Dr Pabasara Wanniarachchige’s groundbreaking research has earned her the title of Future Leader from the American Rock Mechanics Association. Photo: UOW.
University of Wollongong (UOW) geomechanics researcher Dr Pabasara Wanniarachchige has been named as an American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA) Future Leader – one of only six and the only Australian.
The School of Civil, Mining, Environmental and Architectural Engineering researcher said she was deeply honoured to have won the prestigious title.
The ARMA Future Leader Program identifies motivated ARMA members of outstanding promise who are relatively early in their careers and provides opportunities for them to practise leadership and get actively involved in ARMA’s organisation and leadership.
The program also provides opportunities for Future Leaders to showcase their research, receive mentoring from ARMA fellows and to network with researchers from all major US rock mechanics groups and the international geomechanics community.
An Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Research Fellow, Dr Wanniarachchige’s research focuses on geomechanics applications for geothermal extraction.
Geothermal energy technologies encompass various applications, from electricity generation through steam turbines to utilising ground source heat pumps for space heating and cooling, along with other direct-use applications.
Dr Wanniarachchige at Climax Mine in Colorado. Photo: University of Wollongong.
Dr Wanniarachchige is researching geothermal heat recovery and energy storage from underground mines and the potential for reusing the mines as a source for low-carbon heat extraction and storage.
“As a country with a strong mining legacy, Australia has the potential to convert underground mines to geothermal resources, tapping into the Earth’s natural heat reservoirs as a renewable and low-carbon energy source to provide heating, cooling and energy storage for homes and businesses,” Dr Wanniarachchige said.
“My project aims to develop a new method for harnessing heat from elevated rock temperatures of underground mines, with no drilling or excavation, promoting the effective transition of post-mining landscapes to support communities.”
Dr Wanniarachchige is working to identify feasible mine sites for geothermal development, particularly exploring the potential of hot sedimentary aquifers.
The plan is to assess the resource potential of selected sites, exploring how heat extraction affects mine reservoirs and optimising engineering designs for better energy efficiency.
The tenure of a Future Leader is three years.
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