By combining leading industry representatives and excellent researchers with long-term experience in the areas of characterization and modelling of fluid flow and transport, geophysics, hydrocarbon exploration and production, risk management and legal representation the consortium provides a unique multi disciplinary multi national pool of expertise available to the EU. The consortium brings together organisations with experience in the fields of radioactive waste storage, carbon capture and storage, and geothermal resources with particular expertise in the investigation of subsurface geo-reservoirs and institutions with a long history of experience in conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon exploration and production. FracRisk merges experience in all the fields required to tackle the challenge of furthering the knowledge base for reducing the environmental footprint of shale gas development. The long record of successful collaboration among most of the team members ensures significant impact and results.

For FracRisk a scientific, industrial and regulatory advisory board (SIRAB) will be established in order to provide the project with external expert advice and guidance

 

Partners

University of Edinburgh (UK)

The University of Edinburgh is one of the largest and most successful universities in the UK with an international reputation as a centre of academic excellence. The team at Edinburgh University is led by Dr habil. Christopher I. McDermott and supported by Dr Katriona Edlmann at the School of Geosciences.

 

Heriot-Watt University  (UK)

Heriot-Watt University is a leading institution in science, technology and business and excels as Scotland's most international university. The team at Heriot-Watt University is led by Prof. Gary Couples at The Institute of Petroleum Engineering.

 

University of Gottingen (Germany)

Applied Geology at the Geosciences Centre in Göttingen was established in 2002 with a special focus on the hydrogeology of fractured aquifers and is now recognized to be a renowned institution in this field. The team at The University of Göttingen is led by Prof. Dr. Martin Sauter at the Geosciences Centre.

 

Politecnico di Milano (Italy)

Polimi is ranked as one of the most outstanding European universities in Engineering, Architecture and Industrial Design. The team at Politecnico di Milano is led by Prof. Alberto Guadagnini of the Groundwater group in The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

 

Uppsala University (Sweden)

Uppsala University is the oldest university in the Nordic countries and has been placed among the 100 best universities in the world in the three largest international rankings.  The team at Uppsala is led by Prof. Auli Neimi, head of the geohydrology research group at the Department of Earth Sciences.

 

University of Vienna (Austria)

The University of Vienna was founded in 1365, and it is the oldest university in the German-speaking part of the world. The university has an exceptionally broad range of subjects, ranging from natural sciences to humanities.  The team at Vienna is led by Prof. Goetz Bokelmann, head of the Department of Meteorology and Geophysics.

 

Centre National de la Rechercher Scientifique (France)

CNRS is the French National Research Centre where Nineteen CNRS researchers have been selected for Nobel prizes.  The team at CNRS is led by Dr Philippe Gouze at Géosciences Montpellier, a Research Unit managed by the CNRS and the University of Montpellier.

 

University of Stuttgart (Germany)

The University of Stuttgart was founded in 1829 and over the years this technical institution has developed to the research intensive university that it is today. The main emphasis is on engineering and the natural sciences.  The team at Stuttgart is led by Prof. Holger Class, deputy head of the Department of Hydromechanics and Modelling of Hydrosystems at the Institute for Modelling Hydraulic and Environmental Systems.

 

Environmental & Water Resource Engineering (Israel)

EWRE (Environmental & Water Resources Engineering) is a SME based in Haifa, Israel and specialises in Water Resources Management, risk assessment to water resources and water facilities and implementation of environmental remediation for soil and groundwater.  The team at EWRE is led by Dr Jacob Bensabat.

 

Jung Geotherm (Germany)

On the base of 35 years of professional experience in geothermal Energy research JUNG-GEOTHERM UG offers services and consultancy in all fields of geothermal energy use, Hydraulic well testing and Hydro-geothermal modelling. The team at Jung Geotherm is led by Dr Reinhard Jung.

 

Bundesanstalt fur Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (Germany)

BGR is the central advisory board for the German Government and Ministries in all geo-relevant topics including the management of the geo-resources soil and groundwater as well as activities linked to the search for final repository sites of spent nuclear fuel, carbon capture and storage and the use of geothermal energy.  The team at BGR is led by Prof Thomas Himmelsbach, head of the BGR Sub-Division “Groundwater Resources – Quality & Dynamics” at BGR.

 

Spanish National Research Council (Spain)

The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is the largest public institution dedicated to research in Spain.  Its mission is to foster, coordinate, develop and promote scientific and technological research, of a multidisciplinary nature, in order to contribute to advancing knowledge.  The team at CSIC is led by Prof. Jesus Carerra of the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research.

 

PENN STATE

The Marcellus Centre for Outreach and Research (MCOR) is Penn State's education and research initiative on unconventional gas plays.  The overarching goal of our Center, or MCOR, is to provide a common entry point at Penn State University for Marcellus-related projects and to advance research-based outreach on gas shale development and issues associated with it in the Commonwealth. MCOR’s mission is to pursue science-based research and understanding for the many issues surrounding the development of shale energy in PA and around the world.  The team at PENN State is led by Dr Thomas Murphy the Co-Director of Penn State’s Marcellus Centre of Outreach and Research.

 

 

Scientific, Industrial and Regulatory Advisory Board (SIRAB)

 

Chin Fu Tsang

Chin-Fu Tsang is a Senior Scientist Emeritus in the Earth Sciences Division and a former Head of the Hydrogeology Department at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California. He has a B.Sc. (First Class Honours) in Physics from the University of Manchester, UK, and a Ph.D. from University of California at Berkeley, USA. He is well known internationally for his research in flow and transport in heterogeneous media, coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes in fractured rock, and advanced well tests analysis and borehole testing methods. He is the author or co-author of more than 400 scientific publications, including about 160 articles in refereed scientific journals and about 110 invited papers and presentations.

 

Cuadrilla

Cuadrilla is a UK company based in Staffordshire. Formed in 2007 as a privately owned exploration and production company, our focus is on bringing together experts to recover natural resources. Cuadrilla is aiming to be a “model company” for unconventional exploration in the UK. It is acutely aware of the responsibilities this brings, particularly with regard to safety, environmental protection and working with local communities.  The experts on the FracRisk SIRAB panel from Cuadrilla include Huw Clark and Andrew Quarles. http://www.cuadrillaresources.com/

 

Quintessa

Quintessa was founded in 1999 with the vision of providing an enjoyable and fulfilling working environment in which talented scientists and mathematicians can use their problem solving skills to help clients address key issues. Quintessa operates at the interface between academia and industry, facilitating the application of leading-edge knowledge in a timely and cost-effective manner.  Quintessa has several years of experience in dealing with sub surface geoscience engineering, including radwaste geological disposal. The experts on the FracRisk SIRAB panel from Quintessa include Alex Bond and Richard Metcalf.  http://www.quintessa.org/

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EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG, Germany

One of the largest energy supply companies in Germany and Europe and an exciting center of innovation. The experts on the FracRisk SIRAB panel from EnBW include Thomas Koelbel.   https://www.enbw.com/index_en.html

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Wintershall

Wintershall is Germany's largest internationally active crude oil and natural gas producer. They explore and produce oil and gas in Europe, North Africa, South America, Russia, the Caspian Sea region, and the Middle East, with a strong interest in unconventional resources. The experts on the FracRisk SIRAB panel from Wintershall include Peter Suess. http://www.wintershall.com/en.html

 

 

 

The FracRisk project actively collaborates with all H2020 LCE16 projects

 

The SHEER Project (SHale gas Exploration and Exploitation induced Risks)

The objective of the SHEER project is to develop best practices for assessing and mitigating the environmental footprint of shale gas exploration and exploitation, developing a probabilistic procedure for assessing short and long-term risks associated with groundwater contamination, air pollution and induced seismicity.

 

The SXT project (ShaleXenvironmenT)

T he primary objective of the SXT project is to assess the environmental footprint of shale gas exploitation in Europe in terms of water usage and contamination, induced seismicity, and fugitive emissions. Using synergistically experiments and modeling activities, ShaleXenvironmenT will achieve its objective via a fundamental understanding of rock-fluid interactions, fluid transport, and fracture initiation and propagation, via technological innovations obtained in collaboration with industry, and via improvements on characterization tools.

 

The M4ShaleGas project (Measuring, Monitoring, Mitigating, Managing the environmental impact of shale gas)

The consortium studies and evaluates potential risks and impacts of shale gas exploration and exploitation. The general objective is to develop science-based best practice recommendations for minimizing the environmental footprint of shale gas exploration and exploitation in Europe.