CO2 has become the
symbol of human consumption and industrial production. The gas
that pours out of
cement factory chimneys and belches out of exhaust pipes and combustion
plants is the
reason behind the biggest environmental challenge of our age.
(December 17, 2015) “If
we want to inject gas underground or beneath the sea bed, we will have to
monitor what happens to it. We have to be entirely sure that it stays where
it’s supposed to”.
So says SINTEF researcher Peder Eliasson. He and his
colleagues in their office building opposite Lerkendal Stadium, are analysing
seismic and electromagnetic data taken from the CO2 sequestration reservoir
below the sea bed at the Sleipner field in the North Sea.
“But how can we be sure that the gas will stay where it’s
supposed to”?
“By interpreting geophysical data. During seismic surveys,
we send down acoustic signals that are then reflected back, enabling us to
determine distances and dimensions on the basis of the echoes. We then use
these to determine the location and extent of the gas. What we do is compare
the seismic data before and after injection”, says Eliasson.
He says that there are many centres around the world
studying data from various CO2 storage reservoirs, because it is important to
learn how to make the best possible use of this information. He maintains that
certainty is the key factor in CO2 sequestration. The risk of leaks is very
small, but this has to documented very accurately. Measurement equipment must
be robust and not too expensive, and the data must be accurate. It must also be
possible to customise the analyses.
Climate change
challenge
CO2 has become the symbol of human consumption and
industrial production. The gas that pours out of cement factory chimneys and
belches out of exhaust pipes and combustion plants is the reason behind the
biggest environmental challenge of our age.
This is why researchers all over the world are working to
find sound ways of capturing CO2 and pumping it beneath the surface of the
earth, where it can remain safely stored away for thousands of years.