INCAST Overview
INCAST is a joint industry project established to address key knowledge gaps in CO2 storage, specifically targeting disused oil and gas reservoirs and saline aquifers. The project brings together industry partners to evaluate and enhance the potential of these geological formations for long-term carbon sequestration.
The project's methodology centers on developing state-of-the-art integrated modelling systems that combine geomechanical, geophysical, and fluid flow analyses. This innovative approach enables comprehensive simulation of subsurface behaviours, allowing researchers to investigate complex interactions between injected CO2 and reservoir formations under various conditions.
The key objectives of INCAST focus on delivering practical solutions for industry implementation. These include developing enhanced predictive capabilities for CO2 behaviour, establishing robust risk assessment frameworks, and creating optimised operational strategies for injection and monitoring. The project aims to produce guidelines and tools that will directly support commercial-scale carbon capture and storage operations. Specifically, the objectives focus on the following areas:
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Enhancing predictive capabilities for stress path evolution and temperature-induced deformation during CO2 injection in depleted reservoirs and saline aquifers, including impacts on CO2 injectivity and seismic properties.
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Developing comprehensive methods to assess and mitigate induced seismicity risks, focusing on public acceptance and operational licensing requirements.
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Improving risk assessment for potential leakage pathways, including fault reactivation and caprock integrity, while investigating self-sealing mechanisms and optimal geophysical monitoring techniques.
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Optimizing modelling complexity to effectively balance risk reduction with operational efficiency in CO2 storage operations, incorporating essential geological and physical parameters.