The InjectWell project is a technical development study, headed by the Norwegian research institute, NORCE, in collaboration with partners from Germany, Wintershall Dea and the Technical University of Freiburg.

«The project delivers experimental and numerical understanding of well integrity and near-wellbore effects and phenomenon dedicated to CO₂ injection into pressure depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs (DHR). In this project, we contribute to lower the threshold for re-using and storing CO₂ in old oil and gas reservoirs by making the injection operation of CO₂ more predictable and safer», says senior researcher and project manager Jonas Solbakken at NORCE.

Theory and practice

The methodology for improved understanding of injectivity and flow assurance well-to-reservoir relies on sound mathematical simulations and realistic experiments conducted in the laboratory. Experimental data and results can be used as input to tune and improve and the simulations, while the simulations may generate new insight that can be used to adjust and improve the experimental design and the generated datasets.

“From this project, both generic and specific knowledge and data will be produced, which should be relevant for the CCS research community and the industry. The specific cases will target and support ongoing projects of large-scale storage of CO₂ in some old oil and gas fields in Europe.”

High degree of complexity

The project team seek to better understand what operational conditions can give constrains with respect to the planned CO₂ injection rates. This is important to understand for large-scale storage projects to reach their targets with less hassle and downtime. There is, however, a plethora of complexity in the well area and possibilities that problems may occur – one of the reasons is because CO₂ doesn’t behave like many other gases.

«When compressed CO₂ is pumped at high velocity down a deep well and into a reservoir, the properties of the CO₂ may change a lot. In the case of pressure depleted reservoirs, significant differences in pressure and temperature conditions may be exposed to the CO₂ during its pathway through the well and into the reservoir. This increases the complexity of the actual processes going on in such operations and this could give implications on injectivity, which we need to understand better», says Solbakken.

Depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs versus saline formations

CO₂ can be stored in different geological settings. The InjectWell develops reference experiments and simulations that can be used to shed light on the differences between CO₂ injection in depleted oil and gas reservoirs and saline water formations.

«A broader understanding of possible bottlenecks and advantages/disadvantages related to CO₂ injection into depleted reservoirs compared to saline formations, should be valuable knowledge in the development of new concepts for CO₂ storage also on the Norwegian Continental Shelf», says Solbakken.

Suitable software

Furthermore, the researchers in collaboration with the industrial partner, intend to test and compare various versions of commercial simulation software for CO₂ injection.

Currently, the oil industry utilizes different software for simulation of processes in the well, near-well area and the reservoir. However, these tools still lack several dedicated functionalities for injection and storage of large volumes of CO₂.

«We want to understand how well the simulators on the market today perform, when it comes to describing the various processes and phenomena in the wellbore and near-wellbore area, under realistic scenarios of CO₂ injection», explains senior researcher Nematollah Zamani at NORCE.

«NORCE is a leading institute within research and development of dedicated simulation tools for CO₂ storage. Currently, several research groups at NORCE are working on this topic. In the InjectWell project, NORCE will primarily lead and deliver experimental-based-research using their experimental capacities. Laboratory derived parameters and datasets, particularly, at field-realistic conditions are challenging to perform but crucial to improve understanding and feasibility of subsurface processes, including a major contribution to calibrate, verify and increase accuracy of simulator software and models for CO₂ storage. The ambition is that future simulators can be used with better precision and robustness in this specific field», says Solbakken.

Support from CLIMIT

The total budget of InjectWell is 14 MNOK. 6.3 MNOK is covered by the industrial partner, while MNOK 7.7 is supported by the CLIMIT Program.

Moreover, CLIMIT has also an important role in connecting relevant projects and partners, and thus, facilitate knowledge transfer and synergies to accelerate realization of more full-scale CCS applications. Already early in the project, the researchers were contacted by interested parties who had read about the InjectWell project or was encouraged by CLIMIT to contact the project manager, or the NORCE organization.

“CLIMIT has a very good overview of the field of CCS. CLIMIT fulfils an important function in aligning the research communities with the needs of industrial players. A closer collaboration between research and industry is definitely a win-win situation”, says Solbakken.

Bacteria seals

Svenn Tveit, project manager at NORCE, has led a team of researchers who have been studying a unique concept that would result in secure carbon storage deep under the earth. Large-scale, high-pressure CO₂ injection into geological formations can create fractures that allow the CO₂ to find its way back to the surface. In order to prevent this, special bacteria can be employed that produce a solid compound, which seals the fractures.  Tveit and his team have studied this phenomenon in a CLIMIT-financed R&D project.

It is well-known that certain bacteria can produce calcite,  a solid and non-porous compound. Tveit and his colleagues have studied how this mechanism can be exploited at carbon storage sites.

‘Our conclusion is that bacterial calcite precipitation can ensure secure carbon storage. The predictability of this technology requires accurate simulation models; however, this is something we’ve developed during the project,’ says Tveit.

The image below illustrates how CO₂ stored deep underground can move through fractures and potentially end up either in the ocean or the atmosphere. The important thing is to seal the fractures so that CO₂ cannot escape.

Promising injection strategies for effective calcite precipitation

During the project, Tveit found evidence that bacteria can be cultivated to produce a biofilm that covers fractures in the rock. This can then produce calcite precipitation, which will completely seal the fracture as shown in the illustration below.

 

This method is called microbially induced calcite precipitation, and, to get it to work, it is important to develop a strategy to inject microbes and other components that will allow the top of the formation to be sealed, while still allowing CO2 to be injected further below.

Current models need to be scaled up to tackle these problems. It is well-known that, if improperly scaled-up, using bacterial and chemical reactions in underground flow models can lead to major errors.

‘Over the project, we developed models for upscaling and established promising injection strategies for efficient calcite precipitation,’ underscores Tveit.

Their mathematic model has been implemented in an open-source simulator called OPM Flow so that it can be used and further developed in academic and industrial environments.

A significant number of carbon storage sites are needed to achieve international climate goals. These new results on calcite precipitation will be extremely useful for those businesses that will go on to develop and operate all these storage sites.

Key data about the project

Title: MICAP – Efficient models for Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation as a seal for CO2 storage

Project number: 268390

Partners: NORCE (project owner), University of Bergen, University of Stuttgart, Tufts University, Wintershall AS

Project period: 2017-2021

Budget: NOK 9 million. Funded in its entirety by the Research Council of Norway

This is a joint project between SINTEF, the University of Illinois, Equinor and the IEAGHG.

A digital platform featuring quality-assured datasets

CO₂ DataShare will allow users access to documented datasets with the specific aim of supporting research and development. During this first phase, the project has targeted carbon storage data but proposes to explore the possibility of sharing data from other stages of the CCS value chain. It is anticipated that data sharing from pilot, demonstration and industry projects will strengthen the R&D communities’ ability to develop new knowledge and technology and thus, help upcoming full-scale projects to reduce their costs, improve efficiency and be even safer.

The platform is not intended to be a repository for large amounts of data, but rather a tool for supporting targeted research. The project serves as a meeting point for international knowledge exchange and cooperation, enabling dialogue through user fora and webinars. A code is used to identify each dataset (Digital Object Identifier, DOI), making it easy to refer to data and for other researchers to find and use datasets.

Grethe Tangen, the project manager at SINTEF, emphasises that a major milestone of the project is the implementation of the digital framework for sharing data from CCS projects. So far, the project has published datasets from the Sleipner and the Smeaheia CO₂ storage projects. A dataset from the Illinois Basin – Decatur Project in the United States will be published in the near future. The project has also demonstrated that there is significant interest in data sharing. Over 330 different organisations from more than 50 countries have downloaded data from the site.

‘My predecessor, Svein Eggen, was a major proponent of this project and was instrumental in getting it started,’ says Kari-Lise Rørvik, Senior Advisor at Gassnova. It is especially gratifying that Gassnova has contributed with own data from the work on the Smeaheia CO₂ storage prospect. We are very interested in the outcomes of this project, and it aligns perfectly with what Gassnova should bring to the table – sharing our knowledge,’ she continues.

Strengthening international cooperation

CO2DataShare started as a joint initiative between Norwegian and American stakeholders from industry, research, and public authorities to ensure standard procedures for data processing, efficient data exchange, and quality-assured data usage. The project has been a success, and further developments are now possible.

‘We are currently in dialogue with Accelerating CCS Technologies (ACT) about the possibility of using CO₂ DataShare to share data from research projects. 17 February we are organising a workshop with representatives from the different ACT projects to explore this,’ Grethe Tangen concludes.

Agenda – 17 February 2022 15.00 GMT

Introduction; James Craig, IEAGHG 
Short recap of CO₂DataShare; Grethe Tangen, SINTEF

• The portal, datasets published, types of data, what does it take to share data.

Value of sharing data; Darin Damiani, US Department of Energy

•  Strengthening research and development through data sharing
•  ACT – CO₂DataShare opportunity for collaboration 

Value for data owners; 

• Remarks from Philip Ringrose, Equinor, and Sallie Greenberg, University of Illinois.

Q/A – discussion

While the concept paper you received from Ragnhild provided some details about the CO₂ DataShare platform and the potential value of your participation, we expect you’ll want to understand better what this is all about. Therefore, we invite you to this ACT-CO₂DataShare webinar to provide you greater detail. In the webinar we will present what CO₂ DataShare is, what we mean by “data”, and why we think the curation of data for sharing to the international community of CCS stakeholders has great value. You will also hear from data owners who are currently sharing their data on CO₂ DataShare. And we will wrap up the webinar leaving time for your questions. 

As Ragnhild pointed out, participation in CO₂ DataShare is voluntary.  The aim of this webinar is to better inform you on the CO₂ DataShare concept and invite those who are interested to continue a dialog with us on how to participate. Feel free to forward this invitation if there are others that will coordinate the project.

CO₂ DataShare is not intended to be a simple repository of project data. Our quest is to curate selected high-value, high quality datasets for sharing globally with other researchers and stakeholders. What we seek is the opportunity to discuss with you the data your project has or will be generating and if these data meet that criteria from YOUR perspective. The choice to share these data will be yours. What we are offering is a highly visible data sharing portal that provides ease of access to quality datasets, which collectively will facilitate and expand upon the trend in data digitalization that is serving to accelerate the global clean energy transition.

Applications must meet one or more of the priorities in the programme plan

We have made a new programme plan that is very similar to the previous one. But we have updated several areas of the plan. The most important updates are:

• Clear emphasis on the fact that CLIMIT should support the realisation of gains of Longship
• A new focus area is the decarbonisation of industrial and energy resources
• Hydrogen production, combined with CCS is a top priority
• Increased focus on direct air capture and bioenergy combined with CCS.
• A clearer position of social scientific research

In all future CLIMIT announcements, there will be a provision that applications must meet one or more of the priorities in the programme plan.

Text and photo: Hydro

In launching its new sustainability ambitions, Hydro has announced its intention to deliver its first commercial volumes of near-zero carbon aluminium in 2022. Hydro is also continuing its technology efforts toward an industrial scale pilot producing carbon-free aluminium by 2030.

Without CO₂ emissions

 In Norway, more than two million tonnes of CO₂ per year are emitted from the electrolysis plants. Globally, more than hundred million tonnes are emitted. CO₂ stems from the reaction between aluminium oxide and carbon anodes. During the electrolysis process, aluminum oxide is split into liquid aluminium metal on the cathode and CO₂ is on the anode. In the alternative process, aluminium oxide is first converted to anhydrous aluminum chloride, AlCl₃, which is then electrolysed. In this electrolysis process, aluminium chloride is split into liquid metal on the cathode and chlorine gas on the anode. The electrolysis process itself takes place without CO₂ emissions. Anhydrous aluminum chloride does not exist naturally and must be made as an integral part of the process.

On a large scale, the only proven method is so-called carbochlorination of aluminium oxide at around 700°C: Al₂O₃(s) + 1.5C(s) + 3Cl₂(g) = 2AlCl₃(g) + 1.5CO₂(g). Chlorine for this reaction will come from the electrolysis of AlCl₃. Even if CO₂ is not formed in the electrolysis process itself, CO₂ will form during carbochlorination. But this CO₂ can be captured far more easily than the one from the current electrolysis process since it is almost concentrated. It is also possible to recycle it in this process.  It is known that CO gas can be used instead of carbon to produce AlCl_3. CO₂ from the carbochlorination can therefore be converted to CO and thus recycled. For example, conversion of CO₂ to CO can occur using hydrogen or electrolysis. Alternatively, CO can be made from natural gas with hydrogen as a by-product. Then CO₂ from production of AlCl₃ must be sent to storage (CCU). An additional option is to use biomass to make CO. Then produced CO₂ could be released to the atmosphere climate neutral or, if stored, give net capture of CO₂. All these options will be evaluated in the project. In addition, the carbochlorination process will be studied in depth and a techno-economic model will be developed for the whole process.

Stored safely for years

Carbon dioxide has been stored safely in the Utsira Formation in the North Sea for years. The formation contains a number of vertical structures called chimneys that allow CO₂ to flow between the different sedimentary layers. Chimneys have also been observed in the sealing layer of the cap-rock above the Utsira aquifer. Utsira is a safe site for storage of CO₂, but in order to find new, safe storage locations, it is important to understand how these chimney structures are formed and behave.

Chimneys are explained in the figure below. The rock deep below the seabed is made up of many horizontal sedimentary layers. Chimneys are vertical channels that connect the various sedimentary layers. Liquids can, in principle, move through the chimneys and thus move from one layer to another.

All CO₂ remains in place

Although chimneys have been observed in the sealing cap-rock layer above the Utsira aquifer, there is nothing that indicates that CO₂ is moving out of the storage site. All the CO₂ that has been injected into the Utsira Formation stays where it should be.

The figure below shows that chimney structures are common in close to impermeable sedimentary layers.

Important to understand the structure of chimneys

The Utsira CO₂ reservoir is tight, but in connection with developing new sequestration sites, it is important to fully understand chimneys so that we can be sure that new storage sites also remain tight.

In the CO₂-PATHS project, researchers from the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) and the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) have studied these chimney structures in detail. The researchers have created physical models to determine how chimneys are formed and how they behave. Project manager Magnus Wangen says this has generated important new knowledge.

“We have concluded that chimneys have such low permeability that they will cause negligible CO₂ flow from a reservoir. However, to ensure safe storage, it is necessary to monitor chimneys located above or near CO₂ reservoirs,” Wangen points out.

New understanding

The chimneys that are visible today were formed way back in geological time by high fluid pressure. Reservoir fluids can move in the chimneys, and the lightest components will move upwards. In the project, the researchers studied how glacial processes created high pore pressure in sedimentary layers in the Utsira aquifer. This has provided new understanding of how fluids move in chimneys. The project has had a particular focus on whether chimneys can form in the cap-rock that prevents CO₂ from flowing out into the sea. The researchers have built models for pressure build-up caused by glacial loading and have studied how viscous deformations can form chimneys in sedimentary basins.

CO2-PATHS’ new physical models will be useful for researchers and operators of CO₂ storage sites.

“The knowledge generated in CO₂-PATHS will be very useful when assessing new storage sites. We now know more about chimneys, and this has increased our understanding of how CO₂ might move in new storage sites,” says Wangen.

The results of the project have been published in a series of scientific articles in internationally recognised journals.

 

Key data about the project

• Title: CO₂-PATHS – Prediction of CO₂ leakage from reservoirs during large scale storage
• Project number: 280567
• Partners: The Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) (project owner) and the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA)
• Project period: 2018–2021
• Budget: NOK 8.2 million. Funded in its entirety by the Research Council of Norway

Press release from Elkem

Elkem, a global leader in silicon-based advanced materials, today announces that it will test the world’s first carbon capture pilot for silicon smelters at its plant in Rana, Norway. The project has received financial support from Gassnova CLIMIT and is a follow-up to the company’s recently launched climate roadmap to reduce emissions towards net zero while growing supplies to the green transition.

The carbon capture pilot is a collaboration between Elkem and Mo Industripark, SINTEF, Alcoa, Celsa, Ferroglobe, SMA Mineral, Heidelberg Materials, Norfrakalk, Arctic Cluster Team and Aker Carbon Capture.

The test unit will be installed at Elkem’s plant in Rana, which produces high purity ferrosilicon and Microsilica. In addition, emissions from SMA Mineral will also gradually enter the treatment plant. Aker Carbon Capture delivers the test unit, which is the only one of its kind in Norway.

The project is supported through the CLIMIT-Demo program, by state enterprise Gassnova SF. CLIMIT is Norway’s national programme for research, development and demonstration of CO2 capture and storage technology. The main goal of the project is to verify the technology on real industrial exhaust gases from smelters, in order to prepare a full-scale plant for industrial carbon capture. The program runs over two years.

“Elkem aims to be part of the solution to combat climate change – and to be one of the winners in the green transition. Our mission is to provide advanced material solutions shaping a better and more sustainable future. We have recently launched a climate roadmap detailing our ambitions to reduce emissions while growing our supplies to the green transition. Carbon capture is a key technology to reach net zero by 2050,” says Elkem’s CEO, Helge Aasen.

Elkem recently launched a global climate roadmap detailing how the company plans to reduce its total CO2 emissions by 28% from 2020-31 while growing its supplies to the green transition, thereby delivering 39% improvement of its product carbon footprint in the same period.

As a part of this work towards carbon-neutral materials production, Elkem has conducted a feasibility study for the establishment of carbon capture and storage (CCS). The purpose of the study has been to assess the technical and economic feasibility of installing carbon capture at its Norwegian plants in Bjølvefossen, Bremanger, Rana, Salten and Thamshavn.

Great relevance to other plants

“The test unit installation at Elkem Rana means that we are now moving one step forward. The work to be done in Rana will also be of great relevance to other plants both in Elkem and for other players in the industry,” says Trond Sæterstad, climate director in Elkem.

Mo Industrial Park will be the project owner and SINTEF will have a leading role in the project management of the program.

“In total the partners have identified 1.5 million tonnes of potential CO2 capture in the region. This corresponds to three percent of Norway’s total emissions, and almost one third of the emissions from the metal industry,” says Jack Ødegård, Vice President Research in SINTEF.

“It is very relevant for CLIMIT to support the world’s first CO2-capture from ferrosilicon and silicon industry. In this project, there are nine international industries collaborating in development of cost-effective CCS solutions. Important research work will be carried out by SINTEF as well. Knowledge from development of the full scale CCS project Longship is also applicable for this Elkem pilot,” says Ingrid Sørum Melaaen, Gassnovas´ Head of Secretariat CLIMIT.

“The mobile test unit is for all practical purposes a large facility in miniature. It is very exciting that we can now follow up the feasibility study and test that the technology is also suitable for large-scale smelters,” says Jon Christopher Knudsen, Chief Commercial Officer in Aker Carbon Capture

“It is necessary to cut carbon emissions. In addition, this project will create new jobs and ensure the competitiveness of the industry. This is also aligned with Mo Industrial Park’s sustainability strategy and the initiative will add important cutting-edge expertise to the region,” says Jan Gabor, Executive Vice President Property Development in Mo Industrial Park.

The project has a total budget of NOK 23.6 million, of which Gassnova CLIMIT will contribute 13.8 million and the industry will contribute with the remaining amount.

For more information

Odd-Geir Lyngstad
VP Finance & Investor Relations
Tel: +47 976 72 806
Email: odd-geir.lyngstad@elkem.com

Hans Iver Odenrud
Corporate Communication Manager
Tel: +47 958 16 230
Email: hans.iver.odenrud@elkem.com

About Elkem

Elkem is one of the world’s leading providers of advanced material solutions shaping a better and more sustainable future. The company develops silicones, silicon products and carbon solutions by combining natural raw materials, renewable energy and human ingenuity. Elkem helps its customers create and improve essential innovations like electric mobility, digital communications, health and personal care as well as smarter and more sustainable cities. With a strong track record since 1904, its global team of more than 6,800 people has a joint commitment to stakeholders: Delivering your potential. In 2020, Elkem was rated among the world’s top 5% on climate and achieved an operating income of NOK 24.7 billion. Elkem is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: ELK).

Project goal

The project goal was to verify the effect of Surfactant Alternating Gas (SAG) injection in oil fields in Texas. This is the use of short, alternating injection cycles of surfactant (soap) and gas in order to generate CO₂ foam deep inside the reservoir.

Onshore fields in Texas have both CO₂ and connected infrastructure available, while operating costs are low. CO₂ expertise in industry is high and the pilot results can be gathered quickly due to the short distances between the wells. This is advantageous in terms of scaling it up for use on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

An energy transition technology developed at the University of Bergen used CO₂ foam mobility control in combined CO₂ EOR and carbon storage as part of CCUS.

The research findings show the following

The research findings from the laboratory and the field pilot demonstration showed that CO₂ foam:

• retained more CO₂ than normal CO₂ injection
• reduced CO₂ mobility and improved CO₂ ‘cleansing efficiency’ (displacement efficiency)
• produced more oil than regular CO₂ EOR
• improved CO₂ utilisation
• reduced operating costs and increased revenues

Dialogue with stakeholders in relation to the implementation of the innovation

‘These findings use fresh data, but we are already engaged in dialogue with multiple commercial stakeholders in relation to the implementation of the innovation,’ says project leader Arne Graue of the University of Bergen.

He adds that the technology has the potential to enable a sustainable financial framework for industrial participation in carbon storage on the global stage. According to Graue, the technology may help countries with levels of carbon emissions to realise CCUS, with a particular focus on Southeast Asia.

 

The delivery and mixing of surfactant solution directly to the wellhead at an onshore oil field in Texas.

Will offer turnkey carbon capture plants for incinerators

Carbon Centric, which is a spin-off of Østfold Energi, will offer turnkey carbon capture plants for incineration plants that are both faster and cheaper than what has been possible so far. The company specializes in carbon capture plants for small and medium-sized combustion lines with emissions of between 10,000 and 100,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year. Now they will raise money to build a carbon capture plant at Østfold Energi’s waste incineration plant in Rakkestad.

Sharing knowledge and experiences

Østfold Energi has been involved in the CLIMIT demo-supported projects around the Øra cluster and BorgCO₂ from the start. Here is also Fortum Olso Varme (FOV), which is part of the Langskip project to share its expertise and experience. The goal of the Langskip project is to pave the way for new CCS projects, so that the probability of achieving the goals in the Paris Agreement increases. Everyone involved in Langskip is obliged to share knowledge and experience beyond what is usual for an industrial project.

– We have learned a lot from this cluster collaboration, where we have looked at everything from various carbon capture technologies – to how to build a complete value chain within CCS, says Häger.

Collaborating with the supplier of the pilot to Fortum Oslo Varme

It is the Norwegian company KANFA that has developed the design Carbon Centric will now use. By using smaller and standardized dimensions, they believe that modular carbon capture plants can be produced almost as off-the-shelf. According to the press release, this means that incineration plants can cut their greenhouse gas emissions in a faster, cheaper and safer way.

It was KANFA who delivered the pilot to FOV, which was mainly financed by the full-scale project. They have also been central in the cost-reducing measures FOV has taken after the preliminary project «DG3».
The company was also involved in a CLIMIT demo project called Offshore CCS, which looked at the design of offshore CO₂ capture facilities. The project was led by the oil company OKEA.