Fluid Flow Equipment & Geochemistry Laboratory

The Fluid Flow Equipment & Geochemistry Laboratory at The University of Melbourne enables a large range of geochemical and coupled transport-geochemical research projects related to CO2 storage. Investigations include the impact of contaminants and trials of corrosion-resistant materials. This will improve understanding of fluid interactions within an injected CO2 plume as well as fluid-rock reactions at the plume fringe. Trials of injected CO2 with impurities enables us to understand their role in long-term CO2 storage.

Key CCS Focus:

  • One of the key CCS uncertainties to be addressed through the Fluid Flow and Geochemistry Lab is the flow behaviour of supercritical CO2 in the presence of water. The two phases do not mix. Their transport occurs concurrently, but at different velocities. The capabilities of the Fluid Flow and Geochemistry Lab allow researchers to undertake experiments, where the distribution of supercritical CO2 and water can be imaged within the porous rock and their flow velocities can be determined.
  • Quantification of porosity and permeability changes controlled by dissolution and precipitation reactions