Research in the Australian School of Petroleum

The Australian School of Petroleum is Australia's pre-eminent centre for education, training and research in petroleum geoscience, engineering and management.

Australian School of Petroleum at The University of Adelaide is now:

The largest petroleum-focused university program in the Southern Hemisphere, with about 30 full-time staff, 100 undergraduate students and more than 50 postgraduate students.
One of only a few institutions in the world offering fully integrated teaching and research programs covering petroleum geoscience, engineering and management.
One of three universities in the world with its own research and teaching well located next to its building.
One of 12 universities worldwide operating within a 'Master' agreement with Exxon/Mobil for the provision of research and training support.
Exclusive holder of the NExT (Network of Excellence in Training) franchise for the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East.
The location of the Schlumberger/ASP Research and Training Suite.
The site of the South Australian Virtual Reality Centre.
One of four Australian university nodes of the CO₂ Co-operative Research Centre.

Research Areas:

Basin Modelling
The Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies
Improved Business Performance Group
Stress, Structure and Seismic Group
Reservoir Analogues Research Group (RARG)
Reservoir Characterisation at Pore Level
Seals Research Group
Centre for Improved Petroleum Recovery (CIPR)

	Basin Modelling Understanding hydrocarbon generation, migration and charge history of the Bass Basin. Dr Peter Tingate Regional controls on hydrocarbon charge in the Cooper/Eromanga Basin. Dr Peter Tingate
	The Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies Reservoir/seal characterisation and stratigraphy Geomechanics and petrophysics Reservoir modelling Hydrodynamics and geochemistry Coal systems Staff: Dr John Kaldi, Associate Professor Bruce Ainsworth, Dr Mark Bunch, Dr Ric Daniel, Professor Richard Hillis, Dr Saju Menacherry, Dr Ulrike Schacht, Dr Nicole Dobrzinzki, DR Guillaume Backe, Dr David Haberlah, Mr Simon Mockler Visit the CRC for Greenhouse Gas Technologies website for more information
	Improved Business Performance Group The Improved Business Performance Group (IBPG) is dedicated to improving economic outcomes in industries such as Oil and Gas that operate under conditions of uncertainty. Our expertise is in the application of economic, psychological and management theory to real world problems faced by industry managers and technical specialists. For more information please contact Professor Steve Begg and Dr Matthew Welsh
	Stress, Structure and Seismic Group The Australian Stress Map Dr Guillaume Backe, Dr Simon Holford, DrMark Tingay, Dr Adrian Tuitt Compressional Deformation and Uplift of the Passive Southern Australian Margin Dr Guillaume Backe, Dr Simon Holford, DrMark Tingay, Dr Adrian Tuitt Present-Day Stress and Tectonics of Delta-Deepwater Fold-Thrust Belts Dr Guillaume Backe, Dr Simon Holford, DrMark Tingay, Dr Adrian Tuitt SE Asian Stress Map Dr Guillaume Backe, Dr Simon Holford, DrMark Tingay, Dr Adrian Tuitt Geomechanics and Structure of CO2 Sequestration Dr Guillaume Backe, Dr Simon Holford, DrMark Tingay, Dr Adrian Tuitt
	Reservoir Analogues Research Group (RARG) The main focus of RARG is the documentation of modern and ancient reservoir analogues across a range of depositional environments (dryland, marginal marine, deep water) with the aim of improving hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation techniques. Definition and prediction of stratigraphic architectures and ranges of potential reservoir and heterogeneity geometries are core components of the group's work. The sedimentology and stratigraphy expertise in the group is complimented by seismic and 3D reservoir modelling expertise which permits the direct application of outcrop and subsurface data to hydrocarbon extraction issues. RARG is the largest sedimentology/stratigraphy research group in the southern hemisphere (15+ active members). Two major company funded research consortiums are run by the group: Lake Eyre Basin Research Group (LEBARG) - focussed on dryland reservoirs; and the WAVE Consortium - focussed on the prediction of reservoir geometries and heterogeneities in wave-influenced marginal marine systems. The group also conducts research into the impacts of depositional architecture on CO2 migration and sequestration. Staff: Associate Professor Bruce Ainsworth, Dr Kathryn Amos, Dr Ric Daniel, Dr Saju Menacherry, Dr Mark Bunch, Dr Julien Bourget, Dr Ulrike Schacht, Visit the RARG website for more information
	Reservoir Characterisation at Pore Level CO2 reactions in siliciclastic reservoirs Dr Ulrike Schacht, Dr Peter Tingate, Dr Max Watson Effect on provenance on reservoir quality Dr Ulrike Schacht, Dr Peter Tingate, Dr Max Watson Porosity depth trends Dr Ulrike Schacht, Dr Peter Tingate, Dr Max Watson Timing of illite growth Dr Ulrike Schacht, Dr Peter Tingate, Dr Max Watson Use of image analysis to define reservoir heterogeneity Dr Ulrike Schacht, Dr Peter Tingate, Dr Max Watson
	Seals Research Group Seals research at the Australian School of Petroleum (ASP) consist of a group of petroleum sedimentologists characterising fine grained sediments in terms of mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP) seal capacity , scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-Ray mineralogy and Gamma logs. Research in present day seal analogues are also incorporated into the characterisation to gain a fuller understanding of seal thickness, areal extent and depositional environments. Staff: Dr Ric Daniel, Dr John Kaldi, Dr Boyan Vakarelov
	Centre for Improved Petroleum Recovery (CIPR) Modelling of CO2 and Greenhouse Gas Miscibility and Interactions with Oil to Enhance the Oil Recovery in Gas Flooding Processes Technical Evaluation of CO2 flood in Cooper Basin, Australia in Tight Reservoirs through Laboratory and Modelling Studies An Investigation of Carbon Sequestration/Enhanced Coal-Bed Methane Potential in Australian Coals: A Simulation Study for Sydney Coal Basin Reservoir Simulation Studies of Gas-Assisted Gravity Drainage Process for EOR Reaction of Organic Acids with Calcite/Dolomite during Well Stimulation in Saudi Arabian Reservoirs Screening of Selected Australian Reservoirs for Air Injection Process and Investigation of its Potential in Tight Light-Oil Reservoirs Contact Professor Hemanta Sarma for more information