A highly resolved chronostratigraphic and palaeoenvironmental framework for Pre-Salt Brazilian core basins. Hydrocarbon production and exploration today support viable economies. The engagement of industry with higher learning institutions will advance and enhance the discipline of petroleum geology, with a resultant spectrum from new sources of oil and gas to significantly reducing CO2 emissions (and decreasing the impact of global warming). National and community benefits are diverse: training ....A highly resolved chronostratigraphic and palaeoenvironmental framework for Pre-Salt Brazilian core basins. Hydrocarbon production and exploration today support viable economies. The engagement of industry with higher learning institutions will advance and enhance the discipline of petroleum geology, with a resultant spectrum from new sources of oil and gas to significantly reducing CO2 emissions (and decreasing the impact of global warming). National and community benefits are diverse: training and research support for many graduate students and staff in Australia, a better understanding of ancient greenhouse climates, testing and refinement of new techniques (e.g. bioevents, biosteering) in petroleum studies and practical experience of integrating data from frontier exploration wells.Read moreRead less
A novel foundation to extend the operation of mobile structures into deeper water. Oil and gas is a key industry in Australia, contributing A$17 billion to the economy. However, with the large accessible reserves in shallower waters becoming exhausted, Australian oil and gas companies require new technologies to extend their capabilities. The research in this proposal addresses this concern, providing an extension of the operational depth range of mobile jack-up platforms from 120 to 200 m. This ....A novel foundation to extend the operation of mobile structures into deeper water. Oil and gas is a key industry in Australia, contributing A$17 billion to the economy. However, with the large accessible reserves in shallower waters becoming exhausted, Australian oil and gas companies require new technologies to extend their capabilities. The research in this proposal addresses this concern, providing an extension of the operational depth range of mobile jack-up platforms from 120 to 200 m. This creates the opportunity to develop the significant number of Australia's smaller gas fields that are currently uneconomical to exploit. The proposed project will contribute to the future competitiveness of Australia's oil and gas industry and ensuring energy supply for the sustained growth of the Australian economy.Read moreRead less
Wearable thermoelectric textiles for portable microelectronics. Wearable thermoelectrics enable the power generation from the temperature difference between human body and ambient temperature by using thermoelectric effect. This project aims to design eco-friendly wearable thermoelectric textiles to realize high-efficiency solid-state power generation and meet individual needs with human comfort and health. The target is to achieve a power density in the as-designed thermoelectric textiles by th ....Wearable thermoelectric textiles for portable microelectronics. Wearable thermoelectrics enable the power generation from the temperature difference between human body and ambient temperature by using thermoelectric effect. This project aims to design eco-friendly wearable thermoelectric textiles to realize high-efficiency solid-state power generation and meet individual needs with human comfort and health. The target is to achieve a power density in the as-designed thermoelectric textiles by the optimization of materials and device design. The outcome will open up a new platform for the green and sustainable charge for portable microelectronics, which will lead to an innovative technology for energy management, which will place Australia at the forefront of wearable electronics and textile industry.Read moreRead less
A Global Satellite Altimeter Database for Ocean Engineering Applications. Australia is a maritime nation with major shipping activities, offshore facilities and a very significant percentage of its population living near the coast. As such, it is critical that engineers can accurately predict ocean wave conditions. This project will bring together more than 20 years of satellite observations of the ocean into a single database. This database will represent a major resource for the nation, signif ....A Global Satellite Altimeter Database for Ocean Engineering Applications. Australia is a maritime nation with major shipping activities, offshore facilities and a very significant percentage of its population living near the coast. As such, it is critical that engineers can accurately predict ocean wave conditions. This project will bring together more than 20 years of satellite observations of the ocean into a single database. This database will represent a major resource for the nation, significantly enhancing our understanding of ocean wave conditions. The research projects associated with the database will provide an understanding of the ocean wave climate, oceanic extremes, tropical cyclone conditions and nearshore ocean design parameters.Read moreRead less
Methane and nitrous oxide in agro-ecological systems: novel technologies and understandings to improve ecosystem management. Methane and nitrous oxide are critical greenhouse gases but globally we lack ecosystem scale analyses of the balance of emissions, including animal emissions, and soil oxidation. This project will quantify this balance for a range of agro-ecosystems, and explore and develop opportunities for improving soil-based Greenhouse Gas (GHG) mitigation measures.
Three dimensional computational models of geological basin and hinterland evolution incorporating lithospheric mantle and surface processes. Petroleum exploration in deepwater areas offshore Australia is becoming increasingly important as more accessible, shallow water oil reserves near exhaustion. Geological simulation is an important tool for understanding deep water basins where geophysical imaging techniques are less effective. This project will develop 3D computational models relevant to un ....Three dimensional computational models of geological basin and hinterland evolution incorporating lithospheric mantle and surface processes. Petroleum exploration in deepwater areas offshore Australia is becoming increasingly important as more accessible, shallow water oil reserves near exhaustion. Geological simulation is an important tool for understanding deep water basins where geophysical imaging techniques are less effective. This project will develop 3D computational models relevant to understanding the development and evolution of geological basins and the sediments that fill them. The models will be integrated with available offshore data for potentially prospective Australian basins in the Northwest Shelf and the Southern Australian margin.Read moreRead less
Seismic velocity problems associated with Cretaceous-Tertiary carbonate sediments that overlie oil and gas fields of the North West Shelf. The major aim of this collaborative study between Partner Oil Companies and The University of Melbourne is to understand seismic velocity problems associated with tropical carbonate sediments on Australias? North West Shelf. These problems can hinder the hydrocarbon exploration efforts below these carbonates. The project is a multi faceted study and will invo ....Seismic velocity problems associated with Cretaceous-Tertiary carbonate sediments that overlie oil and gas fields of the North West Shelf. The major aim of this collaborative study between Partner Oil Companies and The University of Melbourne is to understand seismic velocity problems associated with tropical carbonate sediments on Australias? North West Shelf. These problems can hinder the hydrocarbon exploration efforts below these carbonates. The project is a multi faceted study and will involve integration of seismic stratigraphy with sedimentological, micropaleontological, and geophysical data. The methods outlined below would underpin any seismic depth migration applications, thereby assisting with the delineation of new gas and oil fields, and help with the estimation of reserves in existing fields.
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Developing a fully automated analytical system for the next generation of fission-track thermochronology. This project aims to develop a revolutionary new generation of research tools for analysing the temperature history of rocks in the upper several kilometres of the earth's crust with new opportunities for the commercialisation of the outcomes. The approach will bring together and integrate several rapidly-developing technologies at the forefront of international developments in this field. ....Developing a fully automated analytical system for the next generation of fission-track thermochronology. This project aims to develop a revolutionary new generation of research tools for analysing the temperature history of rocks in the upper several kilometres of the earth's crust with new opportunities for the commercialisation of the outcomes. The approach will bring together and integrate several rapidly-developing technologies at the forefront of international developments in this field. The information obtained will contain vital clues about the processes that operate within the crust, the evolution of its surface environments over long periods of time, the long-term stability of the ancient continental cores, and the formation of important hydrocarbon and mineral resources.Read moreRead less
The climate evolution of high latitude 140 to 90 million year old hydrocarbon prospective strata of Southeast Australia. Melbourne University and the Royal Botanic Gardens will collaborate with three companies to investigate climate variability in a 140 to 90 million year old greenhouse record in southeast Australia. Spore, pollen & algal studies integrated with wood & plant analyses and zircon dating will improve age estimates of hydrocarbon reservoirs in Gippsland where Lakes Oil and Nexus E ....The climate evolution of high latitude 140 to 90 million year old hydrocarbon prospective strata of Southeast Australia. Melbourne University and the Royal Botanic Gardens will collaborate with three companies to investigate climate variability in a 140 to 90 million year old greenhouse record in southeast Australia. Spore, pollen & algal studies integrated with wood & plant analyses and zircon dating will improve age estimates of hydrocarbon reservoirs in Gippsland where Lakes Oil and Nexus Energy are exploring in one of Australia's premier oil & gas producing regions. This work will lead to a better understanding of climate change in long-term greenhouse conditions. Knowledge of this in the past is critical to prediction of climate change into the futureRead moreRead less
Microstructure characteristics to structural performance: the missing link in geopolymers. Geothermal energy from the deep earth's heat is emissions-free and renewable. Cements often fail in geothermal wells due to extreme temperature cycles. Alternative new geopolymer cements will be studied for trouble-free geothermal operations. Knowledge gained will also add confidence to the use of geopolymer in general construction.