Engineering Solutions to Reduce the Environmental Impact of the Energy Sector - Salt Effects on Fluid Properties under Confinement

能源和环境部门需要控制地下流体的行为。例如，从非常规油藏中开采碳氢化合物取决于提高流体通过孔径网络的输送能力，孔径网络的特征是在纳米范围内，而储存二氧化碳则需要确定长时间固定这种挥发性气体的策略。现在公认的是，纳米孔隙中的流体行为与在体相中观察到的流体行为有很大的不同。该项目的总体目标是获得有助于减少能源部门对环境的长期影响的基本知识。该项目将广泛使用分子模拟，并将根据详细的实验表征数据进行验证。该项目的具体目标是量化流体性质（如密度、输运、润湿性）在温度、压力和流体成分（特别是盐度）变化时的变化情况。特别令人感兴趣的是，通常用于储存二氧化碳的储层中存在的矿物（碳酸盐、粘土、砂岩），当流体被限制在纳米孔隙中时，流体的行为。从该项目中受益的应用包括能源部门、环境部门以及两者的结合（通过碳封存实现提高石油采收率）。对密闭流体行为的基本理解也与特种化学品部门以及催化剂的开发有关。

The energy and environmental sectors require to control the behaviour of fluids in the sub-surface. For example, the production of hydrocarbons from unconventional reservoirs depends on enhancing the fluid transport through pore networks characterised by size in the nm range, while storing CO2 requires identifying strategies for immobilizing this volatile gas for long periods of time. It is now accepted that the fluid behaviour in nano-pores differs substantially from that observed in the bulk phase. The general aim of this project is to achieve fundamental knowledge that could help reduce the long-term environmental impact of the energy sector. The project will make extensive use of molecular simulations, which will be validated against detailed experimental characterisation data.The specific aim of the project is to quantify how fluid properties such as density, transport, wettability, change when temperature, pressure, and fluid composition (in particular salinity) change. Of particular interest is the fluid behaviour when confined in nano-pores present in minerals (carbonates, clay, sandstone) commonly found in reservoirs to be used for CO2 storage.The applications that will benefit from this project include the energy sector in general, the environmental sector, and the combination of the two (achieving enhanced oil recovery via carbon sequestration). The fundamental understanding of the behaviour of confined fluids is also relevant for the specialty chemicals sector, as well as for developing catalysts.