Events

Speaker:  Dr. Dustin Crandall, Research Engineer at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown, West Virginia

Title of Seminar: “CT scanning to examine fracture slippage and wellbore behavior”

Abstract: Computed tomography (CT) scanning of manmade and geologic materials related to energy recovery and carbon storage has become more widespread over the past decade, as more researchers gain access to CT scanners. At the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Morgantown West Virginia we have had an active CT scanner in the geological and environmental sciences division for over twelve years. Over this time we have built our scanning capabilities to enable visualization of cores with resolutions from the micron to the centimeter scale. In addition, we have developed unique flow through apparatus that enable researchers to study the flow of fluids through rock and manmade material under representative subsurface pressures and temperatures. This presentation reviews these capabilities and highlights several projects from the past years that have examined enhanced oil recovery techniques, fracture evolution due to changing stress regimes, carbon dioxide transport in potential geologic storage reservoirs, and an evaluation of wellbore cement materials. By combining multiscale CT scanning with research examining the fundamental physical processes related to energy production researchers at the NETL are able to quantify and understand subsurface processes with improved accuracy.

Biography:   Dustin Crandall is a research engineer at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown West Virginia, working in the Geological and Environmental Systems directorate of the Research & Innovation Center. He graduated from Clarkson University with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering examining "Two Phase Flow in Porous Media and Fractures". Following graduation Dustin was awarded a two year postdoctoral fellowship by the National Research Council evaluating multiphase transport in fractures. Since the post-doc his primary research activities have focused on simulation related to, and experimental analysis of, computed tomography derived flow in geologic media.