Steve Beynon

I am a NERC-funded DTP Ph.D. student in the University of Liverpool’s rock deformation laboratory. My research focus is on the fluid flow properties of fractured geothermal reservoirs. I aim to experimentally constrain the effects of stress & temperature on fault & fracture properties within tight reservoirs, as well as the frictional & permeability properties of hydrothermal alteration mineralogy. More specifically, I hope to contribute understanding to the industry as to how fractures open & close during reservoir stimulation in the varying geological conditions within geothermal systems. I will principally be using high pressure – high temperature triaxial deformation apparatus, alongside thermal, geochemical and microstructural analyses. Structural and petrographic fieldwork will be undertaken in an active and exhumed geothermal setting, to which smaller-scale data obtained in the lab can be compared.

Prior to starting my Ph.D., I completed an MESci in geology at Cardiff University, where my masters project focussed on geochemical analysis and tectonic interpretation of volcanism in North Wales. I then went on to work as a geoscientist for a geothermal exploration company in Reykjavik and an oil & gas consultancy in North Wales before returning to academic research. The DTP offers a great range of training opportunities, as well as a cohort of similar-minded people involved in fascinating scientific research.