Events

AEFM Seminar: Reduced-order Transport Models for Energy and the Environment

Date: Wednesday 9 May 2018 14:00 - 15:00

Location: SEMS Seminar Room

Abstract. In this talk, I will introduce several reduced-order modelling studies motivated by energy resource recovery and global climate change mitigation. In particular, I will demonstrate the key role of mechanics and dynamics at material interfaces, including fluid-fluid and fluid-solid interfaces and explore strategies to control the interfacial evolution. (i) First, I will introduce recent efforts on the use CO2 for enhancing oil recovery. The improvement of the sweeping efficiency during oil recovery is achieved by effectively controlling the hydrodynamic instability at the CO2-oil interface, using novel time-dependent strategies. (ii) Then, I will introduce an ongoing work on the dynamics of hydraulic fracturing using transparent solids. The focus is placed on the propagation, interaction and network formation of tensile fractures. The work is closely related to compensation grouting and the recovery of natural resources, such as shale gas and geothermal energy, where hydraulic fracturing is employed to increase the rock permeability. (iii) I will also introduce recent development of a systematic modelling framework, which can be implemented in geological CO2 sequestration and other processes involving fluid invasion into porous media. For example, the influence of viscosity ratio, capillary forces and pore-size distribution is summarized by different universal flow patterns. These flow patterns can then be integrated to explain and predict the CO2 spreading, trapping and leakage performances in practical sequestration projects.

Bio. Zhong Zheng is currently a Postdoctoral Scholar at the BP Institute, University of Cambridge. Before that, Zhong was a Lecturer and Postdoctoral scholar at Princeton University, where he earned his PhD degree.

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