Editorial

Dear InterPore colleagues,

Terrible news from Southeast Asia is unfolding while composing this Newsletter. First and foremost, our thoughts are with all those affected. It also once more points out the relevance of science in general and of porous media in particular. Understanding and ultimately predicting earthquakes starts at the pore scale. More urgently, the call for international help. Clearly a practical call, but also pointing out we need to work together and not fight or create barriers. That will be my input for the academic leadership discussion organized at InterPore2025 in Albuquerque!

All the best,

Matthijs de Winter
Editor-in-Chief
InterPore News

Submissions open for online presentations

Can’t attend InterPore2025 in person? No problem! You can still submit an abstract for an online presentation and share your research with a worldwide audience of porous media experts—all from the comfort of your home or office.

🔹 Why present online?
✅ Reach an international audience without travel expenses
✅ Engage in scientific discussions from anywhere in the world
✅ Gain valuable exposure and receive feedback on your research
✅ Receive a Certificate of Presentation recognizing your contribution

📅 Abstract submission deadline for online presentations: Sunday, April 20, 2025

📍 Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of InterPore2025—wherever you are!

Roundtable Discussion on Academic Leadership

What does it take to lead academia through times of change? How do we lead future porous media research at our institutes? How do we lead our community? From students to deans and rectors: We invite you all to join us for an hour of roundtable discussions on academic leadership taking place on Tuesday, 20 May at 17:30 during InterPore2025 in Albuquerque.

SAC Game Night

Join us for a Networking Game Night on Tuesday where students and early-career researchers can connect while enjoying games and local craft beers. This fun, interactive event will feature trivia challenges and conversations about research and career paths. It's the perfect opportunity to expand your academic network and make meaningful connections in a relaxed setting!

Must See in Albuquerque...!

This week in Must see…!: Jennifer Riordan Spark Kindness Sports Complex

The Jennifer Riordan Spark Kindness Sports Complex in Albuquerque is a tribute to the late Jennifer Riordan, a beloved community leader known for her spirit of kindness.

The Spark Kindness Sports Complex offers more than just sports—it's a place where kindness shines, inspired by the legacy of Jennifer Riordan. Whether you're there for a game, a walk, or to simply enjoy the atmosphere, the legacy of Jennifer Riordan’s inspiring work will continue to make an impact for years to come. Be sure to visit and let the spirit of kindness inspire you!

Photo Credit: Core-Visual

Foundation Fundraising Campaign

Help Us Open Doors at InterPore2025!

InterPore2025 is almost here—and we need your help to make it truly global. Right now, talented researchers from economically disadvantaged countries are waiting on your support to attend.

🎯 Goal: 8 grants (4000 € in total)

🚀 We're 28% there—but we can’t do it without you.

Your contribution isn’t just a donation—it’s a chance to give someone a voice on the world stage. Imagine the impact you can make. 💛 Every euro counts.

🕒 Don’t wait—support the InterPore2025 Grant Fund today.

— The InterPore Foundation Board

SIAM Prizes to R. Helmig and J. Both

Two active members of InterPore have been awarded prizes from the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM): Rainer Helmig (photo, right) getting Geosciences Career Prize and Jakub W. Both (photo, left) receiving Geosciences Early Career Prize.

Congratulations!

Kimberly-Clark Distiguished Lectureship 2025

Prof. Rainer Helmig, from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, is the Kimberly-Clark Distinguished Lecturer of 2025.

After two successful lectures, in Switzerland (in-person) and Mexico (online), Prof. Helmig is now in China for an extensive tour of universities all over the country. He will be in China from March 24th to April 2nd and will visit Tongji University (Shanghai), Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics and Chinese Academy of Sciences (Wuhan), Chongqing University (Chongqing), China University of Petroleum (East China) and Ocean University of China (Qingdao), State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering/Tsinghua University (Beijing) and Peking University (Beijing).

Kimberly-Clark Distinguished Lectureship 2026

Prof. Lyesse Laloui from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland, is the Kimberly-Clark Distinguished Lecturer of 2026. As the winner of this distinguished award, Prof. Lyesse Laloui will be giving one of his two lectures at selected institutions. Interested in hosting the Kimberley-Clark Lectureship at your institution? You may apply by 31 December 2025 for one of two options:

• Lecture 1: Tailoring Soil Properties through Bio-Geo-Chemical Engineering
• Lecture 2: Carbon Dioxide Injection into Deep Aquifers: a Geomechanical Perspective

For detailed information about the lectures, please visit Prof. Laloui’s page.

Stroke across scales – impact on blood perfusion and oxygen supply in the brain – a computational perspective

Join us on April 1st at 16:00 CEST (Central European Summer Time) for an exciting talk on cerebral microcirculation and related processes with Franca Schmid, Group Leader at the ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research at the University of Bern, Switzerland.

Wettability Control of Multiphase Flow in Porous Media

Join us on May 6th at 16:00 CEST (Central European Summer Time) as Benzhong (Robin) Zhao, an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at McMaster University, presents a webinar on the topic of "Wettability Control of Multiphase Flow in Porous Media".

Huge congratulations to Professor Monica Riva! 👏

Professor Monica Riva (Politecnico di Milano, PoliMI (Italy) has been elected as a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (Class IV: Natural Sciences). The European Academy of Sciences and Arts is committed to promoting scientific and societal progress. This recognition highlights her outstanding academic contributions in the hydrogeological field.

The induction ceremony took place on March 8th in Salzburg.

Congratulations, Monica, on this remarkable achievement!

Bio-nanocrystal Stabilized Biosurfactant Foams for Groundwater and Soil Remediation

A. Orujov, B. Abedi, K. Wawrousek, & S. Aryana

This experimental study aims to develop highly stable and foamable foams using bio-based cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and rhamnolipid, a bio-based surfactant. The optimal pH, surfactant concentration, and nanocrystal content for achieving the most favorable foam properties are first determined. The foam's performance in groundwater and soil remediation is then evaluated using a sand-pack core flooding experimental setup. The final results indicate that the optimized foam can recover approximately 70% of the contaminant with the injection of just one pore volume of the surfactant-nanocrystal solution.

The Importance and Challenges Associated with Multi-scale Heterogeneity for Geological Storage

C. Spurin, C. Callas, N. Darraj, M. Rücker & S. Benson

In this commentary we explore the importance and challenges associated with multi-scale heterogeneity for geological storage. We highlight the wide range of heterogeneity observed by researchers and discuss its impact on flow and trapping. We discuss different methods for accounting for these small-scale heterogeneities without modelling them directly at the field scale and showcase interesting avenues for future research.

Multi-Scale Pore Network Fusion and Upscaling of Microporosity Using Artificial Neural Network

Abolfazl Moslemipour, Saeid Sadeghnejad, Frieder Enzmann, Davood Khoozan, Sarah Hupfer, Thorsten Schäfer, Michael Kersten

Proper and accurate connection of scales in the reconstruction of multi-scale pore network models (PNMs) is a fundamental issue that can greatly contribute to the understanding of heterogeneous rock properties. A novel highly accurate multi-scale PNM reconstruction method was proposed in this study using artificial neural networks (ANNs). Furthermore, to reduce memory usage and runtime, a novel upscaling method was presented based on equivalent hydraulic conductance of conduits. The ANN-based reconstruction method enhanced the accuracy of reconstructed PNMs by 90% in comparison to previous statistical reconstruction method. Moreover, the upscaling method reduced runtime by 40% and memory usage by 68%.

Numerical modelling of fracturing processes during cold water injection into geothermal reservoirs: Verification and qualitative validation

Wen Luo, Joaquín Liaudat, Josselin Ouf, Anne-Catherine Dieudonné, Florian Amann, Philip J. Vardon

A method to simulate fracturing processes under geothermal conditions using the cohesive zone model is developed. A zero-thickness and three-node interface element is presented to represent the possible discontinuities. The cubic law is used to update the fracture transmissivity as a function of its aperture, while a elasto-damage law to characterise the mechanical response of the discontinuity. The method is verified against analytical solutions and validate against experimental data on cold water injection into rock samples, in which we demonstrate the insertion of interface elements in-between all continuum elements to provide arbitrary potential paths for new fractures induced by thermo-hydro-mechanical processes.

A novel application of inverse gas chromatography for estimating contact angles in porous media

Khoeini, M. H., Vukovic, T., van der Net, A., Luna-Triguero, A., & Rücker, M.

Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2024.10.164

In this study, we demonstrate the use of inverse gas chromatography (iGC) to characterize wetting properties of a porous media. In porous media, surface wetting is a critical factor controlling multiphase flow, as it occurs in various applications, such as filtration, fuel cells, underground C02 or H2 storage. Traditional methods for assessing wetting of porous media include contact angle measurements using micro-computed tomography (microCT). However, its precision and accuracy are limited due to restrictions in sample size or resolution. IGC measures the retention of gas molecules pulsed into a continuous flow of a carrier gas to infer surface area and energy, which can be used to compute contact angle distribution. We show for a set of glass beads, that this method recovers the contact angle distribution obtained from microCT data and is sensitive to wetting alteration the glass beads were exposed to. Furthermore, we discuss the use of this methodology for a wider range of materials in future.