GERC - Virginia Tech Collaboration: Xu Tang


I am Xu Tang, a full time PhD student in the Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in the US. I work with Dr. Nino Ripepi at Virginia Tech in the field of geological storage of carbon dioxide in unconventional reservoirs, specifically unmineable coal seam and shale formations.
 
The purpose of my travel was to strengthen the partnership between Virginia Tech and the University of Nottingham with my trip fully funded by the Virginia Tech College of Engineering. I was at the University of Nottingham from the 11th – 17th July staying in halls of residence on the University Park Campus. During this time I worked with Dr. Matthew Hall, Dr. Lee Stevens and Dave Mee (analytical technician) to study the pore feature characterization of organic rock such as coal and shale. Our main focus is on the characterization of porosity and surface area in coal and shale samples taken from our US test sites. Our test results are so far very interesting and will prove useful in rethinking the current published gas sorption test data.
Apart from the interesting lab time I have to say I spent a wonderful week in Nottingham. The day I arrived in Nottingham Dr. Hall showed me the beautiful Nottingham campus and gave me some suggestions for my short stay. He also told me how squirrels store their food for later usage when we walked around the lake in the campus! During my stay I had a good time meeting members of GERC and Dr. Hall’s research group when we enjoyed an evening meal out together.
In my opinion, when you visit Nottingham, Nottingham Castle and the oldest inn in England (Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem) should definitely not be missed. Unfortunately on my visit there with Lee and Dave I only got to experience the soft drinks! 
Time always goes too quickly when you’re having fun but the memory of Nottingham and my friends will always be with me. If I ever get the chance again to choose another place to do my research, the University of Nottingham will be the one.

 
GERC has an established partnership with Virginia Tech especially the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research (VCCER)


 
 
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