Professor Sheik S Rahman
Sheik S Rahman is a Professor in Petroleum Engineering at the School of Petroleum Engineering, UNSW and a leading researcher in the areas of geothermal energy development from hot rocks and gas production from coal-beds.
He has made a pioneering contribution in the development of Australian geothermal resources as evidenced in a number of my leading roles which include - organising Australia’s 1st workshop on “the Geothermal Energy Resources potential in Australia” in Canberra in 1992, establishing an industry consortium (Hot Rock Energy Pty Ltd) to develop the Hot Rock Energy in Australia in 1994 and a founding member of Scopenergy Ltd. (acronym of School of Petroleum Engineering), which is later taken over by Panax Geothermal Ltd. The company holds geothermal licences in the sole Mount Gambier region of Otway Basin. He has also made a significant contribution to the development of drilling systems, methods and equipment in drilling into a hot (250 degrees centigrade), hard, abrasive and highly stressed environment. He has advanced the technology of hydraulic fracturing by shear dilation (propant free) to stimulate and fluid flow simulation to develop naturally fractured reservoirs. The same technology was applied to develop the huge amount Coal Bed Methane reservoirs in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria and an estimated 30 trillion cubic feet gas in tight formation in South Australia. This expertise has allowed him to obtain major grants from the Energy Research and Development Corporation, theAustralian Greenhouse Office, Aus-Industry and the Oil and Natural Gas corporation of India to develop geothermal and coal-bed methane resources.
In recognition of his expertise in the area well construction and characterization and fluid flow simulation of naturally fractured reservoirs he was invited to make numerous industry seminar presentations and was appointed as the Technology Custodian by Petronas Carigali (Malaysian National Oil Company) to design and supervise the construction of the longest extended reach well in the region between 1999 and 2000.
Contacts: +61 (0)2 9385 5297 | sheik.rahman@unsw.edu.au