Analytical models for onset of sand production under isotropic and anisotropic stresses in laboratory tests

Four failure criteria, a simplified Mohr–Coulomb, a Mohr–Coulomb, a von Mises and a Drucker–Prager model are considered for borehole failure and sand onset predictions. The von Mises is a special case of the Drucker–Prager. The resulting analytical expressions are suitable for implementation in the analytical software for sand onset and sand mass analyses. The models are calibrated and validated against experimental data for hollow cylinder and hollow prism tests on Red Wildmoor sandstone. The analysis shows that a Drucker–Prager model is necessary to capture the experimentally observed effect of axial stress on hole failure. The simplified Mohr–Coulomb model shows no such effect, while the Mohr–Coulomb model shows an effect only at high values of axial stress. The Drucker–Prager model can match satisfactorily the experimental results. It requires, however, the calibration of an additional material parameter which can be done on anisotropic loading hollow prism tests. The models include also a lateral stress anisotropy parameter and a field calibration factor to allow for better approximation of available field or laboratory data.publishedVersio

Computational study of reservoir sand production mechanisms

A numerical model is developed to simulate fluid flow conditions around a wellbore and to evaluate mechanisms governing fluid flow, pressure gradients, rock failure and the ensuing sand production. The rock material behaviour matches sandstone described by the Drucker–Prager material failure model. Conditions for erosion are governed through two criteria: a material failure criterion described by the Drucker–Prager model and a sanding criterion expressed by an eroded solid mass generation model. The interplay between controlling operating and reservoir conditions is assessed. In addition, contributions of the following key factors to interstitial fluid velocity, plastic strain, pore pressure variation and sand production are appraised: drawdown, wellbore perforation depth, mud pressure and erosion criteria. Despite a decrease in pore fluid velocity at the vicinity of the wellbore at increasing depth, sand production increases with wellbore/perforation depth. Likewise, at constant drawdown, sand production is aggravated as wellbore/perforation depth increases. The rate of increase in the plastic zone following the onset of sand production is inconstant. Furthermore, mud pressure is demonstrated as an effective tool for attenuating sand production. An understanding of interactions between key parameters governing reservoir responses and the effect on sanding during oil/gas production is imperative if extraction operations are to be optimised.Published onlin

Productivity Decline Mechanisms in Gravel Packed Perforations

In a cased hole gravel pack completion, perforations are packed with proppant to both mechanically support the perforation cavity, and to filter any produced sand before it reaches the surface. Poor perforation packing sometimes occurs in which the perforation is partially or completely unsupported, leading to earlier productivity reduction than in cases of good packing. We investigated productivity reduction and the associated mechanisms in a series of hollow cylinder experiments on outcrop and field cores with varying proppant packing. Packed perforations maintained significantly higher productivity than unsupported perforations by preventing macroscopic shear failure around the cavity and erosion due to sand production. Partial packing may in some instances maintain productivity almost as well as complete packing, but this likely depends on perforation orientation. Compaction tests and numerical simulations suggest that compaction failure is unlikely at the cavity wall in the current experiments, and that proppant-formation interface damage or proppant filtering of produced sand are more probable explanations for the productivity reduction seen in packed perforations.publishedVersio

From Individual Survival to Social Networks of Survivors: Rethinking the Digital Archive of the Greek Holocaust

Digital audiovisual archives of Holocaust survivor testimonies follow a common classifying practice organizing the material at the unit of the individual. They thus prioritize the uniqueness of each survivor’s story and approach survival as a personal ordeal. The online meta-database of Greek Jewish Holocaust survivors’ testimonies (http://gjst.ha.uth.gr/en/) exemplifies this logic of archiving the historical experience and its mnemonic narrativization. The current project Bonds of Survival critically rethinks these methodological premises of the digital Holocaust archive. It complements current emphasis on the Holocaust survivor and her experience by shifting attention from the individual to her social relations. Taking the relationship as the organizing unit of the archiving order, it uses social network visualization tools to collect, categorize, and display the social interactions of survivors. Researchers can thus more accurately determine the weight and ontology of social relations in the camps and systematically explore the linkages between survival strategies, identity formation, and modes of social interaction

Nucleosomes influence multiple steps during replication initiation

Eukaryotic replication origin licensing, activation and timing are influenced by chromatin but a mechanistic understanding is lacking. Using reconstituted nucleosomal DNA replication assays, we assessed the impact of nucleosomes on replication initiation. To generate distinct nucleosomal landscapes, different chromatin-remodeling enzymes (CREs) were used to remodel nucleosomes on origin-DNA templates. Nucleosomal organization influenced two steps of replication initiation: origin licensing and helicase activation. Origin licensing assays showed that local nucleosome positioning enhanced origin specificity and modulated helicase loading by influencing ORC DNA binding. Interestingly, SWI/SNF- and RSC-remodeled nucleosomes were permissive for origin licensing but showed reduced helicase activation. Specific CREs rescued replication of these templates if added prior to helicase activation, indicating a permissive chromatin state must be established during origin licensing to allow efficient origin activation. Our studies show nucleosomes directly modulate origin licensing and activation through distinct mechanisms and provide insights into the regulation of replication initiation by chromatin.American Cancer Society (Postdoctoral Fellowship 123700-PF-13-071-01)National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (Koch Institute Support Grant P30-CA14051

Requirement for PBAF in transcriptional repression and repair at DNA breaks in actively transcribed regions of chromatin

Actively transcribed regions of the genome are vulnerable to genomic instability. Recently, it was discovered that transcription is repressed in response to neighboring DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). It is not known whether a failure to silence transcription flanking DSBs has any impact on DNA repair efficiency or whether chromatin remodelers contribute to the process. Here, we show that the PBAF remodeling complex is important for DSB-induced transcriptional silencing and promotes repair of a subset of DNA DSBs at early time points, which can be rescued by inhibiting transcription globally. An ATM phosphorylation site on BAF180, a PBAF subunit, is required for both processes. Furthermore, we find that subunits of the PRC1 and PRC2 polycomb group complexes are similarly required for DSB-induced silencing and promoting repair. Cancer-associated BAF180 mutants are unable to restore these functions, suggesting PBAF's role in repressing transcription near DSBs may contribute to its tumor suppressor activity

The Snf2 Homolog Fun30 acts as a homodimeric ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling enzyme

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Fun30 (Function unknown now 30) protein shares homology with an extended family of Snf2-related ATPases. Here we report the purification of Fun30 principally as a homodimer with a molecular mass of about 250 kDa. Biochemical characterization of this complex reveals that it has ATPase activity stimulated by both DNA and chromatin. Consistent with this, it also binds to both DNA and chromatin. The Fun30 complex also exhibits activity in ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling assays. Interestingly, its activity in histone dimer exchange is high relative to the ability to reposition nucleosomes. Fun30 also possesses a weakly conserved CUE motif suggesting that it may interact specifically with ubiquitinylated proteins. However, in vitro Fun30 was found to have no specificity in its interaction with ubiquitinylated histones

An analytical model to predict the volume of sand during drilling and production

© 2016 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Sand production is an undesired phenomenon occurring in unconsolidated formations due to shear failure and hydrodynamic forces. There have been many approaches developed to predict sand production and prevent it by changing drilling or production strategies. However, assumptions involved in these approaches have limited their applications to very specific scenarios. In this paper, an elliptical model based on the borehole shape is presented to predict the volume of sand produced during the drilling and depletion stages of oil and gas reservoirs. A shape factor parameter is introduced to estimate the changes in the geometry of the borehole as a result of shear failure. A carbonate reservoir from the south of Iran with a solid production history is used to show the application of the developed methodology. Deriving mathematical equations for determination of the shape factor based on different failure criteria indicate that the effect of the intermediate principal stress should be taken into account to achieve an accurate result. However, it should be noticed that the methodology presented can only be used when geomechanical parameters are accurately estimated prior to the production stage when using wells and field data

Does COVID-19 Vaccination Warrant the Classical Principle " ofelein i mi vlaptin"?

The current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic warrants an imperative necessity for effective and safe vaccination, to restrain Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) including transmissibility, morbidity, and mortality. In this regard, intensive medical and biological research leading to the development of an arsenal of vaccines, albeit incomplete preconditioned evaluation, due to emergency. The subsequent scientific gap raises some concerns in the medical community and the general public. More specifically, the accelerated vaccine development downgraded the value of necessary pre-clinical studies to elicit medium- and long-term beneficial or harmful consequences. Previous experience and pathophysiological background of coronaviruses' infections and vaccine technologies, combined with the global vaccines' application, underlined the obligation of a cautious and qualitative approach, to illuminate potential vaccination-related adverse events. Moreover, the high SARS-CoV-2 mutation potential and the already aggregated genetical alterations provoke a rational vagueness and uncertainty concerning vaccines' efficacy against dominant strains and the respective clinical immunity. This review critically summarizes existing evidence and queries regarding SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, to motivate scientists' and clinicians' interest for an optimal, individualized, and holistic management of this unprecedented pandemic