InterPore2022: Mini-symposia Spotlight

In the interdisciplinary spirit from which the InterPore society was born, the minisymposia provide a forum where investigators and technicians from disparate fields can come together and display their commonality of problems, investigatory techniques and solution strategies.

(MS03) Flow, transport and mechanics in fractured porous media

• Olav Moyner – SINTEF, Norway
• Hamid Nick – Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
• Holger Steeb – Institut für Mechanik University Stuttgart, Germany
• Hongkyu Yoon – Sandia National Laboratories, USA

In modeling of flow, (multiphase) transport and mechanics in fractured porous media, challenges are related to the fractured structure’s impact on the processes and/or the processes’ impact on the fractured structure. Fractures may, for example, totally dominate flow-processes, and, vice versa, flow processes may alter the fractured structure of the medium, causing fractures to deform, slip and/or propagate. This mini-symposia invites presentations on advances within mathematical and numerical modeling and experimental work related to flow, transport, chemical and mechanical processes in fractured porous media.

(MS04) Swelling and shrinking porous media

• Daniel Markl – University of Strathclyde, UK
• Chris McMinn – University of Oxford, UK
• Sridhar Ranganathan – Kimberly-Clark, USA

Many porous media, from soils and clays to gels and tissues, will swell or shrink in response to thermal, mechanical, or chemical stimuli. The coupling between flow and deformation during swelling/shrinking can give rise to a variety of complex phenomena, including changes in mechanical or transport properties, changes in size or shape, and the formation of fracture or wrinkle patterns. The goal of this mini-symposium will be to highlight new experiments that provide direct visualization and characterization of these phenomena, as well as new theories that harness the output of these tools to better model flow and transport during swelling/shrinking. Particular emphasis will be given to studies that provide a direct comparison between theoretical predictions and experimental results.

Read more on the minisymposia here.