Dr Wenbin Fei explores the multi-scale Thermal–Hydraulic–Mechanical–Chemical (THMC) processes in geomaterials with contributions to geothermal engineering, energy structure, energy geo-storage, and energy waste management (carbon geological storage and recycled materials in concrete and permeable pavement). At particle-level and pore-level, he developed a platform combining Computed Tomography (CT) techniques, advanced image processing algorithms, Discrete Element Methods (DEM), complex network theory (i.e. graph theory), Finite Element Method (FEM), network model and machine learning, with the aim to characterise microstructure of geomaterials and predict thermal conductivity and permeability automatically, efficiently and without artificial bias. At the field scale, he developed a software AEEA-Coupler which combines different commercial software (ABAQUS and ECLIPSE) to simulate the THMC problems in real-size projects.

Currently, Wenbin is working as a Professor at Hunan University focusing on Renewable Energy and Energy Storage, after being a Senior Research Fellow at The University of Melbourne. He completed his PhD at The University of Melbourne in 2020, received an Master degree from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2014 and a Bachelor diploma from Chang‘an University, China in 2011. Between his Master and PhD, Wenbin also worked as a project leader for one of the best highway/railway design companies in China. He specialised in designing high slop, high embankment and soft soil improvement. His team also applied advanced technologies such as permeable pavement, low impacted development drains and utility tunnels to several projects. He is a scientific editor of the Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, committee member of ISSMGE-TC308 Energy Geotechnics and Underground Cavern Compressed Energy Storage Subcommittee of CSRME.

Research Interests

• Particle-scale study of Thermal-Hydraulic-Mechanical-Chemical (THMC) processes using a CT imaging and artificial intelligence based approach
• Site-scale energy structures such as energy pile and energy tunnel
• Site-scale thermal energy storage
• Compressed air energy storage
• Hydrogen underground storage

Link to Researchgate | Link to Google Scholar | Link to Our Team at Melbourne University