Economical Offshore Foundation for Deep Water - Suction Embedded Plate Anchor. The oil/gas industry's venture in finding large resources in deep water has lead to a number of important economic and technical challenges including, among others, new types of foundations. Suction Embedded Plate Anchor (SEPA) has shown its potential of cost-saving against other types of foundations in deep waters. The aim of this project is to use the experties of investigators, on numerical and centrifuge modelling ....Economical Offshore Foundation for Deep Water - Suction Embedded Plate Anchor. The oil/gas industry's venture in finding large resources in deep water has lead to a number of important economic and technical challenges including, among others, new types of foundations. Suction Embedded Plate Anchor (SEPA) has shown its potential of cost-saving against other types of foundations in deep waters. The aim of this project is to use the experties of investigators, on numerical and centrifuge modelling, to study the behaviour of SEPA in sub-marine deposit. Successful completing of the project will contribute to the very little existing data on this new type of foundation - SEPA.Read moreRead less
Rotational Degrees Of Freedom In Modelling Of Materials With Intrinsic Length Scale. In many applications, from nanotechnology to construction and mining, the modelled objects are not large enough as compared to the material constituents for classical continuum modelling to be adequate, but yet encompass too many elements for comfortable particle-type computer simulation. Generalised continua would offer a viable option if a rational method of their construction for each intrinsic material struc ....Rotational Degrees Of Freedom In Modelling Of Materials With Intrinsic Length Scale. In many applications, from nanotechnology to construction and mining, the modelled objects are not large enough as compared to the material constituents for classical continuum modelling to be adequate, but yet encompass too many elements for comfortable particle-type computer simulation. Generalised continua would offer a viable option if a rational method of their construction for each intrinsic material structure were at hand. The project aims at developing the necessary homogenisation procedure and constructing generalised (Cosserat) continuum models of deformation, wave propagation and impact fracture in particulate and layered materials such as multi-wall nanotubes, fullerenes, particulate composites and layered rock masses.Read moreRead less
Investigation of potential spudcan punch through failure. The safe and economic use of mobile jack-up structures is critical to the prosperous development of Australia's significant offshore oil and gas industry. However, their use is hindered by potential 'punch-through' failure during installation, when their large conical footings can unexpectedly and uncontrollably push a locally strong zone of soil into underlying softer material. To improve their safety, this research will investigate a po ....Investigation of potential spudcan punch through failure. The safe and economic use of mobile jack-up structures is critical to the prosperous development of Australia's significant offshore oil and gas industry. However, their use is hindered by potential 'punch-through' failure during installation, when their large conical footings can unexpectedly and uncontrollably push a locally strong zone of soil into underlying softer material. To improve their safety, this research will investigate a potential new site-investigation procedure and develop an appropriate calculation method for predicting failures for sites where sand overlies clay. Results will be based on a series of innovative physical and numerical experiments, and assessed against field data and existing industry standards.Read moreRead less
An Advanced Numerical Technique for Stability Analysis of Mining Excavations in Jointed/Faulted Rock Masses under High Stresses. The aim of this project is to develop a sophisticated mathematical model and computational technique for the stability analysis of mining excavations in jointed/faulted rock masses. The development involves a novel solution method based on current work in finite element method, boundary element method and large-scale optimisation with partial differential equation cons ....An Advanced Numerical Technique for Stability Analysis of Mining Excavations in Jointed/Faulted Rock Masses under High Stresses. The aim of this project is to develop a sophisticated mathematical model and computational technique for the stability analysis of mining excavations in jointed/faulted rock masses. The development involves a novel solution method based on current work in finite element method, boundary element method and large-scale optimisation with partial differential equation constraints. The work is extremely important to the mining industry in Australia, as the outcomes of the project will provide engineers with an innovative simulation technique to optimise mine design and to predict and control rock failure so as to reduce personnel injuries and death toll in mine sites.Read moreRead less
Development of cyclic loading models for application in offshore geotechnics. The response of foundations for offshore structures to repetitive (cyclic) loads is a critical but still inadequately understood area of offshore geotechnics, with designs still usually based on simple modifications to monotonic loading conditions. In this project, a definitive framework for modelling cyclic behaviour will be established. Using this new approach, numerical models will be developed to address problems a ....Development of cyclic loading models for application in offshore geotechnics. The response of foundations for offshore structures to repetitive (cyclic) loads is a critical but still inadequately understood area of offshore geotechnics, with designs still usually based on simple modifications to monotonic loading conditions. In this project, a definitive framework for modelling cyclic behaviour will be established. Using this new approach, numerical models will be developed to address problems at all scales from fundamental constitutive behaviour of soils to macroscopic models for large foundation systems. Their application to offshore design problems (for renewable energy as well as traditional oil and gas applications) will be assessed. Recommendations to current international guidelines will also be made.Read moreRead less
Design of Offshore Foundations with Large Penetration into Multilayered Soils. The outcomes of this research will allow safer and more efficient extraction of oil and gas in Australian waters. Offshore oil and gas development is a key Australian industry, annually contributing over A$21 billion to the economy, and underpinning much of our prosperity. The new numerical models and design guidelines will allow rigs and platforms to operate more safely and efficiently in our challenging seabed condi ....Design of Offshore Foundations with Large Penetration into Multilayered Soils. The outcomes of this research will allow safer and more efficient extraction of oil and gas in Australian waters. Offshore oil and gas development is a key Australian industry, annually contributing over A$21 billion to the economy, and underpinning much of our prosperity. The new numerical models and design guidelines will allow rigs and platforms to operate more safely and efficiently in our challenging seabed conditions, contributing to the future competitiveness of our oil and gas industry, and securing energy supplies for sustained growth of our economy. The project will advance Australia's leadership in the science of offshore geotechnical engineering and foster research training opportunities for future engineering leaders.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354778
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$30,000.00
Summary
Deep Earth Resource Characterisation and Extraction - An Integrated Geoscience Approach. Sustainability, economy and safety in resource recovery require a high level of understanding of the mechanics of geomaterials in their natural conditions and a multidisciplinary approach to the geotechnical issues involved. This initiative aims to bridge gaps between geotechnical disciplines, to combine the testing, analytical skills and experience of the research groups and to incorporate expertise and ide ....Deep Earth Resource Characterisation and Extraction - An Integrated Geoscience Approach. Sustainability, economy and safety in resource recovery require a high level of understanding of the mechanics of geomaterials in their natural conditions and a multidisciplinary approach to the geotechnical issues involved. This initiative aims to bridge gaps between geotechnical disciplines, to combine the testing, analytical skills and experience of the research groups and to incorporate expertise and ideas from the cognate disciplines of geology and geophysics so that innovative engineering practice will develop. This approach should achieve breakthroughs in understanding the behaviour of, and the safe economic extraction from deep resources including minerals, coal, gas drainage, petroleum and geothermal energy.Read moreRead less
Continuum Damage Mechanics in Geotechnical Engineering. Mining and oil exploration are amongst the major industries in Australia and must address geotechnical problems in which growth in damage plays a central role. For example, failure of an offshore platform can occur under cyclic environmental loading, due to accumulated damage to the seabed soils. Design tools are therefore needed that incorporate continuum damage mechanics in modelling the response of geomaterials. The project will place Au ....Continuum Damage Mechanics in Geotechnical Engineering. Mining and oil exploration are amongst the major industries in Australia and must address geotechnical problems in which growth in damage plays a central role. For example, failure of an offshore platform can occur under cyclic environmental loading, due to accumulated damage to the seabed soils. Design tools are therefore needed that incorporate continuum damage mechanics in modelling the response of geomaterials. The project will place Australia at the forefront in this field through the development of rigorous yet simple numerical models that achieve this, and thus underpin safe but economic geotechnical engineering solutions in the mineral resource industries.Read moreRead less
Deep Coal Mining. The occurrence of progressively larger gas outbursts, coal bumps, and the potential for the catastrophic collapse of coal pillars is of increasing importance as mining drives deeper in seams rich in methane and other hydrocarbons. This study will address this issue by examining the roles of stress level, strain-rate, gas desorption rate, and drained and undrained gas and liquid pressures in the dynamic failure of coal, while simultaneously evaluating the promise and fidelity of ....Deep Coal Mining. The occurrence of progressively larger gas outbursts, coal bumps, and the potential for the catastrophic collapse of coal pillars is of increasing importance as mining drives deeper in seams rich in methane and other hydrocarbons. This study will address this issue by examining the roles of stress level, strain-rate, gas desorption rate, and drained and undrained gas and liquid pressures in the dynamic failure of coal, while simultaneously evaluating the promise and fidelity of a variety of hazard indices and precursive signals.Read moreRead less
Development of Models for the Three-Dimensional Analysis of Jack-Up Structures. Mobile jack-up structures perform most of the world's offshore drilling in water depths up to 120m, but have a higher accident rate then fixed installations. To improve their safety, this research will develop the framework for the integrated assessment of jack-up behaviour in three dimensions. To achieve this, an advanced plasticity model that describes cyclic behaviour of the circular shallow foundations of jack-up ....Development of Models for the Three-Dimensional Analysis of Jack-Up Structures. Mobile jack-up structures perform most of the world's offshore drilling in water depths up to 120m, but have a higher accident rate then fixed installations. To improve their safety, this research will develop the framework for the integrated assessment of jack-up behaviour in three dimensions. To achieve this, an advanced plasticity model that describes cyclic behaviour of the circular shallow foundations of jack-ups in both clay and sand will be developed and incorporated with random wave loading of seas in a dynamic structural analysis program. The anticipated advantages of the modelling techniques will be assessed against existing two dimensional industry guidelines and monitored field data. Read moreRead less