Electro-kinetic measurements as a function of frequency and rock deformation: theory, experiment, modelling and applications

流体在岩石和土壤中流动时，会产生相反方向的电势。这是一个电动过程，在未来可能会非常有用。这主要是因为我们可以从地表测量地壳内的电势。如果我们知道电动机制是如何工作的，就应该有可能监测流体在深处的流动。1997年至2003年间，保罗·格洛弗(申请人)等人发展了一套完整的岩石和土壤中电导的稳态理论。从那时起，应用研究小组在发展包括岩石和土壤的微结构特性以及频率效应在内的理论方面取得了重大进展，他们建造了测量稳态流动电位和频率相关流动电位的装置，这是感应电位的名称。该小组已将这些进展应用于火山、地热、水和碳氢化合物储集层中的流体流动、地震机制、岩石渗透率、颗粒直径和孔隙半径之间的转换以及地震勘探。显然，还有更多的应用，包括页岩气开采的微型化，以及一些远远超出地球科学的应用，在土木工程、环境工程，甚至生物和食品科学中。这笔赠款将使我们能够(I)对被不同化学、盐度和酸碱度的流体饱和的不同岩石、沙子和土壤的电动性质进行大量的实验室测量，(Ii)测量频率和粒度的函数，(Iii)在岩石变形时进行测量，(Iv)开发理论模型并用数据检验它们，(V)使用数据和理论来模拟和解决涉及火山、地震、氡气、永久冻土融化、石油、天然气和水的储集层和地震电勘探的问题。

Fluid flowing through rocks and soils cause an electrical potential to be developed in the opposite direction. This is an electro-kinetic process which may, in future, be extremely useful. The main reason for this is that we can measure the electrical potential within the Earth`s crust from the surface. If we know how the electro-kinetic mechanism works, it should be possible to monitor the flow of fluids deep down. Between 1997 and 2003 a complete steady-state theory of electrical conduction in rocks and soils was developed by Paul Glover (the applicant) and others. Since then the applicant`s research group has made major progress in developing theories that include the microstructural properties of the rocks and soils, and the effect of frequency, and they have constructed devices for measuring both steady-state and frequency-dependent streaming potentials, which is the name given to the induced electrical potentials. The group has applied these advances to fluid flow in volcanoes, geothermal, water and hydrocarbon reservoirs, earthquake mechanisms, rock permeability, transformations between grain diameter and pore radii, and seismoelectric exploration. It is clear that many more applications exist including minitoring of shale gas extraction,and some which are well outside the geosciences, in civil engineering, environmental egineering and even biology and food science. This grant will enable us to (i) make a large number of laboratory measurements of electrokinetic properties for different rocks, sands, soils which are saturated with fluids of different chemistry, salinity and pH, (ii) to make measurements as a function of frequency and grain size, (iii) to make measurements while the rock is being deformed, (iv) to develop theoretical models and test them with the data, (v) to use the data and theory to model and solve problems involving volcanoes, earthquakes, radon gas, permafrost melting, oil, gas and water reservoirs and seismo-electric exploration.