Commercialization and Application of Robust and Efficient Analysis Tools for Geological Sequestration of CO2.

Geological storage of captured CO2 emissions is a promising carbon mitigation strategy. However, even in ideal injection formations with highly impermeable cap-rocks, both natural (faults/fissures) and man-made (abandoned wells) leakage pathways exist. Due to significant uncertainty in the geology and possible leakage pathways, comprehensive risk assessment tools are necessary to plan, regulate, and insure commercial geological CO2 storage projects. A novel academic software framework developed at Princeton University that is currently the most efficient method for providing a comprehensive risk assessment of geological storage projects, will be developed into an appropriate industrial software package and brought to market. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: A significant risk involved with geological storage of CO2 is the leakage of both CO2 and brine from the targeted injection formation. The software tools developed under this SBIR will be of significant value to three markets injection project planning and operation, regulation, and insurance. Project planners and operators will be able to use the software developed in order to evaluate potential injection sites and formations. Regulators will need such tools for calculating area of review, and determining the risk to the public (e.g.- contamination of drinking water supplies). Finally, insurance and reinsurance companies will be provided with a much needed method to determine the liability risk of a given injection project to properly price policies