The Permeation of Water through Industrial Membrane Systems. This project aims to understand the permeation of water through commercially relevant non-porous polymeric membranes. Permeation, solubility and diffusivity will be studied in the vicinity of the glass transition temperature to elucidate the changes in free volume that occur through this transition. Non-linear concentration gradients due to anisotropic swelling will be probed using novel laminated membrane systems. Water clustering wil ....The Permeation of Water through Industrial Membrane Systems. This project aims to understand the permeation of water through commercially relevant non-porous polymeric membranes. Permeation, solubility and diffusivity will be studied in the vicinity of the glass transition temperature to elucidate the changes in free volume that occur through this transition. Non-linear concentration gradients due to anisotropic swelling will be probed using novel laminated membrane systems. Water clustering will be evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. Results are proposed to be used to build a new phenomenological model of water permeation that can be used directly by engineers in the design of industrial membrane systems.Read moreRead less
Proppant transport in non-Darcy fracture flow for reservoir integrity/yield. Hydro-fracking of a typical gas well in Australia consumes around 3000 tonnes of proppants to keep open the created fractures, costing over $1.5 million. This project investigates proppant transport behaviour in non-Darcy turbulent flow during fracking of underground reservoir rock by combining Hele-Shaw-cell experiments with Particle Image Velocimetry and conceptual/numeric modelling. The generating advanced proppant t ....Proppant transport in non-Darcy fracture flow for reservoir integrity/yield. Hydro-fracking of a typical gas well in Australia consumes around 3000 tonnes of proppants to keep open the created fractures, costing over $1.5 million. This project investigates proppant transport behaviour in non-Darcy turbulent flow during fracking of underground reservoir rock by combining Hele-Shaw-cell experiments with Particle Image Velocimetry and conceptual/numeric modelling. The generating advanced proppant transport knowledge is expected to be more accurate than laminar flow-based theories currently relied on. Expected outcomes include more efficient/safer proppant-assisted fracking strategies to reduce wasteful proppant disposition and inform industry/government management of fracking based on the reservoir geological features.Read moreRead less
Dynamic tomography: high-resolution, four-dimensional imaging of processes. This project will develop imaging technology that allows us to collect detailed, three dimensional movies of complex, microscopic processes in a laboratory. This technology will have applications in soil science, biology, oil extraction, and carbon sequestration.
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
Linking topology and rheology for designing supramolecular polymer networks. This project aims to develop a foundation for understanding how microscopic topology and intermolecular interactions control the flow behaviour of supramolecular polymer networks. Brownian dynamics algorithms will be developed to unravel the complex dynamics of the network and calibrated by comparison with carefully designed experiments. The expected outcome of the project is a quantitative framework for connecting the ....Linking topology and rheology for designing supramolecular polymer networks. This project aims to develop a foundation for understanding how microscopic topology and intermolecular interactions control the flow behaviour of supramolecular polymer networks. Brownian dynamics algorithms will be developed to unravel the complex dynamics of the network and calibrated by comparison with carefully designed experiments. The expected outcome of the project is a quantitative framework for connecting the molecular structure and energy landscape with resulting macroscopic properties. This project should yield significant benefit in the rational design of supramolecular systems in which the thermorheological properties can be tuned over a wide range of force/time scales with applications spanning from enhanced oil recovery to injectable hydrogels.Read moreRead less
Sustainable recovery of gas hydrate using carbondioxide. This project aims to develop a gas exchange method to sustainably extract methane from gas hydrates – an abundant and far cleaner energy than coal – while simultaneously sequestering carbon dioxide in its place. This project expects to overcome existing methods’ risk of contaminating the ocean and killing sea life with methane gas. Expected outcomes of this project include a framework of the mechanics of gas hydrates during gas exchange; e ....Sustainable recovery of gas hydrate using carbondioxide. This project aims to develop a gas exchange method to sustainably extract methane from gas hydrates – an abundant and far cleaner energy than coal – while simultaneously sequestering carbon dioxide in its place. This project expects to overcome existing methods’ risk of contaminating the ocean and killing sea life with methane gas. Expected outcomes of this project include a framework of the mechanics of gas hydrates during gas exchange; experimental exploration of the new method; and strategies for efficient gas recovery. This should provide significant benefits in that swapping waste carbon dioxide for an ample low-carbon energy source caters to ever-growing global energy demands while still reducing greenhouse emissions.Read moreRead less
Advancement of cohesive crack approach to model shrinkage and load induced cracking in multi-phase soils. Soil cracking affects many engineering applications and infrastructure. It is also recognised that the impending climate change can affect the severity of soil cracking. Despite this, there is lack of progress in this area and significant knowledge gaps exist. This project will provide new knowledge and better design and management tools.
Motion of objects in soils. This project aims to conduct a fundamental study of a challenging class of geotechnical problems in which an object moves inside a layer of soil, interacts with soil, and disturbs it, by developing advanced numerical and analytical methods. This project expects to determine the fundamental principles governing soil behaviour upon movement of embedded objects. The expected outcomes are robust solutions and computational procedures that will benefit government and engin ....Motion of objects in soils. This project aims to conduct a fundamental study of a challenging class of geotechnical problems in which an object moves inside a layer of soil, interacts with soil, and disturbs it, by developing advanced numerical and analytical methods. This project expects to determine the fundamental principles governing soil behaviour upon movement of embedded objects. The expected outcomes are robust solutions and computational procedures that will benefit government and engineers by providing safer and more cost-effective strategies for designing, constructing, and maintaining Australia's infrastructure. This should bring significant benefits to industries engaged in harvesting energy resources, such as wind farms, as well as oil and gas.Read moreRead less
Global capital, local understandings: changing ecologies of knowledge in response to a major resource extraction project in Papua New Guinea. The project will identify effects of a major development project in Papua New Guinea on the relationships local people have to land, neighbours and the globe. This will contribute to understanding processes of social change, and provide a basis for interpreting changes in a country that is of crucial significance to Australia.
Fear and licensing in Australia: Investigating the social licence to operate of an emerging coal seam gas industry. Australia’s nascent coal seam gas (CSG) industry is the site of substantial social tension. For some the industry can transform and safeguard national energy sources and fuel booming Asian exports. For others it damages both the environment and communities. This tension is vividly expressed by local protests and regulatory bans. Communities, mining companies and government invoke a ....Fear and licensing in Australia: Investigating the social licence to operate of an emerging coal seam gas industry. Australia’s nascent coal seam gas (CSG) industry is the site of substantial social tension. For some the industry can transform and safeguard national energy sources and fuel booming Asian exports. For others it damages both the environment and communities. This tension is vividly expressed by local protests and regulatory bans. Communities, mining companies and government invoke a 'social licence to operate' as fundamental to industry viability. This landmark project explores the concept of a social licence to operate in Australia's CSG industry to tease apart the dynamic risks, opportunities and tensions at work between corporations, rural and regional Australian communities and government, and offers policy and practice recommendations. Read moreRead less