RPS announces that their CCS course portfolio is growing with an additional four new courses, focusing on specialist topics, now added to the 2023 NTA Program. These courses take a blended learning approach with instructor-led teaching combined with self-paced e-learning. 

Geomechanics for CCS Projects

Date: 23rd - 26th Oct 2023
Location: Virtual
Instructors: Kes Heffer, Nick Koutsabeloulis

Business impact: Geomechanical modelling is essential for prediction of likely effects from a planned CCS project, or to understand behaviour of an ongoing project. It is applied to assessment of caprock integrity, fault reactivation, induced seismicity, fracture influence on reservoir flow, reservoir management, drilling and completion parameters.

The course will begin with some core elements of geomechanics and progress to description and examples of sophisticated geomechanical modelling in the context of CCS. The link is drawn between geomechanical and permeability changes, as indicated from laboratory experiments and from well tests, with its key consequences for CCS. Field experience in a range of CCS projects is reviewed, emphasising any indications of geomechanical influence and ways of monitoring behaviour.

The course considers mechanical Earth models, why they are created, the pre-requisites and steps of how they are created, and an overview of applications relevant to CCS. Operations can modify simultaneously pore pressures, temperatures, and stresses in the reservoir and surrounding formations. The techniques and software available to study the effect of these temporal changes in 4D will be reviewed.

Course registration includes access to two self-paced e-learning modules that provide additional background on the subject matter.

Participants will learn to:

1. Appraise the critical importance of geomechanics to CCS projects.
2. Assess geomechanical aspects of caprock integrity, fault reactivation, induced seismicity, fracture influence, reservoir management, drilling and completion parameters.
3. Evaluate mechanical Earth models as applied in a CCS context.
4. Determine the ways that operations can simultaneously modify reservoir pore pressures, temperatures, and stresses in the reservoir and surrounding formations.

Full details

Geochemistry of CCS Projects

Date: 14th - 16th Nov 2023
Location: Virtual
Instructor: Richard Worden

The geochemistry of saline aquifers, depleted oil/gas fields in the context of CO2, and other waste gas, injection is considered. The reactions of CO2 with different reservoir rocks and top-seals, and their constituent minerals, and the cement and metal work used in the construction of wells are central to this course. The course includes reference to numerous CCS and CO2-EOR case studies, CCS-pilot sites, experiments, geochemical modelling, reaction-transport modelling, monitoring of CCS sites, microbiological processes in CCS systems, and the risk of halite scale formation.

Course registration includes access to two self-paced e-learning modules that provide additional background on the subject matter.

Participants will learn to:

1. Establish the types and sources of information needed to define geochemical aspects of CCS sites.
2. Examine the role of water and mineral composition, CO2 pressure, and composition of the injected gas in influencing reactions at CCS sites.
3. Evaluate how experimental simulation can help define if mineral dissolution or precipitation will occur in CCS systems.
4. Summarise CO2 interactions with cements and pipes used in well completions.
5. Appraise how geochemical reaction modelling can help define what processes will occur over a range of timescales at CCS sites.
6. Assess the application of reaction transport modelling to simulation of CO2 flow and reaction over a range of timescales at CCS sites.
7. Correlate geochemical processes to geomechanical and petrophysical properties in CCS systems.
8. Use geochemical tracers to track process in CCS systems.

Full details

Well Engineering for CO2 Storage Applications

Date: 4th - 8th Dec 2023
Location: Virtual
Instructor: Jonathan Bellarby

This course covers the design specifics of CO2 injection wells. Such wells may be existing or new wells which need to be designed with the challenges of CO2 injection in mind. The design includes the casing, cement, completion and all associated equipment. The challenges covered included potentially highly corrosive (to metals and cements) fluids, large temperature changes associated with potential phase changes and the long-term integrity requirements. In addition to casing design and cement design, equipment selection (such as packers with their associated elastomers) and tubular connections will be examined for their suitability for CO2 injection. Legacy offset wells will be examined for potential leak paths over the long-term. Examples from existing and planned schemes will be reviewed throughout.

Course registration includes access to two self-paced e-learning modules that provide additional background on the subject matter.

Participants will learn to:

1. Evaluate well integrity with respect to CO2.
2. Consider the challenges that CO2 gas versus dense phases present and undertake PVT calculations.
3. Assess the corrosive impacts of CO2 including the impact of stress corrosion at low temperatures.
4. Formulate stress calculations for the liner, production casing and tubing.
5. Analyse the issues of cement design for CO2 wells, including both legacy and new well designs.
6. Examine the issues involved in repurposing existing wells with reference to existing casing designs and cement evaluation.
7. Construct risk assessments and understand monitoring technology and regulatory frameworks.

Full details

Reservoir Characterisation and Simulation for CCS

Date: 28th - 30th Nov 2023
Location: Virtual
Instructors: Pete Smith, Andy Woods

In this course we will review the geological features of possible storage sites, focussing on the heterogeneity and presence of faults. This will enable an assessment of the impact of complex heterogeneous geology on the storage efficiency and security of the system in terms of the possible migration along faults that transect a reservoir, or through leaky seal layers. 

In modelling CO2, we will firstly consider the simulation objectives, the impact of aquifer properties, top and bottom seal diffusion, areal coverage of the pressure front, and secondary reservoirs for expansion. Various model approaches will be considered, namely, material balance, sector, full field, two-phase vs compositional, areal and stratigraphic coverage. The simulation of various development strategies will be tackled along with the long-term modelling of CO2 interactions and plume behaviour. The alternative approaches to the estimation of storage capacity will also be investigated.

Course registration includes access to two self-paced e-learning modules that provide additional background on the subject matter.

Participants will learn to:

1. Assess the potential for CO2 to leak or migrate across faults or through seal layers.
2. Analyse the leakage rate in comparison with the injection and plume dispersal rate.
3. Develop a simple model to test the impact of heterogeneity on CO2 storage efficiency.
4. Frame simulation objectives according to whether storage capacity, integrity assessment, development planning, or operational monitoring are the strategic requirement.
5. Select the appropriate model approach, development strategy, and long-term modelling of CO2 interactions and plume behaviour.
6. Compare the various alternative approaches for estimating storage capacity.

Full details

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: RPS Energy   l   KeyFacts Energy news: Training