진학프로석·박사 채용 접수 플랫폼

At CNRS-ISTO : Microfluidic investigation of the impact of colloidal transport on two-phase flow in geological porous media

The missions are as follows:
- to study the parameters controlling the remobilization of fluids trapped by capillary action in the presence of colloidal suspensions in porous media;
- to precisely control and quantify the mechanisms involved at the pore scale.

The emergence of new process visualization technologies based on microfluidic approaches allows for high-resolution, real-time, in-situ observation of multiphase processes and particle transport within the pore space of a synthetic rock. These techniques, coupled with dedicated metrology, shed light on our understanding of pore clogging by particle aggregation and the dynamics of fluid phases in the porous medium.

The candidate will use microfluidic experiments to bring new insights into the complex interplay between colloid transport and deposition, and permeability reduction. The final objective is to better control the injection of colloidal particles towards target regions and mobilizes contaminants trapped by capillary forces.

The position is located at the Earth Sciences Institute of Orléans (ISTO) in France. ISTO is a joint research laboratory between CNRS, the University of Orléans, and BRGM located on the Geosciences campus of Orléans close to Paris, France. The Porous Media Research Group develops cutting-edge research and worldwide recognized expertise on multi-scale modelling and microfluidic experiments of multiphase flow and reactive transport in geological formations. Our objective is to decipher the mechanisms involved in the remediation of contaminated groundwater, in the underground storage, and in new energy vectors based on the use of the subsurface.

The COCONUT project (funded by the European Research Council, ERC Consolidator Grant) aims to understand how colloids (nanoparticles, viruses, bacteria, micro-nanoplastics, mineral particles, etc.) control multiphase flows (air-water or water-oil) in geological formations. The applications are numerous: remediation of aquifers polluted by non-aqueous phases (hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents, etc.), estimation of the quantity of nanoplastics in soil, formation of reactive barriers to seal storage tanks or contain pollution, and more. The project is based on the principle that precise control of the mechanisms involved (reduction of interfacial tension forces and modification of streamlines by pore clogging) can only be achieved through a detailed understanding of the phenomena at the scale of a pore network.