Well control for CO₂ Wells

Background
With knowledge gaps in today’s market to provide well control for drilling into CO₂ storage reservoirs, technology leaders are working full speed developing software enabling safe drilling where a CO₂ plume may interact with well construction. With the objective of delivering a comprehensive software product giving the green light on drilling into underground storage. This is a necessity for further upscaling and maturation of the global geological carbon storage ambitions, and thus crucial to assist the transformation of the energy industry and meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Full-scale CO₂ storage demands comprehensive analysis and knowledge of reservoir and formation to eliminate risks for leakage underground. Well control technology for CCS addresses these risks for safe, efficient, and controlled in-fill drilling in mature CO₂ storage.

Addressed risks
CO₂-storage, similar to drilling for petroleum production, also represents a risk in terms of accident during drilling and considerable loss of acceptance in the society for the storage of CO₂ in the underground. The projects address the following risks:
• CO₂ kick and un-controlled blow-out
• Cooling effects (Joule-Thomson)

Objective
The primary objectives are to develop services/software tools for safely drilling for CO₂ wells in CO₂ infill regions:
• A qualified software for maintaining and re-establishing well control in CO₂ wells, used for planning/risk assessment prior to the drilling operation and additionally as a tool for anomaly detection during the drilling operation.
• A methodology for assessing specific drilling fluid suitability with respect to the performance of the drilling for CO₂ wells in in-fill regions.