Design of a meso-scale high pressure vessel for the laboratory examination of biogeochemical subsurface processes

A meso-scale high-pressure vessel for testing subsurface relevant processes under simulated in situ pressures was designed and constructed. This system is capable of providing pressures up to 96bar and capable of housing porous media samples such as rock cores up to 74cm in diameter and up to 50cm high. A valved switchboard allows for fluids to be pumped into and extracted from the vessel and to be sampled in a spatially resolved manner. The switchboard assembly also allows for the monitoring of fluid chemistry in real time, such as pH and conductivity of either the injected or effluent fluids. The vessel can be equipped with an optional heating jacket to control temperatures. The system can be used to investigate a wide range of subsurface relevant processes, including those related to a variety of petroleum industry interests such as fracture sealing for improving the security of geologic carbon sequestration or enhancing wellbore integrity.