Facilities

The RTX-1500 from GCTS is an advanced triaxial testing system engineered for high-precision rock mechanics experiments under true in-situ stress conditions. Designed to evaluate strength, deformation, and fluid transport behavior, the system supports both static and dynamic loading scenarios with thermal and pore pressure control.

Key Specifications:

Axial Load Capacity: Up to 1500 kN (e.g., 2.9 GPa for Ø1″ samples; 740 MPa for Ø2″)

Confining Pressure: Up to 140 MPa

Pore Pressure: Up to 140 MPa

Temperature Control: 20–200 °C

Strain Rate: Up to 10⁻³ s⁻¹

Displacement Measurement: 2 axial + 1 circumferential LVDTs (±2.5 mm)

Integrated Capabilities:

Servo-controlled axial actuator for precise loading

SCON-2000 digital control system for real-time automation and high-speed data acquisition

HPVC-140 intensifier for stable pressure control

CATS software for test programming, monitoring, and data analysis

ISCO pumps for controlled injection of CO₂, H₂, or other fluids

Ultrasonic transducers for in-situ P- and S-wave velocity measurements

Measured Properties:

Drained and undrained bulk modulus (K, Kʹₛ), Young’s modulus (E), Poisson’s ratio (nu)

Biot coefficient (alpha), Skempton’s B coefficient (B)

Permeability (k), relative permeability (kr)

Unconfined compressive strength (UCS), hydraulic fracture testing

Advanced Hydrostatic Compression System

Our advanced hydrostatic compression system is designed for high-pressure poromechanical testing under purely isotropic stress conditions, without axial loading. The system enables precise control of confining and pore pressures while allowing full flexibility in sample geometry.

Key Specifications:

Confining Pressure: Up to 70 MPa

Pore Pressure: Up to 70 MPa

Axial Load: Not applied (hydrostatic)

Specimen Geometry: Unrestricted (customizable sample sizes and shapes)

Integrated Capabilities:

Direct strain gauge instrumentation for accurate volumetric strain measurements

Fully coupled pore fluid injection and flow monitoring

Compatible with fluid flow and permeability experiments under hydrostatic conditions

Measured Properties:

Drained, Unjacketed, Undrained Bulk moduli: K, Ks’, Ku

Permeability (k), Skempton’s B coefficient (B)

 

This system enables high-resolution consolidation and poromechanical testing of clay-rich geomaterials under controlled vertical stress conditions. It is specifically designed to generate full-saturation, resedimented specimens with well-defined stress and porosity states.

Key Capabilities:

Maximum Vertical Stress: Up to 100 MPa

Oedometer configuration (zero lateral strain)

Sample Preparation: Fully saturated, resedimented specimens with tunable void ratio

Stress-Porosity Control: Enables systematic correlation of porosity with vertical stress

Advanced Testing Features:

In-situ multiphase fluid injection under controlled loading

CO₂ and brine flow tests for breakthrough experiments

Capillary pressure and relative permeability characterization

Measured Properties:

Porosity

Consolidation parameters (e.g., Cc, Cr, Cv,Ca)

Intrinsic permeability (k), Relative permeability (kr)

CO₂ breakthrough pressure