Geophysics for modelling and monitoring the Earth's response to CO2 sequestration

Carbon Capture Use and Storage (CCUS) has been identified as an essential step if the UK is to meet its net-zero commitments. Commercial deployment of CCUS will require effective Measurement, Monitoring and Verification (MMV) of injected fluids, posing new and serious challenges for geophysical, particularly seismic, technology.

The project will bring together the University of Edinburgh's extensive track record in CO2 storage and seismic rock physics with University of Bristol's expertise in geomechanics and microseismic and BP's status a key industry leader in CCUS. A key goal is to influence the monitoring strategies being developed for upcoming commercial projects.

Seismic monitoring methods will enable effective commercial adoption of CCUS, but by themselves they cannot provide enough information for optimal reservoir management; integration with reservoir modelling and geomechanics is necessary. Recent advances in rock physics theory allow the seismic response of CO2 saturated rock to be linked to pressure and flow parameters. The project will exploit these developments to create new integrated approaches to monitoring CO2 injection, and apply them to data from current and planned CCUS operations.