The Environment theme seeks to understand and reduce the environmental impacts of energy resource projects and technologies that will be critical to the energy transition.
The theme’s researchers achieve this by modelling, monitoring and predicting projects’ impacts on the environment and mitigating them by sharing their knowledge through a range of outputs and engaging with stakeholders. The theme also addresses broader environmental challenges, including the risks to biodiversity posed by developments and the environmental footprints associated with alternative technologies.
The team’s academic knowledge and industry experience spans hydrology, geochemistry, sub-surface modelling, and environmental life cycle assessment, and where necessary is complemented through collaboration with experts in other fields.
The theme ultimately aims to provide governments, industries and the public with independent advice on environmental risks that is supported by academic rigour and extensive experience with the energy sector and the regions where it operates.
Theme Leader
Associate Professor Phil Hayes
View Phil's research profile
Team
Iain Rodger
View research profile
Dr Sebastian Hoerning
View research profile
Past projects
- Great Artesian Basins: new body of knowledge
- Silica characterisation in the coal seam water train
- Shallow gas environmental risk scoping & management
- Faults & fractures in the Surat Basin
- Well abandonment: advanced plugging technology
- Re-setting water and salt estimations
- Recharge estimation in the Surat Basin
- Well integrity: simple modelling
- Australia-USA lessons and comparisons
- Potential uses for salt left over from CSG water treatment
- Groundwater 3D online atlas
- Groundwater uses in the Surat and Bowen Basins
UQ Copula Plug-in for Petrel
This tool is a novel plug-in for Schlumberger’s Petrel software. The geostatistical modelling plug-in is designed to better differentiate and represent areas of high and low permeability, and identify the preferred flow pathways between areas, which is critical to understanding the rate and volume of subsurface gas and water flows.
Publications
Since launching in 2013, the Centre has published over 300 journal article, book chapters, posters, conference abstracts, and presentations. You can view the complete list here.
Theme leader
Associate Professor Phil Hayes
Chair of Water Resources and Gas Development
phil.hayes@uq.edu.au
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