WHAT IS A REACTIVE-TRANSPORT AND WATER-ROCK INTERACTION SIMULATOR?
TITLE:
WHAT IS A REACTIVE-TRANSPORT AND WATER-ROCK INTERACTION SIMULATOR?
DATE:
Friday, February 12th, 2010
TIME:
3:30 PM
LOCATION:
GMCS 214
SPEAKER:
Anthony J. Park, Ph.D, Sienna Geodynamics and Consulting, Inc.
ABSTRACT:
Reactive-transport and water-rock interaction, or RTM simulators are used to assess the effects of chemical reactions and movement of fluids through sediments and rocks. In recent years two most well publicized applications of such simulators are in nuclear waste management and carbon sequestration, however there are numerous other uses of the simulators in geotechnical fields.
Phenomenologically, at the core of any reactive-transport simulator is the mass-conservation equation, one for each solute or element, used to describe the chemical system. Due to the coupling with fluid flow, some form of a hydrodynamic equation must also be considered in the model. However, because of the highly heterogeneous compositional and textural properties of sediments and rocks, and large uncertainties that are inevitable in their descriptions, the true capabilities and even the accuracy of the models are difficult to assess. Nonetheless, RTM models are essential tools for simulating the fate of sediments and effluents over engineering and geologic time frames.
This presentation will therefore outline: (1) the mathematical and numerical characteristics of RTM simulators, and (2) present application examples using Sym.8, an RTM simulator, for geological and carbon sequestration-related problems. One of the applications will also demonstrate how patterns, defined by precipitation bands (Liesegang Bands) and/or clusters of minerals (nodules or concretions), can form in geological media.
HOST:
Rob Mellors
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