Ruben Juanes
ARCO Assistant Professor in Energy Studies
My students and I study the fundamentals of fluid dynamics and solid mechanics (and their coupling) in porous media, a branch of soft-matter physics. Our focus is on the flow of several fluid phases through the pore space ("multiphase flow"). The traditional equations are unable to describe some of the essential features of fluid-fluid displacements in porous media, such as viscous, capillary and gravity instabilities. Our theoretical, computational and experimental work is aimed at improving the fundamental understanding and predictive capabilities of such flows. My group is particularly interested in flow through complex (highly heterogeneous, fractured, and stress sensitive) geologic formations.
Our research is driven by the need for energy resources. Specific research application areas include:
- Enhanced oil recovery
- Geological carbon sequestration
- Methane hydrates in ocean sediments and permafrost
I teach courses in soil mechanics (undergraduate), groundwater hydrology (graduate) and computational methods for flow in porous media (advanced graduate). My current teaching schedule is:
- Fall 2009
1.035 -- Structural and Soil Mechanics(stellar website)
1.72 -- Groundwater Hydrology (stellar website)
- Previous semesters:
1.723 -- Computational Methods for Flow in Porous Media (stellar website)
- Courses at other institutions
- PGE383: Computational Geomechanics (UT Austin)
- PE120: Fundamentals of Petroleum Engineering (Stanford)
- PE224: Advanced Topics in Reservoir Simulation (Stanford)
- PE260: Environmental Aspects of Petroleum Engineering (Stanford)
- PE281: Applied Mathematics in Reservoir Engineering (Stanford)
- E77: Introduction to Computer Programming for Scientists and Engineers (UC Berkeley)
- CE100: Elementary Fluid Mechanics (UC Berkeley)
For other academic activities and a complete list of publications, see my complete CV
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Mass. Ave., Room 48-319
Cambridge, MA 02141, USA
Phone: (617) 253-7191
Fax: (617) 253-7475
Email: juanes@mit.edu
