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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

MOBILIZATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF COLLOIDS GENERATED FROM CEMENT LEACHATES MOVING THROUGH A SRS SANDY SEDIMENT

Naturally occurring mobile colloids are ubiquitous and are involved in many important processes in the subsurface zone. For example, colloid generation and subsequent mobilization represent a possible mechanism for the transport of contaminants including radionuclides in the subsurface environments. For colloid-facilitated transport to be significant, three criteria must be met: (1) colloids must be generated; (2) contaminants must associate with the colloids preferentially to the immobile solid phase (aquifer); and (3) colloids must be transported through the groundwater or in subsurface environments - once these colloids start moving they become 'mobile colloids'. Although some experimental investigations of particle release in natural porous media have been conducted, the detailed mechanisms of release and re-deposition of colloidal particles within natural porous media are poorly understood. Even though this vector of transport is known, the extent of its importance is not known yet. Colloid-facilitated transport of trace radionuclides has been observed in the field, thus demonstrating a possible radiological risk associated with the colloids. The objective of this study was to determine if cementitious leachate would promote the in situ mobilization of natural colloidal particles from a SRS sandy sediment. The intent was to determine whether cementitious surface or subsurface structure would create plumes that could produce conditions conducive to sediment dispersion and mobile colloid generation. Column studies were conducted and the cation chemistries of influents and effluents were analyzed by ICP-OES, while the mobilized colloids were characterized using XRD, SEM, EDX, PSD and Zeta potential. The mobilization mechanisms of colloids in a SRS sandy sediment by cement leachates were studied.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2013

Physiochemical Evidence of Faulting Processes and Modeling of Fluid in Evolving Fault Systems in Southern California

Our study targets recent (Plio-Pleistocene) faults and young (Tertiary) petroleum fields in southern California. Faults include the Refugio Fault in the Transverse Ranges, the Ellwood Fault in the Santa Barbara Channel, and most recently the Newport- Inglewood in the Los Angeles Basin. Subsurface core and tubing scale samples, outcrop samples, well logs, reservoir properties, pore pressures, fluid compositions, and published structural-seismic sections have been used to characterize the tectonic/diagenetic history of the faults. As part of the effort to understand the diagenetic processes within these fault zones, we have studied analogous processes of rapid carbonate precipitation (scaling) in petroleum reservoir tubing and manmade tunnels. From this, we have identified geochemical signatures in carbonate that characterize rapid CO 2 degassing. These data provide constraints for finite element models that predict fluid pressures, multiphase flow patterns, rates and patterns of deformation, subsurface temperatures and heat flow, and geochemistry associated with large fault systems.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2015

Analysis of Tank 13H (HTF-13-14-156, 157) Surface and Subsurface Supernatant Samples in Support of Enrichment Control, Corrosion Control and Sodium Aluminosilicate Formation Potential Programs

The 2H Evaporator system includes mainly Tank 43H (feed tank) and Tank 38H (drop tank) with Tank 22H acting as the DWPF recycle receipt tank. The Tank 13H is being characterized to ensure that it can be transferred to the 2H evaporator. This report provides the results of analyses on Tanks 13H surface and subsurface supernatant liquid samples to ensure compliance with the Enrichment Control Program (ECP), the Corrosion Control Program and Sodium Aluminosilicate Formation Potential in the Evaporator. The U-235 mass divided by the total uranium averaged 0.00799 (0.799 % uranium enrichment) for both the surface and subsurface Tank 13H samples. This enrichment is slightly above the enrichment for Tanks 38H and 43H, where the enrichment normally ranges from 0.59 to 0.7 wt%. The U-235 concentration in Tank 13H samples ranged from 2.01E-02 to 2.63E-02 mg/L, while the U-238 concentration in Tank 13H ranged from 2.47E+00 to 3.21E+00 mg/L. Thus, the U-235/total uranium ratio is in line with the prior 2H-evaporator ECP samples. Measured sodium and silicon concentrations averaged, respectively, 2.46 M and 1.42E-04 M (3.98 mg/L) in the Tank 13H subsurface sample. The measured aluminum concentration in Tanks 13H subsurface samples averaged 2.01E-01 M.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2021

Establishing an Early CO 2 Storage Complex in Kemper County, Mississippi (ECO 2 S) (CarbonSAFE Phase II, Final Report)

The CarbonSAFE Phase II: Storage Complex Feasibility project, entitled “Establishing an Early CO 2 Storage Complex in Kemper County, Mississippi: Project ECO 2 S,” demonstrates that the subsurface adjacent to the Kemper County energy facility can safely and permanently store commercial-scale volumes of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). Project ECO 2 S is led by the Southern States Energy Board (SSEB). Mississippi Power Company (MPC) serves as the site host. The project includes technical and field implementation support from Advanced Resources International (ARI) and obtains analytical support from two national laboratories (Los Alamos and Lawrence Berkeley), a host of universities, and other key participants. A 30,000-acre area of interest was established. Three new characterization wells were drilled to facilitate the detailed geologic analyses, characterization, and modeling of three prospective storage reservoirs. The results verify and validate that the subsurface reservoirs examined have gigatonne CO 2 storage potential. This final report documents the achievements of the project team in successfully attaining the goals and objectives set forth for the project and summarizes the results of the feasibility study.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2023

Geophysical signatures of soil AFFF contamination from spectral induced polarization and low field nuclear magnetic resonance methods

Few field methods are available for characterizing source zones contaminated with aqueous film forming foam (AFFF). Non-invasive geophysical characterization of AFFF source zone contamination in situ could assist with the delineation and characterization of these sites, allowing for more informed sampling regimes aimed at quantifying subsurface poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination. In this study, we present initial results from the investigation of the sensitivity of two existing surface and borehole-deployable geophysical technologies, spectral induced polarization (SIP), and low field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), to soils impacted with AFFF. To investigate the sensitivity of these methods to AFFF-impacted soil, bench-scale column experiments were conducted on samples consisting of natural and synthetic soils and groundwater. While our findings do not show strong evidence of NMR sensitivity to soil PFAS contamination, we do find evidence that SIP has sufficient sensitivity to detect PFAS sorption to soils. This finding is based on evidence that AFFF constituents associated with the pore surface produce a measurable polarization response in both freshly contaminated synthetic soils and in soils historically impacted with AFFF.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2011

Deep Vadose Zone-Applied Field Research Initiative Fiscal Year 2011 Annual Report

This annual report describes the background of the Deep Vadose Zone-Applied Field Research Initiative, and some of the programmatic approaches and transformational technologies in groundwater and deep vadose zone remediation developed during fiscal year 2011. The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Innovation and Development's (OTID) mission is to transform science into viable solutions for environmental cleanup. In 2010, OTID developed the Impact Plan, Science and Technology to Reduce the Life Cycle Cost of Closure to outline the benefits of research and development of the lifecycle cost of cleanup across the DOE complex. This plan outlines OTID's ability to reduce by $50 billion, the $200 billion life-cycle cost in waste processing, groundwater and soil, nuclear materials, and deactivation and decommissioning. The projected life-cycle costs and return on investment are based on actual savings realized from technology innovation, development, and insertion into remedial strategies and schedules at the Fernald, Mound, and Ashtabula sites. To achieve our goals, OTID developed Applied Field Research Initiatives to facilitate and accelerate collaborative development and implementation of new tools and approaches that reduce risk, cost and time for site closure. The primary mission of the Deep Vadose Zone-Applied Field Research Initiative (DVZ-AFRI) is to protect our nation's water resources, keeping them clean and safe for future generations. The DVZ-AFRI was established for the DOE to develop effective, science-based solutions for remediating, characterizing, monitoring, and predicting the behavior and fate of deep vadose zone contamination. Subsurface contaminants include radionuclides, metals, organics, and liquid waste that originated from various sources, including legacy waste from the nation's nuclear weapons complexes. The DVZ-AFRI project team is translating strategy into action by working to solve these complex challenges in a collaborative environment that leverages technology and scientific expertise from DOE, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company, and the broad scientific research community. As project manager for the DVZ-AFRI, I have had the privilege this past year to team with creative, talented members of the scientific community nationwide to develop effective long-term solutions to address deep vadose zone contamination. This report highlights how the DVZ-AFRI project team is delivering results by achieving significant programmatic accomplishments, and developing and field-testing transformational technologies to address the nation's most pressing groundwater and vadose zone contamination problems.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2014

Radiochemically-Supported Microbial Communities: A Potential Mechanism for Biocolloid Production of Importance to Actinide Transport

Due to the legacy of Cold War nuclear weapons testing, the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS, formerly known as the Nevada Test Site (NTS)) contains millions of Curies of radioactive contamination. Presented here is a summary of the results of the first comprehensive study of subsurface microbial communities of radioactive and nonradioactive aquifers at this site. To achieve the objectives of this project, cooperative actions between the Desert Research Institute (DRI), the Nevada Field Office of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the Underground Test Area Activity (UGTA), and contractors such as Navarro-Interra (NI), were required. Ultimately, fluids from 17 boreholes and two water-filled tunnels were sampled (sometimes on multiple occasions and from multiple depths) from the NNSS, the adjacent Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR), and a reference hole in the Amargosa Valley near Death Valley. The sites sampled ranged from highly-radioactive nuclear device test cavities to uncontaminated perched and regional aquifers. Specific areas sampled included recharge, intermediate, and discharge zones of a 100,000-km2 internally-draining province, known as the Death Valley Regional Flow System (DVRFS), which encompasses the entirety of the NNSS/NTTR and surrounding areas. Specific geological features sampled included: West Pahute and Ranier Mesas (recharge zone), Yucca and Frenchman Flats (transitional zone), and the Western edge of the Amargosa Valley near Death Valley (discharge zone). The original overarching question underlying the proposal supporting this work was stated as: Can radiochemically-produced substrates support indigenous microbial communities and subsequently stimulate biocolloid formation that can affect radionuclides in NNSS subsurface nuclear test/detonation sites? Radioactive and non-radioactive groundwater samples were thus characterized for physical parameters, aqueous geochemistry, and microbial communities using both DNA- and cultivation-based tools in an effort to understand the drivers of microbial community structure (including radioactivity) and microbial interactions with select radionuclides and other factors across the range of habitats surveyed.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Radiological source tracking in oil/gas, medical and other industries: requirements and specifications for passive RFID technology

Subsurface sensors that employ radioisotopes, such 241Am-Be and 137Cs, for reservoir characterization must be tracked for safety and security reasons. Other radiological sources are also widely used in medicine. The radiological source containers, in both applications, are small, mobile and used widely worldwide. The nuclear sources pose radiological dispersal device (RDD) security risks. Security concerns with the industrial use of radionuclide sources is in fact quite high as it is estimated that each year hundreds of sealed sources go missing, either lost or stolen. Risk mitigation efforts include enhanced regulations, source-use guidelines, research and development on electronic tracking of sources. This report summarizes the major elements of the requirements and operational concepts of nuclear sources with the goal of developing automated electronic tagging and locating systems.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2015

Scoping Study on Developing Alternatives to Radionuclide-based Logging Technologies

Subsurface devices utilizing radioisotopes, 241 Am and 137 Cs, are critical for reservoir characterization and related completion and production decisions. Being small, mobile and used widely worldwide, these sources can pose radiological dispersal device (RDD) security risks. The security concerns have been exacerbated by recent stolen or missing source incidents, existence of a black-market on sources in general, and attempts at their malevolent use. Consequently, in addition to decades-long industry effort to develop non-nuclear and nuclear-based alternative logging technologies, governments, international agencies, and national labs are actively assessing measures and technologies to mitigate risks of such sources. Risk mitigation efforts include enhanced regulations, source-use guidelines, research and development on electronic tracking of sources, and continued exploration of alternative technologies by both the petroleum industry and U S Department of Energy (DOE). In recent years, the petroleum industry has continued to explore new nuclear-based and nonnuclear alternative techniques and several DOE-sponsored reports have been prepared on the topic. However, there has been no significant synergy between the industry and DOE efforts in developing alternatives.

02 PETROLEUM↗
NASA NTRS1984

Satellite color observations of the phytoplankton distribution in the eastern Equatorial Pacific during the 1982-1983 El Nino

Images provided by the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) onboard Nimbus-7 show the effect of the 1982-1983 El Nino upon the phytoplankton distribution around the Galapagos Islands, located on the equator. The CZCS scenes document a major redistribution of phytoplankton around the Galapagos Island during a period when sea-surface temperatures (SST) were anomalously high (28 to 29 C). The mixed layer was unusually thick for this region, and the winds and both the surface and subsurface flows changed directions. It is pointed out that the El Nino is characterized as one of the most spectacular examples of a large-amplitude, interannual response of the ocean to atmospheric forcing. The 1982-1983 El Nino is the best documented event of its kind to date, and details of its effects are discussed.

Feldman, G.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Advancing graph-based algorithms for predicting flow and transport in fractured rock

Discrete fracture network (DFN) models are a powerful alternative to continuum models for subsurface flow and transport simulations because they explicitly include fracture geometry and network topology, thereby allowing for better characterization of the latter's influence on flow and transport through fractured media. Recent advances in high performance computing have opened the door for flow and transport simulations in large explicit three-dimensional DFN, but this increase in model fidelity and system size comes at a huge computational cost because of the large number of mesh elements required to represent thousands of fractures (with sizes that can range several orders of magnitude, from mm to km). In most subsurface applications, fracture characteristics are only known statistically and numerous realizations are needed to bound uncertainty in flow and transport in the system, thereby exacerbating the computational burden. blackGraphs provide a simple and elegant way to characterize, query, and interrogate fracture network connectivity. We propose a DFN model reduction framework where various graph-representations are used in conjunction with high-fidelity DFN simulations to increase computational efficiency while retaining accuracy of key quantities of interest. The appropriate choice of a graph-representation, namely, which attributes of the DFN are to be represented as nodes and which ones as edges connecting those nodes, depends on the relevant scientific questions. We demonstrate that the proposed DFN model reduction framework provides an efficient means for DFN modeling through both system reduction of the DFN using graph-based properties and combining DFN and graph-based flow and transport simulations.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1984

Geologic interpretation of Seasat SAR imagery near the Rio Lacantum, Mexico

A mosaic of the Seasat Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) optically processed images over Central America is presented. A SAR image of the Rio Lacantum area (southeastern Mexico) has been digitally processed and its interpretation is presented. The region is characterized by low relief and a dense vegetation canopy. Surface is believed to be indicative of subsurface structural features. The Seasat-SAR system had a steep imaging geometry (incidence angle 23 + or - 3 deg off-nadir) which is favorable for detection of subtle topographic variations. Subtle textural features in the image corresponding to surface topography were enhanced by image processing techniques. A structural and lithologic interpretation of the processed images is presented. Lineaments oriented NE-SW dominate and intersect broad folds trending NW-SE. Distinctive karst topography characterizes one high relief area

Rebillard, PH.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Characterizing vertical upper ocean temperature structures in the European Arctic through unsupervised machine learning

In-situ observations of subsurface ocean temperatures are, in many regions, inconsistently distributed in time and space. These spatio-temporal inconsistencies in the observational network lead to difficulties in utilizing those observations effectively for ocean model evaluation or understanding larger-scale ocean characteristics. Model accuracy of subsurface ocean characteristics is especially important within regions that contain complex ocean structures. One such region is the European Arctic which not only contains several types of water masses with unique characteristics, but also wintertime sea ice coverage and complex bathymetry. This study presents an unsupervised neural networking technique that can be used in combination with traditional ocean model evaluation techniques to provide additional information on the accuracy of modeled vertical ocean temperature profiles. Self-organizing maps is an unsupervised machine learning technique that we apply to approximately twenty thousand Argo and CTD temperature profiles from 2012 to 2020 in the European Arctic to categorize the observed vertical ocean temperature structures in the top 150 m. The observed ocean profile categories, or neurons, defined by the self-organizing map show strong spatial and temporal dependencies. We then use the neuron weights, or the learned temperature profile structure of each neuron, to validate the spatial and temporal variability of modeled vertical temperature structures. This analysis gives us new insights about the model’s capabilities to reproduce specific vertical structures of the top-most ocean layer within different regions and seasons. Mapping modeled ocean temperature profiles onto the neuron-space of the observationally-defined self organized map highlights the potential of this method to advance our understanding of model deficiencies in that region.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Thermal Experiments for Fractured Rock Characterization: Theoretical Analysis and Inverse Modeling

Abstract Field‐scale properties of fractured rocks play a crucial role in many subsurface applications, yet methodologies for identification of the statistical parameters of a discrete fracture network (DFN) are scarce. We present an inversion technique to infer two such parameters, fracture density and fractal dimension, from cross‐borehole thermal experiments data. It is based on a particle‐based heat‐transfer model, whose evaluation is accelerated with a deep neural network (DNN) surrogate that is integrated into a grid search. The DNN is trained on a small number of the heat‐transfer model runs and predicts the cumulative density function of the thermal field. The latter is used to compute fine posterior distributions of the (to be estimated) parameters. Our synthetic experiments reveal that fracture density is well constrained by data, while fractal dimension is harder to determine. Adding nonuniform prior information related to the DFN connectivity improves the inference of this parameter.

Zhou, Zitong↗
DOE OSTI2016

Advanced Characterization of Unconventional Oil and Gas Reservoirs to Enhance CO 2 Storage Resource Estimates

Poster presented at Mastering the Subsurface Through Technology Innovation and Collaboration: Carbon Storage and Oil and Natural Gas Technologies Review Meeting, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, August 16–18, 2016. To improve our understanding of the key geologic factors that influence CO 2 storage resource estimates in unconventional formations and to better define the efficiency factors associated with each key parameter, the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) recently began a collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and Hitachi High Technologies to develop analytical techniques to better understand and quantify the distribution of clay minerals, organics, porosity, and fracture characteristics in representative shale and tight rock samples. A key goal of this project is to more efficiently identify and quantify key features that could affect CO 2 storage in unconventional formations.

02 PETROLEUM↗
NASA NTRS2005

RIO Tinto Faulted Volcanosedimentary Deposits as Analog Habitats for Extant Subsurface Biospheres on Mars: A Synthesis of the MARTE Drilling Project Geobiology Results

Geochemistry and mineralogy on Mars surface characterized by the MER Opportunity Rover suggest that early Mars hosted acidic environments in the Meridiani Planum region [1, 2]. Such extreme paleoenvironments have been suggested to be a regional expression of the global Mars geological cycle that induced acidic conditions by sulfur complexation and iron buffering of aqueous solutions [3]. Under these assumptions, underground reservoirs of acidic brines and, thereby, putative acidic cryptobiospheres, may be expected. The MARTE project [4, 5] has performed a drilling campaign to search for acidic and anaerobic biospheres in R o Tinto basement [6] that may be analogs of these hypothetical communities occurring in cryptic habitats of Mars. This Rio Tinto geological region is characterized by the occurrence of huge metallic deposits of iron sulfides [7]. Late intensive diagenesis of rocks driven by a compressive regimen [8] largely reduced the porosity of rocks and induced a cortical thickening through thrusting and inverse faulting and folding. Such structures play an essential role in transporting and storing water underground as any other aquifers do in the Earth. Once the underground water reservoirs of the Ro Tinto basement contact the hydrothermal pyrite deposits, acidic brines are produced by the release of sulfates and iron through the oxidation of sulfides [9].

Fernandez-Remolar, D. C.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Earth Sciences Applications for Energy and Global Security: A Few Vignettes [Slides]

Understanding the physics of flow and transport in the subsurface environment is crucial to several National Security applications. In the Energy Security realm, some examples include characterizing radioactive waste disposal, exploring natural gas extraction and sequestering CO2. An example in the Global Security arena is to be able to distinguish between anthropogenic and naturally occurring seismic disturbances, the former being of particular concern as underground nuclear testing activity has seen an increase in recent years. A common theme across these applications is the ability to accurately model fluid flow in porous and/or fractured subsurface media. For decades, researchers have grappled with how to include the effects of uncertainties in these models, including but not limited to heterogeneity, unknown initial and boundary conditions and issues with scalability. More recently advances in computing and machine learning methodologies have allowed a broader exploration of the uncertainty space as we strive for real time decision making. I will present an overview of the field and discuss a few examples of how my own research in these topics has evolved over nearly two decades.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Multiscale petrophysical characterization and flow unit classification of the Minnelusa eolian sandstones

Integration of petrophysical and geological information is critical to simulation of subsurface carbon storage (GCS). In this sense, two depositional facies were identified from the core description and well-log interpretation, namely massive (MS) and cross-bedded (CB) facies groups. Additionally, pore-scale characteristics were studied by a combination of techniques, e.g. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and mercury intrusion capillary pressure (MICP). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and petrographic analyses show that the pore structure is dominantly controlled by the depositional environment and dolomite cementation. NMR-T 2 distributions of MS and CB facies show triple and quadruple modes, respectively. In addition, MICP of high- and low-permeability MS facies samples, and their CB facies group mixtures were collected. The MS sample pore-throat size distribution is uni-modal, while the triple-modal characteristic of the mixtures indicates heterogeneous pore structures at the sub-core scale for CB facies. The reliably estimates of porosity and permeability for both facies groups via NMR techniques and the MLR (Multiple Linear Regression) approach demonstrate the applicability of these techniques to eolian sandstone. Moreover, irreducible water saturation via the T 2 -cutoff method correlates strongly with T 2LM instead of porosity. Finally, the rock quality index and flow zone indicator were calculated based on Combinable Magnetic Resonance (CMR) log interpretations. This provides direct connection to properties measured in the well. Four flow units were classified for both facies groups. Finally, results show that better reservoir quality with significant heterogeneities is observed in the CB facies. This study highlights the importance integrating multiscale petrophysical properties including facies, pore architecture and diagenesis analysis with core- to log-scale property characterization. The results herein validate our reservoir characterization and flow unit classification in eolian reservoirs.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗