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Jonny Rutqvist

Senior Scientist

Hydrogeology Department Head

Building 074, Room 0301

M/S 74R316C

Phone: 510-486-5432

Fax: 510-486-5686

jrutqvist@lbl.gov

  • Education
  • Experience
  • Research Activities
  • International Research Collaborations
  • Professional Activities
  • Honors and Awards
  • Publications

Biography

I grew up in Kallax, a small village outside my hometown Luleå in northern Sweden, some 200 km below the Arctic Circle. I went to the Luleå University of Technology where I completed my Masters and Technical Licentiate degrees in Civil Engineering and Rock Mechanics under the supervision of Prof. Ove Stephansson. In 1991, I moved with Prof. Stephansson and a few other Ph.D. students to the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm to start the new Division of Engineering Geology. During my Ph.D. studies, worked with coupled processes modeling of fractured rock masses funded by the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate, and had the opportunity to spend some of this time at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, California. After receiving my Ph.D. at the Royal Institute of Technology in 1995, I returned to the LBNL’s Earth Sciences Division for a Post-doc to work with Chin-Fu Tsang and Jahan Noorishad on coupled processes modeling. I am still at the LBNL, became a Geological Scientist in 1998, was promoted to a Staff Scientist in 2004, and a Senior Scientist in 2016 . I am also the current Head of the Hydrogeology Department in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area.

My research is currently focused on modeling of coupled thermal-hydraulic-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes in geological media. I enjoy to develop and apply coupled modeling to a wide range of geoscientific and geoengineering applications, including geological sequestration of CO2, enhanced geothermal systems, gas hydrate bearing sediments, geological disposal of spent nuclear fuel, underground compressed air energy storage, and shale gas extraction. I really enjoy using coupled modeling for interpretation of field data to try to build a conceptual understanding and to explain the underlying coupled processes in complex geological systems.

Education

  • Docent, Engineering Geology, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, 2000, The Swedish Academic title Docent corresponds to the level of English Senior Lecturer (UK) or Associate Professor (US)
  • Ph.D. Engineering Geology, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, 1995
  • Technical Licentiate, Rock Mechanics, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden, 1990
  • M.S. Geotechnology, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden, 1988

Experience

  • Hydrogeology Department Head, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), 2019-Present
  • Geological Scientist (Senior Scientist level), LBNL, 2016-Present
  • Geological Scientist (Staff Scientist level since 2004), LBNL, 1998-2016
  • Post-doctoral Research, LBNL, 1996-1998
  • Research and Teaching, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, 1991-1995
  • Research and Teaching, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden, 1988-1990
  • Seasonal Employment, Rock Mechanics Consultant at LKAB’s mining company, Malmberget, Sweden, 1986-1987

Research Activities

Research on coupled thermal, hydraulic, mechanical and chemical (THMC) processes in geological media with special expertise on hydromechanical (HM) couplings. The coupled phenomena in fractured rock, soil or clay are studied through in situ field experiments and field data and numerical modeling of those experiments. Two main numerical simulators developed and applied in these simulations are 1) ROCMAS—a finite element code for modeling of fully coupled THM processes in unsaturated and saturated medium, 2) TOUGH-FLAC—a simulator using sequential coupling techniques for analysis of coupled THM processes under multi-phase flow conditions. Currently collaborative efforts include coupled THMC processes with coupling of FLAC to the reactive transport simulator TOUGHREACT, as well as linking the TOUGH multiphase flow and heat transport simulator to a number of geomechanical simulators leveraging on previous experience with TOUGH-FLAC sequential coupling.

Current special research topics:
  • Coupled THM and THMC processes around nuclear waste repositories: Non-isothermal multiphase fluid flow and geomechanics in fractured crystalline, clay and salt host rocks. Implementation and application of advanced constitutive models for bentonite, clay and salt geomechanical behavior under partially saturated conditions, some including damage sealing and healing, as well as chemically induced permeability changes and mechanical swelling.
  • Deep underground injection of CO2: rock mechanical aspects and coupled HM processes including potential fault activation and induced seismicity.
  • Hydraulic fracturing and stimulation associated extraction of methane gas from tight rock (shale): Coupled fluid flow and geomechanical modeling of hydraulic fracturing and potential fault activation.
  • Coupled THM and THMC processes in geothermal reservoirs: Injection/production induced seismicity and surface deformations.
  • Coupled geomechanical modeling of hydrate-bearing sediments: Mechanical stability of hydrate-bearing sediments during gas production.
  • Coupled THM processes associated with compressed air energy storage (CAES) in underground caverns: Thermodynamics and geomechanics associated with compression and decompression in storage operations.
  • Hydraulic injection in rock fractures: Coupled HM phenomena during well testing and hydraulic fracturing stress measurements

Have performed coupled THM analysis of the following major sites and field experiments:
  • Full Scale Emplacement (FE) Experiment, Mont Terri, Underground Research Laboratory, Switzerland (2012-Present). A large-scale heater test in a bentonite-buffer and rock (Opalinus Clay) system.
  • Engineered Barrier System (EBS) experiment at Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory, Hokkaido, Japan (2013-present). A heater test for a bentonite-backfilled and rock (mudstone) system.
  • Half-scale Emplacement (HE-E) Experiment, Mont Terri, Underground Research Laboratory, Switzerland (2013-2015). A heater test in a bentonite-buffer and rock (Opalinus Clay) system.
  • HE-D Experiment, Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory, Switzerland (2012-2013). A heater test in Opalinus Clay.
  • Coupled reservoir-geomechanical modeling of the In Sala industrial CO2 storage site, Algeria (2007-present).
  • Coupled THM analysis of induced seismicity at The Geysers Geothermal field, California (2006-Present).
  • Coupled HM modeling of excavation disturbed zone at the tunnel sealing experiment (TSX) in massive granite at the Manitoba URL in Canada (2006-2007).
  • Coupled HM modeling of major fault reactivation during the 1960 Matsushiro Earthquake Swarm at Matsushiro Japan (2006-2007).
  • Hydraulic injection tests and mechanical measurements at the Coaraz fractured rock site in France (2004-2009).
  • Drift Scale Test (DST), Yucca Mountain, Nevada (1997-2005). A high temperature (above water boiling) heater test conducted in highly fractured unsaturated rock.
  • Full Scale Engineering Barriers Experiment (FEBEX), Grimsel Test Site, Switzerland (1997-2003). A large-scale heater test in a bentonite-buffer and rock system.
  • Kamaishi Mine heater test, Japan (1995-1998): A heater test in a bentonite-buffer and fractured rock system.
  • Hydraulic injection test in a 1700-meter deep borehole at the Laxemar site, Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory, Sweden (1995-1996): Injection tests for in situ determination of normal stiffness of natural fractures and for studies of coupled HM effects during hydraulic stiffness measurements.

International Research Collaborations

Active in a number of international collaborative projects, starting with the DECOVALEX project on development and validation of coupled models, a project that has been ongoing since 1992 with high scientific output, including numerous journal publications and books. Hosted numerous international visiting scientists and students at LBNL and thereby fostering long-term research collaborations in the field of coupled processes in geological media.
  • Active in a Research Team as well as Task Leader for the international collaboration project DECOVALEX I, II, III, THMC, 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023 (Development of COupled models and their VAlidation against EXperiments in nuclear waste isolation). The project typically involves over 40 Research and Funding agencies in 10 countries. Served as Research Team on the behalf of Funding Organizations in Sweden, USA and U.K. (1992-Present)
  • Collaboration with a number of international researchers on the development of linked TOUGH-family codes and FLAC3D simulations for coupled THMC modeling of wide range of geoengineering applications (2003-Present)
  • Collaboration with AIST and JAPEX, Japan for TOUGH-FLAC modeling of coupled geomechanical processes associated with underground CO2 injection and heavy oil production with steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) (2011-Present)
  • Collaboration with Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) on coupled THM processes in bentonite and crystalline rock (2016-Present)
  • Collaboration with the Korean Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) on compressed air energy storage and thermal storage in underground caverns (2011-2016)
  • Partner in the In Salah Joint Industry Project for CO2 storage, Algeria, including BP and Statoil for the geomechanical analysis associated with the CO2 injection (2011-2013)
  • Collaboration with Taisei Corporation, Japan for modeling of coupled geomechanical processes and ground surface deformations associated with underground CO2 injection using the TOUGH-FLAC (2009-2011)
  • Collaboration with Taisei Corporations, Japan for modeling of coupled THM processes in engineered barrier systems using TOUGH-FLAC and the Barcelona Basic Model for unsaturated clay behavior in the Japanese nuclear waste program (2009-2011)
  • Joint research project on 1960s Matsushiro Earthquake Swarm as a natural analogue for CO2 storage and leakage with Mizuho Info and Research Institute, funded Ministry of Trade and Industry Ministry (METI) of Japan (2006-2007)
  • Collaboration with the Geoscience Azur Laboratory, and University of Nice, France for modeling of coupled processes at the Coaraz fractured rock site in Southern France (2004-2010)
  • Active as a Research Team in an international code comparison project for numerical models related to geological sequestration of greenhouse gases. The project involves 10 Research Organizations in 7 countries. Also task coordinator for Test Case on hydromechanical aspects (2000-2002)
  • Technical Secretary and task coordinator of the international collaboration projects DECOVALEX I and II (Development of COupled models and their VAlidation against EXperiments in nuclear waste isolation). The work included arrangements of international workshops, technical coordination and reporting of work conducted by 10 Research Teams in 8 countries (1991-1995)

Professional Activities

  • Associate Editor: International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences (2018-Present)
  • Editorial Board, vice Editor-in-Chief since 2018: Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (JRMGE) (2014-Present)
  • Editorial Board: Board of Area Editorial Advisor: Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment (GETE) (2014-Present)
  • Review Editorial Board of Frontiers in Carbon Capture, Storage, and Utilization, Nature Publication Group (2014-Present)
  • Editorial Board of Geosystems Engineering, Taylor & Francis (2019-Present)
  • Member of Professional Staff Committee, Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (2018-Present)
  • Member of International Scientific Committee of The Biot-Bažant Conference on Engineering Mechanics and Physics of Porous Materials, Northwestern University, Evanston, Indiana, June 1-3, 2021
  • Guest Co-Editor of Special Issue on Geomechanics for Deep Resource and Energy Exploitation in Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-energy and Geo-resources (2021)
  • Chair of CouFrac2020: 2nd International Conference on Coupled Processes in Fractured Geological Media, Seoul, Korea, November 11-13, 2020
  • Guest Co-Editor of Special Issue on Coupled Thermal-Hydro-Mechanical-Chemical Processes in Fractured Media for Hazard Control and Energy Exploration for the Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (2020)
  • Guest Co-Editor of Special Issue on Coupled Processes in Fractured Geological Media: Applied analysis in Deep Underground Tunneling, Mining and Nuclear Waste Disposal for Tunneling and Underground Space Technology (2020)
  • Guest Co-Editor of Special Issue on Observations of Coupled Processes in Fractured Geological Media at various space and time. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (2020)
  • Guest Co-Editor of Special Issue on Coupled Thermal-Hydro-Mechanical-Chemical Processes in Fractured Media: Microscale to Macroscale Numerical Modeling. Computational Geosciences (2020)
  • Co-convener of minisymposia at the 2019 SIAM Conference on Mathematical & Computational Issues in the Geosciences, March 10-14, 2019, Houston, Texas. Minisymposia title: advances in Modeling of Non-linear Elasticity and Plasticity for Geomaterials (2019)
  • Member of Scientific Committee of COGGUS2 Computational & Geoenvironmental Geomechanics for Underground and Subsurface Structures, Nancy, France, 12-14 February, 2019
  • Chair of CouFrac2018: International Conference on Coupled Processes in Fractured Geological Media, Wuhan, China, November 12-14, 2018
  • Member of Scientific Committee of the 5th International Symposium on Fracturing Geomechanics & Hard Rock Forum, Dalian, 11-13 July 2018
  • Co-convener of session at European Geophysical Union (EGU) General Assembly 2018, Vienna, April 8-13, 2018:.Session title: Evaluation of coupled THMC processes related to geo-energy applications: from laboratory to reservoir scale (2018)
  • Panel Member on Forecasting and Managing Induced Seismicity at the Mission Innovation Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage Experts’ International Workshop, Houston, September 25-29, 2017
  • Member of Scientific Committee of GeoProc2017, the 6th International GeoProc Conference, Paris, July 5-7, 2017
  • Member of the International Scientific Committee for 6th Biot Conference on Poromechanics, July 9-13 Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, Paris, France
  • Member of Scientific Committee for 2017 International Society of Rock Mechanics (ISRM) International Symposium "EUROCK 2017", 20-22 June, 2017, Ostrava, Czech Republic (2017)
  • Co-convener of session at European Geophysical Union (EGU) General Assembly 2017, Vienna, April 23-28, 2017: Session title: Process quantification and modelling in subsurface utilization (2017)
  • Co-convener of session at the 51st US Rock Mechanics / Geomechanics Symposium, San Francisco, CA, USA, June 25-28, 2017. Session title: Coupled Process Modeling (2017)
  • Co-convener of session at European Geophysical Union (EGU) General Assembly 2016, Vienna, April 17-22, 2016, Session title: Process quantification and modelling in subsurface utilization (2016)
  • Co-chair of International Forum on Rock Mechanics Aspects of CO2 Geological Storage, May 23-24, 2016, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China (2016)
  • Guest Co-Editor of Special Issue on Rock Mechanics Aspects of CO2 Geologic Storage for the Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (2016)
  • Organizing Committee Member of the 2015 TOUGH Symposium, September 28–30, 2015, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, CA, USA (2015)
  • Co-convener of session at American Geophysical Union (AGU), 2015 Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California, December 14-18, 2015. Session title: “Coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical processes related to geo-energy and geo-engineering applications” (2015)
  • Co-convener of session at the 49th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, San Francisco, CA, USA, 28 June- 1 July 2015. Session title: Coupled Process Modeling (2015)
  • Guest Co-Editor of Special Issue on TOUGH Symposium 2012 in Nuclear Technology (International Journal) (2014)
  • Co-convener of session at the 47th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, San Francisco, CA, USA, 23-26 June 2013. Session title: Coupled processes affecting fluid flow and geomechanics (2013)
  • Organizing Committee Member of the 2012 TOUGH Symposium, September 17–19, 2012, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, CA, USA (2012)
  • Organizing Committee Member of the 45th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, San Francisco, CA, USA, 28-29 June 2011 (2011)
  • Co-convener of session at the 45th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, San Francisco, CA, USA, 28-29 June 2011. Session title: CO2 Sequestration (2011)
  • Co-convener of programmatic theme at the 43rd US Rock Mechanics Symposium, Asheville, NC, USA, 28 June-1 July 2009. Theme title: Coupled Processes (2009)
  • Co-convener of session at the 42nd US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, San Francisco, CA, USA, 28-29 June 2008. Session title: Coupled Processes - Flow and Transport (2008)
  • Guest co-editor of special issue containing research results generated using the TOUGH codes in Energy Conversion Management (International Journal) (2007)
  • Research Area Leader on Geomechanical Modeling. Department of Geophysics, Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (2003-2007)
  • Member of Organizing Committee, International Conference on Coupled T-H-M-C Processes and Modeling of Geosystems (GEOPROC), October 13-15, 2003, Stockholm, Sweden (2003)

Honors and Awards

  • A team member of the National Risk Assessment Partnership, receiving R&D Magazine‘s 2017 R&D 100 Award for Toolset on Risk Assessment and Uncertainty Quantification Software for Geologic Carbon Storage (2017)
  • Excellent Paper Contribution Award: The 2013 paper “Linked multicontinuum and crack tensor approach for modeling of coupled geomechanics, fluid flow and transport in fractured rock” was Among the 5 most cited papers in 2016 of the Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (2016)
  • Certificate in Excellence in Reviewing 2015/2016 Geomechanics for Energy and Environment (International Journal) (2016)
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Spot Recognition Award for excellent and highly successful team effort orchestrating and organizing the 2015 TOUGH Symposium (2015)
  • American Rock Mechanics Association Applied Rock Mechanics Research Award for work for work related to modeling of fault reactivation and seismicity associated with geologic CO2 sequestration (2013)
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Director’s Award for Exceptional Tech Transfer Achievement, as part of the TOUGH developer’s team (2012)
  • American Rock Mechanics Association Case History Award for work reported in the paper entitled “Coupled analysis of change in Fracture Permeability during the cooling phase of the Yucca Mountain Drift Scale Test” (2010)
  • American Rock Mechanics Association Applied Rock Mechanics Research Award for work reported in the paper entitled “Fractured rock hydromechanics: from borehole testing to solute transport and CO2 storage” - by the Geological Society, London (2009)
  • American Rock Mechanics Associations Rock Mechanics Award for paper on “Coupled thermal-hydrological-mechanical analysis of the Yucca Mountain Drift Scale Test” (2006)
  • Recognition of commitment of performance excellence in contributing to the Regulatory Integration Team effort of the Yucca Mountain Project (2004)
  • Outstanding Performance Award—for work on coupled THM processes—Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (2001)
  • Wennergren Post-doctoral award (Sweden) for research commitment at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, California (1996-1997)

Publications

  • +600 technical publications, including +200 refereed journal papers
  • Web of Science: H-index = 54 and over 10,000 citations (as of July 2022)
  • Google Scholar: h-index 69 and over 18,500 citations (as of July 2022)
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