GeoCERF’s first decade 

Dr. Gonzalo Zambrano‑Narvaez, Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta, presents his talk "GeoCERF’s first decade".
Abstract: In operation since June 2012, the Geotechnical Centrifuge Experimental Research Facility (GeoCERF) is a world-class research centre that is part of four unique GeoInnovation Environments (GIEs) established with the awarding of a $4.5M Canadian Foundation for Innovation/Research Capital Program to Dr. Rick Chalaturnyk in 2010. GeoCERF was able to take advantage of a potential “centrifuge” laboratory space built into the Natural Resources Engineering Facility (NREF) building with the foresight of Dr. Norbert Morgenstern. The other GIEs are i) the Geomechanical Reservoir Experimental Facility (GeoREF), ii) a facility for 3D Printing of Geological Media for Reservoir Geomechanics (GeoPRINT), and iii) the Geomechanical Reservoir Modelling Technology platform (GeoRMT) and along with GeoCERF, form Canada’s only major integrated research facility for training personnel in subsurface energy geomechanics. Dr. Chalaturnyk and Dr. Zambrano are the principal investigators for these GIEs.
This seminar will present an overview of the research conduced at GeoCERF in past decade. Research conducted in GeoCERF includes shallow and deep energy geotechnics engineering, foundation engineering, and verification process under hyper-gravity environments. GeoCERF has carried out numerous research programs supported by NSERC, Mitacs and industry research funds, allowing the team to conduct cutting-edge research, anticipate future research challenges, enhance the development of innovative technologies, and train a new generation of Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP). The team in GeoCERF continues to engage and collaborate with public and private sector organizations, pushing the boundaries of physical modelling research forward at an accelerated pace and proving that centrifuge modelling is an economical, effective, and highly efficient experimental method. For more information about our GeoInnovation Labs, including GeoCERF please visit www.geocerf.ca
Speaker Bio: Dr. Gonzalo Zambrano Narvaez, an assistant professor of geotechnical engineering at the University of Alberta, specializes in subsurface energy research. Dr. Zambrano's early contributions to geotechnical engineering revolved around geological CO2 storage, focusing on downhole instrumentation for Measurement, Monitoring, and Verification (MMV) protocols. Additionally, he is the president and co-founder of a Canadian consultant firm (GZN Consulting Inc.) that assists national and international organizations working on energy systems. Over the course of his career, Dr. Gonzalo Zambrano‑Narvaez has published 23 articles in refereed publications and 31 conference proceedings and has been awarded one patent. Dr. Zambrano played a pivotal role in establishing advanced laboratory facilities. These GeoInnovation Environments (GIEs) consist of GeoREF (high temperature/pressure experimental lab), GeoCERF (beam centrifuge research facility), GeoPrint (3D printing of rocks and fractures), and GeoRMT (reservoir geomechanical modeling platform). His collaborations with both public and private sector organizations have expanded the horizons of physical modeling research. In recognition of Dr. Gonzalo collective research efforts with the GeoCERF and GeoPrint teams, they were honored as finalists for the Alberta Science and Technology Leadership Award by the ASTech Foundation in 2019. Since 2018, Dr. Zambrano serves as a corresponding member for the Canadian Geotechnical Society on the Technical Committee of Physical Modeling in Geotechnics (TC104).