A dynamic pore-network model for fluid displacements in porous media. The project will have a major impact on the up-stream oil and gas industry nationally and worldwide. It will allow data crucial to the development and optimization of oil and gas fields to be obtained from reservoir fragments and unconsolidated core, greatly reducing the levels of uncertainty associated with field developments. This has great commercial and strategic significance for Australia, where future potential reserve ....A dynamic pore-network model for fluid displacements in porous media. The project will have a major impact on the up-stream oil and gas industry nationally and worldwide. It will allow data crucial to the development and optimization of oil and gas fields to be obtained from reservoir fragments and unconsolidated core, greatly reducing the levels of uncertainty associated with field developments. This has great commercial and strategic significance for Australia, where future potential reserves are located in remote offshore deep water areas where technological uncertainties are a major obstacle to timely development.Read moreRead less
Pore scale characterisation of the wettability of petroleum reservoir core material: Towards optimised recovery of hydrocarbon reserves. In most oil reservoirs more than 50% of original oil in place remains unrecovered. A major factor contributing to suboptimal recovery is insufficient knowledge of the rock wettability. Even a small improvement in recovery will have substantial economic benefit. The proposed project aims to characterise wettability in hydrocarbon bearing rocks using advanced 3D ....Pore scale characterisation of the wettability of petroleum reservoir core material: Towards optimised recovery of hydrocarbon reserves. In most oil reservoirs more than 50% of original oil in place remains unrecovered. A major factor contributing to suboptimal recovery is insufficient knowledge of the rock wettability. Even a small improvement in recovery will have substantial economic benefit. The proposed project aims to characterise wettability in hydrocarbon bearing rocks using advanced 3D imaging hardware and understand implications to oil displacement and recovery via state-of-the-art computational tools. Scientifically, this will be a leading edge research achievement enhancing Australian competitiveness in petroleum engineering research and will help Australia become a world leader in the export-oriented petroleum research services industry.Read moreRead less
X-ray imaging and magnetic resonance approach for enhanced oil recovery. This project aims to develop an efficient multi-scale modelling capability to quantify the effect of two-phase fluid flow within porous material by modelling rock wettability heterogeneity and alteration on two-phase flow performance for heterogeneous rock. Super-resolution methods combined with a deep learning approach will be used to determine a digital representation of reservoir rock, achieving an unprecedented combinat ....X-ray imaging and magnetic resonance approach for enhanced oil recovery. This project aims to develop an efficient multi-scale modelling capability to quantify the effect of two-phase fluid flow within porous material by modelling rock wettability heterogeneity and alteration on two-phase flow performance for heterogeneous rock. Super-resolution methods combined with a deep learning approach will be used to determine a digital representation of reservoir rock, achieving an unprecedented combination of resolution necessary to resolve small-scale fluid connectivity and field of view required to capture heterogeneity. The project expects to develop a workflow to populate a high-resolution model with wettability parameters by combining micro-CT imaging with nuclear magnetic resonance measurements. This improved understanding should provide significant benefits by enhancing our capability to optimise enhanced oil and gas recovery programs.Read moreRead less
Core-scale geodynamic rock-typing of reservoir rock. This project aims to develop a robust classification method for reservoir rock incorporating static, dynamic and mechanical attributes via multiscale digital core analysis using the concept of regional measures. Rock-types are used to populate reservoir models in a sophisticated routine of geological classification, spatial modelling and uncertainty analysis. Introducing high-resolution rock-types incorporating hydraulic properties and compact ....Core-scale geodynamic rock-typing of reservoir rock. This project aims to develop a robust classification method for reservoir rock incorporating static, dynamic and mechanical attributes via multiscale digital core analysis using the concept of regional measures. Rock-types are used to populate reservoir models in a sophisticated routine of geological classification, spatial modelling and uncertainty analysis. Introducing high-resolution rock-types incorporating hydraulic properties and compaction allows the development of a new generation of reservoir simulators. The project aims to derive a consistent high-resolution definition of rock-types incorporating compaction for petrophysical, geological and reservoir engineering purposes. This would greatly enhance our capacity to develop thinly layered reservoirs with direct applications in 4-D seismic reservoir characterisation and the development of unconventional reservoirs.Read moreRead less
Transport properties from Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Australia is embarking on the development of major gas fields offshore western Australia. These developments are very costly (~1Billion) and tools to manage the risk in development are well sought after. NMR response is the only tool offering a good correlation to permeability, one of the major factors whether oil/gas recovery is economical. The actual rocks studied will be selected to make the results of the study of immediate value to Austr ....Transport properties from Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Australia is embarking on the development of major gas fields offshore western Australia. These developments are very costly (~1Billion) and tools to manage the risk in development are well sought after. NMR response is the only tool offering a good correlation to permeability, one of the major factors whether oil/gas recovery is economical. The actual rocks studied will be selected to make the results of the study of immediate value to Australian oil and gas producers.
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Rock Physics: A study of micromechanics of rocks and granulated materials. This proposal will provide an understanding of the micro mechanics of granular materials and of changes at the grain scale when a granular pack undergoes mechanical stress or compaction. Sedimentary rocks, as a natural form of compact granular materials, are abundant in nature and often provide the bed for underground hydrocarbon reserves. This project will answer some of the fundamental questions in petroleum engineering ....Rock Physics: A study of micromechanics of rocks and granulated materials. This proposal will provide an understanding of the micro mechanics of granular materials and of changes at the grain scale when a granular pack undergoes mechanical stress or compaction. Sedimentary rocks, as a natural form of compact granular materials, are abundant in nature and often provide the bed for underground hydrocarbon reserves. This project will answer some of the fundamental questions in petroleum engineering, explaining how and why a sedimentary oil reservoir compacts during oil extraction. The knowledge gained from this project has also important applications in the construction industries and ground water management.Read moreRead less
Assessing reservoir performance for carbon storage in saline aquifers. This project aims to develop a multiscale framework of site characterisation for carbon storage in deep saline aquifers and calculate measures of injectivity, storage capacity and containment. Carbon capture and storage could reduce carbon emissions within two decades. Carbon dioxide emissions are the most important drivers of climate change, with detrimental effects on humans and their environment, including water security, ....Assessing reservoir performance for carbon storage in saline aquifers. This project aims to develop a multiscale framework of site characterisation for carbon storage in deep saline aquifers and calculate measures of injectivity, storage capacity and containment. Carbon capture and storage could reduce carbon emissions within two decades. Carbon dioxide emissions are the most important drivers of climate change, with detrimental effects on humans and their environment, including water security, agriculture, coastal communities, and infrastructure. This project will improve assessment of reservoir performance for carbon storage in saline aquifers, and help reduce carbon emissions.Read moreRead less
Multiscale modelling of multiphase interactions in shale gas reservoirs. As conventional oil and gas become depleted in most of the producing basins, extraction of unconventional gas trapped in shale formations needs to become more viable. Since Australian shales have different characteristics from North American ones, the existing knowledge cannot be directly applied. We aim to develop a novel multiscale framework for deep understanding of the complex multiphase interactions in shale gas reserv ....Multiscale modelling of multiphase interactions in shale gas reservoirs. As conventional oil and gas become depleted in most of the producing basins, extraction of unconventional gas trapped in shale formations needs to become more viable. Since Australian shales have different characteristics from North American ones, the existing knowledge cannot be directly applied. We aim to develop a novel multiscale framework for deep understanding of the complex multiphase interactions in shale gas reservoirs. The outcomes will not only enable us to effectively assess the viability of gas extraction from Australian shale reservoirs with accurate long-term production forecasting, but help to develop strategies to effectively extract this relatively low carbon-emitting fossil fuel in the transition to a renewable economy.Read moreRead less
Global Gravitational Wave Astronomy. To listen to the universe with gravitational waves needs a global array of gravitational wave observatories, and one of these must be in the southern hemisphere - in Australia. By definitively answering outstanding questions about an Australian gravitational wave observatory - Where should it be? How sensitive? What astronomy will it aid? - we make the case for the international community to help build this observatory, investing hundreds of millions of dolla ....Global Gravitational Wave Astronomy. To listen to the universe with gravitational waves needs a global array of gravitational wave observatories, and one of these must be in the southern hemisphere - in Australia. By definitively answering outstanding questions about an Australian gravitational wave observatory - Where should it be? How sensitive? What astronomy will it aid? - we make the case for the international community to help build this observatory, investing hundreds of millions of dollars in rural Australia and keeping Australia on the cutting edge of all branches of astronomy. As a flagship client of advanced data GRID technologies, we will also shape the growth of Australian knowledge of, and infrastructure for, next-generation communications technologies.Read moreRead less
Metaphotonics and metasurfaces for disruptive sensing technologies. This project aims to address a big challenge in nanophotonics by developing revolutionary methods for efficient chiral sensing of molecules without the need for spectrometry, frequency scanning, or moving mechanical parts, and to enhance chiroptical signals a hundredfold with the help of metasurface structures. Resonant metasurfaces are arrays of engineered dielectric nanoparticles with extraordinary characteristics, and they wo ....Metaphotonics and metasurfaces for disruptive sensing technologies. This project aims to address a big challenge in nanophotonics by developing revolutionary methods for efficient chiral sensing of molecules without the need for spectrometry, frequency scanning, or moving mechanical parts, and to enhance chiroptical signals a hundredfold with the help of metasurface structures. Resonant metasurfaces are arrays of engineered dielectric nanoparticles with extraordinary characteristics, and they would allow to overcome current limitations of chiral sensing analytical tools. Detecting chiral molecules in low concentrations is crucially important to many fields of biology, chemistry, and pharmacy, as well as to the food and cosmetics industries, constituting a market of tens of billions of dollars.Read moreRead less