The Colorado School of Mines Uses Simulation to Track Fluid Movement
A. Haas, H. Mahardika, M. Karaoulis, and A. Revil
Colorado School of Mines, USA
Combining acoustic and electromagnetic analyses helps scientists to more efficiently measure and survey subterranean regions. Acoustic waves can travel long distances, but have limitations when it comes to providing details about formation properties, and cannot be used to identify the liquids flowing through them. Electromagnetic waves do not propagate as far as acoustic waves, but can identify and track the flow of pore water. Combining these methods makes the process easier in particular for scientists who track fracking fluids underground.
The Colorado School of Mines has created a system for locating fracking fluids by finding subsurface electromagnetic disturbances that occur based on the kinds of formations the water passes through. They wanted to simulate fracking events and produce synthetic seismograms and electrograms with the help of simulation. By linking COMSOL Multiphysics and MATLAB®, they designed a laboratory experiment in which they repeatedly hydraulically-fractured a porous cement cube by pumping in saline water under high pressure.
Suggested Stories
Magnets Improve Quality of High-Power Laser Beam Welding
High-power laser beam welding uses a localized heat source to achieve narrow deep welds and high welding rates. ...
Keynote: Modeling Low-Temperature Superconducting Devices in COMSOL Multiphysics®
In this keynote talk from the COMSOL Conference 2024 Boston, Anil Erol of Northrop Grumman shares how his team uses ...
Virtually Tuning an Automotive Audio System
HARMAN is a market leader in connected car setups and equips 80% of the world's luxury cars with premium audio ...
Continuous Casting: Optimizing Both Machine and Process with Simulation
The process of continuous casting has transformed steel production, saving valuable resources while improving steel ...
