas, but CO2 was low at 0.3%. Following CO2 breakthrough, 51 h after injection, samples showed sharp drops in pH (6.5–5.7), pronounced increases in alkalinity (100–3000 mg/L as HCO3) and in Fe (30–1100 mg/L), a slug of very high DOC values, and significant shifts in the isotopic compositions of H2O, DIC, and CH4. These data, coupled with geochemical modeling, indicate corrosion of pipe and well casing as well as rapid dissolution of minerals, especially calcite and iron oxyhydroxides, both caused by lowered pH (initially ∼3.0 at subsurface conditions) of the brine in contact with supercritical CO2.These geochemical parameters, together with perfluorocarbon tracer gases (PFTs), were used to monitor migration of the injected CO2 into the overlying Frio “B”, composed of a 4-m-thick sandstone and separated from the “C” by ∼15 m of shale and siltstone beds. Results obtained from the Frio “B” 6 months after injection gave chemical and isotopic markers that show significant CO2 (2.9% compared with 0.3% CO2 in dissolved gas) migration into the “B” sandstone. Results of samples collected 15 months after injection, however, are ambiguous, and can be interpreted to show no additional injected CO2 in the “B” sandstone. The presence of injected CO2 may indicate migration from “C” to “B” through the intervening beds or, more likely, a short-term leakage through the remedial cement around the casing of a 50-year old well. Results obtained to date from four shallow monitoring groundwater wells show no brine or CO2 leakage through the Anahuac Formation, the regional cap rock.

Preliminary performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, December 1992. Volume 5, Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses of gas and brine migration for undisturbed performance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1993-08-01

Before disposing of transuranic radioactive waste in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the United States Department of Energy (DOE) must evaluate compliance with applicable long-term regulations of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Sandia National Laboratories is conducting iterative performance assessments (PAs) of the WIPP for the DOE to provide interim guidance while preparing for a final compliance evaluation. This volume of the 1992 PA contains results of uncertainty and sensitivity analyses with respect to migration of gas and brine from the undisturbed repository. Additional information about the 1992 PA is provided in other volumes. Volume 1 containsmore » an overview of WIPP PA and results of a preliminary comparison with 40 CFR 191, Subpart B. Volume 2 describes the technical basis for the performance assessment, including descriptions of the linked computational models used in the Monte Carlo analyses. Volume 3 contains the reference data base and values for input parameters used in consequence and probability modeling. Volume 4 contains uncertainty and sensitivity analyses with respect to the EPA`s Environmental Standards for the Management and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level and Transuranic Radioactive Wastes (40 CFR 191, Subpart B). Finally, guidance derived from the entire 1992 PA is presented in Volume 6. Results of the 1992 uncertainty and sensitivity analyses indicate that, conditional on the modeling assumptions and the assigned parameter-value distributions, the most important parameters for which uncertainty has the potential to affect gas and brine migration from the undisturbed repository are: initial liquid saturation in the waste, anhydrite permeability, biodegradation-reaction stoichiometry, gas-generation rates for both corrosion and biodegradation under inundated conditions, and the permeability of the long-term shaft seal.« less

Monitoring CO2 sequestration into deep saline aquifer and associated salt intrusion using coupled multiphase flow modeling and time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, C.; Zhang, C.; Huang, H.; Johnson, T.

2012-12-01

Geological sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the subsurface has been considered as one solution to reduce greenhouse emission to the atmosphere. Successful sequestration process requires efficient and adequate monitoring of injected fluids as they migrate into the aquifer to evaluate flow path, leakage, and geochemical interactions between CO2 and geologic media. In this synthetic field scale study, we have integrated 3D multiphase flow modeling code PFLOTRAN with 3D time-laps electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) to gain insight into the supercritical (SC) CO2 plumes movement in the deep saline aquifer and associated brine intrusion into shallower fresh water aquifer. A parallel ERT forward and inverse modeling package was introduced, and related algorithms are briefly described. The capabilities and limitations of ERT in monitoring CO2 migration are assessed by comparing the results from PFLOTRAN simulations with the ERT inversion results. In general, our study shows the ERT inversion results compare well with PFLOTRAN with reasonable discrepancies, indicating that the ERT can capture the actual CO2 plume dynamics and brine intrusion. Detailed comparisons on the location, size and volume of CO2 plume show the ERT method underestimated area review and overestimated total plume volume in the predictions of SC CO2 movements. These comparisons also show the ERT method constantly overestimate salt intrusion area and underestimated total solute amount in the predictions of brine filtration. Our study shows that together with other geochemical and geophysical methods, ERT is a potentially useful monitoring tool in detecting the SC CO2 and formation fluid migrations.

Preliminary Feasibility Testing of the BRIC Brine Water Recovery Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, Michael R.; Pensinger, Stuart J.; Pickering, Karen D.

2012-01-01

The Brine Residual In-Containment (BRIC) concept is being developed as a new technology to recover water from spacecraft wastewater brines. Such capability is considered critical to closing the water loop and achieving a sustained human presence in space. The intention of the BRIC concept is to increase the robustness and efficiency of the dewatering process by performing drying inside the container used for the final disposal of the residual brine solid. Recent efforts in the development of BRIC have focused on preliminary feasibility testing using a laboratory- assembled pre-prototype unit. Observations of the drying behavior of actual brine solutions processed under BRIC-like conditions has been of particular interest. To date, experiments conducted with three types of analogue spacecraft wastewater brines have confirmed the basic premise behind the proposed application of in-place drying. Specifically, the dried residual mass from these solutions have tended to exhibit characteristics of adhesion and flow that are expected to continue to challenge process stream management designs typically used in spacecraft systems. Yet, these same characteristics may favor the development of capillary- and surface-tension-based approaches currently envisioned as part of an ultimate microgravity-compatible BRIC design. In addition, preliminary feasibility testing of the BRIC pre-prototype confirmed that high rates of water recovery, up to 98% of the available brine water, may be possible while still removing the majority of the brine contaminants from the influent brine stream. These and other early observations from testing are reported.

Evidence for hot Mississippi Valley-type brines in the Reelfoot Rift complex, south-central United States, in Late Pennsylvanian-Early Permian

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leach, D.L.; Apodaca, L.E.; Repetski, J.E.; Powell, J.W.; Rowan, E.L.

1997-01-01

Petrographic and fluid inclusion studies of sparry dolomite cement from Upper Cambrian to Lower Ordovician rocks and conodont thermal-alteration indices provide evidence that hot mississippi valley-type brines were once present in the Reelfoot Rift complex. The cathodoluminescent microstratigraphy of sparry dolomite cement in the Reelfoot Rift resembles that of sparry dolomite cement associated with widespread mississippi valley-type deposition in the Ozark region. If correlative cathodoluminescent zones in the sparry dolomite from the Ozark and Reelfoot Rift regions indicate broadly contemporaneous dolomite deposition, then the results show that the Ozark MVT-type hydrothermal system extended into the Reelfoot region and onto the western flank of the Nashville Dome. Independent evidence supports migration of MVT-type brines into the Ozark region from the Reelfoot Rift complex in late Paleozoic time.

NASA TechPort Entry for Coiled Brine Recovery Assembly (CoBRA) CL IR&D Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pensinger, Stuart

2014-01-01

The Coiled Brine Recovery Assembly (CoBRA) project will result in a proof-of-concept demonstration for a lightweight, compact, affordable, regenerable and disposable solution to brine water recovery. The heart of CoBRA is an evaporator that produces water vapor from brine. This evaporator leverages a novel design that enables passive transport of brine from place to place within the system. While it will be necessary to build or modify a system for testing the CoBRA concept, the emphasis of this project will be on developing the evaporator itself. This project will utilize a “test early, test often” approach, building at least one trial evaporator to guide the design of the final product.

Brine contamination to aquatic resources from oil and gas development in the Williston Basin, United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gleason, Robert A.; Contributions by Chesley-Preston, Tara L.; Coleman, James L.; Haines, Seth S.; Jenni, Karen E.; Nieman, Timothy L.; Peterman, Zell E.; van der Burg, Max Post; Preston, Todd M.; Smith, Bruce D.; Tangen, Brian A.; Thamke, Joanna N.; Gleason, Robert A.; Tangen, Brian A.

2014-01-01

The Williston Basin, which includes parts of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota in the United States and the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan in Canada, has been a leading domestic oil and gas producing region for more than one-half a century. Currently, there are renewed efforts to develop oil and gas resources from deep geologic formations, spurred by advances in recovery technologies and economic incentives associated with the price of oil. Domestic oil and gas production has many economic benefits and provides a means for the United States to fulfill a part of domestic energy demands; however, environmental hazards can be associated with this type of energy production in the Williston Basin, particularly to aquatic resources (surface water and shallow groundwater) by extremely saline water, or brine, which is produced with oil and gas. The primary source of concern is the migration of brine from buried reserve pits that were used to store produced water during recovery operations; however, there also are considerable risks of brine release from pipeline failures, poor infrastructure construction, and flow-back water from hydraulic fracturing associated with modern oilfield operations. During 2008, a multidisciplinary (biology, geology, water) team of U.S. Geological Survey researchers was assembled to investigate potential energy production effects in the Williston Basin. Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey participated in field tours and met with representatives from county, State, tribal, and Federal agencies to identify information needs and focus research objectives. Common questions from agency personnel, especially those from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, were “are the brine plumes (plumes of brine-contaminated groundwater) from abandoned oil wells affecting wetlands on Waterfowl Production Areas and National Wildlife Refuges?” and “are newer wells related to Bakken and Three Forks development different than the older, abandoned wells (in terms of potential for affecting aquatic resources)?” Of special concern were the wetland habitats of the ecologically important Prairie Pothole Region, which overlays a part of the Williston Basin and is recognized for the production of a majority of North America’s migratory waterfowl. On the basis of the concerns raised by on-the-ground land managers, as well as findings from previous research, a comprehensive study was developed with the following goals: summarize existing information pertaining to oil and gas production and aquatic resources in the Williston Basin; assess brine plume migration from new and previously studied sites in the Prairie Pothole Region; perform a regional, spatial evaluation of oil and gas production activities and aquatic resources; assess the potential for brine contamination to wetlands and streams; and hold a decision analysis workshop with key stakeholders to discuss issues pertaining to oil and gas production and environmental effects and to identify information gaps and research needs. This report represents an initial, multidisciplinary evaluation of measured and potential environmental effects associated with oil and gas production in the Williston Basin and Prairie Pothole Region. Throughout this report there are reviews of current knowledge, and discussions relating to data gaps and research needs. On the basis of the information presented, future research needs include: regional geophysical and water-quality assessments to establish baselines for current conditions and estimate the extent of previous brine contamination, investigations into the direct effects of brine to biotic communities, and evaluations to identify the most effective techniques to mitigate brine contamination.

Forward Osmosis Brine Drying

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flynn, Michael; Shaw, Hali; Hyde, Deirdre; Beeler, David; Parodi, Jurek

2015-01-01

The Forward Osmosis Brine Drying (FOBD) system is based on a technique called forward osmosis (FO). FO is a membrane-based process where the osmotic potential between brine and a salt solution is equalized by the movement of water from the brine to the salt solution. The FOBD system is composed of two main elements, the FO bag and the salt regeneration system. This paper discusses the results of testing of the FO bag to determine the maximum water recovery ratio that can be attained using this technology. Testing demonstrated that the FO bag is capable of achieving a maximum brine water recovery ratio of the brine of 95%. The equivalent system mass was calculated to be 95 kg for a feed similar to the concentrated brine generated on the International Space Station and 86 kg for an Exploration brine. The results have indicated that the FOBD can process all the brine for a one year mission for between 11% to 10% mass required to bring the water needed to make up for water lost in the brine if not recycled. The FOBD saves 685 kg and when treating the International Space Station brine and it saves 829 kg when treating the Exploration brine. It was also demonstrated that saturated salt solutions achieve a higher water recovery ratios than solids salts do and that lithium chloride achieved a higher water recovery ratio than sodium chloride.

Participatory modeling - engineering and social sciences in tandem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Class, Holger; Kissinger, Alexander; Knopf, Stefan; Konrad, Wilfried; Noack, Vera; Scheer, Dirk

2017-04-01

The modeling of flow and transport processes in the context of engineering in the subsurface often takes place within a field of conflict from different interests, where societal issues are touched or involved. Carbon Capture and Storage, Fracking, or nuclear waste disposal are just a few prominent examples, where engineering (or: natural sciences) and social sciences have a common field of research. It is only consequent for both disciplines to explore methods and tools to achieve best possible mutual benefits. Participatory modeling (PM) is such an idea, where so-called stakeholders can be involved during different phases of the modeling process. This can be accomplished by very different methods of participation and for different reasons (public acceptance, public awareness, transparency, improved understanding through collective learning, etc). Therefore, PM is a generic approach, open for different methods to be used in order to facilitate early expert and stakeholder integration in science development. We have used PM recently in two examples, both in the context of Carbon Capture and Storage. The first one addressed the development and evaluation (by stakeholders) of a screening criterion for site selection. The second one deals with a regional-scale brine migration scenario where stakeholders have been involved in evaluating the general importance of brine migration, the design of a representative geological model for a case study and in the definition of scenarios to be simulated. This contribution aims at summarizing our experiences and share it with the modeling community. References: A Kissinger, V Noack, S Knopf, D Scheer, W Konrad, H Class Characterization of reservoir conditions for CO2 storage using a dimensionless gravitational number applied to the North German Basin, Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments 7, 209-220, 2014 D Scheer, W Konrad, H Class, A Kissinger, S Knopf, V Noack Expert involvement in science development: (re-) evaluation of an early screening tool for carbon storage site characterization, International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control 37, 228-236, 2015 D Scheer, W Konrad, H Class, A Kissinger, S Knopf, V Noack Regional-scale brine migration along vertical pathways due to CO2 injection - Part 1: the participatory modeling approach, currently under review in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences A Kissinger, V Noack, S Knopf, W Konrad, D Scheer, H Class Regional-scale brine migration along vertical pathways due to CO2 injection - Part 2: a simulated case study in the North German Basin, currently under review in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Schrader, C.: 13. October 2014. Expressfahrstuhl für Salzwasser, Süddeutsche Zeitung, p. 16

Gas-water-rock interactions in Frio Formation following CO2 injection: Implications for the storage of greenhouse gases in sedimentary basins

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kharaka, Yousif K.; Cole, David R.; Hovorka, Susan D.; Gunter, W.D.; Knauss, Kevin G.; Freifeild, Barry M.

2006-01-01

To investigate the potential for the geologic storage of CO2 in saline sedimentary aquifers, 1600 t of CO2 were injected at 1500 m depth into a 24-m-thick sandstone section of the Frio Formation, a regional brine and oil reservoir in the U.S. Gulf Coast. Fluid samples obtained from the injection and observation wells before CO2 injection showed a Na-Ca-Cl–type brine with 93,000 mg/L total dissolved solids (TDS) at near saturation with CH4 at reservoir conditions. Following CO2 breakthrough, samples showed sharp drops in pH (6.5–5.7), pronounced increases in alkalinity (100–3000 mg/L as HCO3) and Fe (30–1100 mg/L), and significant shifts in the isotopic compositions of H2O, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and CH4. Geochemical modeling indicates that brine pH would have dropped lower but for the buffering by dissolution of carbonate and iron oxyhydroxides. This rapid dissolution of carbonate and other minerals could ultimately create pathways in the rock seals or well cements for CO2 and brine leakage. Dissolution of minerals, especially iron oxyhydroxides, could mobilize toxic trace metals and, where residual oil or suitable organics are present, the injected CO2 could also mobilize toxic organic compounds. Environmental impacts could be major if large brine volumes with mobilized toxic metals and organics migrated into potable groundwater. The δ18O values for brine and CO2 samples indicate that supercritical CO2 comprises ∼50% of pore-fluid volume ∼6 mo after the end of injection. Postinjection sampling, coupled with geochemical modeling, indicates that the brine gradually will return to its preinjection composition.

Results of the GCMS Effluent Gas Analysis for the Brine Processing Test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Delzeit, Lance; Lee, Jeffrey; Flynn, Michael; Fisher, John; Shaw, Hali; Kawashima, Brian; Beeler, David; Harris, Linden

2015-01-01

The effluent gas for the Paragon Ionomer Water Processor (IWP), UMPQUA Ultrasonic Brine Dewatering System (UBDS), and the NASA Brine Evaporation Bag (BEB) were analyzed using Headspace GCMS Analysis in the recent AES FY14 Brine Processing Test. The results from the analysis describe the number and general chemical species of the chemicals produced. Comparisons were also made between the different chromatograms for each system, and an explanation of the differences in the results is reported.

Assessment of brine migration risks along vertical pathways due to CO2 injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kissinger, Alexander; Class, Holger

2015-04-01

Global climate change, shortage of resources and the growing usage of renewable energy sources has lead to a growing demand for the utilization of subsurface systems. Among these competing uses are Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), geothermal energy, nuclear waste disposal, 'renewable' methane or hydrogen storage as well as the ongoing production of fossil resources like oil, gas and coal. Additionally, these technologies may also create conflicts with essential public interests such as water supply. For example, the injection of CO2 into the subsurface causes an increase in pressure reaching far beyond the actual radius of influence of the CO2 plume, potentially leading to large amounts of displaced salt water. In this work we focus on the large scale impacts of CO2 storage on brine migration but the methodology and the obtained results may also apply to other fields like waste water disposal, where large amounts of fluid are injected into the subsurface. In contrast to modeling on the reservoir scale the spatial scale required for this work is much larger in both vertical and lateral direction, as the regional hydrogeology has to be considered. Structures such as fault zones, hydrogeological windows in the Rupelian clay or salt domes are considered as potential pathways for displaced fluids into shallow systems and their influence has to be taken into account. We put the focus of our investigations on the latter type of scenario, since there is still a poor understanding of the role that salt diapirs would play in CO2 storage projects. As there is hardly any field data available on this scale, we compare different levels of model complexity in order to identify the relevant processes for brine displacement and simplify the modeling process wherever possible, for example brine injection vs. CO2 injection, simplified geometries vs. the complex formation geometry and the role of salt induced density differences on flow. Further we investigate the impact of the displaced brine due to CO2 injection and compare it to the natural fluid exchange between shallow and deep aquifers in order to asses possible damage.

Metamorphosed Plio-Pleistocene evaporites and the origins of hypersaline brines in the Salton Sea geothermal system, California: Fluid inclusion evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKibben, Michael A.; Williams, Alan E.; Okubo, Susumu

1988-05-01

The Salton Sea geothermal system (SSGS) occurs in Plio-Pleistocene deltaic-lacustrine-evaporite sediments deposited in the Salton Trough, an active continental rift zone. Temperatures up to 365°C and hypersaline brines with up to 26 wt.% TDS are encountered at 1-3 km depth in the sediments, which are undergoing active greenschist facies hydrothermal metamorphism. Previous models for the origins of the Na-Ca-K-Cl brines have assumed that the high salinities were derived mainly from the downward percolation of cold, dense brines formed by low-temperature dissolution of shallow non-marine evaporites. New drillcores from the central part of the geothermal field contain metamorphosed, bedded evaporites at 1 km depth consisting largely of hornfelsic anhydrite interbedded with anhydrite-cemented solution-collapse shale breccias. Fluid inclusions trapped within the bedded and breccia-cementing anhydrite homogenize at 300°C (identical to the measured downhole temperature) and contain saline Na-Ca-K-Cl brines. Some of the inclusions contain up to 50 vol.% halite, sylvite and carbonate crystals at room temperature, and some halite crystals persist to above 300°C upon laboratory heating. The data are consistent with the trapping of halite-saturated Na-Ca-K-Cl fluids during hydrothermal metamorphism of the evaporites and accompanying solution collapse of interbedded shales. We conclude that many of the salt crystals in inclusions are the residuum of bedded evaporitic salt that was dissolved during metamorphism by heated connate fluids. Therefore, the high salinities of the Salton Sea geothermal brines are derived in part from the in situ hydrothermal metamorphism and dissolution of halides and CaSO 4 from relatively deeply-buried lacustrine evaporites. This fact places important constraints on modeling fluid-flow in the SSGS, as brines need not have migrated over great distances. The brines have been further modified to their present complex Na-Ca-K-Fe-Mn-Cl compositions by on-going sediment metamorphism and water-rock interaction.

Understanding CO2 Plume Behavior and Basin-Scale Pressure Changes during Sequestration Projects through the use of Reservoir Fluid Modeling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leetaru, H.E.; Frailey, S.M.; Damico, J.; Mehnert, E.; Birkholzer, J.; Zhou, Q.; Jordan, P.D.

2009-01-01

Large scale geologic sequestration tests are in the planning stages around the world. The liability and safety issues of the migration of CO2 away from the primary injection site and/or reservoir are of significant concerns for these sequestration tests. Reservoir models for simulating single or multi-phase fluid flow are used to understand the migration of CO2 in the subsurface. These models can also help evaluate concerns related to brine migration and basin-scale pressure increases that occur due to the injection of additional fluid volumes into the subsurface. The current paper presents different modeling examples addressing these issues, ranging from simple geometric models to more complex reservoir fluid models with single-site and basin-scale applications. Simple geometric models assuming a homogeneous geologic reservoir and piston-like displacement have been used for understanding pressure changes and fluid migration around each CO2 storage site. These geometric models are useful only as broad approximations because they do not account for the variation in porosity, permeability, asymmetry of the reservoir, and dip of the beds. In addition, these simple models are not capable of predicting the interference between different injection sites within the same reservoir. A more realistic model of CO2 plume behavior can be produced using reservoir fluid models. Reservoir simulation of natural gas storage reservoirs in the Illinois Basin Cambrian-age Mt. Simon Sandstone suggest that reservoir heterogeneity will be an important factor for evaluating storage capacity. The Mt. Simon Sandstone is a thick sandstone that underlies many significant coal fired power plants (emitting at least 1 million tonnes per year) in the midwestern United States including the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio. The initial commercial sequestration sites are expected to inject 1 to 2 million tonnes of CO2 per year. Depending on the geologic structure and permeability anisotropy, the CO2 injected into the Mt. Simon are expected to migrate less than 3 km. After 30 years of continuous injection followed by 100 years of shut-in, the plume from a 1 million tonnes a year injection rate is expected to migrate 1.6 km for a 0 degree dip reservoir and over 3 km for a 5 degree dip reservoir. The region where reservoir pressure increases in response to CO2 injection is typically much larger than the CO2 plume. It can thus be anticipated that there will be basin wide interactions between different CO2 injection sources if multiple, large volume sites are developed. This interaction will result in asymmetric plume migration that may be contrary to reservoir dip. A basin- scale simulation model is being developed to predict CO2 plume migration, brine displacement, and pressure buildup for a possible future sequestration scenario featuring multiple CO2 storage sites within the Illinois Basin Mt. Simon Sandstone. Interactions between different sites will be evaluated with respect to impacts on pressure and CO2 plume migration patterns. ?? 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Origin of salt giants in abyssal serpentinite systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scribano, Vittorio; Carbone, Serafina; Manuella, Fabio C.; Hovland, Martin; Rueslåtten, Håkon; Johnsen, Hans-K.

2017-10-01

Worldwide marine salt deposits ranging over the entire geological record are generally considered climate-related evaporites, derived from the precipitation of salts (mainly chlorides and sulfates) from saturated solutions driven by solar evaporation of seawater. This explanation may be realistic for a salt thickness ≤100 m, being therefore inadequate for thicker (>1 km) deposits. Moreover, sub-seafloor salt deposits in deep marine basins are difficult to reconcile with a surface evaporation model. Marine geology reports on abyssal serpentinite systems provide an alternative explanation for some salt deposits. Seawater-driven serpentinization consumes water and increases the salinity of the associated aqueous brines. Brines can be trapped in fractures and cavities in serpentinites and the surrounding `country' rocks. Successive thermal dehydration of buried serpentinites can mobilize and accumulate the brines, forming highly saline hydrothermal solutions. These can migrate upwards and erupt onto the seafloor as saline geysers, which may form salt-saturated water pools, as are currently observed in numerous deeps in the Red Sea and elsewhere. The drainage of deep-seated saline brines to seafloor may be a long-lasting, effective process, mainly occurring in areas characterized by strong tectonic stresses and/or igneous intrusions. Alternatively, brines could be slowly expelled from fractured serpentinites by buoyancy gradients and, hence, separated salts/brines could intrude vertically into surrounding rocks, forming salt diapirs. Serpentinization is an ubiquitous, exothermic, long-lasting process which can modify large volumes of oceanic lithosphere over geological times. Therefore, buried salt deposits in many areas of the world can be reasonably related to serpentinites.

Chlorate adsorption from chlor-alkali plant brine stream.

PubMed

Lakshmanan, Shyam; Murugesan, Thanabalan

2017-07-01

Chlorates are present in the brine stream purged from chlor-alkali plants. Tests were conducted using activated carbon from coconut shell, coal or palm kernel shell to adsorb chlorate. The results show varying levels of adsorption with reduction ranging between 1.3 g/L and 1.8 g/L. This was higher than the chlorate generation rate of that plant, recorded at 1.22 g/L, indicating that chlorate can be adequately removed by adsorption using activated carbon. Coconut based activated carbon exhibited the best adsorption of chlorate of the three types of activated carbon tested. Introducing an adsorption step prior to purging of the brine will be able to reduce chlorate content in the brine stream. The best location for introducing the adsorption step was identified to be after dechlorination of the brine and before resaturation. Introduction of such an adsorption step will enable complete recovery of the brine and prevent brine purging, which in turn will result in less release of chlorides and chlorates to the environment.

REE Sorption Study on sieved -50 +100 mesh fraction of Media #1 in Brine #1 with Different Starting pH's at 70C

DOE Data Explorer

Gary Garland

2015-09-29

This is a continuation of the REE sorption study for shaker bath tests on 2g media #1 in 150mL brine #1 with different starting pH's at 70C. In a previous submission we reported data for shaker bath tests for brine #1 with starting pH's of 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5. In this submission we these pH's compared to starting brine #1 pH's of 6, and 7.

Delineation of brine contamination in and near the East Poplar oil field, Fort Peck Indian Reservation, northeastern Montana, 2004-09

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thamke, Joanna N.; Smith, Bruce D.

2014-01-01

The extent of brine contamination in the shallow aquifers in and near the East Poplar oil field is as much as 17.9 square miles and appears to be present throughout the entire saturated zone in contaminated areas. The brine contamination affects 15–37 billion gallons of groundwater. Brine contamination in the shallow aquifers east of the Poplar River generally moves to the southwest toward the river and then southward in the Poplar River valley. The likely source of brine contamination in the shallow aquifers is brine that is produced with crude oil in the East Poplar oil field study area. Brine contamination has not only affected the water quality from privately owned wells in and near the East Poplar oil field, but also the city of Poplar’s public water-supply wells. Three water-quality types characterize water in the shallow aquifers; a fourth water-quality type in the study area characterizes the brine. Type 1 is uncontaminated water that is suitable for most domestic purposes and typically contains sodium bicarbonate and sodium/magnesium sulfate as the dominant ions. Type 2 is moderately contaminated water that is suitable for some domestic purposes, but not used for drinking water, and typically contains sodium and chloride as the dominant ions. Type 3 is considerably contaminated water that is unsuitable for any domestic purpose and always contains sodium and chloride as the dominant ions. Type 3 quality of water in the shallow aquifers is similar to Type 4, which is the brine that is produced with crude oil. Electromagnetic apparent conductivity data were collected in the 106 square-mile area and used to determine extent of brine contamination. These data were collected and interpreted in conjunction with water-quality data collected through 2009 to delineate brine plumes in the shallow aquifers. Monitoring wells subsequently were drilled in some areas without existing water wells to confirm most of the delineated brine plumes; however, several possible plumes do not contain either existing water wells or monitoring wells. Analysis of groundwater samples from wells confirms the presence of 12.1 square miles of contamination, as much as 1.7 square miles of which is considerably contaminated (Type 3). Electromagnetic apparent conductivity data in areas with no wells delineate an additional 5.8 square miles of possible contamination, 2.1 square miles of which might be considerably contaminated (Type 3). Storage-tank facilities, oil wells, brine-injection wells, pipelines, and pits are likely sources of brine in the study area. It is not possible to identify discrete oil-related features as likely sources of brine plumes because several features commonly are co-located. During the latter half of the twentieth century, many brine plumes migrated beyond the immediate source area and likely mix together in modern and ancestral Poplar River valley subareas.

Strontium isotopes as an indicator for groundwater salinity sources in the Kirkuk region, Iraq.

PubMed

Sahib, Layth Y; Marandi, Andres; Schüth, Christoph

2016-08-15

The Kirkuk region in northern Iraq hosts some of the largest oil fields in the Middle East. Several anticline structures enabled vertical migration and entrapment of the oil. Frequently, complex fracture systems and faults cut across the Eocene and middle Oligocene reservoirs and the cap rock, the Fatha Formation of Miocene age. Seepage of crude oil and oil field brines are therefore a common observation in the anticline axes and contamination of shallow groundwater resources is a major concern. In this study, 65 water samples were collected in the Kirkuk region to analyze and distinguish mixing processes between shallow groundwater resources, uprising oil field brines, and dissolution of gypsum and halite from the Fatha Formation. Hydrochemical analyses of the water samples included general hydrochemistry, stable water isotopes, as well as strontium concentrations and for 22 of the samples strontium isotopes ((87)Sr/(86)Sr). Strontium concentrations increased close to the anticline axes with highest concentrations in the oil field brines (300mg/l). Strontium isotopes proved to be a valuable tool to distinguish mixing processes as isotope signatures of the oil field brines and of waters from the Fatha Formation are significantly different. It could be shown, that mixing of shallow groundwater with oil field brines is occurring close to the major fault zones in the anticlines but high concentrations of strontium in the water samples are mainly due to dissolution from the Fatha Formation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of sodium chloride concentration on elemental analysis of brines by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).

PubMed

Goueguel, Christian; Singh, Jagdish P; McIntyre, Dustin L; Jain, Jinesh; Karamalidis, Athanasios K

2014-01-01

Leakage of injected carbon dioxide (CO2) or resident fluids, such as brine, is a major concern associated with the injection of large volumes of CO2 into deep saline formations. Migration of brine could contaminate drinking water resources by increasing their salinity or endanger vegetation and animal life as well as human health. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of sodium chloride (NaCl) concentration on the detection of calcium and potassium in brine samples using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The ultimate goals were to determine the suitability of the LIBS technique for in situ measurements of metal ion concentrations in NaCl-rich solution and to develop a chemical sensor that can provide the early detection of brine intrusion into formations used for domestic or agricultural water production. Several brine samples of NaCl-CaCl2 and NaCl-KCl were prepared at NaCl concentrations between 0.0 and 3.0 M. The effect of NaCl concentration on the signal-to-background ratio (SBR) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for calcium (422.67 nm) and potassium (769.49 nm) emission lines was evaluated. Results show that, for a delay time of 300 ns and a gate width of 3 μs, the presence of and changes in NaCl concentration significantly affect the SBR and SNR for both emission lines. An increase in NaCl concentration from 0.0 to 3.0 M produced an increase in the SNR, whereas the SBR dropped continuously. The detection limits obtained for both elements were in the milligrams per liter range, suggesting that a NaCl-rich solution does not severely limit the ability of LIBS to detect trace amount of metal ions.

Pore-scale simulation of CO2-water-rock interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, H.; Molins, S.; Steefel, C. I.; DePaolo, D. J.

2017-12-01

In Geologic Carbon Storage (GCS) systems, the migration of scCO2 versus CO2-acidifed brine ultimately determines the extent of mineral trapping and caprock integrity, i.e. the long-term storage efficiency and security. While continuum scale multiphase reactive transport models are valuable for large scale investigations, they typically (over-)simplify pore-scale dynamics and cannot capture local heterogeneities that may be important. Therefore, pore-scale models are needed in order to provide mechanistic understanding of how fine scale structural variations and heterogeneous processes influence the transport and geochemistry in the context of multiphase flow, and to inform parameterization of continuum scale modeling. In this study, we investigate the interplay of different processes at pore scale (e.g. diffusion, reactions, and multiphase flow) through the coupling of a well-developed multiphase flow simulator with a sophisticated reactive transport code. The objectives are to understand where brine displaced by scCO2 will reside in a rough pore/fracture, and how the CO2-water-rock interactions may affect the redistribution of different phases. In addition, the coupled code will provide a platform for model testing in pore-scale multiphase reactive transport problems.

Multiphase modeling of geologic carbon sequestration in saline aquifers.

PubMed

Bandilla, Karl W; Celia, Michael A; Birkholzer, Jens T; Cihan, Abdullah; Leister, Evan C

2015-01-01

Geologic carbon sequestration (GCS) is being considered as a climate change mitigation option in many future energy scenarios. Mathematical modeling is routinely used to predict subsurface CO2 and resident brine migration for the design of injection operations, to demonstrate the permanence of CO2 storage, and to show that other subsurface resources will not be degraded. Many processes impact the migration of CO2 and brine, including multiphase flow dynamics, geochemistry, and geomechanics, along with the spatial distribution of parameters such as porosity and permeability. In this article, we review a set of multiphase modeling approaches with different levels of conceptual complexity that have been used to model GCS. Model complexity ranges from coupled multiprocess models to simplified vertical equilibrium (VE) models and macroscopic invasion percolation models. The goal of this article is to give a framework of conceptual model complexity, and to show the types of modeling approaches that have been used to address specific GCS questions. Application of the modeling approaches is shown using five ongoing or proposed CO2 injection sites. For the selected sites, the majority of GCS models follow a simplified multiphase approach, especially for questions related to injection and local-scale heterogeneity. Coupled multiprocess models are only applied in one case where geomechanics have a strong impact on the flow. Owing to their computational efficiency, VE models tend to be applied at large scales. A macroscopic invasion percolation approach was used to predict the CO2 migration at one site to examine details of CO2 migration under the caprock. © 2015, National Ground Water Association.

Rapid high temperature field test method for evaluation of geothermal calcite scale inhibitors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Asperger, R.G.

1982-08-01

A test method is described which allows the rapid field testing of calcite scale inhibitors in high- temperature geothermal brines. Five commercial formulations, chosen on the basis of laboratory screening tests, were tested in brines with low total dissolved solids at ca 500 F. Four were found to be effective; of these, 2 were found to be capable of removing recently deposited scale. One chemical was tested in the full-flow brine line for 6 wks. It was shown to stop a severe surface scaling problem at the well's control valve, thus proving the viability of the rapid test method. (12more » refs.)« less

Temporary Urine and Brine Stowage System (TUBSS) Materials Selection and Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carrigan, Caitlin; Dries, Kevin; Pensinger, Stuart

2011-01-01

Storing wastewater in the event of a system anomaly is a necessity for closed loop water recovery systems. The temporary urine and brine stowage system (TUBSS) is an assembly used to store and transfer pre-treated urine (PTU) and brine for processing or disposal at a later date. This paper describes the selection and testing of several candidate materials from both a chemical and material strength standpoint. In addition, this paper will provide results of testing as well as lessons learned from the project, culminating in the successful launch of the hardware.

FIELD IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR A WILLISTON BASIN BRINE EXTRACTION AND STORAGE TEST

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hamling, John; Klapperich, Ryan; Stepan, Daniel

2016-03-31

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) successfully completed all technical work of Phase I, including development of a field implementation plan (FIP) for a brine extraction and storage test (BEST) in the North Dakota portion of the Williston Basin. This implementation plan was commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) as a proxy for managing formation pressure plumes and measuring/monitoring the movement of differential pressure and CO2 plumes in the subsurface for future saline CO2 storage projects. BEST comprises the demonstration and validation of active reservoir management (ARM) strategies and extracted brine treatmentmore » technologies. Two prospective commercial brine injection sites were evaluated for BEST to satisfy DOE’s goals. Ultimately, an active saltwater disposal (SWD) site, Johnsons Corner, was selected because it possesses an ideal combination of key factors making it uniquely suited to host BEST. This site is located in western North Dakota and operated by Nuverra Environmental Solutions (Nuverra), a national leader in brine handling, treatment, and injection. An integrated management approach was used to incorporate local and regional geologic characterization activities with geologic and simulation models, inform a monitoring, verification, and accounting (MVA) plan, and to conduct a risk assessment. This approach was used to design a FIP for an ARM schema and an extracted brine treatment technology test bed facility. The FIP leverages an existing pressure plume generated by two commercial SWD wells. These wells, in conjunction with a new brine extraction well, will be used to conduct the ARM schema. Results of these tests will be quantified based on their impact on the performance of the existing SWD wells and the surrounding reservoir system. Extracted brine will be injected into an underlying deep saline formation through a new injection well. The locations of proposed extraction and injection wells were selected during the Phase I efforts. These wells will be permitted as North Dakota Administrative Code Underground Injection Control Class II wells and will yield additional characterization data which will further refine the FIP in Phase II. An array of surface and downhole monitoring techniques will validate ARM performance against predictive simulation results. Infrastructure will be constructed to manage extracted fluids at the surface and provide brine to a treatment test bed facility. Treatment of extracted brine can provide a means of reducing extracted brine disposal volumes, an alternate source of water, and/or salable products for beneficial use. A test bed facility will be constructed to provide a means of demonstrating these technologies on a wide range of brine concentrations. Screening criteria based on a techno-economic and life cycle assessment were developed to select high-salinity brine treatment technologies for extended duration treatment (30–60 days) in Phase II. A detailed cost assessment determined total implementation costs for BEST of $19,901,065 million (DOE share $15,680,505). These costs are inclusive of all necessary equipment, infrastructure construction, operations and project closeout costs required to implement BEST. An ideal combination of key factors makes the Johnsons Corner site uniquely suited to be the BEST demonstration.« less

Electrokinetic mechanism of wettability alternation at oil-water-rock interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Huanhuan; Wang, Moran

2017-12-01

Design of ions for injection water may change the wettability of oil-brine-rock (OBR) system, which has very important applications in enhanced oil recovery. Though ion-tuned wettability has been verified by various experiments, the mechanism is still not clear. In this review paper, we first present a comprehensive summarization of possible wettability alteration mechanisms, including fines migration or dissolution, multicomponent ion-exchange (MIE), electrical double layer (EDL) interaction between rock and oil, and repulsive hydration force. To clarify the key mechanism, we introduce a complete frame of theories to calculate attribution of EDL repulsion to wettability alteration by assuming constant binding forces (no MIE) and rigid smooth surface (no fines migration or dissolution). The frame consists of three parts: the classical Gouy-Chapman model coupled with interface charging mechanisms to describe EDL in oil-brine-rock systems, three methods with different boundary assumptions to evaluate EDL interaction energy, and the modified Young-Dupré equation to link EDL interaction energy with contact angle. The quantitative analysis for two typical oil-brine-rock systems provides two physical maps that show how the EDL interaction influences contact angle at different ionic composition. The result indicates that the contribution of EDL interaction to ion-tuned wettability for the studied system is not quite significant. The classical and advanced experimental work using microfabrication is reviewed briefly on the contribution of EDL repulsion to wettability alteration and compared with the theoretical results. It is indicated that the roughness of real rock surface may enhance EDL interaction. Finally we discuss some pending questions, perspectives and promising applications based on the mechanism.

Potential Environmental Impacts of CO2 Storage in Sedimentary Basins: Results From the Frio Brine Test, Texas, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kharaka, Y. K.; Cole, D. R.; Hovorka, S. D.; Phelps, T. J.; Nance, S.

2006-12-01

Deep saline aquifers in sedimentary basins, including depleted petroleum reservoirs, provide advantageous locations close to major anthropogenic sources of CO2 and potential capacity for the storage of huge volumes of this greenhouse gas. To investigate the potential for the long-term storage of CO2 in such aquifers, 1600 t of CO2 were injected at 1500 m depth into a 24-m-thick "C" sandstone section of the Frio Formation, a regional saline aquifer in the U.S. Gulf Coast. Fluid samples obtained before CO2 injection from the injection well and an observation well 30 m updip showed a Na-Ca-Cl type brine with 93,000 mg/L TDS at near saturation with CH4 at reservoir conditions; gas analyses show CH4 comprised ~95% of dissolved gas, but CO2 was low at 0.3%. Following CO2 breakthrough, 51 h after injection, samples showed sharp drops in pH (6.5 to 5.7), pronounced increases in alkalinity (100 to 3000 mg/L as HCO3) and in Fe (30 to 1100 mg/L), and significant shifts in the isotopic compositions of H2O, Sr, DIC, and CH4. These data coupled with geochemical modeling indicate rapid dissolution of minerals, especially calcite and iron oxyhydroxides caused by lowered pH (~3.0 initially) of the brine in contact with the injected supercritical CO2. These geochemical parameters, together with perfluorocarbon tracer gases (PFTs) proved effective in mapping the distribution and interactions of the injected CO2 in the Frio "C". They are being used to track the migration of the injected CO2 into the local shallow groundwater and into the overlying Frio "B", comprised of a 4-m-thick sandstone bed and separated from the "C" by ~15 m of shale, muddy sandstone and siltstone beds. Results obtained to date from the four monitoring groundwater wells perforated (26-29 m) in the Beaumont aquifer show some temporal chemical changes. These changes, however, are tentatively attributed to natural variations and recharge events caused by the construction of a mud pit at the site, and not to leakage through the Anahuac Formation, the regional cap rock comprised of thick (~80 m) and impermeable marine shale and mudstone beds. Data on brine and gas compositions of samples obtained from the Frio "B" 6 mo after injection show significant CO2 (2.9% compared with 0.3% CO2 in dissolved gas) migration into the "B" sandstone. Except for two PFT tracer gases explained by desorption, results of samples collected 15 mo after injection show no other indications of injected CO2 in the "B" sandstone. The initial presence of injected CO2 near the observation well shows migration through the intervening beds or more likely a leakage through the remedial cement around the casing of a 50- year old well. These results highlight the importance of investigating the integrity of cement seals, especially in nearby abandoned wells, prior to the injection of large quantities of reactive and buoyant CO2.

PILOT TESTING: PRETREATMENT OPTIONS TO ALLOW RE-USE OF FRAC FLOWBACK AND PRODUCED BRINE FOR GAS SHALE RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burnett, David

2012-12-31

The goal of the A&M DOE NETL Project No. DE-FE0000847 was to develop a mobile, multifunctional water treatment capability designed specifically for “pre-treatment” of field waste brine. The project consisted of constructing s mobile “field laboratory” incorporating new technology for treating high salinity produced water and using the lab to conduct a side-by-side comparison between this new technology and that already existing in field operations. A series of four field trials were performed utilizing the mobile unit to demonstrate the effectiveness of different technology suitable for use with high salinity flow back brines and produced water. The design of themore » mobile unit was based on previous and current work at the Texas A&M Separation Sciences Pilot Plant. The several treatment techniques which have been found to be successful in both pilot plant and field tests had been tested to incorporate into a single multifunctional process train. Eight different components were evaluated during the trials, two types of oil and grease removal, one BTEX removal step, three micro-filters, and two different nanofilters. The performance of each technique was measured by its separation efficiency, power consumption, and ability to withstand fouling. The field trials were a success. Four different field brines were evaluated in the first trial in New York. Over 16,000 gallons of brine were processed. Using a power cost of $.10 per kWh, media pretreatment power use averaged $0.004 per barrel, solids removal $.04 per barrel and brine “softening” $.84 per barrel. Total power cost was approximately $1.00 per barrel of fluid treated. In Pennsylvania, brines collected from frac ponds were tested in two additional trials. Each of the brines was converted to an oil-free, solids-free brine with no biological activity. Brines were stable over time and would be good candidates for use as a make-up fluid in a subsequent fracturing fluid design. Reports on all of the field trials and subcontractor research have been summarized in this Final Report. Individual field trial reports and research reports are contained in the companion volume titled “Appendices”« less

Treatment of the Cerro Prieto I brines for use in reinjection. 2. Results of the pilot plant tests

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hurtado J, R.; Mercado G, S.; Rocha C, E.

Silica removal experiments have been carried out both in the laboratory and in pilot scale tests. The results obtained to date are presented, with special emphasis on the pilot tests with or without the use of flocculants. Previous studies on brine treatment are described briefly.

Fresh Water Generation from Aquifer-Pressured Carbon Storage: Interim Progress Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aines, R D; Wolery, T J; Hao, Y

2009-07-22

This project is establishing the potential for using brine pressurized by Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) operations in saline formations as the feedstock for desalination and water treatment technologies including nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO). The aquifer pressure resulting from the energy required to inject the carbon dioxide provides all or part of the inlet pressure for the desalination system. Residual brine would be reinjected into the formation at net volume reduction. This process provides additional storage space (capacity) in the aquifer, reduces operational risks by relieving overpressure in the aquifer, and provides a source of low-cost fresh watermore » to offset costs or operational water needs. Computer modeling and laboratory-scale experimentation are being used to examine mineral scaling and osmotic pressure limitations for brines typical of CCS sites. Computer modeling is being used to evaluate processes in the aquifer, including the evolution of the pressure field. This progress report deals mainly with our geochemical modeling of high-salinity brines and covers the first six months of project execution (September, 2008 to March, 2009). Costs and implementation results will be presented in the annual report. The brines typical of sequestration sites can be several times more concentrated than seawater, requiring specialized modeling codes typical of those developed for nuclear waste disposal calculations. The osmotic pressure developed as the brines are concentrated is of particular concern, as are precipitates that can cause fouling of reverse osmosis membranes and other types of membranes (e.g., NF). We have now completed the development associated with tasks (1) and (2) of the work plan. We now have a contract with Perlorica, Inc., to provide support to the cost analysis and nanofiltration evaluation. We have also conducted several preliminary analyses of the pressure effect in the reservoir in order to confirm that reservoir pressure can indeed be used to drive the reverse osmosis process. Our initial conclusions from the work to date are encouraging: (1) The concept of aquifer-pressured RO to provide fresh water associated with carbon dioxide storage appears feasible. (2) Concentrated brines such as those found in Wyoming are amenable to RO treatment. We have looked at sodium chloride brines from the Nugget Formation in Sublette County. 20-25% removal with conventional methods is realistic; higher removal appears achievable with NF. The less concentrated sulfate-rich brines from the Tensleep Formation in Sublette County would support >80% removal with conventional RO. (3) Brines from other proposed sequestration sites can now be analyzed readily. An osmotic pressure curve appropriate to these brines can be used to evaluate cost and equipment specifications. (4) We have examined a range of subsurface brine compositions that is potentially pertinent to carbon sequestration and noted the principal compositional trends pertinent to evaluating the feasibility of freshwater extraction. We have proposed a general categorization for the feasibility of the process based on total dissolved solids (TDS). (5) Withdrawing pressurized brine can have a very beneficial effect on reservoir pressure and total available storage capacity. Brine must be extracted from a deeper location in the aquifer than the point of CO{sub 2} injection to prevent CO{sub 2} from migrating to the brine extraction well.« less

Alcohol Brine Freezing of Japanese Horse Mackerel (Trachurus japonicus) for Raw Consumption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maeda, Toshimichi; Yuki, Atsuhiko; Sakurai, Hiroshi; Watanabe, Koichiro; Itoh, Nobuo; Inui, Etsuro; Seike, Kazunori; Mizukami, Yoichi; Fukuda, Yutaka; Harada, Kazuki

In order to test the possible application of alcohol brine freezing to Japanese horse mackerel (Trachurus japonicus) for raw consumption, the quality and taste of fish frozen by direct immersion in 60% ethanol brine at -20, -25 and -30°C was compared with those by air freezing and fresh fish without freezing. Cracks were not found during the freezing. Smell of ethanol did not remain. K value, an indicator of freshness, of fish frozen in alcohol brine was less than 8.3%, which was at the same level as those by air freezing and fresh fish. Oxidation of lipid was at the same level as air freezing does, and lower than that of fresh fish. The pH of fish frozen in alcohol brine at -25 and -30°C was 6.5 and 6.6, respectively, which were higher than that by air freezing and that of fresh fish. Fish frozen in alcohol brine was better than that by air and at the same level as fresh fish in total evaluation of sensory tests. These results show that the alcohol brine freezing is superior to air freezing, and fish frozen in alcohol brine can be a material for raw consumption. The methods of thawing in tap water, cold water, refrigerator, and at room temperature were compared. Thawing in tap water is considered to be convenient due to the short thaw time and the quality of thawed fish that was best among the methods.

Shale-brine-CO2 interactions and the long-term stability of carbonate-rich shale caprock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilgen, A.; Aman, M.; Espinoza, D. N.; Rodriguez, M. A.; Griego, J.; Dewers, T. A.; Feldman, J.; Stewart, T.; Choens, R. C., II

2017-12-01

Geological carbon storage (GCS) requires an impermeable caprock (e.g., shale) that prevents the upward migration and escape of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the subsurface. Geochemical alteration can occur at the caprock-reservoir rock interface, which could lead to the altering of the rock's mechanical properties, compromising the seal. We performed laboratory experiments on Mancos shale to quantify the coupled chemical-mechanical response of carbonate-rich shale in CO2-brine mixtures at conditions typical to GCS. We constructed geochemical models, calibrated them using laboratory results, and extended to time scales required for GCS. We observed the dissolution of calcite and kaolinite and the precipitation of gypsum and amorphous aluminum (hydr)oxide following the introduction of CO2. To address whether this mineral alteration causes changes in micro-mechanical properties, we examined altered Mancos shale using micro-mechanical (scratch) testing, measuring the scratch toughness of mm-scale shale lithofacies. The quartz-rich regions of the Mancos shale did not show significant changes in scratch toughness following 1-week alteration in a CO2-brine mixture. However, the scratch toughness of the calcite-rich, originally softer regions decreased by about 50%. These observations illustrate a coupled and localized chemical-mechanical response of carbonate-rich shale to the injection of CO2. This suggests a localized weakening of the caprock may occur, potentially leading to the development of preferential flow paths. The identification of vulnerable lithofacies within caprock and a characterization of mineralogical heterogeneity is imperative at prospective GCS sites. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA-0003525.

Flow tests of the Willis Hulin well

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Randolph, P.L.; Hayden, C.G.; Rogers, L.A.

1992-02-01

The Hulin well was tested between 20,100 and 20,700 feet down in layers of brine-saturated clean sand with occasional intervening layers of shale. The characteristics of the brine and gas were determined in this interval and an initial determination of the reservoir properties were made.

Potential for Waterborne and Invertebrate Transmission of West Nile Virus in the Great Salt Lake, Utah.

PubMed

Lund, Melissa; Shearn-Bochsler, Valerie; Dusek, Robert J; Shivers, Jan; Hofmeister, Erik

2017-07-15

In November and December of 2013, a large mortality event involving 15,000 to 20,000 eared grebes ( Podiceps nigricollis ) occurred at the Great Salt Lake (GSL), UT. The onset of the outbreak in grebes was followed by a mortality event in >86 bald eagles ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ). During the die-off, West Nile virus (WNV) was detected by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) or viral culture in the carcasses of grebes and eagles submitted to the National Wildlife Health Center. However, no activity of mosquitoes, the primary vectors of WNV, was detected by the State of Utah's WNV monitoring program. The transmission of WNV has rarely been reported during the winter in North America in the absence of known mosquito activity; however, the size of this die-off, the habitat in which it occurred, and the species involved are unique. We experimentally investigated whether WNV could survive in water with a high salt content, as found at the GSL, and whether brine shrimp, the primary food of migrating eared grebes on the GSL, could have played a role in the transmission of WNV to feeding birds. We found that WNV can survive up to 72 h at 4°C in water containing 30 to 150 ppt NaCl, and brine shrimp incubated with WNV in 30 ppt NaCl may adsorb WNV to their cuticle and, through feeding, infect epithelial cells of their gut. Both mechanisms may have potentiated the WNV die-off in migrating eared grebes on the GSL. IMPORTANCE Following a major West Nile virus die-off of eared grebes and bald eagles at the Great Salt Lake (GSL), UT, in November to December 2013, this study assessed the survival of West Nile virus (WNV) in water as saline as that of the GSL and whether brine shrimp, the major food for migrating grebes, could have played a role as a vector for the virus. While mosquitoes are the major vector of WNV, under certain circumstances, transmission may occur through contaminated water and invertebrates as food. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Geophysical and Geochemical Aspects of Pressure and CO2 Saturation Modeling due to Migration of Fluids into the Above Zone Monitoring Interval of a Geologic Carbon Storage Site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, L.; Namhata, A.; Dilmore, R. M.; Bromhal, G. S.

2016-12-01

An increasing emphasis on the industrial scale implementation of CO2 storage into geological formations has led to the development of whole-system models to evaluate performance of candidate geologic storage sites, and the environmental risk associated with them. The components of that engineered geologic system include the storage reservoir, primary and secondary seals, and the overlying formations above primary and secondary seals (above-zone monitoring interval, AZMI). Leakage of CO2 and brine through the seal to the AZMI may occur due to the presence of natural or induced fractures in the seal. In this work, an AZMI model that simulates pressure and CO2 saturation responses through time to migration of fluids (here, CO2 and brine) from the primary seal to the AZMI is developed. A hypothetical case is examined wherein CO2 is injected into a storage reservoir for 30 years and a heterogeneous primary seal exists above the reservoir with some permeable zones. The total simulation period is 200 years (30 years of CO2 injection period and 170 years of post CO2 injection period). Key geophysical parameters such as permeability of the AZMI, thickness of the AZMI and porosity of the AZMI have significant impact on pressure evolution in the AZMI. arbitrary Polynomial Chaos (aPC) Expansion analysis shows that permeability of the AZMI has the most significant impact on pressure build up in the AZMI above the injection well at t=200 years, followed by thickness of the AZMI and porosity of the AZMI. Geochemical reactions have no impact on pressure and CO2 saturation evolution in the AZMI during the CO2 injection period. After the CO2 injection stops, precipitation of secondary minerals (e.g., amorphous silica and kaolinite) at the CO2 plume/brine interface in the AZMI formation may cause permeability reduction of the AZMI, which restrains horizontal migration of CO2 in the AZMI.

Photocatalytic reduction of nitrate using titanium dioxide for regeneration of ion exchange brine

PubMed Central

Yang, Ting; Doudrick, Kyle; Westerhoff, Paul

2016-01-01

Nitrate is often removed from groundwater by ion exchange (IX) before its use as drinking water. Accumulation of nitrate in IX brine reduces the efficiency of IX regeneration and the useful life of the regeneration brine. For the first time, we present a strategy to photocatalytically reduce nitrate in IX brine, thereby extending the use of the brine. Titanium dioxide (Evonik P90), acting as photocatalyst, reduced nitrate effectively in both synthetic brines and sulfate-removed IX brine when formic acid (FA) was used as the hole scavenger (i.e., electron donor) and the initial FA to nitrate molar ratio (IFNR) was 5.6. Increasing the NaCl level in the synthetic brine slowed the nitrate reduction rate without affecting byproduct selectivity of ammonium and gaseous N species (e.g., N2, N2O). In a non-modified IX brine, nitrate removal was greatly inhibited owing to the presence of sulfate, which competed with nitrate for active surface sites on P90 and induced aggregation of P90 nanoparticles. After removing sulfate through barium sulfate precipitation, nitrate was effectively reduced; approximately 3.6 × 1024 photons were required to reduce each mole of nitrate to 83% N Gases and 17% NH4+. To make optimum use of FA and control the residual FA level in treated brine, the IFNR was varied. High IFNRs (e.g., 4, 5.6) were found to be more efficient for nitrate reduction but left higher residual FA in brine. IX column tests were performed to investigate the impact of residual FA for brine reuse. The residual FA in the brine did not significantly affect the nitrate removal capacity of IX resins, and formate contamination of treated water could be eliminated by rinsing with one bed volume of fresh brine. PMID:23276425

Multiple isotopes (O, C, Li, Sr) as tracers of CO2 and brine leakage from CO2-enhanced oil recovery activities in Permian Basin, Texas, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phan, T. T.; Sharma, S.; Gardiner, J. B.; Thomas, R. B.; Stuckman, M.; Spaulding, R.; Lopano, C. L.; Hakala, A.

2017-12-01

Potential CO2 and brine migration or leakage into shallow groundwater is a critical issue associated with CO2 injection at both enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and carbon sequestration sites. The effectiveness of multiple isotope systems (δ18OH2O, δ13C, δ7Li, 87Sr/86Sr) in monitoring CO2 and brine leakage at a CO2-EOR site located within the Permian basin (Seminole, Texas, USA) was studied. Water samples collected from an oil producing formation (San Andres), a deep groundwater formation (Santa Rosa), and a shallow groundwater aquifer (Ogallala) over a four-year period were analyzed for elemental and isotopic compositions. The absence of any change in δ18OH2O or δ13CDIC values of water in the overlying Ogallala aquifer after CO2 injection indicates that injected CO2 did not leak into this aquifer. The range of Ogallala water δ7Li (13-17‰) overlaps the San Andres water δ7Li (13-15‰) whereas 87Sr/86Sr of Ogallala (0.70792±0.00005) significantly differs from San Andres water (0.70865±0.00003). This observation demonstrates that Sr isotopes are much more sensitive than Li isotopes in tracking brine leakage into shallow groundwater at the studied site. In contrast, deep groundwater δ7Li (21-25‰) is isotopically distinct from San Andres produced water; thus, monitoring this intermitted formation water can provide an early indication of CO2 injection-induced brine migration from the underlying oil producing formation. During water alternating with gas (WAG) operations, a significant shift towards more positive δ13CDIC values was observed in the produced water from several of the San Andres formation wells. The carbon isotope trend suggests that the 13C enriched injected CO2 and formation carbonates became the primary sources of dissolved inorganic carbon in the area surrounding the injection wells. Moreover, one-way ANOVA statistical analysis shows that the differences in δ7Li (F(1,16) = 2.09, p = 0.17) and 87Sr/86Sr (F(1,18) = 4.47, p = 0.05) values of shallow groundwater collected before and during the WAG period are not statistically significant. The results to date suggest that the water chemistry of shallow groundwater has not been influenced by the CO2 injection activities. The efficacy of each isotope system as a monitoring tool will be evaluated and discussed using a Bayesian mixing model.

Toxicity study of Vernonia cinerea.

PubMed

Latha, L Yoga; Darah, I; Jain, K; Sasidharan, S

2010-01-01

The methanol extract of Vernonia cinerea Less (Asteraceae), which exhibited antimicrobial activity, was tested for toxicity. In an acute toxicity study using mice, the median lethal dose (LD(50)) of the extract was greater than 2000 mg/kg, and we found no pathological changes in macroscopic examination by necropsy of mice treated with extract. As well as the oral acute toxicity study, the brine shrimp lethality test was also done. Brine shrimp test LC(50) values were 3.87 mg/mL (6 h) and 2.72 mg/mL (24 h), exhibiting no significant toxicity result. In conclusion, the methanol extract of V. cinerea did not produce toxic effects in mice and brine shrimp.

Laboratory flow experiments for visualizing carbon dioxide-induced, density-driven brine convection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kneafsey, T.; Pruess, K.

2009-09-01

Injection of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) into saline aquifers confined by low-permeability cap rock will result in a layer of CO{sub 2} overlying the brine. Dissolution of CO{sub 2} into the brine increases the brine density, resulting in an unstable situation in which more-dense brine overlies less-dense brine. This gravitational instability could give rise to density-driven convection of the fluid, which is a favorable process of practical interest for CO{sub 2} storage security because it accelerates the transfer of buoyant CO{sub 2} into the aqueous phase, where it is no longer subject to an upward buoyant drive. Laboratory flow visualizationmore » tests in transparent Hele-Shaw cells have been performed to elucidate the processes and rates of this CO{sub 2} solute-driven convection (CSC). Upon introduction of CO{sub 2} into the system, a layer of CO{sub 2}-laden brine forms at the CO{sub 2}-water interface. Subsequently, small convective fingers form, which coalesce, broaden, and penetrate into the test cell. Images and time-series data of finger lengths and wavelengths are presented. Observed CO{sub 2} uptake of the convection system indicates that the CO{sub 2} dissolution rate is approximately constant for each test and is far greater than expected for a diffusion-only scenario. Numerical simulations of our system show good agreement with the experiments for onset time of convection and advancement of convective fingers. There are differences as well, the most prominent being the absence of cell-scale convection in the numerical simulations. This cell-scale convection observed in the experiments is probably initiated by a small temperature gradient induced by the cell illumination.« less

Relative permeabilities of supercritical CO2 and brine in carbon sequestration by a two-phase lattice Boltzmann method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Jian.-Fei.; He, S.; Zu, Y. Q.; Lamy-Chappuis, B.; Yardley, B. W. D.

2017-08-01

In this paper, the migration of supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) in realistic sandstone rocks under conditions of saline aquifers, with applications to the carbon geological storage, has been investigated by a two-phase lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). Firstly the digital images of sandstone rocks were reproduced utilizing the X-ray computed microtomography (micro-CT), and high resolutions (up to 2.5 μm) were applied to the pore-scale LBM simulations. For the sake of numerical stability, the digital images were "cleaned" by closing the dead holes and removing the suspended particles in sandstone rocks. In addition, the effect of chemical reactions occurred in the carbonation process on the permeability was taken into account. For the wetting brine and non-wetting supercritical CO2 flows, they were treated as the immiscible fluids and were driven by pressure gradients in sandstone rocks. Relative permeabilities of brine and supercritical CO2 in sandstone rocks were estimated. Particularly the dynamic saturation was applied to improve the reliability of the calculations of the relative permeabilities. Moreover, the effects of the viscosity ratio of the two immiscible fluids and the resolution of digital images on the relative permeability were systematically investigated.

Pattern formation study of dissolution-driven convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aljahdaly, Noufe; Hadji, Layachi

2017-11-01

A three-dimensional pattern formation analysis is performed to investigate the dissolution-driven convection induced by the sequestration of carbon dioxide. We model this situation by considering a Rayleigh-Taylor like base state consisting of carbon-rich heavy brine overlying a carbon-free layer and seek, through a linear stability analysis, the instability threshold conditions as function of the thickness of the CO2-rich brine layer. Our model accounts for carbon diffusion anisotropy, permeability dependence on depth and the presence of a first order chemical reaction between the carbon-rich brine and host mineralogy. A small amplitude nonlinear stability analysis is performed to isolate the preferred regular pattern and solute flux conditions at the interface. The latter are used to derive equations for the time and space evolution of the interface as it migrates upward. We quantify the terminal time when the interface reaches the top boundary as function of the type of solute boundary conditions at the top boundary thereby also quantifying the beginning of the shutdown regime. The analysis will also shed light on the development of the three-dimensional fingering pattern that is observed when the constant flux regime is attained.

Regional-scale advective, diffusive, and eruptive dynamics of CO2 and brine leakage through faults and wellbores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Na-Hyun; Han, Weon Shik; Han, Kyungdoe; Park, Eungyu

2015-05-01

Regional-scale advective, diffusive, and eruptive transport dynamics of CO2 and brine within a natural analogue in the northern Paradox Basin, Utah, were explored by integrating numerical simulations with soil CO2 flux measurements. Deeply sourced CO2 migrates through steeply dipping fault zones to the shallow aquifers predominantly as an aqueous phase. Dense CO2-rich brine mixes with regional groundwater, enhancing CO2 dissolution. Linear stability analysis reveals that CO2 could be dissolved completely within only 500 years. Assigning lower permeability to the fault zones induces fault-parallel movement, feeds up-gradient aquifers with more CO2, and impedes down-gradient fluid flow, developing anticlinal CO2 traps at shallow depths (<300 m). The regional fault permeability that best reproduces field spatial CO2 flux variation is estimated 1 × 10-17 ≤ kh < 1 × 10-16 m2 and 5 × 10-16 ≤ kv < 1 × 10-15 m2. The anticlinal trap serves as an essential fluid source for eruption at Crystal Geyser. Geyser-like discharge sensitively responds to varying well permeability, radius, and CO2 recharge rate. The cyclic behavior of wellbore CO2 leakage decreases with time.

Moisture variations in brine-salted pasta filata cheese.

PubMed

Kindstedt, P S

2001-01-01

A study was made of the moisture distribution in brine-salted pasta filata cheese. Brine-salted cheeses usually develop reasonably smooth and predictable gradients of decreasing moisture from center to surface, resulting from outward diffusion of moisture in response to inward diffusion of salt. However, patterns of moisture variation within brine-salted pasta filata cheeses, notably pizza cheese, are more variable and less predictable because of the peculiar conditions that occur when warm cheese is immersed in cold brine. In this study, cold brining resulted in less moisture loss from the cheese surface to the brine. Also it created substantial temperature gradients within the cheese, which persisted after brining and influenced the movement of moisture within the cheese independently of that caused by the inward diffusion of salt. Depending on brining conditions and age, pizza cheese may contain decreasing, increasing, or irregular gradients of moisture from center to surface, which may vary considerably at different locations within a single block. This complicates efforts to obtain representative samples for moisture and composition testing. Dicing the entire block into small (e.g., 1.5 cm) cubes and collecting a composite sample after thorough mixing may serve as a practical sampling approach for manufacturers and users of pizza cheese that have ready access to dicing equipment.

An experimental study of relative permeability hysteresis, capillary trapping characteristics, and capillary pressure of CO2/brine systems at reservoir conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akbarabadi, Morteza

We present the results of an extensive experimental study on the effects of hysteresis on permanent capillary trapping and relative permeability of CO2/brine and supercritical (sc)CO2+SO2/brine systems. We performed numerous unsteady- and steady-state drainage and imbibition full-recirculation flow experiments in three different sandstone rock samples, i.e., low and high-permeability Berea, Nugget sandstones, and Madison limestone carbonate rock sample. A state-of-the-art reservoir conditions core-flooding system was used to perform the tests. The core-flooding apparatus included a medical CT scanner to measure in-situ saturations. The scanner was rotated to the horizontal orientation allowing flow tests through vertically-placed core samples with about 3.8 cm diameter and 15 cm length. Both scCO2 /brine and gaseous CO2 (gCO2)/brine fluid systems were studied. The gaseous and supercritical CO2/brine experiments were carried out at 3.46 and 11 MPa back pressures and 20 and 55°C temperatures, respectively. Under the above-mentioned conditions, the gCO2 and scCO2 have 0.081 and 0.393 gr/cm3 densities, respectively. During unsteady-state tests, the samples were first saturated with brine and then flooded with CO2 (drainage) at different maximum flow rates. The drainage process was then followed by a low flow rate (0.375 cm 3/min) imbibition until residual CO2 saturation was achieved. Wide flow rate ranges of 0.25 to 20 cm3/min for scCO2 and 0.125 to 120 cm3min for gCO2 were used to investigate the variation of initial brine saturation (Swi) with maximum CO2 flow rate and variation of trapped CO2 saturation (SCO2r) with Swi. For a given Swi, the trapped scCO2 saturation was less than that of gCO2 in the same sample. This was attributed to brine being less wetting in the presence of scCO2 than in the presence of gCO 2. During the steady-state experiments, after providing of fully-brine saturated core, scCO2 was injected along with brine to find the drainage curve and as a consequence the Swi, then it was followed by the imbibition process to measure SCO2r. We performed different cycles of relative permeability experiments to investigate the effect of hysteresis. The Swi and SCO2r varied from 0.525 to 0.90 and 0.34 to 0.081, respectively. Maximum CO2 and brine relative permeabilities at the end of drainage and imbibition and also variation of brine relative permeability due to post-imbibition CO2 dissolution during unsteady-state experiment were also studied. We co-injected SO2 with CO2 and brine into the Madison limestone core sample. The sample was acquired from the Rock Springs Uplift in southwest Wyoming. The temperature and pressure of the experiments were 60°C and 19.16 MPa, respectively. Each drainage-imbibition cycle was followed by a dissolution process to establish Sw=1. The results showed that about 76% of the initial CO2 was trapped by capillary trapping mechanism at the end of imbibition test. We also investigated the scCO2+SO2/brine capillary pressure versus saturation relationship through performing primary drainage, imbibition, and secondary drainage experiments. The results indicated that the wettability of the core sample might have been altered owing to being in contact with the scCO 2+SO2/brine system. During primary drainage CO2 displaced 52.5% of brine, i.e., Swi = 0.475. The subsequent imbibition led to 0.329 CO2 saturation. For all series of experiments, the ratio of SCO2r to initial CO2 saturation (1- S wi) was found to be much higher for low initial CO2 saturations. This means that greater fractions of injected CO2 can be permanently trapped at higher initial brine saturations. The results illustrated that very promising fractions (about 49 to 83 %) of the initial CO2 saturation can be trapped permanently. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Brine stability study

DOE Data Explorer

Gary Garland

2015-04-15

This is a study of the brine formulations that we were using in our testing were stable over time. The data includes charts, as well as, all of the original data from the ICP-MS runs to complete this study.

A field test of electromagnetic geophysical techniques for locating simulated in situ mining leach solution

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tweeton, D.R.; Hanson, J.C.; Friedel, M.J.

1994-01-01

The US Bureau of Mines, The University of Arizona, Sandia National Laboratories, and Zonge Engineering and Research Organization, Inc., conducted cooperative field tests of six electromagnetic (EM) geophysical methods to compare their effectiveness in locating a brine solution simulating in situ leach solution or a high-conductivity plume of contamination. The brine was approximately 160 m below the surface. The testsite was the University's San Xavier experimental mine near Tucson, AZ. Geophysical surveys using surface and surface-borehole, time-domain electromagnetic (TEM) induction; surface controlled-source audiofrequency magnetotellurics (CSAMT); surface-borehole, frequency-domain electromagnetic (FEM) induction; crosshole FEM; and surface magnetic field ellipticity were conducted beforemore » and during brine injection. The surface TEM data showed a broad decrease in resistivity. CSAMT measurements with the conventional orientation did not detect the brine, but measurements with another orientation indicated some decrease in resistivity. The surface-borehole and crosshole methods located a known fracture and other fracture zones inferred from borehole induction logs. Surface magnetic field ellipticity data showed a broad decrease in resistivity at depth following brine injection.« less

Coiled Brine Recovery Assembly (CoBRA): A New Approach to Recovering Water from Wastewater Brines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pensinger, Stuart J.

2015-01-01

Brine water recovery represents a current technology gap in water recycling for human spaceflight. The role of a brine processor is to take the concentrated discharge from a primary wastewater processor, called brine, and recover most of the remaining water from it. The current state-of-the-art primary processor is the ISS Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) that currently achieves 70% water recovery. Recent advancements in chemical pretreatments are expected to increase this to 85% in the near future. This is a welcome improvement, yet is still not high enough for deep space transit. Mission architecture studies indicate that at least 95% is necessary for a Mars mission, as an example. Brine water recovery is the technology that bridges the gap between 85% and 95%, and moves life support systems one step closer to full closure of the water loop. Several brine water recovery systems have been proposed for human spaceflight, most of them focused on solving two major problems: operation in a weightless environment, and management and containment of brine residual. Brine residual is the leftover byproduct of the brine recovery process, and is often a viscous, sticky paste, laden with crystallized solid particles. Due to the chemical pretreatments added to wastewater prior to distillation in a primary processor, these residuals are typically toxic, which further complicates matters. Isolation of crewmembers from these hazardous materials is paramount. The Coiled Brine Recovery Assembly (CoBRA) is a recently developed concept from the Johnson Space Center that offers solutions to these challenges. CoBRA is centered on a softgoods evaporator that enables a passive fill with brine, and regeneration by discharging liquid brine residual to a collection bag. This evaporator is meant to be lightweight, which allows it to be discarded along with the accumulated brine solids contained within it. This paper discusses design and development of a first CoBRA prototype, and reports initial test results.

Photocatalytic reduction of nitrate using titanium dioxide for regeneration of ion exchange brine.

PubMed

Yang, Ting; Doudrick, Kyle; Westerhoff, Paul

2013-03-01

Nitrate is often removed from groundwater by ion exchange (IX) before its use as drinking water. Accumulation of nitrate in IX brine reduces the efficiency of IX regeneration and the useful life of the regeneration brine. For the first time, we present a strategy to photocatalytically reduce nitrate in IX brine, thereby extending the use of the brine. Titanium dioxide (Evonik P90), acting as photocatalyst, reduced nitrate effectively in both synthetic brines and sulfate-removed IX brine when formic acid (FA) was used as the hole scavenger (i.e., electron donor) and the initial FA to nitrate molar ratio (IFNR) was 5.6. Increasing the NaCl level in the synthetic brine slowed the nitrate reduction rate without affecting by-product selectivity of ammonium and gaseous N species (e.g., N(2), N(2)O). In a non-modified IX brine, nitrate removal was greatly inhibited owing to the presence of sulfate, which competed with nitrate for active surface sites on P90 and induced aggregation of P90 nanoparticles. After removing sulfate through barium sulfate precipitation, nitrate was effectively reduced; approximately 3.6 × 10(24) photons were required to reduce each mole of nitrate to 83% N Gases and 17% NH(4)(+). To make optimum use of FA and control the residual FA level in treated brine, the IFNR was varied. High IFNRs (e.g., 4, 5.6) were found to be more efficient for nitrate reduction but left higher residual FA in brine. IX column tests were performed to investigate the impact of residual FA for brine reuse. The residual FA in the brine did not significantly affect the nitrate removal capacity of IX resins, and formate contamination of treated water could be eliminated by rinsing with one bed volume of fresh brine. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Surface-downhole and crosshole geoelectrics for monitoring of brine injection at the Ketzin CO2 storage site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rippe, Dennis; Bergmann, Peter; Labitzke, Tim; Wagner, Florian; Schmidt-Hattenberger, Cornelia

2016-04-01

The Ketzin pilot site in Germany is the longest operating on-shore CO2 storage site in Europe. From June 2008 till August 2013, a total of ˜67,000 tonnes of CO2 were safely stored in a saline aquifer at depths of 630 m to 650 m. The storage site has now entered the abandonment phase, and continuation of the multi-disciplinary monitoring as part of the national project "CO2 post-injection monitoring and post-closure phase at the Ketzin pilot site" (COMPLETE) provides the unique chance to participate in the conclusion of the complete life cycle of a CO2 storage site. As part of the continuous evaluation of the functionality and integrity of the CO2 storage in Ketzin, from October 12, 2015 till January 6, 2015 a total of ˜2,900 tonnes of brine were successfully injected into the CO2 reservoir, hereby simulating in time-lapse the natural backflow of brine and the associated displacement of CO2. The main objectives of this brine injection experiment include investigation of how much of the CO2 in the pore space can be displaced by brine and if this displacement of CO2 during the brine injection differs from the displacement of formation fluid during the initial CO2 injection. Geophysical monitoring of the brine injection included continuous geoelectric measurements accompanied by monitoring of pressure and temperature conditions in the injection well and two adjacent observation wells. During the previous CO2 injection, the geoelectrical monitoring concept at the Ketzin pilot site consisted of permanent crosshole measurements and non-permanent large-scale surveys (Kiessling et al., 2010). Time-lapse geoelectrical tomographies derived from the weekly crosshole data at near-wellbore scale complemented by six surface-downhole surveys at a scale of 1.5 km showed a noticeable resistivity signature within the target storage zone, which was attributed to the CO2 plume (Schmidt-Hattenberger et al., 2011) and interpreted in terms of relative CO2 and brine saturations (Bergmann et al., 2012). During the brine injection, usage of a new data acquisition unit allowed the daily collection of an extended crosshole data set. This data set was complemented by an alternative surface-downhole acquisition geometry, which for the first time allowed for regular current injections from three permanent surface electrodes into the existing electrical resistivity downhole array without the demand of an extensive field survey. This alternative surface-downhole acquisition geometry is expected to be characterized by good data quality and well confined sensitivity to the target storage zone. Time-lapse geoelectrical tomographies have been derived from both surface-downhole and crosshole data and show a conductive signature around the injection well associated with the displacement of CO2 by the injected brine. In addition to the above mentioned objectives of this brine injection experiment, comparative analysis of the surface-downhole and crosshole data provides the opportunity to evaluate the alternative surface-downhole acquisition geometry with respect to its resolution within the target storage zone and its ability to quantitatively constrain the displacement of CO2 during the brine injection. These results will allow for further improvement of the deployed alternative surface-downhole acquisition geometries. References Bergmann, P., Schmidt-Hattenberger, C., Kiessling, D., Rücker, C., Labitzke, T., Henninges, J., Baumann, G., Schütt, H. (2012). Surface-Downhole Electrical Resistivity Tomography applied to Monitoring of the CO2 Storage Ketzin (Germany). Geophysics, 77, B253-B267. Kiessling, D., Schmidt-Hattenberger, C., Schuett, H., Schilling, F., Krueger, K., Schoebel, B., Danckwardt, E., Kummerow, J., CO2SINK Group (2010). Geoelectrical methods for monitoring geological CO2 storage: First results from cross-hole and surface-downhole measurements from the CO2SINK test site at Ketzin (Germany). International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 4(5), 816-826. Schmidt-Hattenberger, C., Bergmann, P., Kießling, D., Krüger, K., Rücker, C., Schütt, H., Ketzin Group (2011). Application of a Vertical Electrical Resistivity Array (VERA) for monitoring CO2 migration at the Ketzin site: First performance evaluation. Energy Procedia, 4, 3363-3370.

Field test of electromagnetic geophysical techniques for locating simulated in situ mining leach solution. Report of investigations/1994

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tweeton, D.R.; Hanson, J.C.; Friedel, M.J.

1994-01-01

The U.S. Bureau of Mines, the University of Arizona, Sandia National Laboratory, and Zonge Engineering and Research, Inc., conducted cooperative field tests of six electromagnetic geophysical methods to compare their effectiveness in locating a brine solution simulating in situ leach solution or a high-conductivity plume of contamination. The brine was approximately 160 meters below the surface. The test site was the University's San Xavier experimental mine near Tucson, Arizona. Geophysical surveys using surface and surface-borehole time-domain electromagnetics (TEM), surface controlled source audio-frequency magnetotellurics (CSAMT), surface-borehole frequency-domain electromagnetics (FEM), crosshole FEM and surface magnetic field ellipticity were conducted before and duringmore » brine injection.« less

Measurements of fluid transport by controllable vertical migrations of plankton

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houghton, Isabel A.; Dabiri, John O.

2016-11-01

Diel vertical migration of zooplankton has been proposed to be a significant contributor to local and possibly large-scale fluid transport in the ocean. However, studies of this problem to date have been limited to order-of-magnitude estimates based on first principles and a small number of field observations. In this work, we leverage the phototactic behavior of zooplankton to stimulate controllable vertical migrations in the laboratory and to study the associated fluid transport and mixing. Building upon a previous prototype system, a laser guidance system induces vertical swimming of brine shrimp (Artemia salina) in a 2.1 meter tall, density-stratified water tank. The animal swimming speed and spacing during the controlled vertical migration is characterized with video analysis. A schlieren imaging system is utilized to visualize density perturbations to a stable stratification for quantification of fluid displacement length scales and restratification timescales. These experiments can add to our understanding of the dynamics of active particles in stratified flows. NSF and US-Israel Binational Science Foundation.

Environmental impact of seawater desalination plants.

PubMed

Al-Mutaz, I S

1991-01-01

Enormous amounts of seawater are desalted everyday worldwide. The total world production of fresh water from the sea is about 2621 mgd (9.92 million m(3) day(-1) 1985 figures). Desalting processes are normally associated with the rejection of high concentration waste brine from the plant itself or from the pretreatment units as well as during the cleaning period. In thermal processes, mainly multistage flash (MSF) thermal pollution occurs. These pollutants increase the seawater temperature, salinity, water current and turbidity. They also harm the marine environment, causing fish to migrate while enhancing the presence of algae, nematods and tiny molluscus. Sometimes micro-elements and toxic materials appear in the discharged brine.This paper will discuss the impact of the effluents from the desalination plants on the seawater environment with particular reference to the Saudi desalination plants, since they account for about 50% of the world desalination capacity.

Hydrogen generation by metal corrosion in simulated Waste Isolation Pilot Plant environments. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Telander, M.R.; Westerman, R.E.

1997-03-01

The corrosion and gas-generation characteristics of four material types: low-carbon steel (the current waste packaging material for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant), Cu-base and Ti-base (alternative packaging) materials, and Al-base (simulated waste) materials were determined in both the liquid and vapor phase of Brine A, a brine representative of an intergranular Salado Formation brine. Test environments consisted primarily of anoxic brine with overpressures of N{sub 2}, CO{sub 2}, H{sub 2}S, and H{sub 2}. Limited tests of low-carbon steel were also performed in simulated-backfill environments and in brine environments with pH values ranging from 3 to 11. Low-carbon steel reacted atmore » a slow, measurable rate with anoxic brine, liberating H{sub 2} on an equimolar basis with Fe reacted. Presence of CO{sub 2} caused the initial reaction to proceed more rapidly, but CO{sub 2}-induced passivation stopped the reaction if the CO{sub 2} were present in sufficient quantities. Addition of H{sub 2}S to a CO{sub 2}-passivated system caused reversal of the passivation. Low-carbon steel immersed in brine with H{sub 2}S showed no reaction, apparently because of passivation of the steel by formation of FeS. Addition of CO{sub 2} to an H{sub 2}S-passivated system did not reverse the passivation. Cu- and Ti-base materials showed essentially no corrosion when exposed to brine and overpressures of N{sub 2}, CO{sub 2}, and H{sub 2}S except for the rapid and complete reaction between Cu-base materials and H{sub 2}S. The Al-base materials reacted at approximately the same rate as low-carbon steel when immersed in anoxic Brine A; considerably more rapidly in the presence of CO{sub 2} or H{sub 2}S; and much more rapidly when iron was present in the system as a brine contaminant. High-purity Al was much more susceptible to corrosion than the 6061 alloy. No significant reaction took place on any material in any environment in the vapor-phase exposures.« less

The Frio Brine Pilot Experiment Managing CO2 Sequestration in a Brine Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakurai, S.

2005-12-01

Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory, the Frio Brine Pilot Experiment was begun in 2002. The increase in greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), is thought to be a major cause of climate change. Sequestration of CO2 in saline aquifers below and separate from fresh water is considered a promising method of reducing CO2 emissions. The objectives of the experiment are to (1) demonstrate CO2 can be injected into a brine formation safely; (2) measure subsurface distribution of injected CO2; (3) test the validity of conceptual, hydrologic, and geochemical models, and (4) develop experience necessary for larger scale CO2 injection experiments. The Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG) is the leading institution on the project and is collaborating with many national laboratories and private institutes. BEG reviewed many saline formations in the US to identify candidates for CO2 storage. The Frio Formation was selected as a target that could serve a large part of the Gulf Coast and site was selected for a brine storage pilot experiment in the South Liberty field, Dayton, Texas. Most wells were drilled in the 1950's, and the fluvial sandstone of the upper Frio Formation in the Oligocene is our target, at a depth of 5,000 ft. An existing well was used as the observation well. A new injection well was drilled 100 ft away, and 30 ft downdip from the observation well. Conventional cores were cut, and analysis indicated 32 to 35 percent porosity and 2,500 md permeability. Detailed core description was valuable as better characterization resulted in design improvements. A bed bisecting the interval originally thought to be a significant barrier to flow is a sandy siltstone having a permeability of about 100 md. As a result, the upper part of the sandstone was perforated. Because of changes in porosity, permeability, and the perforation zone, input for the simulation model was updated and the model was rerun to estimate timing of CO2 breakthrough and saturation changes. A pulsed neutron tool was selected as the primary wireline log for monitoring saturation changes, because of high formation water salinity, along with high porosity. Baseline logs were recorded as preinjection values. We started injection of CO2 on October 4, 2004, and injected 1,600 tons of CO2 for 10 days. Breakthrough of CO2 to the observation well was observed on the third day by geochemical measurement of recovered fluids, including gas analysis and decreased pH value. Multiple capture logs were run to monitor saturation changes. The first log run after CO2 breakthrough on the fourth day showed a significant decrease in sigma was recorded within the upper part of the porous section (6 ft) correlative with the injection interval. Postinjection logs were compared with baseline logs to determine CO2 distribution as CO2 migrated away from the injection point. The dipole acoustic tool was used to estimate saturation changes to improve geophysical data interpretation using VSP and crosswell tomography. Compared with the baseline log, wireline sonic log made 3 months later showed a weak and slower arrival of compressional wave over the perforated interval. Results from crosswell tomography data also showed changes in compressional velocity. Successful measurement of plume evolution documents an effective method to monitor CO2 in reservoirs and document migration.

Selenium biotransformations in an engineered aquatic ecosystem for bioremediation of agricultural wastewater via brine shrimp production.

PubMed

Schmidt, Radomir; Tantoyotai, Prapakorn; Fakra, Sirine C; Marcus, Matthew A; Yang, Soo In; Pickering, Ingrid J; Bañuelos, Gary S; Hristova, Krassimira R; Freeman, John L

2013-05-21

An engineered aquatic ecosystem was specifically designed to bioremediate selenium (Se), occurring as oxidized inorganic selenate from hypersalinized agricultural drainage water while producing brine shrimp enriched in organic Se and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids for use in value added nutraceutical food supplements. Selenate was successfully bioremediated by microalgal metabolism into organic Se (seleno-amino acids) and partially removed via gaseous volatile Se formation. Furthermore, filter-feeding brine shrimp that accumulated this organic Se were removed by net harvest. Thriving in this engineered pond system, brine shrimp ( Artemia franciscana Kellogg) and brine fly (Ephydridae sp.) have major ecological relevance as important food sources for large populations of waterfowl, breeding, and migratory shore birds. This aquatic ecosystem was an ideal model for study because it mimics trophic interactions in a Se polluted wetland. Inorganic selenate in drainage water was metabolized differently in microalgae, bacteria, and diatoms where it was accumulated and reduced into various inorganic forms (selenite, selenide, or elemental Se) or partially incorporated into organic Se mainly as selenomethionine. Brine shrimp and brine fly larva then bioaccumulated Se from ingesting aquatic microorganisms and further metabolized Se predominately into organic Se forms. Importantly, adult brine flies, which hatched from aquatic larva, bioaccumulated the highest Se concentrations of all organisms tested.

Impacts of relative permeability on CO2 phase behavior, phase distribution, and trapping mechanisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moodie, N.; McPherson, B. J. O. L.; Pan, F.

2015-12-01

A critical aspect of geologic carbon storage, a carbon-emissions reduction method under extensive review and testing, is effective multiphase CO2 flow and transport simulation. Relative permeability is a flow parameter particularly critical for accurate forecasting of multiphase behavior of CO2 in the subsurface. The relative per­meability relationship assumed and especially the irreducible saturation of the gas phase greatly impacts predicted CO2 trapping mechanisms and long-term plume migration behavior. A primary goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of relative permeability on efficacy of regional-scale CO2 sequestration models. To accomplish this we built a 2-D vertical cross-section of the San Rafael Swell area of East-central Utah. This model simulated injection of CO2 into a brine aquifer for 30 years. The well was then shut-in and the CO2 plume behavior monitored for another 970 years. We evaluated five different relative permeability relationships to quantify their relative impacts on forecasted flow results of the model, with all other parameters maintained uniform and constant. Results of this analysis suggest that CO2 plume movement and behavior are significantly dependent on the specific relative permeability formulation assigned, including the assumed irreducible saturation values of CO2 and brine. More specifically, different relative permea­bility relationships translate to significant differences in CO2 plume behavior and corresponding trapping mechanisms.

Removal of Radionuclides from Waste Water at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant: Desalination and Adsorption Methods - 13126

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kani, Yuko; Kamosida, Mamoru; Watanabe, Daisuke

Waste water containing high levels of radionuclides due to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, has been treated by the adsorption removal and reverse-osmosis (RO) desalination to allow water re-use for cooling the reactors. Radionuclides in the waste water are collected in the adsorbent medium and the RO concentrate (RO brine) in the water treatment system currently operated at the Fukushima Daiichi site. In this paper, we have studied the behavior of radionuclides in the presently applied RO desalination system and the removal of radionuclides in possible additional adsorption systems for the Fukushima Daiichi waste water treatment. Regarding themore » RO desalination system, decontamination factors (DFs) of the elements present in the waste water were obtained by lab-scale testing using an RO unit and simulated waste water with non-radioactive elements. The results of the lab-scale testing using representative elements showed that the DF for each element depended on its hydrated ionic radius: the larger the hydrated ionic radius of the element, the higher its DF is. Thus, the DF of each element in the waste water could be estimated based on its hydrated ionic radius. For the adsorption system to remove radionuclides more effectively, we studied adsorption behavior of typical elements, such as radioactive cesium and strontium, by various kinds of adsorbents using batch and column testing. We used batch testing to measure distribution coefficients (K{sub d}s) for cesium and strontium onto adsorbents under different brine concentrations that simulated waste water conditions at the Fukushima Daiichi site. For cesium adsorbents, K{sub d}s with different dependency on the brine concentration were observed based on the mechanism of cesium adsorption. As for strontium, K{sub d}s decreased as the brine concentration increased for any adsorbents which adsorbed strontium by intercalation and by ion exchange. The adsorbent titanium oxide had higher K{sub d}s and it was used for the column testing to obtain breakthrough curves under various conditions of pH and brine concentration. The breakthrough point had a dependency on pH and the brine concentration. We found that when the pH was higher or the brine concentration was lower, the longer it took to reach the breakthrough point. The inhibition of strontium adsorption by alkali earth metals would be diminished for conditions of higher pH and lower brine concentration. (authors)« less

Patterns and variability in geochemical signatures and microbial activity within and between diverse cold seep habitats along the lower continental slope, Northern Gulf of Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowles, Marshall; Hunter, Kimberley S.; Samarkin, Vladimir; Joye, Samantha

2016-07-01

We collected 69 sediment cores from distinct ecological and geological settings along the deep slope in the Northern Gulf of Mexico to evaluate whether specific geochemical- or habitat-related factors correlated with rates of microbial processes and geochemical signatures. By collecting replicate cores from distinct habitats across multiple sites, we illustrate and quantify the heterogeneity of cold seep geochemistry and microbial activity. These data also document the factors driving unique aspects of the geochemistry of deep slope gas, oil and brine seeps. Surprisingly little variation was observed between replicate (n=2-5) cores within sites for most analytes (except methane), implying that the common practice of collecting one core for geochemical analysis can capture the signature of a habitat in most cases. Depth-integrated concentrations of methane, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and calcium were the predominant geochemical factors that correlated with a site's ecological or geological settings. Pore fluid methane concentration was related to the phosphate and DIC concentration, as well as to rates of sulfate reduction. While distinctions between seep habitats were identified from geochemical signatures, habitat specific geochemistry varied little across sites. The relative concentration of dissolved inorganic nitrogen versus phosphorus suggests that phosphorus availability limits biomass production at cold seeps. Correlations between calcium, chloride, and phosphate concentrations were indicative of brine-associated phosphate transport, suggesting that in addition to the co-migration of methane, dissolved organic carbon, and ammonium with brine, phosphate delivery is also associated with brine advection.

Contaminant Permeation in the Ionomer-Membrane Water Processor (IWP) System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelsey, Laura K.; Finger, Barry W.; Pasadilla, Patrick; Perry, Jay

2016-01-01

The Ionomer-membrane Water Processor (IWP) is a patented membrane-distillation based urine brine water recovery system. The unique properties of the IWP membrane pair limit contaminant permeation from the brine to the recovered water and purge gas. A paper study was conducted to predict volatile trace contaminant permeation in the IWP system. Testing of a large-scale IWP Engineering Development Unit (EDU) with urine brine pretreated with the International Space Station (ISS) pretreatment formulation was then conducted to collect air and water samples for quality analysis. Distillate water quality and purge air GC-MS results are presented and compared to predictions, along with implications for the IWP brine processing system.

Durability of high performance concrete in magnesium brine

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tumidajski, P.J.; Chan, G.W.

1996-04-01

The durability of six concretes exposed to magnesium brine was monitored for 24 months. These concretes incorporated ground granulated blast furnace slag, silica fume, and fly ash. The Young`s moduli, chloride penetrations, and median pore diameters were measured. There was a cyclic nature to these properties due to the complicated interaction of hydration with magnesium, chloride and sulfate attack. Mineral admixtures, in combination with a long initial cure, provided the most durable concrete. Concrete with 65% slag had the best overall durability to the brines tested.

Risk of high blood pressure in salt workers working near salt milling plants: A cross-sectional and interventional study

PubMed Central

Haldiya, Kripa Ram; Mathur, Murli Lal; Sachdev, Raman; Saiyed, Habibulla N

2005-01-01

Background Workers working close to salt milling plants may inhale salt particles floating in the air, leading to a rise in plasma sodium, which, in turn, may increase the blood pressure and the risk of hypertension. Methods To test the above hypothesis, occupational health check-up camps were organized near salt manufacturing units and all workers were invited for a free health examination. The workers who worked with dry salt in the vicinity of salt milling plants were defined as "non-brine workers," while those working in brine pans located far away from milling plants were defined as "brine workers." Blood pressure (BP) was measured during each clinical examination. In all, 474 non-brine workers and 284 brine workers were studied. Results Mean systolic blood pressure of non-brine workers (122.1 ± 13.3 mm Hg) was significantly higher than that of brine workers (118.8 ± 12.8 mm Hg, p < 0.01). Mean diastolic blood pressure of non-brine workers (71.5 ± 10.4 mm Hg) was significantly higher than that of brine workers (69.7 ± 9.4 mm Hg, p = 0.02). The prevalence of hypertension was significantly higher in non-brine workers (12.2%) than in brine workers (7.0%, p = 0.02). Nineteen salt workers were monitored while they used face masks and spectacles, for six days. Systolic, as well as diastolic, blood pressure of these workers began declining on the third day and continued to decline on the fourth day, but remained stationary up to the sixth day. The concentration of salt particles in the breathing zone of these workers was 376 mg/m3 air. Conclusion Inhalation of salt particles in non-brine workers may be an occupational cause of increased blood pressure. PMID:16042798

Survival of Listeria monocytogenes in a simulated recirculating brine chiller system.

PubMed

Gailey, J K; Dickson, J S; Dorsa, W

2003-10-01

Contamination by Listeria monocytogenes of processed meats after cooking presents a significant food safety risk. The purpose of this study was to determine the survival of L. monocytogenes in a simulated recirculating brine chiller system using pH values of 5, 6, and 7 with free chlorine concentrations of 0, 3, 5, and 10 ppm in 20% salt brine at -12 degrees C. At pH values of 5, 6, and 7 with chlorine concentrations of 2 and 3 ppm, using 10(8) CFU in a test tube system, an immediate drop of 0.28 log CFU/ml with no significance between treatments (P > 0.05), followed by a steady survival phase with a slope close to 0, was observed. In brine at a pH of 5 with 5 and 10 ppm of chlorine, an initial drop of 0.8 log CFU/ml was observed, which was followed by a steady survival phase with a destruction slope close to zero. At an inoculation concentration of 10(2) CFU in a test tube system (pH values of 5 and 7 with 0 and 10 ppm of chlorine), the average initial drop for all treatments was 0.1 log CFU/ml, which was followed by a steady survival phase. In a recirculating system, very few cells were destroyed during the brine chilling process, but only low numbers of L. monocytogenes were recovered from the brine and uninoculated hot dogs. Although little destruction of L. monocytogenes was noted, the dilution effect observed during the study indicates that environmental contamination of a brine chiller system poses little danger of postcooking contamination for processed meats if the system is regularly cleaned and sanitized.

An improved brine shrimp larvae lethality microwell test method.

PubMed

Zhang, Yi; Mu, Jun; Han, Jinyuan; Gu, Xiaojie

2012-01-01

This article described an improved brine shrimp larvae lethality microwell test method. A simply designed connecting vessel with alternative photoperiod was used to culture and collect high yield of active Artemia parthenogenetica nauplii for brine shrimp larvae lethality microwell test. Using this method, pure A. parthenogenetica nauplii suspension was easily cultured and harvested with high density about 100-150 larvae per milliliter and the natural mortality was reduced to near zero by elimination of unnecessary artificial disturbance. And its sensitivity was validated by determination of LC(50)-24 h of different reference toxicants including five antitumor agents, two pesticides, three organic pollutants, and four heavy metals salts, most of which exhibited LC(50)-24 h between 0.07 and 58.43 mg/L except for bleomycin and mitomycin C with LC(50)-24 h over 300 mg/L.

Brine Extraction and Treatment Strategies to Enhance Pressure Management and Control of CO 2 Plumes in Deep Geologic Formations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Okwen, Roland; Frailey, Scott; Dastgheib, Seyed

The overall goal of the this project is to develop and validate pressure management and carbon dioxide (CO 2) plume control strategies that can address technical and economic barriers to commercial deployment of CO 2 storage technologies, based on computational and field demonstration work at the Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) facility where the Illinois Basin–Decatur Project (IBDP) and the Illinois-Industrial Carbon Capture and Storage (IL-ICCS) projects are located. To accomplish the overall goal, the ISGS designed a brine extraction storage test (BEST) that could be completed in two phases. The goal of BEST Phase I was to evaluate themore » feasibilities of extraction well(s) placement, the brine extraction to CO 2 injection rate ratio, extraction well completion, and brine treatment and handling. The goal of BEST Phase II would be to validate the brine extraction and treatment options deemed feasible in Phase I by (1) demonstrating the efficacy of brine extraction (BE) in managing pressure (i.e., formation) and the CO 2 plume, and (2) demonstrating treatment of extracted brine with high total dissolved solids (TDS; >200,000 mg/L) using multiple advanced treatment technologies. This report details work done in Phase I. Several brine extraction and treatment scenarios were tested, simulated, and analyzed for their effectiveness in extracting brine. Initially a vertical well was studied; however, geologic modeling, reservoir modeling, and the existing facility and wellbore infrastructure dictated that the location of a vertical brine extraction well was limited to an area with no existing monitoring wells and where the well would be in relative proximity to an existing CO 2 plume. Consequently, a vertical well was excluded, and a horizontal brine extraction well placed above the existing CO 2 plume near two existing wells was studied. The horizontal well option allows the project to leverage the availability of cased-hole logs and cross-well tomography to monitor CO 2 saturation and plume distribution, respectively. Because of the proximity of the horizontal well option to two existing wells, no additional monitoring well (or caprock penetration) is required. The recommended brine extraction pilot design options are (1) a horizontal extraction well at the base of the Middle Mt. Simon, which is 350–520 ft (107–158 m) above the CO 2 plume at CCS#1 and VW#1; or (2) a vertical extraction well 0.5 mi (0.8 km) from CCS#2 in a direction approximately southeast of CCS#2, perpendicular to the direction of high hydraulic connectivity. A horizontal extraction well has advantages over a vertical extraction well, including less risk of drilling into an existing CO 2 plume and it can be located between two other wells that can be used for monitoring. Thus, because the two existing wells can serve as monitoring wells, it eliminates the need for a third verification well and allows for a lower extraction rate to control the CO 2 plume and pressure. Managing pressure and the CO 2 plume distribution via brine extraction creates the obvious and important challenge of handling and treating the extracted brine. There were three options for brine disposal: (1) underground injection control (UIC) disposal well, (2) brine treatment and industrial use, and (3) brine pretreatment and discharge into municipal wastewater system. The primary design elements were budget and permitting requirements. The disposal well would be a vertical well drilled and completed into the Potosi Dolomite. For the range of extraction rates anticipated, the cost of this well is relatively constant. The cost of brine treatment is highly depends on the extraction rate, which depends on the well orientation. If relatively high rates are required, the vertical disposal well option is more favorable; for relatively lower rates, the two brine treatment options have lower costs. Life-cycle-analysis studies on extracted brine handling options suggest that a UIC well has a lower environmental impact than brine treatment. Both brine disposal options using brine treatment require removal of suspended solids from the extracted brine. The most suitable commercially available technology and the most promising emerging and innovative technology are recommended for implementation in Phase II. Though the challenges of this project are written specific to Decatur, every CO 2 storage site considering the use of brine extraction integrated with CO 2 storage will have similar, if not identical, technical and logistical challenges.« less

Rheological Properties of Silica Nanoparticles in Brine and Brine-Surfactant Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pales, Ashley; Kinsey, Erin; Li, Chunyan; Mu, Linlin; Bai, Lingyun; Clifford, Heather; Darnault, Christophe

2016-04-01

Rheological Properties of Silica Nanoparticles in Brine and Brine-Surfactant Systems Ashley R. Pales, Erin Kinsey, Chunyan Li, Linlin Mu, Lingyun Bai, Heather Clifford, and Christophe J. G. Darnault Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, Laboratory of Hydrogeoscience and Biological Engineering, L.G. Rich Environmental Laboratory, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA Nanofluids are suspensions of nanometer sized particles in any fluid base, where the nanoparticles effect the properties of the fluid base. Commonly, nanofluids are water based, however, other bases such as ethylene-glycol, glycerol, and propylene-glycol, have been researched to understand the rheological properties of the nanofluids. This work aims to understand the fundamental rheological properties of silica nanoparticles in brine based and brine-surfactant based nanofluids with temperature variations. This was done by using variable weight percent of silica nanoparticles from 0.001% to 0.1%. Five percent brine was used to create the brine based nanofluids; and 5% brine with 2CMC of Tween 20 nonionic surfactant (Sigma-Aldrich) was used to create the brine-surfactant nanofluid. Rheological behaviors, such as shear rate, shear stress, and viscosity, were compared between these nanofluids at 20C and at 60C across the varied nanoparticle wt%. The goal of this work is to provide a fundamental basis for future applied testing for enhanced oil recovery. It is hypothesized that the addition of surfactant will have a positive impact on nanofluid properties that will be useful for enhance oil recovery. Differences have been observed in preliminary data analysis of the rheological properties between these two nanofluids indicating that the surfactant is having the hypothesized effect.

Flow tests of the Gladys McCall well. Appendix A, Gladys McCall Site (Cameron Parish, LA): Final report, October 1985--October 1990

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Randolph, P.L.; Hayden, C.G.; Rogers, L.A.

1992-04-01

This report pulls together the data from all of the geopressured-geothermal field research conducted at the Gladys McCall well. The well produced geopressured brine containing dissolved natural gas from the Lower Miocene sands at a depth of 15,150 to 16,650 feet. More than 25 million barrels of brine and 727 million standard cubic feet of natural gas were produced in a series of flow tests between December 1982 and October 1987 at various brine flow rates up to 28,000 barrels per day. Initial short-term flow tests for the Number 9 Sand found the permeability to be 67 to 85 mdmore » (millidarcies) for a brine volume of 85 to 170 million barrels. Initial short-term flow tests for the Number 8 Sand found a permeability of 113 to 132 md for a reservoir volume of 430 to 550 million barrels of brine. The long-term flow and buildup test of the Number 8 Sand found that the high-permeability reservoir connected to the wellbore (measured by the short-term flow test) was connected to a much larger, low-permeability reservoir. Numerical simulation of the flow and buildup tests required this large connected reservoir to have a volume of about 8 billion barrels (two cubic miles of reservoir rock) with effective permeabilities in the range of 0.2 to 20 md. Calcium carbonate scale formation in the well tubing and separator equipment was a problem. During the first 2 years of production, scale formation was prevented in the surface equipment by injection of an inhibitor upstream of the choke. Starting in 1985, scale formation in the production tubing was successfully prevented by injecting inhibitor ``pills`` directly into the reservoir. Corrosion and/or erosion of surface piping and equipment, as well as disposal well tubing, was also significant.« less

Temporary Urine and Brine Stowage System (TUBSS) Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dries, Kevin; Carrigan, Caitlin

2011-01-01

International Space Station (ISS) crew liquid human waste is treated with chromic and sulfuric acids to maintain stability prior to processing to recover water. This pre-treated urine (PTU) and its processed by-product, brine, are highly toxic fluids that require special containment for on-orbit stowage. The temporary urine and brine stowage syste m (TUBSS) is an assembly used to store and transfer pre-treated urine (PTU) and brine for processing or disposal at a later date. This paper describes the development of the TUBSS, including design for two-fault tolerance and materials selection to maintain a soft, collapsible container. In addition, this paper will provide results of testing as well as lessons learned from the project, culminating in the successful launch of the hardware.

Interpretation of actinide-distribution data obtained from non-destructive and destructive post-test analyses of an intact-core column of Culebra dolomite.

PubMed

Perkins, W G; Lucero, D A

2001-02-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE), with technical assistance from Sandia National Laboratories, has successfully received EPA certification and opened the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a nuclear waste disposal facility located approximately 42 km east of Carlsbad, NM. Performance assessment (PA) analyses indicate that human intrusions by inadvertent, intermittent drilling for resources provide the only credible mechanisms for significant releases of radionuclides from the disposal system. For long-term brine releases, migration pathways through the permeable layers of rock above the Salado formation are important. Major emphasis is placed on the Culebra Member of the Rustler Formation because this is the most transmissive geologic layer overlying the WIPP site. In order to help quantify parameters for the calculated releases, radionuclide transport experiments have been carried out using intact-core columns obtained from the Culebra dolomite member of the Rustler Formation within the WIPP site. This paper deals primarily with results of analyses for 241Pu and 241Am distributions developed during transport experiments in one of these cores. Transport experiments were done using a synthetic brine that simulates Culebra brine at the core recovery location (the WIPP air-intake shaft (AIS)). Hydraulic characteristics (i.e., apparent porosity and apparent dispersion coefficient) for intact-core columns were obtained via experiments using the conservative tracer 22Na. Elution experiments carried out over periods of a few days with tracers 232U and 239Np indicated that these tracers were weakly retarded as indicated by delayed elution of the species. Elution experiments with tracers 241Pu and 241Am were attempted but no elution of either species has been observed to date, including experiments of many months' duration. In order to quantify retardation of the non-eluted species 241Pu and 241Am after a period of brine flow, non-destructive and destructive analyses of one intact-core column were carried out to determine distribution of these actinides in the rock. Analytical results indicate that the majority of the 241Am remained very near the injection surface of the core (possibly as a precipitate), and that the majority of the 241Pu was dispersed with a very high apparent retardation value. The 241Pu distribution is interpreted using a single-porosity advection-dispersion model, and an approximate retardation value is reported.

REE Sorption Study for Media #1 and Media #2 in Brine #1 and #2 at different Liquid to Solid Ratio's at Ambient Temperature

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gary Garland

This data set shows the different loading capacities of Media #1 and Media #2 in a high and low salt content brine matrix at different liquid to solid ratio's. These data sets are shaker bath tests on media #1 and media #2 in brine's #1 and #2 at 500mL-.5g(1000-1 ratio), 150mL-.75g(200-1 ratio), and 150mL-2.5g(60-1 ratio) at ambient temperature.

Temperature- and pressure-dependent structural transformation of methane hydrates in salt environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, Donghoon; Cha, Minjun; Yang, Youjeong; Choi, Seunghyun; Woo, Yesol; Lee, Jong-Won; Ahn, Docheon; Im, Junhyuck; Lee, Yongjae; Han, Oc Hee; Yoon, Ji-Ho

2017-03-01

Understanding the stability of volatile species and their compounds under various surface and subsurface conditions is of great importance in gaining insights into the formation and evolution of planetary and satellite bodies. We report the experimental results of the temperature- and pressure-dependent structural transformation of methane hydrates in salt environments using in situ synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, and Raman spectroscopy. We find that under pressurized and concentrated brine solutions methane hydrate forms a mixture of type I clathrate hydrate, ice, and hydrated salts. Under a low-pressure condition, however, the methane hydrates are decomposed through a rapid sublimation of water molecules from the surface of hydrate crystals, while NaCl · 2H2O undergoes a phase transition into a crystal growth of NaCl via the migration of salt ions. In ambient pressure conditions, the methane hydrate is fully decomposed in brine solutions at temperatures above 252 K, the eutectic point of NaCl · 2H2O.

Advances in Spacecraft Brine Water Recovery: Development of a Radial Vaned Capillary Drying Tray

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, Michael R.; Sargusingh, Miriam J.; Pickering, Karen D.; Weislogel, Mark M.

2014-01-01

Technology improvements in the recovery of water from brine are critical to establishing closed-loop water recovery systems, enabling long-duration missions, and achieving a sustained human presence in space. A genre of 'in-place drying' brine water recovery concepts, collectively referred to herein as Brine Residual In-Containment, are under development. These brine water recovery concepts aim to increase the overall robustness and reliability of the brine recovery process by performing drying inside the container used for final disposal of the solid residual waste. Implementation of in-place drying techniques have been demonstrated for applications where gravity is present and phase separation occurs naturally by buoyancy-induced effects. In this work, a microgravity-compatible analogue of the gravity-driven phase separation process is considered by exploiting capillarity in the form of surface wetting, surface tension, and container geometry. The proposed design consists of a series of planar radial vanes aligned about a central slotted core. Preliminary testing of the fundamental geometry in a reduced gravity environment has shown the device to spontaneously fill and saturate rapidly, thereby creating a free surface from which evaporation and phase separation can occur similar to a terrestrial-like 'cylindrical pool' of fluid. Mathematical modeling and analysis of the design suggest predictable rates of filling and stability of fluid containment as a function of relevant system dimensions; e.g., number of vanes, vane length, width, and thickness. A description of the proposed capillary design solution is presented along with preliminary results from testing, modeling, and analysis of the system.

RO brine treatment and recovery by biological activated carbon and capacitive deionization process.

PubMed

Tao, Guihe; Viswanath, Bala; Kekre, Kiran; Lee, Lai Yoke; Ng, How Yong; Ong, Say Leong; Seah, Harry

2011-01-01

The generation of brine solutions from dense membrane (reverse osmosis, RO or nanofiltration, NF) water reclamation systems has been increasing worldwide, and the lack of cost effective disposal options is becoming a critical water resources management issue. In Singapore, NEWater is the product of a multiple barrier water reclamation process from secondary treated domestic effluent using MF/UF-RO and UV technologies. The RO brine (concentrates) accounts for more than 20% of the total flow treated. To increase the water recovery and treat the RO brine, a CDI based process with BAC as pretreatment was tested. The results show that ion concentrations in CDI product were low except SiO2 when compared with RO feed water. CDI product was passed through a RO and the RO permeate was of better quality including low SiO2 as compared to NEWater quality. It could be beneficial to use a dedicated RO operated at optimum conditions with better performance to recover the water. BAC was able to achieve 15-27% TOC removal of RO brine. CDI had been tested at a water recovery ranging from 71.6 to 92.3%. CDI based RO brine treatment could improve overall water recovery of NEWater production over 90%. It was found that calcium phosphate scaling and organic fouling was the major cause of CDI pressure increase. Ozone disinfection and sodium bisulfite dosing were able to reduce CDI fouling rate. For sustainable operation of CDI organic fouling control and effective organic fouling cleaning should be further studied.

Weakly nonlinear convection induced by the sequestration of CO2 in a perfectly impervious geological formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vo, Liet; Hadji, Layachi

2017-12-01

Linear and weakly nonlinear stability analyses are performed to investigate the dissolution-driven convection induced by the sequestration of carbon dioxide in a perfectly impervious geological formation. We prescribe Neumann concentration boundary conditions at the rigid upper and lower walls that bound a fluid saturated porous layer of infinite horizontal extent. We envisage the physical situation wherein the top boundary is shut after a certain amount of positively buoyant super-critical carbon-dioxide has been injected. We model this situation by considering a Rayleigh-Taylor like base state consisting of carbon-rich heavy brine overlying a carbon-free layer and seek the critical thickness at which the top layer has acquired enough potential energy for fluid overturning to occur. We quantify the influence of carbon diffusion anisotropy, permeability dependence on depth and the presence of a first order chemical reaction between the carbon-rich brine and host mineralogy on the threshold instability conditions and associated flow patterns using classical normal modes approach and paper-and-pencil calculations. The critical Rayleigh number and corresponding wavenumber are found to be independent of the depth of the formation. The weakly nonlinear analysis is performed using long wavelength asymptotics, the validity of which is limited to small Damköhler numbers. We derive analytical expressions for the solute flux at the interface, the location of which corresponds to the minimum depth of the boundary layer at which instability sets in. We show that the interface acts like a sink leading to the formation of a self-organized exchange between descending carbon-rich brine and ascending carbon free brine. We delineate necessary conditions for the onset of the fingering pattern that is observed in laboratory and numerical experiments when the constant flux regime is attained. Using the derived interface flux conditions, we put forth differential equations for the time evolution and deformation of the interface as it migrates upward while the carbon dioxide is dissolving into the ambient brine. We solve for the terminal time when the interface reaches the top boundary thereby quantifying the time it takes for an initial amount of injected super-critical carbon dioxide to have completely dissolved within ambient brine thus signaling the start of the shutdown regime.

Methodology Measuring Rare Earth Elements in High TDS Reservoir Brines Application as Natural Tracers in CCUS Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, W.; Mcling, T. L.; Smith, R. W.; Neupane, H.

2013-12-01

In recent years rare earth elements (REE) have been demonstrated to be useful natural tracers for geochemical processes in aqueous environments. The application of REE's to carbon dioxide utilization and storage (CCUS) could provide researchers with a sensitive, inexpensive tool for tracking the movement of CO2 and displaced formation brines. By definition, geologic reservoirs that have been deemed suitable for carbon capture and storage contain formation brine with total dissolved solids (TDS) greater than 10,000 ppm and often these formation brines exceed 75,000 ppm TDS. This high TDS water makes it very difficult to measure REE, which typically occur at part per trillion concentrations. Critical to the use of REE for CCUS studies is the development of a procedure, which allows for the pre-concentration of REE's across a wide range of water quality. Additionally, due to the large number of samples that will need analysis, any developed procedure must be inexpensive, reproducible, and quick to implement. As part of the Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Project the INL's Center for Advance Energy Studies is developing REE pre-concentration procedures based on methods reported in the literature. While there are many REE pre-concentration procedures in the literature, our tests have shown these methods have difficulty at TDS greater than seawater (roughly 35,000 ppm TDS). Therefore, the ability to quantitatively measure REE's in formation brines with very high TDS has required the modification of an already developed procedure. After careful consideration and testing we selected methods modified after those described by Kingston et al., 1978 and Strachan et al., 1989 utilizing chelating media for very high TDS waters and ion-exchange media as detailed by Crock et al., 1984; Robinson et al., 1985; and Stetzenbach et al., 1994 for low TDS (<10,000 ppm TDS) waters. These modified procedures have been successfully tested in our laboratory and have proven effective in greatly reducing interfering monovalent and divalent cation concentrations (e.g. Ba) and enriching the REE up to 100X for analysis. The procedures are straightforward, inexpensive, and require little infrastructure, using only single chromatography columns with inexpensive, reusable, commercially available resins and wash chemicals. The procedures have been tested with synthetic brines and waters (up to 250,000 ppm TDS) and field water samples (up to 5,000 ppm TDS). Testing has produced data with REE capture efficiency exceeding 95%, while reducing interfering elements by more than 93%. Further method development and testing continues in preparation for brine analysis of waters from the Big Sky Carbon Sequestration Partnership's Kevin Dome Pilot Study and the University of Wyoming's Carbon Institutes Rock Springs Uplift.

A 2D Micromodel Study of Fines Migration and Clogging Behavior in Porous Media: Implications of Fines on Methane Extraction from Hydrate-Bearing Sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, S. C.; Jang, J.; Waite, W. F.; Jafari, M.; Jung, J.

2017-12-01

Fine-grained sediment, or "fines," exist nearly ubiquitously in natural sediment, even in the predominantly coarse-grained sediments that host gas hydrates. Fines within these sandy sediments can play a crucial role during gas hydrate production activities. During methane extraction, several processes can alter the mobility and clogging potential of fines: 1) fluid flow as the formation is depressurized to release methane from hydrate; 2) pore-fluid chemistry shifts as pore-fluid brine freshens due to pure water released from dissociating hydrate; 3) the presence of a moving gas/water interface as gas evolves from dissociating hydrate and moves through the reservoir toward the production well. To evaluate fines migration and clogging behavior changes resulting from methane gas production and pore-water freshening during hydrate dissociation, 2D micromodel experiments have been conducted on a selection of pure fines, pore-fluids, and micromodel pore-throat sizes. Additionally, tests have been run with and without an invading gas phase (CO2) to test the significance of a moving meniscus on fines mobility and clogging. The endmember fine particles chosen for this research include silica silt, mica, calcium carbonate, diatoms, kaolinite, illite, and bentonite (primarily made of montmorillonite). The pore fluids include deionized water, sodium chloride brine (2M concentration), and kerosene. The microfluidic pore models, used as porous media analogs, were fabricated with pore-throat widths of 40, 60, and 100 µm. Results from this research show that in addition to the expected dependence of clogging on the ratio of particle-to-pore-throat size, pore-fluid chemistry is also a significant factor because the interaction between a particular type of fine and pore fluid influences that fine's capacity to cluster, clump together and effectively increase its particle "size" relative to the pore-throat width. The presence of a moving gas/fluid meniscus increases the clogging potential regardless of fine type as the advancing meniscus tends to gather and concentrate the fines. Results show the need to identify both the type and concentration of fines prior to evaluating whether a system's clogging potential will increase or decrease as pore waters freshen during methane extraction from hydrate.

Potential for water borne and invertebrate transmission of West Nile virus in the Great Salt Lake, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lund, Melissa; Shearn-Bochsler, Valerie I.; Dusek, Robert; Shivers, Jan; Hofmeister, Erik K.

2017-01-01

In November and December of 2013, a large mortality event involving 15,000 - 20,000 eared grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) occurred at the Great Salt Lake (GSL), UT. The onset of the outbreak in grebes was followed by a mortality event in > 86 bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). During the die-off, West Nile virus (WNV) was detected by RT-PCR or viral culture in carcasses of grebes and eagles submitted to the National Wildlife Health Center. However, no mosquito activity, the primary vector of WNV, was detected by the State of Utah's WNV monitoring program. Transmission of WNV has rarely been reported during the winter in North America in the absence of known mosquito activity; however, the size of this die-off, the habitat in which it occurred, and the species involved are unique. We experimentally investigated whether WNV could survive in water with a high saline content, as found at the GSL, and whether brine shrimp, the primary food of migrating eared grebes on the GSL, could have played a role in transmission of WNV to feeding birds. We found that WNV can survive up to 72 h at 4°C in water containing 30 — 150 ppt NaCl and brine shrimp, incubated with WNV in 30 ppt NaCl, may adsorb WNV to their cuticle and, through feeding, may infect epithelial cells of their gut. Both mechanisms may have potentiated the WNV die-off in migrating eared grebes on the GSL.

Injection-salting of pre rigor fillets of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).

PubMed

Birkeland, Sveinung; Akse, Leif; Joensen, Sjurdur; Tobiassen, Torbjørn; Skåra, Torstein

2007-01-01

The effects of temperature (-1, 4, and 10 degrees C), brine concentration (12% and 25% NaCl), injection volumes, and needle densities were investigated on fillet weight gain (%), salt content (%), fillet contraction (%), and muscle gaping in pre rigor brine-injected fillets of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Increased brine concentration (12% to 25%) significantly increased the initial (< 5 min after injection) and final contraction (24 h after injection) of pre rigor fillets. Increased brine concentration significantly reduced weight gain and increased salt content but had no significant effect on muscle gaping. The temperatures tested did not significantly affect weight gain, fillet contraction, or gaping score. Significant regressions (P < 0.01) between the injection volume and weight gain (range: 2.5% to 15.5%) and salt content (range: 1.7% to 6.5%) were observed for injections of pre rigor fillets. Double injections significantly increased the weight gain and salt content compared to single injections. Initial fillet contraction measured 30 min after brine injection increased significantly (P < 0.01) with increasing brine injection volume but no significant difference in the fillet contraction was observed 12 h after brine injection (range: 7.9% to 8.9%). Brine-injected post rigor control fillets obtained higher weight gain, higher salt content, more muscle gaping, and significantly lower fillet contraction compared to the pre rigor injected fillets. Injection-salting is an applicable technology as a means to obtain satisfactory salt contents and homogenously distribute the salt into the muscle of pre rigor fillets of Atlantic salmon before further processing steps such as drying and smoking.

Early warning of freshwater salinization due to upward brine displacement by species transport simulations combined with a hydrochemical genesis model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langer, Maria; Kühn, Michael

2016-04-01

Shallow groundwater resources could be possibly affected by intruding brines, which are displaced along hydraulically conductive faults as result of subsurface activities like CO2 injection. To avoid salinization of potable freshwater aquifers an early detection of intruding saline water is necessary, especially in regions where an initial geogenic salinization already exists. Our study is based on work of Tillner et al. [1] and Langer et al. [2] who investigated the influence of permeable fault systems on brine displacement for the prospective storage site Beeskow-Birkholz in the Northeast German Basin. With a 3D regional scale model considering the deep groundwater system, they demonstrated that the existence of hydraulically conductive faults is not necessarily an exclusion criterion for potential injection sites, because salinization of shallower aquifers strongly depends on the effective damage zone volume, the initial salinity distribution and overlying reservoirs [2], while permeability of fault zones does not influence salinization of shallower aquifers significantly [1]. Here we extracted a 2D cross section regarding the upper 220 m of the study area mainly represented by shallow freshwater aquifers, but also considering an initial geogenic salinization [3]. We took flow rates of the intruding brines from the previous studies [2] and implemented species transport simulations with the program code SHEMAT [4]. Results are investigated and interpreted with the hydrochemical genesis model GEBAH [5] which has been already applied as early warning of saltwater intrusions into freshwater aquifers and surface water [6]. GEBAH allows a categorization of groundwater by the ion ratios of the dissolved components and offers a first indicative determination for an existence and the intensity of saline water intrusion in shallow groundwater aquifer, independent of the concentration of the solution. With our model we investigated the migration of saline water through a fault or an erosional channel which both allows an exchange between the shallow freshwater and the deeper saline water complex. The salinization potential of a drinking water well in vicinity to the brine source was determined for different scenarios. [1] Tillner E., Kempka T., Nakaten B., Kühn M. (2013) Brine migration through fault zones: 3D numerical simulations for a prospective CO2 storage site in Northeast Germany. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control 19, 689-703. doi: 10.1016/ j.ijggc.2013.03.012 [2] Langer M., Tillner E., Kempka T., Kühn M. (2015) Effective damage zone volume of fault zones and initial salinity distribution determine intensity of shallow aquifer salinization in geological underground utilization. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussion, 12, 5703-5748. doi: 10.5194/hessd-12-5703-2015 [3] Hotzan, G., and Voss, T. (2013): Complex hydrogeochemic-genetic mapping for evaluation of the endangerment of pleistocene and tertiary aquifers by saline waters in the region Storkow-Frankfurt (Oder)-Eisenhüttenstadt. Brandenburgische Geowissenschaftliche Beiträge, 20 (1/2), 62-82. (in German) [4] Clauser C. (2003) SHEMAT and Processing SHEMAT - Numerical simulation of reactive flow in hot aquifers, Springer Publishers, Heidelberg [5] Rechlin, B., Hoffknecht, A., Scholz, H., Helms, A. (2010): Genetic evaluation of analyses from the hydrosphere. Software GEBAH Vers. 1.1 LBGR/GCI, Cottbus, Königs Wusterhausen (in German) [6] Rechlin, B. (2008): A method for a concentration free early detection of saltwater intrusions into freshwater aquifers and surface water. Brandenburgische Geowissenschaftliche Beiträge, 15 (1/2), 57-68. (in German)

The Spar Lake strata-Bound Cu-Ag deposit formed across a mixing zone between trapped natural gas and metals-bearing brine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hayes, Timothy S.; Landis, Gary P.; Whelan, Joseph F.; Rye, Robert O.; Moscati, Richard J.

2012-01-01

Ore formation at the Spar Lake red bed-associated strata-bound Cu deposit took place across a mixing and reaction zone between a hot oxidized metals-transporting brine and a reservoir of “sour” (H2S-bearing) natural gas trapped in the host sandstones. Fluid inclusion volatile analyses have very high CH4 concentrations (≥1 mol % in most samples), and a sample from the fringe of the deposit has between 18 and 36 mol % CH4. The ratio of CH4/CO2 in fluid inclusions appears to vary regularly across the deposit, with the lowest CH4/CO2 ratios from high-grade chalcocite-bearing ore, and the highest from the chalcopyrite-bearing fringe. The helium R/Ra isotope ratios (0.23–0.98) and concentrations define a mixture between crustal and atmospheric helium. The volatiles in fluid inclusions (CH4, CO2, H2S, SO2, H2, H2O, and other organic gases) and values of fO2 and temperature calculated from the volatiles data all show gradations across the deposit that are completely consistent with such a mixing and reaction zone. Other volatiles from the fluid inclusions (HCl, HF, 3He, Msup>4He, N2, Ar) characterize the brine and give evidence for only shallow crustal fluids with no magmatic influences. The brine entered the gas reservoir from below and along the axis of the deposit and migrated out along bedding to the southwest, northeast, and northwest. Metals-transporting brines may have been fed into the host sandstones from the East Fault, but that remains uncertain. Abundant ore-stage Fe and Mn calcite cements from the reduced fringe have δ13C values as low as −18.4‰, and many values less than −10‰, which indicate that significant carbonate was generated by oxidation of organic carbon from the natural gas. The zone of calcite cements with very low δ13C values approximately envelopes chalcocite-bearing ore. Sulfur isotope data of Cu, Pb, and Fe sulfides and barite indicate derivation of roughly half of the orebody sulfide directly from sour gas H2S. That sour gas H2S had developed in steps known from other sedimentary basins, starting with (1) bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR) of seawater sulfate having δ34S of about 20‰ and sequestering of the sulfide in organic matter in source rocks stratigraphically below the deposit host rocks, followed by (2) maturation of the sulfide-bearing organic matter into liquid petroleum with relatively homogeneous sulfide having δ34S of 5 ± 5‰, then by (3) thermal cracking of the oil to CH4 and H2S with relatively homogeneous sulfide having δ34S closely distributed, about 6‰. The CH4 and H2S migrated and were trapped in sandstones of the upper member of the Revett Formation, where they were later met by the 200°C metals-transporting brine. There was additional contribution of sulfide to ore from later thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR) operating on sulfate δ34S of 20 to 29‰ in both formation waters and metals-transporting solutions. A large range of δ34S in sulfides resulted as the 6‰ sour gas sulfide was supplemented with varying proportions of 20 to 29‰ sulfide from TSR.

Kinetics of nitrate and perchlorate reduction in ion exchange brine using the membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR)

EPA Science Inventory

Several sources of bacterial inocula were tested for their ability to reduce nitrate and perchlorate in synthetic ion-exchange spent brine (3-4.5% salinity) using a hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR). Nitrate and perchlorate removal fluxes reached as high as 5.4 g N ...

Water Resource Impacts During Unconventional Shale Gas Development: The Pennsylvania Experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brantley, S. L.; Yoxtheimer, D.; Arjmand, S.; Grieve, P.; Vidic, R.; Abad, J. D.; Simon, C. A.; Pollak, J.

2013-12-01

The number of unconventional Marcellus shale wells in PA has increased from 8 in 2005 to more than 6000 today. This rapid development has been accompanied by environmental issues. We analyze publicly available data describing this Pennsylvania experience (data from www.shalenetwork.org and PA Department of Environmental Protection, i.e., PA DEP). After removing permitting and reporting violations, the average percent of wells/year with at least one notice of violation (NOV) from PA DEP is 35 %. Most violations are minor. An analysis of NOVs reported for wells drilled before 2013 revealed a rate of casing, cement, or well construction issues of 3.4%. Sixteen wells were given notices specifically related to migration of methane. A similarly low percent of wells were contaminated by brine components. Such contamination could derive from spills, subsurface migration of flowback water or shallow natural brines, or contamination by drill cuttings. Most cases of contamination of drinking water supplies with methane or brine components were reported in the previously glaciated part of the state. Before 2011, flowback and production water was often discharged legally into streams after minimal treatment, possibly increasing dissolved Br concentrations in some rivers. The rate of large spills or releases of gas-related industrial wastes in the state peaked in 2009 but little evidence of spills has been found in publicly available surface water chemistry data. The most likely indicators of spillage or subsurface release of flowback or production waters are the dissolved ions Na, Ca, and Cl. However, the data coverage for any given analyte is generally spatially and temporally sparse. Publicly available water quality data for before and after spills into Larrys Creek and Bobs Creek document the difficulties of detecting such events. An observation from the Pennsylvania experience is that the large number of people who have complained about their water supply (~1000 letters investigated by state regulators) and the media attention during the fast start in PA may have led to better management practices. Maintaining online databases of observations could similarly drive shale-gas practice to become even more environmentally protective.

Design Status of the Capillary Brine Residual in Containment Water Recovery System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sargusingh, Miriam J.; Callahan, Michael R.; Garison, John; Houng, Benjamin; Weislogel, Mark M.

2016-01-01

One of the goals of the AES Life Support System (LSS) Project is to achieve 98% water loop closure for long duration human exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit. To meet this objective, the AES LSS Project is developing technologies to recover water from wastewater brine; highly concentrated waste products generated from a primary water recovery system. The state of the art system used aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has the potential to recover up to 85% water from unine wastewater, leaving a significant amounts of water in the waste brine, the recovery of which is critical technology gap that must be filled in order to enable long duration human exploration. Recovering water from the urine wastewater brine is complicated by the concentration of solids as water is removed from the brine, and the concentration of the corrosive, toxic chemicals used to stabilize the urine which fouls and degrades water processing hardware, and poses a hazard to operators and crew. Brine Residual in Containment (BRIC) is focused on solids management through a process of "in-place" drying - the drying of brines within the container used for final disposal. Application of in-place drying has the potential to improve the safety and reliability of the system by reducing the exposure to curew and hardware to the problematic brine residual. Through a collaboration between the NASA Johnson Space Center and Portland Status University, a novel water recovery system was developed that utilizes containment geometry to support passive capillary flow and static phase separation allowing free surface evaporation to take place in a microgravity environment. A notional design for an ISS demonstration system was developed. This paper describes the testing performed to characterize the performance of the system as well as the status of the system level design.

Comparison of Four Strong Acids on the Precipitation Potential of Gypsum in Brines During Distillation of Pretreated, Augmented Urine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Muirhead, Dean; Carrier, Christopher

2012-01-01

In this study, three different mineral acids were substituted for sulfuric acid (H2SO4) in the urine stabilizer solution to eliminate the excess of sulfate ions in pretreated urine and assess the impact on maximum water recovery to avoid precipitation of minerals during distillation. The study evaluated replacing 98% sulfuric acid with 85% phosphoric acid (H3PO4), 37% hydrochloric acid (HCl), or 70% nitric acid (HNO3). The effect of lowering the oxidizer concentration in the pretreatment formulation also was studied. This paper summarizes the test results, defines candidate formulations for further study, and specifies the injection masses required to stabilize urine and minimize the risk of mineral precipitation during distillation. In the first test with a brine ersatz acidified with different acids, the solubility of calcium in gypsum saturated solutions was measured. The solubility of gypsum was doubled in the brines acidified with the alternative acids compared to sulfuric acid. In a second series of tests, the alternative acid pretreatment concentrations were effective at preventing precipitation of gypsum and other minerals up to 85% water recovery from 95th-percentile pretreated, augmented urine. Based on test results, phosphoric acid is recommended as the safest alternative to sulfuric acid. It also is recommended that the injected mass concentration of chromium trioxide solution be reduced by 75% to minimize liquid resupply mass by about 50%, reduce toxicity of brines, and reduce the concentration of organic acids in distillate. The new stabilizer solution formulations and required doses to stabilize urine and prevent precipitation of minerals up to 85% water recovery are given. The formulations in this study were tested on a limited number of artificially augmented urine batches collected from employees at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). This study successfully demonstrated that the desired physical and chemical stability of pretreated urine and brines can be achieved using alternate pretreatment formulations under laboratory conditions. Additional testing and hazard assessments will be required to determine the feasibility of utilizing the proposed urine pretreatment formulations on ISS.

Observations of brine drainage networks and microstructure of first-year sea ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cole, D. M.; Shapiro, L. H.

1998-09-01

Brine drainage networks and the microstructure of first-year sea ice have been examined at two locations near Barrow, northern Alaska. A method for obtaining full-depth sections of ice sheets up to 1.8 m thick is presented and shown to provide information on the spatial distribution and geometry of brine drainage networks on a scale of meters. A number of such sections from the two test sites are presented which reveal a greater variety of main channel and side branch configurations than is typically observed in ice grown in the laboratory. Vertical and horizontal micrographs and thin section photographs were obtained in November 1993, and March and May 1994 at a test site in the relatively protected Elson Lagoon. The resulting time series of photographic records provide detailed information on the size, shape, and spatial distribution of the brine- and gas-filled inclusions and a means to quantify their size and shape changes with time. An example of the changes with time in inclusion sizes and aspect ratios in the vertical and horizontal directions for a depth of 0.2 m, with a given thermal history is also presented.

From evaporated seawater to uranium-mineralizing brines: Isotopic and trace element study of quartz-dolomite veins in the Athabasca system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richard, Antonin; Boulvais, Philippe; Mercadier, Julien; Boiron, Marie-Christine; Cathelineau, Michel; Cuney, Michel; France-Lanord, Christian

2013-07-01

Stable isotope (O, H, C), radiogenic isotope (Sr, Nd) and trace element analyses have been applied to quartz-dolomite veins and their uranium(U)-bearing fluid inclusions associated with Proterozoic unconformity-related UO2 (uraninite) ores in the Athabasca Basin (Canada) in order to trace the evolution of pristine evaporated seawater towards U-mineralizing brines during their migration through sediments and basement rocks. Fluid inclusion data show that quartz and dolomite have precipitated from brines of comparable chemistry (excepted for relatively small amounts of CO2 found in dolomite-hosted fluid inclusions). However, δ18O values of quartz veins (δ18O = 11‰ to 18‰) and dolomite veins (δ18O = 13‰ to 24‰) clearly indicate isotopic disequilibrium between quartz and dolomite. Hence, it is inferred that this isotopic disequilibrium primarily reflects a decrease in temperature between the quartz stage (˜180 °C) and the dolomite stage (˜120 °C). The δ13C values of CO2 dissolved in dolomite-hosted fluid inclusions (δ13C = -30‰ to -4‰) and the δ13C values of dolomite (δ13C = -23.5‰ to -3.5‰) indicate that the CO2 dissolved in the mineralizing brines originated from brine-graphite interactions in the basement. The resulting slight increase in the fluid partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) may have triggered dolomite precipitation instead of quartz. δ18O values of quartz veins and previously published δ18O values of the main alteration minerals around the U-ores (illite, chlorite and tourmaline) show that quartz and alteration minerals were isotopically equilibrated with the same fluid at ˜180 °C. The REE concentrations in dolomite produce PAAS-normalized patterns that show some similarities with that of UO2 and are clearly distinct from that of the other main REE-bearing minerals in these environments (monazite, zircon and aluminum phosphate-sulfate (APS) minerals). The radiogenic isotope compositions of dolomite (87Sr/86Sri = 0.7053 to 0.7161 and ɛNd(t) = -8.8 to -20.3) differ from one deposit to another, reflecting both heterogeneity in the basement geology and variable preservation of the original composition of brines. The previously published 87Sr/86Sri and ɛNd(t) values of UO2 compare with the most evolved dolomites, i.e. dolomites precipitated from brines that exchanged the most with the basement. This reinforces a close genetic link between dolomites and UO2 deposition and implies that UO2 deposition occurred in a cooling system during the transition from quartz to dolomite formation. The δ18O and δD values of the mineralizing brines (δ18O = -1‰ to 8‰ and δD = -150‰ to -50‰) are considerably shifted from that of their theoretical original values acquired during evaporation of seawater (δ18O = ˜-3‰ and δD = ˜-40‰). The positive δ18O shift is explained by protracted fluid-rock interaction within the basin and basement rocks. The negative δD shift is attributed to incomplete mixing between the U-mineralizing brines and low δD water. This low δD water was likely produced during the abiogenic synthesis of bitumen by Fisher-Tropsch-like reactions involving CO2 derived from brine-graphite interaction in the basement, and radiolytic H2. The resulting low δD brines have been equilibrated with alteration minerals. This may explain why some alteration minerals yield anomalously low δD values whose significance has long been debated.

Scale Resistant Heat Exchanger for Low Temperature Geothermal Binary Cycle Power Plant

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hays, Lance G.

2014-11-18

Phase 1 of the investigation of improvements to low temperature geothermal power systems was completed. The improvements considered were reduction of scaling in heat exchangers and a hermetic turbine generator (eliminating seals, seal system, gearbox, and lube oil system). A scaling test system with several experiments was designed and operated at Coso geothermal resource with brine having a high scaling potential. Several methods were investigated at the brine temperature of 235 ºF. One method, circulation of abradable balls through the brine passages, was found to substantially reduce scale deposits. The test heat exchanger was operated with brine outlet temperatures asmore » low as 125 ºF, which enables increased heat input available to power conversion systems. For advanced low temperature cycles, such as the Variable Phase Cycle (VPC) or Kalina Cycle, the lower brine temperature will result in a 20-30% increase in power production from low temperature resources. A preliminary design of an abradable ball system (ABS) was done for the heat exchanger of the 1 megawatt VPC system at Coso resource. The ABS will be installed and demonstrated in Phase 2 of this project, increasing the power production above that possible with the present 175 ºF brine outlet limit. A hermetic turbine generator (TGH) was designed and manufacturing drawings produced. This unit will use the working fluid (R134a) to lubricate the bearings and cool the generator. The 200 kW turbine directly drives the generator, eliminating a gearbox and lube oil system. Elimination of external seals eliminates the potential of leakage of the refrigerant or hydrocarbon working fluids, resulting in environmental improvement. A similar design has been demonstrated by Energent in an ORC waste heat recovery system. The existing VPC power plant at Coso was modified to enable the “piggyback” demonstration of the TGH. The existing heat exchanger, pumps, and condenser will be operated to provide the required process conditions for the TGH demonstration. Operation of the TGH with and without the ABS system will demonstrate an increase in geothermal resource productivity for the VPC from 1 MW/(million lb) of brine to 1.75 MW/(million lb) of brine, a 75% increase.« less

Role of dispersion on the onset of convection during CO2 sequestration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidalgo, J. J.; Carrera Ramirez, J.

2009-12-01

CO2 sequestration in geological formations containing saline water has been proposed as a solution to reduce gas emission to the atmosphere. Dissolution of CO2 takes place at the interphase with the brine as the CO2 migrates. The CO2-rich brine is denser than the resident one and tends to sink. This creates an unstable configuration that leads to a fingering sinking plume and convection to dominate diffusion. Understanding how instability fingers develop has received much attention because they accelerate dissolution trapping, which favors long term sequestration. The time for the onset of convection as the dominant transport mechanism has been traditionally studied by neglecting dispersion and treating the CO2 interface as a prescribed concentration boundary by analogy to a thermal convection problem. This work presents a more realistic representation of CO2 dissolution into brine. The proposed conceptual model acknowledges fluid and porous medium compressibility, hydrodynamic dispersion is included as a transport mechanism and the Boussinesq simplification is not assumed. Finally, boundary conditions include the CO2 mass flux across the top boundary. Results show that accounting for the CO2 mass flux across the prescribed concentration boundary has little effect on the onset of convection. However, accounting for dispersion causes a reduction of up to two orders of magnitude on the onset time. This implies that CO2 dissolution can be accelerated by activating dispersion as a transport mechanism, which can be achieved adopting a fluctuating injection scheme.

Ultrastructure in frozen/etched saline solutions: on the internal cleansing of ice.

PubMed

Menger, Fredric M; Galloway, Ashley L; Chlebowski, Mary E; Apkarian, Robert P

2004-05-19

Seawater, with its 3.5% salt content, freezes into hexagonal ice (Ih) that encloses concentrated brine within its matrix. When unsubmerged sea ice reaches a certain height and temperature, the brine drains downward through narrow channels. This mechanism was now modeled by frozen 2-3.5% saline as investigated by cryo-etch high-resolution secondary electron microscopy. Thus, saline was either plunge-frozen in liquid ethane at -183 degrees C or else high-pressure frozen to -105 degrees C in 5-6 ms. Ice from a freshly exposed surface was then subjected to a high-vacuum sublimation ("etching"), a procedure that removes pure bulk ice in preference to ice from frozen hydrated salt. After chromium-coating the etched surface with a 2-nm film, the sample was examined by cryo-HRSEM. Granular icy "fences" were seen surrounding empty areas where amorphous ice had originally resided. Since the fences, about 1-2 mum high, survived the etching, it is likely that they consist of frozen brine. The presence of such fences suggests that, during freezing, saline can purge itself of salt with remarkable speed (5-6 ms). Alternatively, channels (perhaps routed around submicroscopic crystallites of cubic ice (Ic) embedded in the amorphous ice at -105 degrees C) can guide the migration of salt to the periphery of ice patches. Macromolecules fail to form fences because they diffuse too slowly or because they are too large to pass through the channels.

Remote Characterization of Ice Shelf Surface and Basal Processes: Examples from East Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenbaum, J. S.; Blankenship, D. D.; Grima, C.; Schroeder, D. M.; Soderlund, K. M.; Young, D. A.; Kempf, S. D.; Siegert, M. J.; Roberts, J. L.; Warner, R. C.; van Ommen, T. D.

2017-12-01

The ability to remotely characterize surface and basal processes of ice shelves has important implications for conducting systematic, repeatable, and safe evaluations of their stability in the context of atmospheric and oceanic forcing. Additionally, techniques developed for terrestrial ice shelves can be adapted to orbital radar sounding datasets planned for forthcoming investigations of icy moons. This has been made possible through recent advances in radar signal processing that enable these data to be used to test hypotheses derived from conceptual and numerical models of ice shelf- and ice shell-ocean interactions. Here, we present several examples of radar sounding-derived characterizations of surface and basal processes underway on ice shelves in East Antarctica. These include percolation of near-surface meltwater in warm austral summers, brine infiltration along ice shelf calving fronts, basal melt rate and distribution, and basal freeze distribution. On Europa, near-surface brines and their migration may impact local geological variability, while basal processes likely control the distribution of melt and freeze. Terrestrially, we emphasize radar-sounding records of the Totten Glacier Ice Shelf which hosts each of these processes as well as the highest known density of basal melt channels of any terrestrial ice shelf. Further, with a maximum floating ice thickness of over 2.5 km, the pressure at Totten's basal interface may be similar to that at Europa's ice-ocean interface; therefore, evaluating surface and basal processes of Totten Glacier and other ice shelves could serve as analogs for understanding melting processes of Europa's ice shell.

Understanding the role of brine ionic composition on oil recovery by assessment of wettability from colloidal forces.

PubMed

Alshakhs, Mohammed J; Kovscek, Anthony R

2016-07-01

The impact of injection brine salinity and ionic composition on oil recovery has been an active area of research for the past 25years. Evidence from laboratory studies and field tests suggests that implementing certain modifications to the ionic composition of the injection brine leads to greater oil recovery. The role of salinity modification is attributed to its ability to shift wettability of a rock surface toward water wetness. The amount of trapped oil released depends on the nature of rock, oil, and brine surface interactions. Reservoir rocks exhibit different affinities to fluids. Carbonates show stronger adsorption of oil films as opposed to the strongly water-wet and mixed-wet sandstones. The concentration of divalent ions and total salinity of the injection brine are other important factors to consider. Accordingly, this paper provides a review of laboratory and field studies of the role of brine composition on oil recovery from carbonaceous rock as well as rationalization of results using DLVO (Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey and Overbeek) theory of surface forces. DLVO evaluates the contribution of each component of the oil/brine/rock system to the wettability. Measuring zeta potential of each pair of surfaces by a charged particle suspension method is used to estimate double layer forces, disjoining pressure, and contact-angle. We demonstrate the applicability of the DLVO approach by showing a comprehensive experimental study that investigates the effect of divalent ions in carbonates, and uses disjoining pressure results to rationalize observations from core flooding and direct contact-angle measurements. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Environmental fate of Ra in cation-exchange regeneration brine waste disposed to septic tanks, New Jersey Coastal Plain, USA: migration to the water table.

PubMed

Szabo, Zoltan; Jacobsen, Eric; Kraemer, Thomas F; Parsa, Bahman

2010-01-01

Fate of radium (Ra) in liquid regeneration brine wastes from water softeners disposed to septic tanks in the New Jersey Coastal Plain was studied. Before treatment, combined Ra ((226)Ra plus (228)Ra) concentrations (maximum, 1.54 Bq L(-1)) exceeded the 0.185 Bq L(-1) Maximum Contaminant Level in 4 of 10 studied domestic-well waters (median pH, 4.90). At the water table downgradient from leachfields, combined Ra concentrations were low (commonly < or =0.019 Bq L(-1)) when pH was >5.3, indicating sequestration; when pH was < or =5.3 (acidic), concentrations were elevated (maximum, 0.985 Bq L(-1) - greater than concentrations in corresponding discharged septic-tank effluents (maximum, 0.243 Bq L(-1))), indicating Ra mobilization from leachfield sediments. Confidence in quantification of Ra mass balance was reduced by study design limitations, including synoptic sampling of effluents and ground waters, and large uncertainties associated with analytical methods. The trend of Ra mobilization in acidic environments does match observations from regional water-quality assessments.

Archaeal populations in hypersaline sediments underlying orange microbial mats in the Napoli mud volcano.

PubMed

Lazar, Cassandre Sara; L'haridon, Stéphane; Pignet, Patricia; Toffin, Laurent

2011-05-01

Microbial mats in marine cold seeps are known to be associated with ascending sulfide- and methane-rich fluids. Hence, they could be visible indicators of anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) and methane cycling processes in underlying sediments. The Napoli mud volcano is situated in the Olimpi Area that lies on saline deposits; from there, brine fluids migrate upward to the seafloor. Sediments associated with a brine pool and microbial orange mats of the Napoli mud volcano were recovered during the Medeco cruise. Based on analysis of RNA-derived sequences, the "active" archaeal community was composed of many uncultured lineages, such as rice cluster V or marine benthic group D. Function methyl coenzyme M reductase (mcrA) genes were affiliated with the anaerobic methanotrophic Archaea (ANME) of the ANME-1, ANME-2a, and ANME-2c groups, suggesting that AOM occurred in these sediment layers. Enrichment cultures showed the presence of viable marine methylotrophic Methanococcoides in shallow sediment layers. Thus, the archaeal community diversity seems to show that active methane cycling took place in the hypersaline microbial mat-associated sediments of the Napoli mud volcano.

Long Time Evolution of Sequestered CO2 in Porous Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Y.; Rothman, D.

2013-12-01

CO2 sequestration is important for mitigating climate change and reducing atmospheric CO2 concentration. However, a complete physical picture able to predict both the pattern formation and the structure developing within the porous medium is lacking. We propose a theoretical model that couples transport, reaction, and the intricate geometry of the rock, in order to study the long time evolution of carbon in the brine-rock environment. As CO2 is injected into a brine-rock environment, it becomes initially trapped, and isolated bubbles are formed. Within the high CO2 phase, minerals dissolve and migrate from high concentration to low concentration regions, along with other carbonate species. The change in the concentrations at the interface moves the system out of equilibrium, drives up the saturation level, and leads to mineral precipitation. We argue that mineral precipitation in a small boundary layer may lead to lower diffusivity, slower kinetics, and eventually to a mechanical trapping of the CO2 bubbles. We investigate the reactive transport model and study the conditions that cause the mechanical separation of these two reactive fluids in porous media.

Visualization and measurement of CO2 flooding in an artificial porous structure using micromodels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Bogyeong; Wang, Sookyun; Um, Jeong-Gi; Lee, Minhee; Kim, Seon-Ok

2015-04-01

Geological CO2 sequestration is one of the most important technologies to mitigate greenhouse gas emission into the atmosphere by isolating great volumes of CO2 in deep geological formations. This novel storage option for CO2 involves injecting supercritical CO2 into porous formations saturated with pore fluid such as brine and initiate CO2 flooding with immiscible displacement. Despite of significant effects on macroscopic migration and distribution of injected CO2, however, only a limited information is available on wettability in microscopic scCO2-brine-mineral systems. In this study, a micromodel had been developed to improve our understanding of how CO2 flooding and residual characteristics of pore water are affected by the wettability in scCO2-water-glass bead systems. The micromodel (a transparent pore structure made of 1 mm diameter glass beads between two glass plates) in a high-pressure cell provided the opportunity to visualize spread of supercritical CO2 and displacement of pore water in high pressure and high temperature conditions. CO2 flooding followed by fingering migration and dewatering followed by formation of residual water were observed through a imaging system with a microscope. Measurement of contact angles of droplets of residual water on and between glass beads in a micromodel were conducted to estimate differential pressure between wetting and nonwetting fluids in a scCO2-water-glass bead system. The experimental observation results could provide important fundamental informations on capillary characteristics of reservoirs and caprocks for geological CO2 sequestration.

Visualization of CO2 flooding in an artificial porous structure using micromodels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, B.; Wang, S.; Lee, M.; Um, J. G.

2014-12-01

Geological CO2 sequestration is one of the most important technologies to mitigate greenhouse gas emission into the atmosphere by isolating great volumes of CO2 in deep geological formations. This novel storage option for CO2 involves injecting supercritical CO2 into porous formations saturated with pore fluid such as brine and initiate CO2 flooding with immiscible displacement. Despite of significant effects on macroscopic migration and distribution of injected CO2, however, only a limited information is available on wettability in microscopic scCO2-brine-mineral systems. In this study, a micromodel had been developed to improve our understanding of how CO2 flooding and residual characteristics of pore water are affected by the wettability in scCO2-water-glass bead systems. The micromodel (a transparent pore structure made of 0.5 mm diameter glass beads between two glass plates) in a high-pressure cell provided the opportunity to visualize spread of supercritical CO2 and displacement of pore water in high pressure and high temperature conditions. CO2 flooding followed by fingering migration and dewatering followed by formation of residual water were observed through a imaging system with a microscope. Measurement of contact angles of droplets of residual water on and between glass beads in a micromodel were conducted to estimate differential pressure between wetting and nonwetting fluids in a scCO2-water-glass bead system. The experimental observation results could provide important fundamental informations on capillary characteristics of reservoirs and caprocks for geological CO2 sequestration.

Microfluidic study for investigating migration and residual phenomena of supercritical CO2 in porous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Gyuryeong; Wang, Sookyun; Lee, Minhee; Um, Jeong-Gi; Kim, Seon-Ok

2017-04-01

The storage of CO2 in underground geological formation such as deep saline aquifers or depleted oil and gas reservoirs is one of the most promising technologies for reducing the atmospheric CO2 release. The processes in geological CO2 storage involves injection of supercritical CO2 (scCO2) into porous formations saturated with brine and initiates CO2 flooding with immiscible displacement. The CO2 migration and porewater displacement within geological formations, and , consequentially, the storage efficiency are governed by the interaction of fluid and rock properties and are affected by the interfacial tension, capillarity, and wettability in supercritical CO2-brine-mineral systems. This study aims to observe the displacement pattern and estimate storage efficiency by using micromodels. This study aims to conduct scCO2 injection experiments for visualization of distribution of injected scCO2 and residual porewater in transparent pore networks on microfluidic chips under high pressure and high temperature conditions. In order to quantitatively analyze the porewater displacement by scCO2 injection under geological CO2 storage conditions, the images of invasion patterns and distribution of CO2 in the pore network are acquired through a imaging system with a microscope. The results from image analysis were applied in quantitatively investigating the effects of major environmental factors and scCO2 injection methods on porewater displacement process by scCO2 and storage efficiency. The experimental observation results could provide important fundamental information on capillary characteristics of reservoirs and improve our understanding of CO2 sequestration progress.

Regional-scale brine migration along vertical pathways due to CO2 injection - Part 2: A simulated case study in the North German Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kissinger, Alexander; Noack, Vera; Knopf, Stefan; Konrad, Wilfried; Scheer, Dirk; Class, Holger

2017-06-01

Saltwater intrusion into potential drinking water aquifers due to the injection of CO2 into deep saline aquifers is one of the hazards associated with the geological storage of CO2. Thus, in a site-specific risk assessment, models for predicting the fate of the displaced brine are required. Practical simulation of brine displacement involves decisions regarding the complexity of the model. The choice of an appropriate level of model complexity depends on multiple criteria: the target variable of interest, the relevant physical processes, the computational demand, the availability of data, and the data uncertainty. In this study, we set up a regional-scale geological model for a realistic (but not real) onshore site in the North German Basin with characteristic geological features for that region. A major aim of this work is to identify the relevant parameters controlling saltwater intrusion in a complex structural setting and to test the applicability of different model simplifications. The model that is used to identify relevant parameters fully couples flow in shallow freshwater aquifers and deep saline aquifers. This model also includes variable-density transport of salt and realistically incorporates surface boundary conditions with groundwater recharge. The complexity of this model is then reduced in several steps, by neglecting physical processes (two-phase flow near the injection well, variable-density flow) and by simplifying the complex geometry of the geological model. The results indicate that the initial salt distribution prior to the injection of CO2 is one of the key parameters controlling shallow aquifer salinization. However, determining the initial salt distribution involves large uncertainties in the regional-scale hydrogeological parameterization and requires complex and computationally demanding models (regional-scale variable-density salt transport). In order to evaluate strategies for minimizing leakage into shallow aquifers, other target variables can be considered, such as the volumetric leakage rate into shallow aquifers or the pressure buildup in the injection horizon. Our results show that simplified models, which neglect variable-density salt transport, can reach an acceptable agreement with more complex models.

Terrestrial Testing of the CapiBRIC, a Microgravity Optimized Brine Processor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sargusingh, Miriam J.; Callahan, Michael R.; Weislogel, Mark M.

2016-01-01

Utilizing geometry based static phase separation exhibited in the radial vaned capillary drying tray, a system was conceived to recover water from brine. This technology has been named the Capillary BRIC; abbreviated CapiBRIC. The CapiBRIC utilizes a capillary drying tray within a drying chamber. Water is recovered from clean water vapor evaporating from the free surface leaving waste brine solids behind. A novel approach of optimizing the containment geometry to support passive capillary flow and static phase separation provides the opportunity for a low power system that is not as susceptible to fouling as membranes or other technologies employing physical barriers across the free brine surface to achieve phase separation in microgravity. Having been optimized for operation in microgravity, full-scale testing of the CapiBRIC as designed cannot be performed on the ground as the force of gravity would dominate over the capillary forces. However, subscale units relevant to full-scale design were used to characterize fill rates, containment stability, and interaction with a variable volume reservoir in the PSU Dryden Drop Tower (DDT) facility. PSU also using tested units scaled such that capillary forces dominated in a 1-g environment to characterize evaporation from a free-surface in 1-g upward, sideways and downward orientations. In order to augment the subscale testing performed by PSU, a full scale 1-g analogue of the CapiBRIC drying unit was initiated to help validate performance predictions regarding expected water recovery ratio, estimated processing time, and interface definitions for inlets, outlets, and internal processes, including vent gas composition. This paper describes the design, development and test of the terrestrial CapiBRIC prototypes.

Formation waters from Mississippian-Pennsylvanian reservoirs, Illinois basin, USA: Chemical and isotopic constraints on evolution and migration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stueber, A.M.; Walter, L.M.; Huston, T.J.

1993-02-01

We have analyzed a suite of seventy-four formation-water samples from Mississippian and Pennsylvanian carbonate and siliciclastic strata in the Illinois basin for major, minor, and trace element concentrations and for strontium isotopic composition. A subset of these samples was also analyzed for boron isotopic composition. Data are used to interpret origin of salinity and chemical and Sr isotopic evolution of the brines and in comparison with a similar data set from an earlier study of basin formation waters from Silurian-Devonian reservoirs. Systematics of Cl-Br-Na show that present Mississippian-Pennsylvanian brine salinity can be explained by a combination of subaerial seawater evaporationmore » short of halite saturation and subsurface dissolution of halite from an evaporite zone in the middle Mississippian St. Louis Limestone, along with extensive dilution by mixing with meteoric waters. Additional diagenetic modifications in the subsurface interpreted from cation/Br ratios include K depletion through interaction with clay minerals, Ca enrichment, and Mg depletion by dolomitization, and Sr enrichment through CaCO[sub 3] recrystallization and dolomitization. Ste. Genevieve Limestone (middle Mississippian) formation waters show [sup 87]Sr/[sup 86]Sr ratios in the range 0.70782-0.70900, whereas waters from the siliciclastic reservoirs are in the rante 0.70900-0.71052. Inverse correlations between [sup 87]Sr/[sup 86]Sr and B,Li, and Mg concentrations suggest that the brines acquired radiogenic [sup 87]Sr through interaction with siliciclastic minerals. Completely unsystematic relations between [sup 87]Fr/[sup 86]Sr and 1/Sr are observed; Sr concentrations in Ste. Genevieve and Aux Vases (middle Mississippian) waters appear to be buffered by equilibrium with respect to SrSo[sub 4]. These formation waters are distinguished from Silurian-Devonian brines in the basin by elevated Cl/Br and Na/Br ratios and by unsystematic Sr isotope relationships.« less

Simulation of CO2 Sequestration at Rock Spring Uplift, Wyoming: Heterogeneity and Uncertainties in Storage Capacity, Injectivity and Leakage

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Deng, Hailin; Dai, Zhenxue; Jiao, Zunsheng

2011-01-01

Many geological, geochemical, geomechanical and hydrogeological factors control CO{sub 2} storage in subsurface. Among them heterogeneity in saline aquifer can seriously influence design of injection wells, CO{sub 2} injection rate, CO{sub 2} plume migration, storage capacity, and potential leakage and risk assessment. This study applies indicator geostatistics, transition probability and Markov chain model at the Rock Springs Uplift, Wyoming generating facies-based heterogeneous fields for porosity and permeability in target saline aquifer (Pennsylvanian Weber sandstone) and surrounding rocks (Phosphoria, Madison and cap-rock Chugwater). A multiphase flow simulator FEHM is then used to model injection of CO{sub 2} into the target salinemore » aquifer involving field-scale heterogeneity. The results reveal that (1) CO{sub 2} injection rates in different injection wells significantly change with local permeability distributions; (2) brine production rates in different pumping wells are also significantly impacted by the spatial heterogeneity in permeability; (3) liquid pressure evolution during and after CO{sub 2} injection in saline aquifer varies greatly for different realizations of random permeability fields, and this has potential important effects on hydraulic fracturing of the reservoir rock, reactivation of pre-existing faults and the integrity of the cap-rock; (4) CO{sub 2} storage capacity estimate for Rock Springs Uplift is 6614 {+-} 256 Mt at 95% confidence interval, which is about 36% of previous estimate based on homogeneous and isotropic storage formation; (5) density profiles show that the density of injected CO{sub 2} below 3 km is close to that of the ambient brine with given geothermal gradient and brine concentration, which indicates CO{sub 2} plume can sink to the deep before reaching thermal equilibrium with brine. Finally, we present uncertainty analysis of CO{sub 2} leakage into overlying formations due to heterogeneity in both the target saline aquifer and surrounding formations. This uncertainty in leakage will be used to feed into risk assessment modeling.« less

Chemistry of transuranium elements in salt-base repository

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Borkowski, Marian; Reed, Donald T; Lucchini, Jean - Francois

2010-12-02

The mobility and potential release of actinides into the accessible environment continues to be the key performance assessment concern of nuclear repositories. Actinide, in particular plutonium speciation under the wide range of conditions that can exist in the subsurface is complex and depends strongly on the coupled effects of redox conditions, inorganic/organic complexation, and the extent/nature of aggregation. Understanding the key factors that define the potential for actinide migration is, in this context, an essential and critical part of making and sustaining a licensing case for a nuclear repository. Herein we report on recent progress in a concurrent modeling andmore » experimental study to determine the speciation of plutonium, uranium and americium in high ionic strength Na-CI-Mg brines. This is being done as part of the ongomg recertification effort m the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The oxidation-state specific solubility of actinides were established in brine as function of pC{sub H+}, brine composition and the presence and absence of organic chelating agents and carbonate. An oxidation-state invariant analog approach using Nd{sup 3+} and Th{sup 4+} was used for An{sup 3+} and An{sup 4+} respectively. These results show that organic ligands and hydrolysis are key factors for An(III) solubility, hydrolysis at pC{sub H+} above 8 is predominate for An(IV) and carbonates are the key factor for U(VI) solubility. The effect of high ionic strength and brine components measured in absence of carbonates leads to measurable increased in overall solubility over analogous low ionic strength groundwater. Less is known about the bioreduction of actinides by halo-tolerant microorganisms, but there is now evidence that bioreduction does occur and is analogous, in many ways, to what occurs with soil bacteria. Results of solubility studies that focus on Pitzer parameter corrections, new species (e.g. borate complexation), and the thermodynamic parameters for modeling are discussed.« less

Advancements in Spacecraft Brine Water Recovery: Development of a Radial Vaned Capillary Drying Tray

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, Michael R.; Sargusingh, Miriam J.; Pickerin, Karen D.; Weislogel, Mark M.

2013-01-01

Technology improvements in the recovery of water from brine are critical to establishing closedloop water recovery systems, enabling long duration missions, and achieving a sustained human presence in space. A genre of 'in-place drying' brine water recovery concepts, collectively referred to herein as Brine Residual In-Containment (BRIC), are under development which aim to increase the overall robustness and reliability of the brine recovery process by performing drying inside the container used for final disposal of the solid residual waste. Implementation of in-place drying techniques have been demonstrated for applications where gravity is present and phase separation occurs naturally by buoyancy induced effects. In this work, a microgravity compatible analogue of the gravity-driven phase separation process is considered by exploiting capillarity in the form of surface wetting, surface tension, and container geometry. The proposed design consists of a series of planar radial vanes aligned about a central slotted core. Preliminary testing of the fundamental geometry in a reduced gravity environment has shown the device to spontaneously fill and saturate rapidly creating a free surface from which evaporation and phase separation can occur similar to a 1-g like 'cylindrical pool' of fluid. Mathematical modeling and analysis of the design suggest predictable rates of filling and stability of fluid containment as a function of relevant system dimensions, e.g., number of vanes, vane length, width, and thickness. A description of the proposed capillary design solution is presented along with preliminary results from testing, modeling and analysis of the system.

Modeling Studies to Constrain Fluid and Gas Migration Associated with Hydraulic Fracturing Operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajaram, H.; Birdsell, D.; Lackey, G.; Karra, S.; Viswanathan, H. S.; Dempsey, D.

2015-12-01

The dramatic increase in the extraction of unconventional oil and gas resources using horizontal wells and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) technologies has raised concerns about potential environmental impacts. Large volumes of hydraulic fracturing fluids are injected during fracking. Incidents of stray gas occurrence in shallow aquifers overlying shale gas reservoirs have been reported; whether these are in any way related to fracking continues to be debated. Computational models serve as useful tools for evaluating potential environmental impacts. We present modeling studies of hydraulic fracturing fluid and gas migration during the various stages of well operation, production, and subsequent plugging. The fluid migration models account for overpressure in the gas reservoir, density contrast between injected fluids and brine, imbibition into partially saturated shale, and well operations. Our results highlight the importance of representing the different stages of well operation consistently. Most importantly, well suction and imbibition both play a significant role in limiting upward migration of injected fluids, even in the presence of permeable connecting pathways. In an overall assessment, our fluid migration simulations suggest very low risk to groundwater aquifers when the vertical separation from a shale gas reservoir is of the order of 1000' or more. Multi-phase models of gas migration were developed to couple flow and transport in compromised wellbores and subsurface formations. These models are useful for evaluating both short-term and long-term scenarios of stray methane release. We present simulation results to evaluate mechanisms controlling stray gas migration, and explore relationships between bradenhead pressures and the likelihood of methane release and transport.

Electric power generation using geothermal brine resources for a proof of concept facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hankin, J. W.

1974-01-01

An exploratory systems study of a geothermal proof-of-concept facility is being conducted. This study is the initial phase (Phase 0) of a project to establish the technical and economic feasibility of using hot brine resources for electric power production and other industrial applications. Phase 0 includes the conceptual design of an experimental test-bed facility and a 10-MWe power generating facility.

Cytotoxicity of selected medicinal plants used in Mt. Frere District, South Africa.

PubMed

Mnengi, Dorris; Kappo, Abidemi; Kambizi, Learnmore; Nakin, Motebang

2014-01-01

In South African traditional medicine, some are plants known to combat pediatric diseases and are commonly used by traditional healers. The aim was to evaluate cytotoxicity effects of plants. The ground plant material was exhaustively extracted using methanol, acetone and water separately for 72 hrs. These organic solvents were removed from filtrates using a rotavapour. Stock solutions were prepared at 40 mg/ml Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and test solutions were transferred into vials and 10 brine shrimps introduced in each. The number of dead shrimps was counted to ascertain toxicity. Ten A. salina nauplii (larva) were transferred into each sample vial and filtered brine solution was added to make 5 ml. The nauplii were counted macroscopically in the stem of the pipette against a lighted background. A drop of dry yeast suspension was added as food to each vial. Probit analysis was used to determine the concentration at which lethality to brine shrimp represents 50 % (LC50). All the tested extracts showed that the concentration is directly proportional to death of brine shrimps. Fifty percent lethality (LC50) of the tested crude extract ranged between 4.1 and 4.6 µg/ml with methanol extract of B. abyssinica being the lowest and T. acutiloba the highest. This study revealed that 100% of plant crude extracts screened for activity against Artemisia salina larvae showed strong cytotoxicity below 10 µg/ml and plant species with LC50 values < 1000 µg/ml may not make good paediatric remedies due to their inherent toxicity.

Geothermal injection treatment: Process chemistry, field experiences, and design options

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kindle, C. H.; Mercer, B. W.; Elmore, R. P.; Blair, S. C.; Myers, D. A.

1984-09-01

The successful development of geothermal reservoirs to generate electric power will require the injection disposal of approximately 700,000 gal/h (2,600,000 1/h) of heat depleted brine for every 50,000 kW of generating capacity. To maintain injectability, the spent brine must be compatible with the receiving formation. The factors that influence this brine/formation compatibility and tests to quantify them are discussed. Some form of treatment will be necessary prior to injection for most situations; the process chemistry involved to avoid and/or accelerate the formation of precipitate particles is also discussed. The treatment processes, either avoidance or controlled precipitation approaches, are described in terms of their principles and demonstrated applications in the geothermal field and, when such experience is limited, in other industrial use. Monitoring techniques for tracking particulate growth, the effect of process parameters on corrosion, and well injectability are presented. Examples of brine injection, preinjection treatment, and recovery from injectivity loss are examined and related to the aspects listed above.

A new screening test for toxicity testing of dental materials.

PubMed

Pelka, M; Danzl, C; Distler, W; Petschelt, A

2000-07-01

The development of a micro plate assay for cytotoxicity testing of dental materials based on a bioassay using brine shrimp larvae (artemia salina) as sensitive organisms. Brine shrimp larvae are commonly used for cytotoxicity assays in pharmacology. These larvae are sensitive to toxic substances. The ratio between dead larvae (no motility) and living larvae (high motility) in comparison to a control without any toxic substances is used to estimate the toxicity of the test solutions. The test materials (Arabesk((R)), Solitaire((R)), Pertac((R)) II, Tetric((R)), Herculite((R)) and the compomer materials Dyract((R)), Hytac((R)), Compoglass((R))) were polymerized and consecutively milled. After incubation of 1g in 4ml distilled water at 37 degrees C for 48h, the solid materials were separated by centrifugation. The solutions were equibrilated with NaCl to a salt content of 25g/l. Aliquots of 200microl were distributed in eight micro wells and 50microl of a artemia salina containing (n=8-14) solution were added to each well. As controls eight wells with 250microl salt solution containing a comparable number of brine shrimp were used. At baseline, after 2, 5, 24 and 48h, the dead shrimp were counted using a stereo microscope. Finally all shrimps were sacrificed using Na-acid (5%) and counted to get the number of shrimps per well. All compomers and Solitaire caused 100% brine shrimp lethality after 24h and showed significantly (p<0.01, signed rank test) higher toxicities than the remaining composites. With the exception of Pertac II, all composites showed significantly higher toxic values than the control. Pertac II did not show any differences from the controls used. This new technique has some advantages for toxicity testing of restorative materials, because it can quickly be carried out at low costs. The disadvantage is the high quantity of material used and the low sensitivity.

Scale inhibition in geothermal operations: experiments with Dequest 2060 phosphonate in Republic's East Mesa Field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vetter, O.J.; Campbell, D.A.

Two calcium carbonate (CaCO/sub 3/) scale inhibition tests have been performed at East Mesa wells number 16-29 and number 56-30. The first test at well number 16-29 could not be finished due to downhole pump problems. However, two inhibitor concentration runs were completed and a third run started before the pump failed. A follow-up test at well number 56-30 was completed according to the original plan. Typical power plant conditions (i.e., pressure and temperature drops, flow conditions) were simulated by using test loops (pipe diameters of eight inches at well number 16-29 and twelve inches at well number 56-30) andmore » field separators. Untreated East Mesa brine exhibits a calcium carbonate scale tendency as soon as the pressure is dropped below 75 psig. The uninhibited brine from well number 16-29 formed a maximum scale thickness of 0.5 inch in an eight inch ID pipe after a 92.75 hour test run at an average production rate of 375,000 lb/hr. The brine from well number 56-30 formed a maximum scale thickness of 1.25 inches in a twelve inch ID pipe after a 104 hour test run at an average production rate of 722,000 lb/hr. The principal conclusions of this test work are listed.« less

Bacillus sp. LT3 improves the survival of gnotobiotic brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana) larvae challenged with Vibrio campbellii by enhancing the innate immune response and by decreasing the activity of shrimp-associated vibrios.

PubMed

Niu, Yufeng; Defoirdt, Tom; Baruah, Kartik; Van de Wiele, Tom; Dong, Shuanglin; Bossier, Peter

2014-10-10

Bacteria belonging to the genus Bacillus are amongst the most intensively studied group of bacteria for use as probiotics in aquaculture. However, the exact mechanism of action of these bacteria is often not well described, and the microbiota that are naturally present in cultures of test organisms often compromise the interpretation of the results. The present study aimed to evaluate the putative probiotic effect of Bacillus sp. LT3 in a model system with gnotobiotic brine shrimp Artemia franciscana larvae. The strain significantly increased the survival of brine shrimp larvae challenged with Vibrio campbellii when administered 6h before the challenge. Under these conditions, LT3 was able to colonize the brine shrimp gastrointestinal tract and to decrease the in vivo pathogen activity as indicated by the bioluminescence of the V. campbellii associated with brine shrimp larvae. In order to investigate the effect of the Bacillus strain on the innate immune system of the brine shrimp larvae, prophenoloxidase and transglutaminase mRNA levels were monitored, while heat shock protein 70 mRNA levels were measured as an indicator of physiological stress. Interestingly, 12h after challenge, the prophenoloxidase mRNA level in the larvae pre-treated with LT3 and challenged with V. campbellii was approximately 8-fold higher than in the other treatments. Further, a decreased mRNA level of transglutaminase gene and heat shock protein 70 gene suggested that pretreatment with LT3 results in less stress and tissue damage in the brine shrimp larvae upon V. campbellii challenge. These results indicated that Bacillus sp. LT3 could improve the survival of brine shrimp larvae when challenged with pathogenic V. campbellii, both by decreasing the in vivo activity of the pathogen and by priming the innate immune response through activating the prophenoloxidase system. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of high through-put Sr isotope analysis for monitoring reservoir integrity for CO{sub 2} storage.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wall, Andy; Jain, Jinesh; Stewart, Brian

2012-01-01

Recent innovations in multi-collector ICP-mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) have allowed for rapid and precise measurements of isotope ratios in geological samples. Naturally occurring Sr isotopes has the potential for use in Monitoring, Verification, and Accounting (MVA) associated with geologic CO2 storage. Sr isotopes can be useful for: Sensitive tracking of brine migration; Determining seal rock leakage; Studying fluid/rock reactions. We have optimized separation chemistry procedures that will allow operators to prepare samples for Sr isotope analysis off site using rapid, low cost methods.

Fermentation Cover Brine Reformulation for Cucumber Processing with Low Salt to Reduce Bloater Defect.

PubMed

Zhai, Y; Pérez-Díaz, I M

2017-12-01

Reformulation of calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ) cover brine for cucumber fermentation was explored as a mean to minimize the incidence of bloater defect. This study particularly focused on cover brine supplementation with calcium hydroxide (Ca[OH] 2 ), sodium chloride (NaCl), and acids to enhance buffer capacity, inhibit the indigenous carbon dioxide (CO 2 )- producing microbiota, and decrease the solubility of the gas. The influence of the cover brine formulations tested, on the cucumber fermentation microbiota, biochemistry, CO 2 production, and bloating defect was studied using metagenetics, HPLC analysis, a portable gas analyzer and bloater index, respectively. Cover brine supplementation with Ca(OH) 2 and acetic acid resulted in complete fermentations with final pH values 0.5 units higher than the un-supplemented control. Lactic acid production increased by approximately 22%, possibly inducing the observed reduction in the relative abundance of Enterobacteriaceae by 92%. Ca(OH) 2 supplementation also resulted in an increased relative abundance of Leuconostocaceae by 7%, which likely contributed to the observed increment in CO 2 levels by 25%. A 50% reduction on acetic acid formation was detected when cover brines were supplemented with Ca(OH) 2 and 690 mM (4%) NaCl. No significant difference was observed in bloater index as the result of Ca(OH) 2 or NaCl supplementation in cover brines, given that the CO 2 levels remained at above the 20 mg/100 mL needed to induce the defect. It is concluded that the modified cover brine formulation containing Ca(OH) 2 and NaCl enables the complete conversion of sugars, decreases production of CO 2 and levels of Enterobacteriaceae, but insignificantly reduces bloater index. A cucumber fermentation cover brine containing Ca(OH) 2 , 0.26% CaCl 2 , 345 mM (2%) NaCl, and acetic acid to pH 4.7 has a functional combination of ingredients enabling a complete conversion of sugars to lactic acid with reduced production of acetic acid and CO 2 . It represents a process ready cover brine formulation with the potential to allow the manufacture of cucumber pickles with low salt, enhanced food safety, and reduce environmental impact and water usage. Pilot commercial scale cucumber fermentations brined with such ingredients are to reveal the efficacy of this process ready formulation in the presence of oxygen from air in tanks, as opposed to 3.8 L (1-US gal) closed jars in the laboratory. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Isotopic and geochemical characterization of fossil brines of the Cambrian Mt. Simon Sandstone and Ironton-Galesville Formation from the Illinois Basin, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Labotka, Dana M.; Panno, Samuel V.; Locke, Randall A.; Freiburg, Jared T.

2015-09-01

Geochemical and isotopic characteristics of deep-seated saline groundwater provide valuable insight into the origin and evolving composition, water-rock interaction, and mixing potential of fossil brines. Such information may yield insight into intra- and interbasinal brine movement and relationships between brine evolution and regional groundwater flow systems. This investigation reports on the δ18O and δD composition and activity values, 87Sr/86Sr ratios and Sr concentrations, and major ion concentrations of the Cambrian-hosted brines of the Mt. Simon Sandstone and Ironton-Galesville Formation and discusses the evolution of these brines as they relate to other intracontinental brines. Brines in the Illinois Basin are dominated by Na-Ca-Cl-type chemistry. The Mt. Simon and overlying Ironton-Galesville brines exhibit total dissolved solids concentrations of ∼195,000 mg/L and ∼66,270 mg/L, respectively. The δD of brine composition of the Mt. Simon ranges from -34‰ to -22‰ (V-SMOW), and the Ironton-Galesville is ∼-53.2‰ (V-SMOW). The δ18O composition of the Mt. Simon brine ranges from -5.0‰ to -2.8‰ (V-SMOW), and the Ironton-Galesville brine is ∼-6.9‰ (V-SMOW). The 87Sr/86Sr values in the Mt. Simon brine range from 0.7110 to 0.7116. The less radiogenic Ironton-Galesville brine has an average 87Sr/86Sr value of 0.7107. Evaluation of δ18O and δD composition and activities and 87Sr/86Sr ratios suggests that the Mt. Simon brine is likely connate seawater and recirculating deep-seated brines that have been diluted with meteoric water and influenced by the dissolution of evaporites with a minimal halite contribution based on Cl/Br ratios. The Ironton-Galesville brine is also likely originally connate seawater that mixed with other brines and meteoric waters, including possibly Pleistocene glacial recharge. The Ca-excess vs. Na-deficiency comparison with the Basinal Fluid Line suggests the Mt. Simon and Ironton-Galesville brines have been influenced by the effects of albitization and plot very close to the Basinal Fluid Line. These Cambrian-hosted brines appear to have a different albitization history than other regional basin brines and a strong component of seawater. The Ironton-Galesville brine appears more geochemically associated with other Illinois Basin brines than the Mt. Simon brine which appears more geochemically conservative. Comparisons with other extrabasinal North American brines suggest that the Michigan basin brines are geochemically most similar to the Mt. Simon brines with the exception of the influence from carbonates in the Michigan Basin. Analyses of 87Sr/86Sr values in the Mt. Simon brine suggest that brine Sr has isotopically equilibrated with clay minerals in the Lower Mt. Simon and underlying bedrock formations and not with whole rock suggesting the influence of recirculating brines from the crystalline basement. Overall, the geochemistry of these Cambrian-hosted brines suggests an evolution from original seawater-like compositions. This investigation shows that intracratonic basins do not behave as closed systems but can be strongly affected by water-rock interaction and regional groundwater flow systems that circulate deep crystalline basement brines and brines from nearby basins.

Qualitative and quantitative changes in detrital reservoir rocks caused by CO2-brine-rock interactions during first injection phases (Utrillas sandstones, northern Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berrezueta, E.; Ordóñez-Casado, B.; Quintana, L.

2016-01-01

The aim of this article is to describe and interpret qualitative and quantitative changes at rock matrix scale of lower-upper Cretaceous sandstones exposed to supercritical (SC) CO2 and brine. The effects of experimental injection of CO2-rich brine during the first injection phases were studied at rock matrix scale, in a potential deep sedimentary reservoir in northern Spain (Utrillas unit, at the base of the Cenozoic Duero Basin).

Experimental CO2-rich brine was exposed to sandstone in a reactor chamber under realistic conditions of deep saline formations (P ≈ 7.8 MPa, T ≈ 38 °C and 24 h exposure time). After the experiment, exposed and non-exposed equivalent sample sets were compared with the aim of assessing possible changes due to the effect of the CO2-rich brine exposure. Optical microscopy (OpM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) aided by optical image analysis (OIA) were used to compare the rock samples and get qualitative and quantitative information about mineralogy, texture and pore network distribution. Complementary chemical analyses were performed to refine the mineralogical information and to obtain whole rock geochemical data. Brine composition was also analyzed before and after the experiment.

The petrographic study of contiguous sandstone samples (more external area of sample blocks) before and after CO2-rich brine injection indicates an evolution of the pore network (porosity increase ≈ 2 %). It is probable that these measured pore changes could be due to intergranular quartz matrix detachment and partial removal from the rock sample, considering them as the early features produced by the CO2-rich brine. Nevertheless, the whole rock and brine chemical analyses after interaction with CO2-rich brine do not present important changes in the mineralogical and chemical configuration of the rock with respect to initial conditions, ruling out relevant precipitation or dissolution at these early stages to rock-block scale. These results, simulating the CO2 injection near the injection well during the first phases (24 h) indicate that, in this environment where CO2 enriches the brine, the mixture principally generates local mineralogical/textural re-adjustments on the external area of the samples studied.

The application of OpM, SEM and optical image analysis have allowed an exhaustive characterization of the sandstones studied. The procedure followed, the porosity characterization and the chemical analysis allowed a preliminary approximation of the CO2-brine-rock interactions and could be applied to similar experimental injection tests.

Geohydrology and water quality in northern Portage County, Ohio, in relation to deep-well brine injection

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eberts, S.M.

1991-01-01

Geohydrology and water quality of the principal freshwater aquifers near oilfield and gasfield brine-injection wells in northern Portage County, Ohio, were evaluated. Since 1975, 13 wells in this part of the Country have been used to dispose of more than 4.5 million barrels of brine by injection into Silurian carbonate and sandstone rocks that generally are greater than 3,500 feet below land surface. More than 3,000 feet of interbedded shales, sandstones, carbonates, and evaporites separate the freshwater aquifers from these brine-injection zones. The shallowest brine-injection zone is greater than 2,200 feet below sea level. Native fluids in the injection zones have dissolved-solids concentrations greater than 125,000 milligrams per liter and are hydraulically isolated from the freshwater aquifers. No known faults or fracture systems are present in northern Portage County, although abandoned oil and gas wells could exist and serve as conduits for migration of injected brine. Pennsylvanian clastic units are freshwater bearing in northern Portage County, and two bedrock aquifers generally are recognized. The shallower bedrock aquifer (Connoquenessing Sandstone Member of the Pottsville Formation) principally consists of sandstone; this aquifer is separated from a deeper sandstone and conglomerate aquifer in the lower part of the Sharon Member (Pottsville Formation) by shale in the upper part of the Sharon Member that acts as a confining unit. The upper sandstone aquifer is the surficial aquifer where overlying glacial deposits are unsaturated in the uplands; glacial deposits comprise the surficial aquifer in buried valleys where the sandstone is absent. These two surficial aquifers are hydraulically connected and act as a single unit. The lower sandstone and conglomerate aquifer is the most areally extensive aquifer within the project area. From November 1987 through August 1988, ground-water levels remained at least 60 feet higher in the upper sandstone aquifer than in the lower sandstone and conglomerate aquifer at a topographically high recharge area. Water levels in the surficial aquifers and the lower sandstone and conglomerate aquifer were nearly the same along the Cuyahoga River. Ground water in the upper sandstone aquifer flows radially from topographically high recharge areas into the glacial deposits in the buried valleys. Much of the ground water in these surficial aquifers discharges into the Cuyahoga River. Most ground water in the lower sandstone and conglomerate aquifer flows toward discharge areas near the Cuyahoga River and Eagle Creek. In June 1988, the Cuyahoga River gained 15.8 cubic feet per second of water from the aquifers between the northern edge of Portage County and State Route 303. Ground water may have discharged into the upstream end of Lake Rockwell but did not discharge into the downstream end of the Lake during most of the period from October 1987 through September 1988. Measurements of the specific conductance of ground water sampled from areas near the 13 brine-injection wells and along the Cuyahoga River indicate no widespread ground-water contamination related to brine injection. Chemical analysis of water from 25 wells indicates that most ground waters are a calcium bicarbonate type. Water analyses show that four wells sampled contain water with chloride concentrations greater than 250 milligrams per liter. Sodium concentrations in water from these four wells ranged from 67 to 190 milligrams per liter. A mixing diagram constructed from bromide and chloride data was used to distinguish between the sources of elevated chloride concentrations in these four wells. Waters from two of the wells have been mixed with oilfield and gasfield brine, and waters from the other two wells have been mixed with a salt-solution brine such as that derived from diluted highway-deicing salts.

Hydrologic hydrochemical characterization of texas frio formation used for deep-well injection of chemical wastes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kreitler, Charles W.; Akhter, M. Saleem; Donnelly, Andrew C. A.

1990-09-01

Hydrologic hydrochemical investigations were conducted to determine the long-term fate of hazardous chemical waste disposed in the Texas Gulf Coast Tertiary formations by deep-well injection. The study focused on the hydrostatic section of the Frio Formation because it is the host of a very large volume of injected waste and because large data bases of formation pressures and water chemistry are available. Three hydrologic regimes exist within the Frio Formation: a shallow fresh to moderately saline water section in the upper 3,000 4,000 ft (914 1,219 m); an underlying 4,000- to 5,000-ft-thick (1,219- to 1,524-m) section with moderate to high salinities: and a deeper overpressured section with moderate to high salinities. The upper two sections are normally pressured and reflect either freshwater or brine hydrostatic pressure gradients. Geopressured conditions are encountered as shallow as 6,000 ft (1,829 m). The complexity of the hydrologic environment is enhanced due to extensive depressurization in the 4,000- to 8,000-ft-depth (1,219- to 2,438-m) interval, which presumably results from the estimated production of over 10 billion barrels (208 × 106 m3) of oil equivalent and associated brines from the Frio in the past 50 yr. Because of the higher fluid density and general depressurization in the brine hydrostatic section, upward migration of these brines to shallow fresh groundwaters should not occur. Depressured oil and gas fields, however, may become sinks for the injected chemical wastes. Water samples appear to be in approximate oxygen isotopic equilibrium with the rock matrix, suggesting that active recharge of the Frio by continental waters is not occurring. In the northern Texas Gulf Coast region salt dome dissolution is a prime process controlling water chemistry. In the central and southern Frio Formation, brines from the deeper geopressured section may be leaking into the hydrostatic section. The lack of organic acids and the alteration of Frio oils from samples collected from depths shallower than approximately 7,000 ft (2,133 m) suggest microbial degradation of organic material. This has useful implications for degradation of injected chemical wastes and needs to be investigated further.

Toxicity testing of restorative dental materials using brine shrimp larvae (Artemia salina).

PubMed

Milhem, Manar M; Al-Hiyasat, Ahmad S; Darmani, Homa

2008-01-01

This study investigated the effect of extracts of different composites, glass ionomer cement (GIC)s and compomers on the viability of brine shrimp larvae. Ethanolic extracts of four dental composites (Z-100; Solitaire 2; Filtek P60 and Synergy), a conventional GIC (Ketac-Fil), a resin-modified glass ionomer cement (Vitremer), two compomers (F2000; Dyract AP), and a flowable compomer (Dyract Flow) were prepared from each material. Following evaporation of the ethanol, the extracts were resuspended in distilled water, which was then used to test the effects on the viability of brine shrimp larvae. For the composites, the extract of Synergy was the least toxic (88% viability) followed by the extracts of Solitaire 2, Z100 and P60 (75%, 67.5% and 50% viability, respectively). One-way ANOVA revealed highly significant differences between the resin composite materials (p<0.001). Follow-up comparison between the composite groups by Tukey's pairwise multiple-comparison test (alpha =0.05) showed that the extract of Synergy was significantly less toxic than the extracts of all the other materials except that of Solitaire 2. The compomers showed 100% lethality, while the percentage of viable larvae for the extracts of Ketac-Fil, and Vitremer were 32.3%, and 37.0%, respectively. One-way ANOVA revealed highly significant differences between the groups of materials (p<0.001). Follow-up comparison between the groups by Tukey's test (alpha = 0.05) showed that the toxic effect of the extracts of the compomers were significantly greater than that of Ketac-Fil, and Vitremer. The differences in the toxic effects of Vitremer and Ketac-Fil were not statistically significant. In conclusion, the toxicity of composite materials varied according to their chemical composition. Compomers were the most lethal materials to brine shrimp larvae followed by GICs and then composites.

Geologic Sequestration of CO2: Potential Permeability Changes in Host Formations of the San Juan Basin, New Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abel, A. P.; McPherson, B.; Lichtner, P.; Bond, G.; Stringer, J.; Grigg, R.

2002-12-01

Terrestrial sequestration through injection into geologic formations is one proposed method for the isolation of anthropogenic CO2 from the atmosphere. A variety of physical and chemical processes are known to occur both during and after geologic CO2 injection, including diagenetic chemical reactions and associated permeability changes. Although it is commonly assumed that CO2 sequestered in this way will ultimately become mineralized, the rates of these changes, including CO2 hydration in brines, are known to be relatively slow. Bond and others (this volume) have developed a biomimetic approach to CO2 sequestration, in which the rate of CO2 hydration is accelerated by the use of a biological catalyst. Together with the hydrated CO2, cations from produced brines may be used to form solid-state carbonate minerals at the earth's surface, or this bicarbonate solution may be reinjected for geologic sequestration. Chemical composition of produced brines will affect both the diagenetic reactions that occur within the host formation, and the precipitation reactions that will occur above ground. In a specific case study of the San Juan Basin, New Mexico, we are cataloging different brines present in that basin. We are using this information to facilitate evaluation of potential applications of the biomimetic process and geologic sequestration. In a separate collaborative study by Grigg and others (this volume), laboratory experiments have been conducted on multiphase CO2 and brine injection and flow through saturated rock cores. We are extending from that study to our specific case study of the San Juan basin, to examine and characterize potential permeability changes associated with accelerated diagenesis due to the presence of high concentrations of CO2 or bicarbonate solutions in situ. We are developing and conducting new laboratory experiments to evaluate relative permeability (to CO2 and brine) of selected strata from the Fruitland Formation and Pictured Cliffs Sandstone. In addition to relative permeability, we are conducting longer-term flow tests reflecting marked permeability changes, and documenting the changes by comparing detailed pre-test measurements of porosity and permeability to post-test measurements. We are using these experimental results to parameterize coupled-flow and reactive-chemistry models of a selected cross-section of the San Juan basin. Our flow and chemistry model is based on the Los Alamos National Laboratory reactive chemistry simulator, TRANS, coupled to the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory flow simulator, TOUGH2. The purpose of these simulation models is to evaluate potential CO2- and bicarbonate-induced diagenetic changes in permeability and flow at the basin-scale. In addition they will provide useful information in relation to brine extraction. We are also using these calibrated basin models to examine natural diagenesis and permeability evolution associated with changing brine properties and flow conditions over geologic time.

Can isotopic variations in structural water of gypsum reveal paleoclimatic changes?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gatti, E.; Bustos, D.; Coleman, M. L.

2015-12-01

Water of crystallization in gypsum can be used as paleo-environmental proxy to study large scale climatic variability in arid areas. This is because changes in the isotopic composition of water of crystallization are due to isotopic variations in the mother brine from which the mineral precipitated, and the brine isotopic composition is linked to evaporation processes and humidity. This is particularly important when the salts are the only traces left of the original water, i.e. in modern arid areas. This study aims to prove that the 2-D/18-O compositions of the water of crystallization extracted from successive precipitates or even different growth zones of natural gypsum (CaSO4·H2O) can reconstruct the evaporation history and paleo-humidity of the source water basin. The method was tested in a laboratory experiment that evaporated CaSO4 brines under controlled temperature and humidity conditions. The brine was left to evaporate for five days at two different humidities (45 and 75 RH%); subsequently, brines and precipitated gypsum were sampled at 24 hour intervals. In this way we simulated zoned growth of gypsum. The samples were then analyzed for oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition using a Thermo Scientific TC/EA with modified column, coupled to a MAT 253 Thermo Finnigan mass spectrometer at JPL. If preliminary results validate the novel hypothesis that changes in mineral composition can reveal details of paleo-environmental conditions the theory will be tested on natural gypsum collected from selected areas in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. The study is currently ongoing but the full dataset will be presented at the conference.

Targeted Pressure Management During CO 2 Sequestration: Optimization of Well Placement and Brine Extraction

DOE PAGES

Cihan, Abdullah; Birkholzer, Jens; Bianchi, Marco

2014-12-31

Large-scale pressure increases resulting from carbon dioxide (CO 2) injection in the subsurface can potentially impact caprock integrity, induce reactivation of critically stressed faults, and drive CO 2 or brine through conductive features into shallow groundwater. Pressure management involving the extraction of native fluids from storage formations can be used to minimize pressure increases while maximizing CO2 storage. However, brine extraction requires pumping, transportation, possibly treatment, and disposal of substantial volumes of extracted brackish or saline water, all of which can be technically challenging and expensive. This paper describes a constrained differential evolution (CDE) algorithm for optimal well placement andmore » injection/ extraction control with the goal of minimizing brine extraction while achieving predefined pressure contraints. The CDE methodology was tested for a simple optimization problem whose solution can be partially obtained with a gradient-based optimization methodology. The CDE successfully estimated the true global optimum for both extraction well location and extraction rate, needed for the test problem. A more complex example application of the developed strategy was also presented for a hypothetical CO 2 storage scenario in a heterogeneous reservoir consisting of a critically stressed fault nearby an injection zone. Through the CDE optimization algorithm coupled to a numerical vertically-averaged reservoir model, we successfully estimated optimal rates and locations for CO 2 injection and brine extraction wells while simultaneously satisfying multiple pressure buildup constraints to avoid fault activation and caprock fracturing. The study shows that the CDE methodology is a very promising tool to solve also other optimization problems related to GCS, such as reducing ‘Area of Review’, monitoring design, reducing risk of leakage and increasing storage capacity and trapping.« less

Numerical simulation of wave-induced fluid flow seismic attenuation based on the Cole-Cole model.

PubMed

Picotti, Stefano; Carcione, José M

2017-07-01

The acoustic behavior of porous media can be simulated more realistically using a stress-strain relation based on the Cole-Cole model. In particular, seismic velocity dispersion and attenuation in porous rocks is well described by mesoscopic-loss models. Using the Zener model to simulate wave propagation is a rough approximation, while the Cole-Cole model provides an optimal description of the physics. Here, a time-domain algorithm is proposed based on the Grünwald-Letnikov numerical approximation of the fractional derivative involved in the time-domain representation of the Cole-Cole model, while the spatial derivatives are computed with the Fourier pseudospectral method. The numerical solution is successfully tested against an analytical solution. The methodology is applied to a model of saline aquifer, where carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is injected. To follow the migration of the gas and detect possible leakages, seismic monitoring surveys should be carried out periodically. To this aim, the sensitivity of the seismic method must be carefully assessed for the specific case. The simulated test considers a possible leakage in the overburden, above the caprock, where the sandstone is partially saturated with gas and brine. The numerical examples illustrate the implementation of the theory.

Dynamic characterization of fractured carbonates at the Hontomín CO2 storage site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Gallo, yann; de Dios, José Carlos; Salvador, Ignacio; Acosta Carballo, Taimara

2017-04-01

The geological storage of CO2 is investigated at the Technology Development Plant (TDP) at Hontomín (Burgos, Spain) into a deep saline aquifer, formed by fractured carbonates with poor matrix porosity. During the hydraulic characterization tests, 2,300 tons of liquid CO2 and 14,000 m3 synthetic brine were co-injected on site in various sequences to determine the pressure and temperature responses of the facture network. The results of the pressure tests were analyzed using an analytical approach to determine the overall petrophysical characteristics of the storage formation. Later on, these characteristics were implemented in a 3-D numerical model. The model is a compositional dual medium (fracture + matrix) which accounts for temperature effects, as CO2 is liquid at the well bottom-hole, and multiphase flow hysteresis as alternating water and CO2 injection tests were performed. The pressure and temperature responses of the storage formation were history-matched mainly through the petrophysical and geometrical characteristics of the facture network. This dynamic characterization of the fracture network controls the CO2 migration while the matrix does not appear to significantly contribute to the storage capacity. Consequently, the hydrodynamic behavior of the aquifer is one of the main challenge of the modeling workflow.

Vertically-integrated Approaches for Carbon Sequestration Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandilla, K.; Celia, M. A.; Guo, B.

2015-12-01

Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is being considered as an approach to mitigate anthropogenic CO2 emissions from large stationary sources such as coal fired power plants and natural gas processing plants. Computer modeling is an essential tool for site design and operational planning as it allows prediction of the pressure response as well as the migration of both CO2 and brine in the subsurface. Many processes, such as buoyancy, hysteresis, geomechanics and geochemistry, can have important impacts on the system. While all of the processes can be taken into account simultaneously, the resulting models are computationally very expensive and require large numbers of parameters which are often uncertain or unknown. In many cases of practical interest, the computational and data requirements can be reduced by choosing a smaller domain and/or by neglecting or simplifying certain processes. This leads to a series of models with different complexity, ranging from coupled multi-physics, multi-phase three-dimensional models to semi-analytical single-phase models. Under certain conditions the three-dimensional equations can be integrated in the vertical direction, leading to a suite of two-dimensional multi-phase models, termed vertically-integrated models. These models are either solved numerically or simplified further (e.g., assumption of vertical equilibrium) to allow analytical or semi-analytical solutions. This presentation focuses on how different vertically-integrated models have been applied to the simulation of CO2 and brine migration during CCS projects. Several example sites, such as the Illinois Basin and the Wabamun Lake region of the Alberta Basin, are discussed to show how vertically-integrated models can be used to gain understanding of CCS operations.

Environmental legacy of an underground gas well blowout: long-term effects of gas and brine leakage on groundwater quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schout, Gilian; Hartog, Niels; Majid Hassanizadeh, S.; Griffioen, Jasper

2017-04-01

In 1965, a catastrophic underground blowout occurred during the drilling of a gas well in the village of Sleen, the Netherlands. The blowout led to the uncontrolled release of large amounts of natural gas and saline groundwater. Now, 50 years later, a number of nearby groundwater monitoring have been sampled to study the long term effects of this event on the groundwater composition of the overlying freshwater aquifers. The findings are used as an analogue for studying the potential adverse effects of hydraulic fracturing on groundwater quality. In total, 27 samples were taken and analysed for dissolved gas molecular and isotopic composition, major ion chemistry, water isotopes and stable chlorine isotope ratios. The resulting data show that concentrations of dissolved methane are still strongly elevated compared to background samples in a plume downstream of the blowout location. Isotopic data reveals the thermogenic nature of this plume; all samples with methane concentrations greater than 10 mg/l (n=12) had δC-CH4 values greater than -30‰ (VPDB), characteristic of thermogenic methane. The maximum distance at which thermogenic methane is observed is at approximately 500 meter downstream of the centre of the blowout. The progressive enrichment of both δ13C-CH4 and δ2D-CH4, that is observed with distance from the well and decreasing methane concentrations, presents strong evidence for the role of anaerobic methane oxidation (AOM) in limiting the spread of the dissolved methane plume. Low sulphate and increased Fe(II) and Mn(II) concentrations indeed suggest that multiple AOM pathways are involved in the natural attenuation of the dissolved methane plume. Chlorine concentrations were only elevated in a subset of wells in close proximity to the blowout location, indicating that the present-day effects of brine migration are minimal. Nevertheless, elevated Na/Cl ratio's in multiple wells reveal that freshening of the aquifer is still on-going. In summary, this research sheds new light on the long-term effects of natural gas and brine leakage on groundwater quality, which is considered one of the main environmental hazards related to hydraulic fracturing and unconventional gas production in general. Notably, it shows that the anaerobic oxidation of methane may play a major role in containing the effects of uncontrolled gas migration from reservoirs to shallow aquifers.

Brine shrimp lethality assay of Bacopa monnieri.

PubMed

D'Souza, Prashanth; Deepak, Mundkinajeddu; Rani, Padmaja; Kadamboor, Sandhya; Mathew, Anjana; Chandrashekar, Arun P; Agarwal, Amit

2002-03-01

Successive petroleum ether, chloroform, ethanol and water extracts, a saponin rich fraction (SRF) and bacoside A isolated from Bacopa monnieri were tested for brine shrimp lethality. Successive ethanol extracts and SRF showed potent activity. Bacoside A showed the maximum activity with a LC(50) of 38.3 microg/mL. The results confirmed the previous reports of an anticancer effect of Bacopa monnieri and suggest bacoside A as the active constituent. Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

7 CFR 58.422 - Brine tank.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Brine tank. 58.422 Section 58.422 Agriculture....422 Brine tank. The brine tank shall be constructed of suitable non-toxic material and should be resistant to corrosion, pitting or flaking. The brine tank shall be operated so as to assure the brine is...

7 CFR 58.422 - Brine tank.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Brine tank. 58.422 Section 58.422 Agriculture....422 Brine tank. The brine tank shall be constructed of suitable non-toxic material and should be resistant to corrosion, pitting or flaking. The brine tank shall be operated so as to assure the brine is...

7 CFR 58.422 - Brine tank.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Brine tank. 58.422 Section 58.422 Agriculture....422 Brine tank. The brine tank shall be constructed of suitable non-toxic material and should be resistant to corrosion, pitting or flaking. The brine tank shall be operated so as to assure the brine is...

7 CFR 58.422 - Brine tank.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Brine tank. 58.422 Section 58.422 Agriculture....422 Brine tank. The brine tank shall be constructed of suitable non-toxic material and should be resistant to corrosion, pitting or flaking. The brine tank shall be operated so as to assure the brine is...

Toxigenic Fungi in Food

PubMed Central

Davis, N. D.; Wagener, R. E.; Dalby, D. K.; Morgan-Jones, G.; Diener, U. L.

1975-01-01

Forty-five fungal isolates from moldy supermarket foods were tested for toxicity to brine shrimp, and twenty-two of these isolates were subsequently tested for toxicity to chicken embryos. Highly toxigenic fungi were Cladosporium sphaerospermum from a bakery product, Fusarium oxysporum from carrots, F. solani from cabbage, Aspergillus niger and Penicillium corylophilum from bread, P. cyclopium and P. herquei from corn meal, P. lanosum from onions, P. steckii from chocolate syrup, Penicillium sp. from jelly, and Rhizopus nigricans isolates from sweet potato, applesauce, and strawberries. Approximately one-third of the fungal cultures were moderately to highly toxigenic to brine shrimp and chicken embryos, while several additional cultures were slightly toxigenic. PMID:1147614

Magnetic Nanofluid Rare Earth Element Extraction Process Report, Techno Economic Analysis, and Results for Geothermal Fluids

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pete McGrail

This GDR submission is an interim technical report and raw data files from the first year of testing on functionalized nanoparticles for rare earth element extraction from geothermal fluids. The report contains Rare Earth Element uptake results (percent removal, mg Rare Earth Element/gram of sorbent, distribution coefficient) for the elements of Neodymium, Europium, Yttrium, Dysprosium, and Cesium. A detailed techno economic analysis is also presented in the report for a scaled up geothermal rare earth element extraction process. All rare earth element uptake testing was done on simulated geothermal brines with one rare earth element in each brine. The raremore » earth element uptake testing was conducted at room temperature.« less

The evolution of Devonian hydrocarbon gases in shallow aquifers of the northern Appalachian Basin: Insights from integrating noble gas and hydrocarbon geochemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darrah, Thomas H.; Jackson, Robert B.; Vengosh, Avner; Warner, Nathaniel R.; Whyte, Colin J.; Walsh, Talor B.; Kondash, Andrew J.; Poreda, Robert J.

2015-12-01

The last decade has seen a dramatic increase in domestic energy production from unconventional reservoirs. This energy boom has generated marked economic benefits, but simultaneously evoked significant concerns regarding the potential for drinking-water contamination in shallow aquifers. Presently, efforts to evaluate the environmental impacts of shale gas development in the northern Appalachian Basin (NAB), located in the northeastern US, are limited by: (1) a lack of comprehensive ;pre-drill; data for groundwater composition (water and gas); (2) uncertainty in the hydrogeological factors that control the occurrence of naturally present CH4 and brines in shallow Upper Devonian (UD) aquifers; and (3) limited geochemical techniques to quantify the sources and migration of crustal fluids (specifically methane) at various time scales. To address these questions, we analyzed the noble gas, dissolved ion, and hydrocarbon gas geochemistry of 72 drinking-water wells and one natural methane seep all located ≫1 km from shale gas drill sites in the NAB. In the present study, we consciously avoided groundwater wells from areas near active or recent drilling to ensure shale gas development would not bias the results. We also intentionally targeted areas with naturally occurring CH4 to characterize the geochemical signature and geological context of gas-phase hydrocarbons in shallow aquifers of the NAB. Our data display a positive relationship between elevated [CH4], [C2H6], [Cl], and [Ba] that co-occur with high [4He]. Although four groundwater samples show mantle contributions ranging from 1.2% to 11.6%, the majority of samples have [He] ranging from solubility levels (∼45 × 10-6 cm3 STP/L) with below-detectable [CH4] and minor amounts of tritiogenic 3He in low [Cl] and [Ba] waters, up to high [4He] = 0.4 cm3 STP/L with a purely crustal helium isotopic end-member (3He/4He = ∼0.02 times the atmospheric ratio (R/Ra)) in samples with CH4 near saturation for shallow groundwater (P(CH4) = ∼1 atmosphere) and elevated [Cl] and [Ba]. These data suggest that 4He is dominated by an exogenous (i.e., migrated) crustal source for these hydrocarbon gas- and salt-rich fluids. In combination with published inorganic geochemistry (e.g., 87Sr/86Sr, Sr/Ba, Br-/Cl-), new noble gas and hydrocarbon isotopic data (e.g., 20Ne/36Ar, C2+/C1, δ13C-CH4) suggest that a hydrocarbon-rich brine likely migrated from the Marcellus Formation (via primary hydrocarbon migration) as a dual-phase fluid (gas + liquid) and was fractionated by solubility partitioning during fluid migration and emplacement into conventional UD traps (via secondary hydrocarbon migration). Based on the highly fractionated 4He/CH4 data relative to Marcellus and UD production gases, we propose an additional phase of hydrocarbon gas migration where natural gas previously emplaced in UD hydrocarbon traps actively diffuses out into and equilibrates with modern shallow groundwater (via tertiary hydrocarbon migration) following uplift, denudation, and neotectonic fracturing. These data suggest that by integrating noble gas geochemistry with hydrocarbon and dissolved ion chemistry, one can better determine the source and migration processes of natural gas in the Earth's crust, which are two critical factors for understanding the presence of hydrocarbon gases in shallow aquifers.

Mediterranean salt giants beyond the evaporite model: The Sicily perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carmelo Manuella, Fabio; Scribano, Vittorio; Carbone, Serafina; Hovland, Martin; Johnsen, Hans-Konrad; Rueslåtten, Håkon

2017-04-01

Mediterranean salt giants, occurring both in sub-seafloor and in onshore settings (the "Gessoso Solfifera Group"), are traditionally explained by repeated cycles of desiccation and replenishment of the entire basin. However, such hypotheses are strongly biased by mass balance calculations and geodynamic considerations. In addition, any hypothesis without full desiccation, still based on the evaporite model, should consider that seawater brines start to precipitate halite when 2/3 of the seawater has evaporated, and hence the level of the basin cannot be the same as the adjacent ocean. On the other hand, hydrothermal venting of hot saline brines onto the seafloor can precipitate salt in a deep marine basin if a layer of heavy brine exists along the seafloor. This process, likely related to sub-surface boiling or supercritical out-salting (Hovland et al., 2006), is consistent with geological evidence in the Red Sea "Deeps" (Hovland et al., 2015). Although supercritical out-salting and phase separation can sufficiently explain the formation of several marine salt deposits, even in deep marine settings, the Mediterranean salt giant formations can also be explained by the serpentinization model (Scribano et al., 2016). Serpentinization of abyssal peridotites does not involve seawater salts, and large quantities of saline brines accumulate in pores and fractures of the sub-seafloor serpentinites. If these rocks undergo thermal dehydration, for example, due to igneous intrusions, brines and salt slurries can migrate upwards as hydrothermal plumes, eventually venting at the seafloor, giving rise to giant salt deposits over time. These hydrothermal processes can take place in a temporal sequence, as it occurred in the "Caltanissetta Basin" (Sicily). There, salt accumulation associated with serpentinization started during Triassic times (and even earlier), and venting of heavy brines onto the seafloor eventually occurred in the Messinian via the hydrothermal plume mechanism (Scribano et al, 2016). This innovative model arises from the study of xenoliths in the Hyblean diatremes (southeastern Sicily), suggesting that a widely serpentinized Tethyan basement lies beneath the entire Sicily island and its offshore areas (Scribano et al., 2006; Manuella et al., 2015), according to geophysical, geological and petrological aspects. In conclusion, our viewpoint represents a plausible explanation for the origin of giant salt deposits in the Mediterranean area and elsewhere, albeit this hypothesis should be constrained by further studies. Hovland et al. (2006), Mar. Petrol. Geol., 23, 855-869. Hovland et al. (2015), In: Rasul, N.M.A., and Stewart, I.C.F., eds., The Red Sea. Springer, 187-203. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-662-45201-1_11 Manuella et al. (2015), Int. J. Earth Sci., 104, 1317-1336. Scribano et al. (2006), Mineral. Petrol., 86, 63-88. Scribano et al. (2016), Int. J. Earth Sci., submitted.

Archaeal Populations in Hypersaline Sediments Underlying Orange Microbial Mats in the Napoli Mud Volcano▿†

PubMed Central

Lazar, Cassandre Sara; L'Haridon, Stéphane; Pignet, Patricia; Toffin, Laurent

2011-01-01

Microbial mats in marine cold seeps are known to be associated with ascending sulfide- and methane-rich fluids. Hence, they could be visible indicators of anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) and methane cycling processes in underlying sediments. The Napoli mud volcano is situated in the Olimpi Area that lies on saline deposits; from there, brine fluids migrate upward to the seafloor. Sediments associated with a brine pool and microbial orange mats of the Napoli mud volcano were recovered during the Medeco cruise. Based on analysis of RNA-derived sequences, the “active” archaeal community was composed of many uncultured lineages, such as rice cluster V or marine benthic group D. Function methyl coenzyme M reductase (mcrA) genes were affiliated with the anaerobic methanotrophic Archaea (ANME) of the ANME-1, ANME-2a, and ANME-2c groups, suggesting that AOM occurred in these sediment layers. Enrichment cultures showed the presence of viable marine methylotrophic Methanococcoides in shallow sediment layers. Thus, the archaeal community diversity seems to show that active methane cycling took place in the hypersaline microbial mat-associated sediments of the Napoli mud volcano. PMID:21335391

Inactivation of Shiga toxin-producing O157:H7 and non-O157:H7 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in brine-injected, gas-grilled steaks.

PubMed

Luchansky, John B; Porto-Fett, Anna C S; Shoyer, Bradley A; Call, Jeffrey E; Schlosser, Wayne; Shaw, William; Bauer, Nathan; Latimer, Heejeong

2011-07-01

We quantified translocation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (ECOH) and non-O157:H7 verocytotoxigenic E. coli (STEC) into beef subprimals after brine injection and subsequently monitored their viability after cooking steaks cut therefrom. Beef subprimals were inoculated on the lean side with ca. 6.0 log CFU/g of a five-strain cocktail of rifampin-resistant ECOH or kanamycin-resistant STEC, and then passed once through an automatic brine-injector tenderizer, with the lean side facing upward. Brine solutions (9.9% ± 0.3% over fresh weight) consisted of 3.3% (wt/vol) of sodium tripolyphosphate and 3.3% (wt/vol) of sodium chloride, prepared both with (Lac(+), pH = 6.76) and without (Lac(-), pH = 8.02) a 25% (vol/vol) solution of a 60% potassium lactate-sodium diacetate syrup. For all samples injected with Lac(-) or Lac(+) brine, levels of ECOH or STEC recovered from the topmost 1 cm (i.e., segment 1) of a core sample obtained from tenderized subprimals ranged from ca. 4.7 to 6.3 log CFU/g; however, it was possible to recover ECOH or STEC from all six segments of all cores tested. Next, brine-injected steaks from tenderized subprimals were cooked on a commercial open-flame gas grill to internal endpoint temperatures of either 37.8 °C (100 °F), 48.8 °C (120 °F), 60 °C (140 °F), or 71.1 °C (160 °F). Regardless of brine formulation or temperature, cooking achieved reductions (expressed as log CFU per gram) of 0.3 to 4.1 of ECOH and 0.5 to 3.6 of STEC. However, fortuitous survivors were recovered even at 71.1 °C (160 °F) for ECOH and for STEC. Thus, ECOH and STEC behaved similarly, relative to translocation and thermal destruction: Tenderization via brine injection transferred both pathogens throughout subprimals and cooking highly contaminated, brine-injected steaks on a commercial gas grill at 71.1 °C (160 °F) did not kill all cells due, primarily, to nonuniform heating (i.e., cold spots) within the meat. Copyright ©, International Association for Food Protection

SEAWAT: A Computer Program for Simulation of Variable-Density Groundwater Flow and Multi-Species Solute and Heat Transport

USGS Publications Warehouse

Langevin, Christian D.

2009-01-01

SEAWAT is a MODFLOW-based computer program designed to simulate variable-density groundwater flow coupled with multi-species solute and heat transport. The program has been used for a wide variety of groundwater studies including saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers, aquifer storage and recovery in brackish limestone aquifers, and brine migration within continental aquifers. SEAWAT is relatively easy to apply because it uses the familiar MODFLOW structure. Thus, most commonly used pre- and post-processors can be used to create datasets and visualize results. SEAWAT is a public domain computer program distributed free of charge by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Long-term toxicity of surface-charged polystyrene nanoplastics to marine planktonic species Dunaliella tertiolecta and Artemia franciscana.

PubMed

Bergami, E; Pugnalini, S; Vannuccini, M L; Manfra, L; Faleri, C; Savorelli, F; Dawson, K A; Corsi, I

2017-08-01

Plastic pollution has been globally recognized as a critical issue for marine ecosystems and nanoplastics constitute one of the last unexplored areas to understand the magnitude of this threat. However, current difficulties in sampling and identifying nano-sized debris make hard to assess their occurrence in marine environment. Polystyrene nanoparticles (PS NPs) are largely used as nanoplastics in ecotoxicological studies and although acute exposures have been already investigated, long-term toxicity on marine organisms is unknown. Our study aims at evaluating the effects of 40nm PS anionic carboxylated (PS-COOH) and 50nm cationic amino-modified (PS-NH 2 ) NPs in two planktonic species, the green microalga Dunaliella tertiolecta and the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana, respectively prey and predator. PS NP behaviour in exposure media was determined through DLS, while their toxicity to microalgae and brine shrimps evaluated through 72h growth inhibition test and 14 d long-term toxicity test respectively. Moreover, the expression of target genes (i.e. clap and cstb), having a role in brine shrimp larval growth and molting, was measured in 48h brine shrimp larvae. A different behaviour of the two PS NPs in exposure media as well as diverse toxicity to the two planktonic species was observed. PS-COOH formed micro-scale aggregates (Z-Average>1μm) and did not affect the growth of microalgae up to 50μg/ml or that of brine shrimps up to 10μg/ml. However, these negatively charged NPs were adsorbed on microalgae and accumulated (and excreted) in brine shrimps, suggesting a potential trophic transfer from prey to predator. On the opposite, PS-NH 2 -formed nano-scale aggregates (Z-Average<200nm), caused inhibition of algal growth (EC 50 =12.97μg/ml) and mortality in brine shrimps at 14 d (LC 50 =0.83μg/ml). Moreover, 1μg/ml PS-NH 2 significantly induced clap and cstb genes, explaining the physiological alterations (e.g. increase in molting) previously observed in 48h larvae, but also suggesting an apoptotic pathway triggered by cathepsin L-like protease in brine shrimps upon PS-NH 2 exposure. These findings provide a first insight into long-term toxicity of nanoplastics to marine plankton, underlining the role of the surface chemistry in determining the behaviour and effects of PS NPs, in terms of adsorption, growth inhibition, accumulation, gene modulation and mortality. The use of long-term end-point has been identified as valuable tool for assessing the impact of nanoplastics on marine planktonic species, being more predictable of real exposure scenarios for risk assessment purposes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental investigation of geochemical and mineralogical effects of CO2 sequestration on flow characteristics of reservoir rock in deep saline aquifers

PubMed Central

Rathnaweera, T. D.; Ranjith, P. G.; Perera, M. S. A.

2016-01-01

Interactions between injected CO2, brine, and rock during CO2 sequestration in deep saline aquifers alter their natural hydro-mechanical properties, affecting the safety, and efficiency of the sequestration process. This study aims to identify such interaction-induced mineralogical changes in aquifers, and in particular their impact on the reservoir rock’s flow characteristics. Sandstone samples were first exposed for 1.5 years to a mixture of brine and super-critical CO2 (scCO2), then tested to determine their altered geochemical and mineralogical properties. Changes caused uniquely by CO2 were identified by comparison with samples exposed over a similar period to either plain brine or brine saturated with N2. The results show that long-term reaction with CO2 causes a significant pH drop in the saline pore fluid, clearly due to carbonic acid (as dissolved CO2) in the brine. Free H+ ions released into the pore fluid alter the mineralogical structure of the rock formation, through the dissolution of minerals such as calcite, siderite, barite, and quartz. Long-term CO2 injection also creates a significant CO2 drying-out effect and crystals of salt (NaCl) precipitate in the system, further changing the pore structure. Such mineralogical alterations significantly affect the saline aquifer’s permeability, with important practical consequences for the sequestration process. PMID:26785912

Design of the Brine Evaporation Bag for Increased Water Recovery in Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayden, Anna L.; Delzeit, Lance D.

2015-01-01

The existing water recovery system on the International Space Station (ISS) is limited to 75% reclamation; consequently, long duration space missions are currently unfeasible due to the large quantity of water necessary to sustain the crew. The Brine Evaporation Bag (BEB) is a proposed system to supplement the existing water recovery system aboard the ISS that can to increase water recovery to 99%. The largest barrier to high water recovery is mineral scaling inside the water recovery equipment, which leads to equipment failure; therefore, some water must remain to keep the minerals dissolved. This waste stream is liquid brine containing salts, acids, organics, and water. The BEB is designed to recover this remaining water while protecting the equipment from scale. The BEB consists of a sealed bag containing a hydrophobic membrane that allows water vapor and gas to pass through. It is operated under vacuum, heated, and continuously filled with brine to boil away the water. The water vapor is recovered and the solids are contained inside the bag for disposal. The BEB can dry the brine to a solid block. Ongoing work includes improving the design of the BEB and the evaporator to prevent leaks, maximize the rate of water removal, and minimize energy use and weight. Additional testing will determine whether designs are heat- or mass-transfer limited and the optimal water recovery rate.

Diversity within Italian Cheesemaking Brine-Associated Bacterial Communities Evidenced by Massive Parallel 16S rRNA Gene Tag Sequencing

PubMed Central

Marino, Marilena; Innocente, Nadia; Maifreni, Michela; Mounier, Jérôme; Cobo-Díaz, José F.; Coton, Emmanuel; Carraro, Lisa; Cardazzo, Barbara

2017-01-01

This study explored the bacterial diversity of brines used for cheesemaking in Italy, as well as their physicochemical characteristics. In this context, 19 brines used to salt soft, semi-hard, and hard Italian cheeses were collected in 14 commercial cheese plants and analyzed using a culture-independent amplicon sequencing approach in order to describe their bacterial microbiota. Large NaCl concentration variations were observed among the selected brines, with hard cheese brines exhibiting the highest values. Acidity values showed a great variability too, probably in relation to the brine use prior to sampling. Despite their high salt content, brine microbial loads ranged from 2.11 to 6.51 log CFU/mL for the total mesophilic count. Microbial community profiling assessed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that these ecosystems were dominated by Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, followed by Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Cheese type and brine salinity seem to be the main parameters accountable for brine microbial diversity. On the contrary, brine pH, acidity and protein concentration, correlated to cheese brine age, did not have any selective effect on the microbiota composition. Nine major genera were present in all analyzed brines, indicating that they might compose the core microbiome of cheese brines. Staphylococcus aureus was occasionally detected in brines using selective culture media. Interestingly, bacterial genera associated with a functional and technological use were frequently detected. Indeed Bifidobacteriaceae, which might be valuable probiotic candidates, and specific microbial genera such as Tetragenococcus, Corynebacterium and non-pathogenic Staphylococcus, which can contribute to sensorial properties of ripened cheeses, were widespread within brines. PMID:29163411

Distinguishing seawater from geologic brine in saline coastal groundwater using radium-226; an example from the Sabkha of the UAE

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kraemer, Thomas F.; Wood, Warren W.; Sanford, Ward E.

2014-01-01

Sabkhat (Salt flats) are common geographic features of low-lying marine coastal areas that develop under hyper-arid climatic conditions. They are characterized by the presence of highly concentrated saline solutions and evaporitic minerals, and have been cited in the geologic literature as present-day representations of hyper-arid regional paleohydrogeology, paleoclimatology, coastal processes, and sedimentation in the geologic record. It is therefore important that a correct understanding of the origin and development of these features be achieved. Knowledge of the source of solutes is an important first step in understanding these features. Historically, two theories have been advanced as to the main source of solutes in sabkha brines: an early concept entailing seawater as the obvious source, and a more recent and dynamic theory involving ascending geologic brine forced upward into the base of the sabkha by a regional hydraulic gradient in the underlying formations. Ra-226 could uniquely distinguish between these sources under certain circumstances, as it is typically present at elevated activity of hundreds to thousands of Bq/m3 (Becquerels per cubic meter) in subsurface formation brines; at exceedingly low activities in open ocean and coastal water; and not significantly supplied to water from recently formed marine sedimentary framework material. The coastal marine sabkha of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi was used to test this hypothesis. The distribution of Ra-226 in 70 samples of sabkha brine (mean: 700 Bq/m3), 7 samples of underlying deeper formation brine (mean: 3416 Bq/m3), the estimated value of seawater (< 16 Bq/m3) and an estimate of supply from sabkha sedimentary framework grains (<~6 Bq/m3) provide the first direct evidence that ascending geologic brine contributes significantly to the solutes of this sabkha system.

Detecting a liquid and solid H2O layer by geophysical methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshikawa, K.; Romanovsky, V.; Tsapin, A.; Brown, J.

2002-12-01

The objective is to detect the hydrological and cryological structure of the cold continuous permafrost subsurface using geophysical methods. We believe that a lot of water potentially exists as solid and liquid phases underground on Mars. It is likely that the liquid fluid would be high in saline concentration (brine). The ground freezing process involves many hydrological processes including enrichment of the brine layer. The brine layer is an important environment for ancient and/or current life to exist on terrestrial permafrost regions. The existence of a Martian brine layer would increase the possibility of the existence of life, as on Earth. In situ electric resistivity measurement will be the most efficient method to determine brine layer as well as massive H2O ice in the permafrost. However, the wiring configuration is unlikely to operate on the remote planetary surface. Satellite-born Radar and/or EM methods will be the most accessible methods for detecting the hydrological and cryological structure. We are testing several geophysical methods at the brine layer site in Barrow and massive pingo ice site in Fairbanks, Alaska. The radar system is affected by the dielectric properties of subsurface materials, which allows for evidence of liquid phase in the frozen ground. The dielectric constant varies greatly between liquid water and frozen ground. The depth of the terrestrial (and probably Martian) brine layer is frequently located deeper than the maximum detecting depth of the impulse type of the ground penetrating radar system. Once we develop a radar system with a deeper penetrating capability (Lower frequency), the dispersion of the ground ice will be the key function for interpretation of these signals. We will improve and use radar signals to understand the hydrological and cryological structure in the permafrost. The core samples and borehole temperature data validate these radar signals.

Concentrated sodium chloride brine solutions as an additional treatment for preventing the introduction of nonindigenous species in the ballast tanks of ships declaring no ballast on board.

PubMed

Santagata, Scott; Bacela, Karolina; Reid, David F; Mclean, Kevin A; Cohen, Jill S; Cordell, Jeffery R; Brown, Christopher W; Johengen, Thomas H; Ruiz, Gregory M

2009-02-01

Currently, seawater flushing is the only management strategy for reducing the number of viable organisms in residual sediments and water of ballast tanks of vessels declaring no ballast on board (NOBOB) that traffic ports of the eastern United States. Previously, we identified several species of freshwater and brackish-water peracarid crustaceans able to survive the osmotic shock that occurs during open-ocean ballast water exchange and, potentially, to disperse over long distances via ballasted ships and NOBOB vessels. We tested the efficacy of concentrated sodium chloride brine solutions as an additional treatment for eradicating the halotolerant taxa often present in the ballast tanks of NOBOB ships. The lowest brine treatments (30 ppt for 1 h) caused 100% mortality in several species of cladocerans and copepods collected from oligohaline habitats. Several brackish-water peracarid crustaceans, however, including some that can survive in freshwater as well, required higher brine concentrations and longer exposure durations (45-60 ppt for 3-24 h). The most resilient animals were widely introduced peracarid crustaceans that generally prefer mesohaline habitats but do not tolerate freshwater (required brine treatments of 60-110 ppt for 3-24 h). Brine treatments (30 ppt) also required less time to cause 100% mortality for eight taxa compared with treatments using 34 ppt seawater. Based on these experiments and published data, we present treatment strategies for the ballast tank biota often associated with NOBOB vessels entering the Great Lakes region. We estimate the lethal dosage of brine for 95% of the species in our experiments to be 110 ppt (95% confidence interval, 85-192 ppt) when the exposure time is 1 h and 60 ppt (95% confidence interval, 48-98 ppt) when the exposure duration is 6 h or longer.

Acute oral toxicity and brine shrimp lethality of Elaeis guineensis Jacq., (oil palm leaf) methanol extract.

PubMed

Syahmi, Abdul Rani Muhamad; Vijayarathna, Soundararajan; Sasidharan, Sreenivasan; Latha, Lachimanan Yoga; Kwan, Yuet Ping; Lau, Yee Ling; Shin, Lai Ngit; Chen, Yeng

2010-11-10

Elaeis guineensis (Arecaceae) is widely used in West African traditional medicine for treating various ailments. An evaluation on the toxicity of extracts of this plant is crucial to support the therapeutic claims. The acute oral toxicity and brine shrimp lethality of a methanolic extract of this plant was tested. Oral administration of crude extract at the highest dose of 5,000 mg/kg resulted in no mortalities or evidence of adverse effects, implying that E. guineensis is nontoxic. Normal behavioral pattern, clinical signs and histology of vital organs confirm this evidence. The E. guineensis extracts screened for toxicity against brine shrimp had 50% lethal concentration (LC₅₀) values of more than 1.0 mg/mL (9.00 and 3.87 mg/mL, at 6 and 24 h, respectively), confirming that the extract was not toxic. Maximum mortalities occurred at 100 mg/mL concentration while the least mortalities happened to be at 0.195 mg/mL concentration. The results of both tests confirm that E. guineensis is nontoxic and hence safe for commercial utilization.

Fault-controlled advective, diffusive, and eruptive CO 2 leakage from natural reservoirs in the Colorado Plateau, East-Central Utah

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Na-Hyun

This study investigated a natural analogue for CO2 leakage near Green River, Utah, aiming to understand the influence of various factors on CO2 leakage and to reliably predict underground CO2 behavior after injection for geologic CO2 sequestration. Advective, diffusive, and eruptive characteristics of CO2 leakage were assessed via a soil CO2 flux survey and numerical modeling. The field results show anomalous CO2 fluxes (> 10 g m-2 d-1 ) along the faults, particularly adjacent to CO2-driven cold springs and geysers (e.g., 36,259 g m-2 d-1 at Crystal Geyser), ancient travertines (e.g., 5,917 g m-2 d-1), joint zones in sandstone (e.g., 120 g m-2 d-1), and brine discharge zones (e.g., 5,515 g m-2 d-1). Combined with similar isotopic ratios of gas and progressive evolution of brine chemistry at springs and geysers, a gradual decrease of soil CO2 flux from the Little Grand Wash (LGW; ~36,259 g m -2 d-1) to Salt Wash (SW; ~1,428 g m-2 d-1) fault zones reveals the same CO2 origin and potential southward transport of CO2 over 10-20 km. The numerical simulations exhibit lateral transport of free CO2 and CO2-rich brine from the LGW to SW fault zones through the regional aquifers (e.g., Entrada, Navajo, Kayenta, Wingate, White Rim). CO2 travels predominantly as an aqueous phase (XCO2=~0.045) as previously suggested, giving rise to the convective instability that further accelerates CO2 dissolution. While the buoyant free CO2 always tends to ascend, a fraction of dense CO2-rich brine flows laterally into the aquifer and mixes with the formation fluids during upward migration along the fault. The fault always enhances advective CO2 transport regardless of its permeability (k). However, only low-k fault prevents unconditional upright migration of CO2 and induces fault-parallel movement, feeding the northern aquifers with more CO2. Low-k fault also impedes lateral southward fluid flow from the northern aquifers, developing anticlinal CO2 traps at shallow depths (<300 m). The regional k of the LGW fault in which CO2 flux coincides with the field spatial variation is estimated between 0.01.kh<0.1 md and 0.5.k v<1 md. The anticlinal trap serves as an essential fluid source and conducive environment for intensifying eruption at Crystal Geyser. Geyser-like discharge in the simulations sensitively responds to varying well permeability and radius, and CO2 recharge rate. Indeed, the cycling behavior of wellbore CO2 leakage turns into a constant discharge with time, indicating the potential switch of Crystal Geyser to a CO2-driven cold-water spring or even fumarole.

Silica Precipitation from Geothermal Brines: Effects of Iron Addition, Kinetics, Temperature, pH, and Brine Concentration

DOE Data Explorer

Jay Renew

2016-02-06

This document provides results of experiments aimed at removing silica from geothermal brines. All experiments were conducted with simulated brines. The data presented shows the effect of iron addition, kinetics, temperature, pH and brine concentration.

Wrenching and oil migration, Mervine field, Kay County, Oklahoma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Davis, H.G.

1985-02-01

Since 1913, Mervine field (T27N, R3E) has produced oil from 11 Mississippian and Pennsylvanian zones, and gas from 2 Permian zones. The field exhibits an impressive asymmetric surface anticline, with the steeper flank dipping 30/sup 0/E maximum. A nearly vertical, basement-involved fault develops immediately beneath the steeper flank of the surface anticline. Three periods of left-lateral wrench faulting account for 93% of all structural growth: 24% in post-Mississippian-pre-Desmoinesian time, 21% in Virgilian time, and 48% in post-Wolfcampian time. In Mesozoic through early Cenozoic times, the Devonian Woodford Shale (and possibly the Desmoinesian Cherokee shales) locally generated oil, which should havemore » been structurally trapped in the Ordovician Bromide sandstone. This oil may have joined oil already trapped in the Bromide, which had migrated to the Mervine area in the Early Pennsylvanian from a distant source. Intense post-Wolfcampian movement(s) fractured the competent pre-Pennsylvanian rocks, allowing Bromide brine and entrained oil to migrate vertically up the master fault, finally accumulating in younger reservoirs. Pressure, temperature, and salinity anomalies attest to vertical fluid migration continuing at the present time at Mervine field. Consequently, pressure, temperature, and salinity mapping should be considered as valuable supplements to structural and lithologic mapping when prospecting for structural hydrocarbon accumulations in epicratonic provinces.« less

Comparison contemporary methods of regeneration sodium-cationic filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burakov, I. A.; Burakov, A. Y.; Nikitina, I. S.; Verkhovsky, A. E.; Ilyushin, A. S.; Aladushkin, S. V.

2017-11-01

Regeneration plays a crucial role in the field of efficient application sodium-cationic filters for softening the water. Traditionally used as regenerant saline NaCl. However, due to the modern development of the energy industry and its close relationship with other industrial and academic sectors the opportunity to use in the regeneration of other solutions. The report estimated data and application possibilities as regenerant solution sodium-cationic filters brine wells a high mineral content, as both primary application and after balneotherapeutic use reverse osmosis and concentrates especially recycled regenerant water repeated. Comparison of the effectiveness of these solutions with the traditional use of NaCl. Developed and tested system for the processing of highly mineralized brines wells after balneological use. Recommendations for use as regeneration solutions for the sodium-cationic unit considered solutions and defined rules of brine for regeneration costs.

Effect of carboxymethyl cellulose and ionic strength on stability of mineral suspensions in potash ore flotation systems.

PubMed

Pawlik, M; Laskowski, J S; Ansari, A

2003-04-15

The adsorption of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose from aqueous solutions varying in ionic strength from that of distilled water to 50% NaCl/KCl brine (about 3.5 mol/dm(3)) onto illite and dolomite has been studied. The purpose of this work was to investigate the solvency effects in the phenomena underlying the potash flotation process that is carried out in saturated brine. Based on viscosity measurements, the adsorption results were analyzed in terms of a simple model of polymer macromolecules in solution. Suspension stability measurements carried out concomitantly with adsorption tests showed the ranges of carboxymethyl cellulose concentration over which the tested suspensions either were aggregated or were restabilized.

Response of Heterogeneous and Fractured Carbonate Samples to CO2-Brine Exposure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, M. M.; Mason, H. E.; Hao, Y.; Carroll, S.

2014-12-01

Carbonate rock units are often considered as candidate sites for storage of carbon dioxide (CO2), whether as stand-alone reservoirs or coupled with enhanced oil recovery efforts. In order to accept injected carbon dioxide, carbonate reservoirs must either possess sufficient preexisting connected void space, or react with CO2-acidified fluids to produce more pore space and improve permeability. However, upward migration of CO2 through barrier zones or seal layers must be minimized for effective safe storage. Therefore, prediction of the changes to porosity and permeability in these systems over time is a key component of reservoir management. Towards this goal, we present the results of several experiments on carbonate core samples from the Wellington, Kansas 1-32 well, conducted under reservoir temperature, pressure, and CO2 conditions. These samples were imaged by X-ray computed tomography (XRCT) and analyzed with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy both prior to and after reaction with CO2-enriched brines. The carbonate samples each displayed distinct responses to CO2 exposure in terms of permeability change with time and relative abundance of calcite versus dolomite dissolution. The measured permeability of each sample was also much lower than that estimated by downhole NMR logging, with samples with larger fractured regions possessing higher permeability values. We present also our modeling approach and preliminary simulation results for a specific sample from the targeted injection zone. The heterogeneous composition as well as the presence of large fractured zones within the rock necessitated the use of a nested three-region approach to represent the range of void space observed via tomography. Currently, the physical response to CO2-brine flow (i.e., pressure declines with time) is reproduced well but the extent of chemical reaction is overestimated by the model.

Natural Oxidation of Bromide to Bromine in Evaporated Dead Sea Brines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavrieli, Ittai; Golan, Rotem; Lazar, Boaz; Baer, Gidi; Zakon, Yevgeni; Ganor, Jiwchar

2016-04-01

Highly evaporated Dead Sea brines are found in isolated sinkholes along the Dead Sea. Many of these brines reach densities of over 1.3 kg/L and pH<5 and are the product of evaporation of Dead Sea brine that drain into the sinkholes. The low pH and the reddish to brownish hue of these brines were an enigma until recently. Despite the rather high total alkalinity (TA) of the Dead Sea (3.826 mmol/kg) the pH of the Dead Sea brine is known to be slightly acidic with a value of ~6.3. In comparison, seawater with the same alkalinity would have a pH value well above 8.3, meaning that H+ activity is 100 fold lower than that of Dead Sea brine. In the present work we assess the apparent dissociation constant value of boric acid (K`B) for the Dead Sea brine and use it to explain the brine's low pH value. We then show that pH decreases further as the brine evaporates and salinity increases. Finally we explain the reddish hue of the hypersaline brines in the sinkholes as due to the presence of dissolved bromine. The latter is the product of oxidation of dissolved bromide, a process that is enabled by the low pH of the hypersaline brines and their high bromide concentration.

Experimental multi-phase CO2-brine-rock interactions at elevated temperature and pressure: Implications for CO2 sequestration in deep-saline aquifers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rosenbauer, R.J.; Koksalan, T.

2004-01-01

Long-term CO2 saturated brine-rock experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of multiphase H2O-CO2 fluids on mineral equilibria and the potential for CO2 sequestration mineral phases within deep-saline aquifers. Experimental results were consistent with theoretical thermodynamic calculations when CO2-saturated brines were reacted with limestone rocks. The CO2-saturated brine-limestone reactions were characterized by compositional and mineralogical-changes in the aquifer fluid and formation rocks that were dependent on initial brine composition as were the changes in formation porosity, especially dissolved sulfate. The solubility of CO2 was enhanced in brines in the presence of both limestone and sandstone rocks relative to brines alone. Reactions between CO2 saturated brines and arkosic sandstones were characterized by desiccation of the brine and changes in the chemical composition of the brine suggesting fixation of CO2 in mineral phases. These reactions occured on a measurable but kinetically slow time scale at 120??C.

CO2-Water-Rock Wettability: Variability, Influencing Factors, and Implications for CO2 Geostorage.

PubMed

Iglauer, Stefan

2017-05-16

Carbon geosequestration (CGS) has been identified as a key technology to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and thus significantly mitigate climate change. In CGS, CO 2 is captured from large point-source emitters (e.g., coal fired power stations), purified, and injected deep underground into geological formations for disposal. However, the CO 2 has a lower density than the resident formation brine and thus migrates upward due to buoyancy forces. To prevent the CO 2 from leaking back to the surface, four trapping mechanisms are used: (1) structural trapping (where a tight caprock acts as a seal barrier through which the CO 2 cannot percolate), (2) residual trapping (where the CO 2 plume is split into many micrometer-sized bubbles, which are immobilized by capillary forces in the pore network of the rock), (3) dissolution trapping (where CO 2 dissolves in the formation brine and sinks deep into the reservoir due to a slight increase in brine density), and (4) mineral trapping (where the CO 2 introduced into the subsurface chemically reacts with the formation brine or reservoir rock or both to form solid precipitates). The efficiency of these trapping mechanisms and the movement of CO 2 through the rock are strongly influenced by the CO 2 -brine-rock wettability (mainly due to the small capillary-like pores in the rock which form a complex network), and it is thus of key importance to rigorously understand CO 2 -wettability. In this context, a substantial number of experiments have been conducted from which several conclusions can be drawn: of prime importance is the rock surface chemistry, and hydrophilic surfaces are water-wet while hydrophobic surfaces are CO 2 -wet. Note that CO 2 -wet surfaces dramatically reduce CO 2 storage capacities. Furthermore, increasing pressure, salinity, or dissolved ion valency increases CO 2 -wettability, while the effect of temperature is not well understood. Indeed theoretical understanding of CO 2 -wettability and the ability to quantitatively predict it are currently limited although recent advances have been made. Moreover, data for real storage rock and real injection gas (which contains impurities) is scarce and it is an open question how realistic subsurface conditions can be reproduced in laboratory experiments. In conclusion, however, it is clear that in principal CO 2 -wettability can vary drastically from completely water-wet to almost completely CO 2 -wet, and this possible variation introduces a large uncertainty into trapping capacity and containment security predictions.

Advective, Diffusive and Eruptive Leakage of CO2 and Brine within Fault Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, N. H.; Han, W. S.

2014-12-01

This study investigated a natural analogue for CO2 leakage near the Green River, Utah, aiming to understand the influence of various factors on CO2 leakage and to reliably predict underground CO2 behavior after injection for geologic CO2 sequestration. Advective, diffusive, and eruptive characteristics of CO2 leakage were assessed via a soil CO2 flux survey and numerical modeling. The field results show anomalous CO2 fluxes (> 10 g m-2 d-1) along the faults, particularly adjacent to CO2-driven cold springs and geysers (e.g., 36,259 g m-2 d-1 at Crystal Geyser), ancient travertines (e.g., 5,917 g m-2 d-1), joint zones in sandstone (e.g., 120 g m-2 d-1), and brine discharge zones (e.g., 5,515 g m-2 d-1). Combined to similar isotopic ratios of gas and progressive evolution of brine chemistry at springs and geysers, a gradual decrease of soil CO2 flux from the Little Grand Wash (LGW; ~36,259 g m-2 d-1) to Salt Wash (SW; ~1,428 g m-2 d-1) fault zones reveals the same CO2 origin and potential southward transport of CO2 over 10-20 km. The numerical simulations overtly exhibit lateral transport of free CO2 and CO2-rich brine from the LGW to SW fault zones through the regional aquifers (e.g., Entrada, Navajo, Kayenta, Wingate, White Rim). CO2 travels predominantly as an aqueous phase (Xco2=~0.045) as previously suggested, giving rise to the convective instability that further accelerates CO2 dissolution. While the buoyant free CO2 always tends to ascend, a fraction of dense CO2-rich brine flows laterally into the aquifer and mixes with the formation fluids during upward migration along the fault. The fault always enhances advective CO2 transport regardless of its permeability (k). However, only the low-k fault scenario engenders development of CO2 anticlinal trap within the shallow aquifers (Entrada and Navajo), concentrating high CO­­­2 fluxes (~1,273 g m-2 d-1) within the northern footwall of the LGW fault similar to the field. Moreover, eruptive CO2 leakage at a well (Crystal Geyser) solely appears under the presence of anticlinal trap. Thus, it can be concluded that the LGW fault is likely low-permeable, 0.01 md ≤ kh <0.1 md and 0.5 md ≤ kv < 1 md, which could be used as a good starting point for other studies and further improved.

An Active Englacial Hydrological System in a Cold Glacier: Blood Falls, Taylor Glacier, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carr, C. G.; Pettit, E. C.; Carmichael, J.; Badgeley, J.; Tulaczyk, S. M.; Lyons, W. B.; Mikucki, J.

2016-12-01

Blood Falls is a supraglacial hydrological feature formed by episodic release of iron-rich subglacial brine derived from an extensive aquifer beneath the cold, polar, Taylor Glacier. While fluid transport in non-temperate ice typically occurs through meltwater delivery from the glacier surface to the bed (hydrofracturing, supraglacial lake drainage), Blood Falls represents the opposite situation: brine moves from a subglacial source to the glacier surface. Here, we present the first complete conceptual model for brine transport and release, as well as the first direct evidence of a wintertime brine release at Blood Falls obtained through year-round time-lapse photography. Related analyses show that brine pools subglacially underneath the northern terminus of Taylor Glacier, rather than flowing directly into proglacial Lake Bonney because ice-cored moraines and channelized surface topography provide hydraulic barriers. This pooled brine is pressurized by hydraulic head from the upglacier brine source region. Based on seismic data, we propose that episodic supraglacial release is initiated by high strain rates coupled with pressurized subglacial brine that drive intermittent subglacial and englacial fracturing. Ultimately, brine-filled basal crevasses propagate upward to link with surface crevasses, allowing brine to flow from the bed to the surface. The observation of wintertime brine release indicates that surface-generated meltwater is not necessary to trigger crack propagation or to maintain the conduit as previously suggested. The liquid brine persists beneath and within the cold ice (-17°C) despite ambient ice/brine temperature differences of as high as 10°C through both locally depressed brine freezing temperatures through cryoconcentration of salts and increased ice temperatures through release of latent heat during partial freezing of brine. The existence of an englacial hydrological system initiated by basal crevassing extends to polar glaciers a process thought limited to temperate glaciers and confirms that supraglacial, englacial, and subglacial hydrological systems act in concert to provide critical forcing on glacier dynamics, even in cold polar ice.

TOXICITY TESTING OF RESTORATIVE DENTAL MATERIALS USING BRINE SHRIMP LARVAE (ARTEMIA SALINA)

PubMed Central

Milhem, Manar M.; Al-Hiyasat, Ahmad S.; Darmani, Homa

2008-01-01

This study investigated the effect of extracts of different composites, glass ionomer cement (GIC)s and compomers on the viability of brine shrimp larvae. Ethanolic extracts of four dental composites (Z-100; Solitaire 2; Filtek P60 and Synergy), a conventional GIC (Ketac-Fil), a resin-modified glass ionomer cement (Vitremer), two compomers (F2000; Dyract AP), and a flowable compomer (Dyract Flow) were prepared from each material. Following evaporation of the ethanol, the extracts were resuspended in distilled water, which was then used to test the effects on the viability of brine shrimp larvae. For the composites, the extract of Synergy was the least toxic (88% viability) followed by the extracts of Solitaire 2, Z100 and P60 (75%, 67.5% and 50% viability, respectively). One-way ANOVA revealed highly significant differences between the resin composite materials (p<0.001). Follow-up comparison between the composite groups by Tukey's pairwise multiple-comparison test (α =0.05) showed that the extract of Synergy was significantly less toxic than the extracts of all the other materials except that of Solitaire 2. The compomers showed 100% lethality, while the percentage of viable larvae for the extracts of Ketac-Fil, and Vitremer were 32.3%, and 37.0%, respectively. One-way ANOVA revealed highly significant differences between the groups of materials (p<0.001). Follow-up comparison between the groups by Tukey's test (α = 0.05) showed that the toxic effect of the extracts of the compomers were significantly greater than that of Ketac-Fil, and Vitremer. The differences in the toxic effects of Vitremer and Ketac-Fil were not statistically significant. In conclusion, the toxicity of composite materials varied according to their chemical composition. Compomers were the most lethal materials to brine shrimp larvae followed by GICs and then composites. PMID:19089264

A comparison between two brine shrimp assays to detect in vitro cytotoxicity in marine natural products

PubMed Central

Carballo, José Luis; Hernández-Inda, Zaira L; Pérez, Pilar; García-Grávalos, María D

2002-01-01

Background The brine shrimp lethality assay is considered a useful tool for preliminary assessment of toxicity. It has also been suggested for screening pharmacological activities in plant extracts. However, we think that it is necessary to evaluate the suitability of the brine shrimp methods before they are used as a general bio-assay to test natural marine products for pharmacological activity. Material and Methods The bioactivity of the isopropanolic (2-PrOH) extracts of 14 species of marine invertebrates and 6 species of macroalgae was evaluated with the shrimp lethality assay (lethality assay), as well as with another assay based on the inhibition of hatching of the cyst (hatchability assay). The extracts were also assayed for cytotoxicity against two human cell lines, lung carcinoma A-549 and colon carcinoma HT-29, in order to assess the sensitivity of the shrimp assays to detect cytotoxic activity. Results Two sponges (Hyatella sp, Dysidea sp.), two gorgonians (Pacifigorgia adamsii, Muricea sp.), one tunicate (Polyclinum laxum), and three echinoderms (Holothuria impatiens, Pseudoconus californica and Pharia pyramidata) showed a strong cytostatic (growth inhibition) and cytotoxic effect. The hatchability assay showed a strong activity in 4 of the species active against the two human cell lines tested (Hyatella sp, Dysidea sp., Pacifigorgia adamsii and Muricea sp.), and the lethality assay also showed a high lethality in 4 of them (Pacifigorgia adamsii, Muricea sp., Polyclinum laxum, and Pharia pyramidata). Each bioassay detected activity in 50% of the species that were considered active against the two human cell lines tested. However, the simultaneous use of both bioassays increased the percentage to 75%. Conclusions Our results seem consistent with the correlation previously established between cytotoxicity and brine shrimp lethality in plant extracts. We suggest using both bioassays simultaneously to test natural marine products for pharmacological activity. PMID:12270067

Polymeric and composite materials for use in systems utilizing hot, flowing geothermal brine. II

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lorensen, L.E.; Walkup, C.M.

1978-04-13

Further progress is reported on a continuing experimental program designed to select high-performance polymeric materials for use in geothermal power plants. In field tests 12 nozzles, 27 wear plates, and 2 types of polymer lined pipe were tested. Nozzles made of Teflons TFE and PFA, Tefzel, Ryton PPS and H-Resin/carbon cloth were little changed except for some scaling. The fluorocarbons scaled least rapidly. All blade type wear plates eroded, those based on Tefzel, PPQ, and PPS the least. Fluorocarbon lined pipes were little affected by exposure. In laboratory tests samples were heated at 250 and 300/sup 0/C in brine. Severalmore » materials including fluorocarbon and unhydrolyzable aromatic or cross-linked aliphatic, thermally stable polymers survived for periods up to 1300 h. In erosion tests, coatings based on epoxy resins and a fluorocarbon were most resistant; good adhesion was required.« less

Feasibility study of a brine boiling machine by solar energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phayom, W.

2018-06-01

This study presented the technical and operational feasibility of brine boiling machine by using solar energy instead of firewood or husk for salt production. The solar salt brine boiling machine consisted of a boiling chamber with an enhanced thermal efficiency through use of a solar brine heater. The stainless steel solar salt brine boiling chamber had dimensions of 60 cm x 70 cm x 20 cm. The steel brine heater had dimensions of 70 cm x 80 cm x 20 cm. The tilt angle of both the boiling chamber and brine heater was 20 degrees from horizontal. The brine temperature in the reservoir tank was 42°C with a flow rate of 6.64 L/h discharging into the solar boiling machine. It was found that the thermal efficiency and overall efficiency of the solar salt brine boiling machine were 0.63 and 0.38, respectively at a solar irradiance of 787.6 W/m2. The results shows that the potential of using solar energy for salt production system is feasible.

Brines formed by multi-salt deliquescence

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carroll, S; Rard, J; Alai, M

2005-11-04

The FY05 Waste Package Environment testing program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory focused on determining the temperature, relative humidity, and solution compositions of brines formed due to the deliquescence of NaCl-KNO{sub 3}-NaNO{sub 3} and NaCl-KNO{sub 3}-NaNO{sub 3}-Ca(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} salt mixtures. Understanding the physical and chemical behavior of these brines is important because they define conditions under which brines may react with waste canister surfaces. Boiling point experiments show that NaCl-KNO{sub 3}-NaNO{sub 3} and NaCl-KNO{sub 3}-NaNO{sub 3}-Ca(NO{sub 3}){sub 2} salt mixtures form brines that transform to hydrous melts that do not truly 'dry out' until temperatures exceed 300 and 400more » C, respectively. Thus a conducting solution is present for these salt assemblages over the thermal history of the repository. The corresponding brines form at lower relative humidity at higher temperatures. The NaCl-KNO{sub 3}-NaNO{sub 3} salt mixture has a mutual deliquescence relative humidity (MDRH) of 25.9% at 120 C and 10.8% at 180 C. Similarly, the KNO{sub 3}-NaNO{sub 3} salt mixture has MDRH of 26.4% at 120 C and 20.0% at 150 C. The KNO{sub 3}-NaNO{sub 3} salt mixture salts also absorb some water (but do not appear to deliquesce) at 180 C and thus may also contribute to the transfer of electrons at interface between dust and the waste package surface. There is no experimental evidence to suggest that these brines will degas and form less deliquescent salt assemblages. Ammonium present in atmospheric and tunnel dust (as the chloride, nitrate, or sulfate) will readily decompose in the initial heating phase of the repository, and will affect subsequent behavior of the remaining salt mixture only through the removal of a stoichiometric equivalent of one or more anions. Although K-Na-NO{sub 3}-Cl brines form at high temperature and low relative humidity, these brines are dominated by nitrate, which is known to inhibit corrosion at lower temperature. Nitrate to chloride ratios of the NaCl-KNO{sub 3}-NaNO{sub 3} salt mixture are about NO{sub 3}:Cl = 19:1. The role of nitrate on corrosion at higher temperatures is addressed in a companion report (Dixit et al., 2005).« less

Chemistry and geothermometry of brine produced from the Salton Sea Scientific drill hole, Imperial Valley, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thompson, J.M.; Fournier, R.O.

1988-01-01

The December 29-30, 1985, flow test of the State 2-14 well, also known as the Salton Sea Scientific drill hole, produced fluid from a depth of 1865-1877 m at a reservoir temperature of 305????5??C. Samples were collected at five different flashing pressures. The brines are Na-Ca-K-Cl-type waters with very high metal and low SO4 and HCO3 contents. Compositions of the flashed brines were normalized relative to the 25??C densities of the solutions, and an ionic charge balance was achieved by adjusting the Na concentration. Calculated Na/K geothermometer temperatures, using equations suggested by different investigators, range from 326?? to 364??C. The Mg/K2 method gives a temperature of about 350??C, Mg/Li2 about 282??, and Na/Li 395??-418??C. -from Authors

Influence of sodium chloride concentration on the controlled lactic acid fermentation of "Almagro" eggplants.

PubMed

Ballesteros, C; Palop, L; Sánchez, I

1999-12-01

The effect of a commercial Lactobacillus starter and sodium chloride concentration on the fermentation of "Almagro" eggplants (Solanum melongena L. var. esculentum depressum) was studied. The results of fermentation using added starter and varying salt concentrations (4, 6, and 10% w/v) in brine were compared with the results of spontaneous fermentation taking place in brine with a salt concentration of 4%. Fresh fruits, medium in size (34-44 g), were used in all cases; all fruits were blanched under identical conditions. Temperature in the fermenters was 32+/-2 degrees C. The results obtained indicate that addition of a suitable starter shortened the fermentation process, provided the salt concentration in the brine did not exceed 6%. In the conditions tested, the eggplants obtained after fermentation were found to be of good quality though somewhat bitter which may explained by the starter employed.

Leakage of active crater lake brine through the north flank at Rincon de la Vieja volcano, northwest Costa Rica, and implications for crater collapse

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kempter, K.A.; Rowe, G.L.

2000-01-01

The Active Crater at Rincon de la Vieja volcano, Costa Rica, reaches an elevation of 1750 m and contains a warm, hyper-acidic crater lake that probably formed soon after the eruption of the Rio Blanco tephra deposit approximately 3500 years before present. The Active Crater is buttressed by volcanic ridges and older craters on all sides except the north, which dips steeply toward the Caribbean coastal plains. Acidic, above-ambient-temperature streams are found along the Active Crater's north flank at elevations between 800 and 1000 m. A geochemical survey of thermal and non-thermal waters at Rincon de la Vieja was done in 1989 to determine whether hyper-acidic fluids are leaking from the Active Crater through the north flank, affecting the composition of north-flank streams. Results of the water-chemistry survey reveal that three distinct thermal waters are found on the flanks of Rincon de la Vieja volcano: acid chloride-sulfate (ACS), acid sulfate (AS), and neutral chloride (NC) waters. The most extreme ACS water was collected from the crater lake that fills the Active Crater. Chemical analyses of the lake water reveal a hyper-acidic (pH ~ 0) chloride-sulfate brine with elevated concentrations of calcium, magnesium, aluminum, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, fluorine, and boron. The composition of the brine reflects the combined effects of magmatic degassing from a shallow magma body beneath the Active Crater, dissolution of andesitic volcanic rock, and evaporative concentration of dissolved constituents at above-ambient temperatures. Similar cation and anion enrichments are found in the above-ambient-temperature streams draining the north flank of the Active Crater. The pH of north-flank thermal waters range from 3.6 to 4.1 and chloride:sulfate ratios (1.2-1.4) that are a factor of two greater than that of the lake brine (0.60). The waters have an ACS composition that is quite different from the AS and NC thermal waters that occur along the southern flank of Rincon de la Vieja. The distribution of thermal water types at Rincon de la Vieja strongly indicates that formation of the north-flank ACS waters is not due to mixing of shallow, steam-heated AS water with deep-seated NC water. More likely, hyper-acidic brines formed in the Active Crater area are migrating through permeable zones in the volcanic strata that make up the Active Crater's north flank. Dissolution and shallow subsurface alteration of north-flank volcanoclastic material by interaction with acidic lake brine, particularly in the more permeable tephra units, could weaken the already oversteepened north flank of the Active Crater. Sector collapse of the Active Crater, with or without a volcanic eruption, represents a potential threat to human lives, property, and ecosystems at Rincon de la Vieja volcano.

Metal-rich fluid inclusions provide new insights into unconformity-related U deposits (Athabasca Basin and Basement, Canada)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richard, Antonin; Cathelineau, Michel; Boiron, Marie-Christine; Mercadier, Julien; Banks, David A.; Cuney, Michel

2016-02-01

The Paleoproterozoic Athabasca Basin (Canada) hosts numerous giant unconformity-related uranium deposits. The scope of this study is to establish the pressure, temperature, and composition (P-T-X conditions) of the brines that circulated at the base of the Athabasca Basin and in its crystalline basement before, during and after UO2 deposition. These brines are commonly sampled as fluid inclusions in quartz- and dolomite-cementing veins and breccias associated with alteration and U mineralization. Microthermometry and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) data from five deposits (Rabbit Lake, P-Patch, Eagle Point, Millennium, and Shea Creek) complement previously published data for the McArthur River deposit. In all of the deposits investigated, fluid inclusion salinity is between 25 and 40 wt.% NaCl equiv., with compositions displaying a continuum between a "NaCl-rich brine" end-member (Cl > Na > Ca > Mg > K) and a "CaCl2-rich brine" end-member (Cl > Ca ≈ Mg > Na > K). The CaCl2-rich brine has the highest salinity and shows evidence for halite saturation at the time of trapping. The continuum of compositions between the NaCl-rich brine and the CaCl2-rich brine end-members combined with P-T reconstructions suggest anisothermal mixing of the two brines (NaCl-rich brine, 180 ± 30 °C and 800 ± 400 bars; CaCl2-rich brine, 120 ± 30 °C and 600 ± 300 bars) that occurred under fluctuating pressure conditions (hydrostatic to supra-hydrostatic). However, because the two brines were U bearing and therefore oxidized, brine mixing was probably not the driving force for UO2 deposition. Several scenarios are put forward to account for the Cl-Na-Ca-Mg-K composition of the brines, involving combinations of seawater evaporation, halite dissolution, mixing with a halite-dissolution brine, Mg/Ca exchange by dolomitization, Na/Ca exchange by albitization of plagioclase, Na/K exchange by albitization of K-feldspar, and Mg loss by Mg-rich alteration. Finally, the metal concentrations in the NaCl-rich and CaCl2-rich brines are among the highest recorded compared to present-day sedimentary formation waters and fluid inclusions from basin-hosted base metal deposits (up to 600 ppm U, 3000 ppm Mn, 4000 ppm Zn, 6000 ppm Cu, 8000 ppm Pb, and 10,000 ppm Fe). The CaCl2-rich brine carries up to one order of magnitude more metal than the NaCl-rich brine. Though the exact origin of major cations and metals of the two brines remains uncertain, their contrasting compositions indicate that the two brines had distinct flow paths and fluid-rock interactions. Large-scale circulation of the brines in the Athabasca Basin and Basement was therefore a key parameter for metal mobility (including U) and formation of unconformity-related U deposits.

Microseismic monitoring of Chocolate Bayou Texas: the Pleasant Bayou No. 2 geopressured/geothermal energy test-well program. 1981 annual progress report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mauk, F.J.

1982-01-01

To investigate normal ambient seismicity as well as potentially enhanced seismic activity induced by brine production, a seismic monitoring program has been conducted in the vicinity of the Chocolate Bayou geopressured test well (the Pleasant Bayou No. 2) since September 1978. The Pleasant Bayou No. 2 well has been completed and perforated at depths of 14,467-14,707 feet (4464.4-4482.7m). The brines produced from the Pleasant Bayou No. 2 well are reinjected at a depth of 6226-6538 feet (1897.7-1992.8m) in the Pleasant Bayou No. 1 well. The seismic monitoring network and results obtained from January through November 1981 are described.

Two new coumarins from Micromelum falcatum with cytotoxicity and brine shrimp larvae toxicity.

PubMed

Luo, Xiongming; He, Weihong; Yin, Hao; Li, Qingxin; Liu, Qiao; Huang, Yongzhong; Zhang, Si

2012-06-06

Two new coumarins, 7-methoxy-8-(2-hydroxmethyl-1-O-isovaleryl-4-butenyl)-coumarin (1) and 7-methoxy-8-(1-hydroxy-2-O-β-glucopyranosyl-3-methyl-4-butene-1-yl)coumarin (2), and twelve known coumarins 3-14 were isolated from the stem bark of Micromelum falcatum. The structures of compounds 1-14 were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic data analyses. The toxicity of compounds 1-14 was tested using a brine shrimp assay and in vitro antiproliferative assay against mammary cancer (F10) and lung cancer (HvEvc) cell lines by the MTT method. Some compounds had moderate activities. All compounds were also tested against the microorganisms Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus thuringiensis and Escherichia coli, but no activity was observed.

Carbon isotopic evidence for microbial control of carbon supply to Orca Basin at the seawater-brine interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, S. R.; Joye, S. B.; Brandes, J. A.; McNichol, A. P.

2013-05-01

Orca Basin, an intraslope basin on the Texas-Louisiana continental slope, hosts a hypersaline, anoxic brine in its lowermost 200 m in which limited microbial activity has been reported. This brine contains a large reservoir of reduced and aged carbon, and appears to be stable at decadal time scales: concentrations and isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic (DIC) and organic carbon (DOC) are similar to measurements made in the 1970s. Both DIC and DOC are more "aged" within the brine pool than in overlying water, and the isotopic contrast between brine carbon and seawater carbon is much greater for DIC than DOC. While the stable carbon isotopic composition of brine DIC points towards a combination of methane and organic carbon remineralization as its source, radiocarbon and box model results point to the brine interface as the major source region for DIC, allowing for only limited oxidation of methane diffusing upwards from sediments. This conclusion is consistent with previous studies that identify the seawater-brine interface as the focus of microbial activity associated with Orca Basin brine. Isotopic similarities between DIC and DOC suggest a different relationship between these two carbon reservoirs than is typically observed in deep ocean basins. Radiocarbon values implicate the seawater-brine interface region as the likely source region for DOC to the brine as well as DIC.

Fate(s) of injected CO2 in a coal-bearing formation, Louisiana, Gulf Coast Basin: Chemical and isotopic tracers of microbial-brine-rock-CO2 interactions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shelton, Jenna L.

2013-01-01

Coal beds are one of the most promising reservoirs for geologic carbon dioxide (CO₂) sequestration, as CO₂ can strongly adsorb onto organic matter and displace methane; however, little is known about the long-term fate of CO₂ sequestered in coal beds. The "2800' sand" of the Olla oil field is a coal-bearing, oil and gas-producing reservoir of the Paleocene–Eocene Wilcox Group in north-central Louisiana. In the 1980s, this field, specifically the 2800' sand, was flooded with CO₂ in an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) project, with 9.0×10⁷m³ of CO₂ remaining in the 2800' sand after injection ceased. This study utilized isotopic and geochemical tracers from co-produced natural gas, oil and brine from reservoirs located stratigraphically above, below and within the 2800' sand to determine the fate of the remaining EOR-CO₂, examining the possibilities of CO₂ migration, dissolution, mineral trapping, gas-phase trapping, and sorption to coal beds, while also testing a previous hypothesis that EOR-CO₂ may have been converted by microbes (CO₂-reducing methanogens) into methane, creating a microbial "hotspot". Reservoirs stratigraphically-comparable to the 2800' sand, but located in adjacent oil fields across a 90-km transect were sampled to investigate regional trends in gas composition, brine chemistry and microbial activity. The source field for the EOR-CO₂, the Black Lake Field, was also sampled to establish the δ¹³C-CO₂ value of the injected gas (0.9‰ +/- 0.9‰). Four samples collected from the Olla 2800' sand produced CO₂-rich gas with δ¹³C-CO₂ values (average 9.9‰) much lower than average (pre-injection) conditions (+15.9‰, average of sands located stratigraphically below the 2800' sand in the Olla Field) and at much higher CO₂ concentrations (24.9 mole %) than average (7.6 mole %, average of sands located stratigraphically below the 2800' sand in the Olla Field), suggesting the presence of EOR-CO₂ and gas-phase trapping as a major storage mechanism. Using δ¹³C values of CO₂ and dissolved organic carbon (DIC), CO₂ dissolution was also shown to be a major storage mechanism for 3 of the 4 samples from the Olla 2800' sand. Minor storage mechanisms were shown to be migration, which only affected 2 samples (from 1 well), and some EOR-CO₂ conversion to microbial methane for 3 of the 4 Olla 2800' sand samples. Since methanogenesis was not shown to be a major storage mechanism for the EOR-CO₂ in the Olla Field (CO₂ injection did not stimulate methanogenesis), samples were examined from adjacent oil fields to determine the cause of the Olla microbial "hot-spot". Microbial methane was found in all oil fields sampled, but indicators of methanogenesis (e.g. alkalinity, high δ¹³C-DIC values) were the greatest in the Olla Field, and the environmental conditions (salinity, pH, temperature) were most ideal for microbial CO₂ reduction in the Olla field, compared to adjacent fields.

Lithium isotope geochemistry and origin of Canadian shield brines.

PubMed

Bottomley, D J; Chan, L H; Katz, A; Starinsky, A; Clark, I D

2003-01-01

Hypersaline calcium/chloride shield brines are ubiquitous in Canada and areas of northern Europe. The major questions relating to these fluids are the origin of the solutes and the concentration mechanism that led to their extreme salinity. Many chemical and isotopic tracers are used to solve these questions. For example, lithium isotope systematics have been used recently to support a marine origin for the Yellowknife shield brine (Northwest Territories). While having important chemical similarities to the Yellowknife brine, shield brines from the Sudbury/Elliot Lake (Ontario) and Thompson/Snow Lake (Manitoba) regions, which are the focus of this study, exhibit contrasting lithium behavior. Brine from the Sudbury Victor mine has lithium concentrations that closely follow the sea water lithium-bromine concentration trajectory, as well as delta6Li values of approximately -28/1000. This indicates that the lithium in this brine is predominantly marine in origin with a relatively minor component of crustal lithium leached from the host rocks. In contrast, the Thompson/Snow Lake brine has anomalously low lithium concentrations, indicating that it has largely been removed from solution by alteration minerals. Furthermore, brine and nonbrine mine waters at the Thompson mine have large delta6Li variations of approximately 30/1000, which primarily reflects mixing between deep brine with delta6Li of -35 +/- 2/1000 and near surface mine water that has derived higher delta6Li values through interactions with their host rocks. The contrary behavior of lithium in these two brines shows that, in systems where it has behaved conservatively, lithium isotopes can distinguish brines derived from marine sources.

Electrically Conducting, Ca-Rich Brines, Rather Than Water, Expected in the Martian Subsurface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burt, D. M.; Knauth, L. P.

2003-01-01

If Mars ever possessed a salty liquid hydrosphere, which later partly evaporated and froze down, then any aqueous fluids left near the surface could have evolved to become dense eutectic brines. Eutectic brines, by definition, are the last to freeze and the first to melt. If CaC12-rich, such brines can remain liquid until temperatures below 220 K, close to the average surface temperature of Mars. In the Martian subsurface, in intimate contact with the Ca-rich basaltic regolith, NaC1-rich early brines should have reacted to become Ca-rich. Fractional crystallization (freezing) and partial melting would also drive brines toward CaC12-rich compositions. In other words, eutectic brine compositions could be present in the shallow subsurface of Mars, for the same reasons that eutectic magma compositions are common on Earth. Don Juan Pond, Antarctica, a CaC12-rich eutectic brine, provides a possible terrestrial analog, particularly because it is fed from a basaltic aquifer. Owing to their relative density and fluid nature, brines in the Martian regolith should eventually become sandwiched between ice above and salts beneath. A thawing brine sandwich provides one explanation (among many) for the young gullies recently attributed to seepage of liquid water on Mars. Whether or not brine seepage explains the gullies phenomenon, dense, CaC12-rich brines are to be expected in the deep subsurface of Mars, although they might be somewhat diluted (temperatures permitting) and of variable salt composition. In any case, they should be good conductors of electricity.

Geology of the Gladys McCall geopressured-geothermal prospect, Cameron Parish, Louisiana

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

John, C.J.

The Gladys McCall prospect lies at the western edge of the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge about 88 km (55 mi) southeast of Lake Charles in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. The test well is 4825 m (15,831 ft) deep and was drilled in 1981 under the U.S. Department of Energy geopressured-geothermal research program. The well was shut in at the end of October 1987 after it had produced over 27 million barrels of brine and 676 MMscf gas, without any significant pressure decline. The stratigraphic section seen in this test well consists of alternating sandstones and shales with about 350 m (1150 ft)more » of net sand between 4393 m (14,412 ft) and 4974 m (16,320 ft). The producing reservoir is bounded on the north and south by faults. The east-west dimension is poorly defined due to lack of deep well control. Eleven prospective production zones have been identified. The pressure maintenance and the continuous high brine yield from the reservoir may be due to laterally overlapping and connected sandstones, communication between overlying and/or underlying reservoirs, growth faults acting as passageways for brine, shale dewatering, or possible communication of zones behind the casing.« less

Coupled heat and fluid flow modeling of the Carboniferous Kuna Basin, Alaska: Implications for the genesis of the Red Dog Pb-Zn-Ag-Ba ore district

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garven, G.; Raffensperger, Jeff P.; Dumoulin, Julie A.; Bradley, D.A.; Young, L.E.; Kelley, K.D.; Leach, D.L.

2003-01-01

The Red Dog deposit is a giant 175 Mton (16% Zn, 5% Pb), shale-hosted Pb-Zn-Ag-Ba ore district situated in the Carboniferous Kuna Basin, Western Brooks Range, Alaska. These SEDEX-type ores are thought to have formed in calcareous turbidites and black mudstone at elevated sub-seafloor temperatures (120-150??C) within a hydrogeologic framework of submarine convection that was structurally organized by large normal faults. The theory for modeling brine migration and heat transport in the Kuna Basin is discussed with application to evaluating flow patterns and heat transport in faulted rift basins and the effects of buoyancy-driven free convection on reactive flow and ore genesis. Finite element simulations show that hydrothermal fluid was discharged into the Red Dog subbasin during a period of basin-wide crustal heat flow of 150-160 mW/m2. Basinal brines circulated to depths as great as 1-3 km along multiple normal faults flowed laterally through thick clastic aquifers acquiring metals and heat, and then rapidly ascended a single discharge fault zone at rates ??? 5 m/year to mix with seafloor sulfur and precipitate massive sulfide ores. ?? 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Discovering complex groundwater dynamics of a multiple aquifer system on the base of stable and radio-isotope patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilske, Cornelia; Rödiger, Tino; Suckow, Axel; Geyer, Stefan; Weise, Stephan; Merchel, Silke; Rugel, Georg; Pavetich, Stefan; Merkel, Broder; Siebert, Christian

2017-04-01

The water supply in semi-arid Israel and Palestine, predominantly relies on groundwater as freshwater resource, stressed by increasing demand and low recharge rates. Sustainable management of such resources requires a sound understanding of its groundwater migration through space and time, particularly in structurally complex multi-aquifer systems as the Eastern Mountain Aquifer, affected by salting. To differentiate between the flow paths of the different water bodies and their respective residence times, a multi-tracer approach, combining age dating isotopes (36Cl/Cl; 3H) with rock specific isotopes like 87Sr/86Sr and δ34S-SO4 was applied. As a result, the investigated groundwaters from the two Cretaceous aquifers and their respective flow paths are differentiable by e.g. their 87Sr/86Sr signatures, resembling the intensity of the rock-water interaction and hence indirectly residence times. In the discharge areas within the Jordan Valley and along the Dead Sea shore, δ34S-SO4 ratios reveal the different sources of salinity (ascending brines, interstitial brines and dissolved salts). Based on 36Cl and 3H and the atmospheric input functions, very heterogeneous infiltration times and effective flow velocities, respectively, indicate an at least dual porosity system, resulting in distinctly different regimes of matrix and pipe flow.

Numerical Simulation of Potential Groundwater Contaminant Pathways from Hydraulically Fractured Oil Shale in the Nevada Basin and Range Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rybarski, S.; Pohll, G.; Pohlmann, K.; Plume, R.

2014-12-01

In recent years, hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has become an increasingly popular method for extraction of oil and natural gas from tight formations. Concerns have been raised over a number of environmental risks associated with fracking, including contamination of groundwater by fracking fluids, upwelling of deep subsurface brines, and methane migration. Given the potentially long time scale for contaminant transport associated with hydraulic fracturing, numerical modeling remains the best practice for risk assessment. Oil shale in the Humboldt basin of northeastern Nevada has now become a target for hydraulic fracturing operations. Analysis of regional and shallow groundwater flow is used to assess several potential migration pathways specific to the geology and hydrogeology of this basin. The model domain in all simulations is defined by the geologic structure of the basin as determined by deep oil and gas well bores and formation outcrops. Vertical transport of gaseous methane along a density gradient is simulated in TOUGH2, while fluid transport along faults and/or hydraulic fractures and lateral flow through more permeable units adjacent to the targeted shale are modeled in FEFLOW. Sensitivity analysis considers basin, fault, and hydraulic fracturing parameters, and results highlight key processes that control fracking fluid and methane migration and time scales under which it might occur.

Short-core acoustic resonant bar test and x-ray CT imaging on sandstone samples during super-critical CO2 flooding and dissolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakagawa, S.; Kneafsey, T. J.; Daley, T. M.; Freifeld, B. M.

2010-12-01

Geological sequestration of CO2 requires accurate monitoring of the spatial distribution and pore-level saturation of super-critical (sc-) CO2 for both optimizing reservoir performance and satisfying regulatory requirements. Fortunately, thanks to the high compliance of sc-CO2 compared to brine under in-situ temperatures and pressures, injection of sc-CO2 into initially brine-saturated rock will lead to significant reductions in seismic velocity and increased attenuation of seismic waves. Because of the frequency-dependent nature of this relationship, its determination requires testing at low frequencies (10 Hz-10 kHz) that are not usually employed in the laboratory. In this paper, we present the changes in seismic wave velocities and attenuation in sandstone cores during sc-CO2 core flooding and during subsequent brine re-injection and CO2 removal via convection and dissolution. The experiments were conducted at frequencies near 1 kHz using a variation of the acoustic resonant bar technique, called the Split Hopkinson Resonant Bar (SHRB) method, which allows measurements under elevated temperatures and pressures (up to 120°C, 35 MPa), using a short (several cm long) core. Concurrent x-ray CT scanning reveals sc-CO2 saturation and distribution within the cores. The injection experiments revealed different CO2 patch size distributions within the cores between the injection phase and the convection/dissolution phase of the tests. The difference was reflected particularly in the P-wave velocities and attenuation. Also, compared to seismic responses, which were separately measured during a gas CO2 injection/drainage test, the seismic responses from the sc-CO2 test showed measurable changes over a wider range of brine saturation. Considering the proximity of the frequency band employed by our measurement to the field seismic measurements, this result implies that seismic monitoring of sc-CO2, if constrained by laboratory data and interpreted using a proper petrophysical model, can be conducted with greater accuracy for determining the sc-CO2 saturation and distribution within reservoir rock, than typically predicted by the Gassmann model and/or by a natural gas reservoir analogue.

Aquifer-test data and borehole flow test results from monitoring well 16P52 at the South Trend development area number 1, McKinley County, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stevens, Ken

1984-01-01

Mobil Oil Corporation personnel have designated at least four sandstone intervals, A-D (top to bottom), on the single-point resistivity logs of wells drilled in the South Trend Development Area. This report presents time-drawdown data reported by Mobil Oil Corporation from singly (A or B or C or D sandstone interval) and multiply (A, B, C, and D sandstone Intervals) completed wells for the August 16-17, 1982 aquifer test at the South Trend Development Area Site 1. This report also describes the results of flowmeter and brine-injection tests by the U.S. Geological Survey in monitoring well 16P52. Well 16P52 is open to sandstone intervals A, B, C, and D. On July 26, 1982, water was injected at a rate of 1.43 cubic feet per minute above the A sandstone interval in well 16P52. Based on flowmeter data, the calculated rates of flow were 1.23 cubic feet per minute between the A and B sandstone intervals, 0.63 cubic foot per minute between the B and C sandstone intervals, and less than 0.17 cubic foot per minute between the C and D sandstone intervals. Based upon brine-slug-injection tests conducted during August 1982, the calculated flow rates between sandstone intervals A and B are as follows: 0.01 cubic foot per minute upward flow (B to A) about 5 hours after pumping began for the aquifer test; 0.004 cubic foot per minute upward flow (B to A) about 21 hours after pumping began; and 0.0 cubic foot per minute about 46 hours after the pump was turned off. All other brine-slug-injection tests measured no flow.

REFUSE OF FERMENTATION BRINES IN THE CUCUMBER PICKLING INDUSTRY

EPA Science Inventory

The project evaluated on a commercial scale the technological and economic feasibility of recycling spent cucumber fermentation brine. Two brine treatment procedures, heat treatment and chemical treatment, were used. The results showed that brine recycling was practical on a comm...

Possible Mars brines - Equilibrium and kinetic considerations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zent, A. P.; Fanale, F. P.

1986-01-01

To determine the fate of postulated near surface brines on Mars, the rate of H2O mass loss from subsurface brines was calculated as a function of latitude, depth, regolith porosity, eutectic temperature, and pore size. A model for a chemically reasonable brine that could reproduce Martian radar results was developed, and the escape rate of H2O molecules from such a brine was estimated. It is suggested that the presence of a low-permeability duricrust may be required to preserve such a brine for reasonable periods, and to prevent detection of an extensive subsurface system by the Viking MAWD instrument.

"Tepid" Geysers above salt caverns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bérest, Pierre; Brouard, Benoît; Zakharov, Vassily

2018-06-01

The formation of a brine geyser erupting from the wellhead of a large underground salt cavern is described. In most cases, the brine outflow from an opened cavern is slow; it results from the cavern creep closure and the thermal expansion of the cavern brine. These two processes are smooth; however, the brine outflow often is bumpy, as it is modulated by atmospheric pressure variations that generate an elastic increase (or decrease) of both cavern and brine volumes. In addition, when the flow is fast enough, the brine thermodynamic behavior in the wellbore is adiabatic. The cold brine expelled from the cavern wellhead is substituted with warm brine entering the borehole bottom, resulting in a lighter brine column. The brine outflow increases. In some cases, the flow becomes so fast that inertia terms must be taken into account. A geyser forms, coming to an end when the pressure in the cavern has dropped sufficiently. A better picture is obtained when head losses are considered. A closed-form solution can be reached. This proves that two cases must be distinguished, depending on whether the cold brine initially contained in the wellbore is expelled fully or not. It can also be shown that geyser formation is a rare event, as it requires both that the wellbore be narrow and that the cavern be very compressible. This study stemmed from an actual example in which a geyser was observed. However, scarce information is available, making any definite interpretation difficult. xml:lang="fr"

Hydraulic fracturing fluid migration in the subsurface: A review and expanded modeling results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birdsell, Daniel T.; Rajaram, Harihar; Dempsey, David; Viswanathan, Hari S.

2015-09-01

Understanding the transport of hydraulic fracturing (HF) fluid that is injected into the deep subsurface for shale gas extraction is important to ensure that shallow drinking water aquifers are not contaminated. Topographically driven flow, overpressured shale reservoirs, permeable pathways such as faults or leaky wellbores, the increased formation pressure due to HF fluid injection, and the density contrast of the HF fluid to the surrounding brine can encourage upward HF fluid migration. In contrast, the very low shale permeability and capillary imbibition of water into partially saturated shale may sequester much of the HF fluid, and well production will remove HF fluid from the subsurface. We review the literature on important aspects of HF fluid migration. Single-phase flow and transport simulations are performed to quantify how much HF fluid is removed via the wellbore with flowback and produced water, how much reaches overlying aquifers, and how much is permanently sequestered by capillary imbibition, which is treated as a sink term based on a semianalytical, one-dimensional solution for two-phase flow. These simulations include all of the important aspects of HF fluid migration identified in the literature review and are performed in five stages to faithfully represent the typical operation of a hydraulically fractured well. No fracturing fluid reaches the aquifer without a permeable pathway. In the presence of a permeable pathway, 10 times more fracturing fluid reaches the aquifer if well production and capillary imbibition are not included in the model.

Effects of the West Desert Pumping Project on Near-Surface Brine Resources in the Newfoundland Basin, Tooele and Box Elder Counties, Utah

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, W. W.; Jones, B. F.; Kohler, J. F.

2006-12-01

The Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Geological Survey have identified changes in Newfoundland Basin shallow-brine aquifer chemistry that resulted from pumping Great Salt Lake brine into the Newfoundland Evaporation Basin during the West Desert pumping project. The pumping project was operated by the State of Utah from April 1987, to June 1989 in an attempt to lower the historically high level of Great Salt Lake (pond elevation was 4,211.85 feet in 1986). Effects of the pumping on the Newfoundland Basin included altering the chemical character of the shallow brine aquifer by mixing two chemically different brines, and depositing a halite salt crust where none was previously reported on the lacustrine sediments of the Newfoundland Basin playa. The halite salt crust resulted from evaporation of the brine pond generated by the pumping project. Changes in the shallow-brine aquifer chemistry were determined by comparing pre-pumping brine chemistry with that of post pumping brine, and examining variation with borehole depth and location (i.e., playa periphery vs central basin topographic low) of specific analyte concentration profiles and solid-phase mineral assemblages obtained from analyses of core sample pore water and mineralogy. Brine sample analyses from 72 exploratory boreholes drilled in the Newfoundland Basin by Reynolds Metals Company during the mid 1960's provided pre-pumping brine chemistry. Post pumping chemistry was obtained from analyses of brine samples from 24 boreholes hand-augured between 1998 and 2001 in the central and peripheral portions of the Newfoundland Basin. TEQUIL, a brine equilibrium model, was used to better understand how the Great Salt Lake brines introduced into the Newfoundland Basin may have interacted with fluids contained within the Basin's shallow-brine aquifer. TEQUIL identified the sequence of mineral precipitation from evaporation of pre and post-pumping Newfoundland Basin shallow-aquifer fluids and Great Salt Lake brine. The model was also used to simulate 50-50 mixing of Great Salt Lake brine with pre-pumping Newfoundland Basin shallow-aquifer. The resulting precipitated mineral suite from sequential evaporation of the simulated brine mix was nearly identical to that from TEQUIL simulation of the post-pumping Newfoundland Basin brine. This differed from the mineral suite precipitated from the pre-pumping Newfoundland Basin brine. Examination of pore water chemistry and solid-phase mineralogy from borehole core samples taken from the playa periphery to the basin topographic low illustrate the following chemical and mineralogical generalities. At peripheral sites, magnesium and potassium concentrations decreased to near constant values below 0.5% at depths greater than 5 feet below the surface. Sulfate at similar depth ranged from 0.5 to 2% in peripheral areas. However, near the topographic low, sulfate reached 4.5% below the thickest salt crust at depths of about 3 feet, and then, along with magnesium and potassium, decreased to less than 1+ or 2% near the surface. In contrast, sulfate concentration in intermediate areas with thin salt crust, peaked near the surface but, magnesium and potassium concentrations peaked at depth. This suggests that the most recent salts precipitated from re-solution brine (generated from dissolution of halite salt crust by rain) were depleted with respect to magnesium and potassium, as compared to the deeper groundwater residuals from ancient Lake Bonneville.

The circulation of the Dead Sea brine in the regional aquifer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, Nurit; Yechieli, Yoseph; Stein, Mordechai; Yokochi, Reika; Gavrieli, Ittai; Zappala, Jake; Mueller, Peter; Lazar, Boaz

2018-07-01

Ca-chloride brines have circulated between the lakes and the adjacent aquifers throughout the history of the Dead Sea lacustrine-hydrology system. The Ein-Qedem (EQ) hydrothermal saline springs system discharging at the western shores of the modern Dead Sea is the modern manifestation of this essential and continuous process. The EQ springs comprise the most significant source of Ca-chloride brine that currently discharges into the lake. The chemical composition of EQ brine has remained virtually uniform during the past ca. 40 yr, indicating that the brine represents a large groundwater reservoir. The EQ brine evolved from ancient Ca-chloride brine that occupied the tectonic depression of the Dead Sea Basin during the Quaternary. During this period, the composition of lake's brine was affected by mixing with freshwater and formation of primary minerals. Based on chronological and geochemical data, we argue that the EQ brine comprises the epilimnetic solution of last glacial Lake Lisan that penetrated and circulated through the adjacent Judea Group aquifer. 14C and 81Kr dating indicates recharge ages spanning the time interval of ∼40-20 ka, coinciding with the period when the lake reached its highest stand (of ∼ 200 ± 30 m below msl, at ∼31-17.4 ka) and maintained a stable layered (stratified) configuration for a period of several ten thousand years. The presented evidence suggests that the circulation of the Ca-chloride brine involves penetration into the aquifer during high stands (EQ brine recharge) and its discharge back into the lake during the modern low stands (∼400 to 430 m below msl). Accordingly, the mechanism of brine circulation between the lake and the marginal aquifers is related to the long-term hydro-climate history of the Dead Sea basin and its vicinity.

Protein removal from waste brines generated during ham salting through acidification and centrifugation.

PubMed

Gutiérrez-Martínez, Maria del Rosario; Muñoz-Guerrero, Hernán; Alcaína-Miranda, Maria Isabel; Barat, José Manuel

2014-03-01

The salting step in food processes implies the production of large quantities of waste brines, having high organic load, high conductivity, and other pollutants with high oxygen demand. Direct disposal of the residual brine implies salinization of soil and eutrophication of water. Since most of the organic load of the waste brines comes from proteins leaked from the salted product, precipitation of dissolved proteins by acidification and removal by centrifugation is an operation to be used in waste brine cleaning. The aim of this study is optimizing the conditions for carrying out the separation of proteins from waste brines generated in the pork ham salting operation, by studying the influence of pH, centrifugal force, and centrifugation time. Models for determining the removal of proteins depending on the pH, centrifugal force, and time were obtained. The results showed a high efficacy of the proposed treatment for removing proteins, suggesting that this method could be used for waste brine protein removal. The best pH value to be used in an industrial process seems to be 3, while the obtained results indicate that almost 90% of the proteins from the brine can be removed by acidification followed by centrifugation. A further protein removal from the brine should have to be achieved using filtrating techniques, which efficiency could be highly improved as a consequence of the previous treatment through acidification and centrifugation. Waste brines from meat salting have high organic load and electrical conductivity. Proteins can be removed from the waste brine by acidification and centrifugation. The total protein removal can be up to 90% of the initial content of the waste brine. Protein removal is highly dependent on pH, centrifugation rate, and time. © 2014 Institute of Food Technologists®

Improved Rare Earth Element Sorption from Simulated Geothermal Brines: Effect of Gassed versus Degassed Brines

DOE Data Explorer

Dean Stull

2016-05-24

A study exploring sorption and stripping characteristics of sorption media when simulated geothermal brines are degassed or not degassed. Experiments were done at 70°C. The brines used in this study were formulated by Tusaar. The two brines used/simulated are labeled 1M and 1CF. The data consists of a Word file explaining the results and an Excel file of the data.

Zeta potential in oil-brine-sandstone system and its role in oil recovery during controlled salinity waterflooding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, S.; Jackson, M.

2017-12-01

Wettability alteration is widely recognised as a primary role in improved oil recovery (IOR) during controlled salinity waterflooding (CSW) by modifying brine composition. The change of wettability of core sample depends on adsorption of polar oil compounds into the mineral surface which influences its surface charge density and zeta potential. It has been proved that zeta potentials can be useful to quantify the wettability and incremental oil recovery in natural carbonates. However, the study of zeta potential in oil-brine-sandstone system has not investigated yet. In this experimental study, the zeta potential is used to examine the controlled salinity effects on IOR in nature sandstone (Doddington) aged with two types of crude oils (Oil T and Oil D) over 4 weeks at 80 °C. Results show that the zeta potential measured in the Oil T-brine-sandstone system following primary waterflooding decreases compared to that in fully water saturation, which is consistent with the negative oil found in carbonates study, and IOR response during secondary waterflooding using diluted seawater was observed. In the case of negative oil, the injected low salinity brine induces a more repulsive electrostatic force between the mineral-brine interface and oil-brine interface, which results in an increase disjoining pressure and alters the rock surface to be more water-wet. For Oil D with a positive oil-brine interface, the zeta potential becomes more positive compared to that under single phase condition. The conventional waterflooding fails to observe the IOR in Oil D-brine-sandstone system due to a less repulsive electrostatic force built up between the two interfaces. After switching the injection brine from low salinity brine to formation brine, the IOR was observed. Measured zeta potentials shed some light on the mechanism of wettability alteration in the oil-brine-sandstone system and oil recovery during CSW.

7 CFR 58.320 - Brine tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Brine tanks. 58.320 Section 58.320 Agriculture....320 Brine tanks. Brine tanks used for the treating of parchment liners shall be constructed of... liners. The tank should also be provided with a satisfactory drainage outlet. ...

7 CFR 58.320 - Brine tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Brine tanks. 58.320 Section 58.320 Agriculture....320 Brine tanks. Brine tanks used for the treating of parchment liners shall be constructed of... liners. The tank should also be provided with a satisfactory drainage outlet. ...

7 CFR 58.320 - Brine tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Brine tanks. 58.320 Section 58.320 Agriculture....320 Brine tanks. Brine tanks used for the treating of parchment liners shall be constructed of... liners. The tank should also be provided with a satisfactory drainage outlet. ...

7 CFR 58.320 - Brine tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Brine tanks. 58.320 Section 58.320 Agriculture....320 Brine tanks. Brine tanks used for the treating of parchment liners shall be constructed of... liners. The tank should also be provided with a satisfactory drainage outlet. ...

7 CFR 58.320 - Brine tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Brine tanks. 58.320 Section 58.320 Agriculture....320 Brine tanks. Brine tanks used for the treating of parchment liners shall be constructed of... liners. The tank should also be provided with a satisfactory drainage outlet. ...

Brine shrimp cytotoxicity of Caesalpinia pulcherrima aerial parts, antimicrobial activity and characterisation of isolated active fractions.

PubMed

Chanda, Sumitra; Baravalia, Yogesh

2011-12-01

Caesalpinia pulcherrima Swartz. is an ornamental plant, shrub or a small tree belonging to the family Caesalpiniaceae. The plant has been used for the treatment of inflammatory disorders, skin diseases and so on. In this study, the cytotoxicity of the methanol extract of the aerial parts of C. pulcherrima was tested using an Artemia salina (brine shrimp) bioassay. Further, the methanol extract was fractionated by silica gel column chromatography using a solvent gradient of hexane:ethyl acetate:methanol in different ratios and 56 fractions were collected. On the basis of thin layer chromatography profiles, 13 major fractions were obtained, which were tested for antimicrobial activity against 14 microorganisms using the agar disc diffusion method and also tested for their minimal inhibitory concentration and minimal bactericidal concentration values. In terms of cytotoxicity, the extract caused 26% mortality of brine shrimp larvae after 24 h at a concentration of 1000 µg mL(-1). Fractions 3, 9 and 10 showed significant antimicrobial activities. Phytochemical analysis of these three fractions led to the identification of 11 compounds, and their structures were established by means of gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy techniques. These findings suggest that these bioactive compounds may be useful as potential antimicrobials. Further investigation is needed to establish the mode of action of these bioactive compounds.

Studies on the antimicrobial activity and brine shrimp toxicity of Zeyheria tuberculosa (Vell.) Bur. (Bignoniaceae) extracts and their main constituents

PubMed Central

Bastos, Maria Lysete A; Lima, Maria Raquel F; Conserva, Lucia M; Andrade, Vânia S; Rocha, Eliana MM; Lemos, Rosangela PL

2009-01-01

Background Due to the indiscriminate use of antimicrobial drugs, the emergence of human pathogenic microorganisms resistant to major classes of antibiotics has been increased and has caused many clinical problems in the treatment of infectious diseases. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate for the first time the in vitro antimicrobial activity and brine shrimp lethality of extracts and isolated compounds from Zeyheria tuberculosa (Vell.) Bur., a species used in Brazilian folk medicine for treatment of cancer and skin diseases. Methods Using the disc diffusion method, bioautography assay and brine shrimp toxicity test (Artemia salina Leach), we studied the antimicrobial activity and lethality of extracts and isolated compounds against three microorganisms strains, including Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria and yeasts (Candida albicans). Results In this study, the extracts inhibited S. aureus (8.0 ± 0.0 to 14.0 ± 0.0 mm) and C. albicans (15.3 ± 0.68 to 25.6 ± 0.4 mm) growth. In the brine shrimp test, only two of them showed toxic effects (LC50 29.55 to 398.05 μg/mL) and some extracts were non-toxic or showed weak lethality (LC50 705.02 to > 1000 μg/mL). From these extracts, four flavones [5,6,7,8-tetramethoxyflavone (1), 5,6,7-trimethoxyflavone (2), 4'-hydroxy-5,6,7,8-tetramethoxyflavone (3), and 4'-hydroxy-5,6,7-trimethoxyflavone (4)] were isolated through bioassay-guided fractionation and identified based on the 1D and 2D NMR spectral data. By bioautography assays, compounds 1 [S. aureus (16.0 ± 0.0 mm) and C. albicans (20.0 ± 0.0 mm)] and 3 [S. aureus (10.3 ± 0.6 mm) and C. albicans (19.7 ± 0.6 mm)] inhibited both microorganisms while 2 inhibited only S. aureus (11.7 ± 0.6 mm). Compound 4 did not restrain the growth of any tested microorganism. Conclusion Our results showed that extracts and isolated flavones from Z. tuberculosa may be particularly useful against two pathogenic microorganisms, S. aureus and C. albicans. These results may justify the popular use this species since some fractions tested had antimicrobial activity and others showed significant toxic effects on brine shrimps. However, in order to evaluate possible clinical application in therapy of infectious diseases, further studies about the safety and toxicity of isolated compounds are needed. PMID:19450272

The evaporation path of seawater and the coprecipitation of Br- and K+ with halite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCaffrey, M. A.; Lazar, B.; Holland, H. D.

1987-01-01

Brines and salt were sampled at the Morton Bahamas solar salt production facility on Great Inagua Island in the Bahamas. The brines were analyzed by ion chromatography to define more precisely than heretofore the evaporation path of seawater to the end of the halite facies. At Inagua, calcium carbonate begins to precipitate at a brine concentration factor of 1.8 times that of seawater. Gypsum begins to precipitate at a brine concentration of 3.8 times seawater, and halite at a concentration factor of 10.6. Three of the most concentrated brines from Inagua (40 times seawater) were evaporated further in the laboratory. Magnesium sulfate first precipitated at brine concentrations about 70 times those of seawater, and potassium-bearing phases began to precipitate for these brines at concentrations greater than 90 times those of seawater. The distribution of coefficients of Br- and K+ between brines and halite were determined by combining analytical data for the Inagua brines with measurements of the Br- and K+ content of halites from Inagua and of halite which had precipitated from Inagua brines during storage. The observed average value of DBr- is 0.032, in good agreement with some of the previous measurements. The measured values of DK+ are highly variable (0.001 to 0.021); DK+ for halite precipitated early in the halite facies is in the vicinity of 0.015.

Column Experiments for Radionuclide Adsorption Studies of the Culebra Dolomite: Retardation Parameter Estimation for Non-Eluted Actinide Species

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brown, G.O.; Lucero, D.A.; Perkins, W.G.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has been developing a nuclear waste disposal facility, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), located approximately 42 km east of Carlsbad, New Mexico. The WIPP is designed to demonstrate the safe disposal of transuranic wastes produced by the defense nuclear-weapons program. Performance assessment analyses (U.S. DOE, 1996) indicate that human intrusion by inadvertent and intermittent drilling for resources provide the only credible mechanisms for significant releases of radionuclides horn the disposal system. These releases may occur by five mechanisms: (1) cuttings, (2) cavings, (3) spallings, (4) direct brine releases, and (5) long-term brine releases.more » The first four mechanisms could result in immediate release of contaminant to the accessible environment. For the last mechanism, migration pathways through the permeable layers of rock above the Salado are important, and major emphasis is placed on the Culebra Member of the Rustler Formation because this is the most transmissive geologic layer in the disposal system. For reasons of initial quantity, half-life, and specific radioactivity, certain isotopes of Th, U, Am, and Pu would dominate calculated releases from the WIPP. In order to help quanti~ parameters for the calculated releases, radionuclide transport experiments have been carried out using five intact-core columns obtained from the Culebra dolomite member of the Rustler Formation within the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site in southeastern New Mexico. This report deals primarily with results of mathematical analyses related to the retardation of %J%, 24%, and 24'Am in two of these cores (B-Core - VPX26-11A and C-Core - VPX28-6C). All B-Core transport experiments were done using Culebra-simukmt brine relevant to the core recovery location (the WIPP air-intake shaft - AIS). Most experiments with C-Core were done with AIS brine with some admixture of a brine composition (ERDA-6) that simulated deeper formation brines. No significant changes in transport behavior were observed for changes in brine. Hydraulic characteristics (i.e., apparent porosity and apparent dispersion coefficient) for the cores were obtained via experiments using conservative tracer `Na. Elution experiments carried out over periods of a few days with tracers `*U and %Np indicated that these tracers were weakly retarded as indicated by delayed elution of these species. Elution experiments with tracers `%, 24'Pu, and 24'Ani were performed, but no elution of any of these species was observed in any flow experiment to date, including experiments of up to two years duration. However, B-Core was subjected to tomographic analysis from which a retardation factor can be inferred for%. Moreover, the fact of non- elution for 24*Pu and 24'Am after more than two years brine flow through C-Core can be coupled with the minimum detectable activity for each of these species to compute minimum retardation factors in C-Core. The retardation factors for all three species can then be coupled with the apparent hydraulic characteristics to estimate an apparent minimum solutionhock distribution coefficient, &, for each actinide. The specific radionuclide isotopes used in these experiments were chosen to facilitate analysis. Even though these isotopes are not necessarily the same as those that are most important to WIPP performance, they are isotopes of the same elements, and . their chemical and transport properties are therefore identical to those of isotopes in the WIPP inventory. The retardation factors and & values deduced from experimental results strongly support the contention that sorption in the Culebra provides an effective barrier to release of Th, Pu, and Am during the regulatory period.« less

Pre-injection brine production for managing pressure in compartmentalized CO₂ storage reservoirs

DOE PAGES

Buscheck, Thomas A.; White, Joshua A.; Chen, Mingjie; ...

2014-12-31

We present a reservoir management approach for geologic CO₂ storage that combines CO₂ injection with brine extraction. In our approach, dual-mode wells are initially used to extract formation brine and subsequently used to inject CO₂. These wells can also be used to monitor the subsurface during pre-injection brine extraction so that key data is acquired and analyzed prior to CO₂ injection. The relationship between pressure drawdown during pre-injection brine extraction and pressure buildup during CO₂ injection directly informs reservoir managers about CO₂ storage capacity. These data facilitate proactive reservoir management, and thus reduce costs and risks. The brine may bemore » used directly as make-up brine for nearby reservoir operations; it can also be desalinated and/or treated for a variety of beneficial uses.« less

Direct contact, binary fluid geothermal boiler

DOEpatents

Rapier, Pascal M.

1982-01-01

Energy is extracted from geothermal brines by direct contact with a working fluid such as isobutane which is immiscible with the brine in a geothermal boiler. The geothermal boiler provides a distributor arrangement which efficiently contacts geothermal brine with the isobutane in order to prevent the entrainment of geothermal brine in the isobutane vapor which is directed to a turbine. Accordingly the problem of brine carry-over through the turbine causes corrosion and scaling thereof is eliminated. Additionally the heat exchanger includes straightening vanes for preventing startup and other temporary fluctuations in the transitional zone of the boiler from causing brine carryover into the turbine. Also a screen is provided in the heat exchanger to coalesce the working fluid and to assist in defining the location of the transitional zone where the geothermal brine and the isobutane are initially mixed.

Direct contact, binary fluid geothermal boiler

DOEpatents

Rapier, P.M.

1979-12-27

Energy is extracted from geothermal brines by direct contact with a working fluid such as isobutane which is immiscible with the brine in a geothermal boiler. The geothermal boiler provides a distributor arrangement which efficiently contacts geothermal brine with the isobutane in order to prevent the entrainment of geothermal brine in the isobutane vapor which is directed to a turbine. Accordingly the problem of brine carryover through the turbine causing corrosion and scaling thereof is eliminated. Additionally the heat exchanger includes straightening vanes for preventing startup and other temporary fluctuations in the transitional zone of the boiler from causing brine carryover into the turbine. Also a screen is provided in the heat exchanger to coalesce the working fluid and to assist in defining the location of the transitional zone where the geothermal brine and the isobutane are initially mixed.

Regional hydrogeology and hydrochemistry of deep formation waters in the Williston Basin (Canada-USA): implications for fluid migration in the basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rostron, B. J.

2010-12-01

The regional groundwater flow-system in the Williston Basin (Canada-USA) is one of the best examples of a mega-scale confined aquifer-system in the world. With its well-defined recharge and discharge areas separated by approximately 1000 km horizontal and 1 km vertical distance, the basin is an ideal natural laboratory to study regional groundwater flow and hydrochemistry. Springs and shallow water wells in the recharge and discharge areas, along with deeper oil and gas wells, allow for detailed mapping of formation-pressures. Further, these wells provide access for sampling and geochemical analyses of formation waters along flow paths. Basin-scale hydrogeological and hydrochemical mapping combined with newly obtained geochemical and isotopic data from more than 2000 wells across the basin provide new insights into the present and paleohydrogeology of the basin. Results indicate: 1) the hydrogeology and hydrochemistry of the basin must be mapped on hydrogeological (not political) boundaries; 2) many aquifers have similar water chemistries, yet unique isotopic fingerprints; 3) stable isotope distributions provide insight(s) into regional fluid flow patterns; 4) analysis of bromine concentrations and stable isotopic compositions provide evidence that at least some of the brine in the basin owes its origin to evaporated seawater and not just dissolved evaporites as previously thought; 5) regional patterns of stable isotopes and halogens can be used to trace different flow "events" in the basin's history; 6) calcium-rich brines in the center of the basin may be associated with relict calcium-rich seawaters; 7) hydrocarbon migration pathways have been variably impacted by evolving hydrodynamic conditions; and 8) there is strong evidence of past glacially-driven recharge in the current discharge area of the basin. These observations show that the hydrogeology and hydrochemistry of the basin is more complex than previously thought. Portions of the basin appear to respond rapidly to changes in boundary conditions including: the recharge areas; midline areas that have experienced extensive salt dissolution; and present discharge areas that appear to show evidence of glacially-driven recharge. Other portions of the basin appear to have had little to no fluid-flow despite being continuous and highly-permeable. Mixing, and not depth, appears to control water compositions. Insights gained from regional hydrogeology and hydrochemical provide an improved understanding the present and past mega-scale fluid migration in the Williston Basin.

Oil exudation and histological structures of duck egg yolks during brining.

PubMed

Lai, K M; Chung, W H; Jao, C L; Hsu, K C

2010-04-01

Changes in oil exudation and histological structures of salted duck egg yolks during brining up to 5 wk were investigated. During brining, the salt contents of albumen, exterior yolk (hardened portion), and interior yolk (soft or liquid portion) gradually increased accompanied by slight decreases in moisture content. The hardening ratio of salted egg yolks increased rapidly to about 60% during the first week of brining and then reached 100% at the end of brining. After brining, part of the lipids in salted egg yolk became free due to the structural changes of low-density lipoprotein induced by dehydration and increase of salt content, and more free lipids in salted egg yolk were released after the cooking process. With the brining time increased up to 5 wk, the outer region of the cooked salted yolk gradually changed into dark brown, brown, orange, and then dark brown, whereas the center region changed into light yellow, yellow, dark yellow, and then yellow again. The microstructures of cooked salted egg yolks showed that the yolk spheres in the outer and middle regions retained their original shape, with some shrinking and being packed more loosely when brining time increased, and the exuded oil filled the space between the spheres. Furthermore, the yolk spheres in the center region transformed to a round shape but still showed granulation after 4 wk of brining, whereas they were mostly disrupted after 2 to 5 wk of brining. One of the most important characteristics of cooked salted egg yolks, gritty texture, contributed to oil exudation and granulated yolk spheres were observed at the brining time of 4 wk.

Water recovery and management test support modeling for Space Station Freedom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mohamadinejad, Habib; Bacskay, Allen S.

1990-01-01

The water-recovery and management (WRM) subsystem proposed for the Space Station Freedom program is outlined, and its computerized modeling and simulation based on a Computer Aided System Engineering and Analysis (CASE/A) program are discussed. A WRM test model consisting of a pretreated urine processing (TIMES), hygiene water processing (RO), RO brine processing using TIMES, and hygiene water storage is presented. Attention is drawn to such end-user equipment characteristics as the shower, dishwasher, clotheswasher, urine-collection facility, and handwash. The transient behavior of pretreated-urine, RO waste-hygiene, and RO brine tanks is assessed, as well as the total input/output to or from the system. The model is considered to be beneficial for pretest analytical predictions as a program cost-saving feature.

Dengue antiviral activity of polar extract from Melochia umbellata (Houtt) Stapf var. Visenia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hariani Soekamto, Nunuk; Liong, S.; Fauziah, S.; Wahid, I.; Firdaus; Taba, P.; Ahmad, F.

2018-03-01

A research on the dengue antiviral activity test on the polar bark extract of M. umbelatta (Houtt.) Stapf var. Vicenia have been done to determine the relation to its activity againts brine shrimp Artemia salina. The bark was extracted by maceration with n-hexane, chloroform, and ethylacetate. The activity of the ethyl acetate extract was then tested against A. salina and dengue virus. It was found that the ethyl acetate extract was active to A. salina with the LC50 value of 101.66 μg/mL and also very active to dengue virus with the IC50 value of 1.67μg/mL. It is clear that the toxicity to brine shrimp A. salina has a positive correlation with the dengue anti virus.

An underwater robo-leader for collective motion studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez, Yair; Wilhelmus, Monica M.

2016-11-01

A wide range of aquatic species, from bacteria to large tuna, exhibits collective behavior. It has long been hypothesized that the formation of complex configurations brings an energetic advantage to the members of a group as well as protection against larger predators or harmful agents. Lately, however, laboratory experiments have suggested that both the physics and the behavioral aspects of collective motion yield more complexity than previously attributed. With the goal to understand the fluid mechanical implications behind collective motion in a laboratory setting, we have developed a new device to induce this behavior on demand. Following recent studies of lab-induced vertical migration of Artemia salina, we have designed and constructed a remotely controlled underwater robotic swimmer that acts as a leader for groups of phototactic organisms. Preliminary quantitative flow visualizations done during vertical migration of brine shrimp show that this new instrument does induce collective motion in the laboratory. With this setup, we can address the hydrodynamic effect of having different swarm configurations, a variable that so far has been challenging to study in a controllable and reproducible manner.

Lithium Sorption from Simulated Geothermal Brine: Impact of pH, Temperature, and Brine Chemistry

DOE Data Explorer

Jay Renew

2016-02-06

Lithium sorption information from experiments. Data includes the effects of pH, temperature and brine chemistry on the sorption of Lithium from a simulated geothermal brine. The sorbent used in the experiments is "hydrothermally produced, Spinel-LiMn2O4". The sorbent was produced by Carus Corporation.

UNDERSTANDING AND MANAGING RISKS POSED BY BRINES CONTAINING DISSOLVED CARBON DIOXIDE

EPA Science Inventory

Geologic disposal of supercritical carbon dioxide in saline aquifers and depleted oil and gas fields will cause large volumes of brine to become saturated with dissolved CO₂ at concentrations of 50 g/l or more.  As CO₂ dissolves in brine, the brine de...

Distribution of Cathepsin D Activity between Lysosomes and a Soluble Fraction of Marinating Brine.

PubMed

Szymczak, Mariusz

2016-08-01

This paper is the first ever to describe the phenomenon of bimodal distribution of cathepsin D in the lysosomal and soluble fractions of brine left after herring marinating. Up to 2 times higher cathepsin D activity was observed in the lysosome fraction. Activity of cathepsin D in brine increased according to the logarithmic function during low frequency-high power ultrasounds treatment or according to the linear function after multiple freezing-thawing of brine. Activity enhancement was achieved only in the brine devoid of lipids and suspension. Study results show also that measurement of lysosomal cathepsin D activity in the marinating brine requires also determining cathepsin E activity. Decreasing pore size of microfilter from 2.7 to 0.3 μm significantly reduced the lysosome content in the brine. The presence of lysosomes and the possibility of their separation as well as the likely release of cathepsins shall be considered during industrial application of the marinating brine, as new cathepsins preparations in fish and meat technology. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®

Lithium brines: A global perspective: Chapter 14

USGS Publications Warehouse

Munk, LeeAnn; Hynek, Scott; Bradley, Dwight C.; Boutt, David; Labay, Keith A.; Jochens, Hillary; Verplanck, Philip L.; Hitzman, Murray W.

2016-01-01

Lithium is a critical and technologically important element that has widespread use, particularly in batteries for hybrid cars and portable electronic devices. Global demand for lithium has been on the rise since the mid-1900s and is projected to continue to increase. Lithium is found in three main deposit types: (1) pegmatites, (2) continental brines, and (3) hydrothermally altered clays. Continental brines provide approximately three-fourths of the world’s Li production due to their relatively low production cost. The Li-rich brine systems addressed here share six common characteristics that provide clues to deposit genesis while also serving as exploration guidelines. These are as follows: (1) arid climate; (2) closed basin containing a salar (salt crust), a salt lake, or both; (3) associated igneous and/or geothermal activity; (4) tectonically driven subsidence; (5) suitable lithium sources; and (6) sufficient time to concentrate brine. Two detailed case studies of Li-rich brines are presented; one on the longest produced lithium brine at Clayton Valley, Nevada, and the other on the world’s largest producing lithium brine at the Salar de Atacama, Chile.

Chemical and isotopic changes in Williston Basin brines during long-term oil production: An example from the Poplar dome, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterman, Zell; Thamke, Joanna N.

2016-01-01

Brine samples were collected from 30 conventional oil wells producing mostly from the Charles Formation of the Madison Group in the East and Northwest Poplar oil fields on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana. Dissolved concentrations of major ions, trace metals, Sr isotopes, and stable isotopes (oxygen and hydrogen) were analyzed to compare with a brine contaminant that affected groundwater northeast of the town of Poplar. Two groups of brine compositions, designated group I and group II, are identified on the basis of chemistry and 87Sr/86Sr ratios. The solute chemistry and Sr isotopic composition of group I brines are consistent with long-term residency in Mississippian carbonate rocks, and brines similar to these contaminated the groundwater. Group II brines probably resided in clastic rocks younger than the Mississippian limestones before moving into the Poplar dome to replenish the long-term fluid extraction from the Charles Formation. Collapse of strata at the crest of the Poplar dome resulting from dissolution of Charles salt in the early Paleogene probably developed pathways for the ingress of group II brines from overlying clastic aquifers into the Charles reservoir. Such changes in brine chemistry associated with long-term oil production may be a widespread phenomenon in the Williston Basin.

Phytochemistry, Brine shrimp lethality and mice acute oral toxicity studies on seed extracts of Vernonia anthelmintica.

PubMed

Jamil, Subia; Khan, Rafeeq Alam; Afroz, Syeda; Ahmed, Shadab

2016-11-01

Despite the widespread use of Vernonia anthelmintica seeds in traditional medicine, the need to establish the safety of the Vernonia anthelmintica is required to ascertain the safe use of this herbal medicine. The aim of the present study is to establish the acute toxicity profile of different extracts of Vernonia anthelmintica. Hexane and ethanol extract of Vernonia Anthelmintica has been studied for its brine shrimp lethality potential. Water decoction (WDVA), Hexane (HEVA) and Ethanol (EEVA) extracts of Vernonia anthelmintica has also been evaluated for their in-vivo acute oral toxicity in mice by Lorke's method. Phytochemistry of all three extracts was also evaluated for the presence of their secondary metabolites. All three extracts showed the presence of flavonoids and terpenoids, while alkaloids, tannins and fixed oils were present in HEVA and EEVA. Furthermore EEVA also showed presence of carbohydrates and HEVA also showed the presence of cardiac glycosides. Ethanol and hexane extracts of Vernonia anthelmintica showed a positive cytotoxicity in brine shrimp lethality test at 24 hours with LC50 104.16 (224.0-48.05)μg/ml and 216.11μg/ml (378.2-128.7) respectively as compared to standard drug etoposide LC50 7.46μg/ml. The oral LD50 for EEVA, HEVA and WDVA in mice by Lorke's method was greater than 5000mg/kg. The result of brine shrimp lethality test clearly exhibited the presence of bioactive compounds with cytotoxic potential; however seems to be safe for oral use since LD50 was higher than 5000mg/kg and thus safety of acute dosing in vivo practices is justified.

Life Detection and Characterization of Subsurface Ice and Brine in the McMurdo Dry Valleys Using an Ultrasonic Gopher: A NASA ASTEP Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doran, P. T.; Bar-Cohen, Y.; Fritsen, C.; Kenig, F.; McKay, C. P.; Murray, A.; Sherrit, S.

2003-01-01

Evidence for the presence of ice and fluids near the surface of Mars in both the distant and recent past is growing with each new mission to the Planet. One explanation for fluids forming springlike features on Mars is the discharge of subsurface brines. Brines offer potential refugia for extant Martian life, and near surface ice could preserve a record of past life on the planet. Proven techniques to get underground to sample these environments, and get below the disruptive influence of the surface oxidant and radiation regime, will be critical for future astrobiology missions to Mars. Our Astrobiology for Science and Technology for Exploring Planets (ASTEP) project has the goal to develop and test a novel ultrasonic corer in a Mars analog environment, the McMurdo Dry valleys, Antarctica, and to detect and describe life in a previously unstudied extreme ecosystem; Lake Vida (Fig. 1), an ice-sealed lake.

Superfund record of decision (EPA Region 5): Spickler Landfill, Spencer, WI. (First remedial action), June 1992. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

The 10-acre Spickler Landfill site is an inactive municipal and industrial landfill located in Spencer, Marathon County, Wisconsin. The site consists of a mercury brine pit and two fill areas called the Old and New Fill Areas. In 1974, the state ordered the owners of the site to terminate operations and close the landfill. The ROD provides a final remedy for the first operable unit (OU1), which consists of the mercury brine pit, and the landfill. The primary contaminants of concern affecting the soil and sludge are VOCs, including benzene, PCE, toluene, and xylenes; other organics, including pesticides; metals, includingmore » arsenic, chromium, and lead; and other inorganics, including asbestos. The selected remedial action for the operable unit includes solidifying and/or stabilizing wastes in the mercury brine pit based on treatability test results, followed by installing and maintaining an impermeable and a solid waste cap over the New and Old Fill areas.« less

Anti-Candida activity and brine shrimp toxicity assay of Ganoderma boninense.

PubMed

Daruliza, K M A; Fernandez, L; Jegathambigai, R; Sasidharan, S

2012-01-01

Ganoderma (G.) boninense is a white rot fungus, which can be found in the palm oil tree. Several studies have shown that G. boninense has antimicrobial and antagonistic properties. However, there is limited information reported on antifungal properties especially on Candida (C) albicans. Hence, this study was conducted to determine the anti-Candida activity of G. boninense against C albicans. Crude methanolic extracts of G. boninense was obtained by maceration method with 70% methanol. Anti-Candida test was carried out using disc diffusion assay, broth dilution method, time killing profile and brine shrimp toxicity assay. Anti-Candida activity indicated that the mean zone of inhibition was 12.5 +/- 0.6 mm. The MIC value for C. albicans found to be 3.125 mg/ml. The result from time-killing profile showed that the growth of C albicans was inhibited hence decreases its exponential phase. For brine shrimp toxicity assay, the LC50 value was 3.59 mg/ml which proved that the extract of G. boninense is not toxic.

Origin and Evolution of Li-rich Brines at Clayton Valley, Nevada, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munk, L. A.; Bradley, D. C.; Hynek, S. A.; Chamberlain, C. P.

2011-12-01

Lithium is the key component in Li-ion batteries which are the primary energy storage for electric/hybrid cars and most electronics. Lithium is also an element of major importance on a global scale because of interest in increasing reliance on alternative energy sources. Lithium brines and pegmatites are the primary and secondary sources, respectively of all produced Li. The only Li-brine in the USA that is currently in production exists in Clayton Valley, NV. The groundwater brines at Clayton Valley are located in a closed basin with an average evaporation rate of 142 cm/yr. The brines are pumped from six aquifer units that are composed of varying amounts of volcanic ash, gravel, salt, tufa, and fine-grained sediments. Samples collected include spring water, fresh groundwater, groundwater brine, and meteoric water (snow). The brines are classified as Na-Cl waters and the springs and fresh groundwater have a mixed composition and are more dilute than the brines. The Li content of the waters in Clayton Valley ranges from less than 1 μg/L (snow) up to 406.9 mg/L in the lower ash aquifer system (one of six aquifers in the basin). The cold springs surrounding Clayton Valley have Li concentrations of about 1 mg/L. A hot spring located just east of Clayton Valley contains 1.6 mg/L Li. The Li concentration of the fresh groundwater is less than 1 mg/L. Hot groundwater collected in the basin contain 30-40 mg/L Li. Water collected from a geothermal drilling north of Silver Peak, NV, had water with 4.9 mg/L Li at a depth of >1000m. The δD and δ18O isotopic signatures of fresh groundwater and brine form an evaporation path that extends from the global meteoric water line toward the brine from the salt aquifer system (the most isotopically enriched brine with ave. δD = -3.5, ave. δ18O = -67.0). This suggests that mixing of inflow water with the salt aquifer brine could have played an important role in the evolution of the brines. Along with mixing, evaporation appears to be an important process in the brine evolution. This is evident because of the increase in Na concentration as a function of enrichment in δD for most brine samples. In contrast the non-brine waters flowing into the basin show an increase in Na at relatively constant δD indicating little evaporation. The δD of clays sampled throughout a sediment core extending to 354 m below the surface show fluctuations that likely indicate warmer and cooler periods through time. Further investigation of the relationship of past climate and Li accumulation is in progress.

Tribological Behavior of Electroless Ni-P Coatings in Various Corrosive Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panja, Bikash; Das, Suman Kalyan; Sahoo, Prasanta

2016-04-01

The present paper deals with the study of tribological characteristics, viz. friction and wear, of electroless Ni-P coating in corrosive environments (brine, acidic and alkaline) by varying different coating process parameters as well as varying the tribological testing parameters, viz. applied load and speed. The optimized results of coating process parameters for minimum friction and wear performance of the coating are presented. Moreover, a detailed study of the tribological behavior of the coating is undertaken individually for the three corrosive environments. The results obtained are compared among each other and also with the dry condition test of the coating. It is found that the friction coefficient of Ni-P coating decreases with increase in load for all environments. In case of wear, the wear rate of Ni-P coating gradually increases with increase in load for all mediums but the same decreases after 40N in brine and alkaline mediums. However, for acidic solution, the wear rate shows a continuous increasing trend. It is observed that alkaline and brine environments are favorable from friction and wear point of view of the coating, respectively. Microstructure study of the coatings is also performed and the coating is found to be of cauliflower-like morphology. The coating also exhibits amorphous structure in as-deposited condition, which gradually turns crystalline with heat treatment.

Antimicrobial and cytotoxic constituents from leaves of Sapium baccatum.

PubMed

Ahmed, Yunus; Sohrab, Md Hossain; Al-Reza, Sharif M; Tareq, Faqir Shahidulla; Hasan, Choudhury M; Sattar, M A

2010-02-01

Six compounds, namely, Lupeol (1), Betulin (2), beta-Taraxerol (3), Taraxerone (4), Stigmasterol (5) and beta-Sitosterol (6) were isolated from the petroleum ether extract of the leaves of Sapium baccatum based on spectroscopic evidence. Lupeol (1), Betulin (2) and Stigmasterol (5) were isolated for the first time from this plant. The cytotoxic potential of the different solvent extracts (methanol, petroleum ether, carbon-tetrachloride and dichloromethane); six column fractions (F-4, F-7, F-10, F-12, F-18 and F-22) of petroleum ether extract and three pure compounds 1, 4 and 6 were determined by using brine shrimp lethality bioassay. The LC50 of all the tested samples were showed to be lethal to brine shrimp nauplii. However, petroleum ether, carbon-tetrachloride extract, column fractions F-4 and F-18 of petroleum ether extract and pure compound 6 showed quite potent activity in brine shrimp lethality bioassay with LC50 1.33, 1.35, 1.40, 1.58 and 1.58 microg/ml, respectively. These result suggested that they might be contain antitumor or pesticidal activity. Further, the methanol extract and four column fractions (F-7, F-12, F-18 and F-22) of petroleum ether showed significant activity against the tested microorganisms. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cost-effective bioregeneration of nitrate-laden ion exchange brine through deliberate bicarbonate incorporation.

PubMed

Li, Qi; Huang, Bin; Chen, Xin; Shi, Yi

2015-05-15

Bioregeneration of nitrate-laden ion exchange brine is desired to minimize its environmental impacts, but faces common challenges, i.e., enriching sufficient salt-tolerant denitrifying bacteria and stabilizing brine salinity and alkalinity for stable brine biotreatment and economically removing undesired organics derived in biotreatment. Incorporation of 0.25 M bicarbonate in 0.5 M chloride brine little affected resin regeneration but created a benign alkaline condition to favor bio-based brine regeneration. The first-quarter sulfate-mainly enriched spent brine (SB) was acidified with carbon source acetic acid for using CaCl2 at an efficiency >80% to remove sulfate. Residual Ca(2+) was limited below 2 mM by re-mixing the first-quarter and remained SB to favor denitrification. Under [Formula: see text] system buffered pH condition (8.3-8.8), nitrate was removed at 0.90 gN/L/d by hematite-enriched well-settled activated sludge (SVI 8.5 ml/g) and the biogenic alkalinity was retained as bicarbonate. The biogenic alkalinity met the need of alkalinity in removing residual Ca(2+) after sulfate removal and in CaCl2-induced CaCO3 flocculation to remove 63% of soluble organic carbon (SOC) in biotreated brine. Carbon-limited denitrification was also operated after activated sludge acclimation with sulfide to cut SOC formation during denitrification. Overall, this bicarbonate-incorporation approach, stabilizing the brine salinity and alkalinity for stable denitrification and economical removal of undesired SOC, suits long-term cost-effective brine bioregeneration. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study of mixed mode fracture toughness and fracture trajectories in gypsum interlayers in corrosive environment

PubMed Central

Xiankai, Bao; Jinchang, Zhao

2018-01-01

Based on the engineering background of water dissolving mining for hydrocarbon storage in multi-laminated salt stratum, the mixed mode fracture toughness and fracture trajectory of gypsum interlayers soaked in half-saturated brine at various temperatures (20°C, 50°C and 80°C) were studied by using CSNBD (centrally straight-notched Brazilian disc) specimens with required inclination angles (0°, 7°, 15°, 22°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, 90°) and SEM (scanning electron microscopy). The results showed: (i) The fracture load of gypsum specimens first decreased then increased with increasing inclination angle, due to the effect of friction coefficient. When soaked in brine, the fracture toughness of gypsum specimens gradually decreased with increasing brine temperature. (ii) When soaked in brine, the crystal boundaries of gypsum separated and became clearer, and the boundaries became more open between the crystals with increasing brine temperature. Besides, tensile micro-cracks appeared on the gypsum crystals when soaked in 50°C brine, and the intensity of tensile cracks became more severe when soaking in 80°C brine. (iii) The experimental fracture envelopes derived from the conventional fracture criteria and lay outside these conventional criteria. The experimental fracture envelopes were dependent on the brine temperature and gradually expanded outward as brine temperature increases. (iv) The size of FPZ (fracture process zone) was greatly dependent on the damage degree of materials and gradually increased with increase of brine temperature. The study has important implication for the control of shape and size of salt cavern. PMID:29410841

Evaluation of the Malaga Bend salinity alleviation project, Eddy County, New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kunkler, J.L.

1980-01-01

In an effort to reduce the flow of brine springs in the Malaga Bend reach of the Pecos River in southeastern New Mexico, brine was pumped from an aquifer underlying the Malaga Bend reach to a local depression known as Anderson Lake. The attempt to improve the quality of river water with this experiment was not successful because brine leakage from Anderson Lake to the nearby Pecos River through permeable subsurface rocks was greater than the previous natural spring inflow. Brine leakage from Anderson Lake from July 22, 1963, through September 30, 1968, was estimated by evaporation-pan, salt accumulation, and dissolved-constituent methods. The leakage values given by these three methods are in good agreement with each other and indicate that between the dates given, leakage from the lake was about 2 ,300 acre-feet, compared with a brine inflow to the lake of about 3,690 acre-feet. Other data indicate that pumping from the brine aquifer greatly reduced the natural inflow from brine springs to the Malaga Bend reach. The rate of brine leakage from Anderson Lake is probably greater than might be expected from other brine lakes in the area because the cavities in the bottom of the lake apparently are in hydrologic connection with the Pecos River. This connection is shown by a relation between the salinity of the Pecos River and the reservoir stage of Anderson Lake. (USGS)

Ice Generation and the Heat and Mass Transfer Phenomena of Introducing Water to a Cold Bath of Brine.

PubMed

Yun, Xiao; Quarini, Giuseppe L

2017-03-13

We demonstrate a method for the study of the heat and mass transfer and of the freezing phenomena in a subcooled brine environment. Our experiment showed that, under the proper conditions, ice can be produced when water is introduced to a bath of cold brine. To make ice form, in addition to having the brine and water mix, the rate of heat transfer must bypass that of mass transfer. When water is introduced in the form of tiny droplets to the brine surface, the mode of heat and mass transfer is by diffusion. The buoyancy stops water from mixing with the brine underneath, but as the ice grows thicker, it slows down the rate of heat transfer, making ice more difficult to grow as a result. When water is introduced inside the brine in the form of a flow, a number of factors are found to influence how much ice can form. Brine temperature and concentration, which are the driving forces of heat and mass transfer, respectively, can affect the water-to-ice conversion ratio; lower bath temperatures and brine concentrations encourage more ice to form. The flow rheology, which can directly affect both the heat and mass transfer coefficients, is also a key factor. In addition, the flow rheology changes the area of contact of the flow with the bulk fluid.

Corrosion of iron by iodide-oxidizing bacteria isolated from brine in an iodine production facility.

PubMed

Wakai, Satoshi; Ito, Kimio; Iino, Takao; Tomoe, Yasuyoshi; Mori, Koji; Harayama, Shigeaki

2014-10-01

Elemental iodine is produced in Japan from underground brine (fossil salt water). Carbon steel pipes in an iodine production facility at Chiba, Japan, for brine conveyance were found to corrode more rapidly than those in other facilities. The corroding activity of iodide-containing brine from the facility was examined by immersing carbon steel coupons in "native" and "filter-sterilized" brine samples. The dissolution of iron from the coupons immersed in native brine was threefold to fourfold higher than that in the filter-sterilized brine. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analyses revealed that iodide-oxidizing bacteria (IOBs) were predominant in the coupon-containing native brine samples. IOBs were also detected in a corrosion deposit on the inner surface of a corroded pipe. These results strongly suggested the involvement of IOBs in the corrosion of the carbon steel pipes. Of the six bacterial strains isolated from a brine sample, four were capable of oxidizing iodide ion (I(-)) into molecular iodine (I(2)), and these strains were further phylogenetically classified into two groups. The iron-corroding activity of each of the isolates from the two groups was examined. Both strains corroded iron in the presence of potassium iodide in a concentration-dependent manner. This is the first report providing direct evidence that IOBs are involved in iron corrosion. Further, possible mechanisms by which IOBs corrode iron are discussed.

Chemodenitrification in the cryoecosystem of Lake Vida, Victoria Valley, Antarctica.

PubMed

Ostrom, N E; Gandhi, H; Trubl, G; Murray, A E

2016-11-01

Lake Vida, in the Victoria Valley of East Antarctica, is frozen, yet harbors liquid brine (~20% salt, >6 times seawater) intercalated in the ice below 16 m. The brine has been isolated from the surface for several thousand years. The brine conditions (permanently dark, -13.4 °C, lack of O 2 , and pH of 6.2) and geochemistry are highly unusual. For example, nitrous oxide (N 2 O) is present at a concentration among the highest reported for an aquatic environment. Only a minor 17 O anomaly was observed in N 2 O, indicating that this gas was predominantly formed in the lake. In contrast, the 17 O anomaly in nitrate (NO3-) in Lake Vida brine indicates that approximately half or more of the NO3- present is derived from atmospheric deposition. Lake Vida brine was incubated in the presence of 15 N-enriched substrates for 40 days. We did not detect microbial nitrification, dissimilatory reduction of NO3- to ammonium (NH4+), anaerobic ammonium oxidation, or denitrification of N 2 O under the conditions tested. In the presence of 15 N-enriched nitrite (NO2-), both N 2 and N 2 O exhibited substantial 15 N enrichments; however, isotopic enrichment declined with time, which is unexpected. Additions of 15 N-NO2- alone and in the presence of HgCl 2 and ZnCl 2 to aged brine at -13 °C resulted in linear increases in the δ 15 N of N 2 O with time. As HgCl 2 and ZnCl 2 are effective biocides, we interpret N 2 O production in the aged brine to be the result of chemodenitrification. With this understanding, we interpret our results from the field incubations as the result of chemodenitrification stimulated by the addition of 15 N-enriched NO2- and ZnCl 2 and determined rates of N 2 O and N 2 production of 4.11-41.18 and 0.55-1.75 nmol L -1  day -1 , respectively. If these rates are representative of natural production, the current concentration of N 2 O in Lake Vida could have been reached between 6 and 465 years. Thus, chemodenitrification alone is sufficient to explain the high levels of N 2 O present in Lake Vida. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Physical properties of NaCl-free cucumber fermentation cover brine containing calcium chloride and glycerin and apparent freezing injury of the brined fruits

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Use of glycerin and calcium chloride to reduce the freezing point and improve quality of bulk stored fermented cucumbers brined without NaCl, was explored. The incidence of pre-freezing injury on the fruits, caused by deposition in tanks containing cushion brine prepared with 2.5% calcium chloride, ...

Integrated processes for desalination and salt production: A mini-review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wenten, I. Gede; Ariono, Danu; Purwasasmita, Mubiar; Khoirudin

2017-03-01

The scarcity of fresh water due to the rapid growth of population and industrial activities has increased attention on desalination process as an alternative freshwater supply. In desalination process, a large volume of saline water is treated to produce freshwater while a concentrated brine is discharged back into the environment. The concentrated brine contains a high concentration of salt and also chemicals used during desalination operations. Due to environmental impacts arising from improper treatment of the brine and more rigorous regulations of the pollution control, many efforts have been devoted to minimize, treat, or reuse the rejected brine. One of the most promising alternatives for brine handling is reusing the brine which can reduce pollution, minimize waste volume, and recover valuable salt. Integration of desalination and salt production can be implemented to reuse the brine by recovering water and the valuable salts. The integrated processes can achieve zero liquid discharge, increase water recovery, and produce the profitable salt which can reduce the overall desalination cost. This paper gives an overview of desalination processes and the brine impacts. The integrated processes, including their progress and advantages in dual-purpose desalination and salt production are discussed.

Deep reaching fluid flow in the North East German Basin: origin and processes of groundwater salinisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tesmer, M.; Möller, P.; Wieland, S.; Jahnke, C.; Voigt, H.; Pekdeger, A.

2007-11-01

Major element chemistry, rare-earth element distribution, and H and O isotopes are conjointly used to study the sources of salinisation and interaquifer flow of saline groundwater in the North East German Basin. Chemical analyses from hydrocarbon exploration campaigns showed evidence of the existence of two different groups of brines: halite and halite Ca-Cl brines. Residual brines and leachates are identified by Br-/Cl- ratios. Most of the brines are dissolution brines of Permian evaporites. New analyses show that the pattern of rare-earth elements and yttrium (REY) are closely linked to H and O isotope distribution. Thermal brines from deep wells and artesian wells indicate isotopically evaporated brines, which chemically interacted with their aquifer environment. Isotopes and rare-earth element patterns prove that cross flow exists, especially in the post-Rupelian aquifer. However, even at depths exceeding 2,000 m, interaquifer flow takes place. The rare-earth element pattern and H and O isotopes identify locally ascending brines. A large-scale lateral groundwater flow has to be assumed because all pre-Rupelian aquifer systems to a depth of at least 500 m are isotopically characterised by Recent or Pleistocene recharge conditions.

Manganese uptake of imprinted polymers

DOE Data Explorer

Susanna Ventura

2015-09-30

Batch tests of manganese imprinted polymers of variable composition to assess their ability to extract lithium and manganese from synthetic brines at T=45C . Data on manganese uptake for two consecutive cycles are included.

Thin liquid films in improved oil recovery from low-salinity brine

DOE PAGES

Myint, Philip C.; Firoozabadi, Abbas

2015-03-19

Low-salinity waterflooding is a relatively new method for improved oil recovery that has generated much interest. It is generally believed that low-salinity brine alters the wettability of oil reservoir rocks towards a wetting state that is optimal for recovery. The mechanism(s) by which the wettability alteration occurs is currently an unsettled issue. This study reviews recent studies on wettability alteration mechanisms that affect the interactions between the brine/oil and brine/rock interfaces of thin brine films that wet the surface of reservoir rocks. Of these mechanisms, we pay particular attention to double-layer expansion, which is closely tied to an increase inmore » the thickness and stability of the thin brine films. Our review examines studies on both sandstones and carbonate rocks. We conclude that the thin-brine-film mechanisms provide a good qualitative, though incomplete, picture of this very complicated problem. Finally, we give suggestions for future studies that may help provide a more quantitative and complete understanding of low-salinity waterflooding.« less

Colloid transport in porous media: impact of hyper-saline solutions.

PubMed

Magal, Einat; Weisbrod, Noam; Yechieli, Yoseph; Walker, Sharon L; Yakirevich, Alexander

2011-05-01

The transport of colloids suspended in natural saline solutions with a wide range of ionic strengths, up to that of Dead Sea brines (10(0.9) M) was explored. Migration of microspheres through saturated sand columns of different sizes was studied in laboratory experiments and simulated with mathematical models. Colloid transport was found to be related to the solution salinity as expected. The relative concentration of colloids at the columns outlet decreased (after 2-3 pore volumes) as the solution ionic strength increased until a critical value was reached (ionic strength > 10(-1.8) M) and then remained constant above this level of salinity. The colloids were found to be mobile even in the extremely saline brines of the Dead Sea. At such high ionic strength no energetic barrier to colloid attachment was presumed to exist and colloid deposition was expected to be a favorable process. However, even at these salinity levels, colloid attachment was not complete and the transport of ∼ 30% of the colloids through the 30-cm long columns was detected. To further explore the deposition of colloids on sand surfaces in Dead Sea brines, transport was studied using 7-cm long columns through which hundreds of pore volumes were introduced. The resulting breakthrough curves exhibited a bimodal shape whereby the relative concentration (C/C(0)) of colloids at the outlet rose to a value of 0.8, and it remained relatively constant (for the ∼ 18 pore volumes during which the colloid suspension was flushed through the column) and then the relative concentration increased to a value of one. The bimodal nature of the breakthrough suggests different rates of colloid attachment. Colloid transport processes were successfully modeled using the limited entrapment model, which assumes that the colloid attachment rate is dependent on the concentration of the attached colloids. Application of this model provided confirmation of the colloid aggregation and their accelerated attachment during transport through soil in high salinity solution. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental effect of ozone upon the microbial flora of commercially produced dairy fermented products.

PubMed

Alexopoulos, A; Plessas, S; Kourkoutas, Y; Stefanis, C; Vavias, S; Voidarou, C; Mantzourani, I; Bezirtzoglou, E

2017-04-04

Ozone was used to control spoilage microorganisms during the manufacturing of dairy products. Ozone stream was applied onto the surface of freshly filled yoghurt cups just before storage for curd development in order to prevent cross contamination from spoilage airborne microorganisms. Accordingly, brine solution was bubbled with ozone for various periods of time and used for ripening of white (feta type) cheese. Both products were subjected to a continuous monitoring of microbial load and also tested for their sensorial properties. In ozonated yoghurt samples there was a reduction in mould counts of approximately 0.6Logcfu/g (25.1%) by the end of the monitoring period in relation to the control samples. In white cheese ripened with ozonated brine (1.3mg/L O 3 , NaCl 5%) it seems that ozone treatment during the two months of observation reduced some of the mould load but without offering any advantages over the use of traditional brine (NaCl 7%). However, some sensorial alterations were observed, probably due to the organic load in the brine which deactivates ozone in early stages of application. It is concluded that, if the factors of time and concentration of ozone are configured properly, ozonation could be a promising approach safeguarding the production of some dairy products. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Strontium isotope quantification of siderite, brine and acid mine drainage contributions to abandoned gas well discharges in the Appalachian Plateau

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chapman, Elizabeth C.; Capo, Rosemary C.; Stewart, Brian W.

2013-04-01

Unplugged abandoned oil and gas wells in the Appalachian region can serve as conduits for the movement of waters impacted by fossil fuel extraction. Strontium isotope and geochemical analysis indicate that artesian discharges of water with high total dissolved solids (TDS) from a series of gas wells in western Pennsylvania result from the infiltration of acidic, low Fe (Fe < 10 mg/L) coal mine drainage (AMD) into shallow, siderite (iron carbonate)-cemented sandstone aquifers. The acidity from the AMD promotes dissolution of the carbonate, and metal- and sulfate-contaminated waters rise to the surface through compromised abandoned gas well casings. Strontium isotopemore » mixing models suggest that neither upward migration of oil and gas brines from Devonian reservoirs associated with the wells nor dissolution of abundant nodular siderite present in the mine spoil through which recharge water percolates contribute significantly to the artesian gas well discharges. Natural Sr isotope composition can be a sensitive tool in the characterization of complex groundwater interactions and can be used to distinguish between inputs from deep and shallow contamination sources, as well as between groundwater and mineralogically similar but stratigraphically distinct rock units. This is of particular relevance to regions such as the Appalachian Basin, where a legacy of coal, oil and gas exploration is coupled with ongoing and future natural gas drilling into deep reservoirs.« less

Origins of hydrocarbon gas seeping out from offshore mud volcanoes in the Nile delta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prinzhofer, Alain; Deville, Eric

2013-04-01

This paper discusses the origin of gas seepages (free gas or dissolved gas in ground water or brine) sampled with the Nautile submarine during the Nautinil cruise at the seafloor of the deep water area of the Nile turbiditic system on different mud volcanoes and brine pools. Generally, the gas is wet and includes C1, C2, C3, iC4, nC4, CO2. These gas samples show no evidence of biodegradation which is not the case of the gas present in the deep hydrocarbon accumulations at depth. It indicates that the gas expelled by the mud volcanoes is not issued from direct leakages from deep gas fields. The collected gas samples mainly have a thermogenic origin and show different maturities. Some samples show very high maturities indicating that these seepages are sourced from great depths, below the Messinian salt. Moreover, the different chemical compositions of the gas samples reflect not only differences in maturity but also the fact that the gas finds its origin in different deep source rocks. Carbon dioxide has an organic signature and cannot result from carbonate decomposition or mantle fluids. The crustal-derived radiogenic isotopes show that the analyzed gas samples have suffered a fractionation processes after the production of the radiogenic isotopes, due either to oil occurrence at depth interacting with the flux of gas, and/or fractionation during the fluid migration.

Modeling Episodic Ephemeral Brine Lake Evaporation and Salt Crystallization on the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, T.; Harman, C. J.; Kipnis, E. L.; Bowen, B. B.

2017-12-01

Public concern about apparent reductions in the areal extent of the Bonneville Salt Flat (BSF) and perceived changes in inundation frequency has motivated renewed interest in the hydrologic and geochemical behavior of this salt playa. In this study, we develop a numerical modeling framework to simulate the relationship between hydrometeorologic variability, brine evaporation and salt crystallization processes on BSF. The BSF, locates in Utah, is the remnant of paleo-lake Bonneville, and is capped by up to 1 meter of salt deposition over a 100 km2 area. The BSF has two distinct hydrologic periods each year: a winter wet periods with standing surface brine and the summer dry periods when the brine is evaporated, exposing the surface salt crust. We develop a lumped non-linear dynamical models coupling conservation expressions from water, dissolved salt and thermal energy to investigate the seasonal and diurnal behavior of brine during the transition from standing brine to exposed salt at BSF. The lumped dynamic models capture important nonlinear and kinetic effects introduced by the high ionic concentration of the brine, including the pronounced effect of the depressed water activity coefficient on evaporation. The salt crystallization and dissolution rate is modeled as a kinetic process linearly proportional to the degree of supersaturation of brine. The model generates predictions of the brine temperature and the solute and solvent masses controlled by diurnal net radiation input and aerodynamic forcing. Two distinct mechanisms emerge as potential controls on salt production and dissolution: (1) evapo-concentration and (2) changes in solubility related to changes in brine temperature. Although the evaporation of water is responsible for ultimate disappearance of the brine each season ,variation in solubility is found to be the dominant control on diurnal cycles of salt precipitation and dissolution in the BSF case. Most salt is crystallized during nighttime, but the long-term salt production is driven by the seasonal evapo-concentration. Moreover, we find that the timing of the brine temperature fluctuations and salt production lags the diurnal net radiation input. The key controls on the magnitudes of these effects and phase lags are determined by analytical periodic analysis of linearized forms of the model.

Experimental investigation of CO2-brine-rock interactions at elevated temperature and pressure: Implications for CO2 sequestration in deep-saline aquifers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rosenbauer, R.J.; Koksalan, T.; Palandri, J.L.

2005-01-01

Deep-saline aquifers are potential repositories for excess CO2, currently being emitted to the atmosphere from anthropogenic activities, but the reactivity of supercritical CO2 with host aquifer fluids and formation minerals needs to be understood. Experiments reacting supercritical CO2 with natural and synthetic brines in the presence and absence of limestone and plagioclase-rich arkosic sandstone showed that the reaction of CO2-saturated brine with limestone results in compositional, mineralogical, and porosity changes in the aquifer fluid and rock that are dependent on initial brine composition, especially dissolved calcium and sulfate. Experiments reacting CO2-saturated, low-sulfate brine with limestone dissolved 10% of the original calcite and increased rock porosity by 2.6%. Experiments reacting high-sulfate brine with limestone, both in the presence and absence of supercritical CO2, were characterized by the precipitation of anhydrite, dolomitization of the limestone, and a final decrease in porosity of 4.5%. However, based on favorable initial porosity changes of about 15% due to the dissolution of calcite, the combination of CO2 co-injection with other mitigation strategies might help alleviate some of the well-bore scale and formation-plugging problems near the injection zone of a brine disposal well in Paradox Valley, Colorado, as well as provide a repository for CO2. Experiments showed that the solubility of CO2 is enhanced in brine in the presence of limestone by 9% at 25 ??C and 6% at 120 ??C and 200 bar relative to the brine itself. The solubility of CO2 is enhanced also in brine in the presence of arkosic sandstone by 5% at 120 ??C and 300 bar. The storage of CO 2 in limestone aquifers is limited to only ionic and hydraulic trapping. However, brine reacted with supercritical CO2 and arkose yielded fixation and sequestration of CO2 in carbonate mineral phases. Brine desiccation was observed in all experiments containing a discrete CO2 phase, promoting porosity-reducing precipitation reactions in aquifers near saturation with mineral phases. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The analysis of the differences between the results of the thermal response test and the data from the operation of the brine-to-water heat pump's vertical exchanger

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fidorów-Kaprawy, Natalia; Stefanowicz, Ewelina; Mazurek, Wojciech; Szulgowska-Zgrzywa, Małgorzata; Bryszewska-Mazurek, Anna

2017-11-01

The article discusses the principles and the problems of obtaining an accurate data input for the design of brine-to-water heat pump's vertical exchangers. Currently, the most accurate method is the thermal response test (TRT). Unfortunately, the test procedure has its limitations and the quality of the results depends on many factors that cannot be fully controlled during the test. As an illustration of the problems, the results of the TRT were presented. The test was executed on the vertical boreholes (one actively regenerated and one not actively regenerated during the summer) which are parts of the operating heat pump system. The test results were compared to the data from the device's operation, in particular with the measurements of the undisturbed ground temperature profiles and the actual unit energy gains from the boreholes. The level of difference between the results of the test and the data from the operation of the boreholes under the real load and the threats concerning the boreholes overload were shown. Additionally the performance differences between the actively regenerated and not actively regenerated boreholes have been emphasised.

Survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 during manufacture and storage of white brined cheese.

PubMed

Osaili, Tareq M; Al-Nabulsi, Anas A; Olaimat, Amin N; Shaker, Reyad R; Taha, Mohammad; Holley, Richard A

2014-09-01

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a major foodborne pathogen that causes severe disease in humans. Survival of E. coli O157:H7 during processing and storage of white brined cheese was investigated. Cheeses were prepared using pasteurized milk inoculated with a 4 strain E. coli O157:H7 cocktail (7 log(10) CFU/g) with or without yogurt starter culture (Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus salivarius ssp. thermophilus) and stored in 10% or 15% NaCl brine at 10 and 21 ºC for 28 d. NaCl concentration, water activity (a(w)), pH, and numbers of E. coli O157:H7 and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were determined in cheese and brine. E. coli O157:H7 was able to survive in cheese stored in both brines at 10 and 21 ºC regardless of the presence of starter LAB, although the latter significantly enhanced E. coli O157:H7 reduction in cheese or its brine at 10 ºC. E. coli O157:H7 numbers were reduced by 2.6 and 3.4 log(10) CFU/g in cheese stored in 10% and 15% NaCl brine, respectively, in the presence of starter LAB and by 1.4 and 2.3 log(10) CFU/g, respectively, in the absence of starter LAB at 10 ºC. The pathogen survived, but at lower numbers in the brines. The salt concentration of cheese stored in 10% brine remained about 5% during ripening, but in 15% brine, the NaCl level increased 1.6% to 8.1% (w/w) by 28 d. Values of pH and a(w) slightly decreased 1 d after exposure to brine and reached 5.5 to 6.6 and 0.88 to 0.94, respectively, in all treatments. © 2014 Institute of Food Technologists®

Deep well injection of brine from Paradox Valley, Colorado: Potential major precipitation problems remediated by nanofiltration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kharaka, Yousif K.; Ambats, Gil; Thordsen, James J.; Davis, Roy A.

1997-01-01

Groundwater brine seepage into the Dolores River in Paradox Valley, Colorado, increases the dissolved solids load of the Colorado River annually by ∼2.0 × 108 kg. To abate this natural contamination, the Bureau of Reclamation plans to pump ∼3540 m3/d of brine from 12 shallow wells located along the Dolores River. The brine, with a salinity of 250,000 mg/L, will be piped to the deepest (4.9 km) disposal well in the world and injected mainly into the Mississippian Leadville Limestone. Geochemical modeling indicates, and water-rock experiments confirm, that a huge mass of anhydrite (∼1.0 × 104 kg/d) likely will precipitate from the injected brine at downhole conditions of 120°C and 500 bars. Anhydrite precipitation could increase by up to 3 times if the injected brine is allowed to mix with the highly incompatible formation water of the Leadville Limestone and if the Mg in this brine dolomitizes the calcite of the aquifer. Laboratory experiments demonstrate that nanofiltration membranes, which are selective to divalent anions, provide a new technology that remediates the precipitation problem by removing ∼98% of dissolved SO4 from the hypersaline brine. The fluid pressure used (50 bars) is much lower than would be required for traditional reverse osmosis membranes because nanofiltration membranes have a low rejection efficiency (5–10%) for monovalent anions. Our results indicate that the proportion of treatable brine increases from ∼60% to >85% with the addition of trace concentrations of a precipitation inhibitor and by blending the raw brine with the effluent stream.

Application of a Re-Pd bimetallic catalyst for treatment of perchlorate in waste ion-exchange regenerant brine.

PubMed

Liu, Jinyong; Choe, Jong Kwon; Sasnow, Zachary; Werth, Charles J; Strathmann, Timothy J

2013-01-01

Concentrated sodium chloride (NaCl) brines are often used to regenerate ion-exchange (IX) resins applied to treat drinking water sources contaminated with perchlorate (ClO(4)(-)), generating large volumes of contaminated waste brine. Chemical and biological processes for ClO(4)(-) reduction are often inhibited severely by high salt levels, making it difficult to recycle waste brines. Recent work demonstrated that novel rhenium-palladium bimetallic catalysts on activated carbon support (Re-Pd/C) can efficiently reduce ClO(4)(-) to chloride (Cl(-)) under acidic conditions, and here the applicability of the process for treating waste IX brines was examined. Experiments conducted in synthetic NaCl-only brine (6-12 wt%) showed higher Re-Pd/C catalyst activity than in comparable freshwater solutions, but the rate constant for ClO(4)(-) reduction measured in a real IX waste brine was found to be 65 times lower than in the synthetic NaCl brine. Through a series of experiments, co-contamination of the IX waste brine by excess NO(3)(-) (which the catalyst reduces principally to NH(4)(+)) was found to be the primary cause for deactivation of the Re-Pd/C catalyst, most likely by altering the immobilized Re component. Pre-treatment of NO(3)(-) using a different bimetallic catalyst (In-Pd/Al(2)O(3)) improved selectivity for N(2) over NH(4)(+) and enabled facile ClO(4)(-) reduction by the Re-Pd/C catalyst. Thus, sequential catalytic treatment may be a promising strategy for enabling reuse of waste IX brine containing NO(3)(-) and ClO(4)(-). Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Production and characterization of a functional Iranian white brined cheese by replacement of dairy fat with vegetable oils.

PubMed

Achachlouei, B Fathi; Hesari, J; Damirchi, S Azadmard; Peighambardoust, Sh; Esmaiili, M; Alijani, S

2013-10-01

Full-fat cheese usually contains high amounts of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol, which may have negative health effects. In this study, full-fat white brined cheese, as a control sample, and experimental cheeses with olive and canola oils (T1, white brined cheese containing 50% canola oil, T2, white brined cheese containing 50% olive oil, T3, white brined cheese containing 100% canola oil and T4, white brined cheese containing 100% olive oil) were prepared from bovine milk. Physicochemical properties, lipolysis, proteolysis patterns and sensorial properties in the prepared samples were determined during 80 days of storage at 20-day intervals. Cheese incorporating vegetable oils showed lower amounts of saturated fatty acids and higher amounts of unsaturated fatty acids compared with the full-fat cheese (control) samples. Moisture, pH, lipolysis value, as assessed by the acid-degree value, and proteolysis values (pH 4.6 SN/TN% and NPN/TN%) significantly (p < 0.05) were increased in all samples, whereas total titrable acidity decreased during 40 days of ripening but then increased slightly. Sensory properties of white brined cheese incorporating with vegetable oils were different from those of full-fat cheese samples. White brined cheese containing olive and canola oils (100% fat substitution) received better sensory scores compared to other samples. The results showed that it is possible to replace dairy fat with olive and canola oils, which can lead to produce a new healthy and functional white brined cheese.

Purification of High Salinity Brine by Multi-Stage Ion Concentration Polarization Desalination

PubMed Central

Kim, Bumjoo; Kwak, Rhokyun; Kwon, Hyukjin J.; Pham, Van Sang; Kim, Minseok; Al-Anzi, Bader; Lim, Geunbae; Han, Jongyoon

2016-01-01

There is an increasing need for the desalination of high concentration brine (>TDS 35,000 ppm) efficiently and economically, either for the treatment of produced water from shale gas/oil development, or minimizing the environmental impact of brine from existing desalination plants. Yet, reverse osmosis (RO), which is the most widely used for desalination currently, is not practical for brine desalination. This paper demonstrates technical and economic feasibility of ICP (Ion Concentration Polarization) electrical desalination for the high saline water treatment, by adopting multi-stage operation with better energy efficiency. Optimized multi-staging configurations, dependent on the brine salinity values, can be designed based on experimental and numerical analysis. Such an optimization aims at achieving not just the energy efficiency but also (membrane) area efficiency, lowering the true cost of brine treatment. ICP electrical desalination is shown here to treat brine salinity up to 100,000 ppm of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) with flexible salt rejection rate up to 70% which is promising in a various application treating brine waste. We also demonstrate that ICP desalination has advantage of removing both salts and diverse suspended solids simultaneously, and less susceptibility to membrane fouling/scaling, which is a significant challenge in the membrane processes. PMID:27545955

Purification of High Salinity Brine by Multi-Stage Ion Concentration Polarization Desalination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Bumjoo; Kwak, Rhokyun; Kwon, Hyukjin J.; Pham, Van Sang; Kim, Minseok; Al-Anzi, Bader; Lim, Geunbae; Han, Jongyoon

2016-08-01

There is an increasing need for the desalination of high concentration brine (>TDS 35,000 ppm) efficiently and economically, either for the treatment of produced water from shale gas/oil development, or minimizing the environmental impact of brine from existing desalination plants. Yet, reverse osmosis (RO), which is the most widely used for desalination currently, is not practical for brine desalination. This paper demonstrates technical and economic feasibility of ICP (Ion Concentration Polarization) electrical desalination for the high saline water treatment, by adopting multi-stage operation with better energy efficiency. Optimized multi-staging configurations, dependent on the brine salinity values, can be designed based on experimental and numerical analysis. Such an optimization aims at achieving not just the energy efficiency but also (membrane) area efficiency, lowering the true cost of brine treatment. ICP electrical desalination is shown here to treat brine salinity up to 100,000 ppm of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) with flexible salt rejection rate up to 70% which is promising in a various application treating brine waste. We also demonstrate that ICP desalination has advantage of removing both salts and diverse suspended solids simultaneously, and less susceptibility to membrane fouling/scaling, which is a significant challenge in the membrane processes.

Magnesium compounds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kramer, D.A.

2012-01-01

Seawater and natural brines accounted for about 57 percent of magnesium compounds produced in the United States in 2011. Dead-burned magnesia was produced by Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties LLC from well brines in Michigan. Caustic-calcined magnesia was recovered from seawater by Premier Magnesia LLC in Florida, from well brines in Michigan by Martin Marietta and from magnesite in Nevada by Premier Magnesia. Intrepid Potash Wendover LLC and Great Salt Lake Minerals Corp. recovered magnesium chloride brines from the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Magnesium hydroxide was produced from seawater by SPI Pharma Inc. in Delaware and Premier Magnesia in Florida, and by Martin Marietta from its brine operation in Michigan.

Concentrated Brine Treatment using New Energy in Coal Mine Evaporation Ponds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ting; Li, Jingfeng

2017-12-01

Recently, more and more coal mine water is being advanced treated and reused in China. The concentrated brine that results from advanced treatment methods can only be evaporated in an evaporation pond. Because of limited treatment capabilities and winter freezing, evaporation ponds often overflow, causing environment contamination. In this paper, based on analysis of brine water quality and economic-technical feasibility, we present a suitable treatment method for brine in evaporation ponds as electrodialysis using solar energy. In addition, we propose a new system to treat brine in coal mine evaporation ponds, which is powered by solar and wind. The operating efficiency of this treatment system proposed in this paper can meet the concentrated brine treatment demands in most coal mines in western mining areas of China and it places the photovoltaic power generation plates on the surface of the evaporation pond on a fixed floating island, which reduces any risk associated with land acquisition. This system can enhance brine treatment efficiency, requires a reduced evaporation pond area, increases the utilization of coal mine water, and minimizes the risk of environment contamination.

Experimental multi-phase H2O-CO2 brine interactions at elevated temperature and pressure: Implications for CO2 sequestration in deep-saline aquifers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rosenbauer, R.; Koksalan, T.

2004-01-01

The burning of fossil fuel and other anthropogenic activities have caused a continuous and dramatic 30% increase of atmospheric CO2 over the past 150 yr. CO2 sequestration is increasingly being viewed as a tool for managing these anthropogenic CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. CO2-saturated brine-rock experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of multiphase H2O-CO2 fluids on mineral equilibria and the potential for CO2 sequestration in mineral phases within deep-saline aquifers. Experimental results were generally consistent with theoretical thermodynamic calculations. The solubility of CO2 was enhanced in brines in the presence of both limestone and sandstone relative to brines alone. Reactions between CO2 saturated brines and arkosic sandstones were characterized by desiccation of the brine and changes in the chemical composition of the brine suggesting fixation of CO2 in mineral phases. These reactions were occurring on a measurable but kinetically slow time scale at 120??C.

Observation and modeling of hydrothermal response to the 2015 eruption at Axial Seamount, Northeast Pacific: An OOI Cabled Observatory case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, G.; Chadwick, W. W., Jr.; Wilcock, W. S. D.; Bemis, K. G.; Nooner, S. L.; Sasagawa, G. S.; Zumberge, M. A.; Delaney, J. R.

2017-12-01

The 2015 eruption at Axial Seamount, an active volcano at a depth of 1500 m in the Northeast Pacific, marked the first time a seafloor eruption was detected and monitored by a cabled observatory - the Cabled Array operated by Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI). Following the eruption, eight cabled and non-cabled instruments recorded a temperature increase across the southern half of the caldera and neighboring areas. These temperature signals were very different from those observed after the 2011 and 1998 Axial eruptions. The 2015 temperature increase occurred later (3.5 days after deflation started versus 6-18 hours) and had a larger amplitude ( 0.7°C versus 0.2-0.5°C), a much slower increase and decay and smaller short-term fluctuations. Most remarkably, the 2015 temperature signals were synchronous and uniform across the 3 x 4.5 km2 area covered by the eight instruments. We hypothesize that the eruption triggered the release of a hydrothermal brine stored in the crust. In this interpretation, the observed temperature increases were due to a dense, bottom-hugging layer of warm salty water that was created when hot brine in the crust was flushed out after the dike intersected the zone where the brine was stored. In the absence of near-bottom salinity observations, we test this hypothesis by using a numerical model of ocean flow and transport to simulate the thermal response within the vicinity of the caldera following a brine injection. We set up the model with realistic background flows, hydrography, and seafloor topography. We simulate brine release as seafloor heat and salt inputs at locations inferred from seismic and geologic observations. Comparison of model bottom temperature with measurements shows a reasonable match. If our interpretation is correct, this is the first time that the release of a hydrothermal brine has been observed due to a submarine eruption. Prior to the next eruption, the Cabled Array observatory should be enhanced to improve the monitoring of the water column in the caldera.

Characterization of the abundant ≤0.2 μm cell-like particles inhabiting Lake Vida brine, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuhn, E.; Ichimura, A.; Peng, V.; Fritsen, C. H.; Murray, A. E.

2011-12-01

Most lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys are perennially covered with 3 to 6 m of ice, but Lake Vida is frozen from the surface through the lake bed, with ice permeated by brine channels. Brine collected from within the ice of Lake Vida is six times saltier than seawater, anoxic, with temperature of -13.4 C, pH of 6.2, high concentrations of ferrous iron (>300 μM), NH4+ (3.6 mM), and N2O (>58 μM), making it a unique environment. The first analysis of Vida brine microbial community (sampled in 2005) detected a cell rich environment (107 cells/mL), with cells falling into two size classes: ≥0.5 μm (105 cells/mL) and ~0.2 μm (107 cells/mL). Microorganisms in the domain Bacteria were detected, but Eukarya and Archaea were not. The clone library from 2005 identified Bacteria related to the phyla Proteobacteria (γ, δ, and ɛ), Lentisphaera, Firmicutes, Spirochaeta, Bacterioidetes, Actinobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and candidate Division TM7. Brine samples were collected again in the austral summer of 2010 in which one of the focus areas is interrogating the ~0.2 μm cell size class. Molecular, imaging, and elemental analyses were employed to characterize the population of nano-sized particles (NP) that pass through 0.2 μm filters. The aim of testing was to determine whether or not these particles are cells with a morphology resulting from environmental stresses. These results are being compared to the same analyses applied in the whole brine microbial community. A 0.2 μm filtrate of brine incubated for 25 days at -13 C was collected on a 0.1 μm filter. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene DGGE profile showed differences in the banding pattern and relative intensity when comparing the 0.2 μm filtrate to the whole brine community. A 16S rRNA clone library from the 0.2 μm filtrate indicated the presence of genera previously described in the 2005 whole brine community clone library like Pscychrobacter, Marinobacter, and members related to candidate Division TM7. Also, the 0.2 μm filtrate clone library includes genera not detected in the 2005 clone library like Pseudoalteromonas and β-Proteobacteria genera Herbaspirillum and Naxibacter. Confocal microscopy observations showed that DNA stains bind to the NP, suggesting that NP have a genomic component. SEM and STEM images show that the NP presents coccoid morphology, cell division behavior, and an extracellular matrix connecting cells to each other. Energy-dispersive x-ray microanalyses (EDS) detected C, O and Fe in the NP and cells >0.2 μm. Preliminary results suggest: (1) the NP presents a community composition different from the whole community, including the most abundant genera detected in the whole brine (Pscychrobacter and Marinobacter); (2) NP and some >0.2 μm cells contain Fe in their composition, suggesting an iron oxide external layer; and (3) the microbial community is connected by an uncharacterized matrix (likely comprised of an extracellular polymeric substance) linking cells to cells and cells to particles. Thus, the most abundant constituents inhabiting the unusual cryoenvironment of Lake Vida appear to be of biological origin, though their growth state and means for survival remain to be known.

Kinetic Effect on the Freezing of Ammonium-Sodium-Carbonate-Chloride Brines and Implications for Origin of Ceres' Bright Spots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hodyss, R. P.; Thomas, E. C.; Vu, T. H.; Johnson, P. V.; Choukroun, M.

2017-12-01

Subsurface brines on Ceres containing natrite (Na2CO3) and smaller amounts of NH4Cl or NH4HCO3 have been proposed to reach the dwarf planet's surface from an internal reservoir, where the brines freeze and result in bright spots across Ceres. Kinetically frozen solutions containing the likely constituents of Ceres' subsurface brines (ammonium, sodium, carbonate, and chloride ions) were studied via infrared and micro-Raman spectroscopy, where the flash-frozen mixtures were found to preferentially form ammonium chloride and ammonium bicarbonate, even in sodium-dominated solutions. Additionally, sodium chloride only formed when sodium or chloride (or both) were present in excess in the brine solutions. Raman spectroscopy was further employed to analyze the effect of vacuum exposure on these frozen brines over longer periods of time to simulate the surface conditions of Ceres.

Scanning electron microscope observations of brine shrimp larvae from space shuttle experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeBell, L.; Paulsen, A.; Spooner, B.

1992-01-01

Brine shrimp are encysted as gastrula stage embryos, and may remain dehydrated and encysted for years without compromising their viability. This aspect of brine shrimp biology is desirable for studying development of animals during space shuttle flight, as cysts placed aboard a spacecraft may be rehydrated at the convenience of an astronaut, guaranteeing that subsequent brine shrimp development occurs only on orbit and not on the pad during launch delays. Brine shrimp cysts placed in 5 ml syringes were rehydrated with salt water and hatched during a 9 day space shuttle mission. Subsequent larvae developed to the 8th larval stage in the sealed syringes. We studied the morphogenesis of the brine shrimp larvae and found the larvae from the space shuttle experiments similar in rate of growth and extent of development, to larvae grown in sealed syringes on the ground. Extensive differentiation and development of embryos and larvae can occur in a microgravity environment.

Final Work Plan for CO2 Sparging Proof of Concept Test, LCP Chemical Site

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

September 11, 2012 plan to address concerns on a pilot test of carbon dioxide sparging to neutralize pH and reduce the density of the Caustic Brine Pool (CBP) at the LCP Chemicals Superfund Site, GA. Region ID: 04 DocID: 10903388, DocDate: 09-11-2012

Brine shrimp bioassay: importance of correct taxonomic identification of Artemia (Anostraca) species.

PubMed

Ruebhart, David R; Cock, Ian E; Shaw, Glen R

2008-08-01

Despite the common use of the brine shrimp bioassay in toxicology, there is confusion in the literature regarding citation of the correct taxonomic identity of the Artemia species used. The genus Artemia, once thought to be represented by a single species Artemia salina, is now known to be composed of several bisexual species as well as parthenogenetic populations. Artemia franciscana is the best studied of the Artemia species and is considered to represent the vast majority of studies in which Artemia is used as an experimental test organism. We found that in studies referring to the use of A. salina, the zoogeography of the cyst harvest site indicated that the species used was actually A. franciscana. Those performing bioassays with Artemia need to exercise diligence in assigning correct species identification, as the identity of the test organism is an important parameter in assuring the validity of the results of the assay.

CO2 storage capacity estimates from fluid dynamics (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juanes, R.; MacMinn, C. W.; Szulczewski, M.

2009-12-01

We study a sharp-interface mathematical model for the post-injection migration of a plume of CO2 in a deep saline aquifer under the influence of natural groundwater flow, aquifer slope, gravity override, and capillary trapping. The model leads to a nonlinear advection-diffusion equation, where the diffusive term describes the upward spreading of the CO2 against the caprock. We find that the advective terms dominate the flow dynamics even for moderate gravity override. We solve the model analytically in the hyperbolic limit, accounting rigorously for the injection period—using the true end-of-injection plume shape as an initial condition. We extend the model by incorporating the effect of CO2 dissolution into the brine, which—we find—is dominated by convective mixing. This mechanism enters the model as a nonlinear sink term. From a linear stability analysis, we propose a simple estimate of the convective dissolution flux. We then obtain semi-analytic estimates of the maximum plume migration distance and migration time for complete trapping. Our analytical model can be used to estimate the storage capacity (from capillary and dissolution trapping) at the geologic basin scale, and we apply the model to various target formations in the United States. Schematic of the migration of a CO2 plume at the geologic basin scale. During injection, the CO2 forms a plume that is subject to gravity override. At the end of the injection, all the CO2 is mobile. During the post-injection period, the CO2 migrates updip and also driven by regional groundwater flow. At the back end of the plume, where water displaces CO2, the plume leaves a wake or residual CO2 due to capillary trapping. At the bottom of the moving plume, CO2 dissolves into the brine—a process dominated by convective mixing. These two mechanisms—capillary trapping and convective dissolution—reduce the size of the mobile plume as it migrates. In this communication, we present an analytical model that predicts the migration distance and time for complete trapping. This is used to estimate storage capacity of geologic formations at the basin scale.

Calcium extraction from brine water and seawater using oxalic acid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Natasha, Nadia Chrisayu; Lalasari, Latifa Hanum

2017-01-01

Calcium can be extracted not only from rocks but also from natural liquor such as seawater and brine water. In order to extract the calcium from seawater and brine water, oxalic acid was used in this research. Effect of variations of the volume of the oxalic acid at a constant concentration in seawater and brine water to produce calcium was investigated. The concentration of oxalic acid was 100 g/l and the variations of its volume were 2 ml, 4 ml, 6 ml, 8 ml, 10 ml, 20 ml, 30 ml, 40 ml, and 50 ml. The used seawater and brine water were firstly evaporated from 100 ml into 50 ml and then the oxalic acid was added into them with mixing to produce the calcium precipitates. The precipitates were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the filtrates were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The SEM analysis showed that the precipitates from brine water were consisted of only calcium compound while from seawater sodium one was also found along with calcium compound. The XRD analysis showed that the calcium was present in the form of calcium oxalate for both seawater and brine water. The ICP-OES analysis of the filtrate from seawater precipitation showed that the its calcium content was decreased from 826.20 ppm to 0.04 ppm while from brine water, it decreased from 170.06 ppm to 1.96 ppm. These results showed that both seawater and brine water have the potential to be a raw material for calcium production.

MS-BWME: A Wireless Real-Time Monitoring System for Brine Well Mining Equipment

PubMed Central

Xiao, Xinqing; Zhu, Tianyu; Qi, Lin; Moga, Liliana Mihaela; Zhang, Xiaoshuan

2014-01-01

This paper describes a wireless real-time monitoring system (MS-BWME) to monitor the running state of pumps equipment in brine well mining and prevent potential failures that may produce unexpected interruptions with severe consequences. MS-BWME consists of two units: the ZigBee Wireless Sensors Network (WSN) unit and the real-time remote monitoring unit. MS-BWME was implemented and tested in sampled brine wells mining in Qinghai Province and four kinds of indicators were selected to evaluate the performance of the MS-BWME, i.e., sensor calibration, the system's real-time data reception, Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) and sensor node lifetime. The results show that MS-BWME can accurately judge the running state of the pump equipment by acquiring and transmitting the real-time voltage and electric current data of the equipment from the spot and provide real-time decision support aid to help workers overhaul the equipment in a timely manner and resolve failures that might produce unexpected production down-time. The MS-BWME can also be extended to a wide range of equipment monitoring applications. PMID:25340455

Distillation Brine Purification for Resource Recovery Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wheeler, Raymond M.

2014-01-01

Wastewater processing systems for space generate residual brine that contains water and salts that could be recovered to life support consumables. The project assessed the use of ion-exchange resins to selectively remove salts from wastewater treatment brines. The resins were then regenerated for additional use. The intention would be to generate a Na/K and CI rich or purified brine that would then be processed into high value chemicals, such as acids, bases, and/or bleach.

Assessment of fluid distribution and flow properties in two phase fluid flow using X-ray CT technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Lanlan; Wu, Bohao; Li, Xingbo; Wang, Sijia; Wang, Dayong; Zhou, Xinhuan; Zhang, Yi

2018-04-01

To study on microscale distribution of CO2 and brine during two-phase flow is crucial for understanding the trapping mechanisms of CO2 storage. In this study, CO2-brine flow experiments in porous media were conducted using X-ray computed tomography. The porous media were packed with glass beads. The pore structure (porosity/tortuosity) and flow properties at different flow rates and flow fractions were investigated. The results showed that porosity of the packed beads differed at different position as a result of heterogeneity. The CO2 saturation is higher at low injection flow rates and high CO2 fractions. CO2 distribution at the pore scale was also visualized. ∅ Porosity of porous media CT brine_ sat grey value of sample saturated with brine CT dry grey value of sample saturated with air CT brine grey value of pure brine CT air grey value of pure air CT flow grey values of sample with two fluids occupying the pore space {CT}_{CO_2_ sat} grey value of sample saturated with CO2 {f}_{CO_2}({S}_{CO_2}) CO2 fraction {q}_{CO_2} the volume flow rate for CO2 q brine the volume flow rate for brine L Thickness of the porous media, mm L e a bundle of capillaries of equal length, mm τ Tortuosity, calculated from L e / L.

Correlation Between Analytical and Thermodynamicaly Calculated Values of Density For Chloride-sodium Brines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dudukalov, A.

Leakage from pipe-lines, nonhermetic wells and other industrial equipment of highly mineralized chloride-sodium brines, incidentally produced during oil field exploitation is one of the main source of fresh groundwater contamination on the Arlan oil field. Thermodynamic calculation, aimed to define more exactly brines chemical composi- tion and density was carried out by FREZCHEM2 program (Mironenko M.V. et al. 1997). Five brines types with mineralization of 137.9, 181.2, 217.4, 243.7, 267.8 g/l and density of 1.176, 1.09, 1.135, 1.153, 1.167 g/cm3 correspondingly were used. It is necessary to note that preliminarily chemical compositions of two last brines were corrected according to their mineralization. During calculations it was determined the following density values of brines: 1.082, 1.114, 1.131, 1.146, 1.158 g/cm3 conse- quently. Obtained results demonstrate the significant discrepancy in experimental and model estimates. Significant excess of anions over cations in experimental data indicates a major prob- lem with the analytical measurements. During calculations it was analyzed the possi- bility of changes in brines density depending on editing to cations or deducting from anions requisite amount of agent for keeping charge balance equal to zero. Received results demonstrate that in this case brines density can change on 0.004-0.011 g/cm3.

Origin of CaCl2 brines by basalt-seawater interaction: Insights provided by some simple mass balance calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardie, Lawrence A.

1983-06-01

Modern rift zone hydrothermal brines are typically CaCl2-bearing brines, an unusual chemical signature they share with certain oil field brines, fluid inclusions in ore minerals and a few uncommon saline lakes. Many origins have been suggested for such CaCl2 brines but in the Reykjanes, Iceland, geothermal system a strong empirical case can be made for a basalt-seawater interaction origin. To examine this mechanism of CaCl2 brine evolution some simple mass balance calculations were carried out. Average Reykjanes olivine tholeiite was “reacted” with average North Atlantic seawater to make an albite-chlorite-epidotesphene rock using Al2O3 as the conservative rock component and Cl as the conservative fluid component. The excess components released by the basalt to the fluid were “precipitated” at 275° C as quartz, calcite, anhydrite, magnetite and pyrite to complete the conversion to greenstone. The resulting fluid was a CaCl2 brine of seawater chlorinity with a composition remarkably similar to the actual Reykjanes brine at 1750 m depth. Thus, the calculations strongly support the idea that the Reykjanes CaCl2 brines result from “closed system” oceanic basalt-seawater interaction (albitization — chloritization mechanism) at greenschist facies temperatures. The calculation gives a seawater: basalt mass ratio of 3∶1 to 4∶1 (vol. ratio of 9∶1 to 12∶1), in keeping with experimental results, submarine vent data and with ocean crust cooling calculations. The brine becomes anoxic because there is insufficient dissolved or combined oxygen to balance all the Fe released from the basalt during alteration. Large excesses of Ca are released to the fluid and precipitate out in the form of anhydrite which essentially sweeps the brine free of sulfate leaving an elevated Ca concentration. The calculated rock-water interaction basically involves Na + Mg + SO4 ⇌ Ca + K, simulating chemical differences observed between oceanic basalts and greenstones from many mid-ocean ridges.

Miocene diagenetic and epigenetic strontium mineralization in calcareous series from Cyprus and the Arabian Gulf: Metallogenic perspective on sub- and suprasalt redox-controlled base metal deposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dill, Harald G.; Henjes-Kunst, Friedhelm; Berner, Zsolt; Stüben, Doris

2009-04-01

During the Neogene, celestite deposits evolved in the Neo-Tethys basins, in what is today called the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Gulf. Two evaporite deposits, in Cyprus and in Qatar have been investigated from the sedimentological and mineralogical point of view with emphasis placed on Sr, S and Ca isotopes of carbonate, gypsum and celestite. During the early Miocene shallow marine environments occurred in the Gulf region and in Cyprus both of which are abundant in syndiagenetic sulphate minerals. The calcareous environments had a strong impact on the fluid migration leading to the Sr mineralization. In the Gulf region algal biostromes favored the lateral migration of fluids but had a sealing effect so that any epigenetic mineralization based on vertical fluid flow was hampered. In contrast, the Cypriot depocentre overlying the Troodos ophiolite is dominated by patch and knoll reefs (bioherms) which provide enough porosity and permeability to be favorable for the circulation of fluids with a strong vertical component. Owing to these changes in the calcareous host series, epigenetic sulphate mineralization evolved in Cyprus during the late Miocene. This occurred as the Mediterranean Sea gradually became isolated from the open ocean and, as a precursor to the "Messinian salinity crisis" evaporitic brines circulated deep into the Meso-Cenozoic platform sediments and the underlying Troodos ophiolite where these fluids leached some base metals and sulphur for the celestite mineralization. The Red Sea Rifting was at full swing during the Late Miocene and its northern propagation into the Mediterranean Sea is assumed to have had a structural control on the positioning of the Sr deposits in Cyprus. In the Gulf area, the final closure of the Neo-Tethys and Zagros folding terminated deposition of marine calcareous rocks and alluvial-fluvial siliciclastic rocks were deposited across an unconformity. Missing circulation of highly saline brines was responsible for the absence of an epigenetic Sr mineralization of Cyprus-type in the Gulf area. Assemblages of light (e.g. zeolites) and heavy minerals (e.g. rutile, zoisite, clinopyroxene) and Ca isotope analyses support basic igneous rocks as the source for the detrital and dissolved matter in the depositional environments in Cyprus and the Arabian Gulf. The Ca isotope data imply formation of the sulphate and carbonate minerals in a marine environment without significant contributions of more radiogenic 40Ca coming from old continental crust, e.g., the Kyrenia Range or Mamonia Complex, both of which containing rocks as old as Permian. Cyprus-type (bioherm-type) and Gulf-type (biostrome-type) evaporites are potential progenitors of sediment-hosted mineral deposits (SHSCD) or base metal vein-type deposits. Syndiagenetic celestite-bearing evaporites of the Gulf-type are a model source and progenitor of base metal deposits of stratigraphically-controlled fixed or mobile reductants such as Kupferschiefer-type deposits. Is the Arabian Gulf a Kupferschiefer basin in the making? The epigenetic celestite-bearing mineralization of the Cyprus-type reflects an advanced stage of fluid migration relative to the celestite deposits along the Trucial coast but this brine mobilization failed to create a base metal deposit of its own mainly due to the absence of fixed or mobile reductants. These reductants were present in the western Mediterranean regions in Tunisia and Algeria, where evaporite-associated base metal deposits are going to be mined and in the Mesozoic through Cenozoic platform sediments in central Europe, where numerous suprasalt unconformity-related metal deposits were mined in the past.

Simulation of permeability evolution of leakage pathway in carbonate-rich caprocks in carbon sequestration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, B.; Fitts, J. P.; Dobossy, M. E.; Peters, C. A.

2013-12-01

Geologic carbon sequestration in deep saline aquifers is a promising strategy for mitigating climate change. A major concern is the possibility of brine and CO2 migration through the caprock such as through fractures and faults. In this work, we examine the extent to which mineral dissolution will substantially alter the porosity and permeability of caprock leakage pathways as CO2-acidified brine flows through them. Three models were developed. Firstly, a reactive transport model, Permeability Evolution of Leakage pathway (PEL), was developed to simulate permeability evolution of a leakage pathway during the injection period, and assumes calcite is the only reactive mineral. The system domain is a 100 m long by 0.2 m diameter cylindrical flow path with fixed boundaries containing a rock matrix with an initial porosity of 30% and initial permeability of 1×10-13 m2. One example result is for an initial calcite volume fraction (CVF) of 0.20, in which all the calcite is dissolved after 50 years and the permeability reaches 3.2×10-13 m2. For smaller values of CVF, the permeability reaches its final value earlier but the increase in permeability is minimal. For a large value of CVF such as 0.50, the permeability could eventually reach 1×10-12 m2, but the large amount of dissolved calcium buffers the solution and slows the reaction. After 50 years the permeability change is negligible. Thus, there is a non-monotonic relationship between the amount of calcite in the rock and the resulting permeability change because of the competing dynamics of calcite dissolution and alkalinity build-up. In the second model, PEL was coupled to an existing basin-scale multiphase flow model, Princeton's Estimating Leakage Semi-Analytical (ELSA) model. The new model, ELSA-PEL, estimates the brine and CO2 leakage rates during the injection period under conditions of permeability evolution. The scenario considered in this work is for 50 years of CO2 injection into the Mt. Simon formation in the Michigan basin at an injection rate of 1 Mt/y. As an example, for a CVF value of 5%, the brine leakage rate after fifty years for a leakage pathway 1,000 m distance from the injection well is 0.88 kg/s, which is 2.4% larger than if there were no geochemical evolution of the permeability. In a sensitivity analysis with regard to the distance between the leakage pathway and the injection well, it was found that the cumulative leakage first increases with the distance and the relationship reverses after a certain distance. When the leakage pathway is farther away, the pressure increment drops leading to less acid brine flow; meanwhile, the time before the CO2 plume reaches the pathway is longer and this lengthens the reaction time with brine. Thirdly, we explored the role that SO2 would play if it were present as a co-injectant in carbon sequestration. The reaction considered is SO2 hydrolysis to form sulfurous acid. We expect the sulfurous acid will erode the calcite faster than carbonic acid because it is a stronger acid. Contrary to intuition, the simulation results showed a decrease in permeability due to CaSO3 precipitation in replacement of CaCO3, as CaSO3 has a larger molar volume.

Guidelines to Facilitate the Evaluation of Brines for Winter Roadway Maintenance Operations.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-09-19

This document presents guidelines to facilitate the evaluation of brines for winter weather roadway maintenance applications in Texas. Brines are used in anti-icing applications which typically consist of placing liquid snow and ice control chemicals...

6. VIEW OF BRINING TANK Older, redwood model. Paddles agitated ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

6. VIEW OF BRINING TANK Older, redwood model. Paddles agitated the skins while they soaked in brine. The skins were then hung to dry. - Sealing Plant, St. George Island, Pribilof Islands, Saint George, Aleutians West Census Area, AK

Weeks Island brine diffuser site study: baseline conditions and environmental assessment technical report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

1980-12-12

This technical report presents the results of a study conducted at two alternative brine diffuser sites (A and B) proposed for the Weeks Island salt dome, together with an analysis of the potential physical, chemical, and biological effects of brine disposal for this area of the Gulf of Mexico. Brine would result from either the leaching of salt domes to form or enlarge oil storage caverns, or the subsequent use of these caverns for crude oil storage in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) program. Brine leached from the Weeks Island salt dome would be transported through a pipeline which wouldmore » extend from the salt dome either 27 nautical miles (32 statute miles) for Site A, or 41 nautical miles (47 statute miles) for Site B, into Gulf waters. The brine would be discharged at these sites through an offshore diffuser at a sustained peak rate of 39 ft/sup 3//sec. The disposal of large quantities of brine in the Gulf could have a significant impact on the biology and water quality of the area. Physical and chemical measurements of the marine environment at Sites A and B were taken between September 1977 and July 1978 to correlate the existing environmental conditions with the estimated physical extent of tthe brine discharge as predicted by the MIT model (US Dept. of Commerce, 1977a). Measurements of wind, tide, waves, currents, and stratification (water column structure) were also obtained since the diffusion and dispersion of the brine plume are a function of the local circulation regime. These data were used to calculate both near- and far-field concentrations of brine, and may also be used in the design criteria for diffuser port configuration and verification of the plume model. Biological samples were taken to characterize the sites and to predict potential areas of impact with regard to the discharge. This sampling focused on benthic organisms and demersal fish. (DMC)« less

Assessment of two-phase flow on the chemical alteration and sealing of leakage pathways in cemented wellbores

DOE PAGES

Iyer, Jaisree; Walsh, Stuart D. C.; Hao, Yue; ...

2018-01-08

Wellbore leakage tops the list of perceived risks to the long-term geologic storage of CO 2, because wells provide a direct path between the CO 2 storage reservoir and the atmosphere. In this paper, we have coupled a two-phase flow model with our original framework that combined models for reactive transport of carbonated brine, geochemistry of reacting cement, and geomechanics to predict the permeability evolution of cement fractures. Additionally, this makes the framework suitable for field conditions in geological storage sites, permitting simulation of contact between cement and mixtures of brine and supercritical CO 2. Due to lack of conclusivemore » experimental data, we tried both linear and Corey relative permeability models to simulate flow of the two phases in cement fractures. The model also includes two options to account for the inconsistent experimental observations regarding cement reactivity with two-phase CO 2-brine mixtures. One option assumes that the reactive surface area is independent of the brine saturation and the second option assumes that the reactive surface area is proportional to the brine saturation. We have applied the model to predict the extent of cement alteration, the conditions under which fractures seal, the time it takes to seal a fracture, and the leakage rates of CO 2 and brine when damage zones in the wellbore are exposed to two-phase CO 2-brine mixtures. Initial brine residence time and the initial fracture aperture are critical parameters that affect the fracture sealing behavior. We also evaluated the importance of the model assumptions regarding relative permeability and cement reactivity. These results illustrate the need to understand how mixtures of carbon dioxide and brine flow through fractures and react with cement to make reasonable predictions regarding well integrity. For example, a reduction in the cement reactivity with two-phase CO 2-brine mixture can not only significantly increase the sealing time for fractures but may also prevent fracture sealing.« less

Assessment of two-phase flow on the chemical alteration and sealing of leakage pathways in cemented wellbores

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Iyer, Jaisree; Walsh, Stuart D. C.; Hao, Yue

Wellbore leakage tops the list of perceived risks to the long-term geologic storage of CO 2, because wells provide a direct path between the CO 2 storage reservoir and the atmosphere. In this paper, we have coupled a two-phase flow model with our original framework that combined models for reactive transport of carbonated brine, geochemistry of reacting cement, and geomechanics to predict the permeability evolution of cement fractures. Additionally, this makes the framework suitable for field conditions in geological storage sites, permitting simulation of contact between cement and mixtures of brine and supercritical CO 2. Due to lack of conclusivemore » experimental data, we tried both linear and Corey relative permeability models to simulate flow of the two phases in cement fractures. The model also includes two options to account for the inconsistent experimental observations regarding cement reactivity with two-phase CO 2-brine mixtures. One option assumes that the reactive surface area is independent of the brine saturation and the second option assumes that the reactive surface area is proportional to the brine saturation. We have applied the model to predict the extent of cement alteration, the conditions under which fractures seal, the time it takes to seal a fracture, and the leakage rates of CO 2 and brine when damage zones in the wellbore are exposed to two-phase CO 2-brine mixtures. Initial brine residence time and the initial fracture aperture are critical parameters that affect the fracture sealing behavior. We also evaluated the importance of the model assumptions regarding relative permeability and cement reactivity. These results illustrate the need to understand how mixtures of carbon dioxide and brine flow through fractures and react with cement to make reasonable predictions regarding well integrity. For example, a reduction in the cement reactivity with two-phase CO 2-brine mixture can not only significantly increase the sealing time for fractures but may also prevent fracture sealing.« less

Numerical analysis of seawater circulation in carbonate platforms: II. The dynamic interaction between geothermal and brine reflux circulation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, G.D.; Whitaker, F.F.; Smart, P.L.; Sanford, W.E.

2004-01-01

Density-driven seawater circulation may occur in carbonate platforms due to geothermal heating and / or reflux of water of elevated salinity. In geothermal circulation lateral contrasts in temperature between seawater and platform groundwaters warmed by the geothermal heat flux result in upward convective flow, with colder seawater drawn into the platform at depth. With reflux circulation, platform-top waters concentrated by evaporation flow downward, displacing less dense underlying groundwaters. We have used a variable density groundwater flow model to examine the pattern, magnitude and interaction of these two different circulation mechanisms, for mesosaline platform-top waters (50???) and brines concentrated up to saturation with respect to gypsum (150???) and halite (246???). Geothermal circulation, most active around the platform margin, becomes restricted and eventually shut-off by reflux of brines from the platform interior towards the margin. The persistence of geothermal circulation is dependent on the rate of brine reflux, which is proportional to the concentration of platform-top brines and also critically dependent on the magnitude and distribution of permeability. Low permeability evaporites can severely restrict reflux whereas high permeability units in hydraulic continuity enhance brine transport. Reduction in permeability with depth and anisotropy of permeability (kv < < kh) focuses flow laterally in the shallow subsurface (<1 km), resulting in a horizontally elongated brine plume. Aquifer porosity and dispersivity are relatively minor controls on reflux. Platform brines can entrain surficial seawater when brine generating conditions cease but the platform-top remains submerged, a variant of reflux we term "latent reflux". Brines concentrated up to gypsum saturation have relatively long residence times of at least 100 times the duration of the reflux event. They thus represent a long-term control on post-reflux groundwater circulation, and consequently on the rates and spatial patterns of shallow burial diagenesis, such as dolomitization.

Strontium isotope systematics of mixing groundwater and oil-field brine at Goose Lake in northeastern Montana, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterman, Zell E.; Thamke, Joanna N.; Futa, Kiyoto; Preston, Todd

2012-01-01

Groundwater, surface water, and soil in the Goose Lake oil field in northeastern Montana have been affected by Cl−-rich oil-field brines during long-term petroleum production. Ongoing multidisciplinary geochemical and geophysical studies have identified the degree and local extent of interaction between brine and groundwater. Fourteen samples representing groundwater, surface water, and brine were collected for Sr isotope analyses to evaluate the usefulness of 87Sr/86Sr in detecting small amounts of brine. Differences in Sr concentrations and 87Sr/86Sr are optimal at this site for the experiment. Strontium concentrations range from 0.13 to 36.9 mg/L, and corresponding 87Sr/86Sr values range from 0.71097 to 0.70828. The local brine has 168 mg/L Sr and a 87Sr/86Sr value of 0.70802. Mixing relationships are evident in the data set and illustrate the sensitivity of Sr in detecting small amounts of brine in groundwater. The location of data points on a Sr isotope-concentration plot is readily explained by an evaporation-mixing model. The model is supported by the variation in concentrations of most of the other solutes.

Recovery of energy from geothermal brine and other hot water sources

DOEpatents

Wahl, III, Edward F.; Boucher, Frederic B.

1981-01-01

Process and system for recovery of energy from geothermal brines and other hot water sources, by direct contact heat exchange between the brine or hot water, and an immiscible working fluid, e.g. a hydrocarbon such as isobutane, in a heat exchange column, the brine or hot water therein flowing countercurrent to the flow of the working fluid. The column can be operated at subcritical, critical or above the critical pressure of the working fluid. Preferably, the column is provided with a plurality of sieve plates, and the heat exchange process and column, e.g. with respect to the design of such plates, number of plates employed, spacing between plates, area thereof, column diameter, and the like, are designed to achieve maximum throughput of brine or hot water and reduction in temperature differential at the respective stages or plates between the brine or hot water and the working fluid, and so minimize lost work and maximize efficiency, and minimize scale deposition from hot water containing fluid including salts, such as brine. Maximum throughput approximates minimum cost of electricity which can be produced by conversion of the recovered thermal energy to electrical energy.

An Experimental Study on Liquid Brine Formation at Gale Crater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischer, E.; Martinez, G.; Elliott, H. M.; Renno, N. O.

2014-12-01

Here we present experiments conducted in the Michigan Mars Environmental Chamber [1] to test the possibility of the formation of liquid brines from calcium perchlorate salts at Gale Crater. We tested bulk samples of Ca(ClO4)2 using Raman spectroscopy to observe spectral changes in the perchlorate band (930-990 cm-1) and the O-H vibrational stretching band (3000-3700 cm-1) of the samples. Our results indicate that brine formation by deliquescence (absorption of water vapor from the atmosphere) does not occur at Gale Crater within the time (< 2 hours) [2] when the ground temperature is above the calcium perchlorate's eutectic temperature (199 K) [3] and the relative humidity is above the deliquescence threshold (26%) [4]. On the contrary, we show that bulk liquid brine of calcium perchlorate salt forms within minutes if the salt is in direct contact with water ice. However, water ice is not expected in the shallow (tens of cm) subsurface of Gale Crater [5] and, on the sols during which frost events might have occurred at the surface, the calculated frost point (~190 K) [2] was below the eutectic temperature of the perchlorate. Liquid water is one of the necessary ingredients for the development of life as we know it. The behavior of various liquid states of H2O such as liquid brine, undercooled liquid interfacial water, subsurface melt water and ground water [6] needs to be understood in order to address the potential habitability of Mars for microbes and future human exploration. These results are relevant because they help in constraining the possible mechanisms of the formation of liquid water at Gale. References: [1] Fischer, E. et al. (2014), Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, doi:10.1002/2014GL060302.[2] Martínez, G. M. et al. (2014), American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting.[3] Marion, G. M. et al. (2010), Icarus, 207(2), 675-685, doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2009.12.003.[4] Nuding, D. et al. (2013), AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts (Vol. 45).[5] Aharonson, O., and N. Schorghofer (2006), J. Geophys. Res.111, E11007, doi:10.1029/2005JE002636.[6] Martínez, G. M., and Renno, N. O. (2013), Space Science Reviews, 175(1-4), 29-51, doi:10.1007/s11214-012-9956-3.

West Hackberry Strategic Petroleum Reserve site brine-disposal monitoring, Year I report. Volume III. Biological oceanography. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DeRouen, L.R.; Hann, R.W.; Casserly, D.M.

1983-02-01

The Department of Energy's Strategic Petroleum Reserve Program began discharging brine into the Gulf of Mexico from its West Hackberry site near Cameron, Louisiana in May 1981. The brine originates from underground salt domes being leached with water from the Intracoastal Waterway, making available vast underground storage caverns for crude oil. The effects of brine discharge on aquatic organisms are presented in this volume. The topics covered are: benthos; nekton; phytoplankton; zooplankton; and data management.

Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Historical Oil and Gas Wells in Pennsylvania: Implications for New Shale Gas Resources.

PubMed

Dilmore, Robert M; Sams, James I; Glosser, Deborah; Carter, Kristin M; Bain, Daniel J

2015-10-20

Recent large-scale development of oil and gas from low-permeability unconventional formations (e.g., shales, tight sands, and coal seams) has raised concern about potential environmental impacts. If left improperly sealed, legacy oil and gas wells colocated with that new development represent a potential pathway for unwanted migration of fluids (brine, drilling and stimulation fluids, oil, and gas). Uncertainty in the number, location, and abandonment state of legacy wells hinders environmental assessment of exploration and production activity. The objective of this study is to apply publicly available information on Pennsylvania oil and gas wells to better understand their potential to serve as pathways for unwanted fluid migration. This study presents a synthesis of historical reports and digital well records to provide insights into spatial and temporal trends in oil and gas development. Areas with a higher density of wells abandoned prior to the mid-20th century, when more modern well-sealing requirements took effect in Pennsylvania, and areas where conventional oil and gas production penetrated to or through intervals that may be affected by new Marcellus shale development are identified. This information may help to address questions of environmental risk related to new extraction activities.

Simulated flow of groundwater and brine from a flooded salt mine in Livingston County, New York, and effects of remedial pumping on an overlying aquifer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yager, Richard M.; Miller, Todd S.; Kappel, William M.; Misut, Paul E.; Langevin, Christian D.; Parkhurst, David L.; deVries, M. Peter

2012-01-01

Two ceiling collapses in the Retsof salt mine near Geneseo in upstate New York in spring 1994 resulted in the upward propagation of two columns of rubble through 600 feet of overlying shale and carbonate bedrock. This upward propagation formed a hydraulic connection between the lower confined aquifer (LCA) and the mine and allowed water from the aquifer and bedrock fracture zones that intersected the rubble columns to flow into the mine at a rate of 18,000 gallons per minute (gal/min) . All salt mining ceased in September 1995, and the mine was completely flooded by January 1996. The flow of water from the lower confined aquifer into the mine caused widespread drawdowns, and water levels in the aquifer declined by as much as 400 feet near the collapse area and by more than 50 feet at wells 7 miles to the north and south. Within 3 to 4 weeks of the collapses, water levels in about a dozen domestic and industrial wells had declined severely, and some wells went dry. Water levels in at least 58 wells in the lower and middle confined aquifers were affected by mine flooding. Groundwater in the upper unconfined aquifer and surface water in streams were unaffected by water-level drawdown, but channels of the Genesee River and Beards Creek were altered by land subsidence related to the mine collapse. Water levels recovered from 1996 through 2006, but the mine is now filled with about 15 billion gallons of saturated halite brine. The weight of the overlying rock and sediment is expected to cause the salt beds to deform and fill the mine cavity during the next several hundred years; this in turn could displace as much as 80 percent of the brine and cause it to move upward through the rubble chimneys, rendering the LCA unusable as a source of water supply. Saline water was detected in the LCA in 2002 but was found to be derived primarily from fractures in the limestone and shale units between the mine and the LCA, rather than from the mine. In September 2006, the mine company began a brine-mitigation project that entailed pumping five wells finished in limestone and shale units within the collapse areas to alter the flow gradient and thereby prevent further movement of brine and saline water into the LCA. The pumped brine was routed to an onsite desalination plant. At the same time, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began a study in cooperation with the New York State Office of the Attorney General to construct numerical models to analyze the groundwater chemistry and delineate the directions of flow. Specific objectives of the study were to: * Assess the sources of salinity within the collapse area and identify the factors that control the movement and mixing of freshwater, saline waters from fracture zones, and brine; * Evaluate the likelihood that the pumping will induce anhydrite dissolution and lead to continued land subsidence; * Construct variable-density groundwater flow models to predict the effect of remedial pumping on salinity within the LCA; * Evaluate the effectiveness of remedial pumping in preventing the movement of saline water into the LCA; and * Predict the extent of brine migration 8 years after a hypothetical shutdown of all pumping in 2008. This report (1) summarizes the hydrogeologic setting and effects of mine flooding, (2) describes the geochemical and variable-density model simulations and their principal results, (3) discusses the implications of (a) continued pumping and desalination to protect the LCA and (b) a full shutdown of pumping after 2008, and (4) suggests further research that could lead to refinement of model predictions. Additional information may be found in Yager and others (2001 and 2009). These reports can be accessed at http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/pp1611/ and http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/pp1767/, respectively. A summary of simulation results can be accessed at http://ny.water.usgs.gov/projects/Coram/seawat/seawat.html.

Microbial community profiles and microbial carbon cycling in Orca Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hyde, A.; Teske, A.; Joye, S. B.; Montoya, J. P.; Nigro, L.

2016-12-01

Orca Basin is the largest seafloor brine pools in the world, covering over 400 km2 and reaching brine layer depths of 200 m. The brine pool contains water 8 times denser than the overlying seawater and is separated from the overlying water column by a sharp pycnocline that prevents vertical mixing. The transition from ambient seawater to brine occurs over 100 m [2150 to 2250 m] and is characterized by distinct changes in temperature, salinity, chemical conditions, oxygen, and organic matter concentration. The sharp brine-seawater interface results in a sharp pycnocline, which serves as a particle trap for sinking marine organic matter. Previous studies have used lipids to show that this organic-rich interface is host to an active microbial community which is potentially involved in deep-sea carbon remineralization and metal-cycling. Additionally, previous work on methane, ethane, and propane concentrations and 13C-isotopic signatures has also implicated the brine pool, as well as the interface, as sources for biogenic low-molecular weight hydrocarbons, resulting from the high concentration of suspended organic matter above and within the brine pool. Here we investigate the profiles of microbial community composition and metabolic potential in Orca Basin, ranging from seawater through the Orca Basin chemocline and into the deep Orca Basin brine. To characterize the microbial community and stratification, we used high-throughput bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA gene sequencing of filtered water above, within, and below the Orca Basin chemocline. Our sequence data shows that three distinct and unique communities exist in the Orca Basin water column. We also use thermodynamic modeling of hydrocarbon degradation to investigate the favorability of C1-C3 hydrocarbon oxidation at the brine-seawater interface and the potential for Orca Basin to serve as a deep-sea hydrocarbon sink.

Inland Treatment of the Brine Generated from Reverse Osmosis Advanced Membrane Wastewater Treatment Plant Using Epuvalisation System

PubMed Central

Qurie, Mohannad; Abbadi, Jehad; Scrano, Laura; Mecca, Gennaro; Bufo, Sabino A.; Khamis, Mustafa; Karaman, Rafik

2013-01-01

The reverse osmosis (RO) brine generated from the Al-Quds University wastewater treatment plant was treated using an epuvalisation system. The advanced integrated wastewater treatment plant included an activated sludge unit, two consecutive ultrafiltration (UF) membrane filters (20 kD and 100 kD cutoffs) followed by an activated carbon filter and a reverse osmosis membrane. The epuvalisation system consisted of salt tolerant plants grown in hydroponic channels under continuous water flowing in a closed loop system, and placed in a greenhouse at Al-Quds University. Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) plants were selected, and underwent two consecutive hydroponic flowing stages using different brine-concentrations: an adaptation stage, in which a 1:1 mixture of brine and fresh water was used; followed by a functioning stage, with 100% brine. A control treatment using fresh water was included as well. The experiment started in April and ended in June (2012). At the end of the experiment, analysis of the effluent brine showed a remarkable decrease of electroconductivity (EC), PO43−, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and K+ with a reduction of 60%, 74%, 70%, and 60%, respectively, as compared to the influent. The effluent of the control treatment showed 50%, 63%, 46%, and 90% reduction for the same parameters as compared to the influent. Plant growth parameters (plant height, fresh and dry weight) showed no significant difference between fresh water and brine treatments. Obtained results suggest that the epuvalisation system is a promising technique for inland brine treatment with added benefits. The increasing of channel number or closed loop time is estimated for enhancing the treatment process and increasing the nutrient uptake. Nevertheless, the epuvalisation technique is considered to be simple, efficient and low cost for inland RO brine treatment. PMID:23823802

Effects of brine contamination from energy development on wetland macroinvertebrate community structure in the Prairie Pothole Region

USGS Publications Warehouse

Preston, Todd M.; Borgreen, Michael J.; Ray, Andrew M.

2018-01-01

Wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America support macroinvertebrate communities that are integral to local food webs and important to breeding waterfowl. Macroinvertebrates in PPR wetlands are primarily generalists and well adapted to within and among year changes in water permanence and salinity. The Williston Basin, a major source of U.S. energy production, underlies the southwest portion of the PPR. Development of oil and gas results in the coproduction of large volumes of highly saline, sodium chloride dominated water (brine) and the introduction of brine can alter wetland salinity. To assess potential effects of brine contamination on macroinvertebrate communities, 155 PPR wetlands spanning a range of hydroperiods and salinities were sampled between 2014 and 2016. Brine contamination was documented in 34 wetlands with contaminated wetlands having significantly higher chloride concentrations, specific conductance and percent dominant taxa, and significantly lower taxonomic richness, Shannon diversity, and Pielou evenness scores compared to uncontaminated wetlands. Non-metric multidimensional scaling found significant correlations between several water quality parameters and macroinvertebrate communities. Chloride concentration and specific conductance, which can be elevated in naturally saline wetlands, but are also associated with brine contamination, had the strongest correlations. Five wetland groups were identified from cluster analysis with many of the highly contaminated wetlands located in a single cluster. Low or moderately contaminated wetlands were distributed among the remaining clusters and had macroinvertebrate communities similar to uncontaminated wetlands. While aggregate changes in macroinvertebrate community structure were observed with brine contamination, systematic changes were not evident, likely due to the strong and potentially confounding influence of hydroperiod and natural salinity. Therefore, despite the observed negative response of macroinvertebrate communities to brine contamination, macroinvertebrate community structure alone is likely not the most sensitive indicator of brine contamination in PPR wetlands.

Seismic Signatures of Brine Release at Blood Falls, Taylor Glacier, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carr, C. G.; Pettit, E. C.; Carmichael, J.

2017-12-01

Blood Falls is created by the release of subglacially-sourced, iron-rich brine at the surface of Taylor Glacier, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. The supraglacial portion of this hydrological feature is episodically active. Englacial liquid brine flow occurs despite ice temperatures of -17°C and we document supraglacial liquid brine release despite ambient air temperatures average -20°C. In this study, we use data from a seismic network, time-lapse cameras, and publicly available weather station data to address the questions: what are the characteristics of seismic events that occur during Blood Falls brine release and how do these compare with seismic events that occur during times of Blood Falls quiescence? How are different processes observable in the time-lapse imagery represented in the seismic record? Time-lapse photography constrains the timing of brine release events during the austral winter of 2014. We use a noise-adaptive digital power detector to identify seismic events and cluster analysis to identify repeating events based on waveform similarity across the network. During the 2014 wintertime brine release, high-energy repeated seismic events occurred proximal to Blood Falls. We investigate the ground motions associated with these clustered events, as well as their spatial distribution. We see evidence of possible tremor during the brine release periods, an indicator of fluid movement. If distinctive seismic signatures are associated with Blood Falls brine release they could be identified based solely on seismic data without any aid from time-lapse cameras. Passive seismologic monitoring has the benefit of continuity during the polar night and other poor visibility conditions, which make time-lapse imagery unusable.

MODIFIED REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEM FOR TREATMENT OF PRODUCED WATERS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robert L. Lee; Junghan Dong

2004-06-03

This final report of ''Modified Reverse Osmosis System for Treatment of Produced Water,'' DOE project No. DE-FC26-00BC15326 describes work performed in the third year of the project. Several good results were obtained, which are documented in this report. The compacted bentonite membranes were replaced by supported bentonite membranes, which exhibited the same salt rejection capability. Unfortunately, it also inherited the clay expansion problem due to water invasion into the interlayer spaces of the compacted bentonite membranes. We noted that the supported bentonite membrane developed in the project was the first of its kind reported in the literature. An {alpha}-alumina-supported MFI-typemore » zeolite membrane synthesized by in-situ crystallization was fabricated and tested. Unlike the bentonite clay membranes, the zeolite membranes maintained stability and high salt rejection rate even for a highly saline solution. Actual produced brines from gas and oil fields were then tested. For gas fields producing brine, the 18,300 ppm TDS (total dissolved solids) in the produced brine was reduced to 3060 ppm, an 83.3% rejection rate of 15,240 ppm salt rejection. For oilfield brine, while the TDS was reduced from 181,600 ppm to 148,900 ppm, an 18% rejection rate of 32,700 ppm reduction, the zeolite membrane was stable. Preliminary results show the dissolved organics, mainly hydrocarbons, did not affect the salt rejection. However, the rejection of organics was inconclusive at this point. Finally, the by-product of this project, the {alpha}-alumina-supported Pt-Co/Na Y catalytic zeolite membrane was developed and demonstrated for overcoming the two-step limitation of nonoxidation methane (CH{sub 4}) conversion to higher hydrocarbons (C{sub 2+}) and hydrogen (H{sub 2}). Detailed experiments to obtain quantitative results of H{sub 2} generation for various conditions are now being conducted. Technology transfer efforts included five manuscripts submitted to peer-reviewed journals and five conference presentations.« less

Quality of cucumbers commercially fermented in calcium chloride brine without sodium salts

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Commercial cucumber fermentation produces large volumes of salty wastewater. This study evaluated the quality of fermented cucumbers produced commercially using an alternative calcium chloride brining process. Fermentation conducted in calcium brines (0.1M calcium chloride, 6mM potassium sorbate, eq...

Potential for Natural Brine for Anti-Icing and De-Icing

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-09-01

This project focused on the feasibility of the use of natural brine for anti-icing and pre-wetting in Onondaga County, : Syracuse, New York. A thorough literature review was conducted on the use of brine as an anti-icing and pre-wetting : agent both ...

Total- and methyl-mercury concentrations and methylation rates across the freshwater to hypersaline continuum of the Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA.

PubMed

Johnson, William P; Swanson, Neil; Black, Brooks; Rudd, Abigail; Carling, Greg; Fernandez, Diego P; Luft, John; Van Leeuwen, Jim; Marvin-DiPasquale, Mark

2015-04-01

We examined mercury (Hg) speciation in water and sediment of the Great Salt Lake and surrounding wetlands, a locale spanning fresh to hypersaline and oxic to anoxic conditions, in order to test the hypothesis that spatial and temporal variations in Hg concentration and methylation rates correspond to observed spatial and temporal trends in Hg burdens previously reported in biota. Water column, sediment, and pore water concentrations of methylmercury (MeHg) and total mercury (THg), as well as related aquatic chemical parameters were examined. Inorganic Hg(II)-methylation rates were determined in selected water column and sediment subsamples spiked with inorganic divalent mercury (204Hg(II)). Net production of Me204Hg was expressed as apparent first-order rate constants for methylation (kmeth), which were also expanded to MeHg production potential (MPP) rates via combination with tin reducible 'reactive' Hg(II) (Hg(II)R) as a proxy for bioavailable Hg(II). Notable findings include: 1) elevated Hg concentrations previously reported in birds and brine flies were spatially proximal to the measured highest MeHg concentrations, the latter occurring in the anoxic deep brine layer (DBL) of the Great Salt Lake; 2) timing of reduced Hg(II)-methylation rates in the DBL (according to both kmeth and MPP) coincides with reduced Hg burdens among aquatic invertebrates (brine shrimp and brine flies) that act as potential vectors of Hg propagation to the terrestrial ecosystem; 3) values of kmeth were found to fall within the range reported by other studies; and 4) MPP rates were on the lower end of the range reported in methodologically comparable studies, suggesting the possibility that elevated MeHg in the anoxic deep brine layer results from its accumulation and persistence in this quasi-isolated environment, due to the absence of light (restricting abiotic photo demethylation) and/or minimal microbiological demethylation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Total- and methyl-mercury concentrations and methylation rates across the freshwater to hypersaline continuum of the Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, William P.; Swanson, Neil; Black, Brooks; Rudd, Abigail; Carling, Gregory; Fernandez, Diego P.; Luft, John; Van Leeuwen, Jim; Marvin-DiPasquale, Mark C.

2015-01-01

We examined mercury (Hg) speciation in water and sediment of the Great Salt Lake and surrounding wetlands, a locale spanning fresh to hypersaline and oxic to anoxic conditions, in order to test the hypothesis that spatial and temporal variations in Hg concentration and methylation rates correspond to observed spatial and temporal trends in Hg burdens previously reported in biota. Water column, sediment, and pore water concentrations of methylmercury (MeHg) and total mercury (THg), as well as related aquatic chemical parameters were examined. Inorganic Hg(II)-methylation rates were determined in selected water column and sediment subsamples spiked with inorganic divalent mercury (204Hg(II)). Net production of Me204Hg was expressed as apparent first-order rate constants for methylation (kmeth), which were also expanded to MeHg production potential (MPP) rates via combination with tin reducible ‘reactive’ Hg(II) (Hg(II)R) as a proxy for bioavailable Hg(II). Notable findings include: 1) elevated Hg concentrations previously reported in birds and brine flies were spatially proximal to the measured highest MeHg concentrations, the latter occurring in the anoxic deep brine layer (DBL) of the Great Salt Lake; 2) timing of reduced Hg(II)-methylation rates in the DBL (according to both kmeth and MPP) coincides with reduced Hg burdens among aquatic invertebrates (brine shrimp and brine flies) that act as potential vectors of Hg propagation to the terrestrial ecosystem; 3) values ofkmeth were found to fall within the range reported by other studies; and 4) MPP rates were on the lower end of the range reported in methodologically comparable studies, suggesting the possibility that elevated MeHg in the anoxic deep brine layer results from its accumulation and persistence in this quasi-isolated environment, due to the absence of light (restricting abiotic photo demethylation) and/or minimal microbiological demethylation.

Short- and Long-Term Dynamics of Gas Hydrate at GC600: A Gulf of Mexico Hydrocarbon Seep

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacDonald, I. R.; Johansen, C.; Silva, M.; Daneshgar, S.; Garcia-Pineda, O. G.; Shedd, W. W.

2014-12-01

The GC600 hydrocarbon seep is located at 1200 m in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Satellite data show it to be one of the most prolific sources of natural oil slicks in the entire GOM. We mapped its seafloor oil and gas vents with 3-D seismic, swath-bathymetry acoustics and submersible observations, documenting gas hydrate deposits, brine pools, benthic fauna, and authigenic carbonates. Geophysical profiles show subbottom locations of salt bodies and migration conduits. We deployed time-lapse imaging systems focused on individual vents to quantify release rates. Oil and gas flow upward along the flanks of an allochthonous salt body from source rocks at 10,000 m and migrate to the seafloor from faults emanating from the salt. Venting to the water column and surface consists of oily bubbles and occurs in two fields separated by ~1 km. The NW vent field (Megaplume) appears to be a more recent expression and hosts about three highly active vents; while the SE vent field (Birthday Candles) hosts more than 10 vents that are generally slower. We measured discharge rates of 2.6 cm3 s-1 and Megaplume and 0.09 cm3 s-1 at Birthday Candles. Although surface deposits of gas hydrate were evident at both vent fields, the Birthday Candles area featured dozens of conical mounds formed by gas hydrate that were dark brown due to large amounts of liquid oil perfused throughout the deposits. Large brine pools indicated gas hydrate formation at the seafloor. Venting occurred in horizontal fissures on the mounds, in which oil and hydrate combined to form short-lived chimneys and balloon-like structures. Ice worms (Hesiocaeca methanicola) were extremely abundant in burrows extending from the sediment into the gas hydrate. Proceeding farther to the SE, venting is reduced and absent, but surface carbonate deposits suggest relict gas hydrate mounds. We propose that the NW to SE trend at GC600 encompasses the progressive development of a biogeochemical filter that sequesters and mineralizes a very substantial portion of the source hydrocarbon prior to discharge into the water column.

Modeling, Uncertainty Quantification and Sensitivity Analysis of Subsurface Fluid Migration in the Above Zone Monitoring Interval of a Geologic Carbon Storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Namhata, A.; Dilmore, R. M.; Oladyshkin, S.; Zhang, L.; Nakles, D. V.

2015-12-01

Carbon dioxide (CO2) storage into geological formations has significant potential for mitigating anthropogenic CO2 emissions. An increasing emphasis on the commercialization and implementation of this approach to store CO2 has led to the investigation of the physical processes involved and to the development of system-wide mathematical models for the evaluation of potential geologic storage sites and the risk associated with them. The sub-system components under investigation include the storage reservoir, caprock seals, and the above zone monitoring interval, or AZMI, to name a few. Diffusive leakage of CO2 through the caprock seal to overlying formations may occur due to its intrinsic permeability and/or the presence of natural/induced fractures. This results in a potential risk to environmental receptors such as underground sources of drinking water. In some instances, leaking CO2 also has the potential to reach the ground surface and result in atmospheric impacts. In this work, fluid (i.e., CO2 and brine) flow above the caprock, in the region designated as the AZMI, is modeled for a leakage event of a typical geologic storage system with different possible boundary scenarios. An analytical and approximate solution for radial migration of fluids in the AZMI with continuous inflow of fluids from the reservoir through the caprock has been developed. In its present form, the AZMI model predicts the spatial changes in pressure - gas saturations over time in a layer immediately above the caprock. The modeling is performed for a benchmark case and the data-driven approach of arbitrary Polynomial Chaos (aPC) Expansion is used to quantify the uncertainty of the model outputs based on the uncertainty of model input parameters such as porosity, permeability, formation thickness, and residual brine saturation. The recently developed aPC approach performs stochastic model reduction and approximates the models by a polynomial-based response surface. Finally, a global sensitivity analysis was performed with Sobol indices based on the aPC technique to determine the relative importance of these input parameters on the model output space.

Migration of Water in Litopenaeus Vannamei Muscle Following Freezing and Thawing.

PubMed

Deng, Qi; Wang, Yaling; Sun, Lijun; Li, Jianrong; Fang, Zhijia; Gooneratne, Ravi

2018-06-15

Water and protein are major constituents of shrimp, any changes in protein and the state of water influence the quality of shrimp. Therefore, a study to examine the law of moisture migration and protein denaturation under different freezing and thawing conditions is important. The proton density images of thawed frozen-shrimp revealed that the water loss during quick-freezing was much greater than that during slow freezing or microfreezing. At room temperature (25 °C), the water loss from brine-thawing was more than still-water thawing and still-water thawing was more than thawing spontaneously. Freezing-thawing resulted in uniform water redistribution in shrimp muscle. Nuclear magnetic resonance technology (low field magnetic imaging) was used to directly monitor the dynamic processes of fluidity state in shrimp and indirectly monitor protein denaturation and thereby determine the optimal method of freezing-thawing shrimp. Our research showed that microfreezing preservation minimized weight loss, juice leakage and protein denaturation in shrimp muscle during thawing. Water is one of the major components in most organs and is an important factor that influences the shrimp muscle quality. Water migration patterns and subsequent effects on the shrimp muscle under different freezing and thawing conditions were examined using low field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology. This research provides a theoretical foundation for shrimp processing plants to improve the freezing and thawing process to obtain optimal quality and flavor of shrimp products. © 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.

A refined genetic model for the Laisvall and Vassbo Mississippi Valley-type sandstone-hosted deposits, Sweden: constraints from paragenetic studies, organic geochemistry, and S, C, N, and Sr isotope data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saintilan, Nicolas J.; Spangenberg, Jorge E.; Samankassou, Elias; Kouzmanov, Kalin; Chiaradia, Massimo; Stephens, Michael B.; Fontboté, Lluís

2016-06-01

The current study has aimed to refine the previously proposed two-fluid mixing model for the Laisvall (sphalerite Rb-Sr age of 467 ± 5 Ma) and Vassbo Mississippi Valley-type deposits hosted in Ediacaran to Cambrian sandstone, Sweden. Premineralization cements include authigenic monazite, fluorapatite, and anatase in the Upper Sandstone at Laisvall, reflecting anoxic conditions during sandstone burial influenced by the euxinic character of the overlying carbonaceous middle Cambrian to Lower Ordovician Alum Shale Formation ( δ 13Corg = -33.0 to -29.5 ‰, δ 15Norg = 1.5 to 3.3 ‰, 0.33 to 3.03 wt% C, 0.02 to 0.08 wt% N). The available porosity for epigenetic mineralization, including that produced by subsequent partial dissolution of pre-Pb-Zn sulfide calcite and barite cements, was much higher in calcite- and barite-cemented sandstone paleoaquifers (29 % by QEMSCAN mapping) than in those mainly cemented by quartz (8 %). A major change in the Laisvall plumbing system is recognized by the transition from barite cementation to Pb-Zn sulfide precipitation in sandstone. Ba-bearing, reduced, and neutral fluids had a long premineralization residence time (highly radiogenic 87S/86Sr ratios of 0.718 to 0.723) in basement structures. As a result of an early Caledonian arc-continent collision and the development of a foreland basin, fluids migrated toward the craton and expelled Ba-bearing fluids from their host structures into overlying sandstone where they deposited barite upon mixing with a sulfate pool ( δ 34Sbarite = 14 to 33 ‰). Subsequently, slightly acidic brines initially residing in pre-Ediacaran rift sediments in the foredeep of the early Caledonian foreland basin migrated through the same plumbing system and acquired metals on the way. The bulk of Pb-Zn mineralization formed at temperatures between 120 and 180 °C by mixing of these brines with a pool of H2S ( δ 34S = 24 to 29 ‰) produced via thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR) with oxidation of hydrocarbons in sandstone. Other minor H2S sources are identified. Upward migration and fluctuation of the hydrocarbon-water interface in sandstone below shale aquicludes and the formation of H2S along this interface explain the shape of the orebodies that splay out like smoke from a chimney and the conspicuous alternating layers of galena and sphalerite. Intimate intergrowth of bitumen with sphalerite suggests that subordinate amounts of H2S might have been produced by TSR during Pb-Zn mineralization. Gas chromatograms of the saturated hydrocarbon fraction from organic-rich shale and from both mineralized and barren sandstone samples indicate that hydrocarbons migrated from source rocks in the overlying Alum Shale Formation buried in the foredeep into sandstone, where they accumulated in favorable traps in the forebulge setting.

Fermentation of cucumbers brined with calcium chloride instead of sodium chloride

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Generation of waste water containing sodium chloride from cucumber fermentation tank yards could be eliminated if cucumbers were fermented in brines that did not contain this salt. To determine if this is feasible, cucumbers were fermented in brines that contained only calcium chloride to maintain f...

Norm removal from frac water

DOEpatents

Silva, James Manio; Matis, Hope; Kostedt, IV, William Leonard

2014-11-18

A method for treating low barium frac water includes contacting a frac water stream with a radium selective complexing resin to produce a low radium stream, passing the low radium stream through a thermal brine concentrator to produce a concentrated brine; and passing the concentrated brine through a thermal crystallizer to yield road salt.

Fermentation cover brine reformulation for cucumber processing with low salt to reduce bloater defect

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Reformulation of calcium chloride cover brine for cucumber fermentation was explored as a mean to minimize the incidence of bloater defect. This study particularly focused on cover brine supplementation with calcium hydroxide, sodium chloride (NaCl), and acids to enhance buffer capacity, inhibit the...

Potential for natural brine for anti-icing and de-icing.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-09-01

This project focused on the feasibility of the use of natural brine for anti-icing and pre-wetting in Onondaga County, Syracuse, New York. A thorough literature review was conducted on the use of brine as an anti-icing and pre-wetting agent both in t...

Characterization of brines and evaporites of Lake Katwe, Uganda

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasedde, Hillary; Kirabira, John Baptist; Bäbler, Matthäus U.; Tilliander, Anders; Jonsson, Stefan

2014-03-01

Lake Katwe brines and evaporites were investigated to determine their chemical, mineralogical and morphological composition. 30 brine samples and 3 solid salt samples (evaporites) were collected from different locations of the lake deposit. Several analytical techniques were used to determine the chemical composition of the samples including Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES), Inductively Coupled Plasma-Sector Field Mass Spectrometry (ICP-SFMS), ion chromatography, and potentiometric titration. The mineralogical composition and morphology of the evaporites was determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Physical parameters of the lake brines such as density, electrical conductivity, pH, and salinity were also studied. The results show that the lake brines are highly alkaline and rich in Na+, Cl-, CO32-, SO42-, and HCO3- with lesser amounts of K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Br-, and F- ions. The brines show an intermediate transition between Na-Cl and Na-HCO3 water types. Among the trace metals, the lake brines were found to be enriched in B, I, Sr, Fe, Mo, Ba, and Mn. The solid salts are composed of halite mixed with other salts such as hanksite, burkeite and trona. It was also observed that the composition of the salts varies considerably even within the same grades.

Water Recovery from Brines to Further Close the Water Recovery Loop in Human Spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, W. Andrew; Barta, Daniel J.; Anderson, Molly S.; Lange, Kevin E.; Hanford, Anthony J.; Shull, Sarah A.; Carter, D. Layne

2014-01-01

Further closure of water recovery systems will be necessary for future long duration human exploration missions. NASA's Space Technology Roadmap for Human Health, Life Support and Habitation Systems specified a milestone to advance water management technologies during the 2015 to 2019 timeframe to achieve 98% H2O recovery from a mixed wastewater stream containing condensate, urine, hygiene, laundry, and water derived from waste. This goal can only be achieved by either reducing the amount of brines produced by a water recovery system or by recovering water from wastewater brines. NASA convened a Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM) on the topic of Water Recovery from Brines (WRB) that was held on January14-15th, 2014 at Johnson Space Center. Objectives of the TIM were to review systems and architectures that are sources of brines and the composition of brines they produce, review the state of the art in NASA technology development and perspectives from other industries, capture the challenges and difficulties in developing brine processing hardware, identify key figures of merit and requirements to focus technology development and evaluate candidate technologies, and identify other critical issues including microgravity sensitivity, and concepts of operation, safety. This paper represents an initial summary of findings from the workshop.

Perchlorate and nitrate treatment by ion exchange integrated with biological brine treatment.

PubMed

Lehman, S Geno; Badruzzaman, Mohammad; Adham, Samer; Roberts, Deborah J; Clifford, Dennis A

2008-02-01

Groundwater contaminated with perchlorate and nitrate was treated in a pilot plant using a commercially available ion exchange (IX) resin. Regenerant brine concentrate from the IX process, containing high perchlorate and nitrate, was treated biologically and the treated brine was reused in IX resin regeneration. The nitrate concentration of the feed water determined the exhaustion lifetime (i.e., regeneration frequency) of the resin; and the regeneration condition was determined by the perchlorate elution profile from the exhausted resin. The biological brine treatment system, using a salt-tolerant perchlorate- and nitrate-reducing culture, was housed in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The biological process consistently reduced perchlorate and nitrate concentrations in the spent brine to below the treatment goals of 500 microg ClO4(-)/L and 0.5mg NO3(-)-N/L determined by equilibrium multicomponent IX modeling. During 20 cycles of regeneration, the system consistently treated the drinking water to below the MCL of nitrate (10 mgNO3(-)-N/L) and the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) notification level of perchlorate (i.e., 6 microg/L). A conceptual cost analysis of the IX process estimated that perchlorate and nitrate treatment using the IX process with biological brine treatment to be approximately 20% less expensive than using the conventional IX with brine disposal.

Chemical composition of selected Kansas brines as an aid to interpreting change in water chemistry with depth

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dingman, R.J.; Angino, E.E.

1969-01-01

Chemical analyses of approximately 1,881 samples of water from selected Kansas brines define the variations of water chemistry with depth and aquifer age. The most concentrated brines are found in the Permian rocks which occupy the intermediate section of the geologic column of this area. Salinity decreases below the Permian until the Ordovician (Arbuckle) horizon is reached and then increases until the Precambrian basement rocks are reached. Chemically, the petroleum brines studied in this small area fit the generally accepted pattern of an increase in calcium, sodium and chloride content with increasing salinity. They do not fit the often-predicted trend of increases in the calcium to chloride ratio, calcium content and salinity with depth and geologic age. The calcium to chloride ratio tends to be asymptotic to about 0.2 with increasing chloride content. Sulfate tends to decrease with increasing calcium content. Bicarbonate content is relatively constant with depth. If many of the hypotheses concerning the chemistry of petroleum brines are valid, then the brines studied are anomolous. An alternative lies in accepting the thesis that exceptions to these hypotheses are rapidly becoming the rule and that indeed we still do not have a valid and general hypothesis to explain the origin and chemistry of petroleum brines. ?? 1969.

Refractive-index measurements in freezing sea-ice and sodium chloride brines.

PubMed

Maykut, G A; Light, B

1995-02-20

Sea ice contains numerous pockets of brine and precipitated salts whose size and number distributions change dramatically with temperature. Theoretical treatment of scattering produced by these inclusions requires information on refractive-index differences among the brine, salts, and surrounding ice. Lacking specific data on refractive-index variations in the brine, we carried out laboratory measurements in freezing-equilibrium solutions between -2 and -32 °C. Index values at 589 nm increased from 1.341 to 1.397 over this temperature range, corresponding to salinities of 35 and 240 parts per thousand (ppt). Spectral data were also taken at 50-nm intervals between 400 and 700 nm in nonequilibrium solutions with salinities ranging up to 300 ppt. Spectral gradients increased slightly with salinity but showed no measurable dependence on temperature between +12 and -16 °C. The Lorentz-Lorenz equation, combined with data on density, molar refractivities, and brine composition, yielded temperature-dependent index predictions in excellent agreement with the experimental data. Similar index and density measurements in freezing sodium chloride brines yielded values nearly identical to those in the sea-ice brines. The absence of mirabilite crystals in sodium chloride ice, however, will cause it to have higher transmissivity and lower reflectivity than sea ice above -22 °C.

Cryogenic formation of brine and sedimentary mirabilite in submergent coastal lake basins, Canadian Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grasby, Stephen E.; Rod Smith, I.; Bell, Trevor; Forbes, Donald L.

2013-06-01

Two informally named basins (Mirabilite Basins 1 and 2) along a submergent coastline on Banks Island, Canadian Arctic Archipelago, host up to 1 m-thick accumulations of mirabilite (Na2SO4·10H2O) underlying stratified water bodies with basal anoxic brines. Unlike isostatically uplifting coastlines that trap seawater in coastal basins, these basins formed from freshwater lakes that were transgressed by seawater. The depth of the sill that separates the basins from the sea is shallow (1.15 m), such that seasonal sea ice formation down to 1.6 m isolates the basins from open water exchange through the winter. Freezing of seawater excludes salts, generating dense brines that sink to the basin bottom. Progressive freezing increases salinity of residual brines to the point of mirabilite saturation, and as a result sedimentary deposits of mirabilite accumulate on the basin floors. Brine formation also leads to density stratification and bottom water anoxia. We propose a model whereby summer melt of the ice cover forms a temporary freshwater lens, and rather than mixing with the underlying brines, it is exchanged with seawater once the ice plug that separates the basins from the open sea melts. This permits progressive brine development and density stratification within the basins.

Hydrochemical evolution of regional groundwaters to playa brines in central Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jankowski, J.; Jacobson, G.

A large-scale groundwater system in central Australia discharges to a chain of playas. Recharge in calcrete and fractured rock aquifers gives rise to relatively low-salinity HCO 3 Cl SO 4 groundwaters, which evolve through regional saline groundwaters, to highly saline playa brines. The hydrochemical evolution of the groundwaters follows the anionic sequence HCO 3 Cl SO 4 → ClbHCO 3SO 4 → ClSO 4HCO 3 → ClSO 4 → Cl. With increasing salinity, there is a relative increase in Na, K, Mg, Cl and SO 4; however, there is a relative decrease in HCO 3, Ca, and SiO 2 owing to the precipitation of carbonate, sulphate and silicate minerals, and the resultant brines are depleted in these ions. Significant chemical variation in the composition of playa brines is a result of complex processes of solution, evaporative concentration, precipitation and mineralogical change, including dolomitisation. Thermodynamic calculations based on the Pitzer equations have enabled a general model to be developed for these evolutionary processes in saline groundwaters up to the stage of halite saturation. At an early stage the regional groundwaters are saturated with respect to the carbonate minerals, dolomite first, then calcite. With increasing salinity, sulphate minerals begin to precipitate: saturation with respect to gypsum is attained at a chlorinity of 19‰, and saturation with respect to anhydrite is attained at 122‰. The playa brines attain saturation with respect to halite at a chlorinity of 144‰. Solute budgets based on a chloride concentration factor show that final playa brines are 178 times more concentrated than recharge groundwaters, and confirm the virtually complete loss of HCO 3, Ca and SiO 2 through precipitation. There are subtle differences in the hydrochemistry of different central Australian playa brines and also vis-à-vis playa brines described from other parts of the world. Most Australian playas have brines of the ClNa type with SO 4 and Mg also important. The generally accepted Hardie-Eugster model for brine evolution and mineral precipitation sequences has therefore been modified and extended. Three pathways are defined, following calcite precipitation, on the basis of the ratio of molar Ca to alkalinity; these pathways lead to saline waters with different compositions. Subsequent evolution of the brines depends on the ratios between molar SO 4, Mg, Ca and alkalinity.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seales, Maxian B.; Dilmore, Robert; Ertekin, Turgay

Fracture fluid comprises fresh water, proppant, and a small percentage of other additives, which support the hydraulic fracturing process. Excluding situations in which flowback water is recycled and reused, total dissolve solids in fracture fluid is limited to the fluid additives, such as potassium chloride (1-7 weight percent KCL), which is used as a clay stabilizer to minimize clay swelling, and clay particle migration. However, the composition of recovered fluid, especially as it relates to the total dissolve solids (TDS), is always substantially different than the injected fracture fluid. The ability to predict flowback water volume and composition is usefulmore » when planning for the management or reuse of this aqueous byproduct stream. In this work, an ion transport and halite dissolution model was coupled with a fully implicit, dual porosity, numerical simulator, to study the source of the excess solutes in flowback water, and to predict the concentration of both Na+ and Cl- species seen in recovered water. The results showed that mixing alone, between the injected fracture fluid and concentrated in situ formation brine, could not account for the substantial rise in TDS seen in flowback water. Instead, the results proved that halite dissolution is a major contributor to the change in TDS seen in fracture fluid during injection and recovery. Halite dissolution can account for as much as 81% of Cl- and 86.5% of Na+ species seen in 90-day flowback water; mixing, between the injected fracture fluid and in situ concentrated brine, accounts for approximately 19% Cl- and 13% Na+.« less

In vivo and in vitro antiplasmodial activities of some plants traditionally used in Guatemala against malaria.

PubMed Central

Franssen, F F; Smeijsters, L J; Berger, I; Medinilla Aldana, B E

1997-01-01

We present an evaluation of the antiplasmodial and cytotoxic effects of four plants commonly used in Guatemalan folk medicine against malaria. Methanol extracts of Simarouba glauca D. C., Sansevieria guineensis Willd, Croton guatemalensis Lotsy, and Neurolaena lobata (L.)R.Br. significantly reduced parasitemias in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. Dichloromethane fractions were screened for their cytotoxicities on Artemia salina (brine shrimp) larvae, and 50% inhibitory concentrations were determined for Plasmodium falciparum in in vitro cultures. Both chloroquine-susceptible and -resistant strains of P. falciparum were significantly inhibited by these extracts. Of all dichloromethane extracts, only the S. glauca cortex extract was considered to be toxic to nauplii of A. salina in the brine shrimp test. PMID:9210673

In vivo and in vitro antiplasmodial activities of some plants traditionally used in Guatemala against malaria.

PubMed

Franssen, F F; Smeijsters, L J; Berger, I; Medinilla Aldana, B E

1997-07-01

We present an evaluation of the antiplasmodial and cytotoxic effects of four plants commonly used in Guatemalan folk medicine against malaria. Methanol extracts of Simarouba glauca D. C., Sansevieria guineensis Willd, Croton guatemalensis Lotsy, and Neurolaena lobata (L.)R.Br. significantly reduced parasitemias in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. Dichloromethane fractions were screened for their cytotoxicities on Artemia salina (brine shrimp) larvae, and 50% inhibitory concentrations were determined for Plasmodium falciparum in in vitro cultures. Both chloroquine-susceptible and -resistant strains of P. falciparum were significantly inhibited by these extracts. Of all dichloromethane extracts, only the S. glauca cortex extract was considered to be toxic to nauplii of A. salina in the brine shrimp test.

Status Report on Laboratory Testing and International Collaborations in Salt.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kuhlman, Kristopher L.; Matteo, Edward N.; Hadgu, Teklu

This report is a summary of the international collaboration and laboratory work funded by the US Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy Spent Fuel and Waste Science & Technology (SFWST) as part of the Sandia National Laboratories Salt R&D work package. This report satisfies milestone levelfour milestone M4SF-17SN010303014. Several stand-alone sections make up this summary report, each completed by the participants. The first two sections discuss international collaborations on geomechanical benchmarking exercises (WEIMOS) and bedded salt investigations (KOSINA), while the last three sections discuss laboratory work conducted on brucite solubility in brine, dissolution of borosilicate glass into brine, andmore » partitioning of fission products into salt phases.« less

Experimental Work Conducted on MgO Inundated Hydration in WIPP-Relevant Brines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, H.; Xiong, Y.; Nemer, M. B.; Johnsen, S.

2009-12-01

Magnesium oxide (MgO) is being emplaced in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) as an engineered barrier to mitigate the effect of microbial CO2 generation on actinide mobility in a postclosure repository environment. MgO will sequester CO2 and consume water in brine or water vapor in the gaseous phase. Martin Marietta (MM) MgO is currently being emplaced in the WIPP. A fractional-factorial experiment has been performed to study the inundated-hydration of MM MgO as a function of its particle size, solid-to-liquid ratio, and brine type. MgO hydration experiments have been carried out with three MgO particle sizes and two solid-to-liquid ratios in three WIPP-related brines: ERDA-6, GWB and simplified GWB. ERDA-6 is a synthetic NaCl-rich brine typical of a Castile brine reservoir below the repository. GWB is a synthetic MgCl2- and NaCl-rich brine representative of intergranular brines from the Salado Formation at or near the stratigraphic horizon of the repository. Simplified GWB contains amounts of Mg, Na, and Cl similar to those in GWB without other minor constituents. The hydration products include brucite (Mg(OH)2) and phase 5 (Mg3(OH)5Cl4H2O). In addition to phase 5, MgO hydration in GWB or simplified GWB produces brucite, whereas MgO hydrated in ERDA-6 only produces brucite. The MgO particle size has had a significant effect on the formation of hydration products: small MgO particles have hydrated before the large particles. MgO has hydrated faster in simplified GWB than in the other two brines. In ERDA-6, the solid-to-liquid ratio has affected the brine pH due to the presence of CaO (~1 wt %) as an impurity in MM MgO. GWB has sufficient dissolved Mg to buffer pH despite small amounts of CaO. Both our results and thermodynamic modeling indicate that phase-5 is the stable Mg-OH-Cl phase in Mg-Na-Cl-dominated brines with ionic strengths and chemical compositions similar to that of GWB. In contrast, phase-3 (Mg2(OH)3Cl4H2O) is the stable phase in the MgCl2-saturated Q-brine, a high-ionic-strength (up to 15 m) brine from Asse, Germany. We used EQ3/6 to simulate MgO hydration and carbonation in a closed system containing brine and CO2 at atmospheric concentration by titrating periclase into the system. (EQ3/6 is a geochemical software package for speciation, solubility calculations and reaction path modeling.) EQ3/6 predicted Mg and Cl concentrations and pH similar to the experimentally observed values. EQ3/6 also predicted hydration products similar to thsoe observed experimentally. * This research is funded by WIPP programs administered by the U.S. Department of Energy. ** Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Hydrology and surface morphology of the Bonneville Salt Flats and Pilot Valley Playa, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lines, Gregory C.

1979-01-01

The Bonneville Salt Flats and Pilot Valley are in the western part of the Great Salt Lake Desert in northwest Utah. The areas are separate, though similar, hydrologic basins, and both contain a salt crust. The Bonneville salt crust covered about 40 square miles in the fall of 1976, and the salt crust in Pilot Valley covered 7 square miles. Both areas lack any noticeable surface relief (in 1976, 1.3 feet on the Bonneville salt crust and 0.3 foot on the Pilot Valley salt crust).The salt crust on the Salt Flats has been used for many years for automobile racing, and brines from shallow lacustrine deposits have been used for the production of potash. In recent years, there has been an apparent conflict between these two major uses of the area as the salt crust has diminished in both thickness and extent. Much of the Bonneville Racetrack has become rougher, and there has also been an increase in the amount of sediment on the south end of the racetrack. The Pilot Valley salt crust and surrounding playa have been largely unused.Evaporite minerals on the Salt Flats and the Pilot Valley playa are concentrated in three zones: (1) a carbonate zone composed mainly of authigenic clay-size carbonate minerals, (2) a sulfate zone composed mainly of authigenic gypsum, and (3) a chloride zone composed of crystalline halite (the salt crust). Five major types of salt crust were recognized on the Salt Flats, but only one type was observed in Pilot Valley. Geomorphic differences in the salt crust are caused by differences in their hydrologic environments. The salt crusts are dynamic features that are subject to change because of climatic factors and man's activities.Ground water occurs in three distinct aquifers in much of the western Great Salt Lake Desert: (1) the basin-fill aquifer, which yields water from conglomerate in the lower part of the basin fill, (2) the alluvial-fan aquifer, which yields water from sand and gravel along the western margins of both playas, and (3) the shallow-brine aquifer, which yields water from near-surface carbonate muds and crystalline halite and gypsum. The shallow-brine aquifer is the main source of brine used for the production of potash on the Salt Flats.Recharge to that part of the shallow-brine aquifer north of Interstate Highway 80 on the Salt Flats is mainly by infiltration of precipitation and wind-driven floods of surface brine. Discharge was mainly by evaporation at the playa surface and withdrawals from brine-collection ditches. Some water was transpired by phreatophytes, and some leaked into the alluvial fan along the western edge of the playa.Salt-scraping studies indicate that the amount of halite on the Salt Flats is directly related to the amount of recharge through the surface (which causes re-solution of halite) and the amount of evaporation at the surface (which causes crystallization of halite). Evaporation rates through sediment-covered salt crust and the gypsum surface were estimated at between 3x10-4 and 4x10-3 inches per day during the summer and fall of 1976. Evaporation rates through the surface of thick perennial salt crust were much higher.The concentration of dissolved solids in brine in the shallow-brine aquifer varies, but it generally increases from the edges of the playas toward areas of salt crust. Dissolved-solids concentration in the shallow brine ranges from less than 100,000 to more than 300,000 milligrams per liter on both playas. The increase in salinity toward areas of salt crust reflects the natural direction of brine movement through the aquifer toward the natural discharge area.On the Salt Flats, the percentages of dissolved potassium chloride and magnesium chloride in the shallow-brine aquifer generally increase from the edge of the playa to- ward the salt crust. The relative enrichment in potassium and magnesium reflects the many years of subsurface drainage toward the main discharge area (the salt crust) prior to man's withdrawal of brine. By artificially extracting brines from the carbonate muds, the percentages of potassium and magnesium have decreased while brine salinity has been maintained by re-solution of the salt crust.The configuration of the density-corrected potentiometric surface in the fall of 1976 indicates that brine in the shallow-brine aquifer under the Bonneville Racetrack was draining toward brine-collection ditches or a well field to the west. Ground-water divides have no effect on the movement of dissolved salt across the surface in wind-driven floods, and salt in surface brine was carried from the racetrack into the area of influence of the ditches by such surface movement. During 1976 on the Salt Flats, some brine was moving through the shallow-brine aquifer across lease and property boundaries.An evaluation of suggested remedial measures indicates that none will completely eliminate the conflict between uses or transform the Bonneville Salt Flats to its original state prior to man's activities in the area.

Capillary pressure-saturation relations in quartz and carbonate sands: Limitations for correlating capillary and wettability influences on air, oil, and supercritical CO2 trapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shibo; Tokunaga, Tetsu K.; Wan, Jiamin; Dong, Wenming; Kim, Yongman

2016-08-01

Capillary pressure (Pc)-saturation (Sw) relations are essential for predicting equilibrium and flow of immiscible fluid pairs in soils and deeper geologic formations. In systems that are difficult to measure, behavior is often estimated based on capillary scaling of easily measured Pc-Sw relations (e.g., air-water, and oil-water), yet the reliability of such approximations needs to be examined. In this study, 17 sets of brine drainage and imbibition curves were measured with air-brine, decane-brine, and supercritical (sc) CO2-brine in homogeneous quartz and carbonate sands, using porous plate systems under ambient (0.1 MPa, 23°C) and reservoir (12.0 MPa, 45°C) conditions. Comparisons between these measurements showed significant differences in residual nonwetting phase saturation, Snw,r. Through applying capillary scaling, changes in interfacial properties were indicated, particularly wettability. With respect to the residual trapping of the nonwetting phases, Snwr, CO2 > Snwr, decane > Snwr, air. Decane-brine and scCO2-brine Pc-Sw curves deviated significantly from predictions assuming hydrophilic interactions. Moreover, neither the scaled capillary behavior nor Snw,r for scCO2-brine were well represented by decane-brine, apparently because of differences in wettability and viscosities, indicating limitations for using decane (and other organic liquids) as a surrogate fluid in studies intended to apply to geological carbon sequestration. Thus, challenges remain in applying scaling for predicting capillary trapping and multiphase displacement processes across such diverse fields as vadose zone hydrology, enhanced oil recovery, and geologic carbon sequestration.

Capillary pressure - saturation relations in quartz and carbonate sands: Limitations for correlating capillary and wettability influences on air, oil, and supercritical CO2 trapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tokunaga, T. K.; Wang, S.; Wan, J.; Dong, W.; Kim, Y.

2016-12-01

Capillary pressure (Pc) - saturation (Sw) relations are essential for predicting equilibrium and flow of immiscible fluid pairs in soils and deeper geologic formations. In systems that are difficult to measure, behavior is often estimated based on capillary scaling of easily measured Pc-Sw relations (e.g., air-water, and oil-water), yet the reliability of such approximations needs to be examined. In this study, seventeen sets of brine drainage and imbibition curves were measured with air-brine, decane-brine, and supercritical (sc) CO2-brine in homogeneous quartz and carbonate sands, using porous plate systems under ambient (0.1 MPa, 23 °C) and reservoir (12.0 MPa, 45 °C) conditions. Comparisons between these measurements showed significant differences in residual nonwetting phase saturation, Snw,r. Through applying capillary scaling, changes in interfacial properties were indicated, particularly wettability. With respect to the residual trapping of the nonwetting phases, Snwr, CO2 > Snwr, decane > Snwr, air. Decane-brine and scCO2-brine Pc-Sw curves deviated significantly from predictions assuming hydrophilic interactions. Moreover, neither the scaled capillary behavior nor Snw,r for scCO2-brine were well represented by decane-brine, apparently because of differences in wettability and viscosities, indicating limitations for using decane (and other organic liquids) as a surrogate fluid in studies intended to apply to geological carbon sequestration. Thus, challenges remain in applying scaling for predicting capillary trapping and multiphase displacement processes across such diverse fields as vadose zone hydrology, enhanced oil recovery, and geologic carbon sequestration.

Modeling brine and nutrient dynamics in Antarctic sea ice: The case of dissolved silica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vancoppenolle, Martin; Goosse, Hugues; de Montety, Anne; Fichefet, Thierry; Tremblay, Bruno; Tison, Jean-Louis

2010-02-01

Sea ice ecosystems are characterized by microalgae living in brine inclusions. The growth rate of ice algae depends on light and nutrient supply. Here, the interactions between nutrients and brine dynamics under the influence of algae are investigated using a one-dimensional model. The model includes snow and ice thermodynamics with brine physics and an idealized sea ice biological component, characterized by one nutrient, namely, dissolved silica (DSi). In the model, DSi follows brine motion and is consumed by ice algae. Depending on physical ice characteristics, the brine flow is either advective, diffusive, or turbulent. The vertical profiles of ice salinity and DSi concentration are solutions of advection-diffusion equations. The model is configured to simulate the typical thermodynamic regimes of first-year Antarctic pack ice. The simulated vertical profiles of salinity and DSi qualitatively reproduce observations. Analysis of results highlights the role of convection in the lowermost 5-10 cm of ice. Convection mixes saline, nutrient-poor brine with comparatively fresh, nutrient-rich seawater. This implies a rejection of salt to the ocean and a flux of DSi to the ice. In the presence of growing algae, the simulated ocean-to-ice DSi flux increases by 0-115% compared to an abiotic situation. In turn, primary production and brine convection act in synergy to form a nutrient pump. The other important processes are the flooding of the surface by seawater and the percolation of meltwater. The former refills nutrients near the ice surface in spring. The latter, if present, tends to expell nutrients from the ice in summer.

Anti-bacterial activity and brine shrimp lethality bioassay of methanolic extracts of fourteen different edible vegetables from Bangladesh

PubMed Central

Ullah, M. Obayed; Haque, Mahmuda; Urmi, Kaniz Fatima; Zulfiker, Abu Hasanat Md.; Anita, Elichea Synthi; Begum, Momtaj; Hamid, Kaiser

2013-01-01

Objective To investigate the antibacterial and cytotoxic activity of fourteen different edible vegetables methanolic extract from Bangladesh. Methods The antibacterial activity was evaluated using disc diffusion assay method against 12 bacteria (both gram positive and gram negative). The plant extracts were also screened for cytotoxic activity using the brine shrimp lethality bioassay method and the lethal concentrations (LC50) were determined at 95% confidence intervals by analyzing the data on a computer loaded with “Finney Programme”. Results All the vegetable extracts showed low to elevated levels of antibacterial activity against most of the tested strains (zone of inhibition=5-28 mm). The most active extract against all bacterial strains was from Xanthium indicum which showed remarkable antibacterial activity having the diameter of growth inhibition zone ranging from 12 to 28 mm followed by Alternanthera sessilis (zone of inhibition=6-21 mm). All extracts exhibited considerable general toxicity towards brine shrimps. The LC50 value of the tested extracts was within the range of 8.447 to 60.323 µg/mL with respect to the positive control (vincristine sulphate) which was 0.91 µg/mL. Among all studied extracts, Xanthium indicum displayed the highest cytotoxic effect with LC50 value of 8.447 µg/mL. Conclusions The results of the present investigation suggest that most of the studied plants are potentially good source of antibacterial and anticancer agents. PMID:23570009

Process Control for Precipitation Prevention in Space Water Recovery Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sargusingh, Miriam; Callahan, Michael R.; Muirhead, Dean

2015-01-01

The ability to recover and purify water through physiochemical processes is crucial for realizing long-term human space missions, including both planetary habitation and space travel. Because of their robust nature, rotary distillation systems have been actively pursued by NASA as one of the technologies for water recovery from wastewater primarily comprised of human urine. A specific area of interest is the prevention of the formation of solids that could clog fluid lines and damage rotating equipment. To mitigate the formation of solids, operational constraints are in place that limits such that the concentration of key precipitating ions in the wastewater brine are below the theoretical threshold. This control in effected by limiting the amount of water recovered such that the risk of reaching the precipitation threshold is within acceptable limits. The water recovery limit is based on an empirically derived worst case wastewater composition. During the batch process, water recovery is estimated by monitoring the throughput of the system. NASA Johnson Space Center is working on means of enhancing the process controls to increase water recovery. Options include more precise prediction of the precipitation threshold. To this end, JSC is developing a means of more accurately measuring the constituent of the brine and/or wastewater. Another means would be to more accurately monitor the throughput of the system. In spring of 2015, testing will be performed to test strategies for optimizing water recovery without increasing the risk of solids formation in the brine.

Water Recovery from Brine in the Short and Long Term: A KSC Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lunn, Griffin; Melendez, Orlando; Anthony, Steve

2014-01-01

KSC has spent many years researching Hollow Fiber Membrane Bioreactors as well as research encompassing:Alternate ammonia removal/Advanced oxidation. Brine purification technologies KSC-ISRU has built an electrolysis cell for the removal of acids in ISRU mining brines. Our goal is to combine all such technologies.

Strontium isotopic study of subsurface brines from Illinois basin

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

hetherington, E.A.; Stueber, A.M.; Pushkar, P.

1986-05-01

The abundance of the radiogenic isotope /sup 87/Sr in a subsurface brine can be used as a tracer of brine origin, evolution, and diagenetic effects. The authors have determined the /sup 87/Sr//sup 86/Sr ratios of over 60 oil-field waters from the Illinois basin, where brine origin is perplexing because of the absence of any significant evaporite strata. Initially, they analyzed brines from 15 petroleum-producing sandstone and carbonate units; waters from Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, and Mississippian strata have /sup 87/Sr//sup 86/Sr ratios in the range 0.7079-0.7108. All but those from the Ste. Genevieve Limestone (middle Mississippian) are more radiogenic in /supmore » 87/Sr//sup 86/Sr than seawater values for this interval of geologic time. The detrital source of the more radiogenic /sup 87/Sr may be the New Albany Shale group, considered to be a major petroleum source rock in the basin. The /sup 87/Sr//sup 86/Sr ratios of Ste. Genevieve brines apparently evolved without a contribution from fluid-shale interaction.« less

Effects of dry brining, liquid smoking and high-pressure treatment on the physical properties of aquacultured King salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) during refrigerated storage.

PubMed

Kong, Kelvin Jia Wey; Alçiçek, Zayde; Balaban, Murat O

2015-03-15

Aquacultured King salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) pieces were dry brined with a salt/brown sugar mix, dipped in liquid smoke for 3 min, vacuum packed, high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treated at 600 or 200 MPa for 5 min and stored at 4 °C for up to 40 days. The surface redness (average a*) of the samples increased after dry brining, then decreased after liquid smoke treatment. HHP did not change the outside color of liquid-smoked samples. However, the inside color changed depending on pressure. HHP-treated control samples without dry brining and liquid smoking changed to a pale pink color. HHP at 600 MPa resulted in a significant increase in hardness. Compared with fresh samples, dry-brined samples had reduced water activity, while samples dipped in liquid smoke had lower pH values. Dry brining and liquid smoking protect the outside color of salmon against changes caused by HHP. The increase in hardness may counteract the softening of the smoked salmon tissue over time. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis for two-phase flow in the vicinity of the repository in the 1996 performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: Disturbed conditions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

HELTON,JON CRAIG; BEAN,J.E.; ECONOMY,K.

2000-05-22

Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis results obtained in the 1996 performance assessment (PA) for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) are presented for two-phase flow in the vicinity of the repository under disturbed conditions resulting from drilling intrusions. Techniques based on Latin hypercube sampling, examination of scatterplots, stepwise regression analysis, partial correlation analysis and rank transformations are used to investigate brine inflow, gas generation repository pressure, brine saturation and brine and gas outflow. Of the variables under study, repository pressure and brine flow from the repository to the Culebra Dolomite are potentially the most important in PA for the WIPP. Subsequentmore » to a drilling intrusion repository pressure was dominated by borehole permeability and generally below the level (i.e., 8 MPa) that could potentially produce spallings and direct brine releases. Brine flow from the repository to the Culebra Dolomite tended to be small or nonexistent with its occurrence and size also dominated by borehole permeability.« less

Effects of energy development on wetland plants and macroinvertebrate communities in Prairie Pothole Region wetlands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Preston, Todd M.; Ray, Andrew M.

2016-01-01

Energy production in the Williston Basin, USA, results in the coproduction of highly saline, sodium chloride-dominated water (brine). The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) overlies the northeastern portion of the Williston Basin. Although PPR wetlands span a range of salinity, the dominant salt is sodium sulfate, and salinities are much lower than brine. Introduction of brine to wetlands can result in pronounced water-quality changes; however, the ecological effects of such contamination are poorly understood. We examined the effects of brine contamination on primary productivity, emergent macrophyte tissue chemistry, and invertebrate communities from 10 wetlands in the PPR. Based on a recognized Contamination Index (CI) used to identify brine contamination in the PPR, water-quality samples indicated that six wetlands were uncontaminated while four were contaminated. Across this gradient, we observed a significant decrease in above-ground biomass and a significant increase in tissue chloride concentrations of hardstem bulrush (Schoenoplectus acutus) with increased CI values. Additionally, a significant decrease in macroinvertebrate taxonomic richness with increased CI values was observed. These findings provide needed insight on the biological effects of brine contamination on PPR wetlands.

Compatibility Testing of Polymeric Materials for the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) of International Space Station (ISS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wingard, Charles D.

2003-01-01

In the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts will convert urine into potable water with the Urine Processor Assembly (UPA) by a distillation process. The urine is pre-treated, containing flush water and stabilizers. About 2.5% solids in the urine are concentrated up to 16% brine through distillation. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) in the stress relaxation mode was primarily used to test 15 polymeric UPA materials for compatibility with the pre-treated and brine solutions. There were concerns that chromium trioxide (CrO3), a stabilizer not in the original pre-treat formulation for similar compatibility testing in 2000, could have an adverse effect on these polymers. DMA testing is partially complete for polymeric material samples immersed in the two solutions at room temperature for as long as 200 days. By comparing each material (conditioned and virgin), the stress relaxation modulus (E) was determined for short-term use and predicted for as long as a 10-year use in space. Such a delta E showed a decrease of as much as 79% for a Nylon material, but an increase as much as 454% for a polysulfone material, with increasing immersion time.

Distributed All-Optical Sensor to Detect dCO2 in Aqueous Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhatia, S.; Coelho, J.; Melo, L.; Davies, B.; Ahmed, F.; Bao, B.; Wild, P.; Risk, D. A.; Sinton, D.; Jun, M.

2012-12-01

Already a proven technology for temperature and stress measurements, an all-optical sensor to detect dCO2 is being developed for deployment in challenging environments. Optical sensors function under high pressure, do not require electronics and therefore experience no magnetic interference. They are also able to transmit signals over long distances with minimal losses. The dCO2 sensor's principal application is in measurement monitoring and verification of carbon capture and storage sites; however, it could also be useful in ocean, fresh water, and transition environments. The objective for the first phase of development was to detect a CO2 signal in laboratory tests. The developmental program incorporated experiments to detect CO2 under high pressure (1400 psi) in aqueous environments. Laboratory testing involved a custom pressure cell, off-the-shelf and custom long period gratings written in SMF125 fiber. Femptosecond laser micromachining was used to test alternative long period grating (LPG) and cutout shapes to maximize evanescent field interaction with the environment. A comprehensive program of geochemical modeling using PHREEQC 2 was used to identify the diversity of species in environments of interest that could exert confounding influence. Purchased UV-LPG responded to changes in concentration of scCO2 in brine at high pressure. Signal differences between CO2-saturated brine and pure brine were also noted under the same, high pressure conditions. Geochemical modeling software, PHREEQC 2, revealed a diversity of species in environments of interest whose concentrations varied strongly with temperature and pH. The modeling program's detailed characterization of environments informed work currently being undertaken as part of Phase 2, to develop a CO2-selective membrane to filter out measurement artifact.

Prediction of halite, gypsum, and anhydrite solubility in natural brines under subsurface conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Shiliang; Morse, John W.

1993-01-01

Prediction of the solubility of the evaporite minerals halite, gypsum, and anhydrite in brines has numerous scientific and practical applications. This paper presents a Pitzer equation-based model for predicting the solubility of these minerals in Na +-K +-H +-Ca 2+-Mg 2+-Cl --OH --SO 42--H 2O solutions of varying composition as a function of temperature and pressure. Model predictions compare well with experimental observations. As an example of the utility of this program, the volume of CaSO 4 precipitated as a brine flows up a pipe from 6000 m depth is predicted. This is done as a function of flow distance for different cooling rates of the brine. Results indicate that if the brine can be cooled to near the geothermal gradient no precipitation will take place.

The influence of closed brine pockets and permeable brine channels on the thermo-elastic properties of saline ice

PubMed Central

Lishman, Ben

2017-01-01

A model of the thermo-elastic behaviour of saline ice is formulated, and model solutions describing thermo-elastic waves (TEW) propagating into a half-space of the ice are investigated. The model is based on a proposal that saline ice is a matrix, which encompasses both closed brine pockets and permeable channels filled with brine. Experiments on the thermal expansion of saline ice samples, and on TEW in saline ice, have been performed in the cold laboratories of the University Centre in Svalbard and in University College London. The experimental data are compared with theoretical conclusions. The experimental data support our hypothesis that the brine in saline ice is divided between closed pockets and open, permeable channels. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Microdynamics of ice’. PMID:28025299

Extreme 13C depletions in seawater-derived brines and their implications for the past geochemical carbon cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazar, Boaz; Erez, Jonathan

1990-12-01

Extreme depletions in the 13C content of the total dissolved inorganic carbon (CT) were found in brines overlying microbial mat communities. Total alkalinity (AT) and CT in the brines suggest that intense photosynthetic activity of the microbial mat communities depletes the CT from the brine. We suggest that this depletion drives a large, kinetic, negative fractionation of carbon isotopes similar to that observed in highly alkaline solutions. In brines of extreme salinity where microbial mat communities no longer exist, the 13C content of the CT increases, probably because photosynthesis no longer dominates the gas-exchange processes. This mechanism explains light carbon-isotope compositions of carbonate rocks from evaporitic sections and bears on the interpretation of δ13C values in bedded stromatolitic limestones that are ca. 3.5 b.y. old.

An Investigation on the Effects of Different Stratifications on Negatively Buoyant Jets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrari, Simone; Badas, Maria Grazia; Querzoli, Giorgio

2018-06-01

Negatively buoyant jets develop when fluids are released upwards into a lighter fluid or, vice versa, downwards into a heavier fluid. There are many engineering applications, such as the discharge, via submerged outfalls, of brine from desalination plants into the sea. Some concerns are raised about the potential negative environmental impacts of this discharge. The increase in salinity is the major cause for environmental impact, as it is very harmful to many marine species. The diffusers for brine discharge are typically inclined upwards, to increase the path before the brine reaches the sea bottom, as it tends to fall downwards driven by negative buoyancy. The negatively buoyant jet that develops conserves axisymmetry only when released vertically, so that it is not possible to use the well-known equations for axisymmetric jets. The main target of this paper is to investigate on a laboratory model the effects of different stratifications on the features of negatively buoyant jets. This has been done via a LIF (Light Induced Fluorescence) technique, testing various release angles on the horizontal and densimetric Froude numbers. Except for the initial stage, a different widening rate for the upper boundary and the lower boundary has been highlighted.

Life cycle assessment of treatment and handling options for a highly saline brine extracted from a potential CO2 storage site.

PubMed

Salih, Hafiz H; Li, Jiaxing; Kaplan, Ruth; Dastgheib, Seyed A

2017-10-01

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) injection in deep saline aquifers is a promising option for CO 2 geological sequestration. However, brine extraction may be necessary to control the anticipated increase in reservoir pressure resulting from CO 2 injection. The extracted brines usually have elevated concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) and other contaminants and require proper handling or treatment. Different options for the handling or treatment of a high-TDS brine extracted from a potential CO 2 sequestration site (Mt. Simon Sandstone, Illinois, USA) are evaluated here through a life cycle assessment (LCA) study. The objective of this LCA study is to evaluate the environmental impact (EI) of various treatment or disposal options, namely, deep well disposal (Case 1); near-zero liquid discharge (ZLD) treatment followed by disposal of salt and brine by-products (Case 2); and near-ZLD treatment assuming beneficial use of the treatment by-products (Case 3). Results indicate that energy use is the dominant factor determining the overall EI. Because of the high energy consumption, desalination of the pretreated brine (Cases 2 and 3) results in the highest EI. Consequently, the overall EI of desalination cases falls mainly into two EI categories: global warming potential and resources-fossil fuels. Deep well disposal has the least EI when the EI of brine injection into deep formations is not included. The overall freshwater consumption associated with different life cycle stages of the selected disposal or treatment options is 0.6-1.8 m 3 of freshwater for every 1.0 m 3 of brine input. The freshwater consumption balance is 0.6 m 3 for every 1.0 m 3 of brine input for Case 3 when desalination by-products are utilized for beneficial uses. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Jarosite dissolution rates in perchlorate brine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Legett, Carey; Pritchett, Brittany N.; Elwood Madden, Andrew S.; Phillips-Lander, Charity M.; Elwood Madden, Megan E.

2018-02-01

Perchlorate salts and the ferric sulfate mineral jarosite have been detected at multiple locations on Mars by both landed instruments and orbiting spectrometers. Many perchlorate brines have eutectic temperatures <250 K, and may exist as metastable or stable liquids for extended time periods, even under current Mars surface conditions. Therefore, jarosite-bearing rocks and sediments may have been altered by perchlorate brines. Here we measured jarosite dissolution rates in 2 M sodium perchlorate brine as well as dilute water at 298 K to determine the effects of perchlorate anions on jarosite dissolution rates and potential reaction products. We developed a simple method for determining aqueous iron concentrations in high salinity perchlorate solutions using ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry that eliminates the risk of rapid oxidation reactions during analyses. Jarosite dissolution rates in 2 M perchlorate brine determined by iron release rate (2.87 × 10-12 ±0.85 × 10-12 mol m-2 s-1) were slightly slower than the jarosite dissolution rate measured in ultrapure (18.2 MΩ cm-1) water (5.06 × 10-12 mol m-2 s-1) using identical methods. No additional secondary phases were observed in XRD analyses of the reaction products. The observed decrease in dissolution rate may be due to lower activity of water (ɑH2O = 0.9) in the 2 M NaClO4 brine compared with ultrapure water (ɑH2O = 1). This suggests that the perchlorate anion does not facilitate iron release, unlike chloride anions which accelerated Fe release rates in previously reported jarosite and hematite dissolution experiments. Since dissolution rates are slower in perchlorate-rich solutions, jarosite is expected to persist longer in perchlorate brines than in dilute waters or chloride-rich brines. Therefore, if perchlorate brines dominate aqueous fluids on the surface of Mars, jarosite may remain preserved over extended periods of time, despite active aqueous processes.

Effects of brine contamination from energy development on wetland macroinvertebrate community structure in the Prairie Pothole Region.

PubMed

Preston, Todd M; Borgreen, Michael J; Ray, Andrew M

2018-08-01

Wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America support macroinvertebrate communities that are integral to local food webs and important to breeding waterfowl. Macroinvertebrates in PPR wetlands are primarily generalists and well adapted to within and among year changes in water permanence and salinity. The Williston Basin, a major source of U.S. energy production, underlies the southwest portion of the PPR. Development of oil and gas results in the coproduction of large volumes of highly saline, sodium chloride dominated water (brine) and the introduction of brine can alter wetland salinity. To assess potential effects of brine contamination on macroinvertebrate communities, 155 PPR wetlands spanning a range of hydroperiods and salinities were sampled between 2014 and 2016. Brine contamination was documented in 34 wetlands with contaminated wetlands having significantly higher chloride concentrations, specific conductance and percent dominant taxa, and significantly lower taxonomic richness, Shannon diversity, and Pielou evenness scores compared to uncontaminated wetlands. Non-metric multidimensional scaling found significant correlations between several water quality parameters and macroinvertebrate communities. Chloride concentration and specific conductance, which can be elevated in naturally saline wetlands, but are also associated with brine contamination, had the strongest correlations. Five wetland groups were identified from cluster analysis with many of the highly contaminated wetlands located in a single cluster. Low or moderately contaminated wetlands were distributed among the remaining clusters and had macroinvertebrate communities similar to uncontaminated wetlands. While aggregate changes in macroinvertebrate community structure were observed with brine contamination, systematic changes were not evident, likely due to the strong and potentially confounding influence of hydroperiod and natural salinity. Therefore, despite the observed negative response of macroinvertebrate communities to brine contamination, macroinvertebrate community structure alone is likely not the most sensitive indicator of brine contamination in PPR wetlands. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ring Resonator for Detection of Melting Brine Under Shallow Subsurface of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ponchak, George E.; Jordan, Jennifer L.; Scardelletti, Maximillian C.

2016-01-01

Laboratory experimental evidence using Raman spectroscopy has shown that liquid brine may form below the shallow subsurface of Mars. A simpler experimental method to verify the presence of liquid brine or liquid water below Mars surface is needed. In this paper, a ring resonator is used to detect the phase change between frozen water and liquid water below a sandy soil that simulates the Mars surface. Experimental data shows that the ring resonator can detect the melting of thin layers of frozen brine or water up to 15 mm below the surface.

Magnesium compounds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kramer, D.A.

2010-01-01

Seawater and natural brines accounted for about 40 percent of U.S. magnesium compounds production in 2009. Dead-burned magnesia was produced by Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties from well brines in Michigan. Caustic-calcined magnesia was recovered from seawater by Premier Chemicals in Florida, from well brines in Michigan by Martin Marietta and from magnesite in Nevada by Premier Chemicals. Intrepid Potash-Wendover, and Great Salt Lake Minerals Corp. recovered magnesium chloride brines from the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Magnesium hydroxide was produced from seawater by SPI Pharma in Delaware and Premier Chemicals in Florida, and by Martin Marietta from its operation mentioned above.

Magnesium compounds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kramer, D.A.

2011-01-01

Seawater and natural brines accounted for about 54 percent of U.S. magnesium compounds production in 2010. Dead-burned magnesia was produced by Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties from well brines in Michigan. Caustic-calcined magnesia was recovered from seawater by Premier Magnesia in Florida, from well brines in Michigan by Martin Marietta and from magnesite in Nevada by Premier Magnesia. Intrepid Potash-Wendover and Great Salt Lake Minerals Corp. recovered magnesium chloride brines from the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Magnesium hydroxide was produced from seawater by SPI Pharma in Delaware and Premier Magnesia in Florida, and by Martin Marietta from its operation mentioned above.

Brine rejection from freezing salt solutions: a molecular dynamics study.

PubMed

Vrbka, Lubos; Jungwirth, Pavel

2005-09-30

The atmospherically and technologically very important process of brine rejection from freezing salt solutions is investigated with atomic resolution using molecular dynamics simulations. The present calculations allow us to follow the motion of each water molecule and salt ion and to propose a microscopic mechanism of brine rejection, in which a fluctuation (reduction) of the ion density in the vicinity of the ice front is followed by the growth of a new ice layer. The presence of salt slows down the freezing process, which leads to the formation of an almost neat ice next to a disordered brine layer.

The potential role of magmatic gases in the genesis of Illinois- Kentucky fluorspar deposits: implications from chemical reaction path modeling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Plumlee, G.S.; Goldhaber, M.B.; Rowan, E.L.

1995-01-01

Presents results of reaction path calculations using the chemical speciation and reaction path program SOLVEQ and CHILLER to model possible fluorite deposition mechanisms in the Illinois-Kentucky fluorspar district. The results indicate that the fluids responsible for Illinois-Kentucky fluorspar mineralization were most likely quite acidic (pH < 4) and rich in fluorine in order to produce the fluorite-rich, dolomite-poor mineral assemblages and extensive dissolution of host limestones. A possible source for the acid and fluorine may have been HF-rich gases which were expelled from alkalic magmas and then incorporated by migrating basinal brines. An analysis of the geologic setting of other fluorite deposits and districts worldwide suggests that involvement of magmatic gases is probable for many of these districts as well. -from Authors

Controls on the pH of hyper-saline lakes - A lesson from the Dead Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golan, Rotem; Gavrieli, Ittai; Ganor, Jiwchar; Lazar, Boaz

2016-01-01

The pH of aqueous environments is determined by the dominant buffer systems of the water, defined operationally as total alkalinity (TA). The major buffer systems in the modern ocean are carbonic and boric acids of which the species bicarbonate, carbonate and borate make up about 77%, 19% and 4% of the TA, respectively. During the course of seawater evaporation (e.g. lagoons) the residual brine loses considerable portion of the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and carbonate alkalinity (CA) already at the early stages of evaporation. DIC and CA decrease due to massive precipitation of CaCO3, while total boron (TB) increases conservatively, turning borate to the dominant alkalinity species in marine derived brines. In the present work we assess the apparent dissociation constant value of boric acid (KB‧) in saline and hypersaline waters, using the Dead Sea (DS) as a case study. We explain the DS low pH (∼6.3) and the effect of the boric and carbonic acid pK‧-s on the behavior of the brine's buffer system, including the pH increase that results from brine dilution. The KB‧ in DS was estimated from TB, TA, DIC and pH data measured in this study and early empirical data on artificial DS brines containing just carbonic acid. The KB‧ value was corroborated by Pitzer ion interaction model calculations using PHREEQC thermodynamic code applied to the chemical composition of the DS. Our results show that KB‧ increases considerably with the brine's ionic strength, reaching in the DS to a factor of 100 higher than in ;mean; seawater. Based on theoretical calculations and analyses of other natural brines it is suggested that brines' composition is a major factor in determining the KB‧ value and in turn the pH of such brines. We show that the higher the proportion of divalent cations in the brine the higher the dissociation constants of the weak acids (presumably due to formation of complexes). The low pH of the Dead Sea is accordingly explained by its extremely high ionic strength (TDS = 348 g/L) and the dominance of the divalent cation, Mg2+. Other natural hyper-saline brines with high concentration of divalent cations such as Kunteyi Lake in China and Don-Juan Pond in Antarctica follow the same general pattern. In contrast, the high pH of soda lakes results not only from their high TA but also by the dominance of the monovalent cation, Na+. Our study emphasizes the strong control of brine composition on pKB‧ and pH. These factors should be taken into consideration when reconstructing past and present environmental evaporitic environments.

An Experimental Study of CO2-Brine Relative Permeability in Sandstone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, X.; DiCarlo, D. A.

2013-12-01

Accurate determinations of CO2-brine relative permeability are important for modeling potential CO2 storage scenarios. The most common assumption is that CO2-brine relative permeability is likely to be similar to oil-brine relative permeability for water-wet rocks. But recent measurements of CO2-brine relative permeability have differed greatly from oil-brine relative permeability; particularly, the measurements show a very low CO2 end point relative permeability (kr,CO2=0.1~0.2) and a relatively high residual water saturation (Swr>0.4) ( Lee et al. 2010, Zuo et al. 2012, Akbarabadi et al. 2013 and etc.). It has been hypothesized that the differences are related to CO2-brine having a different contact angle from oil-brine. In this study, we hypothesize that the differences are caused by large capillary end effects resulted from the very low CO2 viscosity. We conduct steady-state CO2-brine flow experiments in 2-foot-long and 2.8-inch-diamter Berea sandstone cores at 20 °C and 1500 psi. Four pressure taps drilled on a core allow both the total pressure drop and that across five individual sections to be measured. Three experiments, two drainage and one imbibition, have been conducted so far. Our results show: (1) The relative permeability to both brine and CO2 of the last section (downstream, 15 cm long) is significantly smaller than that of any of the middle three sections. This testifies that the capillary end effect makes the relative permeability under-measured at the end of a core. (2) The values of the middle three sections are very close to each other, which indicate the middle part of our core is free of capillary end effect. (3) The CO2 end point relative permeability is 0.3~0.5, which is much higher than the recent measurements. (4) The brine end point relative permeability during imbibition is about 0.08, which is close to literature data. Reference: Lee, Y.S, Kim, K. H. and Lee, T.H. et al. Analysis of CO2 Endpoint Relative Permeability and Injectivity by Change in Pressure, Temperature, and Phase in Saline Aquifer, 2010 Energy Sources, Part A, 32: 83-99 Zuo, L., Krevor, S. and Falta, R. W. et al. An experimental study of CO2 exsolution and relative permeability measurements during CO2 saturated water depressurization. Transport in Porous Media, 2012, 91: 459-478 Akbarabadi, M. and Piri, M. Relative permeability hysteresis and capillary trapping characteristics of supercritical CO2/brine systems: an experimental study at reservoir conditions. Advances in Water Resources, 2013 52: 190-206

Integrated CO 2 Storage and Brine Extraction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hunter, Kelsey; Bielicki, Jeffrey M.; Middleton, Richard

Carbon dioxide (CO 2) capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) can reduce CO 2 emissions from fossil fuel power plants by injecting CO 2 into deep saline aquifers for storage. CCUS typically increases reservoir pressure which increases costs, because less CO 2 can be injected, and risks such as induced seismicity. Extracting brine with enhanced water recovery (EWR) from the CO 2 storage reservoir can manage and reduce pressure in the formation, decrease the risks linked to reservoir overpressure (e.g., induced seismicity), increase CO 2 storage capacity, and enable CO 2 plume management. We modeled scenarios of CO 2 injection withmore » EWR into the Rock Springs Uplift (RSU) formation in southwest Wyoming. The Finite Element Heat and Mass Transfer Code (FEHM) was used to model CO 2 injection with brine extraction and the corresponding increase in pressure within the RSU. We analyzed the model for pressure management, CO 2 storage, CO 2 saturation, and brine extraction due to the quantity and location of brine extraction wells. The model limited CO 2 injection to a constant pressure increase of two MPa at the injection well with and without extracting brine at hydrostatic pressure. Finally, we found that brine extraction can be used as a technical and cost-effective pressure management strategy to limit reservoir pressure buildup and increase CO 2 storage associated with a single injection well.« less

Integrated CO 2 Storage and Brine Extraction

DOE PAGES

Hunter, Kelsey; Bielicki, Jeffrey M.; Middleton, Richard; ...

2017-08-18

Carbon dioxide (CO 2) capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) can reduce CO 2 emissions from fossil fuel power plants by injecting CO 2 into deep saline aquifers for storage. CCUS typically increases reservoir pressure which increases costs, because less CO 2 can be injected, and risks such as induced seismicity. Extracting brine with enhanced water recovery (EWR) from the CO 2 storage reservoir can manage and reduce pressure in the formation, decrease the risks linked to reservoir overpressure (e.g., induced seismicity), increase CO 2 storage capacity, and enable CO 2 plume management. We modeled scenarios of CO 2 injection withmore » EWR into the Rock Springs Uplift (RSU) formation in southwest Wyoming. The Finite Element Heat and Mass Transfer Code (FEHM) was used to model CO 2 injection with brine extraction and the corresponding increase in pressure within the RSU. We analyzed the model for pressure management, CO 2 storage, CO 2 saturation, and brine extraction due to the quantity and location of brine extraction wells. The model limited CO 2 injection to a constant pressure increase of two MPa at the injection well with and without extracting brine at hydrostatic pressure. Finally, we found that brine extraction can be used as a technical and cost-effective pressure management strategy to limit reservoir pressure buildup and increase CO 2 storage associated with a single injection well.« less

Assessment of desalination technologies for treatment of a highly saline brine from a potential CO 2 storage site

DOE PAGES

Kaplan, Ruth; Mamrosh, Darryl; Salih, Hafiz H.; ...

2016-11-12

Brine extraction is a promising strategy for the management of increased reservoir pressure, resulting from carbon dioxide (CO 2) injection in deep saline reservoirs. The extracted brines usually have high concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) and various contaminants, and require proper disposal or treatment. In this article, first by conducting a critical review, we evaluate the applicability, limits, and advantages or challenges of various commercially available and emerging desalination technologies that can potentially be employed to treat the highly saline brine (with TDS values >70.000 ppm) and those that are applicable to a ~200,000 ppm TDS brine extracted frommore » the Mt. Simon Sandstone, a potential CO 2 storage site in Illinois, USA. Based on the side-by-side comparison of technologies, evaporators are selected as the most suitable existing technology for treating Mt. Simon brine. Process simulations are then conducted for a conceptual design for desalination of 454 m 3/h (2000 gpm) pretreated brine for near-zero liquid discharge by multi-effect evaporators. In conclusion, the thermal energy demand is estimated at 246kWh perm 3 of recoveredwater, ofwhich 212kWh/m 3 is required for multiple-effect evaporation and the remainder for salt drying. The process also requires additional electrical power of ~2 kWh/m 3.« less

Potential utilization of Artemia franciscana eggs as food for Coleomegilla maculata

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We tested the hypothesis that Artemia franciscana Kellogg (brine shrimp, Anostraca: Artemiidae) eggs are suitable factitious, i.e., alternative, food to support the life history of a predatory ladybird beetle, Coleomegilla maculata DeGeer (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). Using progeny from a stock colo...

Financial Summary, Nanofiltration Data, and Lithium Uptake Data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jay Renew

Integrated testing of nanofiltration and lithium uptake subsystems using synthetic geothermal brine. Also includes a financial summary (Pro Forma) of the proposed 'Geothermal Thermoelectric Generation (G-TEG) with Integrated Temperature Driven Membrane Distillation and Novel Manganese Oxide for Lithium Extraction' (first pass 500 gpm).

CO2 Sparging Proof of Concept Test Report, Revision 1, LCP Chemicals Site, Brunswick, Georgia

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

April 2013 report to evaluate the feasibility of CO2 sparging to remediate a sub-surface caustic brine pool (CBP) at the LCP Chemicals Superfund Site, GA. Region ID : 04, DocID: 10940639 , DocDate: 2013-04-01

Estimating the Application Rate of Liquid Chloride Products Based on Residual Salt Concentration on Pavement

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2018-03-21

This technical report summarizes the results of laboratory testing on asphalt and concrete pavement. A known quantity of salt brine was applied as an anti-icer, followed by snow application, traffic simulation, and mechanical snow removal via simulat...

Comparison of Four Strong Acids on the Precipitation Potential of Gypsum in Brines During Distillation of Pretreated, Augmented Urine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Muirhead, Dean

2011-01-01

Two batches of nominally pretreated and augmented urine were prepared with the baseline pretreatment formulation of sulfuric acid and chromium trioxide. The urine was augmented with inorganic salts and organic compounds in order to simulate a urinary ionic concentrations representing the upper 95 percentile on orbit. Three strong mineral acids: phosphoric, hydrochloric, and nitric acid, were substituted for the sulfuric acid for comparison to the baseline sulfuric acid pretreatment formulation. Three concentrations of oxidizer in the pretreatment formulation were also tested. Pretreated urine was distilled to 85% water recovery to determine the effect of each acid and its conjugate base on the precipitation of minerals during distillation. The brines were analyzed for calcium and sulfate ion, total, volatile, and fixed suspended solids. Test results verified that substitution of phosphoric, hydrochloric, or nitric acids for sulfuric acid would prevent the precipitation of gypsum up to 85% recovery from pretreated urine representing the upper 95 percentile calcium concentration on orbit.

Nanofiltration Results: Membrane Removal of Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Silica, Lithium, Chlorine, and Sulfate from Simulated Geothermal Brines

DOE Data Explorer

Jay Renew

2016-02-06

Results from a nanofiltration study utilizing simulated geothermal brines. The data includes a PDF documenting the process used to remove Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Silica, Lithium, Chlorine, and Sulfate from simulated geothermal brines. Three different membranes were evaluated. The results were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Studying the impact of air/brine displacement on acoustic velocities in carbonates. El Amin Mokhtar and Sandra Vega

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mokhtar, E.; Vega, D.

2012-12-01

The impact of air/brine displacement on acoustic velocities of carbonate rocks is not fully comprehended yet. In order to improve our understanding of this effect, we conducted laboratory measurements of porosity and acoustic velocities (Vp and Vs) under both dry and brine saturated conditions at ambient pressure and temperature. The core plug samples in this study were collected from a hydrocarbon reservoir in the Middle East. A petrographic analysis was also performed on thin sections taken from the core plugs using a microscope and a digital camera. The aim of this analysis was to study depositional facies and the extent of diagenetic overprint that caused the observed variations in rock fabrics. Cross-plots were generated to analyze the trends of behavior between acoustic velocities and porosities taking into account the influence of different rock fabrics, in both dry and brine saturated samples. Acoustic velocities of brine saturated samples were higher than velocities of dry samples, as expected. However, their differences also respond to both, total porosity and carbonate rock fabrics. This result can be attributed to the different carbonate pore structures and rock frames formed during deposition and diagenesis. Similarly, the Vp/Vs ratio cross-plots display an increase in Vp/Vs ratios for the brine saturated samples compared to the dry ones. In conclusion, differences in acoustic velocities between dry and brine saturated carbonate rocks seem to be highly effected by porosity, rock fabric, and fluid content. This information can help to better understand the differences in acoustic response between gas and brine saturated zones in well logs and seismic.

Brine delineation and monitoring with electrical resistivity tomography and electromagnetic borehole logging at the Fort Knox well field near West Point, Kentucky

USGS Publications Warehouse

Henderson, Rory; Unthank, Michael D.; Zettwoch, Douglas D.; Lane, John W.

2010-01-01

The potable water system at Fort Knox is threatened by brine contamination from improperly abandoned natural gas exploration wells. The Fort Knox well field is located near the town of West Point, Kentucky, in the flood plain of the Ohio River. At the site, unconsolidated sediments approximately 30 – 40 m thick, overlie shale and porous limestone. Brine is believed to flow vertically from the underlying formations to the unconsolidated aquifer through damaged or leaky well casings under a high hydraulic gradient from the artificially pressurized porous limestone, which is utilized for natural gas storage by a regional energy company. Upon reaching the unconsolidated aquifer, brinecontaminated groundwater enters water supply production wells under the pumping‐induced gradient. As part of the Fort Knox remediation strategy to reduce the impact of brine contamination, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and borehole electromagnetic (EM) logs are being collected annually to detect gross changes in subsurface conductivity. The 2009 ERT data show areas of high conductivity on the western (contaminated) side of the site with conductivities more than an order of magnitude higher than on the eastern (uncontaminated) side of the site. The areas of high conductivity are interpreted as brine contamination, consistent with known regions of brine contamination. Conductivities from the EM logs are consistent with the results from the ERT inversions. The EM logs show little change between 2008 and 2009, except for some small changes in the brine distribution in well PZ1. Yearly ERT surveys will be continued to detect new areas of brine contamination and monitor the remediation effort.

Modeling brine and nutrient dynamics in Antarctic sea ice: the case of dissolved silica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vancoppenolle, M.; Goosse, H.; de Montety, A.; Fichefet, T.; Tremblay, B.; Tison, J.

2009-12-01

Sea ice ecosystems are characterized by micro-algae living in brine inclusions. The growth rate of ice algae depends on light and nutrient supply. Here, the interactions between nutrients and brine dynamics under the influence of algae are investigated using a one-dimensional model. The model includes snow and ice thermodynamics with brine physics and an idealized sea ice biological component, characterized by one nutrient, namely dissolved silica (DSi). In the model, DSi follows brine motion and is consumed by ice algae. Depending on physical ice characteristics, the brine flow is either advective, diffusive or turbulent. The vertical profiles of ice salinity and DSi concentration are solutions of advection-diffusion equations. The model is configured to simulate the typical thermodynamic regimes of first-year Antarctic pack ice. The simulated vertical profiles of salinity and DSi qualitatively reproduce observations. Analysis of results highlights the role of convection in the lowermost 5-10 cm of ice. Convection mixes saline, nutrient-poor brine with comparatively fresh, nutrient-rich seawater. This implies a rejection of salt to the ocean and a flux of DSi to the ice. In presence of growing algae, the simulated ocean-to-ice DSi flux increases by 0-115% compared to an abiotic situation. In turn, primary production and brine convection act in synergy to form a nutrient pump. The other important processes are the flooding of the surface by seawater and the percolation of meltwater. The former refills nutrients near the ice surface in spring. The latter, if present, tends to expell nutrients from the ice in summer. Sketch of salt (left) and nutrient (right) exchanges at the ice-ocean interface proposed in this paper.

Design Status of the Capillary Brine Residual in Containment Water Recovery System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, Michael R.; Sargusingh, Miriam

2016-01-01

One of the goals of the AES Life Support System (LSS) Project is to achieve 98% water loop closure for long duration human exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit. To meet this objective, the AES LSS Project is developing technologies to recover water from wastewater brine; highly concentrated waste products generated from a primary water recovery system. The state of the art system used aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has the potential to recover up to 85% water from unine wastewater, leaving a significant amounts of water in the waste brine, the recovery of which is a critical technology gap that must be filled in order to enable long duration human exploration. Recovering water from the urine wastewater brine is complicated by the concentration of solids as water is removed from the brine, and the concentration of the corrosive, toxic chemicals used to stabilize the urine which fouls and degrades water processing hardware, and poses a hazard to operators and crew. Brine Residual in Containment (BRIC) is focused on solids management through a process of "in-place" drying - the drying of brines within the container used for final disposal. Application of in-place drying has the potential to improve the safety and reliability of the system by reducing the exposure to crew and hardware to the problematic brine residual. Through a collaboration between the NASA Johnson Space Center and Portland Status University, a novel water recovery system was developed that utilizes containment geometry to support passive capillary flow and static phase separation allowing free surface evaporation to take place in a microgravity environment. A notional design for an ISS demonstration system was developed. This paper describes the concept for the system level design.

Environmentally Friendly Economical Sequestration of Rare Earth Metals from Geothermal Waters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stull, Dean P.

The purpose of this work was to complete a proof of concept study to apply and validate a novel method developed by Tusaar for the capture and recovery of rare earth elements (known as REEs) and other critical and valuable elements from geothermal waters produced from deep within the earth. Geothermal water provides heat for power production at many geothermal power plants in the western United States. The target elements, the REEs, are vital to modern day electronics, batteries, motors, automobiles and many other consumer favorites and necessities. Currently there are no domestic sources of REEs while domestic and internationalmore » demand for the products they are used in continues to rise. Many of the REEs are considered “strategically” important. A secure supply of REEs in the USA would benefit consumers and the country at large. A new method to recover these REEs from geothermal waters used at existing geothermal power plants around the country is a high priority and would benefit consumers and the USA. The result of this project was the successful development and demonstration of an integrated process for removal and recovery of the REEs from synthetic geothermal brines on a small laboratory scale. The work included preparation of model geothermal brines to test, selection of the most effective proprietary sorbent media to capture the REEs and testing of the media under a variety of potential operating conditions. Geothermal brines are generally very high in salt content and contain a wide range of elements and anions associated with the rock layers from which they are produced. Processing the geothermal water is difficult because it is corrosive and the dissolved minerals in the water precipitate easily once the temperature and pressure change. No commercial technologies have been shown to be effective or robust enough under these geothermal brine conditions to be commercially viable for removal of REEs. Technologies including ion exchange, traditional sorptive media and membrane concentration are too expensive, difficult or impossible to regenerate and easily rendered ineffective under these working conditions. The work completed during this project has demonstrated that a selective media that is robust and durable under the conditions associated with geothermal brines is possible. The initial economic analysis indicates that the process would not be financially viable at current market prices for REEs. The world market price for REEs has been turbulent over the past several years and are currently near historical lows. Historical trends and market forces suggest that the world price is stabilizing and will rise. At the same time, further development has the potential to reduce the costs associated with the technology. This work opened the door to the idea that a large scale process for removal and recovery of REEs from geothermal brines is possible. Upward price pressures coupled with technology improvements suggest that this process has the opportunity to be commercially successful at a point in the future.« less

Chemical aspects of a brine pool at the East Flower Garden bank, northwestern Gulf of Mexico

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brooks, J.M.; Bright, T.J.; Bernard, B.B.

1979-07-01

A small pool on the flank of the East Flower Garden bank at a depth of 72 m in the Gulf of Mexico contains anoxic, hypersaline (approx. 200 g.kg/sup -1/) water. The flux of brine into and out of the pool contributes to erosional processes on the bank. The bulk ionic composition of the brine is similar to that of the Orca Basin brine, but differences between the two in gaseous hydrocarbon and carbon isotope content indicate different modes of origin. High levels of bacterial activity in the brine are indicated by ATP (> 80 ng.liter/sup -1/), hydrogen sulfide (>more » 2000 ..mu..mol.liter/sup -1/), isotopically light ..sigma..CO/sub 2/ (delta/sup 13/C =-23/sup 0///sub 00/ and the apparent generaton of elemental sulfur.« less

A network model for characterizing brine channels in sea ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lieblappen, Ross M.; Kumar, Deip D.; Pauls, Scott D.; Obbard, Rachel W.

2018-03-01

The brine pore space in sea ice can form complex connected structures whose geometry is critical in the governance of important physical transport processes between the ocean, sea ice, and surface. Recent advances in three-dimensional imaging using X-ray micro-computed tomography have enabled the visualization and quantification of the brine network morphology and variability. Using imaging of first-year sea ice samples at in situ temperatures, we create a new mathematical network model to characterize the topology and connectivity of the brine channels. This model provides a statistical framework where we can characterize the pore networks via two parameters, depth and temperature, for use in dynamical sea ice models. Our approach advances the quantification of brine connectivity in sea ice, which can help investigations of bulk physical properties, such as fluid permeability, that are key in both global and regional sea ice models.

Development of the brine shrimp Artemia is accelerated during spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spooner, B. S.; Metcalf, J.; DeBell, L.; Paulsen, A.; Noren, W.; Guikema, J. A.

1994-01-01

Developmentally arrested brine shrimp cysts have been reactivated during orbital spaceflight on two different Space Shuttle missions (STS-50 and STS-54), and their subsequent development has been compared with that of simultaneously reactivated ground controls. Flight and control brine shrimp do not significantly differ with respect to hatching rates or larval morphology at the scanning and transmission EM levels. A small percentage of the flight larvae had defective nauplier eye development, but the observation was not statistically significant. However, in three different experiments on two different flights, involving a total of 232 larvae that developed in space, a highly significant difference in degree of flight to control development was found. By as early as 2.25 days after reactivation of development, spaceflight brine shrimp were accelerated, by a full instar, over ground control brine shrimp. Although developing more rapidly, flight shrimp grew as long as control shrimp at each developmental instar or stage.

Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis for two-phase flow in the vicinity of the repository in the 1996 performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: Undisturbed conditions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

HELTON,JON CRAIG; BEAN,J.E.; ECONOMY,K.

2000-05-19

Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis results obtained in the 1996 performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant are presented for two-phase flow the vicinity of the repository under undisturbed conditions. Techniques based on Latin hypercube sampling, examination of scatterplots, stepwise regression analysis, partial correlation analysis and rank transformation are used to investigate brine inflow, gas generation repository pressure, brine saturation and brine and gas outflow. Of the variables under study, repository pressure is potentially the most important due to its influence on spallings and direct brine releases, with the uncertainty in its value being dominated by the extent to whichmore » the microbial degradation of cellulose takes place, the rate at which the corrosion of steel takes place, and the amount of brine that drains from the surrounding disturbed rock zone into the repository.« less

Sodium Chloride Diffusion during Muscle Salting Evidenced by Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy Imaging.

PubMed

Filgueras, Rénata; Peyrin, Frédéric; Vénien, Annie; Hénot, Jean Marc; Astruc, Thierry

2016-01-27

To better understand the relationship between the muscle structure and NaCl transfers in meat, we used energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) coupled with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to analyze brined and dry-salted rat muscles. The muscles were freeze-dried to avoid the delocalization of soluble ions that happens in regular dehydration through a graded series of ethanol. Na and Cl maps were superimposed on SEM images to combine the muscle structure and NaCl diffusion. Brining causes rapid diffusion of NaCl through the tissue. Most brine diffuses in a linear front from the muscle surface, but a small proportion enters through the perimysium network. The muscle area penetrated by brine shows heterogeneous patterns of NaCl retention, with some connective tissue islets containing more NaCl than other parts of perimysium. NaCl penetration is considerably slower after dry salting than after brining.

Countercurrent direct contact heat exchange process and system

DOEpatents

Wahl, III, Edward F.; Boucher, Frederic B.

1979-01-01

Recovery of energy from geothermal brines and other hot water sources by direct contact heat exchange with a working fluid, such as a hydrocarbon working fluid, e.g. isobutane. The process and system consists of a plurality of stages, each stage including mixing and settling units. In the first stage, hot brine and arm working fluid are intimately mixed and passed into a settler wherein the brine settles to the bottom of the settler and the hot working fluid rises to the top. The hot working fluid is passed to a heat engine or turbine to produce work and the working fluid is then recycled back into the system. The system is comprised of a series of stages each containing a settler and mixer, and wherein the working fluid and the brine flow in a countercurrent manner through the stages to recover the heat from the brine in increments and raise the temperature of the working fluid in increments.

Rapid, high-temperature, field test method for evaluation of geothermal calcium carbonate scale inhibitors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Asperger, R.G.

1986-09-01

A new test method is described that allows the rapid field testing of calcium carbonate scale inhibitors at 500/sup 0/F (260/sup 0/C). The method evolved from use of a full-flow test loop on a well with a mass flow rate of about 1 x 10/sup 6/ lbm/hr (126 kg/s). It is a simple, effective way to evaluate the effectiveness of inhibitors under field conditions. Five commercial formulations were chosen for field evaluation on the basis of nonflowing, laboratory screening tests at 500/sup 0/F (260/sup 0/C). Four of these formulations from different suppliers controlled calcium carbonate scale deposition as measured bymore » the test method. Two of these could dislodge recently deposited scale that had not age-hardened. Performance-profile diagrams, which were measured for these four effective inhibitors, show the concentration interrelationship between brine calcium and inhibitor concentrations at which the formulations will and will not stop scale formation in the test apparatus. With these diagrams, one formulation was chosen for testing on the full-flow brine line. The composition was tested for 6 weeks and showed a dramatic decrease in the scaling occurring at the flow-control valve. This scaling was about to force a shutdown of a major, long-term flow test being done for reservoir economic evaluations. The inhibitor stopped the scaling, and the test was performed without interruption.« less

Fracture Flow Characterization from Seismic and Electric Properties: Insight from Experimental and Numerical Approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sawayama, K.; Kitamura, K.; Tsuji, T.; Fujimitsu, Y.

2017-12-01

The estimation of fluid flow and its distribution in the fracture is essential to evaluate subsurface fluid (e.g., geothermal water, ground water, oil and gas). Recently, fluid flow in the geothermal reservoir has been attracting attention to develop EGS (enhanced geothermal system) technique. To detect the fluid distribution under the ground, geophysical exploration such as seismic and electromagnetic methods have been broadly applied. For better interpretation of these exploration data, more detailed investigation about the effect of fluid on seismic and electric properties of fracture is required. In this study, we measured and calculated seismic and electric properties of a cracked rock to discuss the effect of water distribution and saturation on them as well as fluid flow. For the experimental observation, we developed the technique to measure electrical impedance, P-wave velocity and water saturation simultaneously during the fluid-flow test. The test has been conducted as follows; a cracked andesite core sample was filled with nitrogen gas (Pp = 10 MPa) under 20 MPa of confining pressure and then, brine (1wt.%-KCl, 1.75 S/m) was injected into the sample to replace the gas. During the test, water saturation, permeability, electrical impedance and P-wave velocity were measured. As a result of this experimental study, electrical impedance dramatically decreased from 105 to 103 Ω and P-wave velocity increased by 2% due to the brine injection. This remarkable change of the electrical impedance could be due to the replacement of pre-filled nitrogen gas to the brine in the broad fracture. After the brine injection, electrical impedance decreased with injection pressure by up to 40% while P-wave velocity was almost constant. This decrease of electrical impedance could be related to the flow to the narrow path (microcrack) which cannot be detected by P-wave velocity. These two types of fluid flow mechanism were also suggested from other parameters such as permeability, water saturation and saturation exponent of Archie's law. To quantify the fluid flow and its distribution in the fracture, we applied fluid flow simulation by LBM (Lattice Boltzmann Method). From this result, we calculate physical parameters by FEM and FDM and then discuss effect of fluid on them as well as their comparison with experimental results.

Fault-controlled CO2 leakage from natural reservoirs in the Colorado Plateau, East-Central Utah

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Na-Hyun; Han, Weon Shik; Watson, Z. T.; Graham, Jack P.; Kim, Kue-Young

2014-10-01

The study investigated a natural analogue for soil CO2 fluxes where CO2 has naturally leaked on the Colorado Plateau, East-Central Utah in order to identify various factors that control CO2 leakage and to understand regional-scale CO2 leakage processes in fault systems. The total 332 and 140 measurements of soil CO2 flux were made at 287 and 129 sites in the Little Grand Wash (LGW) and Salt Wash (SW) fault zones, respectively. Measurement sites for CO2 flux involved not only conspicuous CO2 degassing features (e.g., CO2-driven springs/geysers) but also linear features (e.g., joints/fractures and areas of diffusive leakage around a fault damage zone). CO2 flux anomalies were mostly observed along the fault traces. Specifically, CO2 flux anomalies were focused in the northern footwall of the both LGW and SW faults, supporting the existence of north-plunging anticlinal CO2 trap against south-dipping faults as well as higher probability of the north major fault traces as conduits. Anomalous CO2 fluxes also appeared in active travertines adjacent to CO2-driven cold springs and geysers (e.g., 36,259 g m-2 d-1 at Crystal Geyser), ancient travertines (e.g., 5,917 g m-2 d-1), joint zones in sandstone (e.g., 120 g m-2 d-1), and brine discharge zones (e.g., 5,515 g m-2 d-1). These observations indicate that CO2 has escaped through those pathways and that CO2 leakage from these fault zones does not correspond to point source leakage. The magnitude of CO2 flux is progressively reduced from north (i.e. the LGW fault zone, ∼36,259 g m-2 d-1) to south (i.e. the SW fault zone, ∼1,428 g m-2 d-1) despite new inputs of CO2 and CO2-saturated brine to the northerly SW fault from depth. This discrepancy in CO2 flux is most likely resulting from the differences in fault zone architecture and associated permeability structure. CO2-rich fluids from the LGW fault zone may become depleted with respect to CO2 during lateral transport, resulting in an additional decrease in CO2 fluxes within the SW fault zone. In other words, CO2 and CO2-charged brine originating from the LGW fault zone could migrate southward over 10-20 km through a series of high-permeable aquifers (e.g., Entrada, Navajo, Kayenta, Wingate, and White Rim Sandstones). These CO2-rich fluids could finally reach the southernmost Tumbleweed and Chaffin Ranch Geysers across the SW fault zone. The potential lateral transport of both CO2 and CO2-laden brine can be further supported by similar CO2/3He and 3He/4He ratios of gas and a systematic chemical evolution of water emitted from the regional springs and geysers, which suggest the same crustal origins of CO2 and CO2-rich brine for the region.

Differential permeation of artemia cysts and cucumber seeds by alcohols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, C. W.; Siegel, S. M.

1975-01-01

The rate of penetration of the simpler alcohols into brine shrimp cysts and cucumber seeds was studied. In solutions below 70% the rate of penetration is related to lipid solvent capacity of the alcohol. In concentrations above 70%, particularly in absolute alcohols, methanol penetrates brine shrimp rapidly and ethanol penetrates slowly. All the other alcohols tested did not penetrate the dormant structures. Ethionine and deuteroxy-methanol did not affect the rate of penetration of methanol. It is suggested that in dehydrated membranes the lipid moiety is protected by a continuous sheet of protein. Methanol, which is fairly similar to water, is probably able to penetrate the membrane by initiating a conformation change in the protein, exposing the lipid which subsequently dissolves in the methanol thus destroying the membrane.

Cleaner production in the ammonia-soda industry: an ecological and economic study.

PubMed

Kasikowski, T; Buczkowski, R; Lemanowska, E

2004-12-01

Five methods to reduce the negative influence of soda ash factories on the natural environment are presented: 1. obtaining calcium-magnesium phosphates by treating the suspension from raw brine purification with orthophosphoric acid (H(3)PO(4)), 2. production of precipitated chalk from soda processing waste, 3. production of gypsum and semi-brine, 4. desulphurisation of fume gases from the factory power plant, 5. utilization of distiller waste. The tests, accomplished on a laboratory scale, showed the high efficiency of these methods. Economic analysis has proved that only four out of the five presented processes can have a positive financial effect on soda ash factories, as well as being well justified economically. The value of two of the innovations presented is confirmed by their implementation in factories.

Semi-Empirical Model to Estimate the Solubility of CO2 NaCl Brine in Conditions Representative of CO2 Sequestration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohammadian, E.; Hamidi, H.; Azdarpour, A.

2018-05-01

CO2 sequestration is considered as one of the most anticipated methods to mitigate CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. Solubility mechanism is one of the most important and sophisticated mechanisms by which CO2 is rendered immobile while it is being injected into aquifers. A semi-empirical, easy to use model was developed to calculate the solubility of CO2 in NaCl brines with thermodynamic conditions (pressure, temperature) and salinity gradients representative CO2 sequestration in the Malay basin. The model was compared to the previous more sophisticated models and a good consistency was found among the data obtained using the two models. A Sensitivity analysis was also conducted on the model to test its performance beyond its limits.

Application Status of Rubidium, Cesium and Research Situation of its Separation from Brine with Solvent Extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Zhen; Du, Xuemin; Wang, Shiqiang; Guo, Yafei; Deng, Tianlong

2017-12-01

Rubidium, cesium and its compounds play an important role in traditional and high-tech fields. This paper focuses on the research status of separation rubidium and cesium in brine using solvent extraction, and briefly introduced the characteristics of this method, which can be used to realize industrial production of rubidium and cesium from brine.

Vegetation re-establishment on a hardwood forest site denuded by brine

Treesearch

R.S. Walters; L.R. Auchmoody

1989-01-01

Brine from active oil wells seeped through the soil of a forested site in north-western Pennsylvania and killed all vegetation in its path, leaving the affected area unproductive and unsightly. After the brine source was eliminated, herbaceous plants, shrubs and forest tree seedlings became established and developed rapidly. Establishment began in the first year and by...

Observation of a brine layer on an ice surface with an environmental scanning electron microscope at higher pressures and temperatures.

PubMed

Krausko, Ján; Runštuk, Jiří; Neděla, Vilém; Klán, Petr; Heger, Dominik

2014-05-20

Observation of a uranyl-salt brine layer on an ice surface using backscattered electron detection and ice surface morphology using secondary-electron detection under equilibrium conditions was facilitated using an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) at temperatures above 250 K and pressures of hundreds of Pa. The micrographs of a brine layer over ice grains prepared by either slow or shock freezing provided a complementary picture of the contaminated ice grain boundaries. Fluorescence spectroscopy of the uranyl ions in the brine layer confirmed that the species exists predominately in the solvated state under experimental conditions of ESEM.

Formation and Persistence of Brine on Mars: Experimental Simulations throughout the Diurnal Cycle at the Phoenix Landing Site.

PubMed

Fischer, E; Martínez, G M; Rennó, N O

2016-12-01

In the last few years, water ice and salts capable of melting this ice and producing liquid saline water (brine) have been detected on Mars. Moreover, indirect evidence for brine has been found in multiple areas of the planet. Here, we simulate full diurnal cycles of temperature and atmospheric water vapor content at the Phoenix landing site for the first time and show experimentally that, in spite of the low Mars-like chamber temperature, brine forms minutes after the ground temperature exceeds the eutectic temperature of salts in contact with water ice. Moreover, we show that the brine stays liquid for most of the diurnal cycle when enough water ice is available to compensate for evaporation. This is predicted to occur seasonally in areas of the polar region where the temperature exceeds the eutectic value and frost or snow is deposited on saline soils, or where water ice and salts coexist in the shallow subsurface. This is important because the existence of liquid water is a key requirement for habitability. Key Words: Mars-Ice-Perchlorates-Brine-Water-Raman spectroscopy. Astrobiology 16, 937-948.

Measurement and modeling of CO₂ solubility in natural and synthetic formation brines for CO₂ sequestration.

PubMed

Zhao, Haining; Dilmore, Robert; Allen, Douglas E; Hedges, Sheila W; Soong, Yee; Lvov, Serguei N

2015-02-03

CO2 solubility data in the natural formation brine, synthetic formation brine, and synthetic NaCl+CaCl2 brine were collected at the pressures from 100 to 200 bar, temperatures from 323 to 423 K. Experimental results demonstrate that the CO2 solubility in the synthetic formation brines can be reliably represented by that in the synthetic NaCl+CaCl2 brines. We extended our previously developed model (PSUCO2) to calculate CO2 solubility in aqueous mixed-salt solution by using the additivity rule of the Setschenow coefficients of the individual ions (Na(+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+), K(+), Cl(-), and SO4(2-)). Comparisons with previously published models against the experimental data reveal a clear improvement of the proposed PSUCO2 model. Additionally, the path of the maximum gradient of the CO2 solubility contours divides the P-T diagram into two distinct regions: in Region I, the CO2 solubility in the aqueous phase decreases monotonically in response to increased temperature; in region II, the behavior of the CO2 solubility is the opposite of that in Region I as the temperature increases.

Review: Water recovery from brines and salt-saturated solutions: operability and thermodynamic efficiency considerations for desalination technologies

PubMed Central

Vane, Leland M.

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND When water is recovered from a saline source, a brine concentrate stream is produced. Management of the brine stream can be problematic, particularly in inland regions. An alternative to brine disposal is recovery of water and possibly salts from the concentrate. RESULTS This review provides an overview of desalination technologies and discusses the thermodynamic efficiencies and operational issues associated with the various technologies particularly with regard to high salinity streams. CONCLUSION Due to the high osmotic pressures of the brine concentrates, reverse osmosis, the most common desalination technology, is impractical. Mechanical vapor compression which, like reverse osmosis, utilizes mechanical work to operate, is reported to have the highest thermodynamic efficiency of the desalination technologies for treatment of salt-saturated brines. Thermally-driven processes, such as flash evaporation and distillation, are technically able to process saturated salt solutions, but suffer from low thermodynamic efficiencies. This inefficiency could be offset if an inexpensive source of waste or renewable heat could be used. Overarching issues posed by high salinity solutions include corrosion and the formation of scales/precipitates. These issues limit the materials, conditions, and unit operation designs that can be used. PMID:29225395

Review: Water recovery from brines and salt-saturated solutions: operability and thermodynamic efficiency considerations for desalination technologies.

PubMed

Vane, Leland M

2017-03-08

When water is recovered from a saline source, a brine concentrate stream is produced. Management of the brine stream can be problematic, particularly in inland regions. An alternative to brine disposal is recovery of water and possibly salts from the concentrate. This review provides an overview of desalination technologies and discusses the thermodynamic efficiencies and operational issues associated with the various technologies particularly with regard to high salinity streams. Due to the high osmotic pressures of the brine concentrates, reverse osmosis, the most common desalination technology, is impractical. Mechanical vapor compression which, like reverse osmosis, utilizes mechanical work to operate, is reported to have the highest thermodynamic efficiency of the desalination technologies for treatment of salt-saturated brines. Thermally-driven processes, such as flash evaporation and distillation, are technically able to process saturated salt solutions, but suffer from low thermodynamic efficiencies. This inefficiency could be offset if an inexpensive source of waste or renewable heat could be used. Overarching issues posed by high salinity solutions include corrosion and the formation of scales/precipitates. These issues limit the materials, conditions, and unit operation designs that can be used.

Variation of brine compositions resulting from flow from matrix or fracture permeability, investigated by high pressure laboratory experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poszwa, A. C.; Coleman, M. L.; Pouya, A.; Ader, M.; Bounenni, A.

2003-04-01

Planning oil production from a chalk reservoir oilfield is difficult because the matrix usually has low permeability despite its high porosity. Most oil is thought to come from fracture porosity but the matrix contribution should increase as compaction occurs during production. To better understand the respective contributions from matrix and fracture, we studied the geochemical characteristics of fluids using high-pressure brine flow experiments on chalk cores. During the experiment axial load was changed relative to confining pressure to induce fractures and to close them again. We used chlorine stable isotope variations to study fluid pathway, because chlorine is a chemically conservative element in sedimentary systems and its isotopes fractionate only with physical processes like diffusion or adsorption that could occur mainly in the chalk matrix. A first experiment was performed on a very porous chalk from Henley (on-shore UK) and using a low-salinity brine. Large variations of brine Cl isotope composition were observed (from -0.56 to +0.08 per mil). The variations were correlated positively with the brine flux through the chalk and the permeability of the rock, both parameters controlled by the rock fracturing. A second experiment used brine with salinity similar to that of seawater. In this case, chemical and isotopic variations were not significant. From the beginning, the chalk structure seems to have been destroyed very quickly (induced fracture porosity collapsed) possibly because of the fluid nature, so that whatever pressure was applied, the permeability did not change significantly. Using Valhall reservoir chalk (offshore Norwegian North Sea) and fluid half the salinity of seawater in a third experiment, we obtained a large range of permeabilities. Brine isotopic trends were very similar on average to those of the first experiment even though variations were smaller (Cl isotopes from -0.09 to +0.29 per mil) and not significantly correlated simply to permeability values. The highest isotopic values were in brine flowed through chalk when the permeability was high and fractures opened; the lowest values were in brine flowed through the chalk when its permeability was reduced by closing fractures and increasing the relative contribution from matrix flow where diffusion processes fractionated chlorine isotopes. From this work it seems that the relative contributions from fracture and matrix permeability in reservoirs can be estimated from the geochemical compositions of brines that flowed from them.

Identification of transformation products during advanced oxidation of diatrizoate: Effect of water matrix and oxidation process.

PubMed

Azerrad, Sara P; Lütke Eversloh, Christian; Gilboa, Maayan; Schulz, Manoj; Ternes, Thomas; Dosoretz, Carlos G

2016-10-15

Removal of micropollutants from reverse osmosis (RO) brines of wastewater desalination by oxidation processes is influenced by the scavenging capacity of brines components, resulting in the accumulation of transformation products (TPs) rather than complete mineralization. In this work the iodinated contrast media diatrizoate (DTZ) was used as model compound due to its relative resistance to oxidation. Identification of TPs was performed in ultrapure water (UPW) and RO brines applying nonthermal plasma (NTP) and UVA-TiO2 as oxidation techniques. The influence of main RO brines components in the formation and accumulation of TPs, such as chloride, bicarbonate alkalinity and humic acid, was also studied during UVA-TiO2. DTZ oxidation pattern in UPW resulted similar in both UVA-TiO2 and NTP achieving 66 and 61% transformation, respectively. However, DTZ transformation in RO brines was markedly lower in UVA-TiO2 (9%) than in NTP (27%). These differences can be attributed to the synergic effect of RO brines components during NTP. Moreover, reactive species other than hydroxyl radical contributed to DTZ transformation, i.e., direct photolysis in UVA-TiO2 and direct photolysis + O3 in NTP accounted for 16 and 23%, respectively. DTZ transformation led to iodide formation in both oxidation techniques but it further oxidized to iodate by ozone in NTP. In total 14 transformation products were identified in UPW of which 3 were present only in UVA-TiO2 and 2 were present exclusively in NTP; 5 of the 14 TPs were absent in RO brines. Five of them were new and were denoted as TP-474A/B, TP-522, TP-586, TP-602, TP-628. TP-522 (mono-chlorinated) was elucidated only in presence of high chloride titer-synthetic water matrix in NTP, most probably formed by active chlorine species generated in situ. TPs accumulation in RO brines was markedly different in comparison to UPW. This denotes the influence of RO brines components in the formation of reactive species that could further attack DTZ/TPs and/or scavenging performed by these brine components that could limit further TPs degradation. Five plausible degradation pathways are proposed for DTZ transformation in UPW. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the brine drainage and algal uptake controls of the nutrient supply to the sea ice interior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vancoppenolle, M.; Goosse, H.; de Montety, A.; Fichefet, T.; Tison, J.-L.

2009-04-01

Sea ice ecosystems are important components of the biogeochemical cycles (including carbon) and hence have a potential impact on climate. They are characterized by large stocks of micro-algae. Those algae (mostly diatoms) live in liquid inclusions of saline brine, which are encased within the solid ice matrix and require sustained nutrient supply to grow. In this study, we investigate the interactions between nutrients, brine motion and algal growth, using a one-dimensional (1D) sea ice model. The model includes (i) a classical formulation for snow and ice thermodynamics with explicit, reformulated brine physics and (ii) an idealized sea ice biological component, characterized by one single nutrient, namely dissolved silica (DSi), which stocks are reduced by a prescribed primary production. DSi is considered as a passive tracer dissolved within brine following fluid motion. The brine flow regime (advective, diffusive or turbulent) is computed as a function of environmental ice conditions. In winter, a Rayleigh number proposed by Notz and Worster (2008) is used to differentiate diffusion and convection. Ice salinity and DSi concentrations within the ice are solutions of 1D advection-diffusion equations over the variable volume brine network domain. The model is configured for a typical year of seasonal Weddell Sea ice. The simulated vertical salinity and tracer profiles as well as ice-ocean salt fluxes realistically agree with observations. Complex bio-physical interactions are simulated by the model. Analysis highlights the role of convection in the lowermost 5-10 cm of ice (gravity drainage), mixing highly saline, nutrient-depleted brine with comparatively fresh, nutrient-rich seawater. Hence, gravity drainage rejects salt to the ocean and provides nutrients to the ice interior. In turn, primary production and brine convection act synergetically to form a nutrient pump, which enhances the net ocean-to-ice DSi flux by 20-115%, compared to an abiotic situation. The other important simulated processes are winter and spring surface flooding of seawater which supplies nutrients near the ice surface, and melt water percolation which - if present in reality - would tend to flush nutrients back to the ocean in summer. The physical background for sea ice tracers developed here is general and could be used to simulate other sea ice tracers (e.g., dissolved organic matter, isotopes, gases, radio-nuclides, ...), constituting an improved modelling strategy for sea ice brine and ecosystem dynamics.

Partition behavior of virgin olive oil phenolic compounds in oil-brine mixtures during thermal processing for fish canning.

PubMed

Sacchi, Raffaele; Paduano, Antonello; Fiore, Francesca; Della Medaglia, Dorotea; Ambrosino, Maria Luisa; Medina, Isabel

2002-05-08

The chemical modifications and partitioning toward the brine phase (5% salt) of major phenol compounds of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) were studied in a model system formed by sealed cans filled with oil-brine mixtures (5:1, v/v) simulating canned-in-oil food systems. Filled cans were processed in an industrial plant using two sterilization conditions commonly used during fish canning. The partitioning of phenolic compounds toward brine induced by thermal processing was studied by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of the phenol fraction extracted from oils and brine. Hydroxytyrosol (1), tyrosol (2), and the complex phenolic compounds containing 1 and 2 (i.e., the dialdehydic form of decarboxymethyl oleuropein aglycon 3, the dialdehydic form of decarboxymethyl ligstroside aglycon 4, and the oleuropein aglycon 6) decreased in the oily phase after sterilization with a marked partitioning toward the brine phase. The increase of the total amount of 1 and 2 after processing, as well as the presence of elenolic acid 7 released in brine, revealed the hydrolysis of the ester bond of hydrolyzable phenolic compounds 3, 4, and 6 during thermal processing. Both phenomena (partitioning toward the water phase and hydrolysis) contribute to explain the loss of phenolic compounds exhibited by EVOO used as filling medium in canned foods, as well as the protection of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in canned-in-EVOO fish products.

Microbial life at -13 °C in the brine of an ice-sealed Antarctic lake.

PubMed

Murray, Alison E; Kenig, Fabien; Fritsen, Christian H; McKay, Christopher P; Cawley, Kaelin M; Edwards, Ross; Kuhn, Emanuele; McKnight, Diane M; Ostrom, Nathaniel E; Peng, Vivian; Ponce, Adrian; Priscu, John C; Samarkin, Vladimir; Townsend, Ashley T; Wagh, Protima; Young, Seth A; Yung, Pung To; Doran, Peter T

2012-12-11

The permanent ice cover of Lake Vida (Antarctica) encapsulates an extreme cryogenic brine ecosystem (-13 °C; salinity, 200). This aphotic ecosystem is anoxic and consists of a slightly acidic (pH 6.2) sodium chloride-dominated brine. Expeditions in 2005 and 2010 were conducted to investigate the biogeochemistry of Lake Vida's brine system. A phylogenetically diverse and metabolically active Bacteria dominated microbial assemblage was observed in the brine. These bacteria live under very high levels of reduced metals, ammonia, molecular hydrogen (H(2)), and dissolved organic carbon, as well as high concentrations of oxidized species of nitrogen (i.e., supersaturated nitrous oxide and ∼1 mmol⋅L(-1) nitrate) and sulfur (as sulfate). The existence of this system, with active biota, and a suite of reduced as well as oxidized compounds, is unusual given the millennial scale of its isolation from external sources of energy. The geochemistry of the brine suggests that abiotic brine-rock reactions may occur in this system and that the rich sources of dissolved electron acceptors prevent sulfate reduction and methanogenesis from being energetically favorable. The discovery of this ecosystem and the in situ biotic and abiotic processes occurring at low temperature provides a tractable system to study habitability of isolated terrestrial cryoenvironments (e.g., permafrost cryopegs and subglacial ecosystems), and is a potential analog for habitats on other icy worlds where water-rock reactions may cooccur with saline deposits and subsurface oceans.

Rubidium extraction from seawater brine by an integrated membrane distillation-selective sorption system.

PubMed

Naidu, Gayathri; Jeong, Sanghyun; Johir, Md Abu Hasan; Fane, Anthony G; Kandasamy, Jaya; Vigneswaran, Saravanamuthu

2017-10-15

The ultimate goal of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) brine management is to achieve minimal liquid discharge while recovering valuable resources. The suitability of an integrated system of membrane distillation (MD) with sorption for the recovery of rubidium (Rb + ) and simultaneous SWRO brine volume reduction has been evaluated for the first time. Polymer encapsulated potassium copper hexacyanoferrate (KCuFC(PAN)) sorbent exhibited a good selectivity for Rb + sorption with 10-15% increment at 55 °C (Langmuir Q max  = 125.11 ± 0.20 mg/g) compared to at 25 °C (Langmuir Q max  = 108.71 ± 0.20 mg/g). The integrated MD-KCuFC(PAN) system with periodic membrane cleaning, enabled concentration of SWRO brine to a volume concentration factor (VCF) of 2.9 (65% water recovery). A stable MD permeate flux was achieved with good quality permeate (conductivity of 15-20 μS/cm). Repeated cycles of MD-KCuFC(PAN) sorption with SWRO brine enabled the extraction of 2.26 mg Rb + from 12 L of brine (equivalent to 1.9 kg of Rb/day, or 0.7 tonne/yr from a plant producing 10,000 m 3 /day brine). KCuFC(PAN) showed a high regeneration and reuse capacity. NH 4 Cl air stripping followed by resorcinol formaldehyde (RF) resin filtration enabled to recover Rb + from the desorbed solution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Surface Complexation Modeling of Calcite Zeta Potential Measurement in Mixed Brines for Carbonate Wettability Characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, J.; Zeng, Y.; Biswal, S. L.; Hirasaki, G. J.

2017-12-01

We presents zeta potential measurements and surface complexation modeling (SCM) of synthetic calcite in various conditions. The systematic zeta potential measurement and the proposed SCM provide insight into the role of four potential determining cations (Mg2+, SO42- , Ca2+ and CO32-) and CO2 partial pressure in calcite surface charge formation and facilitate the revealing of calcite wettability alteration induced by brines with designed ionic composition ("smart water"). Brines with varying potential determining ions (PDI) concentration in two different CO2 partial pressure (PCO2) are investigated in experiments. Then, a double layer SCM is developed to model the zeta potential measurements. Moreover, we propose a definition for contribution of charged surface species and quantitatively analyze the variation of charged species contribution when changing brine composition. After showing our model can accurately predict calcite zeta potential in brines containing mixed PDIs, we apply it to predict zeta potential in ultra-low and pressurized CO2 environments for potential applications in carbonate enhanced oil recovery including miscible CO2 flooding and CO2 sequestration in carbonate reservoirs. Model prediction reveals that pure calcite surface will be positively charged in all investigated brines in pressurized CO2 environment (>1atm). Moreover, the sensitivity of calcite zeta potential to CO2 partial pressure in the various brine is found to be in the sequence of Na2CO3 > Na2SO4 > NaCl > MgCl2 > CaCl2 (Ionic strength=0.1M).

Microbial life at −13 °C in the brine of an ice-sealed Antarctic lake

PubMed Central

Murray, Alison E.; Kenig, Fabien; Fritsen, Christian H.; McKay, Christopher P.; Cawley, Kaelin M.; Edwards, Ross; Kuhn, Emanuele; McKnight, Diane M.; Ostrom, Nathaniel E.; Peng, Vivian; Ponce, Adrian; Priscu, John C.; Samarkin, Vladimir; Townsend, Ashley T.; Wagh, Protima; Young, Seth A.; Yung, Pung To; Doran, Peter T.

2012-01-01

The permanent ice cover of Lake Vida (Antarctica) encapsulates an extreme cryogenic brine ecosystem (−13 °C; salinity, 200). This aphotic ecosystem is anoxic and consists of a slightly acidic (pH 6.2) sodium chloride-dominated brine. Expeditions in 2005 and 2010 were conducted to investigate the biogeochemistry of Lake Vida’s brine system. A phylogenetically diverse and metabolically active Bacteria dominated microbial assemblage was observed in the brine. These bacteria live under very high levels of reduced metals, ammonia, molecular hydrogen (H2), and dissolved organic carbon, as well as high concentrations of oxidized species of nitrogen (i.e., supersaturated nitrous oxide and ∼1 mmol⋅L−1 nitrate) and sulfur (as sulfate). The existence of this system, with active biota, and a suite of reduced as well as oxidized compounds, is unusual given the millennial scale of its isolation from external sources of energy. The geochemistry of the brine suggests that abiotic brine-rock reactions may occur in this system and that the rich sources of dissolved electron acceptors prevent sulfate reduction and methanogenesis from being energetically favorable. The discovery of this ecosystem and the in situ biotic and abiotic processes occurring at low temperature provides a tractable system to study habitability of isolated terrestrial cryoenvironments (e.g., permafrost cryopegs and subglacial ecosystems), and is a potential analog for habitats on other icy worlds where water-rock reactions may cooccur with saline deposits and subsurface oceans. PMID:23185006

Impact of stylolitization on diagenesis of a Lower Cretaceous carbonate reservoir from a giant oilfield, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paganoni, Matteo; Al Harthi, Amena; Morad, Daniel; Morad, Sadoon; Ceriani, Andrea; Mansurbeg, Howri; Al Suwaidi, Aisha; Al-Aasm, Ihsan S.; Ehrenberg, Stephen N.; Sirat, Manhal

2016-04-01

Bed-parallel stylolites are a widespread diagenetic feature in Lower Cretaceous limestone reservoirs, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Diagenetic calcite, dolomite, kaolin and small amounts of pyrite, fluorite, anhydrite and sphalerite occur along and in the vicinity of the stylolites. Petrographic observations, negative δ18OVPDB, fluid inclusion microthermometry, and enrichment in 87Sr suggest that these cements have precipitated from hot basinal brines, which migrated along the stylolites and genetically related microfractures (tension gashes). Fluid migration was presumably related to lateral tectonic compression events related to the foreland basin formation. The low solubility of Al3 + in formation waters suggests that kaolin precipitation was linked to derivation of organic acids during organic matter maturation, probably in siliciclastic source rocks. The mass released from stylolitization was presumably re-precipitated as macro- and microcrystalline calcite cement in the host limestones. The flanks of the oilfield (water zone) display more frequent presence and higher amplitude of stylolites, lower porosity and permeability, higher homogenization temperatures and more radiogenic composition of carbonates compared to the crest (oil zone). This indicates that oil emplacement retards diagenesis. This study demonstrates that stylolitization plays a crucial role in fluid flow and diagenesis of carbonate reservoirs during basin evolution.

Microbiology of solar salt ponds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Javor, B.

1985-01-01

Solar salt ponds are shallow ponds of brines that range in salinity from that of normal seawater (3.4 percent) through NaCl saturation. Some salterns evaporate brines to the potash stage of concentration (bitterns). All the brines (except the bitterns, which are devoid of life) harbor high concentrations of microorganisms. The high concentrations of microorganisms and their adaptation to life in the salt pond are discussed.

Assessing Radium Activity in Shale Gas Produced Brine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, W.; Hayes, K. F.; Ellis, B. R.

2015-12-01

The high volumes and salinity associated with shale gas produced water can make finding suitable storage or disposal options a challenge, especially when deep well brine disposal or recycling for additional well completions is not an option. In such cases, recovery of commodity salts from the high total dissolved solids (TDS) of the brine wastewater may be desirable, yet the elevated concentrations of the naturally occurring radionuclides such as Ra-226 and Ra-228 in produced waters (sometimes substantially greater than the EPA limit of 5 pCi/L) may concentrate during these steps and limit salt recovery options. Therefore, assessing the potential presence of these Ra radionuclides in produced water from shale gas reservoir properties is desirable. In this study, we seek to link U and Th content within a given shale reservoir to the expected Ra content of produced brine by accounting for secular equilibrium within the rock and subsequent release to Ra to native brines. Produced brine from a series of Antrim shale wells and flowback from a single Utica-Collingwood shale well in Michigan were sampled and analyzed via ICP-MS to measure Ra content. Gamma spectroscopy was used to verify the robustness of this new Ra analytical method. Ra concentrations were observed to be up to an order of magnitude higher in the Antrim flowback water samples compared to those collected from the Utica-Collingwood well. The higher Ra content in Antrim produced brines correlates well with higher U content in the Antrim (19 ppm) relative to the Utica-Collingwood (3.5 ppm). We also observed an increase in Ra activity with increasing TDS in the Antrim samples. This Ra-TDS relationship demonstrates the influence of competing divalent cations in controlling Ra mobility in these clay-rich reservoirs. In addition, we will present a survey of geochemical data from other shale gas plays in the U.S. correlating shale U, Th content with produced brine Ra content. A goal of this study is to develop a method to predict the expected Ra activity in shale gas produced brines on a regional or play-specific basis in an effort to guide wastewater management practices or optimize regional treatment strategies.

Fate and groundwater impacts of produced water releases at OSPER "B" site, Osage County, Oklahoma

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kharaka, Y.K.; Kakouros, E.; Thordsen, J.J.; Ambats, G.; Abbott, M.M.

2007-01-01

For the last 5 a, the authors have been investigating the transport, fate, natural attenuation and ecosystem impacts of inorganic and organic compounds in releases of produced water and associated hydrocarbons at the Osage-Skiatook Petroleum Environmental Research (OSPER) "A" and "B" sites, located in NE Oklahoma. Approximately 1.0 ha of land at OSPER "B", located within the active Branstetter lease, is visibly affected by salt scarring, tree kills, soil salinization, and brine and petroleum contamination. Site "B" includes an active production tank battery and adjacent large brine pit, two injection well sites, one with an adjacent small pit, and an abandoned brine pit and tank battery site. Oil production in this lease started in 1938, and currently there are 10 wells that produce 0.2-0.5 m3/d (1-3 bbl/d) oil, and 8-16 m3/d (50-100 bbl/d) brine. Geochemical data from nearby oil wells show that the produced water source is a Na-Ca-Cl brine (???150,000 mg/L TDS), with high Mg, but low SO4 and dissolved organic concentrations. Groundwater impacts are being investigated by detailed chemical analyses of water from repeated sampling of 41 boreholes, 1-71 m deep. The most important results at OSPER "B" are: (1) significant amounts of produced water from the two active brine pits percolate into the surficial rocks and flow towards the adjacent Skiatook reservoir, but only minor amounts of liquid petroleum leave the brine pits; (2) produced-water brine and minor dissolved organics have penetrated the thick (3-7 m) shale and siltstone units resulting in the formation of three interconnected plumes of high-salinity water (5000-30,000 mg/L TDS) that extend towards the Skiatook reservoir from the two active and one abandoned brine pits; and (3) groundwater from the deep section of only one well, BR-01 located 330 m upslope and west of the site, appear not to be impacted by petroleum operations. ?? 2007.

Efflorescence of Magnesium Perchlorate by Contact with Mineral Dust Particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ushijima, S.; Tolbert, M. A.; Gough, R. V.

2017-12-01

Liquid water was not uncommon on early Mars and it shaped geologic features on the surface that are still seen today. Due to the extremely cold and dry conditions of Mars currently, only water ice and water vapor have been observed and or detected. However, it has been suggested that liquid may form seasonally based on the observations of recurring slope lineae (RSL). The liquid may be a brine composed of hygroscopic salts such as perchlorates whose hydrated form has recently been detected in an RSL by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Through a process called deliquescence, the salts can absorb water from the surrounding environment and become a brine above a specific relative humidity (RH) known as the deliquescence relative humidity (DRH). The reverse process, recrystallization or efflorescence, often occurs at a much lower RH called the efflorescence relative humidity (ERH). The hysteresis effect caused by the distinctly different RH values allows for liquid brines to be metastable even under dry conditions. However, there is evidence that ERH can be raised when a mineral particle encounters the surface of the brine or it is immersed inside, effectively diminishing the metastability potential of liquid brines. If the brines are responsible for RSL formation, the brine will inevitably mix with the Martian soil. Thus, it is important to understand the effects that mineral particles can have on efflorescence. Here we use optical trapping to examine efflorescence of magnesium perchlorate in the presence of montmorillonite and halite. Studies on the efflorescence and deliquescence of magnesium perchlorate has shown that its brine could be stable in the subsurface of Mars during certain periods of time. Both montmorillonite and halite have been suggested to be a part of or similar to components of the Martian soil. Results at ambient conditions have shown that efflorescence of magnesium perchlorate is unaffected by the presence of either minerals. Whether the droplet of magnesium perchlorate was pure or exposed to halite or montmorillonite the ERH was near 13% RH at room temperature. Although not under Mars conditions, the results suggest that the stability of magnesium perchlorate brine could be unaffected by the surrounding mineral and could still possibly contribute to RSL formation.

30 CFR 250.1608 - Well casing and cementing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... rock casing, (iv) Bobtail cap rock casing (required when the cap rock casing does not penetrate into the cap rock), (v) Second cap rock casing (brine wells), and (vi) Production liner. (2) The lessee... lessee shall initiate remedial action as approved by the District Manager. For cap rock casing, the test...

30 CFR 250.1608 - Well casing and cementing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... rock casing, (iv) Bobtail cap rock casing (required when the cap rock casing does not penetrate into the cap rock), (v) Second cap rock casing (brine wells), and (vi) Production liner. (2) The lessee... lessee shall initiate remedial action as approved by the District Manager. For cap rock casing, the test...

30 CFR 250.1608 - Well casing and cementing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... rock casing, (iv) Bobtail cap rock casing (required when the cap rock casing does not penetrate into the cap rock), (v) Second cap rock casing (brine wells), and (vi) Production liner. (2) The lessee... lessee shall initiate remedial action as approved by the District Manager. For cap rock casing, the test...

Comparison tests of liquid calcium and salt brine : a controlled experimental evaluation of rock salt pre-wetting liquids.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-10-01

The Maine Department of Transportation, like other state transportation agencies in the northern U.S., : utilizes solid salt to maintain bare pavement condition on its roads and bridges during winter. In recent : years more emphasis has been placed o...

Numerical Model of Hydraulic Fracturing Fluid Transport in the Subsurface with Pressure Transient, Density Effects, and Imbibition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birdsell, D.; Rajaram, H.; Dempsey, D.; Viswanathan, H.

2014-12-01

Understanding the transport of hydraulic fracturing (HF) fluid that is injected into the deep subsurface for shale gas extraction is important to ensure that shallow drinking water aquifers are not contaminated from an environmental and public health perspective and to understand formation damage from an oil and gas production perspective. Upward pressure gradients, permeable pathways such as faults or improperly abandoned wellbores, and the density contrast of the HF fluid to the surrounding brine encourages upward HF fluid migration. In contrast, the very low shale permeability and the imbibition of water into partially-saturated shale may sequester much of the HF fluid. Using the Finite Element Heat and Mass Transfer Code (FEHM), single-phase flow and transport simulations are performed to quantify how much HF fluid is removed via the wellbore as flowback and produced water and how much reaches overlying aquifers; imbibition is calculated with a semi-analytical one-dimensional solution and treated as a sink term. The travel time for HF fluid to reach the shallow aquifers is highly dependent on the amount of water imbibed and the suction applied to the well. If imbibition rates and suction are small, the pressure transient due to injection and the density contrast allows rapid upward plume migration at early times. The density contrast diminishes considerably within tens to hundreds of years as mixing occurs. We present estimates of HF fluid migration to shallow aquifers during the first 1,000 years after hydraulic fracturing begins for ranges of subsurface properties.

Vertically migrating swimmers generate aggregation-scale eddies in a stratified column.

PubMed

Houghton, Isabel A; Koseff, Jeffrey R; Monismith, Stephen G; Dabiri, John O

2018-04-01

Biologically generated turbulence has been proposed as an important contributor to nutrient transport and ocean mixing 1-3 . However, to produce non-negligible transport and mixing, such turbulence must produce eddies at scales comparable to the length scales of stratification in the ocean. It has previously been argued that biologically generated turbulence is limited to the scale of the individual animals involved 4 , which would make turbulence created by highly abundant centimetre-scale zooplankton such as krill irrelevant to ocean mixing. Their small size notwithstanding, zooplankton form dense aggregations tens of metres in vertical extent as they undergo diurnal vertical migration over hundreds of metres 3,5,6 . This behaviour potentially introduces additional length scales-such as the scale of the aggregation-that are of relevance to animal interactions with the surrounding water column. Here we show that the collective vertical migration of centimetre-scale swimmers-as represented by the brine shrimp Artemia salina-generates aggregation-scale eddies that mix a stable density stratification, resulting in an effective turbulent diffusivity up to three orders of magnitude larger than the molecular diffusivity of salt. These observed large-scale mixing eddies are the result of flow in the wakes of the individual organisms coalescing to form a large-scale downward jet during upward swimming, even in the presence of a strong density stratification relative to typical values observed in the ocean. The results illustrate the potential for marine zooplankton to considerably alter the physical and biogeochemical structure of the water column, with potentially widespread effects owing to their high abundance in climatically important regions of the ocean 7 .

Investigating the Formation of Mars Recurring Slope Lineae through Laboratory Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cantillo, D. C.; Hibbitts, C.; Wing, B. R.; Mushkin, A.; Stockstill-Cahill, K.; Viviano-Beck, C. E.

2017-12-01

The presence of low-albedo streaks on crater slopes, Recurring Slope Lineae (RSLs), may be evidence for present-day intermittent and repeated flow of water or brine on the surface of Mars. RSLs grow, fade, and can grow again seasonally as surface temperatures change [e.g. 1,2]. Although distinguishable by being darker than the surrounding terrain, they have no diagnostic absorption features [3] with the exception of a ferric feature that may be related to grain size [4] and the notable discovery of hydrated perchlorates at the base of one set of RSLs [5]. To explore liquid-based hypotheses for the formation of RSLs, we have constructed an environmental chamber that can simulate Martian surface conditions. The development of this chamber follows upon the successful completion of preliminary tests under a terrestrial atmosphere [6] to prove the optical design and subsequently under Mars pressure to verify the technical approach [7]. The Mars Analog Reflectance Spectroscopy (MARS) chamber is capable of exposing soils to brines from underneath, simulating possible subsurface wetting that could result in RSL formation. While maintaining Mars pressure and similar oxygen fugacity, the chamber will also allow the collection of spectra from 0.4 to 2.4 microns. Various brine compositions can be investigated, including solutions of iron chlorides. These unique salts can lower the soil albedo without inducing a spectral absorption feature, whereas other salts brighten the surface after drying or retain significant water [8]. Another possible darkening mechanism is also being explored within the MARS chamber. Experiments have shown that evaporation of liquid from palagonitic soils under Mars pressure create ubiquitous grain scale cavities within the surface [7]. This micro-roughness increases shadowing and darkens the surface, indicating it may be a process of darkening that is independent of brine composition.

The gnotobiotic brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana) model system reveals that the phenolic compound pyrogallol protects against infection through its prooxidant activity.

PubMed

Baruah, Kartik; Duy Phong, Ho Phuong Pham; Norouzitallab, Parisa; Defoirdt, Tom; Bossier, Peter

2015-12-01

The phenolic compound pyrogallol is the functional unit of many polyphenols and currently there has been a growing interest in using this compound in human and animal health owing to its health-promoting effects. The biological actions of pyrogallol moiety (and polyphenols) in inducing health benefitting effects have been studied; however, the mechanisms of action remain unclear yet. Here, we aimed at unravelling the underlying mechanism of action behind the protective effects of pyrogallol against bacterial infection by using the gnotobiotically-cultured brine shrimp Artemia franciscana and pathogenic bacteria Vibrio harveyi as host-pathogen model system. The gnotobiotic test system represents an exceptional system for carrying out such studies because it eliminates any possible interference of microbial communities (naturally present in the experimental system) in mechanistic studies and furthermore facilitates the interpretation of the results in terms of a cause effect relationship. We provided clear evidences suggesting that pyrogallol pretreament, at an optimum concentration, induced protective effects in the brine shrimp against V. harveyi infection. By pretreating brine shrimp with pyrogallol in the presence or absence of an antioxidant enzyme mixture (catalase and superoxide dismutase), we showed that the Vibrio-protective effect of the compound was caused by its prooxidant action (e.g. generation of hydrogen peroxide, H2O2). We showed further that generation of prooxidant is linked to the induction of heat shock protein Hsp70, which is involved in eliciting the prophenoloxidase and transglutaminase immune responses. The ability of pyrogallol to induce protective immunity makes it a potential natural protective agent that might be a potential preventive modality for different host-pathogen systems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Viscous liquid film flow on dune slopes of Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Möhlmann, Diedrich; Kereszturi, Akos

2010-06-01

It is shown that viscous liquid film flow (VLF-flow) on the surfaces of slopes of martian dunes can be a low-temperature rheological phenomenon active today on high latitudes. A quantitative model indicates that the VLF-flows are consistent with the flow of liquid brines similar to that observed by imaging at the Phoenix landing site. VLF-flows depend on the viscosity, dynamics, and energetics of temporary darkened liquid brines. The darkening of the flowing brine is possibly, at least partially, attributed to non-volatile ingredients of the liquid brines. Evidence of previous VLF-flows can also be seen on the dunes, suggesting that it is an ongoing process that also occurred in the recent past.

Silica in alkaline brines

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, B.F.; Rettig, S.L.; Eugster, H.P.

1967-01-01

Analysis of sodium carbonate-bicarbonate brines from closed basins in volcanic terranes of Oregon and Kenya reveals silica contents of up to 2700 parts per million at pH's higher than 10. These high concentrations of SiO 2 can be attributed to reaction of waters with silicates, and subsequent evaporative concentration accompanied by a rise in pH. Supersaturation with respect to amorphous silica may occur and persist for brines that are out of contact with silicate muds and undersaturated with respect to trona; correlation of SiO2 with concentration of Na and total CO2 support this interpretation. Addition of moredilute waters to alkaline brines may lower the pH and cause inorganic precipitation of substantial amounts of silica.

Measuring permanence of CO2 storage in saline formations: The Frio experiment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hovorka, Susan D.; Benson, Sally M.; Doughty, Christine; Freifeild, Barry M.; Sakurai, Shinichi; Daley, Thomas M.; Kharaka, Yousif K.; Holtz, Mark H.; Trautz, Robert C.; Nance, H. Seay; Myer, Larry R.; Knauss, Kevin G.

2006-01-01

If CO2 released from fossil fuel during energy production is returned to the subsurface, will it be retained for periods of time significant enough to benefit the atmosphere? Can trapping be assured in saline formations where there is no history of hydrocarbon accumulation? The Frio experiment in Texas was undertaken to provide answers to these questions.One thousand six hundred metric tons of CO2 were injected into the Frio Formation, which underlies large areas of the United States Gulf Coast. Reservoir characterization and numerical modeling were used to design the experiment, as well as to interpret the results through history matching. Closely spaced measurements in space and time were collected to observe the evolution of immiscible and dissolved CO2 during and after injection. The high-permeability, steeply dipping sandstone allowed updip flow of supercritical CO2 as a result of the density contrast with formation brine and absence of a local structural trap.The front of the CO2 plume moved more quickly than had been modeled. By the end of the 10-day injection, however, the plume geometry in the plane of the observation and injection wells had thickened to a distribution similar to the modeled distribution. As expected, CO2 dissolved rapidly into brine, causing pH to fall and calcite and metals to be dissolved.Postinjection measurements, including time-lapse vertical seismic profiling transects along selected azimuths, cross-well seismic topography, and saturation logs, show that CO2 migration under gravity slowed greatly 2 months after injection, matching model predictions that significant CO2 is trapped as relative permeability decreases.

Offshore oceanographic and environmental monitoring services for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Annual report for the Bryan Mound site, September 1982-August 1983. Volume III. Executive summary

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hann, R.W. Jr.; Giammona, C.P.; Randall, R.E.

1984-03-01

This report describes the findings for the 12 months of postdisposal study conducted from September 1982 through August 1983. The areas of investigation are benthos, brine plume, data management, nekton, physical oceanography, and water and sediment quality. The specific objectives of this report are: (1) to describe the physical oceanographic and meteorological conditions which have been measured at the offshore diffuser site and in the surrounding waters; (2) to describe the effect of brine discharge on the benthic community in the diffuser site area; (3) to discuss the effect of the brine discharge on the quality of the water andmore » sediment in the vicinity of the diffuser site; (4) to describe the measurement and empirical prediction of the areal and vertical extent of the brine plume; and (5) to characterize the effect of brine discharge on the nekton community in the vicinity of the diffuser. 2 figures.« less

Effects of high salinity from desalination brine on growth, photosynthesis, water relations and osmolyte concentrations of seagrass Posidonia australis.

PubMed

Cambridge, M L; Zavala-Perez, A; Cawthray, G R; Mondon, J; Kendrick, G A

2017-02-15

Highly saline brines from desalination plants expose seagrass communities to salt stress. We examined effects of raised salinity (46 and 54psu) compared with seawater controls (37psu) over 6weeks on the seagrass, Posidonia australis, growing in tanks with the aim of separating effects of salinity from other potentially deleterious components of brine and determining appropriate bioindicators. Plants survived exposures of 2-4weeks at 54psu, the maximum salinity of brine released from a nearby desalination plant. Salinity significantly reduced maximum quantum yield of PSII (chlorophyll a fluorescence emissions). Leaf water potential (Ψ w ) and osmotic potential (Ψ π ) were more negative at increased salinity, while turgor pressure (Ψ p ) was unaffected. Leaf concentrations of K + and Ca 2+ decreased, whereas concentrations of sugars (mainly sucrose) and amino acids increased. We recommend leaf osmolarity, ion, sugar and amino acid concentrations as bioindicators for salinity effects, associated with brine released in desalination plant outfalls. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Profiling of Indigenous Microbial Community Dynamics and Metabolic Activity During Enrichment in Molasses-Supplemented Crude Oil-Brine Mixtures for Improved Understanding of Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery.

PubMed

Halim, Amalia Yunita; Pedersen, Dorthe Skou; Nielsen, Sidsel Marie; Lantz, Anna Eliasson

2015-06-01

Anaerobic incubations using crude oil and brine from a North Sea reservoir were conducted to gain increased understanding of indigenous microbial community development, metabolite production, and the effects on the oil-brine system after addition of a complex carbon source, molasses, with or without nitrate to boost microbial growth. Growth of the indigenous microbes was stimulated by addition of molasses. Pyrosequencing showed that specifically Anaerobaculum, Petrotoga, and Methanothermococcus were enriched. Addition of nitrate favored the growth of Petrotoga over Anaerobaculum. The microbial growth caused changes in the crude oil-brine system: formation of oil emulsions, and reduction of interfacial tension (IFT). Reduction in IFT was associated with microbes being present at the oil-brine interphase. These findings suggest that stimulation of indigenous microbial growth by addition of molasses has potential as microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) strategy in North Sea oil reservoirs.

Recovery of Lithium from Geothermal Brine with Lithium–Aluminum Layered Double Hydroxide Chloride Sorbents

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Paranthaman, Mariappan Parans; Li, Ling; Luo, Jiaqi

In this paper, we report a three-stage bench-scale column extraction process to selectively extract lithium chloride from geothermal brine. The goal of this research is to develop materials and processing technologies to improve the economics of lithium extraction and production from naturally occurring geothermal and other brines for energy storage applications. A novel sorbent, lithium aluminum layered double hydroxide chloride (LDH), is synthesized and characterized with X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and thermogravimetric analysis. Each cycle of the column extraction process consists of three steps: (1) loading the sorbent with lithium chloridemore » from brine; (2) intermediate washing to remove unwanted ions; (3) final washing for unloading the lithium chloride ions. Our experimental analysis of eluate vs feed concentrations of Li and competing ions demonstrates that our optimized sorbents can achieve a recovery efficiency of ~91% and possess excellent Li apparent selectivity of 47.8 compared to Na ions and 212 compared to K ions, respectively in the brine. Finally, the present work demonstrates that LDH is an effective sorbent for selective extraction of lithium from brines, thus offering the possibility of effective application of lithium salts in lithium-ion batteries leading to a fundamental shift in the lithium supply chain.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kaplan, Ruth; Mamrosh, Darryl; Salih, Hafiz H.

Brine extraction is a promising strategy for the management of increased reservoir pressure, resulting from carbon dioxide (CO 2) injection in deep saline reservoirs. The extracted brines usually have high concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) and various contaminants, and require proper disposal or treatment. In this article, first by conducting a critical review, we evaluate the applicability, limits, and advantages or challenges of various commercially available and emerging desalination technologies that can potentially be employed to treat the highly saline brine (with TDS values >70.000 ppm) and those that are applicable to a ~200,000 ppm TDS brine extracted frommore » the Mt. Simon Sandstone, a potential CO 2 storage site in Illinois, USA. Based on the side-by-side comparison of technologies, evaporators are selected as the most suitable existing technology for treating Mt. Simon brine. Process simulations are then conducted for a conceptual design for desalination of 454 m 3/h (2000 gpm) pretreated brine for near-zero liquid discharge by multi-effect evaporators. In conclusion, the thermal energy demand is estimated at 246kWh perm 3 of recoveredwater, ofwhich 212kWh/m 3 is required for multiple-effect evaporation and the remainder for salt drying. The process also requires additional electrical power of ~2 kWh/m 3.« less

Recovery of Lithium from Geothermal Brine with Lithium-Aluminum Layered Double Hydroxide Chloride Sorbents.

PubMed

Paranthaman, Mariappan Parans; Li, Ling; Luo, Jiaqi; Hoke, Thomas; Ucar, Huseyin; Moyer, Bruce A; Harrison, Stephen

2017-11-21

We report a three-stage bench-scale column extraction process to selectively extract lithium chloride from geothermal brine. The goal of this research is to develop materials and processing technologies to improve the economics of lithium extraction and production from naturally occurring geothermal and other brines for energy storage applications. A novel sorbent, lithium aluminum layered double hydroxide chloride (LDH), is synthesized and characterized with X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and thermogravimetric analysis. Each cycle of the column extraction process consists of three steps: (1) loading the sorbent with lithium chloride from brine; (2) intermediate washing to remove unwanted ions; (3) final washing for unloading the lithium chloride ions. Our experimental analysis of eluate vs feed concentrations of Li and competing ions demonstrates that our optimized sorbents can achieve a recovery efficiency of ∼91% and possess excellent Li apparent selectivity of 47.8 compared to Na ions and 212 compared to K ions, respectively in the brine. The present work demonstrates that LDH is an effective sorbent for selective extraction of lithium from brines, thus offering the possibility of effective application of lithium salts in lithium-ion batteries leading to a fundamental shift in the lithium supply chain.

Rock-fluid chemical interactions at reservoir conditions: The influence of brine chemistry and extent of reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anabaraonye, B. U.; Crawshaw, J.; Trusler, J. P. M.

2016-12-01

Following carbon dioxide injection in deep saline aquifers, CO2 dissolves in the formation brines forming acidic solutions that can subsequently react with host reservoir minerals, altering both porosity and permeability. The direction and rates of these reactions are influenced by several factors including properties that are associated with the brine system. Consequently, understanding and quantifying the impacts of the chemical and physical properties of the reacting fluids on overall reaction kinetics is fundamental to predicting the fate of the injected CO2. In this work, we present a comprehensive experimental study of the kinetics of carbonate-mineral dissolution in different brine systems including sodium chloride, sodium sulphate and sodium bicarbonate of varying ionic strengths. The impacts of the brine chemistry on rock-fluid chemical reactions at different extent of reactions are also investigated. Using a rotating disk technique, we have investigated the chemical interactions between the CO2-saturated brines and carbonate minerals at conditions of pressure (up to 10 MPa) and temperature (up to 373 K) pertinent to carbon storage. The changes in surface textures due to dissolution reaction were studied by means of optical microscopy and vertical scanning interferometry. Experimental results are compared to previously derived models.

Reconnaissance evaluation of contamination in the alluvial aquifer in the East Poplar oil field, Roosevelt County, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Levings, G.W.

1984-01-01

Water moving from north to south in the alluvial aquifer of the Poplar River valley becomes contaminated with sodium chloride in the area underlain by the East Poplar oil fields. Four types of ground water were identified in the study area. Type 1 is sodium bicarbonate water. Type 2 is sodium chloride water with varying quantities of calcium and magnesium. Type 3 water contains sodium and chloride in significantly larger concentrations than Type 2. Type 4 water is the brine being injected into brine-disposal wells. Contamination of the alluvial aquifer is indicated by a brine-freshwater interface in the alluvium, by downstream increase in chloride concentration of the Poplar River, and by downstream change in water type of the Poplar River. Contamination also may be indicated by the distribution of iron and manganese concentrations in water from wells near a brine-disposal well. Possible sources of sodium chloride contamination in the alluvium are brine-disposal wells, pipelines, and storage or evaporation pits. The contamination can occur from leaks in the casing of disposal wells or in pipelines caused by the corrosive nature of the brine or from storage or evaporation pits that have been improperly sealed or have sustained tears in the sealing material. (USGS)

Recovery of Lithium from Geothermal Brine with Lithium–Aluminum Layered Double Hydroxide Chloride Sorbents

DOE PAGES

Paranthaman, Mariappan Parans; Li, Ling; Luo, Jiaqi; ...

2017-10-27

In this paper, we report a three-stage bench-scale column extraction process to selectively extract lithium chloride from geothermal brine. The goal of this research is to develop materials and processing technologies to improve the economics of lithium extraction and production from naturally occurring geothermal and other brines for energy storage applications. A novel sorbent, lithium aluminum layered double hydroxide chloride (LDH), is synthesized and characterized with X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and thermogravimetric analysis. Each cycle of the column extraction process consists of three steps: (1) loading the sorbent with lithium chloridemore » from brine; (2) intermediate washing to remove unwanted ions; (3) final washing for unloading the lithium chloride ions. Our experimental analysis of eluate vs feed concentrations of Li and competing ions demonstrates that our optimized sorbents can achieve a recovery efficiency of ~91% and possess excellent Li apparent selectivity of 47.8 compared to Na ions and 212 compared to K ions, respectively in the brine. Finally, the present work demonstrates that LDH is an effective sorbent for selective extraction of lithium from brines, thus offering the possibility of effective application of lithium salts in lithium-ion batteries leading to a fundamental shift in the lithium supply chain.« less

Chemical and isotopic constrains on the origin of brine and saline groundwater in Hetao plain, Inner Mongolia.

PubMed

Liu, Jun; Chen, Zongyu; Wang, Lijuan; Zhang, Yilong; Li, Zhenghong; Xu, Jiaming; Peng, Yurong

2016-08-01

The origin and evolution of brine and saline groundwater have always been a challenged work for geochemists and hydrogeologists. Chemical and isotopic data of brine and saline waters were used to trace the sources of salinity and therefore to understand the transport mechanisms of groundwater in Xishanzui, Inner Mongolia. Both Cl/Br (molar) versus Na/Br (molar) and Cl (meq/L) versus Na (meq/L) indicated that salinity was from halite dissolution or at least a significant impact by halite dissolution. The logarithmic plot of the concentration trends of Cl (mg/L) versus Br (mg/L) for the evaporation of seawater and the Qinghai Salt Lake showed that the terrestrial halite dissolution was the dominated contribution for the salinity of this brine. The stable isotope ratios of hydrogen and oxygen suggested that the origin of brine was from paleorecharge water which experienced mixing of modern water in shallow aquifer. δ(37)Cl values ranged from -0.02 to 3.43 ‰ (SMOC), and reflecting mixing of different sources. The Cl isotopic compositions suggest that the dissolution of halite by paleometeoric water had a great contribution to the salinity of brine, and the contributions of the residual seawater and the dissolution of halite by the Yellow River water could be excluded.

Velocity control as a tool for optimal plume containment in the Equus Beds aquifer, Kansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heidari, M.; Sadeghipour, J.; Drici, O.

1987-01-01

A ground-water-management model was developed to investigate the best management options for the containment of an oil-field-brine plume in the Equus Beds aquifer in south-central Kansas. The main purpose of the management model was to find the optimal locations and minimum rates of pumpage of a set of plume-interception wells, to successfully reverse the velocity vectors at observation wells located along the plume front, and also to satisfy freshwater demands from supply wells. The effects of the calculated minimum withdrawals from the interception wells on the migration of contaminants throughout the ground-water system were evaluated utilizing a solute-transport model. This latter analysis was carried out to ensure the containment of the plume. Whereas application of the management model to the study area achieves the management objectives, the implementation of the results is believed to be impractical and expensive.

Effect of Sterilization Process and Storage on the Antioxidative Properties of Runner Bean.

PubMed

Wołosiak, Rafał; Drużyńska, Beata; Piecyk, Małgorzata; Majewska, Ewa; Worobiej, Elwira

2018-06-11

In this study, we investigated the effect of standard preservation of bean seeds on changes in contents and activity of their selected components: dry matter, ash, different forms of nitrogen, composition of protein fractions; total phenolics and condensed tannins; ability to chelate iron(II) ions; antiradical activity against ABTS •+ and DPPH • ; and capability for inhibiting autoxidation and enzymatic oxidation of linoleic acid. The conducted technological process caused various changes in contents of nitrogen forms and partial loss of phenolic compounds. The antiradical and antioxidative activity of the extracts decreased significantly, while an increase was observed in their ability to chelate Fe(II). These changes were due to the migration of active compounds to the brine, and to their structural transformations and degradation. Longer storage of the sterilized product caused restoration of part of the antiradical activity of the seeds.

Hydraulic fracture height limits and fault interactions in tight oil and gas formations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flewelling, Samuel A.; Tymchak, Matthew P.; Warpinski, Norm

2013-07-01

widespread use of hydraulic fracturing (HF) has raised concerns about potential upward migration of HF fluid and brine via induced fractures and faults. We developed a relationship that predicts maximum fracture height as a function of HF fluid volume. These predictions generally bound the vertical extent of microseismicity from over 12,000 HF stimulations across North America. All microseismic events were less than 600 m above well perforations, although most were much closer. Areas of shear displacement (including faults) estimated from microseismic data were comparatively small (radii on the order of 10 m or less). These findings suggest that fracture heights are limited by HF fluid volume regardless of whether the fluid interacts with faults. Direct hydraulic communication between tight formations and shallow groundwater via induced fractures and faults is not a realistic expectation based on the limitations on fracture height growth and potential fault slip.

Impact of pressure and temperature on CO2-brine-mica contact angles and CO2-brine interfacial tension: Implications for carbon geo-sequestration.

PubMed

Arif, Muhammad; Al-Yaseri, Ahmed Z; Barifcani, Ahmed; Lebedev, Maxim; Iglauer, Stefan

2016-01-15

Precise characterization of wettability of CO2-brine-rock system and CO2-brine interfacial tension at reservoir conditions is essential as they influence capillary sealing efficiency of caprocks, which in turn, impacts the structural and residual trapping during CO2 geo-sequestration. In this context, we have experimentally measured advancing and receding contact angles for brine-CO2-mica system (surface roughness ∼12nm) at different pressures (0.1MPa, 5MPa, 7MPa, 10MPa, 15MPa, 20MPa), temperatures (308K, 323K, and 343K), and salinities (0wt%, 5wt%, 10wt%, 20wt% and 30wt% NaCl). For the same experimental matrix, CO2-brine interfacial tensions have also been measured using the pendant drop technique. The results indicate that both advancing and receding contact angles increase with pressure and salinity, but decrease with temperature. On the contrary, CO2-brine interfacial tension decrease with pressure and increase with temperature. At 20MPa and 308K, the advancing angle is measured to be ∼110°, indicating CO2-wetting. The results have been compared with various published literature data and probable factors responsible for deviations have been highlighted. Finally we demonstrate the implications of measured data by evaluating CO2 storage heights under various operating conditions. We conclude that for a given storage depth, reservoirs with lower pressures and high temperatures can store larger volumes and thus exhibit better sealing efficiency. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Stability of the Orca Basin Brine Interface Determined Using Radium Isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, R. N.; Peterson, L.; Montoya, J. P.; Joye, S. B.

2016-02-01

The Orca Basin is an intraslope basin in the northern continental slope of the Gulf of Mexico, and contains a deep (up to 220 m) anoxic, hypersaline brine lake. The brine interface extends from ocean salinity (at a water depth of 2125 m) to a constant salinity of 215 psu below a depth of 2250 m. This interface is considered to be among the most stable interfaces on the planet, and contains distinct zones of macrofaunal and microbial assemblages. The brine lake is supported by continued dissolution of exposed rock salt at an estimated rate of 0.5 million t/yr. Such dissolution of salt should serve as a source of radium isotopes, and given their range of half-lives, these isotopes can serve as unique proxies to the location and rate of salt dissolution into this basin. We have collected a series of radon and radium isotope profiles through this brine lake over the past 4 years, which allow us to assess the spatial and temporal stability of this interface. Throughout the brine lake, we observe strong enrichments in unsupported Ra-224, Rn-222, and Ra-226 in a 10 m thick zone near the base of the brine interface, between 2232 m and 2242 m. The strong enrichment in unsupported Ra-224 in this layer must be supported by a continuous source, presumably the dissolution of exposed salt rock. Various degrees of isotopic enrichment throughout the lake provide an assessment of the rates of lateral and vertical dispersion of salt and associated chemical constituents.

Life in the Slow, Dark, Salty, Cold and Oxygen-Depleted Lane - Insights on Habitability from Lake Vida

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murray, A.

2014-04-01

Ice-entrained Lake Vida brine has provided an accessible natural habitat to study life in the slow lane - where cellular growth is limited, but not extinguished. We measured in situ stable isotopic signatures of N2O, SO42-, H2, conducted experiments utilizing stable isotope geochemical tracers to detect microbial transformations and employed radioisotopically-labeled amino acid precursors to detect cellular macromolecule biosynthesis. The results indicated a dominance of abiotic processes in the brine - yet support metabolically active life through detection of nominal rates of protein biosynthesis. At the same time, the brine has posed a challenge to our understanding of ecosystem energetics. Data collected thus far suggests that the brine is isolated from surfical processes and receives no new mass or energy from above. Calculations have estimated carbon remineralization rates, which indicate that resources should be depleted to the level of small molecules perhaps supporting a methanogenic ecosystem given the amount of time since encapsulation at the temperatures recorded - yet the brine is resource-rich harboring abundant bacteria and large molecules, in addition to a complex mixture of both reduced and oxidized compounds. This has motivated explorations into alternative sources of energy such as hydrogen - which was detected at levels 10 micromolar - that could be generated by brine-rock interactions and supply endogenous energy to this closed ecosystem. This cold, salty, anoxic and organically rich brine, provides insight into a new category of habitable earth ecosystems that may also give us food for thought when considering habitability of giant planet icy worlds or of icy exoplanets. However, the methods we use, and the framework of scientific inquiry applied, are limited by perception and familiarity of rates of change that are important in human time scales. The Vida-icy brine ecosystem provides a model for expansion of our understanding of habitability in which time scales need to be extended, and the role of intermingling abiotic and biotic processes need to be considered.

Improving Understanding of the Chemical Mechanism of Oil Recovery from Oil-Wet Carbonate Reservoirs: AN Experimental Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purswani, P.; Karpyn, Z.

2017-12-01

Chemical tuning of injecting brine has found great success in improving oil recovery from oil-wet rocks. In particular, the importance of Mg2+, Ca2+, and SO42- ions has been identified as critical for incremental oil recovery via multi-ion exchange mechanism of wettability alteration. To improve understanding of this underlying mechanism and, to evaluate the individual contribution of these ions towards improving oil recovery, a series of waterflood experiments with varying ion composition were performed at 90 oC. Characterization techniques like zeta potential (ZP), contact angle measurements and trace element analysis were performed to evaluate the surface interactions taking place among the rock samples, brine solution, and the crude oil. ZP measurements highlight the affinity of Mg2+, Ca2+, and SO42- ions towards the rock surface in chemically tuned brines (CTBs), where, an increase in the magnitude of ZP was seen with an increase in the concentration of each of these ions. Oil recovery measurements showed an increase in oil recovery for all the CTBs compared to seawater. Relative permeability estimations and contact angle measurements showed corresponding trends of increasing water-wetness. Maximum recovery of 75.47% original oil in place (OOIP) was observed for the brine with increased Mg2+ ion concentration due to higher activity of Mg2+ ions. Lower recovery of 63.58% OOIP was seen for the brine with increased Ca2+ ion concentration due to lower activity of Ca2+ ions, and further lower recovery of 58.59% OOIP was seen for the brine with increased SO42- ion concentration due to the possible precipitation of these ions on the rock surface. These surface reactions were confirmed through the ionic analysis of the effluent brine during each waterflooding experiment. These results help understand the importance of chemical tuning of brines towards improving oil recovery and provides experimental insight into the chemical reactions that occur during this process.

Kinetics of ikaite precipitation and dissolution in seawater-derived brines at sub-zero temperatures to 265 K

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papadimitriou, Stathys; Kennedy, Hilary; Kennedy, Paul; Thomas, David N.

2014-09-01

The kinetics of calcium carbonate hexahydrate (ikaite) precipitation and dissolution were investigated in seawater and seawater-derived brines at sub-zero temperatures using the constant addition experimental technique. The steady state rate of these two processes was found to be a function of the deviation of the solution from equilibrium with respect to ikaite and conformed to the same empirical rate law as the anhydrous CaCO3 polymorphs, calcite and aragonite. In addition to the saturation state of the brine with respect to ikaite, the salinity of the brine and the temperature of the reaction evidently exerted some control on the ikaite precipitation kinetics, while the dissolution kinetics of the polymorph were not noticeably influenced by these two parameters. The experimental salinity and temperature conditions were equivalent to those at thermal equilibrium between brine and ice in the sea ice cover of polar seas. Simple modelling of the CO2 system by extrapolation of the oceanic equivalent to sea ice brines showed that the physical concentration of seawater ions and the changes in ikaite solubility as a function of salinity and temperature, both inherent in the sea ice system, would be insufficient to drive the emergent brines to ikaite supersaturation and precipitation in sea ice down to -8 °C. The loss of dissolved inorganic carbon to the gas phase of sea ice and to sympagic autotrophs are two independent mechanisms which, in nature, could prompt the brine CO2 system towards ikaite supersaturation and precipitation. Under these conditions, the steady state precipitation rate of ikaite was found to be fast enough for rapid formation within short time scales (days to weeks) in sea ice. The observed ikaite dissolution kinetics were also found conducive to short turn-over time scales of a few hours to a few days in corrosive solutions, such as surface seawater.

Oil/water/rock wettability: Influencing factors and implications for low salinity water flooding in carbonate reservoirs

DOE PAGES

Chen, Yongqiang; Xie, Quan; Sari, Ahmad; ...

2017-11-21

Wettability of the oil/brine/rock system is an essential petro-physical parameter which governs subsurface multiphase flow behaviour and the distribution of fluids, thus directly affecting oil recovery. Recent studies [1–3] show that manipulation of injected brine composition can enhance oil recovery by shifting wettability from oil-wet to water-wet. However, what factor(s) control system wettability has not been completely elucidated due to incomplete understanding of the geochemical system. To isolate and identify the key factors at play we used in this paper SO 4 2—free solutions to examine the effect of salinity (formation brine/FB, 10 times diluted formation brine/10 dFB, and 100more » times diluted formation brine/100 dFB) on the contact angle of oil droplets at the surface of calcite. We then compared contact angle results with predictions of surface complexation by low salinity water using PHREEQC software. We demonstrate that the conventional dilution approach likely triggers an oil-wet system at low pH, which may explain why the low salinity water EOR-effect is not always observed by injecting low salinity water in carbonated reservoirs. pH plays a fundamental role in the surface chemistry of oil/brine interfaces, and wettability. Our contact angle results show that formation brine triggered a strong water-wet system (35°) at pH 2.55, yet 100 times diluted formation brine led to a strongly oil-wet system (contact angle = 175°) at pH 5.68. Surface complexation modelling correctly predicted the wettability trend with salinity; the bond product sum ([>CaOH 2 +][–COO -] + [>CO 3 -][–NH +] + [>CO 3 -][–COOCa +]) increased with decreasing salinity. Finally, at pH < 6 dilution likely makes the calcite surface oil-wet, particularly for crude oils with high base number. Yet, dilution probably causes water wetness at pH > 7 for crude oils with high acid number.« less

Oil/water/rock wettability: Influencing factors and implications for low salinity water flooding in carbonate reservoirs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Yongqiang; Xie, Quan; Sari, Ahmad

Wettability of the oil/brine/rock system is an essential petro-physical parameter which governs subsurface multiphase flow behaviour and the distribution of fluids, thus directly affecting oil recovery. Recent studies [1–3] show that manipulation of injected brine composition can enhance oil recovery by shifting wettability from oil-wet to water-wet. However, what factor(s) control system wettability has not been completely elucidated due to incomplete understanding of the geochemical system. To isolate and identify the key factors at play we used in this paper SO 4 2—free solutions to examine the effect of salinity (formation brine/FB, 10 times diluted formation brine/10 dFB, and 100more » times diluted formation brine/100 dFB) on the contact angle of oil droplets at the surface of calcite. We then compared contact angle results with predictions of surface complexation by low salinity water using PHREEQC software. We demonstrate that the conventional dilution approach likely triggers an oil-wet system at low pH, which may explain why the low salinity water EOR-effect is not always observed by injecting low salinity water in carbonated reservoirs. pH plays a fundamental role in the surface chemistry of oil/brine interfaces, and wettability. Our contact angle results show that formation brine triggered a strong water-wet system (35°) at pH 2.55, yet 100 times diluted formation brine led to a strongly oil-wet system (contact angle = 175°) at pH 5.68. Surface complexation modelling correctly predicted the wettability trend with salinity; the bond product sum ([>CaOH 2 +][–COO -] + [>CO 3 -][–NH +] + [>CO 3 -][–COOCa +]) increased with decreasing salinity. Finally, at pH < 6 dilution likely makes the calcite surface oil-wet, particularly for crude oils with high base number. Yet, dilution probably causes water wetness at pH > 7 for crude oils with high acid number.« less

Investigation of the geothermal potential of the UK. The Southampton (Western Esplanade) geothermal well: A preliminary assessment of the resource

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Downing, R. A.; Allen, D. J.; Burgess, W. G.; Smith, I. E.; Edmunds, W. M.

1982-05-01

The Southampton No 1 (Western Esplanade) geothermal well which was drilled for the development of hot brines in the Triassic sandstones was tested. The aquifer was intersected at a depth of 1729 m. The upper 24 m contained thin, medium to coarse grained sandstones which are the main water bearing horizons. The static water level is about 80 m below ground level. Gas lifting with nitrogen indicate that the sandstones contain a brine with a salinity of 125 g/l at a temperature of 76 deg C. The maximum yield of the well was 30 l/s for a pressure reduction of 4.2 MN/sq m. The transmissivity of the aquifer is about 5 Dm. A hydraulic barrier, probably a fault, occurs close to the well.

High-temperature Y267 EPDM elastomer field and laboratory experiences, September 1982

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hirasuna, Alan R.; Friese, Gilbert J.; Stephens, Clifford A.

1982-10-08

High performance elastomers were developed for hostile geothermal environments which clearly advance the state-of-the-art. The Y267 EPDM compound is eminently successful and has accumulated broad laboratory and field test experience. Over 15 separate tests are reviewed with about 95% performed independently by other organizations. The tests include a broad spectrum of environments with temperatures in excess of 320 C (608 F), differential pressures up to 138 MPa (20,000 psi) and in fluids including brine, oils, isobutane, and others.

Evaluation of Glider Coatings Against Biofouling for Improved Flight Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-17

and used to conduct assays of survivorship with approximately 100 nauplii larvae ofArtemia sp. (brine shrimp ). The larvae were exposed to the...seal (D). These coatings showed higher mortality of brine shrimp as well as 100% mortality of cypris larvae during the settlement assay which...brine shrimp compared to the glass control; however these did not inhibit settlement and were evidently not toxic to the cypris larvae . All other

The densities of halite-saturated WIPP-A and NBT-6 brines and their NaCl contents in weight percent, molal, and molar units from 20 to 100 degrees C

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chou, I-Ming; Buizinga, B.; Clynne, M.A.; Potter, R.W.

1982-01-01

A series of density measurements has been performed at 30?, 50?, 70?, and 90?C for halite-undersaturated WIPP-A and NBT-6 brines with various NaCl contents approaching saturation. The densities of halite-saturated WIPP-A and NBT-6 brines were obtained by extrapolating these measured densities to halite saturation points. The maximum difference between the densities obtained in this Fashion and those calculated from the model of Potter and Haas is 0.015 g/cm3. The NaCl contents in halite-saturated WIPP-A and NBT-6 brines are reported in wt %, molal, and molar units from 20? to 100?C.

Chemical quality of water in the Walnut River basin, south-central Kansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leonard, Robert B.

1972-01-01

Improper disposal of oil-field brine and other wastes has adversely affected the naturally diverse chemical quality of much of the water in the Walnut River basin, south-central Kansas. The basin is an area of about 2,000 square miles in the shape of a rough triangle with its apex toward the south. The Whitewater River, a principal tributary, and the Walnut River below its junction with the Whitewater River flow southward toward the Arkansas River along courses nearly coincident with the contact of the Chase and overlying Sumner Groups of Permian age. The courses of many minor tributaries are parallel to a well-developed joint system in the Permian rock. Thick interbedded limestone and shale of the Chase Group underlie the more extensive, eastern part of the basin. Natural waters are dominantly of the calcium bicarbonate type. Shale and subordinate strata of limestone, gypsum, and dolomite of the Sumner Group underlie the western part of the basin. Natural waters are dominantly of the calcium sulfate type. Inflow from most east-bank tributaries dilutes streamflow of the Walnut River; west-bank tributaries, including the Whitewater River, contribute most of the sulfate. Terrace deposits and alluvial fill along the stream channels are assigned to the Pleistocene and Holocene Series. Calcium bicarbonate waters are common as a result of the dissolution of nearly ubiquitous fragments of calcareous rock, but the chemical quality of the water in the discontinuous aquifers depends mainly on the quality of local recharge. Concentrations of dissolved solids and of one or more ions in most well waters exceeded recommended maximums for drinking water. Nearly all the ground water is hard to very hard. High concentrations of sulfate characterize waters from gypsiferous aquifers; high concentrations of chloride characterize ground waters affected by drainage from oil fields. Extensive fracture and dissolution of the Permian limestones facilitated pollution of ground water by oil-field brine and migration of the polluted water into adjacent areas. Ground water containing more than 1,000 mg/o=l (milligrams per liter) dissolved solids .and more than 100 mg/o=l chloride is common near oil fields but is exceptional elsewhere. The concentration of nitrate in about 25 percent of the sampled well waters exceeded the recommended maximum for drinking water. High concentrations of nitrate generally were associated with shallow aquifers, local sources of organic pollution, and stagnation. Sodium and chloride are the principle ionic constituents of oil-field brine but are minor constituents of natural surface waters or shallow ground water in the basin. The ratios of the concentrations of sodium to chloride in brine from different oil fields varied within a narrow range from a mean of 0.52. Concentrations of chloride exceeding 50 mg/o=l in streamflow and 100 mg/l in ground water generally signified the presence of oil-field brine if the sodium-chloride ratios were less than 0.60. Higher sodium-chloride ratios characterized relatively rare occurrences of high concentrations of the ions that might have originated in evaporite minerals or in sewage. The concentration of chloride during low flow of the major streams generally increased, and the sodium-chloride ratio decreased, in a downstream direction from about 0.65 near the headwaters to about 0.51, which is characteristic of oil-field brine. The changes were most abrupt where polluted ground-water effluent augmented low streamflow adjacent to old oil fields. With increased direct runoff, the sodium-chloride ratio normally increased, and these ions constituted a smaller percentage of the dissolved-solids load. Annual runoff .decreased progressively from above normal to below normal during water years 1962-64. Higher concentrations .of the ions in streamflow persisted for longer periods during the periods of low runoff

To Build an Ecosystem: An Introductory Lab for Environmental Science & Biology Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hudon, Daniel; Finnerty, John R.

2013-01-01

A hypothesis-driven laboratory is described that introduces students to the complexities of ecosystem function. Students work with live algae, brine shrimp, and sea anemones to test hypotheses regarding the trophic interactions among species, the exchange of nutrients and gases, and the optimal ratio of producers to consumers and predators in…

Growth and survivorship of the mayfly Centroptilum triangulifer (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae) exposed to elevated specific conductance in flow-through mesocosms

EPA Science Inventory

We tested sensitivity of a parthenogenetic mayfly, Centroptilum triangulifer, from a laboratory culture to excess conductivity created by adding NaCl and CaCl2 to natural stream water. Ions in these salts comprise approximately 95% of total dissolved solids in brine water produce...

A Closed Loop System Using a Brine Reservoir to Replace Fresh Water as the Frac Fluid Source

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A non-fresh water source, the Debolt formation, has been proposed and tested in the laboratory and field for application as a fracturing fluid in shale gas formations, with potential to replace much of the fresh water used in the Horn River Basin.

The origin of brines and salts in Chilean salars: a hydrochemical review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Risacher, François; Alonso, Hugo; Salazar, Carlos

2003-11-01

Northern Chile is characterized by a succession of north-south-trending ranges and basins occupied by numerous saline lakes and salt crusts, collectively called salars. Fossil salt crusts are found to the west in the extremely arid Central Valley, while active salars receiving permanent inflows fill many intravolcanic basins to the east in the semiarid Cordillera. Sea salts and desert dust are blown eastward over the Cordillera, where they constitute an appreciable fraction of the solute load of very dilute waters (salt content<0.1 g/l). The weathering of volcanic rocks contributes most components to inflow waters with salt content ranging from 0.1 to 0.6 g/l. However, the average salt content of all inflows is much higher: about 3.2 g/l. Chemical composition, Cl/Br ratio, and 18O- 2H isotope contents point to the mixing of very dilute meteoric waters with present lake brines for the origin of saline inflows. Ancient gypsum in deep sedimentary formations seems to be the only evaporitic mineral recycled in present salars. Saline lakes and subsurface brines are under steady-state regime. The average residence time of conservative components ranges from a few years to some thousands years, which indicates a permanent leakage of the brines through bottom sediments. The infiltrating brines are recycled in the hydrologic system where they mix with dilute meteoric waters. High heat flow is the likely driving force that moves the deep waters in this magmatic arc region. Active Chilean salars cannot be considered as terminal lakes nor, strictly speaking, as closed basin lakes. Almost all incoming salts leave the basin and are transported elsewhere. Moreover, the dissolution of fossil salt crusts in some active salars also carries away important fluxes of components in percolating brines. Evaporative concentration of inflow waters leads to sulfate-rich or calcium-rich, near-neutral brines. Alkaline brines are almost completely lacking. The alkalinity/calcium ratio of inflow waters is lowered by the oxidation of native sulfur (reducing alkalinity) and the deposition of eolian gypsum (increasing Ca concentration). Theoretically, SO 4-rich inflow waters and their derived SO 4-rich brines should be found in the intravolcanic basins of the Cordillera because of the ubiquity of native sulfur, while Ca-rich brines should prevail in sedimentary basins where Ca-rich minerals are abundant. This relation is perfectly observed in the salar de Atacama, the largest in Chile. However, several salars located within the volcanic Cordillera belong to the Ca-rich group. Inflows and brines may have acquired their Ca-rich composition in Pleistocene time when their drainage basins were mainly sedimentary. Later on, recent lava flows and ignimbrites covered the sedimentary formations. Underground waters may have kept their early sedimentary signature by continuous recycling. However, the weathering of volcanic rocks tend to slowly shift the water compositions from the Ca-rich to the SO 4-rich type.

Fines migration during CO 2 injection: Experimental results interpreted using surface forces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xie, Quan; Saeedi, Ali; Delle Piane, Claudio

The South West Hub project is one of the Australian Flagship Carbon Capture and Storage projects located in the south-west of Western Australia. To evaluate the injectivity potential during the forthcoming full-scale CO 2 injection, we conducted three core-flooding experiments using reservoir core plugs from the well Harvey-1. We aimed to investigate in this paper whether the injection of CO 2 leads to fines migration and permeability reduction due to the relatively high kaolinite content (up to 13%) in the injection interval of the target formation (i.e. the Wonnerup Member of the Lesueur Formation). We imaged the core samples beforemore » flooding to verify the presence of kaolinite at the pore-scale using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We also examined the pore network of the core plugs before and after the core-flooding experiments using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Moreover, to gain a better understanding of any kaolinite fines migration, we delineated surface force using two models based on Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (denoted by DLVO) theory coupled hydrodynamic force: (1) sphere/flat model representing interaction between kaolinite/quartz, and (2) flat/flat model representing interaction between kaolinite/kaolinite. Our core-flooding experimental results showed that CO 2/brine injection triggered moderate to significant reduction in the permeability of the core samples with a negligible porosity change. NMR measurements supported the core-flooding results, suggesting that the relatively large pores disappeared in favour of a higher proportion of the medium to small pores after flooding. The DLVO calculations showed that some kaolinite particles probably lifted off and detached from neighbouring kaolinite particles rather than quartz grains. Moreover, the modelling results showed that the kaolinite fines migration would not occur under normal reservoir multiphase flow conditions. This is not because of the low hydrodynamic force. It is rather because the geometries of the particles dominate their interplay. Finally and overall, both of the experimental and analytical modelling results point to the fines migration to be the most likely cause of the permeability impairment observed during core-flooding experiments.« less

Fines migration during CO 2 injection: Experimental results interpreted using surface forces

DOE PAGES

Xie, Quan; Saeedi, Ali; Delle Piane, Claudio; ...

2017-09-04

The South West Hub project is one of the Australian Flagship Carbon Capture and Storage projects located in the south-west of Western Australia. To evaluate the injectivity potential during the forthcoming full-scale CO 2 injection, we conducted three core-flooding experiments using reservoir core plugs from the well Harvey-1. We aimed to investigate in this paper whether the injection of CO 2 leads to fines migration and permeability reduction due to the relatively high kaolinite content (up to 13%) in the injection interval of the target formation (i.e. the Wonnerup Member of the Lesueur Formation). We imaged the core samples beforemore » flooding to verify the presence of kaolinite at the pore-scale using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We also examined the pore network of the core plugs before and after the core-flooding experiments using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Moreover, to gain a better understanding of any kaolinite fines migration, we delineated surface force using two models based on Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (denoted by DLVO) theory coupled hydrodynamic force: (1) sphere/flat model representing interaction between kaolinite/quartz, and (2) flat/flat model representing interaction between kaolinite/kaolinite. Our core-flooding experimental results showed that CO 2/brine injection triggered moderate to significant reduction in the permeability of the core samples with a negligible porosity change. NMR measurements supported the core-flooding results, suggesting that the relatively large pores disappeared in favour of a higher proportion of the medium to small pores after flooding. The DLVO calculations showed that some kaolinite particles probably lifted off and detached from neighbouring kaolinite particles rather than quartz grains. Moreover, the modelling results showed that the kaolinite fines migration would not occur under normal reservoir multiphase flow conditions. This is not because of the low hydrodynamic force. It is rather because the geometries of the particles dominate their interplay. Finally and overall, both of the experimental and analytical modelling results point to the fines migration to be the most likely cause of the permeability impairment observed during core-flooding experiments.« less

Multiphase flow of carbon dioxide and brine in dual porosity carbonates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pentland, Christopher; Oedai, Sjaam; Ott, Holger

2014-05-01

The storage of carbon dioxide in subsurface formations presents a challenge in terms of multiphase flow characterisation. Project planning requires an understanding of multiphase flow characteristics such as the relationship between relative permeability and saturation. At present there are only a limited number of relative permeability relations for carbon dioxide-brine fluid systems, most of which are measured on sandstone rocks. In this study coreflood experiments are performed to investigate the relative permeability of carbon dioxide and brine in two dual porosity carbonate systems. Carbon dioxide is injected into the brine saturated rocks in a primary drainage process. The rock fluid system is pre-equilibrated to avoid chemical reactions and physical mass transfer between phases. The pressure drop across the samples, the amount of brine displaced and the saturation distribution within the rocks are measured. The experiments are repeated on the same rocks for the decane-brine fluid system. The experimental data is interpreted by simulating the experiments with a continuum scale Darcy solver. Selected functional representations of relative permeability are investigated, the parameters of which are chosen such that a least squares objective function is minimised (i.e. the difference between experimental observations and simulated response). The match between simulation and measurement is dependent upon the form of the functional representations. The best agreement is achieved with the Corey [Brooks and Corey, 1964] or modified Corey [Masalmeh et al., 2007] functions which best represent the relative permeability of brine at low brine saturations. The relative permeability of carbon dioxide is shown to be lower than the relative permeability of decane over the saturation ranges investigated. The relative permeability of the brine phase is comparable for the two fluid systems. These observations are consistent with the rocks being water-wet. During the experiment only a portion of the full saturation range is investigated, corresponding to carbon dioxide entering the macro pores of the dual porosity systems. Within this pore space the relative permeability behaviour is comparable to that measured in Berea sandstone. Brooks, R. H., and A. T. Corey (1964), Hydraulic properties of porous media, Hydrology Papers 3, Civil Engineering Dept., Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO. Masalmeh, S., I. Abu-Shiekah, and X. Jing (2007), Improved Characterization and Modeling of Capillary Transition Zones in Carbonate Reservoirs, SPE Reserv. Eval. Eng., 10(2), doi:10.2118/109094-PA.

Multi-dimensional Imaging and Characterization of Convective Mixing in a Porous Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liyanage, R.; Pini, R.; Crawshaw, J.; Krevor, S. C.

2017-12-01

The dissolution of CO2 into reservoir brines is one of the key trapping mechanisms during CO2 sequestration in deep saline aquifers. The dissolution at the CO2-brine interface induces a buoyant instability in the aqueous phase following a local brine density increase in the range of 0.1-1% depending on pressure, temperature, and salinity. As a result the CO2 -saturated brine mixes with fresh brine to form characteristic finger-like patterns. This downward flow pushes fresh brine to the CO2-brine interface and further enhances dissolution. This phenomenon is referred to as convective mixing. A study has been undertaken to investigate convective mixing in a 3D opaque porous medium. A novel protocol is presented using X-ray Computed Tomography (X-ray CT) to image the evolution of convective mixing over time. Results are presented for experiments carried out at ambient conditions using a spherical bowl (diameter of 20 cm) packed with glass beads (diameter, 0.5 mm). Surrogate fluids are used that provide good x-ray contrast whilst maintaining a maximum density differential comparable to the one observed in a supercritical CO2-brine system (about 10 kg/m3). We use a mixture of methanol and ethylene glycol (MEG) at three different ratios (and doped with KI) and brine. We perform two repeats for each fluid pair and during a typical experiment scans are taken at regular time intervals for up to 10 hours. 3D images of the bowl are reconstructed (fig. 1) with (2x2x2) mm3 voxels. The experiments are classified by Rayleigh number covering the range Ra = 5,000-25,000. As expected, higher Ra leads to early development of instability, with the plume moving faster towards the bottom of the bowl. The computed dissolution flux supports these visual observations and confirms that dissolutions enhanced mixing produces fluxes that are significantly larger than the corresponding purely diffusive scenario. While quantitative agreement is observed from repeated experiments, we note that the characteristic microscopic features differs (e.g. finger distribution), even when a homogenous packing is considered. We observe that mixing is not necessarily more efficient with a higher Ra, as in a closed domain the faster movement of the plume towards the bottom leads to an early convective shutdown and a situation that is solely controlled by diffusion.

Sea urchin fertilization assay: an evaluation of assumptions related to sample salinity adjustment and use of natural and synthetic marine waters for testing.

PubMed

Jonczyk, E; Gilron, G; Zajdlik, B

2001-04-01

Most industrial effluents discharged into the marine coastal environment are freshwater in nature and therefore require manipulation prior to testing with marine organisms. The sea urchin fertilization test is a common marine bioassay used for routine environmental monitoring, investigative evaluations, and/or regulatory testing of effluents and sediment pore waters. The existing Canadian and U.S. Environmental Protection Agencies test procedures using sea urchin (and sand dollar) gametes allow for sample salinity adjustment using either brine or dry salts. Moreover, these procedures also allow for the use of either natural or synthetic marine water for culturing/holding test organisms and for full-scale testing. At present, it is unclear to what extent these variables affect test results for whole effluents. The test methods simply state that there are no data available and that the use of artificial dry sea salts should be considered provisional. We conducted a series of concurrent experiments aimed at comparing the two different treatments of sample salinity adjustment and the use of natural versus synthetic seawater in order to test these assumptions and evaluate effects on the estimated end points generated by the sea urchin fertilization sublethal toxicity test. Results from these experiments indicated that there is no significant difference in test end points when dry salts or brine are used for sample salinity adjustment. Similarly, results obtained from parallel (split-sample) industrial effluent tests with natural and artificial seawater suggest that both dilution waters produce similar test results. However, data obtained from concurrent tests with the reference toxicant, copper sulfate, showed higher variability and greater sensitivity when using natural seawater as control/dilution water.

Evaluation of a hybrid ion exchange-catalyst treatment technology for nitrate removal from drinking water.

PubMed

Bergquist, Allison M; Choe, Jong Kwon; Strathmann, Timothy J; Werth, Charles J

2016-06-01

Ion exchange (IX) is the most common approach to treating nitrate-contaminated drinking water sources, but the cost of salt to make regeneration brine, as well as the cost and environmental burden of waste brine disposal, are major disadvantages. A hybrid ion exchange-catalyst treatment system, in which waste brine is catalytically treated for reuse, shows promise for reducing costs and environmental burdens of the conventional IX system. An IX model with separate treatment and regeneration cycles was developed, and ion selectivity coefficients for each cycle were separately calibrated by fitting experimental data. Of note, selectivity coefficients for the regeneration cycle required fitting the second treatment cycle after incomplete resin regeneration. The calibrated and validated model was used to simulate many cycles of treatment and regeneration using the hybrid system. Simulated waste brines and a real brine obtained from a California utility were also evaluated for catalytic nitrate treatment in a packed-bed, flow-through column with 0.5 wt%Pd-0.05 wt%In/activated carbon support (PdIn/AC). Consistent nitrate removal and no apparent catalyst deactivation were observed over 23 d (synthetic brine) and 45 d (real waste brine) of continuous-flow treatment. Ion exchange and catalyst results were used to evaluate treatment of 1 billion gallons of nitrate-contaminated source water at a 0.5 MGD water treatment plant. Switching from a conventional IX system with a two bed volume regeneration to a hybrid system with the same regeneration length and sequencing batch catalytic reactor treatment would save 76% in salt cost. The results suggest the hybrid system has the potential to address the disadvantages of a conventional IX treatment systems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Brine assemblages of ultrasmall microbial cells within the ice cover of Lake Vida, Antarctica.

PubMed

Kuhn, Emanuele; Ichimura, Andrew S; Peng, Vivian; Fritsen, Christian H; Trubl, Gareth; Doran, Peter T; Murray, Alison E

2014-06-01

The anoxic and freezing brine that permeates Lake Vida's perennial ice below 16 m contains an abundance of very small (≤0.2-μm) particles mixed with a less abundant population of microbial cells ranging from >0.2 to 1.5 μm in length. Fluorescent DNA staining, electron microscopy (EM) observations, elemental analysis, and extraction of high-molecular-weight genomic DNA indicated that a significant portion of these ultrasmall particles are cells. A continuous electron-dense layer surrounding a less electron-dense region was observed by EM, indicating the presence of a biological membrane surrounding a cytoplasm. The ultrasmall cells are 0.192 ± 0.065 μm, with morphology characteristic of coccoid and diplococcic bacterial cells, often surrounded by iron-rich capsular structures. EM observations also detected the presence of smaller unidentified nanoparticles of 0.020 to 0.140 μm among the brine cells. A 16S rRNA gene clone library from the brine 0.1- to 0.2-μm-size fraction revealed a relatively low-diversity assemblage of Bacteria sequences distinct from the previously reported >0.2-μm-cell-size Lake Vida brine assemblage. The brine 0.1- to 0.2-μm-size fraction was dominated by the Proteobacteria-affiliated genera Herbaspirillum, Pseudoalteromonas, and Marinobacter. Cultivation efforts of the 0.1- to 0.2-μm-size fraction led to the isolation of Actinobacteria-affiliated genera Microbacterium and Kocuria. Based on phylogenetic relatedness and microscopic observations, we hypothesize that the ultrasmall cells in Lake Vida brine are ultramicrocells that are likely in a reduced size state as a result of environmental stress or life cycle-related conditions.

Two-phase convective CO 2 dissolution in saline aquifers

DOE PAGES

Martinez, Mario J.; Hesse, Marc A.

2016-01-30

Geologic carbon storage in deep saline aquifers is a promising technology for reducing anthropogenic emissions into the atmosphere. Dissolution of injected CO 2 into resident brines is one of the primary trapping mechanisms generally considered necessary to provide long-term storage security. Given that diffusion of CO 2 in brine is woefully slow, convective dissolution, driven by a small increase in brine density with CO 2 saturation, is considered to be the primary mechanism of dissolution trapping. Previous studies of convective dissolution have typically only considered the convective process in the single-phase region below the capillary transition zone and have eithermore » ignored the overlying two-phase region where dissolution actually takes place or replaced it with a virtual region with reduced or enhanced constant permeability. Our objective is to improve estimates of the long-term dissolution flux of CO 2 into brine by including the capillary transition zone in two-phase model simulations. In the fully two-phase model, there is a capillary transition zone above the brine-saturated region over which the brine saturation decreases with increasing elevation. Our two-phase simulations show that the dissolution flux obtained by assuming a brine-saturated, single-phase porous region with a closed upper boundary is recovered in the limit of vanishing entry pressure and capillary transition zone. For typical finite entry pressures and capillary transition zone, however, convection currents penetrate into the two-phase region. As a result, this removes the mass transfer limitation of the diffusive boundary layer and enhances the convective dissolution flux of CO 2 more than 3 times above the rate assuming single-phase conditions.« less

Metabolomics and the Legacy of Previous Ecosystems: a Case Study from the Brine of Lake Vida (Antarctica)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chou, L.; Kenig, F. P. H.; Murray, A. E.; Doran, P. T.; Fritsen, C. H.

2015-12-01

The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are regarded as one of the best Earth analogs for astrobiological investigations of icy worlds. In the dry valleys, Lake Vida contains an anoxic and aphotic ice-sealed brine that has been isolated for millennia and yet is hosting a population of active microbes at -13˚ C. The biogeochemical processes used by these slow-growing microbes are still unclear. We attempt to elucidate the microbial processes responsible for the survivability of these organisms using metabolomics. Preliminary investigations of organic compounds of Lake Vida Brine (LVBr) was performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) GC-MS. LVBr contains a vast variety of lipids and is dominated by low molecular weight compounds. Many of these compounds are biomarkers of processes that took place in Lake Vida prior to evaporation and its cryo-encapsulation. These compounds include dimethylsulfide that is derived from the photosynthate dimethylsulfoniopropionate, dihydroactinidiolide that is derived from a diatom pigment, and 2-methyl-3-ethyl-maleimide that is derived from chlorophyll. These compounds, which dominate the lipid reservoir, represent a legacy from an ecosystem that is different from the current bacterial ecosystem of the brine. The abundance of the legacy compounds in the brine is most likely a reflection of the very slow metabolism of the bacterial community in the cold brine. It is important, thus, to be able to distinguish the legacy metabolites and their diagenetic products from the metabolites of the current ecosystem. This legacy issue is specific to a slow growing microbial ecosystem that cannot process the legacy carbon completely. It applies not only to Lake Vida brine, but other slow growing ecosystems such as other subglacial Antarctic lakes, the Arctic regions, and the deep biosphere.

Brine Assemblages of Ultrasmall Microbial Cells within the Ice Cover of Lake Vida, Antarctica

PubMed Central

Kuhn, Emanuele; Ichimura, Andrew S.; Peng, Vivian; Fritsen, Christian H.; Trubl, Gareth; Doran, Peter T.

2014-01-01

The anoxic and freezing brine that permeates Lake Vida's perennial ice below 16 m contains an abundance of very small (≤0.2-μm) particles mixed with a less abundant population of microbial cells ranging from >0.2 to 1.5 μm in length. Fluorescent DNA staining, electron microscopy (EM) observations, elemental analysis, and extraction of high-molecular-weight genomic DNA indicated that a significant portion of these ultrasmall particles are cells. A continuous electron-dense layer surrounding a less electron-dense region was observed by EM, indicating the presence of a biological membrane surrounding a cytoplasm. The ultrasmall cells are 0.192 ± 0.065 μm, with morphology characteristic of coccoid and diplococcic bacterial cells, often surrounded by iron-rich capsular structures. EM observations also detected the presence of smaller unidentified nanoparticles of 0.020 to 0.140 μm among the brine cells. A 16S rRNA gene clone library from the brine 0.1- to 0.2-μm-size fraction revealed a relatively low-diversity assemblage of Bacteria sequences distinct from the previously reported >0.2-μm-cell-size Lake Vida brine assemblage. The brine 0.1- to 0.2-μm-size fraction was dominated by the Proteobacteria-affiliated genera Herbaspirillum, Pseudoalteromonas, and Marinobacter. Cultivation efforts of the 0.1- to 0.2-μm-size fraction led to the isolation of Actinobacteria-affiliated genera Microbacterium and Kocuria. Based on phylogenetic relatedness and microscopic observations, we hypothesize that the ultrasmall cells in Lake Vida brine are ultramicrocells that are likely in a reduced size state as a result of environmental stress or life cycle-related conditions. PMID:24727273

Efficacy of chlorine dioxide against Listeria monocytogenes in brine chilling solutions.

PubMed

Valderrama, W B; Mills, E W; Cutter, C N

2009-11-01

Chilled brine solutions are used by the food industry to rapidly cool ready-to-eat meat products after cooking and before packaging. Chlorine dioxide (ClO(2)) was investigated as an antimicrobial additive to eliminate Listeria monocytogenes. Several experiments were performed using brine solutions made of sodium chloride (NaCl) and calcium chloride (CaCl(2)) inoculated with L. monocytogenes and/or treated with 3 ppm of ClO(2). First, 10 and 20% CaCl(2) and NaCl solutions (pH 7.0) were inoculated with a five-strain cocktail of L. monocytogenes to obtain approximately 7 log CFU/ml and incubated 8 h at 0 degrees C. The results demonstrated that L. monocytogenes survived in 10% CaCl(2), 10 and 20% NaCl, and pure water. L. monocytogenes levels were reduced approximately 1.2 log CFU/ml in 20% CaCl(2). Second, inoculated ( approximately 7 log CFU/ml) brine solutions (10 and 20% NaCl and 10% CaCl(2)) treated with 3 ppm of ClO(2) resulted in a approximately 4-log reduction of the pathogen within 90 s. The same was not observed in a solution of 20% CaCl(2); further investigation demonstrated that high levels of divalent cations interfere with the disinfectant. Spent brine solutions from hot dog and ham chilling were treated with ClO(2) at concentrations of 3 or 30 ppm. At these concentrations, ClO(2) did not reduce L. monocytogenes. Removal of divalent cations and organic material in brine solutions prior to disinfection with ClO(2) should be investigated to improve the efficacy of the compound against L. monocytogenes. The information from this study may be useful to processing establishments and researchers who are investigating antimicrobials in chilling brine solutions.

Age and speciation of iodine in groundwater and mudstones of the Horonobe area, Hokkaido, Japan: Implications for the origin and migration of iodine during basin evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Togo, Yoko S.; Takahashi, Yoshio; Amano, Yuki; Matsuzaki, Hiroyuki; Suzuki, Yohey; Terada, Yasuko; Muramatsu, Yasuyuki; Ito, Kazumasa; Iwatsuki, Teruki

2016-10-01

This paper reports the concentration, speciation and isotope ratio (129I/127I) of iodine from both groundwater and host rocks in the Horonobe area, northern Hokkaido, Japan, to clarify the origin and migration of iodine in sedimentary rocks. Cretaceous to Quaternary sedimentary rocks deposited nearly horizontally in Tenpoku Basin and in the Horonobe area were uplifted above sea level during active tectonics to form folds and faults in the Quaternary. Samples were collected from the Pliocene Koetoi and late Miocene Wakkanai formations (Fms), which include diatomaceous and siliceous mudstones. The iodine concentration in groundwater, up to 270 μmol/L, is significantly higher than that of seawater, with the iodine enrichment factor relative to seawater reaching 800-1500. The iodine concentration in the rocks decreases from the Koetoi to Wakkanai Fms, suggesting that iodine was released into the water from the rocks of deeper formations. The iodine concentration in the rocks is sufficiently high for forming iodine-rich groundwater as found in this area. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) analysis shows that iodine exists as organic iodine and iodide (I-) in host rocks, whereas it exists mainly as I- in groundwater. The isotope ratio is nearly constant for iodine in the groundwater, at [0.11-0.23] × 10-12, and it is higher for iodine in rocks, at [0.29-1.1] × 10-12, giving iodine ages of 42-60 Ma and 7-38 Ma, respectively. Some iodine in groundwater must have originated from Paleogene and even late Cretaceous Fms, which are also considered as possible sources of oil and gas, in view of the old iodine ages of the groundwater. The iodine ages of the rocks are older than the depositional ages, implying that the rocks adsorbed some iodine from groundwater, which was sourced from greater depths. The iodine concentration in groundwater decreases with decreasing chlorine concentration due to mixing of iodine-rich connate water and meteoric water. A likely scenario is that iodine-rich brine formed during the long-term basin evolution from the Cretaceous to Quaternary and that this brine was diluted by mixing with meteoric water during uplifting and denudation of the area.

Revealing fate of CO2 leakage pathways in the Little Grand Wash Fault, Green River, Utah

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, K.; Han, W. S.; Watson, Z. T.; Guyant, E.; Park, E.

2015-12-01

To assure long-term security of geologic carbon sequestration site, evaluation of natural CO2 leakage should be preceded before actual construction of the CO2 facility by comparing natural and artificial reservoir systems. The Little Grand Wash fault is located at the northwestern margin of the Paradox Basin and roles on a bypass of deep subsurface CO2 and brine water onto the surface, e.g., cold water geyser, CO2 spring, and surface travertine deposits. CO2 degassed out from brine at the Little Grand Wash fault zone may react with formation water and minerals while migrating through the fault conduit. Leakage observed by soil CO2 flux on the fault trace shows this ongoing transition of CO2, from supersaturated condition in deep subsurface to shallow surface equilibria. The present study aims to investigate the reactions induced by changes in hydrological and mineralogical factors inside of the fault zone. The methodology to develop site-specific geochemical model of the Little Grand Wash Fault combines calculated mechanical movements of each fluid end-member, along with chemical reactions among fluid, free CO2 gas and rock formations. Reactive transport modeling was conducted to simulate these property changes inside of the fault zone, using chemistry dataset based on 86 effluent samples of CO2 geysers, springs and in situ formation water from Entrada, Carmel, and Navajo Sandstone. Meanwhile, one- and two-dimensional models were separately developed to delineate features mentioned above. The results from the 3000-year simulation showed an appearance of self-sealing processes near the surface of the fault conduit. By tracking physicochemical changes at the depth of 15 m on the 2-dimensional model, significant changes induced by fluid mixing were indicated. Calculated rates of precipitation for calcite, illite, and pyrite showed increase in 2.6 x 10-4, 2.25 x 10-5, and 3.0 x 10-6 in mineral volume fraction at the depth of 15m, respectively. Concurrently, permeability and porosity were decreased 4.0 x 10-18 m2 and 3.0 x 10-4 due to precipitation of minerals. At the middle of the fault conduit (400 m), however, indicates consistent dissolution of minerals in formation which enhances vertical fluid migration.

Ionic strength dependence of the oxidation of SO2 by H2O2 in sodium chloride particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, H. M.; Iedema, M.; Yu, X.-Y.; Cowin, J. P.

2014-06-01

The reaction of sulfur dioxide and hydrogen peroxide in the presence of deliquesced (>75% RH) sodium chloride (brine) particles was studied by utilizing a cross flow mini-reactor. The reaction kinetics were followed by observing chloride depletion in particles by computer-controlled scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, namely CCSEM/EDX. The reactions take place in concentrated mixed salt brine aerosols, for which no complete kinetic equilibrium data previously existed. We measured the Henry's law solubility of H2O2 in brine solutions to close that gap. We also calculated the reaction rate as the particle transforms continuously from concentrated NaCl brine to, eventually, a mixed NaHSO4 plus H2SO4 brine solution. The reaction rate of the SO2 oxidation by H2O2 was found to be influenced by the change in ionic strength as the particle undergoes compositional transformation, following closely the dependence of the third order rate constant on ionic strength as predicted using established rate equations. This is the first study that has measured the ionic strength dependence of sulfate formation (in non-aqueous media) from oxidation of mixed salt brine aerosols in the presence of H2O2. It also gives the first report of the dependence of the Henry's law constant of H2O2 on ionic strength.

Stability of polyvinyl alcohol-coated biochar nanoparticles in brine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffith, Christopher; Daigle, Hugh

2017-01-01

This paper reports on the dispersion stability of 150 nm polyvinyl alcohol coated biochar nanoparticles in brine water. Biochar is a renewable, carbon based material that is of significant interest for enhanced oil recovery operations primarily due to its wide ranging surface properties, low cost of synthesis, and low environmental toxicity. Nanoparticles used as stabilizing agents for foams (and emulsions) or in nanofluids have emerged as potential alternatives to surfactants for subsurface applications due to their improved stability at reservoir conditions. If, however, the particles are not properly designed, they are susceptible to aggregation because of the high salinity brines typical of oil and gas reservoirs. Attachment of polymers to the nanoparticle surface, through covalent bonds, provides steric stabilization, and is a necessary step. Our results show that as the graft density of polyvinyl alcohol increases, so too does the stability of nanoparticles in brine solutions. A maximum of 34 wt% of 50,000 Da polyvinyl alcohol was grafted to the particle surface, and the size of the particles was reduced from 3500 nm (no coating) to 350 nm in brine. After 24 h, the particles had a size of 500 nm, and after 48 h completely aggregated. 100,000 Da PVA coated at 24 wt% on the biochar particles were stable in brine for over 1 month with no change in mean particle size of 330 nm.

Measurement of electrical impedance of a Berea sandstone core during the displacement of saturated brine by oil and CO2 injections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yu; Xue, Ziqiu; Park, Hyuck; Kiyama, Tamotsu; Zhang, Yi; Nishizawa, Osamu; Chae, Kwang-seok

2015-12-01

Complex electrical impedance measurements were performed on a brine-saturated Berea sandstone core while oil and CO2 were injected at different pressures and temperatures. The saturations of brine, oil, and CO2 in the core were simultaneously estimated using an X-ray computed tomography scanner. The formation factor of this Berea core and the resistivity indexes versus the brine saturations were calculated using Archie's law. The experimental results found different flow patterns of oil under different pressures and temperatures. Fingers were observed for the first experiment at 10 MPa and 40 °C. The fingers were restrained as the viscosity ratio of oil and water changed in the second (10 MPa and 25 °C) and third (5 MPa and 25 °C) experiments. The resistivity index showed an exponential increase with a decrease in brine saturation. The saturation exponent varied from 1.4 to 4.0 at different pressure and temperature conditions. During the oil injection procedure, the electrical impedance increased with oil saturation and was significantly affected by different oil distributions; therefore, the impedance varied whether the finger was remarkable or not, even if the oil saturation remained constant. During the CO2 injection steps, the impedance showed almost no change with CO2 saturation because the brine in the pores became immobile after the oil injection.

Sodium Hydroxide Production from Seawater Desalination Brine: Process Design and Energy Efficiency.

PubMed

Du, Fengmin; Warsinger, David M; Urmi, Tamanna I; Thiel, Gregory P; Kumar, Amit; Lienhard V, John H

2018-05-15

The ability to increase pH is a crucial need for desalination pretreatment (especially in reverse osmosis) and for other industries, but processes used to raise pH often incur significant emissions and nonrenewable resource use. Alternatively, waste brine from desalination can be used to create sodium hydroxide, via appropriate concentration and purification pretreatment steps, for input into the chlor-alkali process. In this work, an efficient process train (with variations) is developed and modeled for sodium hydroxide production from seawater desalination brine using membrane chlor-alkali electrolysis. The integrated system includes nanofiltration, concentration via evaporation or mechanical vapor compression, chemical softening, further ion-exchange softening, dechlorination, and membrane electrolysis. System productivity, component performance, and energy consumption of the NaOH production process are highlighted, and their dependencies on electrolyzer outlet conditions and brine recirculation are investigated. The analysis of the process also includes assessment of the energy efficiency of major components, estimation of system operating expense and comparison with similar processes. The brine-to-caustic process is shown to be technically feasible while offering several advantages, that is, the reduced environmental impact of desalination through lessened brine discharge, and the increase in the overall water recovery ratio of the reverse osmosis facility. Additionally, best-use conditions are given for producing caustic not only for use within the plant, but also in excess amounts for potential revenue.

Effect of technological factors on the activity and losses of cathepsins B, D and L during the marinating of Atlantic and Baltic herrings.

PubMed

Szymczak, Mariusz

2017-03-01

This study analyzes the effect of salt and acetic acid concentration, time, temperature and fish freezing on the activity and losses of cathepsins during the marinating of Atlantic and Baltic herrings. The highest contribution to meat general proteolytic activity was found for cathepsin D-like activity. This contribution decreased during the marinating process as a result of, among other things, cathepsin losses to brine. The methods of marinating had a significant impact on cathepsin activity losses. The average ratio of cathepsin D-like activity to L and B in brine accounted for 15:3.5:1.5, respectively. Depending on the method of calculation, cathepsin activity in brine was similar (per gram of tissue/milliliter of brine) or multiply higher (per gram protein in tissue/brine) than in the marinated herring meat. Statistical analysis demonstrated that the extent and structure of cathepsin losses were significantly correlated with the quantitative and qualitative composition of protein hydrolysis products in marinades. The presented results depict new phenomena of cathepsin losses and explain their impact on the process of fish marinating. Results allow better optimization of the process of meat ripening. The high activity of aspartyl and cysteine cathepsins in brine indicates the real feasibility of their application in the food industry for novel food design. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Microscopic diffusion in hydrated encysted eggs of brine shrimp

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mamontov, Eugene

We have studied microscopic diffusion of water in fully hydrated encysted eggs of brine shrimp (Artemia). We utilized quasielastic neutron scattering. Dry eggs of brine shrimp were rehydrated using (1) water without additives, (2) eutectic mixture of water and dimethyl sulfoxide, and (3) a concentrated aqueous solution of lithium chloride. Despite the complexity of the hydrated multicellular organism, measurable microscopic diffusivity of water is rather well defined. Pure hydration water in eggs exhibits freezing temperature depression, whereas hydration water in eggs mixed with dimethyl sulfoxide or lithium chloride does not crystallize at all. The characteristic size of the voids occupiedmore » by water or aqueous solvents in hydrated brine shrimp eggs is between 2 and 10 nm. Those voids are accessible to co-solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide and lithium chloride. There is no evidence of intracellular water in the hydrated eggs. The lack of intracellular water in the fully hydrated (but still under arrested development) state must be linked to the unique resilience against adverse environmental factors documented not only for the anhydrous, but also hydrated encysted eggs of brine shrimp.« less

Exchange of Laptev Sea and Arctic Ocean halocline waters in response to atmospheric forcing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauch, D.; Dmitrenko, I. A.; Wegner, C.; HöLemann, J.; Kirillov, S. A.; Timokhov, L. A.; Kassens, H.

2009-05-01

Combined δ18O/salinity data reveal a distinctive water mass generated during winter sea ice formation which is found predominantly in the coastal polynya region of the southern Laptev Sea. Export of the brine-enriched bottom water shows interannual variability in correlation with atmospheric conditions. Summer anticyclonic circulation is favoring an offshore transport of river water at the surface as well as a pronounced signal of brine-enriched waters at about 50 m water depth at the shelf break. Summer cyclonic atmospheric circulation favors onshore or an eastward, alongshore water transport, and at the shelf break the river water fraction is reduced and the pronounced brine signal is missing, while on the middle Laptev Sea shelf, brine-enriched waters are found in high proportions. Residence times of bottom and subsurface waters on the shelf may thereby vary considerably: an export of shelf waters to the Arctic Ocean halocline might be shut down or strongly reduced during "onshore" cyclonic atmospheric circulation, while with "offshore" anticyclonic atmospheric circulation, brine waters are exported and residence times may be as short as 1 year only.

Formation and Persistence of Brine on Mars: Experimental Simulations throughout the Diurnal Cycle at the Phoenix Landing Site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischer, E.; Martínez, G. M.; Rennó, N. O.

2016-12-01

In the last few years, water ice and salts capable of melting this ice and producing liquid saline water (brine) have been detected on Mars. Moreover, indirect evidence for brine has been found in multiple areas of the planet. Here, we simulate full diurnal cycles of temperature and atmospheric water vapor content at the Phoenix landing site for the first time and show experimentally that, in spite of the low Mars-like chamber temperature, brine forms minutes after the ground temperature exceeds the eutectic temperature of salts in contact with water ice. Moreover, we show that the brine stays liquid for most of the diurnal cycle when enough water ice is available to compensate for evaporation. This is predicted to occur seasonally in areas of the polar region where the temperature exceeds the eutectic value and frost or snow is deposited on saline soils, or where water ice and salts coexist in the shallow subsurface. This is important because the existence of liquid water is a key requirement for habitability.

The fate of minor alkali elements in the chemical evolution of salt lakes

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Alkaline earth elements and alkali metals (Mg, Ca, Na and K) play an important role in the geochemical evolution of saline lakes as the final brine type is defined by the abundance of these elements. The role of major ions in brine evolution has been studied in great detail, but little has been done to investigate the behaviour of minor alkali elements in these systems despite their similar chemical affinities to the major cations. We have examined three major anionic brine types, chloride, sulphate, and bicarbonate-carbonate, in fifteen lakes in North America and Antarctica to determine the geochemical behaviour of lithium, rubidium, strontium, and barium. Lithium and rubidium are largely conservative in all water types, and their concentrations are the result of long-term solute input and concentration through evaporation and/or sublimation. Strontium and barium behaviours vary with anionic brine type. Strontium can be removed in sulphate and carbonate-rich lakes by the precipitation of carbonate minerals. Barium may be removed in chloride and sulphate brines by either the precipitation of barite and perhaps biological uptake. PMID:21992434

Synthesis and formation mechanism of pinnoite in sulfated-type boron concentrated brine by dilution method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Jiaoyu; Bian, Shaoju; Lin, Feng; Wang, Liping; Dong, Yaping; Li, Wu

2017-10-01

The synthesis of pinnoite (MgB2O(OH)6) in boron-containing brine was established with a novel dilution method. Effects of temperature, precipitation time, boron concentration and mass dilution ratio on the formation of pinnoite were investigated. The products obtained were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimeter (TG-DSC), and scanning electron microscopy. The transformation mechanism of pinnoite with different dilution ratios was assumed by studying the crystal growth of pinnoite. The results showed that pinnoite was synthesized above 60 °C in the diluted brine. There were two reaction steps - precipitation of amorphous solid and the formation of pinnoite crystals - during the whole reaction process of pinnoite when the dilution ratio is more than 1.0 at 80 °C. While in the 0.5 diluted brine, only one reaction step of pinnoite crystal formation was observed and its transformation mechanism was discussed based on dissociation of polyborates in brine. Besides, the origin of pinnoite mineral deposited on salt lake bottom was proposed.

Microscopic diffusion in hydrated encysted eggs of brine shrimp

DOE PAGES

Mamontov, Eugene

2017-05-24

We have studied microscopic diffusion of water in fully hydrated encysted eggs of brine shrimp (Artemia). We utilized quasielastic neutron scattering. Dry eggs of brine shrimp were rehydrated using (1) water without additives, (2) eutectic mixture of water and dimethyl sulfoxide, and (3) a concentrated aqueous solution of lithium chloride. Despite the complexity of the hydrated multicellular organism, measurable microscopic diffusivity of water is rather well defined. Pure hydration water in eggs exhibits freezing temperature depression, whereas hydration water in eggs mixed with dimethyl sulfoxide or lithium chloride does not crystallize at all. The characteristic size of the voids occupiedmore » by water or aqueous solvents in hydrated brine shrimp eggs is between 2 and 10 nm. Those voids are accessible to co-solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide and lithium chloride. There is no evidence of intracellular water in the hydrated eggs. The lack of intracellular water in the fully hydrated (but still under arrested development) state must be linked to the unique resilience against adverse environmental factors documented not only for the anhydrous, but also hydrated encysted eggs of brine shrimp.« less

Formation and character of an ancient 19-m ice cover and underlying trapped brine in an "ice-sealed" east Antarctic lake.

PubMed

Doran, Peter T; Fritsen, Christian H; McKay, Christopher P; Priscu, John C; Adams, Edward E

2003-01-07

Lake Vida, one of the largest lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, was previously believed to be shallow (<10 m) and frozen to its bed year-round. New ice-core analysis and temperature data show that beneath 19 m of ice is a water column composed of a NaCl brine with a salinity seven times that of seawater that remains liquid below -10 degrees C. The ice cover thickens at both its base and surface, sealing concentrated brine beneath. The ice cover is stabilized by a negative feedback between ice growth and the freezing-point depression of the brine. The ice cover contains frozen microbial mats throughout that are viable after thawing and has a history that extends to at least 2,800 (14)C years B.P., suggesting that the brine has been isolated from the atmosphere for as long. To our knowledge, Lake Vida has the thickest subaerial lake ice cover recorded and may represent a previously undiscovered end-member lacustrine ecosystem on Earth.

Formation and character of an ancient 19-m ice cover and underlying trapped brine in an “ice-sealed” east Antarctic lake

PubMed Central

Doran, Peter T.; Fritsen, Christian H.; McKay, Christopher P.; Priscu, John C.; Adams, Edward E.

2003-01-01

Lake Vida, one of the largest lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, was previously believed to be shallow (<10 m) and frozen to its bed year-round. New ice-core analysis and temperature data show that beneath 19 m of ice is a water column composed of a NaCl brine with a salinity seven times that of seawater that remains liquid below −10°C. The ice cover thickens at both its base and surface, sealing concentrated brine beneath. The ice cover is stabilized by a negative feedback between ice growth and the freezing-point depression of the brine. The ice cover contains frozen microbial mats throughout that are viable after thawing and has a history that extends to at least 2,800 14C years B.P., suggesting that the brine has been isolated from the atmosphere for as long. To our knowledge, Lake Vida has the thickest subaerial lake ice cover recorded and may represent a previously undiscovered end-member lacustrine ecosystem on Earth. PMID:12518052

Modeling the morphogenesis of brine channels in sea ice.

PubMed

Kutschan, B; Morawetz, K; Gemming, S

2010-03-01

Brine channels are formed in sea ice under certain constraints and represent a habitat of different microorganisms. The complex system depends on a number of various quantities as salinity, density, pH value, or temperature. Each quantity governs the process of brine channel formation. There exists a strong link between bulk salinity and the presence of brine drainage channels in growing ice with respect to both the horizontal and vertical planes. We develop a suitable phenomenological model for the formation of brine channels both referring to the Ginzburg-Landau theory of phase transitions as well as to the chemical basis of morphogenesis according to Turing. It is possible to conclude from the critical wave number on the size of the structure and the critical parameters. The theoretically deduced transition rates have the same magnitude as the experimental values. The model creates channels of similar size as observed experimentally. An extension of the model toward channels with different sizes is possible. The microstructure of ice determines the albedo feedback and plays therefore an important role for large-scale global circulation models.

Uranium (VI) solubility in carbonate-free ERDA-6 brine

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lucchini, Jean-francois; Khaing, Hnin; Reed, Donald T

2010-01-01

When present, uranium is usually an element of importance in a nuclear waste repository. In the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), uranium is the most prevalent actinide component by mass, with about 647 metric tons to be placed in the repository. Therefore, the chemistry of uranium, and especially its solubility in the WIPP conditions, needs to be well determined. Long-term experiments were performed to measure the solubility of uranium (VI) in carbonate-free ERDA-6 brine, a simulated WIPP brine, at pC{sub H+} values between 8 and 12.5. These data, obtained from the over-saturation approach, were the first repository-relevant data for themore » VI actinide oxidation state. The solubility trends observed pointed towards low uranium solubility in WIPP brines and a lack of amphotericity. At the expected pC{sub H+} in the WIPP ({approx} 9.5), measured uranium solubility approached 10{sup -7} M. The objective of these experiments was to establish a baseline solubility to further investigate the effects of carbonate complexation on uranium solubility in WIPP brines.« less

Bird migratory flyways influence the phylogeography of the invasive brine shrimp Artemia franciscana in its native American range

PubMed Central

Muñoz, Joaquín; Amat, Francisco; Green, Andy J.; Figuerola, Jordi

2013-01-01

Since Darwin’s time, waterbirds have been considered an important vector for the dispersal of continental aquatic invertebrates. Bird movements have facilitated the worldwide invasion of the American brine shrimp Artemia franciscana, transporting cysts (diapausing eggs), and favouring rapid range expansions from introduction sites. Here we address the impact of bird migratory flyways on the population genetic structure and phylogeography of A. franciscana in its native range in the Americas. We examined sequence variation for two mitochondrial gene fragments (COI and 16S for a subset of the data) in a large set of population samples representing the entire native range of A. franciscana. Furthermore, we performed Mantel tests and redundancy analyses (RDA) to test the role of flyways, geography and human introductions on the phylogeography and population genetic structure at a continental scale. A. franciscana mitochondrial DNA was very diverse, with two main clades, largely corresponding to Pacific and Atlantic populations, mirroring American bird flyways. There was a high degree of regional endemism, with populations subdivided into at least 12 divergent, geographically restricted and largely allopatric mitochondrial lineages, and high levels of population structure (ΦST of 0.92), indicating low ongoing gene flow. We found evidence of human-mediated introductions in nine out of 39 populations analysed. Once these populations were removed, Mantel tests revealed a strong association between genetic variation and geographic distance (i.e., isolation-by-distance pattern). RDA showed that shared bird flyways explained around 20% of the variance in genetic distance between populations and this was highly significant, once geographic distance was controlled for. The variance explained increased to 30% when the factor human introduction was included in the model. Our findings suggest that bird-mediated transport of brine shrimp propagules does not result in substantial ongoing gene flow; instead, it had a significant historical role on the current species phylogeography, facilitating the colonisation of new aquatic environments as they become available along their main migratory flyways. PMID:24255814

Characterization of fluids and fluid-fluid interaction by fiber optic refractive index sensor measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt-Hattenberger, C.; Weiner, M.; Liebscher, A.; Spangenberg, E.

2009-04-01

A fiber optic refractive index sensor is tested for continuous monitoring of fluid-fluid and fluid-gas interactions within the frame of laboratory investigations of CO2 storage, monitoring and safety technology research (COSMOS project, "Geotechnologien" program). The sensor bases on a Fabry-Perot white light interferometer technique, where the refractive index (RI) of the solution under investigation is measured by variation of the liquid-filled Fabry-Perot optical cavity length. Such sensor system is typically used for measuring and controlling oil composition and also fluid quality. The aim of this study is to test the application of the fiber optic refractive index sensor for monitoring the CO2 dissolution in formation fluids (brine, oil, gas) of CO2 storage sites. Monitoring and knowledge of quantity and especially rate of CO2 dissolution in the formation fluid is important for any assessment of long-term risks of CO2 storage sites. It is also a prerequisite for any precise reservoir modelling. As a first step we performed laboratory experiments in standard autoclaves on a variety of different fluids and fluid mixtures (technical alcohols, pure water, CO2, synthetic brines, natural formation brine from the Ketzin test site). The RI measurements are partly combined with default electrical conductivity and sonic velocity measurements. The fiber optic refractive index sensor system allows for RI measurements within the range 1.0000 to 1.7000 RI with a resolution of approximately 0.0001 RI. For simple binary fluid mixtures first results indicate linear relationships between refractive indices and fluid composition. Within the pressure range investigated (up to 60 bar) the data suggest only minor changes of RI with pressure. Further, planned experiments will focus on the determination of i) the temperature dependency of RI, ii) the combined effects of pressure and temperature on RI, and finally iii) the kinetics of CO2 dissolution in realistic formation fluids.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Verba, Circe; Montross, Scott; Spaulding, Richard

Geologic carbon storage (GCS) is a potentially viable strategy to reduce greenhouse emissions. Understanding the risks to engineered and geologic structures associated with GCS is an important first step towards developing practices for safe and effective storage. The widespread utilization of foamed cement in wells may mean that carbon dioxide (CO 2)/brine/foamed cement reactions may occur within these GCS sites. Characterizing the difference in alteration rates as well as the physical and mechanical impact of CO 2/brine/foamed cement is an important preliminary step to ensuring offshore and onshore GCS is a prudent anthropogenic CO 2 mitigation choice. In a typicalmore » oil and gas well, cement is placed in the annulus between the steel casing and formation rock for both zonal isolation and casing support. The cement must have sufficient strength to secure the casing in the hole and withstand the stress of drilling, perforating, and fracturing (e.g. API, 1997, 2010 Worldwide Cementing Practices). As such, measuring the mechanical and properties of cement is an important step in predicting cement behavior under applied downhole stresses (Nelson, 2006). Zonal isolation is the prevention of fluids migrating to different zones outside of the casing and is strongly impacted by the permeability of the wellbore cement (Nelson, 2006). Zonal isolation depends on both the mechanical behavior and permeability (a physical property) of the cement (Mueller and Eid, 2006; Nelson, 2006). Long-term integrity of cement depends on the mechanical properties of the cement sheath, such as Young’s Modulus (Griffith et al., 2004). The cement sheath’s ability to withstand the stresses from changes in pressure and temperature is predominantly determined by the mechanical properties, including Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and tensile strength. Any geochemical alteration may impact both the mechanical and physical properties of the cement, thus ultimately impacting the structural integrity of the wellbore. In this study, atmospheric foamed cements were generated using a neat cement and three foam qualities (volume of entrained gas in the cement) - 10%, 20%, and 30 % gas volume. The samples were immersed in a 0.25 M NaCl brine followed by the injection of supercritical CO 2 at 28.9 MPa and 50°C. Petrophysical properties were examined for representative samples using computed tomography (CT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). CT scanning of representative samples across the range of reacted cements revealed macroscopic changes in structure due to brine/CO 2/cement interactions. The high foam quality samples resulted in more CO 2-saturated brine infiltrating radially deeper into the cement and thus were more susceptible to alteration. After 56 days of exposure, the 30% foam quality sample had the most reaction resulting in an alteration depth of 8.35 ± 0.13 mm with a calculated 34.6 ± 0.2% reacted area and 5.76 ± 0.2% reacted pore space area. The neat sample on the other hand, had a reaction depth of 0.31 ± 0.13 mm with a calculated 0.15 ± 0.08% reacted area and 0.57 ± 0.05% reacted pore area. Physical measurements of the exposed samples were consistent with this degree of alteration having 47.02% porosity and the highest permeability of 0.041 mD. These results indicate that the greater surface area provided by the increase of pore space in the higher quality foam coupled with carbonate diffusion reactions enabled greater alteration.« less

Development of a Direct Contact Heat Exchanger, Phase 1 Study Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manvi, R.

1978-01-01

Electric power generation from geothermal brine requires, first, bringing the hot brine to the surface and then converting the heat to electric power. Binary conversion schemes were proposed, with the heat transfer between the brine and the working organic fluid taking place in a conventional tube and shell heat exchanger. If the brine is heavily laden with dissolved solids, however, solids buildup on the heat exchanger surfaces leads to a considerable degree of fouling and an accompanying drop in performance is experienced. A possible solution to this problem is the use of a direct contact exchanger with the secondary fluid power cycle. The proposed concept involves the formation of fluid sheets and bells as heat angles. Results of a study concerning the fluid mechanics of such surfaces are given.

Cement/caprock fracture healing experiments to assess the integrity of CO2 injection wells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du Frane, W. L.; Mason, H. E.; Walsh, S. D.; Ruddle, D. G.; Carroll, S.

2012-12-01

It has been speculated that fractures along wellbore cement/caprock interfaces may provide a path for release of carbon from both long-term sequestration-sites and CO2-based enhanced oil recovery operations. The goal of this study is to evaluate the potential for fracture growth and healing in the wellbore environment, and its impact on wellbore permeability. A series of flow-through experiments was conducted, in which sample cores containing a planar fracture between impermeable caprock (compacted quartz, from 13,927' depth in Kern County) and cement (Portland G cured by ATSM standards) were reacted with brine containing variable amounts of carbonic acid (pCO2 between 0 and 3 MPa). The initial fracture geometry was controlled by grinding the caprock and cement pieces flat, and then bead blasting topography into the cement surfaces. Runs lasted 4-8 days with cores and brine maintained at constant temperature (60 °C). Constant confining pressure (24.8 MPa) was applied to cores, while brine was flowed with constant rates (0.05-0.10 mL/min) and pore pressure (12.4 MPa). Geomechanical and geochemical responses of the fractures were monitored by in situ measurements of differential pressure, and by periodically sampling output brine to analyze compositional changes. In every experiment the total permeability of samples cores decreased substantially. For runs using brine with pCO2 = 3 MPa, sample permeability continually decreased by over a factor of 200. Sample permeability also decreased by a factor of 50 having stabilized after ~3 days in a run using brine without CO2 (pCO2 = 0 MPa). These reductions in permeability appear to be the result of chemically-induced changes to the mechanical properties of the cement surface. Prior to reaction, the cement-caprock samples had high strength and elastic response to changes in stress during loading. After the experiments, the samples were weaker, and showed inelastic response to changes in stress during unloading. All cement surfaces exposed to CO2-rich brine were heavily reacted, as evidenced by coatings of rust-colored amorphous material. X-ray micro-tomography images revealed a series of reaction zones consistent with the results of related experiments by other researchers [e.g. Kutchko et al. 2007]. The mechanical properties of the individual reaction zones were evaluated by nano-indentation. Sampling during runs indicated that brine with pCO2 = 3 MPa became substantially enriched in Ca, Si, and Al, whereas composition of output brine with pCO2 = 0 MPa had little change over the run duration. The enrichment of Al in the brine with pCO2 = 3 MPa indicates that both Al -bearing minerals and amorphous calcium-silicate-hydrate (CSH) dissolved from the cement. Geochemical reaction pathways were further characterized in the reacted zones with the cement by scanning electron microscope, x-ray diffraction, and solid state NMR spectroscopy. These results suggest that the evolution of fractures in our experiments are determined by 3 competing factors: 1) swelling of CSH through hydration from the brine, 2) dissolution of cement into brine containing CO2, and 3) mechanical weakening of cement by chemical reaction with CO2. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract W-7405-Eng-48 and Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Intermediate Scale Laboratory Testing to Understand Mechanisms of Capillary and Dissolution Trapping during Injection and Post-Injection of CO 2 in Heterogeneous Geological Formations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Illangasekare, Tissa; Trevisan, Luca; Agartan, Elif

2015-03-31

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) represents a technology aimed to reduce atmospheric loading of CO 2 from power plants and heavy industries by injecting it into deep geological formations, such as saline aquifers. A number of trapping mechanisms contribute to effective and secure storage of the injected CO 2 in supercritical fluid phase (scCO 2) in the formation over the long term. The primary trapping mechanisms are structural, residual, dissolution and mineralization. Knowledge gaps exist on how the heterogeneity of the formation manifested at all scales from the pore to the site scales affects trapping and parameterization of contributing mechanismsmore » in models. An experimental and modeling study was conducted to fill these knowledge gaps. Experimental investigation of fundamental processes and mechanisms in field settings is not possible as it is not feasible to fully characterize the geologic heterogeneity at all relevant scales and gathering data on migration, trapping and dissolution of scCO 2. Laboratory experiments using scCO 2 under ambient conditions are also not feasible as it is technically challenging and cost prohibitive to develop large, two- or three-dimensional test systems with controlled high pressures to keep the scCO 2 as a liquid. Hence, an innovative approach that used surrogate fluids in place of scCO 2 and formation brine in multi-scale, synthetic aquifers test systems ranging in scales from centimeter to meter scale developed used. New modeling algorithms were developed to capture the processes controlled by the formation heterogeneity, and they were tested using the data from the laboratory test systems. The results and findings are expected to contribute toward better conceptual models, future improvements to DOE numerical codes, more accurate assessment of storage capacities, and optimized placement strategies. This report presents the experimental and modeling methods and research results.« less

A geostatistical approach to estimate mining efficiency indicators with flexible meshes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freixas, Genis; Garriga, David; Fernàndez-Garcia, Daniel; Sanchez-Vila, Xavier

2014-05-01

Geostatistics is a branch of statistics developed originally to predict probability distributions of ore grades for mining operations by considering the attributes of a geological formation at unknown locations as a set of correlated random variables. Mining exploitations typically aim to maintain acceptable mineral laws to produce commercial products based upon demand. In this context, we present a new geostatistical methodology to estimate strategic efficiency maps that incorporate hydraulic test data, the evolution of concentrations with time obtained from chemical analysis (packer tests and production wells) as well as hydraulic head variations. The methodology is applied to a salt basin in South America. The exploitation is based on the extraction of brines through vertical and horizontal wells. Thereafter, brines are precipitated in evaporation ponds to obtain target potassium and magnesium salts of economic interest. Lithium carbonate is obtained as a byproduct of the production of potassium chloride. Aside from providing an assemble of traditional geostatistical methods, the strength of this study falls with the new methodology developed, which focus on finding the best sites to exploit the brines while maintaining efficiency criteria. Thus, some strategic indicator efficiency maps have been developed under the specific criteria imposed by exploitation standards to incorporate new extraction wells in new areas that would allow maintain or improve production. Results show that the uncertainty quantification of the efficiency plays a dominant role and that the use flexible meshes, which properly describe the curvilinear features associated with vertical stratification, provides a more consistent estimation of the geological processes. Moreover, we demonstrate that the vertical correlation structure at the given salt basin is essentially linked to variations in the formation thickness, which calls for flexible meshes and non-stationarity stochastic processes.

CO2-brine-mineral Reactions in Geological Carbon Storage: Results from an EOR Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chapman, H.; Wigley, M.; Bickle, M.; Kampman, N.; Dubacq, B.; Galy, A.; Ballentine, C.; Zhou, Z.

2012-04-01

Dissolution of CO2 in brines and reactions of the acid brines ultimately dissolving silicate minerals and precipitating carbonate minerals are the prime long-term mechanisms for stabilising the light supercritical CO2 in geological carbon storage. However the rates of dissolution are very uncertain as they are likely to depend on the heterogeneity of the flow of CO2, the possibility of convective instability of the denser CO2-saturated brines and on fluid-mineral reactions which buffer brine acidity. We report the results of sampling brines and gases during a phase of CO2 injection for enhanced oil recovery in a small oil field. Brines and gases were sampled at production wells daily for 3 months after initiation of CO2 injection and again for two weeks after 5 months. Noble gas isotopic spikes were detected at producing wells within days of initial CO2 injection but signals continued for weeks, and at some producers for the duration of the sampling period, attesting to the complexity of gas-species pathways. Interpretations are complicated by the previous history of the oil field and re-injection of produced water prior to injection of CO2. However water sampled from some producing wells during the phase of CO2 injection showed monotonic increases in alkalinity and in concentrations of major cations to levels in excess of those in the injected water. The marked increase in Na, and smaller increases in Ca, Mg, Si, K and Sr are interpreted primarily to result from silicate dissolution as the lack of increase in S and Cl concentrations preclude additions of more saline waters. Early calcite dissolution was followed by re-precipitation. 87Sr/86Sr ratios in the waters apparently exceed the 87Sr/86Sr ratios of acetic and hydrochloric acid leaches of carbonate fractions of the reservoir rocks and the silicate residues from the leaching. This may indicate incongruent dissolution of Sr or larger scale isotopic heterogeneity of the reservoir. This is being investigated further by analyses of rock and mineral clasts from core. A surprising result of this study is the extent to which CO2 has dissolved in brines to drive fluid-rock reactions during the short duration of this experiment. However, simple one-dimensional flow modelling with lateral diffusion of CO2 into brines demonstrates that the natural heterogeneities in permeability in the reservoir on the scale of ~ 1 m are sufficient to cause extensive fingering of the CO2 along the highest permeability horizons. Because flow of brines is fastest in the relatively high permeability layers adjacent to the CO2-bearing layers, production of this more CO2-rich water dominates the output from production wells.

Membrane Cells for Brine Electrolysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tingle, M.

1982-01-01

Membrane cells were developed as alternatives to mercury and diaphragm cells for the electrolysis of brine. Compares the three types of cells, focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of membrane cells. (JN)

Your View or Mine: Spatially Quantifying CO2 Storage Risk from Various Stakeholder Perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bielicki, J. M.; Pollak, M.; Wilson, E.; Elliot, T. R.; Guo, B.; Nogues, J. P.; Peters, C. A.

2011-12-01

CO2 capture and storage involves injecting captured CO2 into geologic formations, such as deep saline aquifers. This injected CO2 is to be "stored" within the rock matrix for hundreds to thousands of years, but injected CO2, or the brine it displaces, may leak from the target reservoir. Such leakage could interfere with other subsurface activities-water production, energy production, energy storage, and waste disposal-or migrate to the surface. Each of these interferences will incur multiple costs to a variety of stakeholders. Even if injected or displaced fluids do not interfere with other subsurface activities or make their way to the surface, costs will be incurred to find and fix the leak. Consequently, the suitability of a site for CO2 storage must therefore include an assessment of the risk of leakage and interference with various other activities within a three-dimensional proximity of where CO2 is being injected. We present a spatial analysis of leakage and interference risk associated with injecting CO2 into a portion of the Mount Simon sandstone in the Michigan Basin. Risk is the probability of an outcome multiplied by the impact of that outcome (Ro=po*Io). An outcome is the result of the leakage (e.g., interference with oil production), and the impact is the cost associated with the outcome. Each outcome has costs that will vary by stakeholder. Our analysis presents CO2 storage risk for multiple outcomes in a spatially explicit manner that varies by stakeholder. We use the ELSA semi-analytical model for estimating CO2 and brine leakage from aquifers to determine plume and pressure front radii, and CO2 and brine leakage probabilities for the Mount Simon sandstone and multiple units above it. Results of ELSA simulations are incorporated into RISCS: the Risk Interference Subsurface CO2 Storage model. RISCS uses three-dimensional data on subsurface geology and the locations of wells and boreholes to spatially estimate risks associated with CO2 leakage from injection reservoirs. Where plumes probabilistically intersect subsurface activities, reach groundwater, or reach the surface, RISCS uses cost estimates from the Leakage Impact Valuation framework to estimate CO2 storage leakage and interference risk in monetary terms. This framework estimates costs that might be incurred if CO2 leaks from an injection reservoir. Such leakage could beget a variety of costs, depending on the nature and extent of the impacts. The framework identifies multiple costs under headings of: (a) finding and fixing the leak, (b) business disruption, and (c) cleaning up and paying for damages. The framework also enumerates the distribution of costs between ten different stakeholders, and allocates these costs along four leakage scenarios: 1) No interference, 2) interference with a subsurface activity, 3) interference with groundwater, and 4) migration to the surface. Our methodology facilitates research along two lines. First, it allows a probabilistic assessment of leakage costs to an injection operator, and thus what the effect of leakage might be on CCS market effectiveness. Second, it allows a broader inquiry about injection site prioritization from the point of view of various stakeholders.

Stability of Buoyancy-Driven Gas Flow: Visualization of Coherent and Incoherent Gas Flow Patterns and Capillary Trapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geistlinger, H. W.; Samani, S.; Pohlert, M.; Jia, R.; Lazik, D.

2009-12-01

There are several mechanisms by which the CO2 can be stored: (1) In hydrodynamic trapping, the buoyant CO2 remains as a mobile fluid but is prevented from flowing back to the surface by an impermeable cap rock. (2) In solution trapping, CO2 dissolves into the brine, possibly enhanced by gravity instabilities due to the larger density of the brine-CO2 liquid mixture. (3) In mineral trapping, geochemical binding to the rock due to mineral precipitation. (4) In capillary trapping, the CO2 phase is disconnected into a coherent, mobile phase and an incoherent, immobile (trapped) phase. Recent analytical and numerical investigations [Juanes et al., 2006, 2009; Hesse et al., 2007 ] of buoyant-driven CO2-plume along a sloped aquifer are based on the following conceptual process model: (1) During the injection period, the less wetting CO2 displaces the more wetting brine in a drainage-like process. It is assumed that no capillary trapping occurs and that the CO2-network is coherent and driven both by the injection pressure and the buoyant pressure. Because of this coherence assumption a generalized Darcy-law can be used for the dynamics of the mobile, gaseous CO2-phase. (2) After injection the buoyant CO2 migrates laterally and upward, and water displaces CO2 at the trailing edge of the plume in an imbibition-like process. During this process, there are several physical mechanisms by which the water can displace the CO2 [Lenormand et al., 1983]. In addition to piston-type displacement, core-annular flow (also called: cooperative pore-body filling) may occur, i.e. the wetting phase moves along the walls and under certain conditions the CO2-core flow becomes unstable (snap-off). For water wet rocks, snap-off is the dominant mechanism [Al-Futaisi and Patzek, 2003; Valvatne and Blunt, 2004]. There seems to be consensus that the capillary trapping mechanism has a huge impact on the migration and distribution of CO2 which, in turn, affects the effectiveness of the other sequestration mechanisms. In order to investigate the stability of buoyancy-driven gas flow and the transition between coherent flow, incoherent flow, and their correlation to capillary trapping, we conducted high-resolution optical bench scale experiments. We observed a grain-size (dk) - and flow-rate (Q) dependent transition from incoherent to coherent flow. Based on core-annular flow (= cooperative pore-body filling), we propose a dynamic stability criterion that could describe our experimental results. Our experimental results for vertical gas flow support the experimental results by Lenormand et al. [1983] obtained for horizontal flow, if one takes into account that gravity leads to more unstable flow conditions. Our main results, which are in strong contradiction to the accepted conceptual model of the sloped aquifer, are: (1) Capillary Trapping can already occur during injection and at the front of the plume [Lazik et al., 2008] (2) Gas clusters or bubbles can be mobile (incoherent gas flow) and immobile (capillary trapping), and (3) Incoherent gas flow can not be described by a generalized Darcy law [Geistlinger et al., 2006, 2009].

Space and Industrial Brine Drying Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harry W.; Wisniewski, Richard S.; Flynn, Michael; Shaw, Hali

2014-01-01

This survey describes brine drying technologies that have been developed for use in space and industry. NASA has long considered developing a brine drying system for the International Space Station (ISS). Possible processes include conduction drying in many forms, spray drying, distillation, freezing and freeze drying, membrane filtration, and electrical processes. Commercial processes use similar technologies. Some proposed space systems combine several approaches. The current most promising candidates for use on the ISS use either conduction drying with membrane filtration or spray drying.

Physiological characteristics of bacteria isolated from water brines within permafrost

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shcherbakova, V.; Rivkina, E.; Laurinavichuis, K.; Pecheritsina, S.; Gilichinsky, D.

2004-01-01

In the Arctic there are lenses of overcooled water brines (cryopegs) sandwiched within permafrost marine sediments 100 120 thousand years old. We have investigated the physiological properties of the pure cultures of anaerobic Clostridium sp. strain 14D1 and two strains of aerobic bacteria Psychrobacter sp. isolated from these cryopegs. The structural and physiological characteristics of new bacteria from water brines have shown their ability to survive and develop under harsh conditions, such as subzero temperatures and high salinity.