Pitch of the Week #125: Using Numerical Methods for Computing Thermal Interactions between Solids and Fluids

What ever happened to Jon McCullough, the author of PoW #21 (published November 2015)?

Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, is a well stimulation technique in which rock is fractured by a pressurised liquid commonly used to extradite oil and natural gas. Improving the hydraulic fracturing process environmentally, socially and economically, is not a simple task. Fracking typically occurs deep underground and it is thus difficult to examine from an experimental standpoint. The fracturing fluid is a suspension of solid particles within a fluid, which makes tracking its behaviour within individual fractures at different temperatures extremely complex.

Since being winner of the inaugural UQ Pitching Research Competition three years ago, Jon McCullough’s research on fracking has significantly advanced. His work has heavily focussed on developing numerical methods for computing thermal interactions between solids and fluids in suspensions like hydraulic fracturing fluids. These methods are general in nature, meaning they can be applied to a wide range of scientific and engineering applications from blood flow to chemical treatment plants. In particular, his work has developed and analysed techniques for calculating conjugate heat transfer between phases and included fluid effects resulting from viscosity changing with temperature. These combine to modify the behaviour of the suspensions in complex ways. The ongoing development of these methods, and deployment on high performance computing systems, will better enable current and new fracturing fluid combinations to be tested and improved prior to use in the field. His work has been published in three conference/peer-reviewed journal papers, presented at soon-to-be six national and international conferences and displayed at a number of industry events organised by the UQ Centre for Coal Seam Gas. His research has allowed him to travel and work with colleagues in Germany, France and the USA.

To better track the behaviour of fracturing fluid, Jon proposes to tackle the problem by simulating the behaviour of fracturing fluids in a model environment. By developing a direct numerical model with the strengths of two specific simulation techniques (Lattice Boltzmann Method and Discrete Element Method), Jon hopes to resolve a wider range of physical behaviours. While the fossil fuels extracted are increasingly associated with negative impacts, ‘fracking’ will continue around the world despite environmental pressure and backlash. Jon continues to aim to allow for the development of improved strategies to minimize environmental impacts such as minimizing bore sites, while still enabling the economic extraction of hydrocarbon resources.

You can read Jon’s original PoW #21 research pitch, Appendix A46, in the online library of pitch examples here (link) to see how it captures all the elements of this study in a succinct and clear form, aimed at the academic community. 

Interested readers are directed to the following related URL links and free resources:

• Working paper “Pitching Research” available for free download from SSRN:

https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract =2462059

• Resource Centre paper for free download from SSRN:

https://ssrn.com/abstract=3018939