Production of cold-adapted cellulase by Verticillium sp. isolated from Antarctic soils

Background: Cellulose can be converted to ethanol by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). The difference between the optimal temperature of cellulase and microbial fermentation, however, has been identified as the critical problem with SSF. In this study, one fungal strain (AnsX1) with high cellulase activity at low temperature was isolated from Antarctic soils and identified as Verticillium sp. by morphological and molecular analyses. Results: The biochemical properties of crude AnsX1 cellulase samples were studied by filter paper cellulase assay. The maximum cellulase activity was achieved at low temperature in an acidic environment with addition of metal ions. Furthermore, AnsX1 cellulase demonstrated 54-63% enzymatic activity at ethanol concentrations of 5-10%. AnsX1 cellulase production was influenced by inoculum size, carbon and nitrogen sources, and elicitors. The optimal culture conditions for AnsX1 cellulase production were 5% inoculum, wheat bran as carbon source, (NH4)2SO4 as nitrogen source, and sorbitol added in the medium. Conclusions: Our present work has potential to enable the development of an economic and efficient cold-adapted cellulase system for bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels in future

Research on small-scale sand fracturing and puff technology

Affected by complex fault blocks, sedimentary environment and reservoir physical properties, Jidong Oilfield generally develops small-scale sand bodies, accounting for 24.2% of the produced reserves of medium and low permeability reservoirs. Such sand bodies rely on elastic energy to develop and are difficult to use effectively. In this paper, through the three-dimensional hydraulic physical model experiment and the analysis of the oil layer-dry layer-mudstone mixed sand body, the reasons that affect the model parameters are obtained. The results show that: the length of the high-permeability reservoir area, the length of the intermediate-permeability dry layer area, the rate of change of permeability parameters, the viscosity of the construction fluid, and the construction displacement have an impact on the effect of fracturing enhanced injection energy storage

Acceleration characteristics of laser ablation Cu plasma in the electrostatic field

As a new concept of space propulsion system, laser-ablation propulsion has attracted more and more attention due to its characteristics of low power consumption, high specific impulse, variable and controllable thrust. With an aim to further raise up the movement velocity of plasma, we combine the laser with high-voltage electrostatic field to accelerate the Cu plasma induced by laser ablation. To demonstrate the acceleration characteristics of plasma under different electric field intensity, the plasma conductivity, plasma shockwave intensity and plasma plume movement process were tested using parallel electrode plate device, self-made torsion pendulum impulse test bench and high-speed ICCD camera. The results showed that the conductive current and impulse formed by the plasma obviously increased under the applied electric field. The images captured by high-speed ICCD camera showed the plasma cross-sectional area was 0.194 mm2 at 900 ns and 0.217 mm2 at 1600 ns when the electric field intensity was 0 V/mm. With the electric field intensity increased to 30 V/mm, the plasma cross-sectional area elevated to 0.280 mm2 at 900 ns and 0.288 mm2 at 1600 ns. The acquisitions prove that the idea of this paper is feasible and favorable, which provide a theoretical basis for the combination of laser ablation propulsion and electric field

Development and Field Application of a New Ultralow Guar Gum Concentration Weighted Fracturing Fluid in HPHT Reservoirs

A weighted fracturing fluid with superlow guar gum concentration was developed by synthesizing a polyboric acid cross-linker. The density of this fluid is 1.365 g/cm3 and can withstand very high temperature up to 175°C. In this study, a weighting agent was selected, and crosslinking ligands and boric acid were optimized. The crosslinking performance, base fluid viscosity, rheology, and gel-breaking performance of this fracturing fluid were studied. Compared with the conventional weighted fracturing fluid, the concentration of guar gum in the new weighted fracturing fluid can be reduced by 30% at the same temperature condition; moreover, crosslinking can be delayed by 2 minutes. The concentration of gel breaker used in this fluid can be significantly reduced to 0.005%∼0.01%. Two field tests were conducted in Jidong oil field, and both of them achieved great success