In the lab, Dr. Song and his student researchers study three main areas related to geologic storage. First is the chemical composition of rocks, which they must understand because in the subsurface condition, carbon dioxide and hydrogen react to certain types of minerals and these reactions may create leakage pathways and thus jeopardize the integrity of the caprock.
The second set of research is the pore system in the caprocks, where Dr. Song’s team analyzes the rock samples with scanning electron microscopy. Carbon or hydrogen leaking from the rocks would trigger new problems, so assessing the caprock’s ability to retain them is essential.
“The pores inside the caprocks must be small enough to generate a high enough capillary force, which is basically a resisting force that’s keeping gas and liquid underneath and ensures the CO2 and hydrogen have very little chance of penetrating the cap,” Dr. Song explained.
This specific area of his research was recently sponsored by a National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation grant of $520,050, which allowed Dr. Song to purchase a field emission scanning electron microscope. This equipment offers an ultra-high-resolution and allows the research team see the finest features of the rock, Dr. Song said.
The final area of his lab’s research uses a nano-tomography scanner, which Dr. Song said has a fundamental function similar to a medical CT scanner but with much higher resolution.
“This can give us a 3D distribution of the interior of the rock to help us further understand the mineralogy, the pore space and how they are connected,” Dr. Song said. “This 3D fashion essentially decides how well the CO2 or hydrogen reacts in transporting or migrating through the rock.”
On this aspect of his research, Dr. Song and his team is collaborating with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which houses a synchrotron CT that is the best of its kind in the world, he said. This summer, five of his undergraduate students interned at Berkeley Lab to work on geologic storage research as part of that partnership.
Jennifer Rubalcaba, a senior geology student at CSUB, and her fellow interns are analyzing micro and nano CT images to evaluate the pore structure of reservoir rocks and caprocks to find potential storage sites in the Central Valley. Living in Bakersfield, where oil and agriculture are major industries, has given Rubalcaba a greater perspective on this research.
“Growing up in a city so heavily influenced by the oil industry has surrounded me in the ongoing debate over fossil fuels and air pollutants,” Rubalcaba said. “Likewise, growing up around agriculture has made me more keenly aware of the impacts of air pollution on the land, and how it affects food production and public health. For these reasons, contributing to research that could result in the safe and effective geologic sequestration of carbon and storage of hydrogen is important.”
Working on carbon and hydrogen storage research with Dr. Song and at Berkeley Lab has been “an eye-opening” experience for Rubalcaba, one she said has exposed her to many more fields within the earth sciences than she previously knew existed. Her internship has confirmed that she wants to pursue a career in energy geosciences, she said.
“Being able to get this kind of firsthand experience doing research under my mentors has been an enriching experience,” she said. “Using breakthrough technology such as the NanoCT scans, learning and utilizing new software and having the opportunity to analyze datasets which have never been seen before has been exciting.”
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