Geological Storage of CO₂: Mathematical Modelling and Risk Assessment

MatMoRA (2007-1011) and MatMoRA-II( 2012-2015) are two a strategic research project funded in part by the Climit programme at the Research Council of Norway and in part by industry. The projects aim to develop analytical and numerical tools to be used to answer important questions regarding storage capacity and long-term safety that need to be addressed before approval of any storage project. These questions can be broadly stated as: 

• How fast can CO₂ be injected? (e.g., without compromising the caprock seal)
• How much CO₂ can be injected? (capacity estimates)
• Will the injected CO₂ leak? (long-term safety and risk assessment)

The primary objective of the first MatMoRA project was to develop tools for risk assessment of geological storage. A summary of the main results and recommodations, both with regard to best practices and further research directions, can be found in the final report [ Word | PDF ]

The primary objective of the MatMoRA-II project is to develop methods for modeling and simulating leading-order effects of pertinent flow dynamics of CO₂ in appropriate geological formations for CO₂ storage. 

Secondary objectives of the project include:

• Quantification of thermal and mechanical effects, effects of heterogeneity on CO₂ dissolution, effects of caprock topography on CO₂ plume migration and effect of pressure on reservoir/caprock integrity.
• Development of optimized injection strategies.