Guidelines for offshore CCS Leakage Detection and monitoring

A lot of work has been put into developing technology for monitoring offshore CO₂ storages. However, the main focus has been monitoring at reservoir level, and little work has been done to monitor possible leaks offshore. There is little knowledge about which sensor or combination of sensors provides optimal performance, given a specific monitoring need. NGI wants to perform systematic, comprehensive and fair testing of the most current technological solutions for leakage monitoring in a realistic setting. The overall goal is to achieve safer and more efficient leakage monitoring through optimal use and combination of sensor systems. In the preliminary project, a literature study and discussions with operators, subcontractors and authorities will be carried out to define the need for technology and a gap analysis will be made. Based on this, a test plan will be made for leakage monitoring and detection solutions in the water column based on available technology. The choice of “near-shore” location for tests must be included in the test plan. The preliminary project will aim to gather a consortium that can stand behind a project application to CLIMIT-demo for implementation of the test plan and analysis of the resulting data. The aim of the main project will be to define a set of guidelines that will help operators find the right technology for their monitoring needs. This includes both the choice of sensor type, optimal use of this sensor for the current application, and optimal configuration / combination of different types of sensors. The basis for these guidelines will be extensive testing of various sensor systems in the lab and in the field to map both possibilities and limitations.