Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200101361
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$403,866.00
Summary
The Australian tectonic stress state: Far-field forces and local impacts. This project aims to investigate the present-day tectonic stress field of Australia using detailed analysis of stress magnitude data and state-of-the-art 3D geomechanical-numerical modelling across spatial scales. Tectonic stresses control the Earth’s deformation and are a primary cause of collapse of subsurface structures. This project expects to improve our knowledge of the causes of the tectonic stress field of Australi ....The Australian tectonic stress state: Far-field forces and local impacts. This project aims to investigate the present-day tectonic stress field of Australia using detailed analysis of stress magnitude data and state-of-the-art 3D geomechanical-numerical modelling across spatial scales. Tectonic stresses control the Earth’s deformation and are a primary cause of collapse of subsurface structures. This project expects to improve our knowledge of the causes of the tectonic stress field of Australia and its consequences for earthquake risk assessment, safe and sustainable usage of underground environments for groundwater exploration and production, CO2 sequestration, waste disposal, mine stability, exploration and production of hydrocarbon and geothermal resources.Read moreRead less
Development of next generation smart sucker rod wear guides . In a natural gas wells, sucker rod guides protect the production tubing from wear by the rod string. Premature and erratic failures are costing the industry tens of millions every year. In collaboration with two local SMEs, this project aims to develop the next generation of smart and durable wear guides. The project seeks to understand the complex three body wear mechanisms that drive guide and tubing wear, then use this knowledge to ....Development of next generation smart sucker rod wear guides . In a natural gas wells, sucker rod guides protect the production tubing from wear by the rod string. Premature and erratic failures are costing the industry tens of millions every year. In collaboration with two local SMEs, this project aims to develop the next generation of smart and durable wear guides. The project seeks to understand the complex three body wear mechanisms that drive guide and tubing wear, then use this knowledge to develop new wear resistant compounds and develop a smart guide that provides feedback on its wear state. This will enable the industry partners to supply cutting edge technology to the global oil and gas industry that not only reduces well operation cost but also enhances well resilience.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101296
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$386,552.00
Summary
Unlocking lab-to-field scaling in design for floating offshore structures. This project aims to develop rigorous, physics-based models to accurately predict hydrodynamics of floating offshore structures at different scales. The project will address the issue between laboratory-to-field scaling, a fundamental problem in fluid dynamics. This outcome will be achieved through the integration of numerical technology, with physical modelling and field data acquisition. The outputs from this project wi ....Unlocking lab-to-field scaling in design for floating offshore structures. This project aims to develop rigorous, physics-based models to accurately predict hydrodynamics of floating offshore structures at different scales. The project will address the issue between laboratory-to-field scaling, a fundamental problem in fluid dynamics. This outcome will be achieved through the integration of numerical technology, with physical modelling and field data acquisition. The outputs from this project will reduce risks and improve operability of existing offshore structures, and lead to more efficient design for potential floating offshore projects. This will benefit the whole community of floating offshore structures and cement Australia’s place as a pioneer in offshore industry and emerging renewable energy sector.Read moreRead less
Real-time global optimisation for distributed parameter control systems. This project aims to develop real-time optimal control algorithms for distributed parameter systems involving both time and spatial variables and multiple time-delays, with a focus on mining and energy applications. Current optimal control algorithms for such systems are too slow for real-time use and often get trapped at local optima, which can be vastly inferior to the global solution. This project will result in a new op ....Real-time global optimisation for distributed parameter control systems. This project aims to develop real-time optimal control algorithms for distributed parameter systems involving both time and spatial variables and multiple time-delays, with a focus on mining and energy applications. Current optimal control algorithms for such systems are too slow for real-time use and often get trapped at local optima, which can be vastly inferior to the global solution. This project will result in a new optimal control framework, underpinned by recent advances in constraint propagation, switching surface optimisation, and input regularisation. It will result in cutting-edge mathematical tools to complement and exploit new technologies and optimise key processes in natural gas liquefaction and zinc and alumina production, increasing efficiency and reducing the ecological footprint. This project will lead to new cutting-edge control algorithms for replacing the inefficient manual operations endemic in Australia’s natural gas and mineral processing plants.Read moreRead less
Crusty Seabeds: From (Bio-)Genesis To Reliable Offshore Design. The project aims to make deep water oil and gas developments safer and cheaper by understanding better the unique seabed ‘crust’ conditions that occur in Australian waters. By studying the biogenic, structural and mechanical properties of deepwater crusts in more detail than can be done in ‘live’ oil and gas projects, this project expects to make a step change in the understanding of these seabed crusts. Expected outcomes of this pr ....Crusty Seabeds: From (Bio-)Genesis To Reliable Offshore Design. The project aims to make deep water oil and gas developments safer and cheaper by understanding better the unique seabed ‘crust’ conditions that occur in Australian waters. By studying the biogenic, structural and mechanical properties of deepwater crusts in more detail than can be done in ‘live’ oil and gas projects, this project expects to make a step change in the understanding of these seabed crusts. Expected outcomes of this project include developing new seabed investigation and design approaches for these soils. This should provide significant benefits, by facilitating the design and installation of low-risk, yet low cost seabed infrastructure (e.g. pipelines, risers, shallow foundations etc.) in these problematical seabed typesRead moreRead less
Anchoring the next generation of offshore floating infrastructure. This project aims to advance the fundamental scientific understanding of embedded anchor behaviour and to develop engineering solutions to secure the next generation of floating platforms, wind turbines and submerged tunnels. This is significant because limited understanding of anchors under long-term sustained and cyclic loading, and in how wave-chain-anchor systems behave, is hindering confident deployment in deep water and har ....Anchoring the next generation of offshore floating infrastructure. This project aims to advance the fundamental scientific understanding of embedded anchor behaviour and to develop engineering solutions to secure the next generation of floating platforms, wind turbines and submerged tunnels. This is significant because limited understanding of anchors under long-term sustained and cyclic loading, and in how wave-chain-anchor systems behave, is hindering confident deployment in deep water and harsh conditions. This project will address this challenge by combining precise observations from sophisticated physical and numerical experiments into an analysis framework that integrates system response. Outcomes will include numerical software, analytical tools and design charts for engineers to use in design.Read moreRead less
Enhanced productivity of coal seam gas wells by continuous gas circulation. This project aims to develop foam assisted continuous gas circulation for dewatering new and existing coal seam gas wells. The potential benefits of this new method include enhanced gas production, better well control, reduced costs and better environmental effectiveness. The proposed solution eliminates the need for mechanical pumps which are currently used for dewatering, and which fail regularly due to gas and solids ....Enhanced productivity of coal seam gas wells by continuous gas circulation. This project aims to develop foam assisted continuous gas circulation for dewatering new and existing coal seam gas wells. The potential benefits of this new method include enhanced gas production, better well control, reduced costs and better environmental effectiveness. The proposed solution eliminates the need for mechanical pumps which are currently used for dewatering, and which fail regularly due to gas and solids accumulation within the production wells. Continuous gas circulation could achieve significant savings in downtime and maintenance costs. In addition, reducing onsite maintenance will minimise access requirements for maintenance rigs which disrupt rural activities where the wells are located, thus easing local traffic and reduce the environmental impacts that are associated with well workovers.Read moreRead less
Constricted hydraulic fracture opening. This project aims to develop experimentally verified models for designing and monitoring of hydraulic fractures with constricted openings, to ensure adequate and robust hydraulic fracture control for example in petroleum production. Hydraulic fractures are often constricted by bridges that hold two sides of the fracture together. Failure to account for bridges and constriction of fractures can lead to premature screen-out (exceeding available pump pressure ....Constricted hydraulic fracture opening. This project aims to develop experimentally verified models for designing and monitoring of hydraulic fractures with constricted openings, to ensure adequate and robust hydraulic fracture control for example in petroleum production. Hydraulic fractures are often constricted by bridges that hold two sides of the fracture together. Failure to account for bridges and constriction of fractures can lead to premature screen-out (exceeding available pump pressure) of proppant and inadequate fracking control. The project results are expected to substantially increase the accuracy of design and monitoring of fracture opening, geometry and fluid flow to improve efficiency, safety and environmental security of the resource and energy extraction.Read moreRead less
Fluid-induced creation and decay of porosity and permeability in minerals. This project aims to investigate the role of hydrothermal fluids in the creation and decay of porosity and permeability in minerals. By developing new experimental techniques and undertaking experimental studies mimicking natural conditions, this project expects to generate knowledge of the fundamental relationships between fluid-mineral reactions, pore creation and decay, pore geometry and connectivity, and the mechanism ....Fluid-induced creation and decay of porosity and permeability in minerals. This project aims to investigate the role of hydrothermal fluids in the creation and decay of porosity and permeability in minerals. By developing new experimental techniques and undertaking experimental studies mimicking natural conditions, this project expects to generate knowledge of the fundamental relationships between fluid-mineral reactions, pore creation and decay, pore geometry and connectivity, and the mechanism for the formation of fluid inclusions. This should provide significant benefits such as a deeper understanding of the hydrothermal fluids flowing through tight rocks in the Earth’s crust to form orebodies, and provide a scientific basis to underpin the development of greener technologies for recovering natural resources.Read moreRead less
In-situ Characterisation of Coal from Coal Seam Gas Developments. We aim to develop advanced methods for determination of coal properties required for optimising gas recovery, scheduling future developments and water management by Queensland Gas Company. We will characterise multiphase flow of gas and water in coal cores by Positron Emission Tomography and flooding experiments. Advancement in knowledge is achieved by using massive data from 4D-imaging to predict evolution of petrophysical proper ....In-situ Characterisation of Coal from Coal Seam Gas Developments. We aim to develop advanced methods for determination of coal properties required for optimising gas recovery, scheduling future developments and water management by Queensland Gas Company. We will characterise multiphase flow of gas and water in coal cores by Positron Emission Tomography and flooding experiments. Advancement in knowledge is achieved by using massive data from 4D-imaging to predict evolution of petrophysical properties at in situ condition in different types of coal. This will future proof Australia as the world’s largest exporter of natural gas and will provide significant benefit for the industry in satisfying domestic gas security, maintaining international commitment and addressing environmental concerns. Read moreRead less