Understanding the origin of high heat producing granites for hot dry rock geothermal energy

Overview

Topic status: In progress

Overview

Australia faces the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while providing a cost-effective and reliable electricity supply to ensure sustainable growth. Queensland is the fastest growing and most energy intensive state in Australia (approximately 43 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per capita).

Renewable energy such as geothermal energy must play a key role in addressing these challenges. QUT Biogeoscience is part of a collaborative research program to better understand the “heat engine” of enhanced geothermal systems for improved reservoir characterisation and prediction.

Our research focusses on:

  • What makes a granite “hot”?
  • How do the different granites and episodes of granite generation in Queensland differ in terms of their heat generating capacity?
  • Which of these granite episodes are most prospective as EGS?


Research activities

This project will involve working with PhD student Coralie Siegel who is compiling a substantial (~20,000 analyses) Excel database on igneous rocks in Queensland as part of her PhD research. Research activities can include assisting with database construction, granite rock sample preparations for chemical and age analysis, petrographic examination of high heat producing granitic rocks and cathodoluminescence imaging using microscopes.

Expected outcomes

Expected scientific outcomes include new information on the different types of granites in Queensland and their potential for high heat production. Expected outcomes for the student include improved skills in the critical analysis of scientific literature, database construction and interrogation, and opportunities to further develop their petrological expertise such as through using new microscopes.

Duration

 Project will run for 8 weeks, starting on 1 December 2011 or 1 January 2012.

Study level
Vacation research experience scholarship
Supervisors
QUT
External Dr Tonguc Uysal
Organisational unit

Faculty of Science and Technology

Research area

Biogeoscience

Keywords
high heat producing granites, high heat, granites, geothermal energy, rock , geothermal, VRES
Contact

For more information please contact any of the following supervisors: