Dr. Xiang-Zhao Kong

My research topic is an interdisciplinary blend of geology, often in non-traditional ways, and geophysics. It includes flow modelling in permeable earth materials across different scales with focuses on 1) understanding the fundamental physics of fluid flow at submicron scale (i.e., the scale of the interstices between the solid grains) I am using ultra-high-resolution computerized tomographic images from Synchrotron Radiation X-ray Tomographic Microscopy (TOMCAT) and Spallation Neutron Source (SINQ) at Paul Scherrer Institute (ETH domain); 2) developing predictive computational models at the reservoir-scale to address practical engineering problems for energy and environmental systems in the subsurface (e.g., CO 2 -Plume Geothermal system (CPG), Earth Battery, CO 2 -enabled Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), and Geologic CO 2 storage). My scientific interests extend further to the geo-mechanics (elastic) behaviours of different rock-types. At the ETH Rock Physics and Mechanics (RPM) laboratory, I am performing acoustic emission experiments under high-pressure conditions equivalent to those found in the upper-to-middle crust.