Rock Mechanics Laboratory Tour of The University of Western Australia and CSIRO Petroleum

Monday 15 September 2008, 1.00- 4.30pm

A half-day laboratory tour has been organised of the UWA and CSIRO Petroleum laboratory facilities. This tour is available to SHIRMS 2008 symposium attendees only. The attendees will visit the UWA labs to see the centrifuge, stiff high-pressure triaxial static-dynamic loading frame and a blast simulator. The visit to the CSIRO site will include an overview of the triaxial shale characterisation and drilling mechanics projects. The tour is limited to 20 participants and will be filled on a "first come, first served" basis. Contact Jill to reserve your spot.

Programme

1.00pm

Bus departs Sheraton Perth Hotel to travel to UWA, Crawley

1.30 - 2.30pm

Attendees visit UWA laboratory

2.30pm

Bus departs UWA to travel to CSIRO, Bentley

3.00-3.30pm

Afternoon tea at CSIRO

3.30 - 4.30pm

Attendees visit CSIRO laboratory

4.30pm

Bus departs CSIRO to return to Sheraton Perth Hotel

5.00pm

SHIRMS symposium pre-registration at Sheraton Perth Hotel

CSIRO lab tour, Bentley

The rock mechanics and triaxial testing lab will be visited. The lab contains triaxial testing rigs and associated instrumentation. The lab carries out static triaxial tests, including consolidated-undrained tests on shale core to determine failure envelopes. Pore pressure can be controlled independent of confining pressure. Dynamic testing of core samples using in-cell ultrasonics to determine elastic properties and for support of geophysical applications is also performed.

The drilling mechanics lab where scaled experiments are carried out with several purpose-designed devices to support our theorectical invesigation on (i) the self-excited vibrations of the bit that are induced during drilling, (ii) resonance hammer drilling, (iii) bit-rock interaction laws for fixed cutters (PDC) bits, roller-cone bits, and diamond-impregnated bits.

The hydraulic fracturing lab is located in Melbourne. A five minute presentation will be given that will include photos of the Melbourne lab and equipment. A transparent PMMA block sample containing a hydraulic fracture will be on display. The hydraulic fracturing lab at CSIRO carries out investigations into hydraulic fracture growth through stress contrasts, fracture growth near free surfaces, fracture toughness changes with size of the hydraulic fracture, tip asymptotes associated with viscous or toughness dominated fracture growth and hydraulic fracture growth in naturally fractured rock. A set of field equipment comprises the field fracturing laboratory which allows full-scale experiments to be performed. A recent field experiment involved placing fractures ahead of a tunnel. The fracturing was remotely monitored using a tiltmeter array and then physically mapped during and after mining of the tunnel.