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Laboratory Equipment

High Pressure and Temperature (HPT) Laboratory (Earth Simulation Lab)

Rock and melt physics

Shuttle vessel

Internally heated silicone-oil filled pressure vessel with fluid-flow through capabilities. Used for core testing, direct shear and saw-cut set-ups. Temperature up to 200 ºC, external force up to 100 kN, sample size 25 and 35 mm diameter, confining pressure up to 70 MPa.

Category

Permanent

Group

Triaxial compression apparatus (conventional)

Type

Deformation apparatus

Heard vessel

Externally heated silicone-oil filled pressure vessel with fluid-flow through capabilities. Used for core testing, direct shear and saw-cut set-ups. Temperature up to 200 ºC, confining pressure up to 100 MPa, axial force up to 200 kN. Sample size from 25 mm diameter up to 50 mm diameter.

Category

Permanent

Group

Triaxial compression apparatus (conventional)

Type

Deformation apparatus

Hydrothermal rotary shear apparatus

Custom-built (in-house) rotary shear apparatus consisting of an internally heated water-filled pressure vessel housed inside a commercial 100 kN Instron load frame. The ring-shaped pistons have an outside diameter of 28 mm and an inside diameter of 22 mm, which translates to a maximum normal stress of ~250 MPa and velocities in the range 1 nm/s - 1 cm/s (defined on the average radius), depending on gear box and motor configuration. Fluid pressure is up to 300 MPa and temperature up to 700 ºC. Acoustic sensors are mounted at the bottom vessel, with the possibility of an additional sensor at the top.

Category

Permanent

Group

Rotary shear apparatus

Type

Deformation apparatus

Rotary shear apparatus

Room temperature rotary shear apparatus with rotational speeds of 0.001 to 12.5 rpm. Default ring size is 70/100 outside/inside diameter which translates to velocities from 5 micron/s up to 5 cm/s. Alternative ring sets with 80/100 and 30/60 are available. Also included are four pore fluid pressure holes on the rotational side of the sample for measuring local pore fluid pressure or temperature.

Category

Permanent

Group

Rotary shear apparatus

Type

Deformation apparatus

Addons

Type

Acoustic equipment

Group

Acoustic emission monitoring equipment

Description

Up to 16 AE sensors can be installed