- Experts highlight the practical application of this technique in oil wells or the induction of earthquakes.
Professor Luis Garrote and Professor Luis Cueto-Felguerosa from the Polytechnic University of Madrid recently gave a session at the Universitat Jaume I on the modeling of fluids inside porous media, framed within the 'Thursday Seminars' cycle organized by the FACSA Chair of Innovation in the Integrated Water Cycle of the Universitat Jaume I.
During the seminar, experts presented advances in fluid modeling within porous media, as well as the main practical applications of this research, including the study of reservoirs with fluid mixtures with several components or the determination of the fluid layer that, under drainage conditions of a porous system, tends to stick to the solids, generating a film that wets the surface, and which in artificial wetlands serves to purify the water.
Similarly, the experts analyzed studies on induced seismicity for the attendees. They explained that "the potential risk of generating earthquakes can be linked to the movement of fluids in rock systems, such as the injection of wastewater into deep zones, geothermal energy development, deep CO2 storage, gas storage, or hydraulic fracturing." Furthermore, they continued, there are several mechanisms by which earthquakes can be induced: "If fluid is injected, the pressure within the pore of the porous system can be high, and due to the possible elasticity of the porous material, if there is a nearby fault, movement could occur, as may have been the case with the Castor dam.".
This seminar is part of the training activities organized by the FACSA Chair of Innovation in the Integrated Water Cycle at the UJI. More information at www.catedradelagua.es
