Follower-embedded plate anchors to underpin economic development in ultra deep water. Oil and gas is a key Australian industry, worth over $15 billion annually. In order to maintain current hydrocarbon production levels, Australian offshore oil and gas companies are extending their capabilities beyond the 2000 metre water depth limit. The offshore industry has identified economic and geotechnical limitations of current anchoring technology to be the major challenge that must be overcome in order ....Follower-embedded plate anchors to underpin economic development in ultra deep water. Oil and gas is a key Australian industry, worth over $15 billion annually. In order to maintain current hydrocarbon production levels, Australian offshore oil and gas companies are extending their capabilities beyond the 2000 metre water depth limit. The offshore industry has identified economic and geotechnical limitations of current anchoring technology to be the major challenge that must be overcome in order to make this transition into deep and ultra-deep water. The research proposed in this project focuses directly on this critical issue, with potential for immediate application to the Australian offshore oil and gas industry, and ensuring the continued viability of the key oil and gas industry in Australia.Read moreRead less
Scour and scour protection around gravity anchors. The costs for scour protection around gravity anchors in a typical offshore project are in the order of 10-20 million dollars. With the increasing number of gravity anchors being installed in Australian waters, significant cost savings are expected to be achieved through improved understanding of local scour and scour protection around gravity anchors. The outcomes of this project can be applied directly to the design of new large diameter pipel ....Scour and scour protection around gravity anchors. The costs for scour protection around gravity anchors in a typical offshore project are in the order of 10-20 million dollars. With the increasing number of gravity anchors being installed in Australian waters, significant cost savings are expected to be achieved through improved understanding of local scour and scour protection around gravity anchors. The outcomes of this project can be applied directly to the design of new large diameter pipelines, will lead to reduction of scour protection costs and enhancement of safety of the pipeline to be stabilized, and increase the competitiveness of Australian oil and gas industry.Read moreRead less
Characterising and suppressing vortex induced vibration. Vortex-Induced Vibration has become the design limiting factor in offshore design of elements such as the flexible pipelines that bring oil and gas to the surface. With rising oil and gas prices it is becoming more economic to explore such resources in deeper waters, which exacerbates the problem. Currently, high factors of safety must be used in the design of such pipelines because of our current lack of understanding of when the vibratio ....Characterising and suppressing vortex induced vibration. Vortex-Induced Vibration has become the design limiting factor in offshore design of elements such as the flexible pipelines that bring oil and gas to the surface. With rising oil and gas prices it is becoming more economic to explore such resources in deeper waters, which exacerbates the problem. Currently, high factors of safety must be used in the design of such pipelines because of our current lack of understanding of when the vibrations occur and their frequency and amplitude. This study will provide insight into the character of such vibrations and also look at means of suppressing them.Read moreRead less
Shallow foundation solutions for offshore oil and gas facilities. This research will develop reliable predictions of limit loads for offshore skirted shallow foundations to replace current industry design guidelines that are excessively conservative. This project has direct application to the design of the range of established skirted shallow foundation systems for offshore structures as well as new concept hybrid production platforms and liquefied natural gas terminals designed to be buoyant af ....Shallow foundation solutions for offshore oil and gas facilities. This research will develop reliable predictions of limit loads for offshore skirted shallow foundations to replace current industry design guidelines that are excessively conservative. This project has direct application to the design of the range of established skirted shallow foundation systems for offshore structures as well as new concept hybrid production platforms and liquefied natural gas terminals designed to be buoyant after offloading, thus imparting a sustained uplift on the foundation. The direct economic benefit of this research would be in the region of $3-5M per project. Continued development of Australia's offshore resources will provide jobs for many Australians and sustain an essential market of the Australian economy.Read moreRead less
Application of field penetrometer data to offshore geotechnical design in deep water. Offshore oil and gas extraction is a $17 billion/year industry and a major component of GDP, but facing increasing challenges in Australia as exploration extends into water depths exceeding 1 km. In order to develop safe and economic facilities in these environments, solutions to significant technical challenges are required, ranging from new technology to assess the strength of seabed soils, to formulating res ....Application of field penetrometer data to offshore geotechnical design in deep water. Offshore oil and gas extraction is a $17 billion/year industry and a major component of GDP, but facing increasing challenges in Australia as exploration extends into water depths exceeding 1 km. In order to develop safe and economic facilities in these environments, solutions to significant technical challenges are required, ranging from new technology to assess the strength of seabed soils, to formulating response models for oil and gas pipelines and shallow foundations or anchoring systems. This project contributes to future exploitation of offshore hydrocarbon reserves while minimising impact on the marine environment; it brings direct benefits to our economy and helps maintain our world leadership in offshore geotechnical research.Read moreRead less
Novel membranes and membrane structures using electrospinning. This project aims to develop novel membrane support materials and novel membrane structures to enhance chemical separation processes. These materials can be used in desalination and water treatment, reducing the resistance to water flows. In turn, this will reduce the energy required to produce fresh drinking water for Australians, as well as the cost. The approach will also be applied to carbon dioxide capture from flue gas streams, ....Novel membranes and membrane structures using electrospinning. This project aims to develop novel membrane support materials and novel membrane structures to enhance chemical separation processes. These materials can be used in desalination and water treatment, reducing the resistance to water flows. In turn, this will reduce the energy required to produce fresh drinking water for Australians, as well as the cost. The approach will also be applied to carbon dioxide capture from flue gas streams, increasing the energy efficiency of these processes, so that they can become economically viable. The project has the potential to develop localised manufacturing operations to produce these materials, adding value to Australian manufactured products.Read moreRead less
Numerical Modelling of Three-dimensional Scour below Offshore Pipelines. Australia's increasing offshore oil and gas exploration has demanded more accurate and reliable methods for evaluating the safety and serviceability of pipelines. Local scour around pipelines is one of the major causes of pipeline failures, and is a major concern in Australian waters. This project not only addresses these concerns in its direct application to the design and management of offshore pipelines, but also will co ....Numerical Modelling of Three-dimensional Scour below Offshore Pipelines. Australia's increasing offshore oil and gas exploration has demanded more accurate and reliable methods for evaluating the safety and serviceability of pipelines. Local scour around pipelines is one of the major causes of pipeline failures, and is a major concern in Australian waters. This project not only addresses these concerns in its direct application to the design and management of offshore pipelines, but also will contribute to the nation's development and competitiveness in offshore exploration, and produce high quality research students. The improved design and management of pipelines in Australian waters will reduce the risk of potential environmental damages caused by leaking gas and oil.Read moreRead less
Predicting the foundation performance of offshore jack-up drilling rigs in intermediate soils. The research outcomes will be a major step forward in creating safer operations of mobile platforms in our challenging seabed conditions. The new models and guidelines will assist engineers in the efficient expansion of our offshore oil and gas industry, with significant increased investment projected over the next five years.
Dynamic evolution of submarine slides and consequences for offshore developments. Oil and gas developments in deep water are at considerable risk from submarine landslides, which may be orders of magnitude larger than onshore landslides. The project will develop new approaches for modelling the initiation and flow kinematics of submarine slides with the aim of quantifying impact forces on offshore infrastructure.
Ellipsoidal physical geodesy - improved global and local gravity field modelling. Improved techniques for gravity field modelling, using the ellipsoidal approach proposed in this research, will increase the accuracy of the Australian geoid model. A more accurate model of the geoid will bring great cost-benefits mainly to the Australian surveying, mapping and exploration community. For example, height determination from GPS [Global Positioning System] or similar satellite-based measurements is on ....Ellipsoidal physical geodesy - improved global and local gravity field modelling. Improved techniques for gravity field modelling, using the ellipsoidal approach proposed in this research, will increase the accuracy of the Australian geoid model. A more accurate model of the geoid will bring great cost-benefits mainly to the Australian surveying, mapping and exploration community. For example, height determination from GPS [Global Positioning System] or similar satellite-based measurements is only possible with the aid of an accurate geoid model. This will allow the use GPS to its full capacity and save valuable time and money (by as much as a factor of 10).Read moreRead less