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Events for January 22, 2019
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PhD Defense
Tue, Jan 22, 2019 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Zhuofan Shi , PhD Candidate, Chemical Engineering
Talk Title: The Study of CO2 Mass Transfer in Brine and in Brine-Saturated Mt. Simon Sandstone and the CO2/Brine Induced Evolution of its Transport and Mechanical Properties
Abstract: Emissions of greenhouse gases are thought to contribute to global warming. Geological carbon sequestration (GCS) is currently considered a promising method to mitigate atmospheric CO2 and, thus, to potentially minimize climate change. In this approach, CO2 is injected into the subsurface and is trapped there by three main mechanisms, namely physical trapping, dissolution, and mineral precipitation.
The present work focuses on two important aspects of GCS. First, we study mass transfer and sorption phenomena in brine, which are the key two processes occurring during CO2 dissolution trapping in GCS. We employ pressure-decay experiments to measure CO2 solubility, and mass transfer in water/brine systems at elevated pressures of relevance to CO2 storage operations in saline aquifers together with modeling to delineate and interpret the experimental data. Accurate measurements and modeling of mass transfer in this context are crucial to an improved understanding of the long-term fate of CO2 that is injected into the subsurface for storage purposes. We demonstrate that simple 1-D interpretations based on diffusional transport alone can result in an overestimation of the uptake (diffusivity) by two orders of magnitude. The high-resolution 2-D numerical calculations, on the other hand, agree well with the experimental observations for conditions where natural convection contributes substantially to the overall mass transfer process.
We also study, in addition, rock-fluid interactions and their impact on the transport and mechanical properties of the host rock, which are phenomena relevant to CO2 mineral trapping during GCS. Specifically, the present study investigates the change in the flow-through characteristics, porosity, and the mechanical behavior of Mt. Simon Sandstone samples caused by exposure to brine/CO2. Our experiments show that the porosity of the Mt. Simon samples slightly increases after exposure to CO2/brine, while the permeability increases more substantially (depending on the confining pressure environment). Measurements of the flow-through pore size distribution (PSD) are indicative of significant changes occurring, consistent with the observed increases in permeability. Nitrogen adsorption tests (BET), before and after aging, show a significant loss of pore volume in the mesopore range that is indicative of clay dissolution. Weakening of the materials was observed based on the mechanical properties studied, a result that is consistent with the observed dissolution of clays that play a central role in the cementation of the quartz grains. Finally, the analysis of the brine compositions employed in the aging experiments reveals an increase in the concentration of most cations after incubation with the Mt. Simon cores. This is also consistent with mineral/clay dissolution, confirmed by the porosity, transport, and mechanical property measurements as well as electron microscopy analysis of the same samples.
Location: Hedco Pertroleum and Chemical Engineering Building (HED) - 303
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Karen Woo/Mork Family
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Epstein Institute Seminar - ISE 651
Tue, Jan 22, 2019 @ 03:30 PM - 04:50 PM
Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Dorit Hochbaum, Professor, UC Berkeley
Talk Title: Combinatorial Optimization for Image Segmentation and Large Scale Data Mining
Host: Dr. Maged Dessouky
More Information: January 22, 2019.pdf
Location: Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center (GER) - 206
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Grace Owh
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Resume Lab - Bring your Laptop!
Tue, Jan 22, 2019 @ 04:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Labs are an activity where you can work on your resume in the presence of a career advisor to get tips on the spot.
Bring your Laptop!
For more information about Labs & Open Forums, please visit viterbicareers.usc.edu/workshops.
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 132
Audiences: All Viterbi Students
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Connections
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Northrop Grumman Corporation Info Session
Tue, Jan 22, 2019 @ 05:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
Please Join Northrop Grumman in a Viterbi Tech Talk - Learn about all of the Engineering opportunities that are currently being recruited for!
Food and refreshments*
Please RSVP on Viterbi Gateway.Location: Seeley G. Mudd Building (SGM) - 101
Audiences: All Viterbi
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Connections
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Electrical Engineering Alumni & Industry Spotlight Panel
Tue, Jan 22, 2019 @ 07:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Viterbi School of Engineering Career Connections
Workshops & Infosessions
The Viterbi Industry & Alumni Spotlight is a great opportunity for you to connect with USC alumni and industry professionals that have been in your shoes. They will share their experiences on how they got to where they are in their career and offer words of wisdom along the way. This is an undergraduate only event.
Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 211
Audiences: Undergrad
Contact: RTH 218 Viterbi Career Connections
