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At least 1,135 records · Page 63

Critical review of the Mogi failure criterion based on true-triaxial laboratory data analysis and theoretical considerations

The influence of the intermediate principal stress, σ 2 , is disregarded when rock strength is analyzed using the Mohr-Coulomb or Hoek-Brown criteria. Several polyaxial strength criteria have been proposed to account for the influence of σ 2 . One of the methods that received considerable attention is the Mogi criterion. The criterion modifies the Nadai or Drucker-Prager approaches by exchanging the normal octahedral stress with what is introduced as the mean effective stress, σ m,2 . This change is based on experimental evidence that the influence of the intermediate principal stress on strength is less pronounced than the influence of the minimum principal stress. However, the Mogi criterion was derived somewhat empirically and consequently it is essential to analyze its potential theoretical deficiencies. In the current note, we analyzed the Mogi failure criterion, describing its characteristics in both τ oct –σ m,2 and σ 1 -σ 2 spaces. We investigated the relation between Mohr-Coulomb and Mogi criteria, which marks the basis for the commonly used Mogi-Coulomb approach. Here, we compared the performance of the Mogi criterion against available polyaxial strength data using three fitting approaches: Mogi-Coulomb based on triaxial compression results only, linear Mogi based on all polyaxial strength results, and power law Mogi also based on all data. The analysis reveals several serious deficiencies of the Mogi approach which all suggest that the Mogi criterion cannot properly represent the σ 2 dependence of rock strength in many cases.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Translation of DNA Damage Response Inhibitors as Chemoradiation Sensitizers From the Laboratory to the Clinic

Combination therapies with agents targeting the DNA damage response (DDR) offer an opportunity to selectively enhance the therapeutic index of chemoradiation or eliminate use of chemotherapy altogether. The successful translation of DDR inhibitors to clinical use requires investigating both their direct actions as (chemo)radiosensitizers and their potential to stimulate tumor immunogenicity. Beginning with high-throughput screening using both viability and DNA damage-reporter assays, followed by validation in gold-standard radiation colony-forming assays and in vitro assessment of mechanistic effects on the DDR, we describe proven strategies and methods leading to the clinical development of DDR inhibitors both with radiation alone and in combination with chemoradiation. Beyond these in vitro studies, we discuss the impact of key features of human xenograft and syngeneic mouse models on the relevance of in vivo tumor efficacy studies, particularly with regard to the immunogenic effects of combined therapy with radiation and DDR inhibitors. Finally, we describe recent technological advances in radiation delivery (using the small animal radiation research platform) that allow for conformal, clinically relevant radiation therapy in mouse models. This overall approach is critical to the successful clinical development and ultimate Food and Drug Administration approval of DDR inhibitors as (chemo)radiation sensitizers.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Distributed fiber optic strain sensing of bending deformation of a well mockup in the laboratory

Well integrity is critical to the safety and success of subsurface energy exploration and management, as leakage of fluids from subsurface reservoirs is often induced by compromised wells. This study investigates bending deformation of a mockup of an oil/gas well that is subjected to loads expected in deviated wells under reservoir compaction and assesses the feasibility of utilizing distributed fiber optic strain sensing to monitor the deformation. Here, a well mockup, which consists of outer and inner steel pipes with a cemented annulus, is tested under three-point bending loading and its strain and curvature development is monitored by Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry/analysis (BOTDR/A) as well as optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR). The primary objective of this research is to assess the strain sensing performance of newly fabricated fiber optic cables and to identify key cable characteristics which could improve the quality of distributed strain measurements with BOTDR/A. Results show that the tight-buffered cable is best suited for strain sensing as its maximum errors in the strain measurement were -36% and -24% against conventional sensors at the maximum elastic and plastic bending loads, respectively, whereas those of the non-tight-buffered cable were -45% and -71%, respectively. Similar trends were obtained in the bending curvature measurement. The detailed design of the tight-buffered cable is presented to elucidate key characteristics of such a cable, which will facilitate accurate distributed strain sensing in oil and gas wells.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Gas generation and intramolecular isotope study in laboratory pyrolysis of the Springfield coal from the Illinois Basin

Position-specific (PS) isotopes of propane have been proposed as a potential geochemical tool to decipher various geological processes (e.g., thermal cracking, biodegradation, H exchange) in natural reservoirs. The limited studies have been conducted on the PS isotopes of propane from the pyrolysis gases from marine shales, and natural gases sourced from lacustrine and marine kerogens, but little is known on gases produced from the humic kerogen. Here, this study investigated the PS δ 13 C of propane in the closed-system pyrolysis of the Springfield coal, Illinois Basin, Indiana, at 310 to 470 °C (Easy %Ro: 0.76 to 3.07). The C kinetic isotope effect (KIE) of CH 4 produced in both this study and previous low-temperature pyrolysis of the same coal indicates the cleavage of C—O bonds is the main generation pathway at the early kerogen cracking stage, followed by the breakdown of alkyl groups. At the wet-gas cracking stage, C 3 H 8 production from thermally stable compounds has a significant influence on the bulk and position-specific C KIE in the pyrolysis of marine Woodford kerogen and Springfield coal. According to the PS δ 13 C of propane, the central site is likely more enriched in 13 C and the δ 13 C of the terminal site is relatively heterogeneous within the propyl group attached to different functional groups of the gas-prone kerogen. Our findings based on the pyrolysis experiments and natural gas samples indicate thermal cracking and biodegradation appear to alter the δ 13 C cen values more significantly than the δ 13 C ter values of propane. The larger magnitude of ΔC c-t in the kMC simulations (Peterson et al., 2018) compared with those from the marine shale and coal possibly implies the non-random distributions of 13 C of propane precursors in the kerogens. As a new dimension of intramolecular isotopic information of propane, the PS δ 13 C values can contribute to fingerprinting the gas origins and identifying the various geological processes (e.g., kerogen cracking, wet-gas cracking, microbial activities) in sedimentary basins.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗