Project outline
The increase of knowledge of the effect of CO2 on climate change has led scientists and engineering to investigate mechanisms to control global warming by decreasing the emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere. In the recent past, some approaches were adopted like solar power and wind turbines producing energy without releasing extra CO2. Apart from those techniques that reduced the CO2 in a satisfying proportion, one promising approach started in the United States of America was Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). In CCS schemes, CO2 is captured from large-scale industrial emitters and transported to either be used (e.g. algae cultivation) or stored permanently in geological sites where it is injected into rock formation (e.g., geological formation under the North Sea).
Research studies were undertaken on how to store CO2 in geological rock formations and what are the appropriate characteristics of rock formations that can keep safely the high pressurized CO2. Wellbore used for the CO2 injection should be precisely examined as it can be under complex loading conditions. Specifically, examples of these loads are in-situ stresses, various thermal stresses from thermal gradients and pressures from any underground existing water as well as from the CO2 injection itself. Any change of the loadings would contribute to failure or dysfunction of the wellbore, thereby affecting the injection of CO2 to the rock formation.
The main aim of the project is to develop a CO2 injection model which will consider the thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling effect on the wellbore stability caused by intermittent injection of CO2.
The work will run from October 2018 to October 2022.