Honghan Chen

Indicators of hot fluid migration in sedimentary basins: evidence from the UK Atlantic Margin

Microthermometric, petrographic and isotopic methods have been used to detect evidence for hot fluid flow in Mesozoic and Tertiary sediments from the NW UK continental margin, West of Shetland. New data presented here show that temperatures are hotter by c. 40°C in Tertiary samples than in the underlying Jurassic and Cretaceous sediments in wells 204/28-1, 206/5-2, 208/27-1, especially in cements from samples as young as mid–upper Eocene in age. Paleocene samples can be discriminated from older (Jurassic and Cretaceous) and younger (Eocene) sandstones on the basis of silica cement morphology and cathodoluminescence zonation. Jurassic, Cretaceous and Eocene quartz cements show oscillatory zoning as a consequence of relatively slow burial cementation. In direct contrast, rapid precipitation of silica cements from the cooling of hot fluids has produced unzoned cements in all but one Paleocene sample. No evidence for unzoned quartz cements was noted in any pre-Paleocene or Eocene samples. The restriction of hot fluid inclusions and unzoned cements to the Paleocene and post-Paleocene is consistent with lateral focusing of hot fluids. Isotopic data from kaolinites indicate that these fluids are best represented by mixtures of Mesozoic or Tertiary meteoric waters and marine porewaters that have undergone isotopic alteration through interaction with volcanic material. Our results indicate that hot fluid flow occurred over a relatively long time-scale (i.e. several million years), which may have important consequences for the degradation of reservoired hydrocarbons in West of Shetland Paleocene plays.

Application of fluid inclusions to studies of fractured sandstone reservoirs

Abstract Fluid inclusion studies of fractured reservoirs enable the determination of the fluid flow history through the rock. Homogenisation temperatures of hydrocarbon and aqueous inclusions in the fracture fill and in the host rock sandstone allows individual fluid flow events to be distinguished, and the relative timing of hydrocarbon migration can be constrained. Combined with petrographic techniques, inclusion studies enable reservoir cements and oil migration to be placed in chronological order. Petrographic studies can determine the timing of fracture development relative to hydrocarbon fluid migration by examining the spatial relationships of the vein fill. Oil inclusion suites often reveal several pulses of oil, which can be compared with oil in the current pore space to determine the evolution of the oil charge through time.

Kaolin polytype evidence for a hot-fluid pulse along Caledonian thrusts during rifting of the European Margin

Abstract Sedimentary basins developed along the European margin during the earliest, Permian, stage of proto-Atlantic rifting, during a phase of high heat flow. The proximity of some basins to Caledonian thrusts has implied that rifts locally utilized the basement fabric. New mineralogical and palaeomagnetic data show that thrust planes in the Moine Thrust Zone channelled a pulse of hot fluid in Permian time. The fluids precipitated kaolin in fractures in the thrust zone, and with decreasing intensity away from the zone. The high-temperature polytype dickite is largely confined to major thrust planes. Stable H and O isotope analyses indicate that the parent fluid included meteoric water involved in a hydrothermal system. Coeval hydrothermal hematite has a chemical remanence that dates the fluid pulse as Permian. This is direct evidence for post-orogenic activity in the thrust zone, in which the thrusts vented excess heat during regional crustal extension. The example from the European margin exemplifies the importance of deep-seated structures in the release of heat, and the value of kaolinite polytype mapping as a tool to record anomalous palaeo-heat flow.

Evolution characteristics and influence factors of deep groundwater depression cone in North China Plain, China—A case study in Cangzhou region

The North China Plain (NCP) is one of the global hotspots of groundwater depletion, groundwater is almost the only source of water for agricultural, industrial and drinking water in this region. After long-term’s over-exploitation of deep groundwater, there appeared several deep groundwater depression cones, such as Cangzhou cone, Dezhou cone, Hengshui cone, Tianjin cone, etc., in which the Cangzhou cone is one of the typical cones for its special geography and hydrogeology conditions. In this study, the authors intended to analyze the evolution characteristics and influence factors of deep groundwater depression cone in Cangzhou region, especially the No. III aquifer depression cone, which is the main exploitation zone in this region. Analysis of the evolution of the groundwater depression cone of the No. III aquifer group in Cangzhou region showed that this process can be divided into four stages, namely, development, stable development, rapid expansion, and gradual recovery. The shape and evolution characteristics of the depression cone at different stages are described by analyzing the evolution of the −30, −40, and −50 contours of the groundwater table, for example the closed area of water table contour of −50 m has been enlarged from 95 km2 in 1985 to 6 528.5 km2 in 2005. The dominant factors that affect the evolution characteristics at different stages are proposed. The results showed that relatively long dry periods with less precipitation, special geological and hydrogeological conditions, and sharply increased water consumption for industrial and agricultural development are the main factors that cause the formation of deep groundwater depression cones. Meanwhile, an environmental response against groundwater exploitation is presented, and rational solutions are suggested to avert water crisis.

Evidence of fluid inclusion for thermal fluid-bearing hydrocarbon movements in Qiongdongnan Basin, South China Sea *

Diagenetic research and inclusion observance indicate that there are seven types of inlcusion in the reservoirs in the Qiongdongnan Basin. Based on the fluorescence color, ratio of gas/liquid, formation temperature, salinity and organic component of fluid inclusions, three events of thermal fluid movement were found, and only the second and third events are relative to hydrocarbon migration and accumulation with the temperatures of 140–150°C and 170–190°C., respectively.The mechanism of gas migration in aqueous phase suggests that the discharging site of thermal fluid is the favourable location for natural gas accumulation.

Sorption Behavior of Ofloxacin to Kaolinite: Effects of pH, Ionic Strength, and Cu(II)

Sorption of antibiotics to clay minerals is a key process controlling their transport and fate in environment. In this study, the effects of pH, ionic strength, and Cu(II) on ofloxacin (OFL) sorption to kaolinite were investigated by batch sorption experiments. The results of sorption edge experiments suggested that OFL sorption to kaolinite was pH and ionic strength dependent. Cation exchange was a major contributor to the sorption of OFL+ to kaolinite. The decreased OFL sorption with increasing ionic strength indicated the formation of outer-sphere complexation. When solution pH was lower than 7.0, Cu-OFL complexes facilitated OFL sorption through electrostatic attraction or formation of kaolinite-Cu-OFL and kaolinite-OFL-Cu ternary surface complexes. However, existence of free Cu(II) cation in solution competed for sorption sites, and thus suppressed OFL sorption. When solution pH was higher than 7.0, Cu(II) existed as Cu(OH)2, and the Cu-OFL complexes in aqueous phase and solid phase (precipitation) enhanced OFL removal efficiency from solution. The results imply that Cu(II) effects should be taken into account in the evaluation of OFL mobility in environment.

soil-air partitioning of polychlorinated biphenyls and total dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes

Soil-air partitioning is an important diffusive process that affects the environmental fate of organic compounds and human health. In this review, factors affecting the soil-air partitioning of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and total dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes (p,p′- and o,p′- isomers of DDT, DDD, and DDE) are discussed. Hydrophobicity is an important factor that influences soil-air partition coefficients (KSA), and its effect can be explained through enthalpy of phase change for soil-air partitioning transfer (ΔHSA). For more hydrophobic compounds, a sharp increase in the KSA of PCBs and organochlorines can be seen in the early aging period. During the aging period, the temperature has a significant effect on the more hydrophobic organic compounds. The content and properties of soil organic matter influence the KSA of the target compounds. Generally, KSA decreases with increasing relative humidity in soils. The linear trend between KSA and temperature (T) changes at 0 °C. Freezing the air or soil in experiments would change the research results. On the basis of factors influencing soil-air partitioning, a multipleparameter (T, organic carbon fraction (fOC), and octanol-air partition coefficient (KOA)) model is put forward to predict the KSA values for PCBs and total DDTs.

Study on the degradation mechanism and pathway of benzene dye intermediate 4-methoxy-2-nitroaniline via multiple methods in Fenton oxidation process

Benzene dye intermediate (BDI) 4-methoxy-2-nitroaniline (4M2NA) wastewater has caused significant environmental concern due to its strong toxicity and potential carcinogenic effects. Reports concerning the degradation of 4M2NA by advanced oxidation process are limited. In this study, 4M2NA degradation by Fenton oxidation has been studied to obtain more insights into the reaction mechanism involved in the oxidation of 4M2NA. Results showed that when the 4M2NA (100 mg L−1) was completely decomposed, the TOC removal efficiency was only 30.70–31.54%, suggesting that some by-products highly recalcitrant to the Fenton oxidation were produced. UV-Vis spectra analysis based on Gauss peak fitting, HPLC analysis combined with two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy and GC-MS detection were carried out to clarify the degradation mechanism and pathway of 4M2NA. A total of nineteen reaction intermediates were identified and two possible degradation pathways were illustrated. Theoretical TOC calculated based on the concentration of oxalic acid, acetic acid, formic acid, and 4M2NA in the degradation process was nearly 94.41–97.11% of the measured TOC, indicating that the oxalic acid, acetic acid and formic acid were the main products. Finally, the predominant degradation pathway was proposed. These results could provide significant information to better understand the degradation mechanism of 4M2NA.

Effect of multifactors interaction on competitive adsorption of Zn 2+ and Cd 2+ by response surface methodology

The problem associated with multi-metals contaminated soils has generated increasingly more attention. Thus, it is necessary within the field to study the mutual influence of environmental factors on competitive adsorption. The majority of studies carried out to date have concentrated on the variation of adsorption capacity or the removal efficiency, with only a single factor changed (including pH, ionic strength, and metal concentration). However, the interaction effect among various environmental factors was ignored in these studies. The purpose of this study was mainly aimed toward the investigation of the interaction of two influential factors, as well as the influential degree of each factor (such as the initial pH, ionic strength, initial metal concentration, and the competitive metal concentration) on competitive adsorption using the response surface method. These results demonstrated that the influential degree of each factor studied on the competitive adsorption of Zn2+ and Cd2+ followed the trend of having the initial concentration of the target metal > initial pH > concentration of competitive metal > ionic strength. When the metal concentration was held constant, we found that the competitive adsorption of Zn2+ initially increased, followed by a decrease with increasing initial pH. However, this was found to change minimally with increasing ionic strength. When the initial pH or ionic strength was held constant, the competitive ability was observed to increase with increasing Zn2+ concentration. However, with increasing Zn2+ or Cd2+ concentrations, the variation degree of the competitive adsorption was found to become smaller. These results provide novel information toward a better understanding of the effect of multifactors on the competitive adsorption of Zn2+ and Cd2+.

Application of fluid inclusion studies to understanding oil charge, Pre-Salt succession, offshore Angola

Abstract Fluid inclusion studies in the Pre-Salt succession of the Kwanza Basin show that valuable information can be obtained regarding fluid migration, including oil charge. A pilot study demonstrates that oil inclusions are widespread in both cements and healed microfractures, and that measurements can be made of their entrapment temperature, fluorescence characteristics, API gravity determination and bulk organic geochemistry. Successive populations of inclusions show changes of temperature with time, which give an insight into thermal history and emphasize the importance of hot fluids in the region. Multiple populations of oil inclusions offer the potential of reconstructing the evolution of oil chemistry and, in particular, the origin of mixed oils.