CO2 Monitoring Technologies at the UK Geoenergy Test Bed

Abstract

The UK GeoEnergy Test Bed (GTB) is a field research platform initiated by the British Geological Survey and University of Nottingham. The GTB will be used to undertake research to refine strategies and tools for monitoring the zone above CO2 storage reservoir; an essential part of proving site conformance. Research at the GTB will support the emerging CO2 storage industry by enabling testing of innovative sensors and advancing understanding of fluid migration in the shallow subsurface, which will in turn enable more effective monitoring strategies for large-scale storage sites. The GTB comprises an array of above surface and subsurface sensors focused on two CO2 injection wells, one deep (~212 m) and one shallow (~12 m). A permanent sensor array (plus intermittent mobile surveys) will be used to study the acoustic, electro-magnetic, mechanical, geochemical and other relevant properties of the volume of rock and pore fluids around the injection wells, and CO2 levels in the soil and air. The first CO2 injection is planned during 2021. The GTB offers a unique facility in the UK to study CO2 migration at a location where rocks have not previously been exposed to significant quantities of CO2.