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The Pohang quake shows the need for new methods to assess and manage evolving risk

Complex petroleum mass spectra obtained by Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR MS) were successfully interpreted at the molecular level by applying principle component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). A total of 40 mass spectra were obtained from 20 crude oil samples using both positive and negative atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI). Approximately 400,000 peaks were identified at the molecular level. Conventional data analyses would have been impractical with so much data. However, PCA grouped samples into score plots based on their molecular composition. In this way, the overall compositional difference between samples could be easily displayed and identified by comparing score and loading plots. HCA was also performed to group and compare samples based on selected peaks that had been grouped by PCA. Subsequent heat map analyses revealed detailed compositional differences among grouped samples. This study demonstrates a promising new approach for studying multiple, complex petroleum samples at the molecular level.

Understanding fluid flow through a rough‐walled fracture is important in many problems such as petroleum and geothermal reservoir exploitation, geological storage of CO2, and sitting of radioactive waste repositories. In order to advance the understanding of fracture flow, we conducted the first direct measurement of flow velocity across rough‐walled fractures at Reynolds number (Re) of 0.014 to 0.086. The results were used for an order of magnitude analysis to evaluate assumptions underlying the Stokes and the Reynolds equations, which are derived from simplifying the Navier–Stokes equations. Even at very rough subregions, viscous forces were at least 2 orders of magnitude greater than inertial forces, indicating that the Stokes equations are valid for Re < 0.1. However, the assumption made in the derivation of the Reynolds equation that ∂2ux/∂z2 is dominant over other viscous terms was not satisfied even at moderate roughness for Re < 0.1. The Reynolds equation overestimated flow rate.