Background
Offshore CO₂ monitoring is difficult because the reservoir is often deep, the geology is complex, and the marine environment makes data acquisition expensive and costly to repeat. Technologies like 4D seismic, OBN, fibre optic PRM, AUVs and EM all have limitations, and integrating them into a reliable long term monitoring system is challenging in a sustainable business model. Operators must also meet strict regulatory requirements, prove containment for 30+ years, and manage very high costs that delays or stops individual CCS projects and business cases
Goal
In dialogue with CO₂ operators, discuss the potential of a new autonomous monitoring technology that eliminates ROV operations while providing 24/7 monitoring and real time alerting of unwanted events.
Develop concept sketches and define a development pathway for prototype creation.
Activities
Customer meetings with the CO₂ operators in Norway to discuss interest in and the potential of the technology under development.
Develop a conceptual solution with an alerting methodology from the seabed to the surface and satellite, designed to be feasible within realistic time and cost frames.
Established collaboration with expert competence in ultra low power electronics design and AI driven classification software
Results
3D design and an alerting methodology that can be integrated with existing systems without the use of ROV operations. The solution can be installed on new projects or retrofitted to existing and ongoing developments.
A 1–2 year development plan has been prepared, taking the solution from concept stage to prototype and TRL 7.
An energy budget and system architecture have been established that enable autonomous operations for up to 12 months without an external power source.
Further Work
Test key components that enable alerting from the seabed via satellite to the operator.
Secure funding for the development and testing of a prototype solution, and subsequently accelerate the overall development process
