RECS Alumni from Tsinghua University Host CO2 Lab Tour and Lunch

Shu Luo (RECS 2010), a Ph.D. candidate in Thermal Engineering at Tsinghua University in Beijing and his advisor Dr. Ruina Xu (RECS 2008) gave Pamela Tomski, RECS Founder and Director a lab tour and hosted lunch. Dr. Xu is a leading CCUS researcher in China and is heading an investigation into “Fundamental Study of Migration of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide in Porous Media Under Conditions of Saline Aquifers.” The project includes experimental, computational and theoretical studies to improve fundamental understanding of CO2/brine two-phase flow in porous media. At Tsinghua University’s supercritical CO2 test facility, Shu Luo is conducting experiments on trapping mechanisms for CO2 storage using custom-built MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) with high pressure and temperature. Supercritical CO2 and water are injected into the sintered glass porous media structure by different mixture ratios, which is designed with a fissure defect. Visualization and analysis results simultaneously demonstrate that supercritical CO2 saturation and distribution vary with different ratios. Part of this project is a collaboration with Geoscience Australia, where Shu Luo was recently a Visiting Researcher working on the integration of numerical simulations of CO2 plumes in saline aquifers.

Gao Cheng, Pamela Tomski, Ruina Xu, Shu Luo and Desiree Petrilli enjoying lunch after a tour of Dr. Xu’s CO2 Lab in the Department of Thermal Engineering at Tsinghua University.

RECS Alumni and Faculty Participate in the CSLF Ministerial in Beijing

In September 2011, a number of RECS alumni gathered at the 4th Ministerial Meeting of the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF) in Beijing, China including: Dr. Ruina Xu, Tsinghua University (2008); Shu Luo, Tsinghua University (2010); Dr. Zihan Zhu, CNOOC (2010) and Chris Babel, Leonardo Technologies (2010). Dr. Xu represented China in the CSLF Technical Committee and Chris Babel provided support to the CSLF Secretariat. RECS Faculty participants included: Dr. George Guthrie, U.S. DOE, NETL (Chair, Risk Assessment Task Force); Dr. Stefan Bachu (Chair of the CSLF Projects Interaction and Review Team) and Pamela Tomski, RECS Founder and Director (Stakeholder in the CSLF Task Force on Capacity Building and Financing).  Mr. Charles McConnell served as CSLF Policy Group Chair. He is the Chief Operating Officer in the U.S. DOE Office of Fossil Energy, primary sponsor of the RECS program.

U.S. DOE Secretary Chu attended the Ministerial session along with a number of other Energy and Environment Ministers from the organization’s 24 member countries. The Ministers agreed to extend and amend the CSLF Charter to include facilitation and deployment of technologies for utilization of captured CO2, a growing area of focus within the U.S. DOE and RECS program. More information on the CSLF Ministerial meeting maybe be found at the CSLF web site.

While in Beijing, Pamela Tomski also attended the China-USA Fossil Energy Protocol meeting where discussions continued on a range of CCUS issues, including a potential RECS-China program and ways to link RECS with education and training programs in China. 

Barbara McKee, Deputy Assistant Secretary and Chuck McConnell, Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy, primary sponsors of the RECS program.