The evolution of fluid flow processes, such as multiphase flow in fractured hydrocarbon reservoirs, heat transport in geothermal reservoirs, or carbon storage in saline aquifers, is not arbitrary but a direct consequence of the interaction of physical and chemical processes with the respective distribution of material properties in the geologic medium. Numerical simulations are an excellent tool to study of such fluid flow processes to understand their emergent behaviour and response to man-made interactions.
Realistic numerical simulations, however, are challenging because they must capture the complex geological structures, represent the wide range of material properties with their transient and nonlinear changes accurately, and resolve short-term events over geological time.
We use a combination of state-of-the art numerical simulations and laboratory experiments to answer the following questions:
- What are the fundamental physical and chemical processes that drive a specific fluid flow process in a geological reservoir?
- How can we simulate the interaction of the physical and chemical processes accurately?
- What emergent behaviour arises at the reservoir scale due to the interaction of the physical and chemical processes at the pore-scale?
More specifically, we are involved in research projects on:
- Accurate numerical solution of non-linear advection-diffusion-reaction equations in heterogeneous porous media
- Two- and three-phase flow in fractured rocks
- Enhanced oil recovery due to controlled-salinity flooding in carbonate rocks
- Transient evolution of tectonically active geothermal systems
- Hydromechanical effects during carbon storage in saline aquifers
- Convective heat and mass transfer in mid-ocean ridge settings and ore-forming systems
We are based at the Institute of Petroleum Engineering at Heriot-Watt University and an integral part of the Edinburgh Collaborative of Subsurface Science and Engineering with close links to the Maxwell Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Both are joint research institute of the Edinburgh Research Partnership in Engineering and Mathematics. Funding for our research comes from the Edinburgh Research Partnership in Engineering and Mathematics, EPSRC, ExxonMobil, and the initiative “Bridging the Gaps between Engineering and Mathematics”.
