Seminar - Giang Nguyen and Pierre Rognon - The micro-mechanics of faulting and fluid flow in porous reservoir rocks

Wednesday 19 May 2010, 4.00 pm - 5.00 pm
Civil Engineering Lecture Theatre 3

Dr Giang Nguyen and Dr Pierre Rognon
School of Civil Engineering
University of Sydney

Abstract:
Reservoir rocks are porous materials made of cemented grains. The flow of liquid through their pore network is a major issue in various contexts: extracting hydrocarbon products, filling the reservoirs with carbon dioxide to reduce greenhouse effects, or extracting geothermal energy using a heat transfer liquid.

The aim of this talk is to discuss the research proposal we submitted this year to the ARC-Discovery -Projects. We will discuss how two complimentary numerical methods, the Material Point Method and the Discrete Element Method, can bring new insights into the faulting of the granular skeleton induced by the liquid flow. This faulting, in the forms of low or high porosity zones acting as either barriers or pathways for fluid flow, is likely to play a pivotal role in the reservoir permeability.