Aimé Fournier

I am principal investigator of a seven scientist study using ultrasound to detect subterranean permeability for environmental regulatory compliance.

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Research Interests

I currently have two main projects: one as PI detecting subterranean permeability, leaks etc. for environmental regulatory compliance; and one as research personnel exploring electro-fracturing of rocks for enhanced geothermal systems. Generally, as a physicist, I work on physics-based mathematical analysis and scientific computation, e.g. numerical solution of partial differential equations, including computational uncertainty quantification. As a data scientist, I’ve also worked on analyzing subterranean data measurements to estimate random variability. I’ve studied physics-informed neural networks and am interested to develop them and other deep learning methods further, to include physics requirements and uncertainty quantification.

Topics I investigate:

• My postdoc and I develop spectral models of wave dynamics in cylindrically symmetric layered porous media with fractures.
• With collaborators at a start-up and at a national lab, I develop models of electrical fracturing of rock, and nonlinear fluid-dynamical transport of proppant into fractures.
• On past projects, my postdocs and I developed signal processing methods for de-blending and de-correlating multiple signals.
• We also developed numerical methods for seismo-electrical coupling, i.e.: how ultrasonic waves can create electrical current in fluids in porous media.
• We also developed numerical methods for dynamical wave propagation in complex mixed media.