Petroleum geoscience: Rock mechanics CSIRO’ s rock mechanics l aboratory undertakes research and testing for exploration, development and pr oduction scenarios in the oil and gas industry as well as for geological storage of carbon dioxide. The rock mechanics laboratory, located at the Australian Resources Research Centre in Perth, is one of the foremost geomechanics and rock physics laboratories in the world. The CSIRO laboratory houses specialised equipment and instrumentation, designed and built in-house over the past 20 years. Our laboratory is equipped to measure the mechanical and ultrasonic properties of rocks under in situ conditions of stress, pore pressure and temperature. Laboratory testing is the only direct way to determine the mechanical properties of rocks. Accurate analysis of rock mechanical properties can improve exploration, drilling and completion design and reservoir management. Ultimate benefts to industry include optimising well siting, maximising production and recovery, and minimising down-time and reservoir loss. Expertise The rock mechanics team has extensive technical and scientifc experience in experimental geomechanics and rock physics. Other skills include geology, petrology, petrophysics, physics and materials science. Much of the work we do is multi-disciplinary and closely linked with CSIRO’s petrophysics laborator y. The experimental work also informs further expertise in geomechanical, dynamic elastic and petrophysical modelling. Our combination of rock mechanics, rock physics and petrophysics capabilities, using both experimental and modelling approaches, is extremely powerful and unique worldwide. Facilities CSIRO has developed a range of high pressure and temperature triaxial cells for rock testing and understanding rock-uid interaction and deformation under stress. The laboratory houses a number of instruments for static and dynamic rock mechanics testing. Static rock mechanic testing • T wo autonomous triaxial cells (with ultrasonic capabilities) • High pressure cell • Medium pressure cell • Hoek cell • Dynamic testing • Terratek • Sand production rig • V elocity-Resistivity r ig • Autonomous triaxial cell A new high pressure (150 MPa) high temperature (200˚C) rig equipped with axial and radial ultrasonics plus 20 channel acoustic emission transducers will be commissioned in April 2010. Rock mechanics testing services T riaxial testing facilities a re used to determine rock elasticity and deformation parameters under in situ pressure and temperature conditions. Our testing services include: • mechanical testing • dynamic testing • specialised testing • operational applications for rock mechanical properties • test control and data management. Applying the capability The laboratory provides key support to strategic research projects within CSIRO on shale behaviour , 4D seismic, partial saturation, top seal integrity and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) storage. > Setting up the mud pressure penetration cell. > Setting up the high pressure triaxial cell to measure rock strength.