Complex fluids, colloids and condensed matter

L’injectivité dans les formations géologiques est un enjeu connu qui affecte des domaines d’activités liés aux énergies nouvelles et au climat (géothermie, stockage souterrain de CO2, etc.). Le colmatage des formations géologiques, problème récurrent qui engendre des pertes d’injectivité, est lié au fait que les eaux réinjectées sont fréquemment chargées en éléments organiques et minéraux en suspension, sous forme de particules colloïdales. Pour tenter d’y remédier, ou tout au moins de le minimiser, il est important de bien comprendre les mécanismes à l’œuvre. C’est ce à quoi s’est attaché ce travail de thèse, via une approche microfluidique (Figure 1) combinant deux techniques de visualisation : l'imagerie optique [1] et l'imagerie par fluorescence induite par laser [2]...

Processes using heterogeneous catalysis require the design and development of innovative materials, with controlled mechanical and textural properties, to produce effective catalyst supports. The porous microstructure of these supports has a significant impact on the performance of the supported catalyst, since it strongly affects the support’s mechanical resistance and transport phenomena...

Injectivity in geological formations has long been an important factor in oil production (enhanced recovery) but it is now just as important in fields related to new energies and the climate (geothermal energy, CO2 storage, etc.). Injectivity losses, which result from the clogging of geological formations, are a recurrent problem associated with the fact that reinjected water often carries a high concentration of organic and mineral elements in suspension, in the form of colloidal particles...

By combining battery, electric machine, power electronics and mechanical transmission, the electric vehicle is an example of an application that combines a range of constraints for the formulation of technical fluids. In recent years, there has been renewed interest in the study of the latter for the transport sector...

In the context of the energy transition, it is expected that oil production will decrease at the same pace as the development of low-carbon energies and people’s evolving needs in this area...

​​​​​​​Numerous IFPEN applications, from liquid-liquid extraction for biofuel production to the flotation process for the separation of microplastics, bring into play interactions between a fluid and the large number of inclusions (bubbles, drops) it contains...

IFPEN uses numerous fluids in its fields of innovation for a variety of applications, ranging from renewable energy production to sustainable mobility. Many of the fluids are complex mixtures and the chemistry of their components (hydrocarbons, alcohols, esters, etc.) varies depending on the target application: combustion, cooling, lubrication, electrical insulation, etc.

The transport of colloidal particles in porous media is relevant to a number of fields, including geosciences and environmental engineering. Particle-matrix interactions can lead to deposit formation and accumulation, potentially damaging the medium and altering its permeability. (...) At IFPEN, the problem was originally studied for oil and gas production, but research has now been extended to include the fields of geothermal energy and geological storage of CO2.