A study of cap rock integrity for CO2 storage projects

Purpose

This activity aims to study cap rock integrity by conducting experiments to determine the strength, deformability and transport properties of cap rock in a CO2 storage reservoir and then model the fracture initiation/propagation pressures within the cap rock in the presence of stored carbon dioxide.

Summary

Laboratory studies will be carried out on the Otway Basin rock cores to obtain data on the mechanical properties and permeability of cap rock and how this is affected by the state of CO2 (gaseous or supercritical). The studies will assess how the CO2 impacts on the mechanical/transport properties of the rock including fracture initiation and propagation.

Based on the results from the laboratory studies, numerical modelling studies will be conducted to study the effects of CO2 injection on the potential formation of leakage pathways to the injected CO2 due to the formation of new fractures.