Solomon Brown

Teaching Fellow and Post Doctoral Research

Solomon Brown received a Masters degree in Mathematics from King’s College London 2007. He went on to work on modelling the consequences of pipeline failure for which he obtained his PhD in 2011. His main research interest is in the area of computational fluid dynamics applied to safety and loss prevention.

Research

Supervisor: Prof Haroun Mahgerefteh

Research project

Title: Mathematical modelling of transient multiphase flows

Dr Brown’s main research focus is on the mathematical and numerical modelling of transient multiphase flows. Currently, this involves the simulation of various transient flow phenomena encountered during the normal operation and accidental failure of transport systems in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).

Research supervisor: Professor Haroun Mahgerefteh

FP7 Project CO2QUEST "Techno-economic Assessment of CO2 Quality Effect on its Storage and Transport"(http://www.co2quest.eu/).

In CO2QUEST collaborative project mathematical models and experimental methods are applied to identify the important CO2 mixtures that have the most profound impact on the different parts of the CCS chain. These include the pipeline pressure drop and compressor power requirement, pipeline propensity to ductile and brittle facture propagation, corrosion, geochemical interactions within the storage site, and the ensuing health and environmental hazards. Based on a cost/benefit analysis and a whole system approach, the results are in turn employed to provide recommendations for CO2 purification levels, mixing protocols and control measures for pipeline networks and storage infrastructure thus contributing to the development of relevant standards for the safe design and economic operation of CCS.

As a part of CO2QUEST project, the effects of variations in temperature, flow rates and amount of impurities in CO2 streams captured from various industries, on the thermodynamic state of the transported fluid and compression requirements for the CO2 pipeline transmission network are been investigated using purpose-built computational models.

To accurately predict scenarios of CO2 pipeline failure involving running fractures, a transient fluid-structure interaction model is developed in collaboration with the CO2QUEST industrial and academic partners. To simulate the crack propagation in high-pressure transportation pipelines, an accurate multiphase outflow model developed at UCL is coupled with the physically-substantiated model of ductile/brittle failure of the pipe steel.

UKCCSRC project "The Development and Demonstration of Best Practice Guidelines for the Safe Start-up Injection of CO2 into Highly-Depleted Gas Fields "

The most cost effective way of transporting the captured CO2 for subsequent sequestration using high pressure pipelines is in the dense phase at pressures greater than 73 bar. Given the substantially lower pressures at the well head, the injection of the CO2 into the well will be accompanied by expansion cooling to temperatures as low as -70 oC. This process leads to several risks including:

• blockage due to hydrate and ice formation following contact of the cold CO2 with the interstitial water around the well-bore and the formation water in the perforations at the near well zone

• thermal stress shocking of the well bore casing steel leading to its fracture and escape of CO2

• over-pressurisation accompanied by CO2 backflow into the injection system due to the violent evaporation of the superheated liquid CO2 upon entry into the well bore.

Research interests

Numerical modelling of multiphase flows
Uncertainty quantification
Consequence analysis

Teaching interests

To advise pipeline operators on the safe and economically efficient strategy of CO2 injection into depleted gas reservoirs, a phenomena of transient flow evolving in an injection well during the beginning of CO2 injection is investigated using numerical multiphase flow models.

I supervise, lecture to and monitor research students enrolled on the following courses:
CENGG098: MSc Design Project
CENGG099: MSc Research Project
CENGM001: Research Project

I am involved in the organisation and delivery of the following undergraduate courses:

CENG3006: Process Plant Design I
ENGS102P CENG: Design & Professional Skills (Chemical Engineering)

Education

2011 PhD University College London
2007 MSci King’s College London
Awards
Royal Academy of Engineering/Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship, 2011

Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers Prize, 2000

Esso Engineering Teaching Fellowship, Royal Academy of Engineering, 1999

Frank Lees Medal IChemE, 2009