In-situ imaging of CO₂ flow, storage and entrapment in subsurface aquifers and hydrocarbon

The objective is experimental analysis of CO₂ flow and CO₂ storage in porous media. The CO₂ saturation will be analysed by dynamic in-situ measurements based on MRI and nuclear tracers. This analysing technique will, combined with modelling and simulation, give new insight into mechanisms for CO₂ storage in aquifers, oil reservoirs, and hydrates. The prosject will also provide new knowledge about potential leakage paths from heterogenities and faults.

The main result so far is that it has experimentally been shown that CO₂ can be stored thermo-dynamically stable in hydrates. This can be combined with methane production from hydrates, and the advantage is that methane is spontaneously released without any external added energy.