Research and development opportunities for Industry

01

Improved exploration and assessment

• Reservoir Rock characterisation – permeability and mechanical properties.
• Reservoir scale modelling – sophisticated numerical models based on FEM/FDM/PFC to simulate wellbore stability, production and performance of the reservoir.

02

Improved well construction

• Well casings – simulate condition of erosion and corrosion in casings to assess integrity of the well and predict problems.
• Well cement – develop or modify or validate existing and a new type of cement to enable extraction of resources from deeper and more complex geological conditions.

03

Enhanced Oil/Shale/Coal seam gas extraction

• Replacement of water with CO₂ injection for hydraulic fracturing.
• Development of novel techniques to generate new fractures and enhance existing cleats in coal seams.

04

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR)

• Developing methods to inject CO₂ into depleted/tight reservoirs for enhanced production.
• Use of steam injection.
• Test and validate new EOR methods.

05

Improved sand management

• Test and develop new chemicals to assess their impact on controlling the production of sand which can be a costly and damaging problem in oil and gas wellbores.

06

Enhanced shale and tight gas extraction

• Identification of mechanisms that limit gas recovery.

07

Enhanced production from wells

• Nanofluids – we can test and develop new nanofluids to assess their impact on enhancing permeability and increasing production of oil and gas.

08

Enhanced geothermal energy production

• A better prediction of fluid flow systems in hot dry rocks.

Our Expertise

We take a micro-to-macro, lab-to-field approach to improve understanding of reservoir properties, production potential and for enhancing methods of hydrocarbon extraction. Expertise is drawn from multiple disciplines including geomechanics, materials engineering, geoscience and mathematics. Wider ranging expertise can be accessed from within Monash University and our large number of external collaborators if required.

1. Micro
2. Meso
3. Macro
4. Field

01

Reservoir Rock characterisation

• Petro-physical characterisation.
• Permeability characterisation.
• Micro-mineralogical characterisation.
• Multiphase flow analysis.

02

Wellbore/reservoir geomechanics

• Sand production.
• Integrity of well-bore.

03

Hydraulic fracturing

• Water based hydro-fracturing.
• Foam based hydro-fracturing.
• Non-viscous based hydro-fracturing.

04

Modelling and simulation of data at multiple scales

• 4 stages of scaling: micro-meso-macro-field scale.
• Macro scale to validate data from the field.
• Reservoir scale to enable technical and economic decisions.