Sustainable Geo-Energy and Geo-Environment Engineering


Geo-energy and geo-environment are two branches of geotechnical engineering representing current and future grant challenges because of the pressing need to conserve energy and protect the environment. The Geotechnical Centrifuge Facility has been actively seeking solutions to tackle these two challenges.

Themes of Geo-Energy Engineering: 

(please find the relevant projects and thesis)

  • Energy geo-structures including piles and pile group
  • Mechanics of methane hydrate-bearing soils
  • Wellbore stability for gas production from hydrate-bearing soils
  • Offshore foundations for wind and tidal renewables
     

Themes of Geo-Environment Engineering:

(please find the relevant projects and thesis)

  • Climate change impact on unsaturated slope behaviour
  • Mechanics of slope failure initiation, debris flow kinematics and interaction with resisting structures
  • Soil eco- and bio-engineering using vegetation
    • Highlighted research project
      • Green Slope Engineering in Hong Kong (Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) scheme, RGC; HK$ 5.8 m)
      • Green Slope Engineering: Bioengineered, Live Cover Systems for Man-made Fill Slopes and Landfill Capillary Barriers in Hong Kong (Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) scheme, RGC; HK$ 8 m)
  • Stability of urban trees under extreme wind
    • Highlighted research project
      • Engineering a safer urban forest under extreme storms (Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) scheme, RGC; HK$ 6.2 m)
  • Water-gas transport in earthen final cover for municipal solid wastes

 

Themes of Soil-Structure Interaction:

(please find the relevant projects and thesis)

  • Mechanisms of deep excavation
  • Tunneling effects on adjacent excavation, piled foundation and pipelines
  • Excavation effects on adjacent tunnels

 

More details about the research projects and publications in these themes can be found in the website of the members of the Geotechnical Research Group of the HKUST: Prof. Charles NgProf. Limin Zhang, Prof. Yu-Hsing Wang, Prof. Gang Wang, Prof. Jidong Zhao and Prof. Anthony Leung