1. GCTS RTX-1500 Triaxial Testing System
2. Advanced Hydrostatic Compression System
3. High-Pressure Consolidation/Resedimentation System
4. Advanced Core Flooding System
5. Bruker SKYSCAN 1273 – Micro X-Ray Computed Tomography
6. High-Pressure High-Temperature Titanium Reactor
7. Reactive Transport Continuous Flow System
8. ODiSI 7100 Series Optical Distributed Sensor Interrogators
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
The advanced core flooding system is a high-pressure flow system designed for coupled hydro-mechanical transport tests with real-time medical CT visualization. The setup integrates an X-ray–transparent pressure vessel and precision flow control to quantify permeability, multiphase behavior, and poroelastic response during injection.
Key Specifications
Specimen Diameter: 1–2 in core plugs
Confining Pressure: Up to 50 MPa
Pore Pressure: Up to 50 MPa
Flow Rate Range: 0.001–100 mL/min
Deformation Sensing: Axial/circumferential strain gauge measurements
Imaging Integration
CT Platform: Toshiba Aquilion medical X-ray CT
Core Holder: X-ray transparent pressure vessel
Capability: Time-lapse CT during flow and pressurization
Output: 3D saturation distribution
Integrated Capabilities
Single- and multiphase core flood testing
In-situ displacement monitoring
Compatible with brine, gas, and reactive fluids
Measured Properties
Intrinsic permeability (k)
Relative permeability (kr)
Skempton coefficient (B)
CT-derived saturation and flow-path evolution
The Bruker SKYSCAN 1273 is a X-ray micro-CT designed for multi-scale 3D imaging of geomaterials. The system supports large sample geometries while maintaining micron-scale spatial resolution, which makes it suitable for fracture and pore network characterization.
Key Specifications
X-ray Spot Size: < 5 µm equivalent focal spot
Maximum Sample Size: Up to 500 mm height and 300 mm diameter (XL configuration)
Maximum Voltage / Power: 130 kV, 39 W
