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EVALUATION OF CEMENT COMPOSITES, ROCKS, AND OTHER MATERIALS CHEMISTRY, PERMEABILITY, AND MORPHOLOGY


EMSL Project ID
50600

Abstract

Through this proposal EMSL will provide experimental resources for enhanced energy production and subsurface science discovery that supports the needs of DOE and the nation. These proposed investigations will support the development of novel fracturing methods and cement composite materials for geothermal energy production reservoir creation. This project is aligned with EMSL’s Terrestrial & Subsurface Ecosystems Science Theme in advancing our understanding of the hydraulic, mechanical, and geochemical controls on rock fracturing as well as designing and synthesizing novel self-healing cements. There is an urgent need to both understand fracking processes (e.g., geochemistry, hydraulics, and geomechanics) and impacts (e.g., induced seismicity) within various subsurface conditions and applications (e.g., enhanced hydrocarbon production, carbon sequestration, and geothermal energy production). Similarly, wellbore integrity is a critical aspect of geothermal and fossil energy industry where reservoir intervention due to cracked cement introduces significant costs including production stoppage. The proposed research examines fracturing processes and cementitious materials under geothermal conditions to establish geothermal energy as an economically competitive contributor to the U.S. energy supply (DOE-EERE), which supports clean energy technologies that strengthen the economy, protect the environment, and reduce dependence on foreign oil.

Project Details

Start Date
2018-10-26
End Date
2019-09-30
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Carlos Fernandez
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Co-Investigator(s)

David Hoyt
Institution
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Team Members

Alain HR Bonneville
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Andrew Kuprat
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Timothy Johnson
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Kenton Rod
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Tamas Varga
Institution
Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Evgueni Polikarpov
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Phillip Koech
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Kirk Cantrell
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory