Research & Development

Sigra’s success has always hinged on its preparedness to innovate and develop, both for its own internal purposes and on occasions to get a client out of trouble.

Many of our designs and methods are protected by patent, some are simply published while several are just used internally and not disclosed. Some of our notable developments are:

  • IST overcore stress measurement tool
  • The tectonic strain approach in understanding stress regimes
  • Stress change cells
  • Stress path analysis for reservoirs
  • Hydrofracturing systems
  • Cyclical uniaxial testing systems to determine secant, tangent and unloading moduli
  • Triaxial testing processes to determine the moduli of rock fragments
  • Shrinkage test systems to determine the changing strain of desorbing coals
  • Isotherm test equipment
  • Native isotherm determination
  • Packers
  • External casing packers
  • Blow out preventers
  • Pressure relief chokes for well control
  • Sluiced hydraulic longwall mining systems
  • Drainage/production systems using out of reservoir drilling and hydrofracture
  • Stiff string torque and drag numerical models
  • Well test analysis software
  • Drill stem test systems
  • Wireline formation testing tools
  • Pulsed DST testing for directional permeability
  • Core gas desorption measurement using automated flow meters
  • Gas content without coring system to measure gas of virtually any formation during the drilling of an open hole
  • Cementing/grouting systems
  • Reservoir monitoring using cemented transducers with connectivity to the reservoir ensured by cement displacement
  • Cyclonic action gas water separators
  • Field data loggers
Borehole pressurisation system for ACARP – for managed pressure drilling underground

Triaxial core testing system for University of Queensland

Torque and thrust sensor for geosteering

Design of a highwall mining roof support system

Mixing valve for water/chemical infusion system to strip H2S from coal

Initial development and use of Sigra IST overcore system

Gas drainage flowmeter
Borehole shut-off valve for gas drainage

Testing of drill rods for long hole drilling

Initial development of Sigra data loggers

Tectonic strain concept to explain sedimentary stress variation

Directional downhole hammer

Through-the bit Drill Stem Test (DST) system

Research into tectonic strain theory

Geothermal blow out preventers

Geosteering tool for use in coal mining in partnership with CSIRO

Continued development of geosteering tool

Permanently cemented stress change cell

Strain gauge to measure coal seam deformation during gas drainage
Through-the-bit straddle DST tool for HQ drill pipe to 1,300 m depth
10 inch borehole packer system

ACARP project into the study of outburst mechanisms

Automatic core gas desorption monitor.

Coal isotherm measurement method using pure CH4 and CO2

Well control systems for HQ wireline coring and open hole drilling

Coal shrinkage measurement during gas absorbtion / desorption

Further development of permanently cemented pressure transducers

Measurement of gas content from all strata with open hole drilling

Networking of large numbers of Sigra data loggers

Development of stress path analysis in coal to predict gas reservoir behaviour

Conference presentations on stress path and gas content
Hydrostatic measurement of non-linerar elastic properties of coal
Cyclonic 3-phase separator for gas, liquids and solids
Field testing of non-coal strata using gas content without coring system.

Advised Mine Managers Association on revised coal outburst criteria

ACARP project into outburst risk in underground coal mines

System to collect all lost gas during extraction of core from borehole

Piezometer installation using cement displacement technology

Pulse testing for directional permeability, anisotropy, imhomogenity

Alternative methods to measure mixed gas isotherms

Native isotherm measurement

ACARP project on coal outburst risk

Triaxial testing for non-linear anisotropic and poroelastic behaviour

Mathematics to describe real rock behaviour incorporating fluids

ACARP research into outbursts and rockbursts

ACARP research into coal mechanical properties

Preliminary design of rotary drilling tool for directional drilling

Continued research into rock properties

Ongoing development of rotary steering tool for directional drilling

Presentation to Mine Managers Association on outbursts and coalbursts

New hydrofracture stress testing system

Development of specialist grouts for sealing holes

Major research into the measurement of nonlinear and anisotropic rock behaviour

Modelling of rocks with complex behaviour

Development of a closed chamber drill stem test tool.

Continued development of a rotary steering tool for directional drilling.

Research into the caving behaviour of longwalls

Commenced development of three dimensional rocks stress measurement tool – IST3D

Designed and built a ventilator in response to apparent need due to Covid-19

Completed design and testing of rotary steering tool for directional drilling – reported to ACARP

Continued development of rock property measurement systems

Research into the caving behaviour of longwalls

Completion of Version 10 field data logger

Delivered report to ACARP on revised ways to approach outbursts and coalbursts.

Development of high speed drill string communication system

Continued development and field testing of IST-3D rock stress measurement system

Development of numerical models for real rock behaviour