Energy Transition
Energy Transition | Carbon Capture, Storage and Utilisation
CO2 Containment and Storage Monitoring
Format and Duration:
2 days
3 sessions
The course considers physical mechanisms of stabilisation of injected CO2, as well as potential geological migration pathways within or outside of the storage complex. Identification and systematic assessment of the relative likelihood of CO2 migration along various pathways is discussed, including seal capacity, spill points, fault seal and conductivity, induced fault slip or fracturing, displacement of reservoir fluids and pressure interference. Implications for review of potential impacts (e.g., the “area of review”) are discussed. The second part considers design of an integrated, cost-effective monitoring programme to address site-specific subsurface and well CO2 containment risks, including surveillance of reservoir performance, well integrity, potential subsurface CO2 migration and pooling in secondary reservoirs, as well as surface releases. Technologies for monitoring in wells and remotely via surface surveys are discussed, with examples of performance in existing CO2 storage projects. The course concludes with technology selection and strategies for cost-effective storage monitoring.
Schedule
Duration and Training Method
This is a virtual interactive classroom course comprising presentations, discussions and case studies.
Course Overview
Learning Outcomes
Participants will learn to:
- Identify and systematically assess of the relative likelihood of CO2 migration along various pathways.
- Consider seal capacity, spill points, fault seal and conductivity, induced fault slip or fracturing, displacement of reservoir fluids and pressure interference.
- Consider factors in the design of an integrated, cost-effective monitoring programme.
- Be cognisant of containment risks including reservoir performance, migration and well integrity.
- Consider the technologies for monitoring CO2 storage sites.
Course Content
Risk assessment of subsurface CO2 containment
- CO2 storage mechanisms – residual trapping, dissolution, mineralisation, buoyant (capillary) trapping
- Storage complex and CO2 migration pathways
- Seal capacity
- Spill points
- Fault seal analysis
- Fault conductivity and transmissibility
- Induced fault slip
- Induced fractures
- Secondary reservoirs
- Surface leakage
- Subsurface pressure interference and contamination
- Reservoir pressure and “area of review”
- Integrated risk management
Monitoring CO2 storage
- Monitoring philosophy
- CO2 containment risks – natural and engineered structures
- Forecasting and iterative history-matching storage performance – CO2 plume and reservoir pressure
- Monitoring reservoir performance – plume and pressure detection
- Monitoring reservoir performance – injectivity, chemistry, seismicity
- Monitoring active & legacy well integrity
- Detection of subsurface CO2 migration and contamination – secondary reservoirs, shallow aquifers
- Surface CO2 detection overview
- Technologies - well monitoring – overview (CO2 detection and integrity), temperature/pressure, cased-hole logging, fluid sampling, well testing, flow profiling, optical fibres (DTS & DAS), gravity, EM
- Technologies - subsurface remote monitoring – overview (direct & indirect detection), time-lapse seismic, VSP, EM, gravity, surface and well microseismic
- Technologies – surface monitoring – overview (direct & indirect detection), time-lapse surveys of ground water, soil gas, ecological indicators, shallow resistivity (AEM), INSAR, high-concentration leak detection
- New technologies
- Monitoring strategy – areal and stratigraphic coverage, redundancy for key containment risks, technology selection & synergy, baselines, survey frequency, tiered and adaptive strategies
- Technology selection and cost-effectiveness
- Post-injection monitoring
Who Should Attend and Prerequisites
This course is aimed at subsurface oil and gas professionals who are familiar with CCS and would like to develop their skills for projects in CO2 storage and monitoring.
Instructors
James Lorsong
Background
James Lorsong is Director of Subterra Energy Consultants in Aberdeen, UK. He provides specialist advice and technical services to the global carbon capture and storage and petroleum industries, focussing on all aspects of CO2 storage and enhanced oil recovery as well as reservoir management and development. He is currently involved in development of CO2 storage and utilisation projects in the US Gulf Coast and the North Sea.
James Lorsong is Director of Subterra Energy Consultants in Aberdeen, UK. He provides specialist advice and technical services to the global carbon capture and storage and petroleum industries, focussing on all aspects of CO2 storage and enhanced oil recovery as well as reservoir management and development. He is currently involved in development of CO2 storage and utilisation projects in the US Gulf Coast and the North Sea.
Jim has been involved in CCUS projects since 2005, when he led a subsurface and wells team in developing a fully engineered CO2 EOR storage solution for BP’s proposed hydrogen power plant in Scotland. When the initial project was deferred, he became a founding member of BP’s Hydrogen Energy joint venture (with Rio Tinto), where he was responsible for developing CO2 storage in depleted hydrocarbon fields and saline formations for GW-scale hydrogen power projects worldwide, including advanced projects in Abu Dhabi and California. He returned to BP as Storage Technology Manager, leading US and UK teams creating new subsurface, monitoring, and well technology and contributing to emerging regulatory frameworks for CO2 storage. In 2010, he left BP for start-up 2Co Energy, to develop commercial-scale CCUS projects. As Exploration and Production Director, he screened CO2 storage opportunities, contributed to further CCUS regulatory developments, and managed subsurface and engineering activities (to pre-FEED) for re-development of two North Sea oil fields with a new pipeline for storage of CO2 from the proposed GW-scale Don Valley CCS plant. Despite substantial EU support and winning a European competition for capital funding, the project did not proceed. In 2014, Jim founded Subterra Energy Consultants to continue development of potential CO2 storage and utilisation projects.
Prior to his CCUS activities, Dr Lorsong worked in a variety of management and subsurface technical roles with BP in the UK and ARCO in the US. His principal activities were in oil field development, enhanced oil recovery (EOR) with miscible gas injection, and technology development. In his early career Dr Lorsong owned petroleum consulting and mineral exploration businesses, worked as a government research scientist and lectured at the Universities of Regina and Saskatchewan in Canada.
Affiliations and Accreditation
PhD University of Cambridge – Sedimentology and Structural Geology
BSc University of Toronto – Geology
Advisory Board - Industrial Decarbonisation Research Innovation Centre (UK)
Member - AAPG, PESGB, SPE, The Geological Society (London), Institute of Directors
Courses Taught
N584: Storage Exploration – Screening and Selection of CO2 Sites
N585: CO2 Containment and Storage Monitoring
Accreditation and Certification
CEU: 1.4 Continuing Education Units
PDH: 14 Professional Development Hours
Certificate: Certificate Issued Upon Completion
RPS is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. We comply with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognised internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices.
We issue a Certificate of Attendance which verifies the number of training hours attended. Our courses are generally accepted by most professional licensing boards/associations towards continuing education credits. Please check with your licensing board to determine if the courses and certificate of attendance meet their specific criteria.