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