Laura Elizabeth Dalton

Research Interests

4D Imaging; Carbon sequestration in porous materials; sustainable material development; structural integrity of carbon capture and storage wells; reactive transport in porous materials

Bio

Professor Dalton joined Duke University in August 2022 after obtaining her PhD from North Carolina State University, MS and BS from West Virginia University. Dr. Dalton is an experimentalist and her research interests include studying and understanding reactive, multiphase transport in porous media. She is particularly interested in understanding and manipulating chemical and physical processes that occur during reactive, multiphase transport in both engineered (cementitious) and natural (geological) porous materials. To this end, she uses quantitative imaging approaches such as X-ray computed tomography (CT), neutron tomography, and electrical imaging modalities including electrical capacitance tomography (ECT). She is interested in using hybrid and simultaneous imaging modalities because complementary and temporal information can be obtained using these approaches to better understand complex processes such as developing innovative methods to sequester CO₂. 

Education

• B.A. West Virginia Wesleyan College, 2012
• B.S. West Virginia University, 2015
• M.Sc.Eng. West Virginia University, 2016
• Ph.D. North Carolina State University, 2022

Positions

• Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Courses Taught

• EGR 201L: Mechanics of Solids
• CEE 702: Graduate Colloquium
• CEE 691: Independent Study: Advanced Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering
• CEE 690: Advanced Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering
• CEE 494: Research Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering
• CEE 493: Research Independent Study in Civil and Environmental Engineering

Publications

• Choi H, Dalton LE, Peszlen I, Pourghaz M. The impacts of CaCO3 deposition in natural wood on its viscoelastic properties. Composites Part B: Engineering. 2024 Apr 15;275.
• Dalton LE, Räsänen M, Voss A, Seppänen A, Pourghaz M. Investigating the use of electrical capacitance tomography to image rapid transient moisture flow through cracks in concrete. Cement and Concrete Composites. 2023 Jul 1;140.
• Wang H, Dalton L, Guo R, McClure J, Crandall D, Chen C. Application of unsupervised deep learning to image segmentation and in-situ contact angle measurements in a CO2-water-rock system. Advances in Water Resources. 2023 Mar 1;173.
• Wang H, Dalton L, Fan M, Guo R, McClure J, Crandall D, et al. Corrigendum to “Deep-learning-based workflow for boundary and small target segmentation in digital rock images using UNet++ and IK-EBM” [215 (2022) 110596](S0920410522004715)(10.1016/j.petrol.2022.110596). Geoenergy Science and Engineering. 2023 Feb 1;221.
• Dalton L, Lamanna J, Jones S, Pour-Ghaz M. VI. TRANSPORT IN POROUS MEDIA: DOES THE INTERFACIAL TRANSITION ZONE INFLUENCE MOISTURE TRANSPORT IN CONCRETE? In: Album of Porous Media: Structure and Dynamics. 2023. p. 107.
• Dalton LE, LaManna JM, Jones S, Pour-Ghaz M. Does ITZ Influence Moisture Transport in Concrete? Transport in Porous Media. 2022 Sep 1;144(3):623–39.
• Wang H, Dalton L, Fan M, Guo R, McClure J, Crandall D, et al. Deep-learning-based workflow for boundary and small target segmentation in digital rock images using UNet++ and IK-EBM. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering. 2022 Aug 1;215.
• Guo R, Dalton L, Crandall D, McClure J, Wang H, Li Z, et al. Role of heterogeneous surface wettability on dynamic immiscible displacement, capillary pressure, and relative permeability in a CO2-water-rock system. Advances in Water Resources. 2022 Jul 1;165.
• Dalton LE, Crandall D, Pour-Ghaz M. Supercritical, liquid, and gas CO2 reactive transport and carbonate formation in portland cement mortar. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control. 2022 May 1;116.
• Guo R, Dalton LE, Fan M, McClure J, Zeng L, Crandall D, et al. The role of the spatial heterogeneity and correlation length of surface wettability on two-phase flow in a CO2-water-rock system. Advances in Water Resources. 2020 Dec 1;146.
• Fan M, McClure JE, Armstrong RT, Shabaninejad M, Dalton LE, Crandall D, et al. Influence of Clay Wettability Alteration on Relative Permeability. Geophysical Research Letters. 2020 Sep 28;47(18).
• Harbert W, Goodman A, Spaulding R, Haljasmaa I, Crandall D, Sanguinito S, et al. CO2 induced changes in Mount Simon sandstone: Understanding links to post CO2 injection monitoring, seismicity, and reservoir integrity. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control. 2020 Sep 1;100.
• Dalton LE, Jarvis K, Pour-Ghaz M. The Effect of Gas Solubility on the Secondary Sorption in a Portland Cement Mortar Observed by X-ray CT. Transport in Porous Media. 2020 Jul 1;133(3):397–411.
• Haeri F, Tapriyal D, Sanguinito S, Shi F, Fuchs SJ, Dalton LE, et al. CO2-Brine Contact Angle Measurements on Navajo, Nugget, Bentheimer, Bandera Brown, Berea, and Mt. Simon Sandstones. Energy and Fuels. 2020 May 21;34(5):6085–100.
• Dalton LE, Tapriyal D, Crandall D, Goodman A, Shi F, Haeri F. Contact Angle Measurements Using Sessile Drop and Micro-CT Data from Six Sandstones. Transport in Porous Media. 2020 May 1;133(1):71–83.
• Dávila G, Dalton L, Crandall DM, Garing C, Werth CJ, Druhan JL. Reactive alteration of a Mt. Simon Sandstone due to CO2-rich brine displacement. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 2020 Feb 15;271:227–47.
• Dalton LE, Crandall D, Goodman A. Characterizing the Evolution of Trapped scCO2 Curvature in Bentheimer and Nugget Sandstone Pore Geometry. Geofluids. 2020 Jan 1;2020.
• Fan M, Dalton LE, McClure J, Ripepi N, Westman E, Crandall D, et al. Comprehensive study of the interactions between the critical dimensionless numbers associated with multiphase flow in 3D porous media. Fuel. 2019 Sep 15;252:522–33.
• Akono AT, Druhan JL, Dávila G, Tsotsis T, Jessen K, Fuchs S, et al. A review of geochemical–mechanical impacts in geological carbon storage reservoirs. Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology. 2019 Jun 1;9(3):474–504.
• Dalton LE, Brown S, Moore J, Crandall D, Gill M. Laboratory foamed-cement-curing evolution using CT scanning: Insights from elevated-pressure generation. SPE Drilling and Completion. 2019 Mar 1;34(1):81–91.
• Dalton LE, Klise KA, Fuchs S, Crandall D, Goodman A. Methods to measure contact angles in scCO2-brine-sandstone systems. Advances in Water Resources. 2018 Dec 1;122:278–90.
• Soong Y, Crandall D, Howard BH, Haljasmaa I, Dalton LE, Zhang L, et al. Permeability and Mineral Composition Evolution of Primary Seal and Reservoir Rocks in Geologic Carbon Storage Conditions. Environmental Engineering Science. 2018 May 1;35(5):391–400.
• Dalton LE, Crandall D, Shanley K, Gill M, Rosenbaum E, Moore J, et al. Foamed cement generation methods: Insights from macro-porosity and void distribution. ACI Materials Journal. 2018 Jan 1;115(1):89–103.
• Kutchko B, Crandall D, Moore J, Gieger C, Gill M, Haljasmaa I, et al. Assessment of pressurized foamed cement used in deep offshore wells. In: Proceedings of the Annual Offshore Technology Conference. 2015. p. 3878–99.

In The News

• Civil Engineering Is Having a Moment (May 15, 2024 | Pratt School of Engineering)
• Duke Climate Solutions Panel Offers Cautious Hope for a Warming Planet (Feb 9, 2024 | Duke Today)
• Laura Dalton: How Mass Moves Through Rocks and Other Hard Places (Oct 29, 2022 | Pratt School of Engineering)
• Laura Dalton: Watching Mass Move Through Rocks and Other Hard Places (Aug 17, 2022 | Duke Engineering News)