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A team from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, led by Behnam Jafarpour, professor of chemical engineering and material science at USC, has received funding from the National Science Foundation to establish a center for CO2 Storage Modeling, Analytics and Risk Reduction Technologies (CO2-SMART). CO2-SMART will be dedicated to innovation in geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide as a technology to enable industrial decarbonization at scale. The team will lead the charge in advancing safe and cost-effective geologic CO2 storage science and technologies by establishing a cooperative research program among university partners, government, industry, national labs and foundations.
CO2 emissions are a major contributor to climate change. Many industries are among large point sources of CO2 emissions. One solution to significantly reduce such emissions is to capture the CO2 before it is released into the atmosphere. The captured CO2 is transported (via ship or pipeline) to a suitable storage site and injected into deep saline aquifers (typically over a kilometer underground) that are sealed by layers of impermeable natural rocks known as caprock.
Implementing this technology at commercial scale involves several technical and practical challenges, including accurate understanding and prediction of the complex CO2-fluid-rock interactions, improved economics of field development and operation, reliable and practical regulatory frameworks to ensure safe and permanent storage of CO2 underground and a skilled workforce to implement and manage geologic CO2 storage projects. Successful implementation of the geologic CO2 storage technology calls for an interdisciplinary approach with collaborations among key stakeholders (including CO2 emitters, injection site operators, service companies and regulators) and scientists from various disciplines.
“CO2-SMART aims to tackle some of the key scientific challenges faced in commercial deployment of geologic CO2 storage by developing advanced technologies to improve its safety, efficiency and economic viability.” says Jafarpour, the principal investigator of the NSF award who directs the subsurface energy and environmental systems lab at USC and has extensive experience in managing industry projects, including the Energi Simulation Industrial Research Chair Program in Subsurface Energy Data Science. “The center provides a unique opportunity to partner with industry and government to work toward addressing these challenges through collaborative research projects that are carried out by a multidisciplinary team of researchers with expertise in engineering, earth science and energy policy and economics.” added Jafarpour.
Sanjay Srinivasan, director of the Penn State EMS Energy Institute notes, “The development of technologies to accurately characterize injection sites, monitor displacement of the injected CO2 and manage reservoir pressure is crucial for deploying carbon sequestration projects. Equitable access to pore space and streamlined permitting processes are key challenges for policymakers and industry. Research at our center will address these challenges, facilitating rapid and safe project deployment. Researchers at USC and Penn State, renowned for their contributions, are eager to participate in this effort to create safe and rapidly deployable technologies and strategies for industry and regulators.”
The Center’s research areas, image courtesy of Behnam Jafarpour
As an Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC), CO2-SMART’s research areas will be defined by real-life challenges that come from the industry. Industry/university partnerships are important not only for solving real-world challenges and accelerating research impact, but also for enriching students’ education and training with industry experience, including collaborations and internship experiences. The center will also develop and cultivate a skilled workforce capable of driving future innovations in the design and implementation of geologic CO2 storage as a key climate change mitigation strategy.
“The creation of this important national center at USC, in partnership with Penn State, is a significant achievement that enhances the recognition and synergy of our energy transition efforts,” stated Iraj Ershaghi, director of the Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition at USC. “The NSF center’s focus on developing reservoir suitability screening criteria for subsurface CO2 storage is pivotal for the evolving industrial decarbonization projects.”
CO2-SMART will hold its formal kick-off meeting in Fall 2024. Organizations interested in memberships should visit the center website at co2smart.usc.edu for more information. Member companies will be given the opportunity to contribute practical field insights and collaborate on cutting-edge research projects while enjoying access to scientific expertise, student talents as future employees and world-class research facilities at the two universities.
Published on July 22nd, 2024
Last updated on July 30th, 2024
