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，从非常规储层中生产碳氢化合物取决于增强通过以nm范围内的尺寸为特征的孔隙网络的流体输送，而储存CO2需要确定用于长时间固定这种挥发性气体的策略。现在公认的是，纳米孔中的流体行为与体相中观察到的流体行为有很大不同。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技术，并通过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、传输、润湿性，以及温度、压力和流体成分（特别是盐度）变化时的变化。特别令人感兴趣的是流体在储层中常见的用于CO2储存的矿物（碳酸盐、粘土、砂岩）中存在的纳米孔中的行为。将从该项目中受益的应用包括一般的能源部门、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）。对封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相关。

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.