Dear InterPore colleagues,

The summer holiday has started (for the northern hemisphere). The days leading up to a holiday are usually quite stressful, as I somehow feel I should wrap things up before I leave. In my experience, my work will simply carry on when I return, so why all the fuss!? Human nature, I suppose. And it really is a luxury problem anyway, as I am fortunate to be able to go on a break.

We have some wrapping up, as the search for new committee members has concluded (for some committees), and we can highlight published papers. But also a lot to look forward to (and to work on), like InterPore2025-related calls, nominating colleagues for Rien’s award, writing papers for the InterPore Journal or Research Spotlights, going to a summer school, an so on.

All the best,

Matthijs de Winter Editor-in-Chief
InterPore News

The list of important dates for InterPore2025 has been published. Mark your calendars accordingly!

Call for Minisymposia Proposals

The Program Committee welcomes proposals for new minisymposia (MS) at InterPore2025. MS proposals around the focus theme of “Water” are of special interest. To avoid duplication, we hope to receive proposals for subjects that expand on the topics currently covered by our existing MS.

The deadline for proposals is Monday, 19 August. Please send your proposals to the conference mailing address.

We look forward to seeing you in Albuquerque!

Jaime Gomez-Hernandez
Program Committee Chair

Call for 2025 Conference Courses

Submission of proposals for Conference Courses at InterPore2025 is now open! Courses will be organized as satellite events of the InterPore Annual Meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico on the following dates:

• Sunday, 18 May 2025

• Friday, 23 May 2025

Standard duration of a given course will be half a day (3-hour lecture). Proposals for non-standard duration, if well justified, will be considered.

Main criteria for selection of proposals include track record of the proposers as well as the opportunity to ensure diversity to a full extent across the set of courses.

To submit your proposal, please complete the following submission form.

Invited speaker

In anticipation of InterPore2025, we’re introducing the invited speakers in today’s and forthcoming Newsletters and Bulletins. This week: Jeffrey Hyman.

Jeffrey Hyman Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA

Title: The Influence of Multiple Scales in Fractured Media on Flow and Transport Properties

Dr. Jeffrey Hyman is a staff scientist in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory. His research focuses on integrating applied mathematics with the geosciences to advance our understanding of coupled subsurface processes in fractured media.

Abstract
In low-permeability fractured media, such as granites and shales, flow and the associated transport of dissolved solutes is controlled primarily by fractures embedded within the rock matrix. One tool to investigate the interplay and influence of fractures are discrete fracture network (DFN) models. In this talk, I’ll discuss recent… continue reading

Must see…. in Albuquerque!

InterPore2025 will be in Albuquerque. This week’s cultural highlight: Savoring Albuquerque’s Unique Culinary Scene Albuquerque’s culinary scene is a delightful fusion of flavors, reflecting its rich cultural heritage. Traditional New Mexican dishes, which showcase the region’s native ingredients and culinary influences, are at the heart of this unique cuisine.

Staple ingredients such as chiles, corn, beans, and squash form the foundation of New Mexican cuisine. These native ingredients are combined with Mexican, Native American, and Spanish flavors to create a distinctive taste experience. One iconic dish is green chile stew, a hearty and spicy blend of tender pork, potatoes, and roasted green chiles that captures the essence of the local palate.

Another beloved treat is the sopapilla: a puffy, fried pastry often served with honey. Sopapillas can be enjoyed as a sweet dessert or stuffed with savory fillings like beans, cheese, and meat for a satisfying meal.

A visit to Albuquerque wouldn’t be complete without encountering the official state question: “Red or green?” This refers to the choice between red or green chile sauce, both staples in New Mexican cuisine. Can’t decide? Simply answer “Christmas” to enjoy both flavors.

Exploring Albuquerque’s cuisine is a must for any food lover, offering a delicious journey through the region’s history and traditions.

Photo Credit: VisitABQ.org

Overview of upcoming deadlines for InterPore2025

InterPore Foundation – Rotation of Board of Directors

The InterPore Foundation is rotating the members of the Board of Directors. In order to head towards a 4-year rotation cycle as stated in the bylaws, 3 of the 7 members of the board of directors are stepping down.

We would like to express our gratitude to Azita Ahmadi. Noushine Shahidzadeh and Andrea Peri for their dedication and commitment and taking responsibility for critical roles over the past 7 ½ years. Without their help the Foundation would not have evolved to its current state.

We would also like to give a very warm welcome the 3 new members of the board of directors:

Hannelore Derluyn University of Pau (Photo: Frédérique Plas)

Anne Hansen Mexican Institute of Water Technology

Kamaljit Singh Heriot Watt University

An associated “internal rotation” (e.g. Steffen Berg is stepping down as chair and takes over the role of treasurer) will ensure sufficient continuity.

New Chair of Website Task Force Team

Dr. Lin Ma is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) at the University of Manchester. She specialises in Multi-scale Imaging and Characterization of Rocks (Digital Rocks) in geoenergy reservoirs and subsurface energy storage. Her expertise extends to her role as section editor on ‘Carbon Management’ for the journal Marine and Petroleum Geology and as the treasurer of the Energy Group of the Geological Society of London. She has now been appointed as the new chair of the Website Task Force Team at InterPore.

Lin is dedicated to transforming the InterPore website into a more informative and interactive space. Her goal is to enhance the experience for all current members while also attracting new members to join our community.

Call for Research Spotlights

Interested in promoting your organization’s latest and greatest research? Consider submitting a Research Spotlight to InterPore. This series is based on short, scientific texts with illustrations that give an idea on current projects or group contributions in various fields of porous media research. This opportunity is open to all Institutional Members of InterPore.

If you would like to contribute a Research Spotlight, please contact Margaret Dieter.

Submit Your Next Paper to InterPore Journal!

Dear InterPore Community,

We hope you’re enjoying your summer holidays! Many researchers use this time to finish up their articles, so why not submit yours to InterPore Journal? As a community-driven journal, your support is crucial to our success.

Remember, there are no article processing charges for submissions during 2024. It’s the perfect time to contribute your work. Check out our inaugural issue here, and keep your eyes open for the next issue, which we hope to publish near the end of summer.

Join us in advancing the field of porous media. Your research makes a difference!

InterPore Journal Team

Chapter News

The 7th Interpore UK Chapter Meeting will take place 9-10 September 2024 at the University of Manchester. The theme will be advances in imaging, characterization, and modelling of porous materials to energy transition.

Abstract Submission can be found here. The Abstract Submission deadline is 31 July.

Visit the meeting website for more details and to register!

The Federal University of Pará (UFPA), in collaboration with the Brazil InterPore Chapter, will hold the 7th edition of the Brazil InterPore Chapter Conference on Porous Media in Salinópolis, Pará, Brazil, from 12-14 August 2024.

The Brazil InterPore Chapter looks forward to welcoming academics, industry professionals, and enthusiasts to Salinópolis, Pará, to explore the frontiers of porous media research. Some of the keynote speakers confirmed for the 7th Brazil Interpore are experienced researchers: Rainer Helmig (University of Stuttgart), Massimiliano Ferronato (University of Padova), Tito Bonagamba (University of São Paulo), Edvaldo Sabadini (University of Campinas), Celso Peres (University of Santa Catarina), and Mathias Steiner (IBM).

Beyond the 8 keynote speakers, the 7th Brazil InterPore Chapter Meeting will provide several discussions from 20 oral presentations and 11 posters from experts in a wide range of porous media systems covering several current topics, Biotechnology, Green Materials, Geoscience, Industrial application, Smart Materials, Numerical Methods and Applied Mathematics of porous media science.

We welcome the InterPore community to Amazon’s Paradise and to attend the 7th Brazil InterPore Chapter Meeting. There are already around 100 confirmed participants!

photo credits: AGÊNCIA PARÁ

West Africa InterPore Chapter Meeting

The West Africa InterPore Chapter (WAIC) will hold its second Symposium in hybrid format from 27-28 July 2024. This symposium aims to address the pressing challenges associated with clay applications, mining activities in Africa, particularly the critical issue of mining waste management.

Please visit the Symposium website for more details.

Call for 2025 Rien van Genuchten Early Career Award Nominations

The Rien van Genuchten Early Career Award is given to an early-career researcher whose focus is the general topic of “porous media research for a green world”. We strongly encourage nominations for those who have contributed outstanding theoretical, experimental and/or modelling advances on natural or industrial porous media from fundamental and/or applied aspects addressing major soil, hydrologic and/or environmental problems facing our Planet.

The award consists of a certificate and a conference grant of €1500 for participation in the next InterPore Conference. Details on the requirements and nomination process can be found on our website.

Nomination deadline is 15 November 2024. Please nominate a worthy recipient (self nominations are also accepted).

Questionnaire SAMUH2

Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, working on integrity management of underground gas storage (UGS) invite you to take part in a 10-minute survey on well integrity. The research is conducted for the BMBF-funded underground hydrogen storage project SAMUH2.

Take part in the survey

If you have any questions about our research project or survey, please get in touch with us. Thank you very much for your time!

Yours sincerely,

Mayukh Talukdar and Philipp Blum

DTU summerschools

Research needs in porous media for the energy transition

Martin J. Blunt, Aimy Bazylak, Michelle Brook, Ann Muggeridge, Franklin M. Orr Jr.

The many exciting research challenges involving flow in porous media relevant to the energy transition are discussed, including carbon dioxide sequestration, geothermal energy, thermal, hydrogen and compressed gas energy storage, and electrochemical devices. The paper develops themes first discussed at a panel session of the 2023 InterPore Annual Meeting in Edinburgh. The intention of the work is to motivate and inspire our colleagues to work in this field to help solve some of the most pressing and significant technological problems of the 21st century.

InterPore Journal 1(1) ipj260424–2 (2024)
Corresponding Author: Martin Blunt

Fluid inertia controls mineral precipitation and clogging in pore to network-scale flows

Weipeng Yanga, Michael A. Chena,, Sang Hyun Leea, Peter K. Kang

Mineral precipitation caused by fluid mixing presents complex control and predictability challenges in a variety of natural and engineering processes, including carbon mineralization, geothermal energy, and microfluidics. Precipitation dynamics, particularly under the influence of fluid flow, remain poorly understood. Combining microfluidic experiments and three-dimensional reactive transport simulations, we demonstrate that fluid inertia controls mineral precipitation and clogging at flow intersections, even in laminar flows. We demonstrate that the identified inertial effects on precipitation at the intersection scale are also present and even more dramatic at the network scale.

PNAS 121, e2401318121 (2024)
Corresponding Author: Peter K Kang

InterPore Members can promote their publications to the community via the InterPore InJournals Section of the Newsletter. If you wish to do so, please submit your publication highlight to newsletter@InterPore.org. Clearly indicate which of the authors is an InterPore member (or the institute with an Institutional Membership). Note that we will not review the entries nor does InterPore endorse the published work. Furthermore, we publish on a “submitted first, published first” basis. The highlighted publication should be no older than 6 months (available online).

The highlight should be short (max 100 words) and contain an illustration. Please note that we offer this opportunity exclusively to InterPore members. If you would like to become a member, please have a look here.

Post-doc

• Postdoc position on large-scale simulation of free flow-porous media flow. Shenzhen Research Institute of Big Data, Shenzhen University, South China Normal University, Tsinghua Univ, and Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science of China. For more information, contact Prof. Chensong Zhang.

If you have a job opening in your institute and would like to promote it internationally, please send the description and weblink or PDF to newsletter@interpore.org, and we’ll be happy to add it to the list. It is also possible to post the position on the InterPore website. Log in through MyInterPore and click “Submit A Job Opening.”