Insights and Strategies for Surface Facility and Well Designs for Maximizing CO2 Storage while Minimizing Risks

Summary Subsurface uncertainties in saline aquifers due to paucity of data will impact planning and decision making of geological CO2 storage. In many practical situations, uncertainties assessment is done based on reservoir simulation without taking surface network design into consideration. This paper provides a unique de-risking technique through integrated asset modeling-based uncertainty quantification approach in maximizing CO2 storage capacity while managing potential geomechanical risks. The proposed integrated workflow enables the incorporation of a broad range of uncertainties related to surface facility and well designs. Through multi-realization scenarios, CO2 injection rates can reach up to one million tonnes per year per well. With an optimized operational design, the system can sustain the injection rate across all injectors throughout the injection period while ensuring the CO2 plume remains contained beneath the caprock.