MRI: Acquisition of a High Pressure and Temperature True Triaxial Testing Equipment with a Multiphase Fluid Flow System

对更好的地下民用基础设施的需求要求提高对人造或天然材料（如基岩）复杂行为的基本理解。该MRI合同支持获得真正的三轴测试设备，该设备能够模拟高压、高温、三维应力和多相流体流动条件。将产生有价值的实验数据，以提高我们对这些材料的热-水-机械-化学-生物（THMCB）耦合相互作用的理解。所获得的科学知识将1)提高民用基础设施的可靠性，2)减少地下勘探过程中的风险和经济损失，3)确保污染物的安全和永久储存，4)改善饮用水、碳氢化合物和替代能源的提取。该项目还将培训未来的科学家和工程师，并扩大妇女、未被充分代表的少数民族和残疾人在STEM领域的参与。一些教育活动将作为该项目的一部分进行，包括将设备测试纳入现有的本科和研究生课程，怀俄明州科学博览会展览和工程暑期课程。其他活动包括建立一个教育网站，怀俄明州学区的外展计划，以及年度研讨会。该项目旨在促进我们对固体和多孔介质中THMCB过程基本方面的理解。该仪器的获得将提供独特的能力，可以重现大多数常规仪器无法实现的地下原位条件或极端条件。该设备可以施加三个独立的主应力，在测试样品的相同温度下加热多个孔隙流体，并在复杂的加载轨迹上进行耦合过程测量。该项目将推进岩石力学、材料科学、地球物理、生物工程、环境工程和可持续性、水文科学、运输现象和THMCB过程的基础研究。该项目将1)揭示材料复杂破坏机制背后的物理学，2)量化材料的三维强度，3)确定化学和生物过程对渗透率的影响，4)开发新的数值技术来研究地下水流动，5)改进地球物理数据的解释，6)推进模拟多孔材料耦合THMCB过程的多物理场计算模型。该项目将促进大学、政府机构、研究机构和私营公司之间的区域和国家研究合作，以解决全球变暖、能源独立、水资源需求和自然灾害等关键问题。本项目由CBET-MRI项目和EPSCoR项目共同资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The demand for better underground civil infrastructure requires an improved basic understanding of the complex behaviors of man-made or natural materials such as bedrocks. This MRI award supports the acquisition of a true triaxial testing equipment with the capability to simulate high pressure and temperature, three-dimensional stresses, and multiphase fluid flow conditions. Valuable experimental data will be generated to improve our understanding of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical-biological (THMCB) interactions of these materials. The scientific knowledge gained will 1) improve the reliability of our civil infrastructure, 2) reduce risks and economic losses during subsurface exploration, 3) ensure a safe and permanent storage for pollutants, and 4) improve extraction of drinking water, hydrocarbons, and alternative energy sources. This project also will train future scientists and engineers as well as broadening the participation of women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities in STEM fields. Some educational activities will be pursued as part of this project, including the incorporation of equipment testing into existing undergraduate and graduate courses, Wyoming State Science Fair exhibits, and Engineering Summer Program classes. Other activities include establishment of an educational website, an outreach program for Wyoming School Districts, and annual workshops.This project aims to advance our understanding of the fundamental aspects of THMCB processes in solid and porous media. Acquisition of the instrument will provide the unique ability to reproduce most in-situ subsurface conditions or extreme conditions that are unattainable through conventional instruments. The equipment can apply three independent principal stresses, heat multiple pore fluids at the same temperature of a test specimen, and perform coupled process measurements over complex loading trajectories. The project will advance fundamental research on rock mechanics, materials science, geophysics, biological engineering, environmental engineering and sustainability, hydrologic science, transport phenomena, and THMCB processes. The project will 1) reveal the physics behind the complex failure mechanism of materials, 2) quantify three-dimensional material strengths, 3) determine the impact of chemical and biological processes on permeability, 4) develop new numerical techniques to study groundwater flows, 5) improve interpretation of geophysical data, and 6) advance multiphysics computational models for simulating coupled THMCB processes of porous materials. The project will promote regional and national research collaborations from universities, government agencies, research institutions and private companies to tackle critical issues like global warming, energy independence, water resource demands, and natural hazards.This project is jointly funded by CBET-MRI Program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Program.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.