Roman Makhnenko

Assistant Professor

(217) 300-4587

romanmax@illinois.edu

2221 Newmark Civil Engineering Bldg

Primary Research Area

Geotechnical Engineering

Research Areas

For More Information

Rock_Mechanics.Illinois

Biography

Roman Makhnenko is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Roman received his undergraduate degree in mechanics and applied mathematics at Lomonosov Moscow State University in 2007. He then obtained his MS (2009) and PhD (2013) degrees in geological and civil engineering from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. From 2013 to 2016, Dr. Makhnenko worked as a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL, Switzerland) on the project related to assessment of geological storage of CO2. Currently, Prof. Makhnenko is developing a rock mechanics program at Illinois that involves modern high-pressure high-temperature rock testing facilities and new graduate courses on the topic.

Prof. Makhnenko teaches CEE 380 Geotechnical Engineering, CEE 586 Rock Mechanics and Behavior, and CEE498ges GeoEnergy Systems.

Education

Doctor of Philosophy, Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, 2013
Master of Science, Geological Engineering, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, 2009
Specialist degree, Mechanics and Applied Mathematics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 2007

Academic Positions

Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 12/2016 - present
Assistant Professor, Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE),University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 04/2023-present.
Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer, Laboratory of Soil Mechanics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), 07/2013 - 11/2016

Journal Editorships

Editorial Board member, International Journal of Rock Mechanics & Mining Sciences, April 2023 - present.
Co-editor, ASCE Geo-Congress Technical Publications, 2020
Co-editor, Geofluids, 2019. Special issue on "Geomechanics and fluid flow in geothermal systems".

Professional Societies

Task leader of ISRM Working Group on Suggested Method for Achieving Full Water-Saturation of Rock, 2022-2024
Member of "Underground Storage and Utilization Technical Committee" in the American Rock Mechanics Association, since 2021
Member of "Geo Institute Rock mechanics" committee in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), since 2018
Member of commission on "Coupled Thermal-Hydro-Mechanical-Chemical Processes in Fractured Rock" in the International Society of Rock Mechanics (ISRM), 2020-2024

Service on Department Committees

Energy-Water-Environment Sustainability seminar coordinator, 2019/2020
Geotechnical Enginnering seminar coordinator, 2017-2019, 2023-2024
CEE Faculty Search Committee, 2018/2019
Geotechnical Engineering Admission and Fellowship Committee, 2018, 2022-2024
Energy-Water-Environment Sustainability Admission and Fellowship Committee, 2017-2019

Research Interests

Rock-fluid interaction: poroelasticity, thermo-poro-visco-elasticity, plasticity, permeability
Fracturing of rock: size effect, process zone, hydraulic fracturing, failure criteria, induced seismicity
Geo-energy applications: deep CO2 and H2 storage, nuclear waste storage, gas shales, geothermal energy
Novel testing methods for geomaterials: optical, ultrasonic, X-ray CT, acoustic emission

Research Statement

Prof. Makhnenko's research area is experimental geomechanics and development of novel methods in laboratory characterization of fluid-saturated geomaterials with applications to deep carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen (H2), and nuclear waste storage, geothermal energy exploration, gas shales, and hydraulic fracturing.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

- promoting recycling on campus

- video vignettes to promote learning geotechnical engineering principles

Graduate Research Opportunities

- subsurface hydrogen storage

- use of machine learning for geophysical data processing and modeling

Primary Research Area

Geotechnical Engineering

Research Areas

Chapters in Books

Selected Articles in Journals

Articles in Conference Proceedings

Kim, H., V. Vilarrasa, and R.Y. Makhnenko. 2024. CO2 sealing capacity of shaly and sandy Opalinus Clay. In Proceedings of Caprock Integrity & Gas Storage Symposium, St-Ursanne, JU, Switzerland, 24–25 January 2024, pp. 52-55.
Tangirala, S.K., M. Ziegler, R.Y. Makhnenko, and V. Vilarrasa. 2024. Field-scale hydro-mechanical simulation of a novel monitoring system for the CO2 Long-Term Periodic Injection Experiment (CO2LPIE) at the Mont Terri rock laboratory. In Proceedings of Caprock Integrity & Gas Storage Symposium, St-Ursanne, JU, Switzerland, 24–25 January 2024, pp. 117-120.
Bondarenko, N., H. Kim, R.Y. Makhnenko, and Y.Y. Podladchikov. 2023. CO2 leakage potential through a faulted caprock in Illinois Basin. In Proceedings of 57th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Atlanta, GA, 25-28 June 2023, paper No. 640.
Kim, H., and R.Y. Makhnenko. 2023. Sealing capacity of caprocks for CO2 and H2 storage in Illinois Basin. In Proceedings of 57th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Atlanta, GA, 25-28 June 2023, paper No. 770.
Makhnenko, R.Y., H. Kim, and K. Kim. 2023. Thermal effect on long-term shale behavior in nuclear waste storage. In Proceedings of 57th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Atlanta, GA, 25-28 June 2023, paper No. 908.
Bondarenko, N., and R.Y. Makhnenko. 2022. Creep failure of dry and fluid-saturated rock. In Proceedings of 56th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Santa Fe, NM, 26-29 June 2022, paper No. 456.
Sciandra, D., I. Rahimzadeh Kivi, V. Vilarrasa, R.Y. Makhnenko, D. Jaeggi, and D. Rebscher. 2022. 3D hydro-mechanical modeling of shaly caprock response to CO2 long-term periodic injection experiment (CO2LPIE). In Proceedings of 56th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Santa Fe, NM, 26-29 June 2022, paper No. 704.
Kim, H., J.V. Renjifo Ciocca, and R.Y. Makhnenko. 2022. Coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical effects on transport properties of glacial tills. In Proceedings of GeoCongress 2022, Charlotte, NC, 20-23 March 2022.
Rahimzadeh Kivi, I., V. Vilarrasa, and R.Y. Makhnenko. 2021. Hydromechanical processes of supercritical CO2 intrusion into shaly caprocks. In Proceedings of 55th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Houston, TX, 18-25 June 2021, paper No. 1852 (8 pages).
Yoshioka, K., M. Mollaali, G. Mishaan, R.Y. Makhnenko, F. Parisio. 2021. Grain size impact on the fracture nucleation in rock. In Proceedings of 55th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Houston, TX, 18-25 June 2021, paper No. 1920 (8 pages).
Makhnenko, R.Y., and N. Bondarenko. 2021. Influence of the pore fluid type on the observation of induced seismicity. In Proceedings of 55th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Houston, TX, 18-25 June 2021, paper No. 2121 (7 pages).
Rahimzadeh Kivi, I., V. Vilarrasa, and R.Y. Makhnenko. 2021. Effect of caprock relative permeability on CO2 flow through it. In Proceedings of TCCS-11 - Trondheim Conference on CO2 Capture, Transport and Storage, Norway, 22-23 June 2021 (6 pages).
Renjifo Ciocca, J.V., and R.Y. Makhnenko. 2021. Influence of saturation on hydromechanical properties of glacial tills. In Proceedings of International Foundation Congress and Equipment Expo, Dallas, TX, 10-14 May 2021 (10 pages).
Kim, H., and R.Y. Makhnenko. 2020. Characterization of unsaturated response of shale-like materials. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Energy Geotechnics, La Jolla, California, USA, paper No. 13007.
Kim, K., and R.Y. Makhnenko. 2020. Impact of CO2 storage on short- and long-term reservoir behavior. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Energy Geotechnics, La Jolla, California, USA (7 pages).
Makhnenko, R.Y., N. Bondarenko, K. Kim, and S. Whittaker. 2020. Laboratory simulation of induced seismicity in Illinois Basin. In Proceedings of the 54th U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, Golden, CO, 28 June - 1 July 2020, paper No. 2040 (8 pages).
Baser, T., K. Kim, E. Tarpey, R. Makhnenko, and A. Stumpf. 2020. Experimental investigation of coupled thermo-hydraulic properties of glacial tills. In Proceedings of Geo-Congress, Minneapolis, MN, 25-28 February 2020 (10 pages).
Vilarrasa, V., D. Rebscher, R.Y. Makhnenko, and C. Nussbaum. 2019. Modeling a long-term CO2 injection experiment at the underground rock laboratory of Mont Terri. In Proceedings of the 11th Workshop of CODE_BRIGHT Users, Barcelona, Spain 16 May 2019 (6 pages).
Makhnenko, R.Y., and A. Tarokh. 2018. Anisotropy in the undrained pore pressure response of rock. In Proceedings of the 52nd U.S. Rock Mechanics/ Geomechanics Symposium, Seattle, WA 17-20 June 2018, paper No. 1300 (7 pages).
Vilarrasa, V., R.Y. Makhnenko, and F. Parisio. 2018. Modeling the reactivation of a ductile fault. In Proceedings of the 10th Workshop of CODE_BRIGHT Users, Barcelona, Spain 3 May 2018 (6 pages).
Makhnenko, R.Y., A. Tarokh, and Y. Podladchikov. 2017. On the unjacketed moduli of sedimentary rock. Poromechanics VI – Proceedings of the 6th Biot Conference on Poromechanics, pp. 897 – 904 (8 pages).
Makhnenko, R.Y., and V. Vilarrasa. 2017. Clay-rich rocks as barriers for geologic CO2 storage. In Proceedings of the 51st U.S. Rock Mechanics/ Geomechanics Symposium, San Francisco, CA 25-28 June 2017, paper No. 199 (7 pages).
Makhnenko, R.Y., and J.F. Labuz. 2017. Localization in plane strain compression of fluid-saturated rock. In: E. Papamichos et al. (eds.), Bifurcation and Degradation of Geomaterials with Engineering Applications, Springer Series in Geomechanics and Geoengineering, pp 33-38 (6 pages).
Cassini, E., D. Mylnikov, and Makhnenko. 2017. Chemical influence of pore pressure on brine flow in clay-rich material. In: A. Ferrari and L. Laloui (eds), Advances in Laboratory Testing and Modelling of Soils and Shales (ATMSS), Springer Series in Geomechanics and Geoengineering, pp 273-280 (8 pages).
Labuz, J.F., R.Y. Makhnenko, and J.T. Harvieux. 2016. Failure criterion with intermediate stress and two friction angles. In Proceedings of the 50th U.S. Rock Mechanics/ Geomechanics Symposium, Houston, TX 26-29 June 2016, paper No. 620 (5 pages).
Vilarrasa, V., Makhnenko, and L. Laloui. 2015. Influence of poromechanical and thermal properties of the caprock on the safety of CO2 storage. In Proceedings of Second EAGE Workshop on Geomechanics and Energy, Celle, Germany 13-15 October 2015 (5 pages).
Makhnenko, R.Y., and J. Labuz. 2014. Calcarenite as a possible host rock for geologic CO2. In Proceedings of the 48th U.S. Rock Mechanics/ Geomechanics Symposium, Minneapolis, MN 1-4 June 2014, paper No. 7559 (6 pages).
Makhnenko, R.Y., and J. Labuz. 2013. Unjacketed bulk compressibility of sandstone in laboratory experiments. Poromechanics V – Proceedings of the 5th Biot Conference on Poromechanics, 481-488 (8 pages).
Makhnenko, R.Y., and J.F. Labuz. 2013. Saturation of porous rock and measurement of the B-coefficient. In Proceedings of the 47th U.S. Rock Mechanics/ Geomechanics Symposium, San Francisco, CA 23-26 June 2013, paper No. 468, Vol. 1, 679-684 (6 pages).
Makhnenko, R., and J. Labuz. 2012. Drained and undrained plane strain compression of porous rock. In Proceedings of the XXIII International Congress on Theoretical & Applied Mechanics, Beijing, China, 19-24 August 2012, paper No. FS10-020 (2 pages).
Makhnenko, R.Y., G. Ge, and J.F. Labuz. 2012. AE from undrained and unjacketed tests on sandstone. In Proceedings of the 46th U.S. Rock Mechanics/ Geomechanics Symposium, Chicago, IL 24-27 June 2012, paper No. 581, Vol. 1, 596-601 (6 pages).
Makhnenko, R.Y., J.J. Riedel, and J.F. Labuz. 2011. Undrained plane strain compression of shale. In Proceedings of the 45th U.S. Rock Mechanics/ Geomechanics Symposium, San Francisco, CA 26-29 June 2011, paper No. 420, Vol. 3, 2109-2115 (7 pages).
Makhnenko, R.Y., A.P. Bunger, and E. Detournay. 2010. Deviation from linear elastic fracture in near-surface hydraulic fracturing experiments with rock. In Proceedings of the 44th U.S. Rock Mechanics Symposium, Salt Lake City, UT 27-30 June 2010, paper No. 237, Vol. 1, 22-30 (9 pages).