PETROGEO 7022 - Energy Geoscience: MSc Research Project I

PETROGEO 7022 runs runs as the first part of the MSc in Energy Geoscience research project with PETROGEO 7023 (second part) by two possible patterns. The default pattern involves students conducting a group research project under the supervision of a panel of expert staff. Students will work together as a team to define and characterise the elements and processes of a particular geological energy system type (petroleum accumulation; hydrogen accumulation/generation/storage; CO2 sequestration; geothermal) within an Australian sedimentary basin, as selected by members of a supervisory staff panel. Each student will have responsibility for investigating and reporting on particular elements and/or processes of the identified energy system. Students will then bring their components together as a group to formulate a cohesive timing chart of events that demonstrates critical moments in the history of the developing system or critical sequences required for its resource development. This information will be used to predict the location of resource sweet-spots. These results will be used to map exploration and/or development/production risk in the basin and explain the cause(s) of any failed projects to develop the resource in the past. The elements and processes of geo-energy systems are interlinked so students will need to collaborate within their group in order to develop their own areas of work. These dependencies will be illustrated in weekly meetings that summarise group progress. Students will be assessed for their approach and their contributions at these meetings, though the majority of a student's final grade is awarded by assessment of the final group thesis and presentation during oral examination. The alternative pattern applies when class numbers are too low to form an effective working group for the default project pattern as described above. In this case, all students will undertake an individual research project concerning a specific, relevant topic related to geo-energy resource systems (conventional and unconventional petroleum; hydrogen; CO2 sequestration; geothermal) that will be supervised by a panel of two academic members of staff. Assessment will be by presentation of preliminary results (formative), submission of a substantive research thesis (summative), and oral examination (summative).