Carbon Sequestration

CO2 capture and geological storage is considered as one of the most promising technologies to CO2 emissions into the atmosphere and thus mitigates greenhouse gases effects on global warming. For efficiency reasons, this fluid has to be injected deep enough (typically below 1000m deep) to reach a supercritical state and in host rocks having good properties in terms of injectivity and available porosity. The scientific issues to be tackled involve, fluids flow problem and reactive transport issues associated with the chemical activity of CO2 in contact with water (studied by mostly geochemists) but the mechanical aspects (e.g. fault reactivation, chemical degradation of the rocks, pressure changes, including drying of rocks, cap rock behavior) cannot be disregarded. This is where the expertise of geotechnical engineers working on geomechanical issues related to chemo-thermo-hydro-mechanical couplings would make a real difference. Our society thus can (and has to) significantly contribute to this field.