Brian R. Ellis

Associate Professor

Location

167 EWRE

1351 Beal Avenue, 167 EWRE Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2125

Primary Website

Brian Ellis

Education

• PhD, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 2012
• MA, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 2009
• BS, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2006

Research Interests

My research interests cover topics related to the sustainable and safe development of emerging energy technologies. Included among these activities are geologic storage of CO2 and large-scale hydraulic fracturing of unconventional oil/gas reservoirs. We examine important water-rock interactions that occur in these subsurface systems through a combination of experimental studies (bench-scale high-pressure flow-through and batch reactors), imaging techniques (computed micro-tomography, SEM, XRF, XANES) and geochemical modeling. Specific topics of interest: permeability evolution in fractured geologic media, release/transport of groundwater contaminants from shale gas reservoirs, development of regulatory policy pertaining to hydraulic fracturing activities.

Videos

To watch a video of me discussing Shale Gas Extraction, please click here. To watch my video on the impact of fracking, please click here.

Professional Service

• Member, Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors
• Member, American Geophysical Union
• Member, American Chemical Society
• Member, Geochemical Society

Awards

• CAREER Award, National Science Foundation, 2020
• CEE Faculty Excellence Award, University of Michigan College of Engineering, 2019 
• National Academy of Engineering US Frontiers of Engineering Symposium (participant), 2018  
• NSF Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES) Fellow, 2012 – 2016.
• ExCeed Fellowship, American Society of Civil Engineers, 2015
• Doctoral New Investigator award, ACS Petroleum Research Fund, 2015
• Junior Fellow, Michigan Society of Fellows, 2012 – 2015
• Freeman Fellowship, American Society of Civil Engineers, 2010
• NSF-AEESP Grand Challenge Student Paper Award, 2009
• Science, Technology & Environmental Policy Fellowship, Princeton Environmental Institute, Princeton University, 2009

Publications

• Menefee, A.H., Welch, N.J., Frash, L.P., Hicks, W., Carey, J.W., Ellis, B.R. (2020). Rapid mineral precipitation during shear fracturing of carbonate-rich shales. Journal of Geophysical Research – Solid Earth, 125 (6), e2019JB018864.
• Menefee, A.H., Ellis, B.R. (2020). Wastewater management strategies for sustained shale gas production. Environmental Research Letters, 15 (2), 024001.
• Adeoye, J.T., Zhang, D., Li, V.C., Ellis, B.R. (2020). Novel ductile wellbore cementitious composite for geologic CO₂ storage, International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 94, 102896.
• Lim, T., Ellis, B.R., Skerlos, S.J. (2019). Mitigating CO₂ emissions of concrete manufacturing through CO₂-enabled binder reduction. Environmental Research Letters, 14, 114014.
• Das. S, Adeoye, J., Dhiman, I., Bilheux, H., Ellis, B.R. (2019). Imbibition of mixed charge surfactant fluids in shale fractures. Energy & Fuels, 33(4), 2839-2847.
• Zhang, D., Li, V.C, Ellis, B.R. (2018). Optimal pre-hydration age for CO₂ sequestration through Portland cement carbonation. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 6(12), 15976-15981.
• Fan, W., Hayes, K.F., Ellis, B.R. (2018). Estimating radium activity in shale gas produced brine. Environmental Science and Technology, 52(18), 10839-10847. 
• Menefee, A.H., Giammar, D.E., Ellis, B.R. (2018). Permanent CO₂ trapping through localized and chemical gradient-driven basalt carbonation. Environmental Science and Technology, 52(15), 8954-8964.