A new geomechnical tool for the evaluation of hydrocarbon trap integrity. Hydrocarbon exploration drilling is an intrinsically high risk, high cost activity. Even once a potential reservoir is located there remains the possibility that under recent geological activity the trap has become breached and leaked due to failure of overlying or adjacent rock. This Project will develop a technique that builds on current predictive techniques, and numerical modelling methods, to produce a series of sub-s ....A new geomechnical tool for the evaluation of hydrocarbon trap integrity. Hydrocarbon exploration drilling is an intrinsically high risk, high cost activity. Even once a potential reservoir is located there remains the possibility that under recent geological activity the trap has become breached and leaked due to failure of overlying or adjacent rock. This Project will develop a technique that builds on current predictive techniques, and numerical modelling methods, to produce a series of sub-surface geomechanical models for four important petroleum basins. This new and integrated geomechanical approach will improve current predictive capabilities for detecting breached traps, thus enhancing prospectivity in the major petroleum provinces of Australia.Read moreRead less
Computational Rock Physics. Knowledge of the quantitative relationships between rock and fluid properties, and seismic characteristic is necessary to improve the determination of fluid saturation and accurately monitor recovery of oil and gas. The proposed project aims to develop these relationships by teaming up two Australian-based experts in 3D seismic image analysis and theoretical rock physics, with a global company at the forefront of the industry. Developing these relationships will be a ....Computational Rock Physics. Knowledge of the quantitative relationships between rock and fluid properties, and seismic characteristic is necessary to improve the determination of fluid saturation and accurately monitor recovery of oil and gas. The proposed project aims to develop these relationships by teaming up two Australian-based experts in 3D seismic image analysis and theoretical rock physics, with a global company at the forefront of the industry. Developing these relationships will be a cutting edge research achievement, will directly impact on exploration, interpretation and production decisions within the oil and gas industry in Australia and globally, and greatly advance Australia's reputation as a leader in petroleum research services and training.Read moreRead less
The Effect of Fines Particles on Production and Permeability of cbm Reservoirs. Coalbed methane (cbm) energy resources in Australia exceed $20b in value. One of the production issues with recovering cbm is fines that are created or exist in the coal, which block gas flow to the recovery wells and damage downstream equipment. Understanding how fines are created and migrate within gas wells and then overcoming this problem, the purpose of this research, could deliver additional gas production wort ....The Effect of Fines Particles on Production and Permeability of cbm Reservoirs. Coalbed methane (cbm) energy resources in Australia exceed $20b in value. One of the production issues with recovering cbm is fines that are created or exist in the coal, which block gas flow to the recovery wells and damage downstream equipment. Understanding how fines are created and migrate within gas wells and then overcoming this problem, the purpose of this research, could deliver additional gas production worth over $1.8billion and reduce maintenance costs related to cbm extraction by $25m per year.Read moreRead less
Selective wellbore coatings to control fines damage in coal seam gas wells. This project aims to develop a completely new approach to control solids production in coal seam gas wellbores using a selective phase-inversion polymer coating. The approach will take advantage of the low permeability of mudrocks to form a protective barrier across clay-rich layers while remaining permeable across the gas-producing coal seams. The production of fine solids is a key technical issue affecting the producti ....Selective wellbore coatings to control fines damage in coal seam gas wells. This project aims to develop a completely new approach to control solids production in coal seam gas wellbores using a selective phase-inversion polymer coating. The approach will take advantage of the low permeability of mudrocks to form a protective barrier across clay-rich layers while remaining permeable across the gas-producing coal seams. The production of fine solids is a key technical issue affecting the productivity of coal seam gas wells in Queensland, and leads to 10-15 days’ production downtime a year. The expected outcomes of the project include fundamental understanding of the solids breakage phenomena, a predictive tool to classify potential solids risks in coal seam gas wells, and a novel rock-selective wellbore coating technology to control solids production. The potential economic impacts from the project are lower gas production costs and improved gas supply security.Read moreRead less
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
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
Dynamic Gas Permeability Investigations of Highly Stressed Coals. Coal Bed Methane (CBM) is an emerging energy resource in Australia, which has multi-billion dollar CBM reserves. Gas is clean burning, produces little greenhouse gas and almost no disruption to surface activities (like farming) during extraction. These environmental benefits, with low cost, make gas the fuel of choice for power and heat worldwide. This project seeks to assist development of CBM engineering from deep coal seams. Th ....Dynamic Gas Permeability Investigations of Highly Stressed Coals. Coal Bed Methane (CBM) is an emerging energy resource in Australia, which has multi-billion dollar CBM reserves. Gas is clean burning, produces little greenhouse gas and almost no disruption to surface activities (like farming) during extraction. These environmental benefits, with low cost, make gas the fuel of choice for power and heat worldwide. This project seeks to assist development of CBM engineering from deep coal seams. These contain the most gas, but are technically more difficult to develop than shallower reservoirs. In particular, it examines how natural and induced stress fields can be used to improve productivity, by understanding the relationships between different coal types, their environment and gas production rate.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.