Investigation of alternative footing shapes to mitigate instabilities during installation of offshore drilling platforms. Spudcan footings are used to support three legged mobile drilling rigs, exploring and extracting oil and gas in water depths of up to 150 metres. Despite efforts by the industry to minimise the risks during rig installation, punch-through incidents (i.e. unexpected rapid penetration of the footings) and bending of the leg whilst installing the spudcan next to a footprint (poc ....Investigation of alternative footing shapes to mitigate instabilities during installation of offshore drilling platforms. Spudcan footings are used to support three legged mobile drilling rigs, exploring and extracting oil and gas in water depths of up to 150 metres. Despite efforts by the industry to minimise the risks during rig installation, punch-through incidents (i.e. unexpected rapid penetration of the footings) and bending of the leg whilst installing the spudcan next to a footprint (pockmark from previous rig installation) continue to occur at an increasing rate, causing economic loss of $5 to50 million per incident. Combining advanced physical and numerical modelling, this project aims to develop optimised spudcan shapes, and corresponding design approaches and guidelines, to mitigate these risks, ensuring safe installation of rigs in hazardous regions.Read moreRead less
Estimation of spudcan penetration resistance in stratified soils directly from field penetrometer data and quantification of punch-through risk. Foundations for mobile drilling rigs exhibit significant failure rate in the offshore oil and gas industry, which contributes $22 billion annually to the Australian economy. The project will develop a robust design approach for these foundations, based on field penetrometer data and accounting for the highly stratified nature of offshore sediments.
Hydrodynamic forces on small diameter pipelines laid on natural seabed. This project aims to improve predictions of hydrodynamic forces on small submarine cables and pipelines through comprehensive experimental modelling at 1:1 scale coupled with development of predictive numerical models. The focus will be on forces in unsteady flows. Present industry guidelines do not make allowance for potential reductions in forces for small diameter pipelines whose diameters are a similar length to the effe ....Hydrodynamic forces on small diameter pipelines laid on natural seabed. This project aims to improve predictions of hydrodynamic forces on small submarine cables and pipelines through comprehensive experimental modelling at 1:1 scale coupled with development of predictive numerical models. The focus will be on forces in unsteady flows. Present industry guidelines do not make allowance for potential reductions in forces for small diameter pipelines whose diameters are a similar length to the effective seabed boundary layer, thereby leading to overly conservative and costly stability design. Results from the experimental program and numerical model developed are expected to be used to improve the current industry design guidelines.Read moreRead less
Shale rock characterisation using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. This project aims to assess the viability of potential shale oil and gas reserves, using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) core analysis and well logging techniques to characterise shale samples. Shale oil and gas reserves have the potential to provide a rapidly dispatchable energy source, which could play a key role as a transition fuel to renewable energy. The project will develop techniques to deliver quantitative fluid typing, prod ....Shale rock characterisation using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. This project aims to assess the viability of potential shale oil and gas reserves, using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) core analysis and well logging techniques to characterise shale samples. Shale oil and gas reserves have the potential to provide a rapidly dispatchable energy source, which could play a key role as a transition fuel to renewable energy. The project will develop techniques to deliver quantitative fluid typing, producible porosity, pore sizes and permeability measurements for shale samples, which could be used in the shale gas and oil industry. These techniques will improve the predictability of shale field developments that better inform their economic and environmental impact.
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Low-density high-performance proppants for hydraulic fracturing process . Australia has vast resources of unconventional oil/gas, which require hydraulic fracturing to stimulate production. This project aims to develop advanced low-density high-performance proppants from industry waste for hydraulic fracturing. This will be achieved by selecting purer SiO2 raw material, carefully designing the porous structure, and fully understanding its relationship with strength and pack conductivity. Low-den ....Low-density high-performance proppants for hydraulic fracturing process . Australia has vast resources of unconventional oil/gas, which require hydraulic fracturing to stimulate production. This project aims to develop advanced low-density high-performance proppants from industry waste for hydraulic fracturing. This will be achieved by selecting purer SiO2 raw material, carefully designing the porous structure, and fully understanding its relationship with strength and pack conductivity. Low-density means no chemicals in proppant transportation and application. Successful development of such high-performance proppants will significantly increase Australia oil/gas exploration and production with an environmental acceptable technology, a leap forward for the oil/gas industry in Australia and the world.Read moreRead less
Controlling hydrate slurry flow to enable deepwater oil and gas production. This project aims to investigate the plugging of hydrate slurries in pipelines to determine under what conditions they will flow satisfactorily without forming a blockage. Hydrate blockages are expensive and hazardous occurrences in oil and gas operations, so current prevention systems aim to avoid hydrate formation altogether through over-design. These over-designed hydrate prevention systems are extremely expensive to ....Controlling hydrate slurry flow to enable deepwater oil and gas production. This project aims to investigate the plugging of hydrate slurries in pipelines to determine under what conditions they will flow satisfactorily without forming a blockage. Hydrate blockages are expensive and hazardous occurrences in oil and gas operations, so current prevention systems aim to avoid hydrate formation altogether through over-design. These over-designed hydrate prevention systems are extremely expensive to build and costly to run during the operations phase. The project intends to examine the behaviour of hydrate slurry flow as a function of the oil's properties, amount of water and degree of turbulence. Outcomes are intended to be a sophisticated approach to avoiding hydrate blockages that is safe but more efficient and less costly.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
Upscaling laws for hydraulic fracturing of tight formations using reproducible true tri-axial laboratory testing. Upscaling models for designing hydraulic fracture stimulation of gas reservoirs will be developed. Innovative laboratory methods of reproducing the field stress conditions and rock structure will be used. The results will advance the mechanics of hydraulic fracturing and increase efficiency of reservoir stimulation, especially in tight formations.
Structural Reliability of Engineering Structures in Cyclonic Winds. This project aims to address the challenge of predicting the impact of extreme cyclonic winds on complex engineering structures. By applying advanced computational and experimental techniques the project expects to develop new insight into turbulent flows at a sub-cyclone scale and how these produce aerodynamic loads on closely spaced cylindrical structures and elements. The expected outcomes of this project include enhanced sim ....Structural Reliability of Engineering Structures in Cyclonic Winds. This project aims to address the challenge of predicting the impact of extreme cyclonic winds on complex engineering structures. By applying advanced computational and experimental techniques the project expects to develop new insight into turbulent flows at a sub-cyclone scale and how these produce aerodynamic loads on closely spaced cylindrical structures and elements. The expected outcomes of this project include enhanced simulation techniques leading to better understanding of structural vulnerability to cyclones. This should provide significant benefits, such as improved structural design and cyclone mitigation strategies applicable to both high-value engineering structures and vulnerable communities in cyclone regions.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