ULTimateCO2 project: Field experiment in an underground rock laboratory to study the well sealing integrity in the context of CO2 geological storage

Abstract : Wells drilled through low-permeable caprock are potential connections between the CO2 storage reservoir and overlying sensitive targets like aquifers and targets located at the surface. The long term well sealing integrity is therefore essential for the fluids confinements. In this work, we propose to develop an integrated framework constituted by field experiment, laboratory characterization and modeling in order to get better insights into the conditions of a good well sealing integrity on the long term scale. Our work is carried out within the context of the EU-FP7 project UltimateCO2 (Understanding the Long Term fate of geologically stored CO2) led by BRGM and dedicated to the long term fate of CO2 focusing on several physical processes. A field experiment is thus being currently set-up in the underground rock laboratory of Mont-Terri (St Ursanne, canton of Jura, Switzerland).