Postdoctoral Research Associate in Chemical Design and Formulation of Densified Fluids

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Chemical Design and Formulation of Densified Fluids for Superhot Geothermal Systems

The Fractured Earth Laboratory and Microfluidics Laboratory in the Analytical Earth Science Group (EES-15) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to design and formulate new high-density working fluids for superhot geothermal systems.

The primary scientific responsibility of this position is fluid design. The successful candidate will identify promising chemical systems, formulate new fluids, establish composition-property relationships, and optimize tradeoffs among density, viscosity, rheology, phase stability, thermal stability, pumpability, chemical compatibility, and cost. The most promising formulations will then be experimentally qualified under extreme geothermal conditions.

The research will support gravity-assisted geothermal concepts and related subsurface-energy technologies requiring fluids that remain stable and functional at temperatures of 375 °C or higher and pressures of 22 MPa or higher. LANL provides extensive expertise and experimental capabilities in superhot geothermal systems, high-temperature/high-pressure experimentation, analytical chemistry, geomechanics, porous-media flow, and subsurface engineering. Prior geothermal experience is therefore beneficial but is not the primary requirement;

demonstrated expertise in fluid chemistry and formulation is more important.

• concentrated single- and mixed-salt brines;
• aqueous and nonaqueous high-density liquid systems;
• ionic, molecular, or hybrid working fluids;
• particle-laden and colloidal formulations;
• CO₂-assisted or other multiphase systems;
• additives, stabilizers, co solvents, or other components used to control density, viscosity, phase behavior, precipitation, or thermal stability.

The candidate will establish systematic composition-structure-property relationships and use them to guide formulation rather than relying solely on trial-and-error screening. Experimental measurements may include density, viscosity and rheology, phase behavior, solubility, thermal stability, heat capacity, dispersion stability, sedimentation, pumpability, and chemical and materials compatibility.

• thermal decomposition and chemical degradation;
• salt solubility and phase separation;
• Mineral dissolution and precipitation;
• secondary-phase formation;
• scaling and deposition;
• corrosion and materials compatibility;
• fluid-rock reactions;
• changes in rheological and thermophysical properties during thermal exposure.

Depending on the candidate's background, computational approaches such as thermodynamic modeling, molecular modeling, structure-property prediction, CALPHAD-type methods, or AI/ML-guided formulation screening may be used to reduce the experimental search space and accelerate fluid discovery.

LANL capabilities supporting this work include high-pressure rheometry, thermal conductivity device, Parr reactors, Dickson-style autoclaves, cold-seal and dynamic flow-through reactors, high-temperature/high-pressure Raman spectroscopy, ICP-MS/OES, XRD, SEM, thermal-analysis methods, wet-chemistry and mineralogy laboratories, core-flooding systems, and rock-mechanics facilities.

The candidate will work closely with scientists and engineers specializing in geochemistry, geomechanics, high-pressure/high-temperature experimentation, thermodynamic modeling, reactive transport, AI/ML, reservoir simulation, and geothermal engineering. The candidate will document reproducible formulation and testing methods, publish results in peer-reviewed journals, present at technical conferences, and contribute to collaborative research programs.

The…