Defining the geomechanical operating limits for subsurface CO2 storage
Simon Holford
A * , Mojtaba Rajabi B , Scott Mildren C , Rosalind King A and Adam Bailey D
A
B
C
D
Simon Holford is South Australian State Chair of Petroleum Geoscience in the Discipline of Earth Sciences, University of Adelaide. Simon has published ~130 papers on the prospectivity and tectonics of rifted margins, petroleum geomechanics and magmatism in basins. Simon has a PhD from the University of Birmingham and a BSc(Hons) from Keele University. |
Mojtaba Rajabi is an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards Senior Research Fellow at the School of the Environment, the University of Queensland. He has over 15 years of extensive experience in crustal stress analysis, geomechanics, geomechanical-numerical modelling and petrophysics. Mojtaba graduated with a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Adelaide in 2016. Since 2012, Dr Rajabi has worked on the Australian and World Stress Map projects, and he is currently the Deputy Head of the World Stress Map project. |
A Geologist with over 25 years of experience in petroleum geomechanics, Scott Mildren founded JRS Petroleum Research after completing his PhD at the University of Adelaide in 1997 and subsequent Postdocs addressing fault seal and contemporary stress conditions in Brunei. JRS provided geomechanical and image log services across Australasia until it was acquired by Ikon Science in 2012. Scott oversaw the incorporation of geomechanical functionality into Ikon’s RokDoc software and was involved in developing integrated workflows that combined geomechanics, rock physics and seismic inversion for clients around the world. Scott left Ikon in 2020 to found a new company, Tech Limit, which is focussed on the development of their unique platform for building and implementing, repeatable, integrated workflows. |
Rosalind King is an Associate Professor and Head of the Discipline of Earth Sciences, University of Adelaide. She graduated with a BSc(Hons) (2001) and a PhD (2006) from the University of Liverpool. Her research interests include structural geology, deepwater fold-thrust belts, detachments, fault and fracture mechanics, fault-controlled permeability and petroleum geomechanics. |
Adam Bailey is a Petroleum Geoscientist at Geoscience Australia, with expertise in petroleum geomechanics, structural geology and basin analysis. He graduated with a BSc(Hons) in 2012 and a PhD in 2016 from the Australian School of Petroleum at the University of Adelaide. Adam is currently part of the Onshore Energy Systems team at Geoscience Australia, where he is currently working on the flagship Exploring for the Future Program. |
Abstract
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a critical component of proposed pathways to limit global warming, though considerable upscaling is required to meet emissions reduction targets. Quantifying and managing the risks of fault reactivation is a leading barrier to scaling global CCS projects from current levels of ~40 million tonnes of carbon dioxide(CO2) per year (to target levels of several gigatonnes of CO2 per year), because CO2 injection into reservoirs can result in increased pore-fluid pressure and temperature changes, which can reduce the strength of rocks and faults and induce brittle failure. This can result in induced seismicity, whilst hydraulic fracturing of seals could provide pathways for CO2 leakage. Consequently, identifying favourable geomechanical conditions (typically determined through data on pre-injection rock stress, mechanical and elastic properties, and pore-fluid pressures) to minimise deformation of reservoirs and seals represents a key challenge in the selection of safe and effective sites for CCS projects. Critically, however, such geomechanical data are typically spatially limited (i.e. restricted to wells) and mainly consist of pre-injection crustal stress orientation measurements, rather than a full 3D description of the stress tensor and related geomechanical properties. This paper reviews some key geomechanical issues and knowledge gaps (particularly those associated with data availability and limitations) that need to be understood to enable successful reservoir and seal management for CCS projects. We also highlight recent advances in multi-scale and dimensional geomechanical modelling approaches that can be used to assess sites for the secure storage of CO2 as well as other gases, including hydrogen.
Keywords: carbon capture and storage, CO2, faults, geomechanics, pore pressure, rock mechanics, stress.
Simon Holford is South Australian State Chair of Petroleum Geoscience in the Discipline of Earth Sciences, University of Adelaide. Simon has published ~130 papers on the prospectivity and tectonics of rifted margins, petroleum geomechanics and magmatism in basins. Simon has a PhD from the University of Birmingham and a BSc(Hons) from Keele University. |
Mojtaba Rajabi is an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards Senior Research Fellow at the School of the Environment, the University of Queensland. He has over 15 years of extensive experience in crustal stress analysis, geomechanics, geomechanical-numerical modelling and petrophysics. Mojtaba graduated with a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Adelaide in 2016. Since 2012, Dr Rajabi has worked on the Australian and World Stress Map projects, and he is currently the Deputy Head of the World Stress Map project. |
A Geologist with over 25 years of experience in petroleum geomechanics, Scott Mildren founded JRS Petroleum Research after completing his PhD at the University of Adelaide in 1997 and subsequent Postdocs addressing fault seal and contemporary stress conditions in Brunei. JRS provided geomechanical and image log services across Australasia until it was acquired by Ikon Science in 2012. Scott oversaw the incorporation of geomechanical functionality into Ikon’s RokDoc software and was involved in developing integrated workflows that combined geomechanics, rock physics and seismic inversion for clients around the world. Scott left Ikon in 2020 to found a new company, Tech Limit, which is focussed on the development of their unique platform for building and implementing, repeatable, integrated workflows. |
Rosalind King is an Associate Professor and Head of the Discipline of Earth Sciences, University of Adelaide. She graduated with a BSc(Hons) (2001) and a PhD (2006) from the University of Liverpool. Her research interests include structural geology, deepwater fold-thrust belts, detachments, fault and fracture mechanics, fault-controlled permeability and petroleum geomechanics. |
Adam Bailey is a Petroleum Geoscientist at Geoscience Australia, with expertise in petroleum geomechanics, structural geology and basin analysis. He graduated with a BSc(Hons) in 2012 and a PhD in 2016 from the Australian School of Petroleum at the University of Adelaide. Adam is currently part of the Onshore Energy Systems team at Geoscience Australia, where he is currently working on the flagship Exploring for the Future Program. |
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