Integrated Workflow for CO2 Storage Monitoring: from Reservoir Simulation to Gravity Modeling

The paper discusses the importance of robust monitoring techniques for ensuring safe and effective CO2 storage in deep geological formations, such as saline aquifers and depleted oil and gas fields. It highlights time-lapse gravity as a cost-effective and noninvasive tool for detecting subsurface mass changes caused by CO2 injection, track CO2 plume dynamics, identify potential leakage pathways, and validate reservoir models, making it a valuable component of measurement, monitoring, and verification (MMV) plans for carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects.

The paper introduces a new workflow that integrates reservoir simulation with high-resolution gravity modeling, aimed at assisting CO2 storage planning and applied to an offshore aquifer storage site.

The integrated workflow helps investigate the impact of various injection strategies and reservoir uncertainties on gravity anomalies. Future work will focus on optimizing survey layouts, defining monitoring frequencies, investigating potential leakage scenarios, and applying gravity inversion techniques to detect non-conformance cases. The paper emphasizes the need for comprehensive analysis when applying gravity monitoring to real-life CCS projects, considering factors like reservoir depth, in-situ properties, and injection strategies to develop robust multiphysics monitoring plans.