Facilities and equipment

The THMC Multiphase Flow Rig was designed and built to facilitate multiphase flow through 38mm diameter cylindrical rock samples over a range of temperatures, fluid types, fluid pressures and confining stress equivalent to less than 4km depth. It also allows the injection of tracers and other such markers along with fluid sample collection post rock contact.

The equipment consists of a Hassler-type high-pressure vessel which holds cylindrical rock samples of 38mm diameter and up to 80mm in length. The fluid pumps (both brine and CO2) are designed for high temperature, pressure and supercritical CO2 conditions. All wetting parts within the system are in 316 stainless steel or PEEK to limit corrosion. Injection is at the bottom of the sample to minimise slug flow and maximise the effects of buoyancy. 

The THMC Multiphase Flow Rig is rated to provide:

• up to 60MPa radial confining (σ2=σ3) pressure.
• up to 60MPa fluid pressure.
• up to 80oC rock temperature.
• up to 80oC injection fluid temperature.
• single and multiphase fluid flow including supercritical, liquid and gaseous CO2, hydrogen, nitrogen, water and brines.
• flow rates from 0.001ml/min to 20ml/min depending on pump type.
  • ISCO Syringe pumps with 100ml capacity
  • CP Class dual-headed, positive displacement piston pumps with constant pressure or flow rate control.
• upstream, downstream and differential pressure measurement and logging.
• fluid sampling
• full lab view control and logging
• 38mm diameter and up to 80mm length samples

The Hydrogen Flow Cell is devised to combine with a Hiden HPR20 mass spectrometer designed to characterise the bulk flow properties of hydrogen through a 1m long sandstone core at elevated temperature and pressure.

Breakthrough curves can be used to determine: advective velocity; mechanical dispersion; molecular diffusion and sorption of hydrogen during mass transfer through porous reservoir sandstones.

The Hydrogen Flow Rig has been designed to provide:

• 1m long, 38mm diameter fell sandstone core contained within gas tight foil, resin and stainless steel piping.
• up to 1MPa gas pressure.
• up to 60oC rock temperature.
• up to 60oC injection gas temperature.
• single and multiphase gas flow including hydrogen, nitrogen, noble gasses, SF6 tracer and CO2.
• flow rates from 0.01ml/min to 10ml/min.
• upstream, downstream and differential pressure measurement and logging.
• gas sampling by Hiden HPR20 mass spectrometer.

The Low Pressure CO2 Flow Cell is devised to combine with a Hiden HPR20 mass spectrometer designed to characterise the bulk flow properties of CO2, nitrogen, noble gasses, SF6 and other tracers through a 1m long sandstone core.

Breakthrough curves can be used to determine: advective velocity; mechanical dispersion; molecular diffusion and sorption of CO2 and tracers during mass transfer through porous reservoir sandstones.

The Low Pressure CO2 Flow Rig is designed to provide:

• 1m long, 38mm diameter fell sandstone core contained within gas tight foil, resin and stainless steel piping.
• up to 1MPa gas pressure.
• up to 60oC rock temperature.
• up to 60oC injection gas temperature.
• single and multiphase gas flow including CO2, nitrogen, noble gasses, SF6 and other tracers
• flow rates from 0.01ml/min to 10ml/min.
• upstream, downstream and differential pressure measurement and logging.
• gas sampling by Hiden HPR20 mass spectrometer.

The Reactive Flow Rig was designed and built to facilitate multi-phase flow through 38mm diameter cylindrical rock samples over a range of temperatures, fluid types, fluid pressures and confining stress equivalent to less than 4km depth. It also allows the injection of tracers and other such markers along with fluid sample collection post-rock contact.

The reactive flow rig consists of a Hassler-type high-pressure vessel which holds cylindrical rock samples of 38mm diameter and up to 80mm in length. The fluid pumps (brine, hydrogen, CO2 ) are designed for high temperature, pressure, hydrogen and supercritical CO2 conditions. All wetting parts within the system are in 316 stainless steel or PEEK to limit corrosion. 

The Reactive Flow Rig is rated to provide:

• up to 60MPa radial confining (σ2=σ3) pressure.
• up to 60MPa fluid pressure.
• up to 80oC rock temperature.
• up to 80oC injection fluid temperature.
• single and multi-phase fluid flow including supercritical, liquid and gaseous CO2, hydrogen, nitrogen, water and brines.
• flow rates from 0.001ml/min to 20ml/min depending on pump type.
  • ISCO Syringe pumps with 100ml capacity
  • CP Class dual-headed, positive displacement piston pumps with constant pressure or flow rate control.
• upstream, downstream and differential pressure measurement and logging.
• fluid sampling
• full lab view control and logging
• 38mm diameter and up to 80mm length samples

The Unconfined Loading Rig is designed to develop an understanding of the processes involved during creep and deformation in large (200mm diameter) rock samples, particularly the creep of salts for energy storage in salt caverns.

The Unconfined Loading Rig is rated to provide:

• 200mm diameter and length samples
• up to 700 bar load
• up to 70MPa injection pore fluid pressure
• up to 60oC rock temperature
• up to 60oC injection gas temperature
• pore pressure measurement and logging
• gas sampling by Hiden HPR20 mass spectrometer

The Freeze Thaw Rig was designed to evaluate the impact of freeze-thaw cycling via CO2 Joule Thomson induced freezing up to -55oC on 38mm diameter and 200mm diameter rock samples under isotropic stress.

The rig is combined with state-of-the-art analytical tools such as fibre optic strain, X-Ray CT and temperature sensing to investigate the influence of thermal gradients within rocks. 

The experimental setup also facilitates sensitivity studies to investigate:

• the effect of repeated freeze-thaw cycles and material integrity
• rock failure mechanisms
• freezing rock volume and temperature gradients

The Freeze Thaw Rig is rated to provide:

• 38mm and 200mm diameter and length transparent artificial samples and rock samples
• up to 80oC rock temperature.
• -55oC freezing through CO2 depressurisation Joule Thomson cooling
• fibre optic strain measurements with the ODiSI-B data acquisition system provided by LUNA Technologies, with strain measurements every 2.6mm.
• fluid and gas sampling (Hiden HPR20 mass spectrometer).
• X-Ray CT
• fracture surface scanning using GOM ATOS III 3D scanner at the Advanced Forming Research Centre.

The hydrogen high pressure and temperature batch reaction vessels have been designed to facilitate multi-phase reaction with samples over a range of gas types (including hydrogen and CO2) temperatures, fluid types, and pressures, the equivalent of up to 4km depth. The vessels have constant pressure monitoring with fluid and gas sampling during the experiments possible. 

The hydrogen high pressure and temperature batch reaction vessels are rated to provide:

• up to 80MPa gas pressure.
• up to 80MPa fluid pressure.
• up to 80oC rock temperature.
• single and multi-phase fluids including:
  • supercritical, liquid and gaseous CO2
  • hydrogen
  • nitrogen
  • water
  • high salinity brines
• pressure measurement and logging.
• fluid sampling
• full lab view control and logging
• sample sizes from powder to 40mm diameter cores

The high pressure and temperature batch reaction vessels were designed to undertake batch reactions at elevated pressures and temperatures.

The equipment is designed to be filled with a mixture of rock and fluids (ratio variable by experimental design).  It is built to maintain pressurisation up to 15MPa and heated up to 80oC in an oven. 

Three batch reactors allow the simultaneous run of a control, a closed system batch reaction, and a batch reaction that allows the fluids to be repetitively sampled throughout the experiment duration.

The high pressure and temperature batch reaction vessels are rated to provide:

• 15MPa pressure
• up to 80oC temperature.
• a wide variety of rock and fluid types
• fluid sampling for ICP analysis