Register for the Webinar 

The Pre-ACT project, funded through the ERA NET Cofund ACT, presents findings from its Work Packages 3 and 4. WP3 focuses on describing a methodology for conformance testing in CO₂ storage operations, while WP4 describes a possible decision-making workflow.

In order to make large-scale CO₂ storage feasible, prospective operators must report tailored short- and long-term Measurement, Monitoring and Verification (MMV) strategies to verify conformance, containment and ensure early detection of potential undesired effects such as pressure build-up anomalies in the storage complex. Non-conformance events might result in large additional costs associated with the operation and in some cases in the operation being stopped entirely.

Monitoring can represent a significant part of storage costs. Optimal design of monitoring programs therefore needs to consider the trade-off between value and cost. How to define conformance, what technology to use, when and how often we should monitor are all important questions to ask. The answers will be case specific due to uncertainties and complex interaction effects. One possibility for consistently addressing the issue is to use value of information (VOI) analysis. The VOI framework allows the decision maker to perform an evaluation of data gathering options before any information is purchased. Therefore it involves decisions at two levels: (1) the future actions to be taken in case conformance or non-conformance is confirmed and (2) the decision of which monitoring technologies to be deployed.

In the presentation Eduardo Barros (TNO) will show how the VOI framework can be used to define quantitative conformance evaluation measures. Next, Alv-Arne Grimstad (SINTEF) will discuss which types of decisions and corrective actions can be part of the conformance management protocols. Then, Eduardo will illustrate how the quantitative workflow can be used to design a decision-making process that maximizes the expected value of a monitoring strategy. The value of possible actions regarding the operation of a storage site following a conformance evaluation is calculated using a simplified economic model. Results are discussed for varying assumptions about the accuracy of monitoring data and thus of the conformance test, and for varying parameters of the economic model.

Results of such analyses can be used to evaluate prior to deployment various aspects of monitoring configurations such as: timing, frequency, precision, resolution and type of measurements. This approach will allow for monitoring strategies to be tailored to the specificities of new storage sites, instead of relying on past experiences only. This will enable operators to design cost-effective monitoring systems.