The pressurized air able to pass through one rock can’t always pass through another.
In large warehouse lined with rock samples from around the state, Dr. Autumn Haagsma demonstrated the difference with a bicycle pump, causing bubbles to burst forth from a piece of sandstone submerged in a beaker. A denser, darker rock allowed no such effervescence.
“The difference between a reservoir and a confining system,” said Haagsma, hopelessly pushing down on the bike pump, attempting to force air into the denser rock to no avail.
The porous and not-so-porous properties of rocks are important to understanding the science of carbon capture and storage, says the assistant director of the Michigan Geological Survey at Western Michigan University.
In August, WMU and its partners were awarded a three-year, $5M grant from the Department of Energy to develop a “roadmap” of Michigan’s underground rock formations as part of the federal government’s effort to advance carbon capture and storage nationwide.