Title: Water transport through hygroscopic porous materials (paper, wood, textiles, fiber panels): a subtle three-phase flow
Abstract: Most bio-based materials, such as paper, natural textiles, sponges, wood or plants, fiber panels for insulation, are porous systems through which water transfers play an essential role in the applications. A specificity of these materials is that they are also hygroscopic: they can absorb huge amounts of water, typically up to about 25% of their dry mass, from ambient vapor, in the form of bound water confined at a nanoscale in the amorphous regions of the cellulose structure, a bound water at the origin of the significant swelling of these materials. Remarkably, this bound water is also strongly mobile inside the solid phase. For example, the bound water contained in a cellulose fiber stack whose porosity has been filled with oil may be extracted by drying, proving that it is transported inside the fibers throughout the network. Moreover, the corresponding transport diffusion coefficient of bound water appears to be rather large, in the order of the self-diffusion coefficient of (free) water. These characteristics imply that, more generally, in hygroscopic porous materials, water can be transported through the system in three different phases, i.e., vapor, free water and bound water, which are strongly coupled via sorption or desorption processes. Finally, the coupling between some or all of these different processes leads to unexpected physical characteristics. The original implications are illustrated by the long-term evolution of an aqueous droplet, possibly containing particles such as pigments and viruses or solute such as ions and polymers, and reaching the surface of a cellulosic sample. It is generally considered that such a droplet somewhat spreads, penetrates the structure, stabilizes and eventually dries. In fact, it may be shown from NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) relaxometry and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) that, instead of drying, the water is absorbed as bound water and diffuses throughout the entire structure. Thus, the initial (free) water rapidly disappears from the porosity, while the non-absorbed solute or particles remain stuck to the solid surfaces in the initial region of liquid penetration. Another original effect if the imbibition of wood with water. As observed with NMR and MRI, the standard liquid water penetration thanks to capillary effects through vessels is slowed down by several orders of magnitude of time because the structure does not allow the invasion of free water in the regions where cell walls are not saturated with bound water.
Bio: Philippe Coussot is a senior researcher in the Rheophysics and Porous Media department of Laboratoire Navier (Univ. Gustave Eiffel – CNRS – Ecole des PontsParisTech). After a first career stage on the hydraulics of mudflows and debris flows, he focused on the rheology of pastes and suspensions and, in a second step, on transfers (drying, imbibition, colloid transport) in porous media, with the help of NMR and MRI. His main current research concerns the hygrothermal behavior of bio-based construction and textile materials, in particular within the frame of the ERC Advanced Grant PHYSBIOMAT. He published Mudflow Rheology and Dynamics (Balkema, 1997), Rheometry of pastes, suspensions and granular materials (Wiley, 2005), and Rheophysics (Springer, 2014), and received the Silver Medal from CNRS (2015), the Weissenberg Award from the European Society of Rheology (2017), and the Medal for Porous Media Research from Interpore (2023).
Title: Phase-field modeling for multiphase flow and geomechanical processes
Abstract: Phase-field models have proven to be effective simulation tools for describing interfacial processes at computationally feasible scales. Recent applications of these models include simulating the nucleation and propagation of hydraulic fractures in geological formations, as well as the behavior of fluid-fluid interfaces during flow through permeable media. The phase-field approach seeks to upscale interface dynamics by developing a continuum representation that diffuses sharp interfaces across several grid blocks or elements within a computational mesh. The governing equations are formulated using appropriate variational principles or thermodynamic descriptions of the system. In this work, we present a phase-field formulation for thermo-hydro-mechanical hydraulic fracturing, with applications in geothermal energy production, and in the migration and seafloor venting of hydrocarbons. Additionally, we introduce a fugacity-based phase-field model for multiphase, multicomponent flows, applied to pore-scale simulations in the context of CO2 and hydrogen storage in porous formations. We also address the challenges of bridging scales in these models.
Bio: Luis Cueto-Felgueroso is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering: Hydraulics, Energy and Environment at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Spain. He previously served as a Ramón y Cajal Fellow at UPM. Prior to joining UPM, he spent over eight years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Associate in the Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His research focuses on developing mathematical models and numerical simulation techniques for multiphase flow and geomechanics, with applications in subsurface energy resources and environmental research. In 2018, he was awarded the Agustín de Betancourt y Molina Medal by the Real Academia de Ingeniería de España for his contributions to porous media research.
Title: Effect of scale on flow and transport properties in porous media
Abstract: Flow and transport in porous media are typically investigated at four main scales, i.e., pore, core, lysimeter, and field. A long-standing problem in the porous media community, therefore, has been relating a property’s value at one scale (e.g., field) to its value at another scale (e.g., core). This process is called scaling and has been an active subject of research in the past several decades. The influence of scale has been known for years. It is well documented that flow and transport in soils, rocks and fracture networks are scale-dependent due to the presence of spatial heterogeneities. However, our knowledge of scale and its effect on fluid flow and solute transport in porous media is still limited. In this talk, I focus on finite size effect and present applications of finite-size scaling analysis from statistical physics to analyze the scale dependence of flow and transport properties.
Bio: Behzad Ghanbarian is an Associate Professor at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas at Arlington. He is the author of 120 peer-reviewed journal articles and three books. His research interests center around a wide range of multidisciplinary topics, such as climate change, unconventional reservoirs, upscaling techniques, and fluid flow and contaminant transport in heterogeneous porous media. He is a member of AGU, SSSA, and SPE and received the 2015 Donald L. Turcotte Award in nonlinear geophysics from the American Geophysical Union as well as the 2020 Soil Physics and Hydrology Division Early Career Award from the Soil Science Society of America. Behzad was also listed among the top 2% of scientists in the world in 2021, 2022 and 2023. He also received the TWISS Graduate Teaching and Mentoring Award from Kansas State University in 2021 and 2022.
Title: The Influence of Multiple Scales in Fractured Media on Flow and Transport Properties
Abstract: In low-permeability fractured media, such as granites and shales, flow and the associated transport of dissolved solutes is controlled primarily by fractures embedded within the rock matrix. The geometry of individual fractures, size and aperture, as well as the network structure determine the structure of the fluid flow field. However, the relevant lengths scales within a fracture network range several orders of magnitude and it is unclear which features of the network influence which flow and transport properties. One tool to investigate the interplay and influence of these multiple scales are discrete fracture network (DFN) models. In this talk, I’ll discuss recent studies that use high-fidelity DFN models that attempt to link flow and transport attributes to physical structures of a fracture network ranging in-fracture aperture variability to network-scale connectivity.
Bio: Dr. Jeffrey Hyman is a staff scientist in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He received his PhD in Applied Mathematics from the University of Arizona in 2014 with a PhD Minor in Hydrology and Water Resources. His research focuses on integrating applied mathematics with the geosciences to advance our understanding of coupled subsurface processes in fractured media. He is an Affiliate Faculty in the department of Geology and Geological Engineering at Colorado School of Mines and the director of the Advanced Computational Geosciences Initiative (ACGI) at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles. Dr. Hyman is the principal developer of dfnWorks (2017 R&D 100 Winner) a leading modeling suite for three-dimensional discrete fracture network simulations.
Title: Reactive transport processes in porous rock sample: role of local heterogeneities.
Abstract: The percolation of acidic fluids through natural rocks (e.g. CO2 storage, Karst formation, geothermal formation) induces chemical reactions of dissolution and/or precipitation, which consequently alter the structural and hydrodynamic properties of the rock. These reactions are not uniformly distributed but instead become localized based on various local parameters, such as fluid velocity heterogeneities, chemical or mineralogical composition, and petrophysical properties. Understanding the influence of these local heterogeneities is crucial for predicting the evolution of rock properties in natural and engineered systems. This study presents laboratory experiments involving the percolation of reactive fluids through rock samples. The primary objective is to elucidate the role of local heterogeneities in governing reaction rates, the type of reactions occurring, their spatial localization, and the resultant impacts on structural and hydrodynamic properties. The experiments are designed to simulate natural conditions, allowing for controlled variations in fluid flow rates, chemical composition, and rock mineralogy. Key findings from these experiments reveal that local variations in fluid velocity significantly influence the distribution and intensity of dissolution and precipitation reactions. Zones of higher fluid velocity tend to exhibit more pronounced dissolution due to increased fluid-rock interaction time and reactant supply. Conversely, areas with slower fluid movement often show precipitation as a result of reactant saturation and limited transport away from the reaction sites. Chemical composition and mineralogical heterogeneity further modulate the reactions. Petrophysical properties, such as porosity and permeability, also play a critical role. High-porosity regions facilitate fluid flow and enhance reaction rates, whereas low-porosity areas impede fluid movement, reducing reaction rates. These variations result in differential alterations in rock properties, creating a heterogeneous structure that affects overall permeability and fluid flow patterns. The results underscore the complexity of fluid-rock interactions in heterogeneous systems. They highlight the importance of considering local heterogeneities when predicting the behavior of natural and engineered systems subjected to reactive fluid percolation. The insights gained from these laboratory experiments contribute to a better understanding of geological processes such as diagenesis, reservoir stimulation, and carbon sequestration, where fluid-rock interactions are crucial.
Bio: Linda Luquot (CNRS researcher at Geosciences Montpellier) is a doctor in Geosciences after training in physics and chemistry. She has developed her research on reactive transport processes in porous and fractured media applied to geoscience topics such as CO2 geological storage, seawater intrusion, geothermic, managed aquifer recharge and karstic networks formation. She won the Michel Gouillou-Schlumberger Academic Scientific Prize in 2022 for her work on CO2 geological storage. She has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles and supervised 15 PhD students.
Title: Evolution of subsurface fluid-rock-microbial systems over geologic timescales
Abstract: Our understanding of how complex subsurface porous and fractured rock, fluid, and microbe systems are coupled and have dynamically evolved over geologic time is limited. Yet, this knowledge is necessary for effective subsurface resource and waste management over millennial timescales. Fundamental questions include: How do changes at the land surface alter fluid flow, fluid-rock reactions, and microbial activity at kilometers depth in the earth’s crust? How do these reactions and biological activity alter porosity and permeability distributions? And, what evidence of past microbial activity and associated fluid flow and fluid-rock reactions are recorded in minerals precipitated in pore spaces? This talk will highlight recent work on the distribution of permeability and porosity at global-scales and zoom-in to regional- to pore-scale examples of how subsurface microbe-rock-fluid systems have evolved across the Colorado Plateau in response to changes in geologic and hydrologic forcings (e.g., deep burial of sediment versus recent denudation from downcutting of the Colorado River and influx of fresh water). Implications for these findings on the accumulation versus flushing (and/or biological removal) of Lithium-rich brines, helium, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide from pore spaces will also be discussed.
Bio: Jennifer McIntosh is the Thomas Meixner Endowed Chair, Professor, University Distinguished Scholar, and Associate Department Head of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Arizona (UA). McIntosh is a fellow of the Geological Society of America and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) Earth 4D: Subsurface Science and Exploration Program. McIntosh received her PhD in Geology from the University of Michigan (2004) and was the Morton K. and Jane Blaustein Postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins University in Earth and Planetary Sciences (2004-2006). She has published over 120 papers on the geochemistry of geochemistry of fresh to saline fluids to constrain sources, residence times, biogeochemical reactions, and flowpaths of waters, solutes, and gases in the earth’s shallow crust; and regularly serves as a technical expert for the US EPA, National Academies of Sciences, Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, International Atomic Energy Agency, and UK Royal Society.
Karin Schroen Wageningen University, The Netherlands
Title: Membrane filtration revisited
Abstract: Membrane filtration processes are well known for their successful application in food. It may therefore come as a surprise that the mechanistic understand of what is underlying filtration is not that well understood, especially not when components are used that are typical for food production. These component are flexible and deformable and behave rather different from hard particles. In the presentation, results obtained with microfluidic devices will be showcased. Various model membranes were investigated, and amongst others the shape of the pores were varied, as well as the mode of operation (dead end versus cross flow). The main conclusion was that when using solid particles that were typically 10 time smaller than the pore, pore blocking is a function of the entrance angle of the pore. When using flexible larger particles, the behavior is even more complex, with deswelling as well as deformation playing a role. Last but not least, porous labyrinths will be presented that show that removal of one liquid with another (as would need to happen during clearing) is far from trivial. In summary, the presentation will give you a different view of what is underlying membrane filtration. Currently we are in the process of using these insights to improve current processes.
Bio: Karin Schroën is a full professor in food microtechnology at Wageningen University, and membrane processes for food at Twente University, both in the Netherlands. She investigates fast processes at very small scale and is interested in separating food ingredients and making small structures (droplets, bubbles etc.). She tries to understand these processes using microfluidic techniques to elucidate specific aspects, and translate this knowledge to large(r) scale processes as used in food and food ingredient production.
Title: Anomalous Transport in Porous Environments due to Energy Barriers, Self-Propulsion and Dynamic Confinement
Abstract: The dynamic behavior of molecules and nanoparticles in confined environments, such as at interfaces and within porous materials, lead to complex and highly-varied phenomena, where heterogeneity may arise from spatial variation of the material/interface itself, from structural configurations, or through inhomogeneous dynamic behavior. To obtain relevant information about these complex dynamics, we have developed highly multiplexed single-molecule/single-particle tracking methods that acquire large numbers of trajectories in a given experiment, enabling robust statistical analysis of anomalous motion. Recent work in our lab has explored the 3D motion of both Brownian and self-propelled nanoparticles within highly interconnected porous environments (both static and dynamic), leading to insights linking microscopic pore-scale mechanisms to macroscopic transport. Examples to be discussed include the barrier-limited diffusive escape of nanoparticles from porous cavities, the enhanced motion of self-propelled catalytic Janus particles within 3D porous materials and the facilitated Brownian diffusion of nanoparticles within dynamically fluctuating porous environments.
Bio: Dan Schwartz is the Glenn L. Murphy Professor of Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. He was previously a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at Tulane University.
Dan's research interests include the dynamic behavior of molecules and nanoparticles in confined environments, including interfaces and porous media, with specialties in single-molecule microscopy, membrane separations, biomaterials, and heterogeneous (bio)catalysis. His recognitions include the Langmuir Award from the ACS Colloid Division, the NSF CAREER award, the Dreyfus Foundation Teacher-Scholar award, and selection as a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Chemical Society. Dan was a Senior Editor of the journal Langmuir, the American Chemical Society's journal of interfacial science from 2004-2019 and served as chair of the ACS Colloid and Surface Chemistry Division in 2016.
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