Forskning – Institutt for geovitenskap og petroleum

Welcome, David!

David Semwogerere has joined the Department of Geoscience and Petroleum on a 3-year PhD program in the field of Drilling and Wells.

His project is titled “Well Integrity and Lifecyle Management – Data Analytics approach” with an objective to develop a computer-based artificial intelligence system, or a system of systems for offshore well integrity and life cycle management for the Brazilian and Norwegian Continental Shelves.

Sigbjørn Sangesland (Professor in Well Engineering) is the main supervisor while Alexey Pavlov (Professor in Petroleum Cybernetics) and Jørn Vatn (Professor in RAMS) are co-supervisors for the project.

This project is in collaboration with Petrobras as an industry partner under the BRU21 program; an NTNU Research and Innovation Program in Digital and Automation Solutions for the Oil and Gas Industry.

Besides industry roles in Drilling and Completion, David holds MSc. Petroleum Engineering (Drilling Technology) and BSc. Electrical Engineering (Power Systems) degrees.

Welcome, David!

Welcome, Lene!

Lene Margrethe Pallesen is 24 years old and from Stavanger. Lene will be undertaking a 3-year PhD in Engineering Geology studying and mapping quick clay deposits. The supervisor is Professor Ola Fredin. The project aims to increase knowledge of instabilities in quick clay and help bridge the gap between different discipline approaches by applying methods from geology, geophysics and geotechnics.

Lene has a BSc in Geophysics with Geology from Durham University and an MSc in Geology from NTNU. She has for the past year been studying sediment transport in Longyearelva on Svalbard with cooperation with UNIS and NGU for her Master’s project. This project focused on the influence of permafrost and climate change on sediment input from glaciers, moraines and slope processes.

Lene likes to spend her spare time on a range of activities including dance and badminton.

Welcome, Lene!

Spennende forskningsfunn om malmpotensialet i Karasjok

Doktorgradskandidat Alf André har nettopp publisert spennende resultater fra sin PhD-studie i det anerkjente tidsskriftet Precambrian Research. Funnene har implikasjoner for malmpotensialet i Karasjok Grønnsteinbeltet da denne aldersgruppen av tilsvarende bergarter i Finland er svært prospektive for Ni-Cu-PGE mineraliseringer (f.eks. Lomalampi, Sakatti og Kevitsa), som er viktige forekomster for råstoffer til det grønne skiftet.

Studien, med tittelen «Evolution of the Gállojávri Ultramafic Intrusion from U-Pb zircon ages and Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd and Lu-Hf isotope systematics, omhandler aldersbestemmelse og dannelsen av gamle magmakammere i Karasjok Grønnsteinsbelte. Artikkelen viser hvordan man ved bruk av isotop-signaturer kan sondere sammensetningen av kontinentalskorpen og belyse interaksjonen mellom magmatiske systemer og vertsbergarten den strømmer gjennom.

Det presenteres også en datering av Gállojávri-intrusjonen til 2051 ± 8 millioner år. Aldersbestemmelsen viser at Gállojávri-intrusjonen ble dannet samtidig til påvist magmatisk aktivitet i Lappland grønnsteinsbelte i Finland. Dette antyder at Gállojávri-intrusjonen er del av et mye større magmatisk system som strekte seg hele veien fra norskekysten i nord til grensen mellom Finland og Russland i sør. Studien er utført i samarbeid med Trond Slagstad (NGU), Bjørn E. Sørensen (NTNU), Harald Hansen (UIT) og Ian Millar (BGS). Lenke til artikkelen: https://bit.ly/3SuMuE8

NORHED II project: Capacity building in higher education in Nepal

The NORHED II project aims to build capacity in higher education within Rock and Tunnel Engineering in Nepal, and is a collaboration project between Department of Geoscience, NTNU and Paschimanchal Campus of Institute of Engineering (IoE-WRC), Tribhuvan University in Nepal. The project is funded by Norad – Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation which aims to enhance internal capacity of Institute of Engineering (IoE) within Rock and Tunnel Engineering through the production of 4 #PhD graduates of IoE faculties at NTNU, establishment of state-of-art rock and tunnel engineering laboratory at IoE-WRC, teaching support to MSc in Rock and Tunnel Engineering at IoE-WRC which was started in late 2020 with direct contribution by NTNU. This 6 years long collaboration project gives maximum focus on UN sustainable goals and has started in January 2021 and will end by the end of 2026.

Alf Andre Orvik har publisert banebrytende forskning i Journal of Petrology

PhD kandidat Alf Andre Orvik har publisert banebrytenene resultater fra sitt PhD studie i tidskriftet Journal of Petrology med Titlen «The Palaeoproterozoic Gallujavri ultramafic intrusion, Karasjok Greenstone Belt; petrogenesis of a trans-crustal magma system». Artikkelen har i tillegg fått annerkjennelsen editors choice.

Resultatene omhandler dannelsen gamle magmakammer (fra paleoprotorzoikum) i Karasjok Grønnsteinsbelte, Finnmark. Ved hjelp av avansert termodynamisk modellering av geokjemiske og mineralogiske data blir det vist hvordan magmaen har steget og utviklet seg på ulike dybder i kontinentalskorpen. Modellen er forenelig med observasjoner fra aktive magmasystemer som for eksempel Yellowstone, USA og viser at magma ofte følger komplekse veier på veg opp til overflaten. Funnene er viktig for å forstå den geologiske utviklingen av det baltiske skjold og har implikasjoner for dannelsen av magmatiske sulfid og PGE forekomster, som er viktige råstoffer til det grønne skiftet.

Studiet er utført i samarbeid med samarbeid med Trond Slagstad og Lars Petter Nilsson (NGU), samt Harald Hansen (UIT). Dette samarbeid har vært sentralt for å få til så imponerende resultater.

Welcome Christian

Christian Rekve Bryn has joined the Department of Geoscience and Petroleum at NTNU to undertake a 4-year PhD-project in the field of hydrogeology. The supervisor is professor Bjørn Frengstad. Christian’s research project «Bømoen Plus Village» aims to use geological resources as part of sustainable development of a new area in Voss, with short travelled resources that gives water, renewable energy and aggregates for future industry and residence. Mapping and managing the resources to be used for sustainable development will be a big part of the project. The industrial PhD is funden by the Norwegian research counsil, COWI AS, Bømoen AS, Voss Energi AS and Voss herad. NGU is a collaboration partner in the project.
Christian has B.Sc in geology and geohazards from HVL and M.Sc in hydrogeology from the University of Copenhagen. He works as a hydrogeologist (since 2016) at COWI AS.

Welcome Christian!

Welcome Sailesh

Sailesh Adhikari has joined The Department of Geoscience and Petroleum, Faculty of Engineering to start his PhD on “Stability assessment and rock support optimization of underground excavations in Himalayan rock mass”. The PhD is a part of “NORHED II PROJECT 70141 6: Capacity Enhancement in Rock and Tunnel Engineering at Pashchimanchal Campus (WRC), Institute of Engineering (IoE), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal” funded by NORAD and managed by IGP-NTNU. In the research Sailesh will develop stability assessment methods suitable for the Himalayan rock mass. His research outcome will deliver appropriate approach of rock support design relevant for Himalayan rock mass. The research focus will on the utilization of flexible, sustainable, cost effective and environmentally friendly support design. He will carry out extensive field mapping, instrumentation, collection of relevant data and laboratory testing of the rock samples brought from different tunnel project cases from Himalayan region. The mapped, collected and tested data will be used as basis to carry out comprehensive stability assessment and optimization of rock support for underground caverns and tunnels passing through Himalayan rock mass.

Sailesh has completed M.Tech. in Structural Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi), India. Prior joining to NTNU, he was assistant professor at Pashchimanchal Campus (WRC), Institute of Engineering (IoE), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal.

Welcome, Sailesh!

Welcome Andriani

Andriani Manataki is 24 years old, from Greece and she has just joined the Department of Geoscience and Petroleum to undertake a 3-year PhD-project in the field of Drilling Engineering. Her main supervisor is professor Sigbjørn Sangesland and the co-supervisor is Bob Eden (Managing director / Professor, Rawwater Inc. UK).

Andriani will focus, through her research, on “Applications and properties of bismuth alloys in well completion and well plugging”. She will do experimental work, aiming to evaluate and test bismuth as an alternative sealing material. The research will propose and evaluate applications of bismuth alloys in well completion and P&A, and will model the interaction between bismuth alloy and steel/cement/cap rock formation. This research is part of SFI SWIPA which is an initiative that aims to obtain a scientific understanding of permanent well barriers and allocate for improved well barrier design methodologies.

Andriani has graduated from the Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, in National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), in Greece, having an integrated Master degree, with specialization in Chemical Metallurgy. Her thesis, about the “Conversion of dawsonite to hydrated alumina”, was undertaken under the supervision of Dimitrios Panias (Professor, NTUA), in the laboratories of metallurgy in NTUA. Her internship was in SINTEF Industry, in the department of Metal Production and Processing, working as a researcher for the “ENSUREAL PROJECT”.

Welcome, Andriani!

High-resolution drone magnetic survey

In August 2021, IGP researchers led by Prof. Suzanne McEnroe and Dr. Madeline Lee successfully conducted a high-resolution drone magnetic survey over parts of the Bjerkreim-Sokndal (BKS) layered intrusion, Rogaland, Norway. This field campaign was in collaboration with the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology – HZDR drone team led by Dr. Richard Gloaguen.

This field work was also a success thanks to the ongoing support from the Heskestad community. The BKS has been studied for decades due to the presence of strong magnetic remanence, mineral potential, and as an Earth analogue for Martian magnetic anomalies. This drone magnetic data aids in understanding the magnetic properties of the rocks and minerals, and acts as an important bridge for multiscale anomaly mapping between thin-section, ground, and traditional airborne surveys with a helicopter or aircraft. Nearly 100 flight-line kilometers were flown identifying key geological contacts and remanent magnetic anomalies (24 000nT amplitude below background). The goal is to carry out a follow-up drone survey in 2022 along with additional ground geophysical measurements.

Total magnetic field data from ground surveys collected by NTNU IGP in 2015, 2017 and recent 2021 drone (dashed boxes) survey. Grids are overlaid on 1:50 000 geology* in the Heskestad area, Rogaland, Norway.
*Contains data under the Norwegian license for public data (NLOD) made available by the Geological Survey of Norway survey (NGU). 1:50 000 bedrock data. URL – http://geo.ngu.no/kart/berggrunn_mobil/

Results from NTNU’s call on interdisciplinary research collaboration in sustainability

The results from NTNU’s call on interdisciplinary research collaboration in sustainability is now available, and we are very happy to report that IGP is involved in 2 of the 9 projects that were funded!

Professor Hanumantha Rao Kota has been involved in the project Developing a Holistic Ecosystem for Sustainable Repurposing and/or Recycling of Lithium-ion Batteries (LIBs) in Norway and EU. (HolE-LIB) coordinated from the NV-faculty.

Associate Professor Steinar Løve Ellefmo has had key involvement in the project The Deep Dilemmas: Deep Sea Mining for the new Deep Transition? (TripleDeep). The latter project is coordinated by the HF-faculty and is based on a previous RCN-application that has been developed by the same project group and led by Ellefmo.

Rao and Ellefmo will receive 1 PhD candidate each.

For IGP to be involved in 2 of the 9 projects here is very positive for our department. NTNU received 60 applications from all faculties at NTNU within the deadline.

Details from innsida here.

Congratulations to Rao and Steinar!