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

Jean-Charles Manceau (1) , Pascal Audigane (1) , Francis Claret (1) , Marc Parmentier (1) , T.J. Tambach (2) , Fabrizio Gherardi (3) , Alain Dimier (4) , O. Ukelis (4) , Elodie Jeandel (4) , F. Cladt (4) , F. Zorn (4) , Thierry Yalamas (5) , C. Nussbaum (6)

1 BRGM - Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM)
2 TNO Built Environment and Geosciences
3 CNR IGG
4 EIFER - European Institute For Energy Research
5 phiMECA - phiMECA
6 Federal Office of Topography swisstopo

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).

Domains: Sciences of the Universe [physics]; Earth Sciences

Jean-Charles Manceau, Pascal Audigane, Francis Claret, Marc Parmentier, T.J. Tambach, et al.. ULTimateCO2 project: Field experiment in an underground rock laboratory to study the well sealing integrity in the context of CO2 geological storage. 11th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies (GHGT11), Nov 2012, Kyoto, Japan. pp.5722-5729. ⟨hal-00713783⟩