Describe the independence and creativity with which the student:
a. developed the hypotheses or engineering goals for his/her research project
Over the summer, Shaunak helped with a project focused on the numerical simulation of CO2 migration in saline aquifers, where he learnt the fundamentals of fluid mechanics. For his science fair project, he decided to improve his fluid mechanics skills by conducting a project, which involves fluid flow simulations.
b. designed the methodology for his/her research project
After independently conducting a social analysis addressing the need for accelerating the large-scale implementation of CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage), he discovered that CO2 leakage is one of the main risks associated with this technology. For his science fair project, Shaunak decided to perform a risk assessment of CO2 flow through fractures in subsurface reservoirs that can act as a leakage pathway for CO2. Shaunak independently developed the overall project goal and purpose, using my mentorship to solidify his methodology and procedures.
c. analyzed and interpreted data
He will generate different geometries of a facture by modifying a Matlab code. He will then run different simulation scenarios with changing the simulation input parameters and investigate the effect of those parameters on the simulation results.
He will then come up with a procedure to pos-process the simulation outputs using a software called Paraview.