User's Manual Frac-Explore 2.0

FRAC-EXPLORE 2.0, a new computer software package for oil and gas exploration using surface lineament and fracture analysis. FRAC-EXPLORE 2.0 provides a suite of tools for analyzing the characteristics and patterns of surface lineaments and fractures, as well as other surface geological features. These tools help identify priority areas of potential subsurface oil and gas traps. The package can be used in a frontier basin to initially screen the priority locations for further seismic and/or geochemical surveys. It can also be used in a mature basin to help delineate additional oil and gas reservoirs

An Analysis of Surface and Subsurface Lineaments and Fractures for Oil and Gas Exploration in the Mid-Continent Region

An extensive literature search was conducted and geological and mathematical analyses were performed to investigate the significance of using surface lineaments and fractures for delineating oil and gas reservoirs in the Mid-Continent region. Tremendous amount of data were acquired including surface lineaments, surface major fracture zones, surface fracture traces, gravity and magnetic lineaments, and Precambrian basement fault systems. An orientation analysis of these surface and subsurface linear features was performed to detect the basic structural grains of the region. The correlation between surface linear features and subsurface oil and gas traps was assessed, and the implication of using surface lineament and fracture analysis for delineating hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Mid-Continent region discussed. It was observed that the surface linear features were extremely consistent in orientation with the gravity and magnetic lineaments and the basement faults in the Mid-Continent region. They all consist of two major sets bending northeast and northwest, representing, therefore, the basic structural grains of the region. This consistency in orientation between the surface and subsurface linear features suggests that the systematic fault systems at the basement in the Mid-Continent region have probably been reactivated many times and have propagated upward all the way to the surface. They may have acted as the loci for the development of other geological structures, including oil and gas traps. Also observed was a strong association both in orientation and position between the surface linear features and the subsurface reservoirs in various parts of the region. As a result, surface lineament and fracture analysis can be used for delineating additional oil and gas reserves in the Mid-Continent region. The results presented in this paper prove the validity and indicate the significance of using surface linear features for inferring subsurface oil and gas reservoirs in the Mid-Continent region. Any new potential oil and gas reservoirs in the Mid-Continent region, if they exist, will be likely associated with the northeast- and northwest-trending surface lineaments and fracture traces in the region

Storage Life Prediction of Rubber Products Based on Step Stress Accelerated Aging and Intelligent Algorithm

Compared with the constant stress accelerated aging test, the step stress accelerated aging test reduces the accelerated aging test time by increasing the aging temperature step by step to obtain the aging failure life of rubber in a shorter time, but its data processing method is not mature enough. In this paper, a simplified step is proposed to process the step stress accelerated aging data. The identification of the acceleration factor is transformed into an optimization problem to avoid the error accumulation problem caused by fitting the data at each temperature. Considering the non-Arrhenius phenomenon in the rubber aging process, a modified Arrhenius equation was used to extrapolate the acceleration factor at low temperatures to calculate the prediction curves for the degradation of polyurethane rubber properties at low temperatures. The life prediction results of the constant stress accelerated aging test and step stress accelerated aging test were compared, and the dispersion coefficient between the two results was between 0.9 and 1. The results obtained by the two methods were in good agreement, which proved the correctness and feasibility of the method used in this paper

Natural Aging Life Prediction of Rubber Products Using Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm to Identify Acceleration Factor

We aim to predict the natural aging life of 8016 ethylene propylene rubber accurately and quickly. Based on the time-temperature equivalent superposition principle, the artificial bee colony algorithm was introduced to calculate the acceleration factor of the accelerated aging test, and the calculation of the acceleration factor was considered an optimization problem, which avoided the error superposition problem caused by data fitting at each temperature. Based on the traditional Arrhenius equation, a power exponential factor was introduced to consider the non-Arrhenius phenomenon during the rubber aging process. Finally, the aging prediction curve of 8106 ethylene propylene rubber at 25 °C was obtained. The prediction results show that the artificial bee colony algorithm can quickly and accurately identify the acceleration factor of the accelerated aging test. The dispersion coefficients between the predicted and measured results of the improved and traditional Arrhenius equations are 1.0351 and 1.6653, respectively, which indicates that the improved Arrhenius equation is more advantageous in predicting the long-term aging process of rubber products

Isokinetic Rehabilitation Trajectory Planning of an Upper Extremity Exoskeleton Rehabilitation Robot Based on a Multistrategy Improved Whale Optimization Algorithm

Upper extremity exoskeleton rehabilitation robots have become a significant piece of rehabilitation equipment, and planning their motion trajectories is essential in patient rehabilitation. In this paper, a multistrategy improved whale optimization algorithm (MWOA) is proposed for trajectory planning of upper extremity exoskeleton rehabilitation robots with emphasis on isokinetic rehabilitation. First, a piecewise polynomial was used to construct a rough trajectory. To make the trajectory conform to human-like movement, a whale optimization algorithm (WOA) was employed to generate a bounded jerk trajectory with the minimum running time as the objective. The search performance of the WOA under complex constraints, including the search capability of trajectory planning symmetry, was improved by the following strategies: a dual-population search, including a new communication mechanism to prevent falling into the local optimum; a mutation centroid opposition-based learning, to improve the diversity of the population; and an adaptive inertia weight, to balance exploration and exploitation. Simulation analysis showed that the MWOA generated a trajectory with a shorter run-time and better symmetry and robustness than the WOA. Finally, a pilot rehabilitation session on a healthy volunteer using an upper extremity exoskeleton rehabilitation robot was completed safely and smoothly along the trajectory planned by the MWOA. The proposed algorithm thus provides a feasible scheme for isokinetic rehabilitation trajectory planning of upper extremity exoskeleton rehabilitation robots

Exploration 3-D Seismic Field Test/Native Tribes Initiative

To determine current acquisition procedures and costs and to further the goals of the President's Initiative for Native Tribes, a seismic-survey project is to be conducted on Osage tribal lands. The goals of the program are to demonstrate the capabilities, costs, and effectiveness of 3-D seismic work in a small-operator setting and to determine the economics of such a survey. For these purposes, typical small-scale independent-operator practices are being followed and a shallow target chose in an area with a high concentration of independent operators. The results will be analyzed in detail to determine if there are improvements and/or innovations which can be easily introduced in field-acquisition procedures, in processing, or in data manipulation and interpretation to further reduce operating costs and to make the system still more active to the small-scale operator

Investigations on the Structure Tectonics, Geophysics, Geochemistry, and Hydrocarbon Potential of the Black Mesa Basin, Northeastern Arizona

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has instituted a basin-analysis study program to encourage drilling in underexplored and unexplored areas and increase discovery rates for hydrocarbons by independent oil companies within the continental United States. The work is being performed at the DOE's National Institute for Petroleum and Energy Research (NIPER) in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, by the Exploration and Drilling Group within BDM-Oklahoma (BDM), the manager of the facility for DOE. Several low-activity areas in the Mid-Continent, west, and southwest were considered for the initial study area (Reeves and Carroll 1994a). The Black Mesa region in northwestern Arizona is shown on the U.S. Geological Survey 1995 oil and gas map of the United States as an undrilled area, adapted from Takahashi and Gautier 1995. This basin was selected by DOE s the site for the initial NIPER-BDM survey to develop prospects within the Lower-48 states (Reeves and Carroll 1994b)

Reduction of Risk in Exploration and Prospect Generation through a Multidisciplinary Basin-Analysis Program in the South-Central Mid-Continent Region

This report will discuss a series of regional studies that were undertaken within the South-Central Mid-Continent region of the U.S. Coverage is also provided about a series of innovative techniques that were used for this assessment