COSMOS
CO2 Storage, Monitoring and Safety Technology
The COSMOS joint project aims at developing novel scientific, technical and regulatory guidelines for maximizing safe geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) in saline formations, for verifying injection and migration processes, and for assessing and mitigating storage risks. Research activities are focused on the capability of saline formations for rapid injection and long-term storage of CO2. A major topic is the selection of injection well components under consideration of the specific properties of CO2 and CO2-bearing fluids. Well bore investigations will provide guidelines for injection optimization, problem diagnosis, refinement of storage strategies and adjustment of reservoir models. Another major topic is cap rock integrity. Novel geo-mechanical concepts need to be combined with mineralogical and fabric investigation as well as with existing know-how in order to safely exclude a hydraulic breakthrough. On-line monitoring provides real-time data on relevant physical parameters. It supports management and control of the CO2 injection, and of the CO2 migration and long-term storage. All field measurements are accompanied by small-scale laboratory experiments under simulated in-situ pressure and temperature conditions. Combined petro physical, geoelectric and seismic data interpretation give insight into the mechanisms of fluid-rock interactions. The project will be linked to the EU Project CO2SINK, and will benefit from its strong industrial and scientific partnership. CO2SINK will be of major advantage for COSMOS as a kind of background infrastructure: site with access and facilities, boreholes etc. The objectives of COSMOS are more specific so that the results will be complementary to CO2SINK. The management of both projects by the same coordinator will generate synergies and ensure that no redundancies in research and development will occur.
Project co-ordination:
Prof. Borm
GeoForschungsZentrum, Potsdam (GFZ)
Partners:
GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam (GFZ)
Institut – Gastechnologisches Institut GmbH (dbi-gti)
Vattenfall Europe Mining AG, Cottbus
Universität Karlsruhe (IBF)
RWE Power AG, Essen
