Development of a hybrid process and system model for the assessment of wellbore leakage at a geologic CO2 sequestration site.

Sequestration of CO2 in geologic reservoirs is one of the promising technologies currently being explored to mitigate anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Large-scale deployment of geologic sequestration will require seals with a cumulative area amounting to hundreds of square kilometers per year and will require a large number of sequestration sites. We are developing a system-level model, CO2-PENS, that will predict the overall performance of sequestration systems while taking into account various processes associated with different parts of a sequestration operation, from the power plant to sequestration reservoirs to the accessible environment. The adaptability of CO2-PENS promotes application to a wide variety of sites, and its level of complexity can be increased as detailed site information becomes available. The model CO2-PENS utilizes a science-based-prediction approach by integrating information from process-level laboratory experiments, field experiments/observations, and process-level numerical modeli...