Research

The group research focus is primarily on Geo-Energy in Sedimentary Basins. This includes a vast realm of subjects requiring different multi scale approaches aiming at understanding the way sedimentary basins form, are filled, evolve through time and how and where they can hold energy resources (i.e hydrocarbons and geothermal heat and water). This is aimed to develop genetic models which will help the exploration and sustainable exploitation of energy fluid by predicting how they form, accumulate, distribute and move in the underground.

The current energy challenges faced by our society make this topic an exciting area of work which requires the smart deployment of all sort of classic and modern multidisciplinary analytical methods and techniques starting from basic field and lab sedimentology, geochemistry and petrography, to the use and interpretation of geophysical data to arrive at deploying sophisticated 3D geo-modelling tools aimed at describing quantitatively the rocks in the deep subsurface, their genetic and transformation processes through time and simulating the fluids flowing through it.

The flagship research projects the GE-RGBA is actively involved on, concern the integrated subsurface studies supporting the deep geothermal & hydrothermal exploration and CO2 storage evaluation potential of the Swiss Plateau. These projects are related to the GEothermie 2020 project and the large national project Swiss Competence Centers of Energy Research (SCCER SoE) funded by the Geneva-based energy industry (SIG), the Canton of Geneva, the Swiss National Fund and the Swiss Confederation. In this context the GE-RGBA plays a key role in large EC-research consortia such as the project HEATSTORE funded in the framework of the GEOTHERMICA ERA-Net program.

In brief the Geo-Energy research objectives we are aiming to within the GE-RGBA group are the following:

• Develop reliable geological predictive models of sedimentary systems in order to maximise geo-energy exploration and development success.
• Integrate a variety of analytical and investigation technologies at different scale within a multidisciplinary approach to improve our realistic representation and geo-modeling of subsurface reservoirs.
• Provide workflows and best practices to understand and quantify accurately static subsurface uncertainties, controlling the dynamic flow behaviour in the reservoirs.

Expertise

More specifically, the techniques and expertise present in the GE-RGBA group at present include:

• Sedimentology, stratigraphy and facies analysis
• 2D-3D seismic interpretation and seismic stratigraphy
• Basin scale gravity measurement and interpretation
• Structural geology
• Petrophysics and wireline log interpretation
• Automated and conventional petrography, mineralogy, geochronology and chemostratigraphy
• Hydrogeology and water geochemistry
• Organic geochemistry and Basin modelling
• 3D geological modelling

Lab facilities

Our group is responsible of a QEMSCAN an automated scanning electron microscopy for mineralogical and element mapping and petrographic analysis and a AP-608 Coretest an industry standard automated porosimeter and gas permameter. Beside this, we benefit from direct access to a a wealth of analytical technologies available at the University of Geneva and Lausanne.