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Mengsu Hu

Research Scientist

Building 074A, Room 0103

M/S 74R316C

Phone: 510-486-5154

[email protected]

Curriculum Vitae

  • Education
  • Experience
  • Awards
  • Scholarly Service
  • Teaching Experiences
  • Funded Research Project Awards
  • Invited Talks
  • Journal Publications
  • Book Chapters

Biography

I am currently a Research Scientist in the Energy Geosciences Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). I received a BEng in Civil Engineering in 2010 and a PhD in Geotechnical Engineering in 2016. My research focuses on numerical modeling of coupled thermal-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes in the energy geosciences, including: (1) novel computational methods development such as extended finite volume method (XFVM), numerical manifold method (NMM), (2) numerical modeling of microscale coupled processes for understanding fundamental mechanisms, and (3) multi-scale, long-term analysis of THM processes in energy-geosciences applications such as nuclear waste disposal and geothermal exploitation. My research interests are continuously broadening with my increased understanding of numerical modeling and machine learning, fundamental geosciences, and energy geosciences applications. More recently, I became interested in exploring ‘smart’ use of machine learning for energy geosciences applications.

   

Research Interests

Numerical modeling of coupled thermal-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes in the energy geosciences, including:

  • Novel computational methods development: extended finite volume method (XFVM), numerical manifold method (NMM);
  • Numerical modeling of microscale mechanical-chemical processes such as pressure solution, carbonate compaction, clay swelling, fracture alteration and fracture healing;
  • Multi-scale, long-term analysis of THM processes in energy-geosciences applications such as nuclear waste disposal, geothermaol exploitation.

Education

  • PhD, Hohai University, 2010-2016
  • Visiting PhD student, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2012-2014
  • BEng, China University of Mining and Technology, 2006-2010

Experience

  • Research Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2018-Present
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2016-2018

Awards

  • ARMA Future Leader, American Rock Mechanics Association, 2020 -
  • Early Career Enrichment Program, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2019
  • No. 1 Ranked Outstanding PhD Thesis Award, Chinese Society for Rock Mechanics and Engineering, 2018
  • Spot Recognition Award for the novel and innovative contributions towards the preparation of an Energy Frontier Research Center proposal, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2018
  • Spot Recognition Award for outstanding contributions to the field of coupled processes modeling, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2016
  • The National Scholarship, the Ministry of Education, China, 2015, 2014, 2008, 2007

Scholarly Service

  • Session Organizer, International Conference on coupled processes in fractured geological media: observation, modeling, and application, CouFrac 2020 (Session co-organizers: Adriana Paluszny, Pania Newell, Shaojun Li, Laura Blanco-Martín), 2020
  • Session Organizer, 54th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium (Session co-organizer: Zhou Lei), 2020
  • Guest Editor, Computational Geosciences Special Issue: CouFrac 2018 (Co-editors: Carl Steefel, Jonny Rutqvist), 2019-2020
  • Reviewer, NSF CAREER proposal, 2019-Present
  • General Secretary and Member, Commission on Coupled Thermal-Hydro-Mechanical-Chemical Processes in Fractured Rock, International Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, 2018-2019
  • Co-Chair, International Conference on Coupled Processes in Fractured Geological Media: Observation, Modeling, and Application, CouFrac 2018 (Conference chair: Jonny Rutqvist; Co-chairs: Ki-Bok Min, Pengzhi Pan), 2018
  • Organizing Committee Member, TOUGH Symposium 2018 (Symposium chair: Curtis Oldenburg; Co-organizers: Yingqi Zhang, Matthew Reagan, Eric Sonnenthal), 2018
  • Session Co-Chair, 51st US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium (Session co-organizer: Jonny Rutqvist), 2017
  • Organizing Committee, 13th International Conference on Analysis of Discontinuous Deformation (ICADD 13), 2017
  • Reviewer for: Advances in Water Resources, Applied Mathematical Modelling, Computers and Geotechnics, Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, Engineering Analysis with Boundary Elements, Geofluids, Hydrogeology Journal, International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, Journal of Geophysical Research - Solid Earth, Journal of Hydrology, Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences, Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, Scientific Reports, Tunneling and Underground Space Technology, Structural Engineering, SPE Journal, Water Resources Research
  • Reviewer, 6th Biot conference on Poromechanics
  • Reviewer for books: “Hydraulic Fracture Modeling” (Elsevier), “Science of Carbon Storage in Deep Saline Formation: Process Coupling Across Time and Spatial Scales” (Elsevier)

Teaching Experiences

  • 2019- , Instructor, University of California, Berkeley, EPS 200 001 - LEC 001, Problems in Hydrogeology (Co-teaching with: Carl Steefel, Jonny Rutqvist, Curt Oldenburg)

Funded Research Project Awards

  • 2019-2021, PI, Extended Finite Volume Method for Coupled Processes in Complex Fractured Geological Systems, Early Career Laboratory Directed Research Development (LDRD), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA.
  • 2018-2019, PI, Modeling of Hydraulic Fracturing Using Numerical Manifold Method. State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, China.
  • 2015-2016, PI, Model Development of Coupled Hydro-mechanical Processes in Fractured Rock Using Numerical Manifold Methods with Application to Geological Storage of CO2. The Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China.
  • 2012-2016, PI, Modeling of Coupled Hydro-mechanical Processes Associated with Geological Storage of CO2 Based on Modern Numerical Methods. Graduates Science Innovation Research Project, Jiangsu Province, China.

Invited Talks

  • Mengsu Hu. NMM model development for analysis of coupled hydro-mechanical processes in heterogeneous media. 51st meeting of Commission on DDA Application of Rock Engineering, Japan. December 17, 2015, Tokyo, Japan.
  • Mengsu Hu. Model development of NMM for analysis of flow in heterogeneous media with application to hydro-mechanical coupling in fractured rock masses. 5th Northeastern University Forum of Rock mechanics- Numerical Methods for Discontinuous Media. June 23, 2015, Shenyang, China.

Journal Publications

  • Mengsu Hu, Jonny Rutqvist. Microscale mechanical modeling of deformable geomaterials with dynamic contacts based on the numerical manifold method. Computational Geosciences. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10596-020-09992-z
  • Mengsu Hu, Jonny Rutqvist. Numerical manifold method modeling of coupled processes in fractured geological media at multiple scales. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrmge.2020.03.002
  • Mengsu Hu, Jonny Rutqvist. Finite volume modeling of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes with application to brine migration in salt. Computational Geosciences 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10596-020-09943-8
  • Siji Tao, Xuhai Tang, Jonny Rutqvist, Mengsu Hu, Quansheng Liu. Simulating three dimensional thermal cracking with TOUGH-FEMM. Computers and Geotechnics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2020.103654
  • Eric Guiltinan, Kristopher Kuhlman, Jonny Rutqvist, Mengsu Hu, Hakim Boukhalfa, Melissa Mills, Shawn Otto, Douglas Weaver, Brian Dozier, and Philip Stauffer. Temperature response and brine availability to heated boreholes in bedded salt. Vadose Zone Journal 2020. https://doi.org/10.1002/vzj2.20019
  • Tianjiao Li, Chun’an Tang, Jonny Rutqvist, Mengsu Hu, Lianchong Li, Liaoyuan Zhang, Bo Huang. The influence of an interlayer on dual hydraulic fractures propagation. Energies 13: 555, 2020. doi:10.3390/en13030555
  • Xuhai Tang, Jonny Rutqvist, Mengsu Hu, Nithin Manohar Rayudu. Modeling three-dimensional fluid-driven propagation of multiple fractures using TOUGH-FEMM. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering 52 (2): 611-627, 2019.
  • Mengsu Hu, Jonny Rutqvist, Yuan Wang. A numerical manifold method model for analyzing fully coupled hydro-mechanical processes in porous rock masses with discrete fractures. Advances in Water Resources 102: 111-126, 2017.
  • Mengsu Hu, Yuan Wang, Jonny Rutqvist. Fully coupled hydro-mechanical numerical manifold modeling of porous rock with dominant fractures. Acta Geotechnica 12(2): 231-252, 2017.
  • Mengsu Hu, Jonny Rutqvist, Yuan Wang. A practical model for flow in discrete-fracture porous media by using the numerical manifold method. Advances in Water Resources 97: 38-51, 2016.
  • Mengsu Hu, Yuan Wang, Jonny Rutqvist. On continuous and discontinuous approaches for modeling groundwater flow in heterogeneous media using the numerical manifold method: model development and comparison. Advances in Water Resources 80: 17-29, 2015.
  • Mengsu Hu, Yuan Wang, Jonny Rutqvist. Development of a discontinuous approach for modeling fluid flow in heterogeneous media using the numerical manifold method. International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics 39: 1932- 1952, 2015.
  • Mengsu Hu, Yuan Wang, Jonny Rutqvist. An effective approach for modeling water flow in heterogeneous media using Numerical Manifold Method. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids 77: 459-476, 2015.
  • Yuan Wang, Mengsu Hu, Quanlin Zhou, Jonny Rutqvist. Energy-work-based numerical manifold seepage analysis with an efficient scheme to locate the phreatic surface. International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics 38: 1633-1650, 2014.
  • Yuan Wang, Mengsu Hu, Quanlin Zhou, Jonny Rutqvist. A new second-order numerical manifold method model with an efficient scheme for analyzing free surface flow with inner drains. Applied Mathematical Modelling 40: 1427-1445, 2016.

Book Chapters

  • Jonny Rutqvist, Bruno Figueiredo, Mengsu Hu, Chin-Fu Tsang. Continuum modeling of hydraulic fracturing in complex fractured rock masses. Hydraulic Fracture Modeling. Edited by Yu-Shu Wu. Houston: Gulf Professional Publishing, 2018.
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