Contact:

Email:  grant.bromhal@netl.doe.gov

Dr. Grant Bromhal is the Research Group Leader for the Sequestration, Hydrocarbons and Related Programs Groupin the Geosciences Division at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).  The group is focused on modeling, experiments, and field research related to carbon sequestration and hydrocarbon recovery.  He has been at NETLin Pittsburgh since 2003 and has been Research Group Leader since 2007.  Prior to joining NETL, Dr. Bromhal was a National Research Council post-doc at the NETL in Morgantown, WV, for two years.  He has ~10 years of post-graduate experience in modeling two-phase flow in porous media, from the pore level to the reservoir scale.  He is the recipient of the 2007 Hugh Guthrie Award for Innovation at NETL.

Dr. Bromhal has worked on several sequestration projects over the past several years, including the Southwest Regional Sequestration Partnership’s Pump Canyon coal seam injection site, where he and collaborators have modeled the injection of CO2 into the coal seam, the migration of CO2 and tracers within the coal seam, and the modeling of the potential migration of CO2 in the near surface.

Education:

PhD, Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University  (2000)

MS, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University (1997)

BS, Civil Engineering and Mathematics, West Virginia University (1995)

Selected Publications:

Hema Siriwardane, Igor Haljasmaa, Robert McLendon, Gino Irdi, Yee Soong, and Grant Bromhal, “Influence of CO2 on coal permeability,” International Journal of Coal Geology, Volume 77, Issues 1-2, Pages 109-118 7 January, 2009.

Sams, W.N., Bromhal,G., Jikich, S.A., Smith, D.H., Ertekin, T., "Using horizontal wells to sequester CO2 and Enhance coalbed methane recovery: a simulation study of operating procedures", E-journal of Reservoir Engineering, Vol 1, No 1, Jan. 2008.

M. Ferer, Grant S. Bromhal, and Duane H. Smith, “Crossover from fractal capillary fingering to compact flow: the effect of stable viscosity-ratios,” accepted by Physical Review E. Vol.76, No. 4, Oct. 2007

Gorucu, F. Burcu, S. Jikich, G.S. Bromhal, W.N. Sams, T. Ertekin, D.H. Smith. Effects of matrix shrinkage and swelling on the economics of enhanced coalbed methane production and CO2 sequestration in coal. SPE Reservoir Evaluation and Engineering, Vol. 10, No.4, Aug. 07.

Arthur W. Wells, J. Rodney Diehl, Grant Bromhal, Brian R. Strazisar, Thomas H. Wilson, and Curt M. White, “The use of tracers to assess leakage from the sequestration of CO2 in a depleted oil reservoir, New Mexico, USA.” Applied Geochemistry, 22 (5), 996-1016, May 2007.

Stevenson, Kristen, Martin Ferer, Grant S. Bromhal, Jared Gump, Joseph Wilder, and Duane H. Smith. 2-D Network Model Simulations of Miscible Two-Phase Flow Displacements in Porous Media: Effects of Heterogeneity and Viscosity. Physica A. 367, Pages 7-24, 15 July 2006.

Ferer, M., Grant S. Bromhal and Duane H. Smith. Crossover from Capillary Fingering to Compact Invasion for Two-Phase Drainage with Stable Viscosity Ratios.  Adv. Wat. Res., In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 9 March 2006.

Bromhal, Grant S., W. Neal Sams, Sinisha Jikich, Turgay Ertekin and Duane H. Smith. Simulation of CO2 Sequestration in Coal Beds: The Effects of Sorption Isotherms. Chem. Geol., 217, (3-4), Pages 201-211, 25 April 2005.

Ferer, M.; Bromhal, G. S.; Smith, D. H., Two-phase flow in porous media: Crossover from capillary fingering to compact invasion for drainage Phys. Rev. E 71, paper 026303, 2005.

Mazaheri, A.R., B. Zerai, G. Ahmadi, J.R. Kadambi, B.Z. Saylor, M. Oliver, G.S. Bromhal, and D.H. Smith. Computer Simulation of Flow through a Lattice Flow-Cell Model.  Adv. Wat. Res.  28 (12), Pages 1267-1279, December 2005.

Sams, W. N.; Bromhal, G.; Jikich, S.; Ertekin, T.; Smith, D. H. Field-Project Designs for Carbon Dioxide Sequestration and Enhanced Coalbed Methane Production. Energy & Fuels, 19(6), pp 2287 – 2297, 2005.

Smith, D. H.; Sams, W. N.; Bromhal, G.; Jikich, S.; Ertekin, T. Simulating Carbon Dioxide Sequestration/ECBM Production in Coal Seams: Effects of Permeability Anisotropies and Other Coal Properties. SPE Reserv. Eval. Eng.  8, pp.156-163, June 2005.

Wilson, T. H.; Wells, A. W.; Diehl, J. R.; Bromhal, G. S.; Smith, D. H.; Carpenter, W.; White, C. Ground-penetrating radar survey and tracer observations at the West Pearl Queen carbon sequestration pilot site, New Mexico. The Leading Edge.  pp.718-722, July 2005.

Zerai, B.; Saylor, B. Z.; Kadambi, J. R.; Oliver, M.; Mazaheri, A. R.; Ahmadi, G.; Bromhal, G. S.; Smith, D. H. Flow Characterization Through a Network Cell Using Particle Image Velocimetry. Transport Porous Media. 60, pp. 159 – 181, 2005.

Ferer, M., Chuang Ji, Grant S. Bromhal, Joshua Cook, Goodarz Ahmadi, and Duane H. Smith Crossover from capillary fingering to viscous fingering for immiscible unstable flow: Experiment and modeling. Phys. Rev. E 70, paper 016303, 2004.

Stevenson, Kristen, Martin Ferer, Grant S. Bromhal, Joseph Wilder, and Duane H. Smith., Miscible, Vertical Network Model 2-D Simulations of Two-Phase Flow Displacements in Porous Media.  Physica A. 343, Pages 317-334, 15 November 2004.

Ferer, M., Grant S. Bromhal, and Duane H. Smith, Pore-level Modeling of Drainage: Cross-over from Invasion Percolation Fingering to Compact Flow. Phys. Rev. E, 67, paper 051601, 2003.

Ferer, M., Grant S. Bromhal, and Duane. H. Smith. Pore-Level Modeling of Immiscible Drainage: Validation in the Invasion Percolation and DLA Limits. Physica A, 319, Pages 11-35, 1 March 2003.

M. Ferer, Shelley L. Anna, Paul Tortora, J. R. Kadambi, M. Oliver, Grant S. Bromhal, and Duane H. Smith.  Crossover from fractal fingering to compact invasion for drainage: Modelling and experiment. GHGT-9 meeting, Washington, DC.  Nov. 16-20, 2008.

Egemen O. Ogretim,  Donald D. Gray,  Grant S. Bromhal. Effects of Topography Induced Pressure Variation on the Near-Surface Migration of a Potential CO2 Leak.  GHGT-9 meeting, Washington, DC.  Nov. 16-20, 2008.

P. R. Tortora, S. Anna, M. Ferer, G. Bromhal, and D. H. Smith. “The effect of viscosity ratio on viscous fingering in model porous networks,” Computational Methods in Water Resources meeting, San Francisco, July 7-10, 2008

Robert McLendon, Hema Siriwardane, Igor Haljasmaa, Grant Bromhal, Yee Soong, and Gino Irdi, “Determination of Coal Permeability Using Pressure Transient Methods,” 6th Annual Conference on Carbon Capture & Sequestration. May 7-10, 2007, Pittsburgh, PA

Ogretim, Egemen, Gray, Donald D., Bromhal, Grant S. “Effects of water table and topography on the migration of a CO2 leak” presentted at the 7th Annual Conference on Carbon Capture & Sequestration, Pittsburgh, PA, May 5th - 8th, 2008.

Siriwardane, Hema, Bromhal, Grant S., Gondle, Raj. “Simulating Pressure response in overburden layers due to fractures” submitted to the 7th Annual Conference on Carbon Capture & Sequestration, Pittsburgh, PA, May 5th - 8th, 2008.

Ya-Mei (Cheryl) Yang, Egemen O. Ogretim, Mitchell J. Small, Donald D. Gray, Grant S. Bromhal, Brian Strazisar and Arthur Wells. “Statistical techniques for incorporating near-surface monitoring and modeling for CO2 leak detection” presented at the 7th Annual Conference on Carbon Capture & Sequestration, Pittsburgh, PA, May 5th - 8th, 2008.

Dustin Crandall, Goodarz Ahmadi, Duane Smith, Martin Ferer, Melissa Richards and Grant Bromhal. Two-Phase Flow within Geological Flow Analogies – A Computational Study accepted Eastern Regional AAPG, Buffalo, NY, October 8-11, 2006.

Dustin Crandall, Goodarz Ahmadi, Duane Smith, and Grant Bromhal. Fluid Flow within Fractured Porous Media. accepted Eastern Regional AAPG, Buffalo, NY, October 8-11, 2006.

Siriwardane, Hema, Grant S. Bromhal, Thomas Wilson, Duane H. Smith. “Site Chracterization for Geomechanical and Flow Modeling at West Pearl Queen Pilot Site” Proceedings of the CO2SC Symposium.  Berkeley, CA, March 20-22, 2006.

Gorucu, F.B., T. Ertekin, G.S. Bromhal, D.H. Smith, W.N. Sams, S.A. Jikich.  “A Neurosimulation Tool for Predicting Performance in Enhanced Coalbed Methane and CO2 Sequestration Projects” Proceedings of the 2005 SPE ATCE.  Dallas, TX, October 9-12, 2005.

Bromhal, G.; Gorucu, F. B.; Jikich, S.; Sams, W. N.; Ertekin, T.; Smith, D. H. “Effects of Gas-Induced Shrinkage and Swelling on Economics for Sequestration of CO2 in Coal Seams”; 4th Annual Conference on Carbon Sequestration, Alexandria, VA, May 2005.

Gorucu, F. B.; Ertekin, T.; Bromhal, G.; Smith, D. H.; Sams, W. N.; Jikich, S. “Development of a Neuro-Simulation Tool for Coalbed Methane Recovery and CO2 Sequestration”; Proc., International Coal Bed Methane Symposium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 2005.

Gorucu, F. B.; Ertekin, T.; Bromhal, G. S.; Smith, D. H.; Sams, W. N.; Jikich, S. A. “A Neuro-Simulation Tool for Predicting Performance in Enhanced Coalbed Methane and CO2 Sequestration Projects”; 2005 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Dallas, Texas, 2005.

Sams, W. N.; Bromhal, G.; Jikich, S.; Ertekin, T.; Smith, D. H. “Using Horizontal Wells to Sequester CO2 and Enhance Coal Bed Methane Recovery: A Simulation Study of Operating Procedures”; 2004 Proc. SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, Texas, Sept. 26-29, 2004.

Smith, Duane H., W. Neal Sams, Grant Bromhal, Sinisha Jikich, and Turgay Ertekin, "Simulating Caron Dioxide Sequestration/ECBM Production in Coal Seams: Effects of Permeability Anisotropies and Other Coal Properties," Proc. Soc. Petrol. Engrs. Ann. Tech. Conf. Exhib., Oct. 5-8, 2003.

Bromhal, Grant S., W. Neal Sams, Sinisha Jikich, Olufemi Odusote, Turgay Ertekin, Duane H. Smith. Reservoir Simulations for Designing Coal Seam Sequestration Projects. 3rd Annual Conference on Carbon Sequestration, Alexandria, VA, May 2003.

Jikich, Sinisha A., W. Neal Sams, Grant Bromhal, Gary Pope, Neeraj Gupta, Duane H. Smith. Carbon Dioxide Injectivity in Brine Reservoirs Using Horizontal Wells. 3rd Annual Conference on Carbon Sequestration, Alexandria, VA, May 2003.

Bromhal, Grant S., M. Ferer, and Duane H. Smith.  “Network Modeling of Brinefield CO2 Sequestration:  Displacement Efficiencies and Fundamental Limitations on CO2 Storage Volumes”, ACS Spring Conference, Fuel Division Preprint, Orlando, FL, Apr 7-11, 2002.

Bromhal, Grant S., M. Ferer, and Duane H. Smith. “CO2 Sequestration in Brinefields:  Is Buoyancy a Problem?”, Proceedings of the 11th Annual International Coal Conference, San Francisco, CA, October 2001.

Grant S. Bromhal.  “Lessons Learned in Geologic Sequestration” Plenary talk, SPE E&P Environmental Conference, San Antonio, TX, March 23-25, 2009.

Grant Bromhal, Bill Harbert, Brian McPherson, Milind Deo, Phil Stauffer, William Carey, Brian Strazisar, Barbara Kutchko, Hari Viswanathan, David Wildman, Rajesh Pawar, and George Guthrie. “Understanding the impact of the level of characterization on long-term performance predictions at geologic CO2 sequestration sites” IARU Climate Change Congress, Copenhagen, Denmark, March 9-11, 2009.

Grant Bromhal, Bill Harbert, Phil Stauffer, Hari Visnawathan, David Wildman, Rajesh Pawar, Brian Strazisar, Barbara Kutchko, George Guthrie. “Risk Analysis of Sequestration at SACROC” International Geological Congress, Oslo, Norway, Aug. 6-14, 2008

Hema Siriwardane, Grant S. Bromhal, Thomas H. Wilson, and Duane H. Smith.  Analysis of flow and deformations at west pearl queen pilot site.  American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in San Francisco, Dec. 11-15, 2007.

Bromhal, Grant, “Sequestration in coal seams: an overview” CSLF Workshop, Porto Alegre, Brazil, Oct. 18-19, 2007

Genevieve B.C. Young, Scott R. Reeves, Brian Henthorn, Tom H. Wilson, Grant S. Bromhal, Duane H. Smith, “San Juan Basin enhanced coalbed methane (ECBM)-carbon storage pilot: role of pre-injection site characterization in project design,” Annual Meeting of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Long Beach, CA, April 1-4, 2007.