Impact of grain roughness on porous media flows under conditions relevant to the subsurface

These projects are open to students worldwide, but have no funding attached. Therefore, the successful applicant will be expected to fund tuition fees at the relevant level (home or international) and any applicable additional research costs. Please consider this before applying. 

Immiscible fluids are ubiquitous in the subsurface, occurring naturally (e.g., vadose zone, petroleum reservoirs) and because of human activity (contamination by fuel and industrial solvents). The distribution of immiscible fluids at the micron to mm scale has important implications for a range of engineering applications including water supply, soil and groundwater remediation, agriculture, flood mitigation, and geological CO₂ storage (CCS). Immiscible displacement encountered in these applications is influenced by the properties of the grains (size, mineralogy, roughness, surface functional groups) and how they are arranged, the properties of the fluids, the relative volumes of the fluids initially occupying the pores, and the velocity of the fluids. Of these, the dependence on grain roughness has received the least attention because of the technological challenges associated with both measuring and systematically altering nm-scale features on strongly curved surfaces. 

The aim of the broader research programme is to improve our understanding of the impact of grain roughness on flow and mass transport in porous media under conditions relevant to the subsurface. Depending on the candidate’s interests, the PhD project may focus on, e.g.,

·       the fate and transport of microplastics in soil;

·       the distribution and displacement of gas-water-oil in NAPL-contaminated vadose zones and groundwater aquifers;

·       transport in hyporheic zones beneath gravel bed rivers;

·       performance of temporary plugging agents used to seal fractures in hydrocarbon reservoirs.

The successful candidate will extend a protocol recently developed in the research group (Ibekwe et al 2019) to create artificial soils or rock with systematically varied textures. Depending on the topic, the candidate may use techniques such as scanning electron microscopy to characterize the roughness, X-ray micro-computed tomography and microfluidics for the visualization of fluids at the micron-scale (e.g., Tanino et al 2020), and column experiments for the measurement of capillary pressure-saturation curves and permeabilities.

The successful candidate will be based in the Fluid Mechanics Research Group in the School of Engineering. Members of the Group use different combinations of laboratory experiments, field measurements, numerical simulations, and theoretical analysis to study physical processes associated with a wide range of applications, including coastal erosion, wind energy, and drug delivery to tumours.

Previous laboratory experience and familiarity with MATLAB are essential. Experience in image post-processing and programming will be an advantage.

Essential Background:

Decisions will be based on academic merit. The successful applicant should have, or expect to obtain, a UK Honours Degree at 2.1 (or equivalent) in a relevant engineering or physical science discipline.

Application Procedure:

Formal applications can be completed online: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/pgap/login.php

You should apply for Engineering (PhD) to ensure your application is passed to the correct team for processing.

Please clearly note the name of the lead supervisor and project title on the application form. If you do not include these details, it may not be considered for the studentship.

Your application must include: A personal statement, an up-to-date copy of your academic CV, and clear copies of your educational certificates and transcripts.

Please note: you DO NOT need to provide a research proposal with this application.

If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don't hesitate to contact us at [Email Address Removed]