The capability of the scanner will be the most advanced in Australia for obtaining high-resolution physical detail of how CO2 and other greenhouse gases pass through a selected reservoir, at temperatures and pressures typical of greenhouse gas geo-sequestration conditions.

Professor Brian Evans, Director Oil and Gas Projects at Curtin and part of the National Geosequestration Laboratory Science Committee, said the scanner would allow researchers to determine more precisely the storage capacity and dependability of particular formations under a wide range of conditions.

“While Australia has completed first-class research in this area, there are still gaps in knowledge about the most technical aspects of geosequestration,” Professor Evans said. “Precisely how CO2 moves when it interacts with certain porous rocks is not yet fully understood.”

Dr Stefan Iglauer, from Curtin’s Department of Petroleum Engineering, is leading the work on generating simulated reservoir conditions that will be integrated into the Micro CT scanner. He will study factors that influence CO2 geosequestration in a range of storage rocks in Australia.

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Source: Carbon Capture Journal - Storage, Feb 19 2013