Dr I Falcon Suarez, Dr A Lichtschlag, Dr J Matter, Dr A Best
No more applications being accepted
Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
Project Rationale :
CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) is a greenhouse gas mitigation technology, capable of ameliorating the current rate of global warming. This involves injecting CO2 into deep geological formations at sites specially selected for long-term, large-scale storage. To ensure the integrity of the porous host rocks that make up the reservoir, recent research has focused on the geomechanical and chemical response of the reservoir CO2 rich (reactive) fluids. This response depends strongly on the different reservoir rock types (e.g. sandstone, carbonate or basalt) and their chemical reactivity, ultimately controlled by their composition and texture. This project will seek to understand how geochemical reactions in geological CO2 storage reservoirs affect the physical and transport properties of the host rock, and will develop new methods and models to detect these changes. This will lead to coupled geophysical-geochemical CO2 monitoring techniques to better interpret the geomechanical stability of CO2 storage sites.
Methodology :
This project will perform CO2-injection laboratory experiments on the geochemical and geomechanical changes of highly reactive rocks and fluids. The behaviour of the samples will be studied using a novel experimental rig for CO2-rock-reaction-studies, developed in the Rock Physics laboratory at the NOC, to reproduce realistic conditions of a wide range of potential reservoir formations. The experimental procedure will include coupled geophysical (ultrasonic waves and electrical resistivity), hydromechanical (permeability and strains) and geochemical monitoring, and control of real P-T (pressure-temperature) reservoir conditions and fluid composition. Experiments will be performed with different rock types such as synthetic carbonate-bearing sandstones and high porosity basalt samples from the Canary islands. The student will use X-ray CT scanning to obtain 3D models of the internal structure of the sample before and after exposure to CO2. These results will be integrated into coupled rock physics and reactive transport models together with the geophysical, hydromechanical and geochemical data. Advanced data processing, modelling, integration and visualization methods will be employed to analyse the datasets and gain insight into CO2 injection processes.
Training :
The SPITFIRE DTP programme provides comprehensive personal and professional development training alongside extensive opportunities for students to expand their multi-disciplinary outlook through interactions with a wide network of academic, research and industrial/policy partners. The student will be registered at the University of Southampton and hosted at Ocean and Earth Science and hosted at the National Oceanography Centre Southampton. The candidate will be part of the Marine Geoscience (NOC) group and the Department of Ocean and Earth Science (UoS), two prestigious research groups leading several national and international CCS projects.
The student will receive specialist training in oral and written presentation skills, have the opportunity to participate in teaching activities, and have access to a full range of research and generic training opportunities. The candidate will receive specific training in a wide range of rock physics/geochemical laboratory measurement and analytical techniques, signal processing, rock physics and state-of-the-art modelling techniques for fluid flow in porous media, together with other data analysis methods including rock physics and geochemical modelling.
Beyond the exchanges associated with SPITFIRE we anticipate the student will be involved in the national and international projects run at NOC (e.g., STEMM and CHIMNEY) and to work with existing collaborators on this project. The NOC offers opportunities for graduate students to participate in seagoing scientific research expeditions as part of their wider training.
Funding Notes
You can apply for fully-funded studentships (stipend and fees) from INSPIRE if you:
Are a UK or EU national.
Have no restrictions on how long you can stay in the UK.
Have been 'ordinarily resident' in the UK for 3 years prior to the start of the project.
Please click link to http://inspire-dtp.ac.uk/how-apply for more information on eligibilty and how to apply
References
[1] Matter, J. M., Stute, M., Snæbjörnsdottir, S. Ó., Oelkers, E. H., Gislason, S. R., Aradottir, E. S., ... & Axelsson, G. (2016). Rapid carbon mineralization for permanent disposal of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. Science, 352(6291), 1312-1314.
[2] Falcon-Suarez, I., Marín-Moreno, H., Browning, F., Lichtschlag, A., Robert, K., North, L. J., & Best, A. I. (2017). Experimental assessment of pore fluid distribution and geomechanical changes in saline sandstone reservoirs during and after CO2 injection. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 63, 356-369.
[3] Wunsch, A., Navarre-Sitchler, A. K., Moore, J., & McCray, J. E. (2014). Metal release from limestones at high partial-pressures of CO 2. Chemical Geology, 363, 40-55.