This Ph.D. proposal focuses on the numerical modeling of magmatic brines, which are metal-rich hydrothermal fluids that originate from deep processes occurring several kilometers beneath volcanoes. These brines contain high concentrations of metals, including copper and other critical metals, and have significant geothermal potential while existing under extreme conditions of high temperature and pressure. This work addresses a gap in current research as existing studies have simplified either the fluid composition or the rock's physical properties without considering the metallogenic potential.
This thesis is part of the MAGBRINES ANR project (2024–2028), combining multiple disciplines to study brine formation and behavior in West Indies volcanoes, including Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Dominica. The candidate will use the multi-phase, multi-component ComPASS fluid simulator. Relying on existing literature, further development will be necessary to account for the effect of salt on fluid behavior under supercritical conditions, where fluid properties undergo sharp changes. The research will investigate vapor-liquid coexistence and dissolution-precipitation processes that dynamically affect matrix permeability.
The PhD work is tightly integrated into the MAGBRINES project. The physical model will be implemented by taking into account the experimental results from other work packages, and the ultimate goal is to compare the results of numerical simulations with the electrical signatures of such systems, relying on geophysical data currently being acquired by BRGM in the West Indies. Ultimately, once the electrical data is successfully reproduced through numerical modeling, the results will demonstrate the potential of numerical simulations in evaluating the geothermal and metallogenic potential of magmatic brines.
