Medfarm Play

Martin Blunt, Shell Professor of Resevoir Engineering, Department of Earth Science & Engineering, Imperial College, London UK.

The use of X-ray micro-tomography enables rock structure and fluid flow to be imaged in three dimensions at micron resolution and over timescales of a few seconds to hours. This has transformed our understanding of how multiple fluid phases flow through the microscopic pore spaces of porous rock deep underground. This understanding is necessary to design and manage many processes in the subsurface, including improved oil and gas recovery, unconventional hydrocarbon production, groundwater extraction and pollutant removal, and carbon dioxide storage to mitigate climate change. Indeed, the science of flow in porous media underpins many of this century?s most important challenges associated with access to clean water and energy, while dealing with the threat of climate change. I will outline how with a combination of careful experiments on rock samples, imaging, analysis and modelling, the processes controlling flow and fluid retention in porous materials can be quantified. The trapping of fluids by capillary action can be facilitated to design the safe and effective storage of carbon dioxide in aquifers and depleted hydrocarbon fields, while the characterization and manipulation of of wettability is crucial for the efficient recovery of oil and pollutants. The dynamics of pore-scale displacement will also be described to uncover new macroscopic equations that describe flow from the cm to km scales.

Kontaktperson
Karin Thellenberg, Enheten för kommunikation och skolsamverkan