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Dr J. Priest
Applications accepted all year round
Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
The physical properties of synthetic gas hydrate bearing sediments, such as sediment stiffness or strength, are heavily dependent on the morphology of the gas hydrates, which in turn is dependent on the formation procedure adopted. A number of factors may be responsible for these differences such as, grain mineralogy, choice of hydrate former, location of water or gas during formation, etc. Gas hydrates are stable under certain conditions of temperature and pressure, and dissociate back to its constituent parts of gas and water if these conditions are altered. Therefore understanding the interaction between hydrate and the host sediment is difficult due to the high pressures and low temperature that are required for hydrate stability.
New state of the art high resolution X-ray Computer tomography (CT) capability at Southampton can now allow the 3-dimensional structure of geomaterials to be imaged. In combinations with advanced image analysis tools, the internal structure of a soil specimen can be characterised. Allowing the quantification of such attributes as pore volume, grain characteristics, pore throat geometry and particle contacts. Understanding the influence of gas hydrates on sediment behaviour will depend on the interaction between the hydrate and the soil skeleton. Thus X-ray CT can help elucidate the factors controlling changes in sediment behaviour, and allow more robust relationships between sediment properties and hydrate to be developed.
This project will therefore involve the development of a pressure and temperature controlled test cell to enable the formation of gas hydrates in sediment under a range of different test conditions. The acquisition of high resolution images of the gas hydrate-bearing sediment structure will enable the complex nature of hydrate growth in sediments to be assessed, and allow better soil-hydrate models to be developed.
If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Dr Jeffrey Priest, Infrastructure research group, Email: [Email Address Removed], Tel: +44 (0) 2380 59 2662.
New state of the art high resolution X-ray Computer tomography (CT) capability at Southampton can now allow the 3-dimensional structure of geomaterials to be imaged. In combinations with advanced image analysis tools, the internal structure of a soil specimen can be characterised. Allowing the quantification of such attributes as pore volume, grain characteristics, pore throat geometry and particle contacts. Understanding the influence of gas hydrates on sediment behaviour will depend on the interaction between the hydrate and the soil skeleton. Thus X-ray CT can help elucidate the factors controlling changes in sediment behaviour, and allow more robust relationships between sediment properties and hydrate to be developed.
This project will therefore involve the development of a pressure and temperature controlled test cell to enable the formation of gas hydrates in sediment under a range of different test conditions. The acquisition of high resolution images of the gas hydrate-bearing sediment structure will enable the complex nature of hydrate growth in sediments to be assessed, and allow better soil-hydrate models to be developed.
If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Dr Jeffrey Priest, Infrastructure research group, Email: [Email Address Removed], Tel: +44 (0) 2380 59 2662.
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