The primary goal of this project is to provide reliable criteria for the selection and the evaluation of the long-term safety of geological CO₂ storage sites. Laboratory experiments are performed to explore the basic physical and chemical processes affecting caprocks in contact with CO₂ and CO₂-saturated brines. Numerical models are used to get a better insight in the geochemical and transport processes on the experimental scale. These numerical models are the basis for the devolpment of models at the reservoir scale.

• How far does CO₂ (either in single phase or as dissolved in a brine) migrate into caprocks?
• How much of the CO₂ is retained in the caprock and by which mechanisms?
• How does the permeability of different lithotypes change by the influence of CO₂ and CO₂-saturated brine?
• Which processes are taking place in fractures and fault zones?
• Do the mechanical properties of the rock, e.g. stability and shear behavior, change by the influence of CO₂ and CO₂-saturated brine?

Home