Research portfolio

The research direction of the CNG is undergoing review, with internal and external stakeholder feedback being sought. We anticipate updating the themes and research agenda in the coming months. 

Research capability & real world impact for industry

Exploitation of fossil fuel resources such as natural gas requires a balance to be struck between:
- Optimised recovery and stewardship of these state-owned scarce, non-renewable resources through the application of geoscience and petroleum engineering expertise.
- Implications of such exploitation on society and the economy (such as social changes, housing, costs and jobs).
- Implications for the wider environment (such as land use and water impacts or emissions to the atmosphere).

The Centre's capability across these areas is driven by in-house expertise as well as research partners from across the University of Queensland and other institutions. The research program is managed by three professorial research chairs across the Centre's research areas of Geoscience, Petroleum Engineering, Water, and Social Performance.
 
Summary of projects by research capability and real world impact for industry.
 
  

Groundwater 3D online atlas    

Quality assured the data  |  Made it all viewable and in context for the public

Great Artesian Basins: new body of knowledge  Evidence-based body of knowledge to inform how to best manage the finite resource into the future 
Groundwater uses in the Surat and Bowen Basins  New technique for estimating water flow in non-metered bores  |  Being used for improved modelling confidence by UQ & OGIA 
Recharge estimation in the Surat Basin  Measured for the first time in the field recharge rates in representative type locations  |  Being used for improved modelling confidence by UQ & OGIA 
Re-setting water and salt estimations  Independent review which reset early overestimated estimates  |  Fed into improved forward predictive modellingProvided independent new estimates and explained why initial estimates were so much larger
Salt compression  Provides an option to reduce volume of landfill and also to stabilise salts 
Potential uses for salt left over from CSG water treatment  Investigated a beneficial use for salts left over from CSG water treatment 
Methane emissions analysis in the Bowen/Surat  Provided a baseline of occurrence of natural hydrocarbons before CSGThe baseline helps understand any new occurrence and natural viability
Silica characterisation in the coal seam water trainReduces water processing cost and energy use Reducing & optimising the use of chemicals during reverse osmosis process, hence reducing adverse environmental effects 
Shallow gas environmental risk scoping & management Could optimise gas production to increase gas supplyImprove understanding of potential risks and mitigation strategies 
Ground movement environmental risk scoping & management Potential to optimise production tailored to geomechanical characteristicsUnderstanding the various contributors to the net movement of the ground surface 

Australia-USA lessons and comparisons

    
  

Building the next generation of digital models to guide management of groundwater and natural gas resources

May allow for fewer wells

 

Improved tool for estimating groundwater impacts in overlying and underlying aquifers

May lead to better quality predictive modelling for groundwater impacts

Depletion mechanics: investigating bulk geomechanical properties of depleted coalsMay improve engineering design relating to drilling and completion of wells and wellbore stabilityMay improve engineering design relating to drilling and completion of wells and wellbore stability  
Petrel Plug-in development: Geostatistical techniques: recoverable resources & fluid flow (copulas)May allow for fewer wells, or avoidance of poor wellsImproves estimation of resources in highly heterogenous gas reservoirsImproved tool for estimating groundwater impacts in overlying and underlying aquifers 
Integrated sequence stratigraphy Improves estimation of resources in highly heterogenous gas reservoirsImproved tool for estimating groundwater impacts in overlying and underlying aquifersMay lead to better quality predictive modelling for groundwater impacts
Faults & fractures in the Surat Basin Improves estimation of resources in highly heterogenous gas reservoirsImproved tool for estimating groundwater impacts in overlying and underlying aquifers 
Reservoir modelling: reducing uncertainty with polynomial chaos expansion (PCE) May improve estimation of resources in highly heterogenous gas reservoirsMay provide an improved tool for estimating groundwater impacts in overlying and underlying aquifers 
Well integrity: simple modelling  Provides first connected leak path modelling. Further work is in trainProvides first connected leak path modelling. Initial work suggests flow of gas up (or water down) is negligible
  

Cumulative socio-economic indicators - online tool to measure socio-economic change across communities   Independent metrics chosen by stakeholders to measure changes over time
Golden rules of gas: how Queensland stacks up   Highlights where there is most room for improvement and validates the rules as being important
Stakeholder trust in the CSG industry   Snap-shot in time and trend of trust levels across main stakeholder groups as well as advice on trust enhancing measures
How do local small and medium businesses adapt to the arrival of CSG development? SME study: Economic trends & benefits   Provides tips to SMEs
Improving co-existence between on CSG and agriculture   Quantifying effects on production and profitability | Strategies for co-existence
How has CSG been represented in the media & public discourse   How the dynamic of media discourse changed over time from jobs & investment to environmental threat & groundwater
Measuring effectiveness of investment in school education programs   Baseline to be used to assess the future effectiveness of STEM enrichment programs.
Best-practice regulation and governance systems for the unconventional gas sector   Guidelines and robust processes of research integrity and governance that reinforce research outputs from the Centre
  

Well productivity: Environmental stimulation technologiesCould provide alternative to hydraulic stimulationCould provide higher recovery per well or conversion of tight resourcesMay find benign chemicals for well bore treatment  |  Possibly enable fewer wells per volume of gas (footprint)Potentially, if an alternative can be found  |  May stimulate business growth or longevity
Enhancing CSG well production through well bottom-hole pressure controlCould reduce cost and energy useCould enhance gas productionPotentially reduce environmental impact 
Reducing fines damage: Selective wellbore coatingsStabilising fines would reduce work-overs and opex and energy useCould provide higher recovery per well through reduced downtimeMay reduce work-over related emissionsWould require fewer well visits
Well abandonment: advanced plugging technologyMay be a lower cost than conventional techniques Potential for improved sealing of gas wells and legacy coal wells 
Converting tight resources with graded particle injection in CSG stimulation

Could enable lower cost stimulations

Could enable higher recovery per wellMay enable fewer wells per volume of gas (footprint) 

 

Sustainable enhancement of coal seam gas production in Queensland

 

 Could enable conversion of tight resourcesMay enable fewer wells per volume of gas (footprint)Could stimulate business growth or longevity
Well performance: Rock properties using existing field data & real-time drilling dataCould reduce data acquisition costsCould allow better optimisation of hydraulic stimulation  
Enhancing well deliverability and reducing the work-over cost using big data predictive analyticsCould optimise pump performance and minimise down time and reduce energy useReduces downtime or 'deferment' on producing wellsMay enable fewer wells per volume of gas (footprint) and lessen access requirements for rigs maintenance activities which will reduce the environmental impacts associated with well workoversMay lessen access requirements for rigs maintenance activities which will decrease the disruption to rural activities where the wells are located, ease local traffic
Well productivity: High pressure water & gas impact on permeability Increasing the understanding of the fundamental physics of gas recovery  
How does temperature affect gas production? Scoping study into enhanced recovery by application of heat