Senior Lecturer
(MEA Node: University of Adelaide, Civil Environmental and Mining Engineering, School of)
Telephone +61 8 8303 5421
Position Senior Lecturer
Email chaoshui.xu@adelaide.edu.au
Fax +61 8 8303 4359
Building Engineering North
Floor/Room 1 41
Campus North Terrace
Org Unit Civil Environmental and Mining Engineering, School of
Qualifications
PhD, Rock Mechanics, University of Leeds, UK, 1993
MSc, Mining Engineering, Northeast University, China, 1985
BSc, Mining Engineering, Northeast University, China, 1983
Membership and Affiliations
Member, International Society for Rock Mechanics
Member, International Association for Mathematical Geology
Member, Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
Areas of Specialisation
Geostatistics, Resource Evaluation, Rock Fracture Mechanics, Stochastic Rock Fracture Modelling
Experience
Dr Xu has over twenty years of experience working for mining academic institutions and the industry. His research interests cover many areas including geostatistics, mineral resource evaluation, risk assessment of mining project, optimal mine design, rock fracture mechanics, stochastic rock fracture modelling, particle flow simulation using distinct element method, statistics of porous or fractured media.
A commercial software product, MINVEST – for financial evaluation and risk assessment of mining projects, developed by Dr. Xu and Prof. P. A. Dowd won the top prize of 1995 UK Business Software Challenge Competition. MINVEST has now user licenses worldwide.
Dr Xu, together with Dr. R.J. Fowell, has developed the CCNBD (Cracked Chevron-Notched Brazilian Disc) specimen for rock fracture toughness testing. The research was recognised by the Testing Commission of the ISRM (International Society for Rock Mechanics) and was adopted as an ISRM international suggested method for the measurement of Mode I rock fracture toughness.
Teaching Interests
Courses Taught in 2008/09
Introduction to Mining Engineering, Resource Estimation, Introduction to Geostatistics, Linear Geostatistics, Selection and Recoverability, Computing for Geostatistics, Non-Stationarity in Geostatistics, Multivariate Geostatistics, Non-linear Geostatistics, Geostatistical Simulations.
Research Interests
Current Research Interests
Application of stochastic rock fracture modelling for hard rock (HDR) geothermal, carbon sequestration and block caving mining operations.
Fluid flow through fractured rock masses
Stochastic stability analysis of rock structures
Ore/waste movement simulation in surface and underground mining operations
Geostatistical modelling
Mineral resource evaluations
Dynamic risk assessment of mining projects
Optimal mine production scheduling
Application of rock fracture mechanics in rock excavation engineering
Publications
Major Publications
Publications in the last five years
Scholarly Book:
Xu, Chaoshui (2010), Cracked Brazilian Disc for Rock Fracture Toughness Testing, Theoretical background, numerical calibration and experimental validation, VDM Publishing House, ISBN: 978-3-639-24040-5.
Scholarly Book Chapters:
1. International Society for Rock Mechanics, Commission on Testing Methods (Fowell, R.J., Xu, C., et al.) Suggested method for determining Mode I fracture toughness using cracked chevron notched Brazilian disc (CCNBD) specimens, The Complete ISRM Suggested Methods for Rock Characterization, Testing and Monitoring: 1974-2006, (eds) R. Ulusay * J. A. Hudson, Commission on Testing Methods, International Society for Rock Mechanics, 2007, ISBN 978-975-93675-4-1, pp. 259-268.
2. *Mardia, K. V., Walder, A. N., Xu, C., Dowd, P.A., Fowell, R. J., Nyirongo, V.B. and Kent, J. T. (2007), A line finding assignment problem and rock fracture modelling. Bayesian Statistics and its Applications, Eds. Upadhaya, S.K., Singh, U. and Dey, D.K. Anamaya Publishers, New Delhi; ISBN 10 81-88342-63-7; ISBN 13 978-81-88342-63-1. 319-330.
3. Xu, C. and Dowd, P.A. (2010), Conditional simulation of grades controlled by geological indicators, Advances in Orebody Modelling and Strategic Mine Planning I, old and new dimensions in a changing world, (ed) R. Dimitrakopoulos, Spectrum Series No. 17, AusIMM, ISBN: 978 1 921522 20 8, 51-57.
Refereed Journal Papers:
1. Mohais, R, Xu, C. and Dowd, P. A. (2011) Fluid flow and heat transfer within a single horizontal fracture in an enhanced geothermal system, ASME J. Heat Transfer (in press).
2. Xu, C. and Dowd, P. A. (2010), A new computer code for discrete fracture network modelling, Comps & Geosc., 36, 292-301.
3. Dowd, P.A., Martin, J.A., Xu, C., Fowell, R.J. and Mardia, K.V. (2009) A three-dimensional data set of the fracture network of a granite. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, 46, 5, pp.811-818.
4. R. Caulkin, X. Jia, C. Xu, M. Fairweather, R. A. Williams, H. Stitt, M. Nijemeisland, S. Aferka, M. Crine, A. Leonard, D. Toye, and P. Marchot, (2009) Simulations of Structures in Packed Columns and Validation by X-ray Tomography, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 48, (1), 202-213.
5. Xu, C., Jia, X., Williams, R.A., Stitt, E.H., Nijemeisland, M., El-Bachir, S., Sederman, A.J. and Gladden, L. F. (2008), Property predictions for packed columns using random and distinct element digital packing algorithms, Computer Modelling in Engineering and Sciences, 23, 2, pp. 117 – 125.
6. Xu, C., Dowd, P. A., Mardia, K. V., Fowell, R. J. and Taylor, C. C. (2007) Simulating correlated marked point processes, Journal of Applied Statistics, 34, 9, pp. 1125 – 1134.
7. Dowd, P. A., Xu, C., Mardia, K. V. and Fowell, R. J. (2007) A comparison of methods for the simulation of rock fractures, Mathematical Geology, 39, pp. 697 – 714.
8. Mardia, K. V., Nyirongo, V. B., Walder, A. N., Xu, C., Dowd, P. A., Fowell, R. J., Kent, J. T. (2007) Markov Chain Monte Carlo implementation of rock fracture modeling, Mathematical Geology, 39, pp. 355 – 381.
Refereed Conference Papers:
1. Xu, C., Dowd, P. A. and Wyborn, D. (2010) Optimised fracture model for Habanero reservoir, proceedings of the Australian Geothermal Conference 2010, Adelaide, Nov., 2010, ISBN 978-1-921781-38-4, pp. 98-103.
2. Duncan, J., Prest, T., Keogh, B., frazer, J., Melkoumian, N. and Xu. C. (2010) Site selection study for conceptual design of a deep underground radioactive waste repository in Australia, Proceedings of the 10th IASTED International Conference, Innsbruch, Austria, pp.470-475.
3. Xu, C. and Dowd, P. A. (2009) Fracture simulation for deep crystalline rock, proceedings of the Australian Geothermal Conference 2009, Brisbane, Nov., 2009, ISBN 978-1-921672-28-6, pp. 201-206.4. 4. Xu, C. and Dowd, P. A. (2009) Conditional simulation of grades controlled by geological indicators, proceedings of the International Symposium on Orebody Modelling and Strategic Mine Planning, Perth, WA, March 2009, ISBN 978-1-920806-96-5, pp. 43-50.
5. Xu, C. and Dowd, P. A. (2008), Plurigaussian simulation of rock fractures, Proceedings of the Eight International Geostatistics Congress, (eds. J.M. Ortiz and X. Emery), pub. Gecamin Ltd., ISBN 978-956-8504-17-5; v. 1, 41-50.
Professional Associations
Consulting Activities
Three software packages developed in-house:
MINVEST – financial evaluation and risk assessment for mining projects
Geostatistics for Windows – comprehensive mineral resource evaluation tools
Stochastic Rock Fractures – stochastic fracture modelling for rock masses
are used for consulting works. MINVEST package is also a commercial product and has user licenses worldwide.
Dr. Xu also has close working relationship with Structure Vision Ltd, a UK consulting company specialised in particle packing, particle flow simulation and fluid flow simulation through porous and fractured media.