FAZEL MIRZAEI – THE DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS
Fazel Mirzaei has submitted the following academic thesis as part of the doctoral work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU):
“Neutron and X-ray microscopy of water dynamics, liquefaction and ice formation in porous media”
Assessment Committee
The Faculty of Natural Sciences has appointed the following Assessment Committee to assess the thesis:
- 1rst opponent: Professor Luise Theil Kuhn, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
- 2nd opponent: Dr. David Wragg, Institute for Energy Technology , Norway
- Internal member: Professor Turid Reenaas, Department of Physics, NTNU
Professor Turid Reenaas has been appointed Administrator of the Committee. The Committee recommends that the thesis is worthy of being publicly defended for the PhD degree.
Supervisors
The doctoral work has been carried out at the Department of Physics, where Professor Dag Werner Breiby has been the candidate’s supervisor. Professor Francois Renard and Professor Knut Eilif Aasmundtveit have been the candidate’s co-supervisors.
Public trial lecture:
Time: 10th of June at 10:15
Place: H1, Main building, NTNU Gløshaugen
Prescribed subject: “Multi-scale CT: Understanding porous samples by imaging over a several length and ROI scales”
Public defence of the thesis:
Time: 10th of June at 13:15
Place: H1, Main building, NTNU Gløshaugen
Summary of thesis:
From freezing soil in cold climates to the safe underground storage of carbon dioxide, understanding the fundamental physics of liquid interactions with porous materials is key to addressing industrial and environmental challenges. This PhD thesis experimentally explores how water and other liquids interact with materials like soil, rock, cement, and glass under varying physical and chemical conditions. By using advanced imaging techniques like X-ray and neutron tomography, the research investigates the physical mechanisms driving these interactions.
One part of this work explores frost heave, which is caused not by water expansion upon freezing, but by suction-driven migration of liquid water toward the freezing front. This requires fine-grained soils (e.g., clay or silt) and a downward temperature gradient, forming ice lenses that lift the ground surface and damage infrastructure. We developed an experimental setup integrated with bi-modal tomographic imaging—combining X-ray and neutron techniques—to capture time-resolved, volumetric images of ice lenses and their interaction with the porous matrix and liquid transport. Another study focuses on soil liquefaction, where sediments lose mechanical strength and behave like fluids, potentially causing catastrophic landslides. Using neutron and X-ray imaging, we examined how different saline solutions influence liquefaction onset or suppression, revealing the role of fluid chemistry and pressure in structural stability. To study fast liquid dynamics in porous media, we employed 4D X-ray microscopy to capture fluid motion in sintered glass at sub-millisecond resolution—critical for applications in filtration, energy storage, and CO₂ sequestration. The thesis also investigates the mechanical response of porous construction materials—specifically cement and shale—key to structural and geotechnical engineering. Through time-lapse X-ray CT, we tracked crack growth and damage under cyclic loading, providing insights into material fatigue and long-term durability.
A major contribution of this work is the development of innovative experimental methods and imaging tools that merge neutron and X-ray techniques. These advancements enhance our ability to visualize complex, previously inaccessible processes, paving the way for future physics-based research in energy, infrastructure, and environmental science.