Building Confidence in CO₂ Storage Using Reference Datasets from Demonstration Projects

In order to build confidence in CO₂ storage as greenhouse gas control activity, it is vital to learn from the experience gained from first-mover projects, at the pilot scale and at the demonstration scale. Many of the early CCS projects have published their findings with a view to supporting technology development for CO₂ storage, giving improved quality and accuracy in forecasting CO₂-storage site behaviour. In order to build on these initial insights, we propose developing a comprehensive set of reference datasets designed to address specific uncertainties and technology gaps. This paper describes examples of how existing datasets have been used and identifies new and emerging technical issues that could be addressed using a broader set of reference datasets as part of an International CO₂ Storage Dataset Consortium. The datasets presented here show some of the insights gained so far into: well injectivity, down-hole pressure monitoring, flow modelling of CO₂-brine systems, the geomechanical response to CO₂ injection and analysis of microseismic monitoring data.