Geophysical Characterization of the Multiplew Phase Saturation of Rocks and Soils: Development of Methods and Software for CO2 Sequestration

79399S The world is becoming increasingly concerned about global warming and the emission of greenhouse gases such as CO2. Therefore, the capture and permanent sequestration of CO2 has become a major goal related to future energy development and use. This project will develop technology for assessing potential sequestration sites and for monitoring their ultimate storage integrity. The approach involves the use of geophysical measurements coupled with petrophysical predictive models of the flow and transport of mixed fluid and gas phases. In Phase I, existing software will be tailored to the specific problems of CO2 sequestration and the models will be calibrated using laboratory data. The results of out models will be used to assess, validate, and optimize field-based geophysical data sensitive to a wide range of scales from millimeters to kilometers. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The characterization and monitoring technology should play a key role in CO2 sequestration. The techniques and models should have analogous applications for enhanced recovery of oil and gas and for geothermal reservoir development.