Subsurface operations, including drilling wells, producing hydrocarbons and geothermal fluids, and injecting CO₂ for storage, face persistent geomechanical challenges that threaten well integrity, including wellbore collapse, casing failure, solids production, and annulus leakage. Although petroleum, geothermal, and CO₂ storage sectors share underlying rock mechanics principles, these challenges are typically addressed in isolation. As the global energy transition accelerates, a cross-sectoral approach is increasingly relevant for ensuring safe, sustainable, and cost-efficient subsurface operations.
This project is targeted to strengthen education and collaboration on this topic worldwide. Graduate students and researchers will exchange between partner universities, take part in co-taught courses, join workshops/webinars, and conference session. Through these activities, Norway and its partners build lasting capacity for innovation in subsurface energy, helping the global shift toward sustainable and secure energy systems.
Lessons learned in one domain will be transferred through the following four subjects:
- risk assessment of existing wells
- mitigation of well instability
- improved well design and monitoring
- implementation for future well development
SINTEF leads two of four work packages and contributes expertise from ongoing projects, including Chalk Influx and gigaCCS. Implementation includes the demonstration and dissemination of project results with partners or wider international communities, training on SINTEF-developed software routines, planning of short courses and workshops for graduate students, industrial practitioners, and regulatory bodies, field visits to geothermal/CCS sites, and development of proposal for next-step research.