Dr Bo Zhang

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering

bo.zhang@uq.edu.au

Researcher biography

I currently work on a project investigating intensive hard-rock preconditioning for underground mining, where hydraulic fracturing and confined blasting are applied to support the block caving method.

My research journey began with coal seam gas transport, then expanded to proppant transport in hydraulic fractures, leading to my current focus on rock mass preconditioning.

I'm passionate about using numerical modeling and emerging AI methods to tackle engineering challenges in hydraulic fracturing, reservoir simulation, multiphase and granular flow, and rock fragmentation.

Publications

Journal Articles (8)

Journal Articles

Li, Jinghua, Li, Guichen, Rong, Haoyu, Liu, Yaoqi, Shao, Zeyu and Zhang, Bo (2026). Experimental study on the influence of water saturation state on the progressive failure characteristics in mudstone subjected stress loading. Engineering Failure Analysis, 187 110607, 1-22. doi: 10.1016/j.engfailanal.2026.110607

Zhang, Bo, Gamage, Ranjith Pathegama, Kong, Lie and Zhang, Chengpeng (2025). Cross-scale proppants transport in the shale hydraulic fracture network: a hybrid CFD-DEM investigation. Engineering Geology, 354 108160, 108160-354. doi: 10.1016/j.enggeo.2025.108160

Zhang, Bo, Gamage, Ranjith Pathegama, Zhang, Chengpeng and Ma, Tianshou (2023). On the correlation between proppant addition strategy and distribution. Gas Science and Engineering, 117 205060, 1-21. doi: 10.1016/j.jgsce.2023.205060

Zhang, B., Zhang, C. P., Ma, Z. Y., Zhou, J. P., Liu, X. F., Zhang, D. C. and Ranjith, P. G. (2023). Simulation study of micro-proppant carrying capacity of supercritical CO₂ (Sc-CO₂) in secondary fractures of shale gas reservoirs. Geoenergy Science and Engineering, 224 211636, 1-15. doi: 10.1016/j.geoen.2023.211636

Wu, Xiaomin, Zhao, Yuan, Yu, Yongjun, Zhang, Bo, Jia, Li and Du, Xidong (2022). Study on Distribution Law of Stress and Permeability around Hydraulic Fracturing Borehole in Coal and Rock. Energies, 15 (12) 4210, 1-11. doi: 10.3390/en15124210

Zhang, Bo, Gamage, Ranjith Pathegama, Zhang, Chengpeng and Wanniarachchi, Ayal (2022). Hydrocarbon recovery: Optimized CFD-DEM modeling of proppant transport in rough rock fractures. Fuel, 311 122560, 1-16. doi: 10.1016/j.fuel.2021.122560

Zhang, Bo, Li, Yong, Fantuzzi, Nicholas, Zhao, Yuan, Liu, Yan-Bao, Peng, Bo and Chen, Jie (2019). Investigation of the Flow Properties of CBM Based on Stochastic Fracture Network Modeling. Materials, 12 (15) 2387, 1-19. doi: 10.3390/ma12152387

Zhao, Yuan, Cao, Shugang, Shang, Delei, Yang, Hongwei, Yu, Yongjun, Li, Yong, Liu, Jinquan, Wang, Hui, Pan, Ruikai, Yang, Hongyun, Zhang, Bo and Tu, Huaijian (2019). Crack propagation and crack direction changes during the hydraulic fracturing of coalbed. Computers and Geotechnics, 111, 229-242. doi: 10.1016/j.compgeo.2019.03.018