Unit 3: Geologists: investigating rock porosity

Dense and porous rock formations can be used to permanently store carbon dioxide underground. We started the session by looking at different types of rocks and writing down observations:

We then chose sandstone to check its porosity:

 

Here are our findings:

Testing rock porosity – sandstone

Sample number	Mass before (g)	Mass after  (g)	Difference  (g)
1	68.0	68.7	0.7
2	60.3	64.6	4.3
3	79.8	85.5	5.7
4	54.2	58.1	3.9
5	72.8	78.3	5.5
6	82.6	88.8	6.2
7	38.7	41.3	2.6
8	27.2	27.9	0.7
9	88.8	93.7	4.9
10	53.8	57.9	4.1

Unit 3: Transport Engineers: Investigating Pressure and Transport

To transport carbon dioxide in a safe and efficient way, we need to consider a number of factors. For example, how pressure is going to affect it.

Experiment 1 - what happens to the pressure of a gas when it is contained in a small space?

Experiment 2 - how can carbon dioxide be transported most efficiently?

Unit 3: Carbon Dioxide Properties and Capture - Chemists

In today's session we looked at the properties of carbon dioxide. This is important because we need to know if it is suitable for underground storage. This will also help to check if it leaks into groundwater or into the surface. 

Carbon dioxide is denser than air:
Experiment 1

Experiment 2:

Carbon dioxide turns limewater milky/cloudy. This is because white solid, calcium carbonate, is formed:

 

We noted down our findings on the worksheet: 

 

Unit 2: Make a Power Station

Today we put into test the knowledge gained in the previous session and attempted to create a power station.

Planning:

Practical: