Dr Jon Harrington

Jon Harrington’s biography

•  2003 – ongoing: Principal Research Scientist, Radioactive Waste, BGS
•  2009 – ongoing: Head Fluid Processes Research Facility, BGS
•  1993 – 1997: PhD Fluid migration in argillaceous media. Imperial College London
•  1995 – 1995: Co-founder, Transport Properties Research Laboratory (TPRL)
•  1992 – 2003: Fluid Processes Research Group, BGS
•  1991 – 1992: MSc Petroleum Engineering. Imperial College London
•  1989 – 1991: BEng honours in Minerals Surveying, Class (I). University of Leeds

Research interests

• Mass-transport (gas, water and solutes) and the coupled deformation behaviour of low permeability media, with particular application to underground disposal of radioactive waste, sequestration of carbon dioxide, gas storage and shale gas
• The deformation behaviour of engineered and geological barriers
• Seal behaviour/integrity in geological storage

Current projects and collaboration

• Head of Fluid Processes Research Facility in BGS encompassing state-of-the-art facilities for multi-phase flow, hydrate kinetics, fluid rock interactions, geomicrobiology, fracture mechanics and gas monitoring
• CONTAIN – The impaCt of hydrOcarbon depletioN on the Treatment of cAprocks within performance assessment for CO₂ InjectioN schemes (sponsor: EPSRC)
• Green River Project examining caprock integrity from Utah (sponsor: DECC)
• Flow and stress coupling in compact bentonite – Nuclear Decommissioning Agency (UK)
• Gas flow in bentonite (sponsor: SKB, Sweden)
• Transport properties of Opalinus Clay (Sponsor: Nagra, Switzerland)
• Gas migration behaviour of the Callovo-Oxfordian claystone, Bure URL, France (sponsors: Andra, France and BGS Core Strategic Programme)
• Hydraulic overpressuring and permeability of the Collovo-Oxfordian Claystone (sponsor: Andra, France)
• Fracture transmissivity as a function of normal and shear stress in the EDZ in the Opalinus Clay (sponsors: Nagra and BGS Core Strategic Programme)
• Validity of stress laws applied to bentonite engineered barriers (sponsor: SKB, Sweden)
• LASGIT – Large scale gas injection test at the Äspö Underground Research Laboratory (sponsor: SKB, Sweden)
• Geosphere Containment Project (sponsor: BGS Core Strategic Programme)
• CO₂ research into caprock behaviour (sponsor: BGS Core Strategic Programme)
• Research into flow within unconventional reservoirs (sponsor: BGS Core Strategic Programme)
• Member of Steering Committee of the EC-FP7 Forge Project (Fate of Repository Gases), and Work Package Leader for WP4: Disturbed host rock (DHR) formations (sponsor: FP7)

Published outputs

NERC Open Research Archive — Jon Harrington

Key papers

Cuss, R J, Harrington, J F, Noy, D, Graham, C C, and Sellin, P. (In press). Evidence of localised gas propagation pathways in a field‐scale bentonite engineered barrier system; results from three gas injection tests in the Large scale gas injection test (Lasgit), Applied Clay Science.

Cuss, R J, Harrington, J, Giot, R, and Auvray, C. 2014. Experimental observations of mechanical dilation at the onset of gas flow in Callovo-Oxfordian claystone. Clays in Natural and Engineered Barriers for Radioactive Waste Confinement. Geological Society Special Publications: London, United Kingdom, Geological Society of London

Pierre, G, Harrington, J, Charlier, R, and Collin, F. 2014. Modelling of localised gas preferential pathways in claystone. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, 67. 104-114. 10.1016/j.ijrmms.2014.01.009.

Graham, C C, Harrington, J F, Cuss, R J, and Sellin, P. 2014. Pore‐pressure cycling experiments on Mx80 bentonite. In: Norris, S, Bruno, J, Cathelineau, M, Delage, P, Fairhurst, C, Gaucher, E C, Höhn, E H, Kalinichev, A, Lalieux, P, and Sellin, P. (eds) Clays in Natural and Engineered Barriers for Radioactive Waste Confinement. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 400, doi: 10.1144/SP400.32.

Harrington, J F, Cuss, R C, Noy, D J, and Talandier, J. 2014. Processes Governing Advective Gas Flow in the Callovo Oxfordian Claystone (COx). Fourth EAGE Shale Workshop. DOI: 10.3997/2214-4609.20140026.

Harrington, J F, Volckaert, G, and Noy, D J. 2014. Long-term thermal impact of temperature on the hydraulic permeability of bentonite. Geol. Soc. Special Pub. DOI: 10.1144/SP400.31.

Cuss, R J, Harrington, J F., Noy, D J, Graham, C C, and Sellin, P. 2013. Gas flow in compact bentonite. Gas Generation and Migration. International Symposium and Workshop. Proceedings, Luxembourg, Pg 29.

Purser, G, Milodowski, A E, Harrington, J F, Rochelle, C A, Butcher, A, and Wagner, D. 2013. Modification to the flow properties of repository cement as a result of carbonation. Procedia Earth and Planetary Science, 7. 701-704. 10.1016/j.proeps.2013.03.102.

Cuss, R J, Harrington, J F, Graham, C J, Sathar, S, and Milodowski, T. 2012. Observations of stable high-pressure differentials in clay-rich materials; implications for the concept of effective stress. Mineralogical Magazine, December 2012, Vol. 76(8), pp.3115-3129.

Graham, C C, Harrington, J F, Cuss, R J, and Sellin, P. 2012. Gas migration experiments in bentonite: implications for numerical modelling, Mineralogical Magazine, Vol. 76(8), pp. 3279–3292.

Harrington, J F, Milodowski, A E, Graham, C C, Rushton, J C, and Cuss, R J. 2012. Evidence for gas-induced pathways in clay using a nanoparticle injection technique, Mineralogical Magazine, Vol. 76(8), pp. 465–474.

Harrington, J F, de la Vaissiere, R, Noy, D J, Cuss, R J, and Talandier, J. 2012. Gas flow in Callovo-Oxfordian claystone (COx): results from laboratory and field-scale measurements. Mineralogical Magazine, 76 (8). 3303-3318. 10.1180/minmag.2012.076.8.43.

Cuss, R J, Harrington, J F, Noy, D J, Wikman, A, and Sellin, P. 2011. Large scale gas injection test (Lasgit): Results from two gas injection tests. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth. 36, pp.1729-1742.

Harrington, J F, Birchall, D, Noy, D, Cuss, R, and Graham, C. 2011. Consolidation and mass transport properties of the Nordland Shale, Geophysical Research Abstracts, 13, 12688.

Boards and committees

• Co-chaired sessions at a number of recent conferences including: – EGU (2013, 2014) on Unconventional Hydrocarbons – EAGE 4th Shale Workshop (2014) on Seals for Carbon Sequestration – Clays in Natural and Engineered Barriers for Radioactive Waste Confinement (2012) on Mass transfer/mechanisms