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 |