197: Building confidence in CO2 storage with forecasting and monitoring

Philip Ringrose discusses his upcoming Distinguished Instructor Short Course, "Storage of Carbon Dioxide in Saline Aquifers – Building confidence by forecasting and monitoring." Interest in carbon capture and storage (CCS) is growing rapidly as a crucial part of global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. In this conversation with host Andrew Geary, Philip reviews the science and technology underpinning CO2 storage in deep saline aquifer formations using insights from several industrial-scale projects. Philip also addresses what's needed to achieve climate-significant scales of CCS deployment. Although technically achievable, the current socio-economic framing often makes storage project execution difficult in practice. By building technical confidence in project execution, we may be able to "turn the dial" and realize the gigatonne levels of storage needed over the coming decades. Philip is an excellent guide for understanding CO2 storage, its possibilities and limits, and how to use your geophysical skills to support CO2 projects. You should listen to this episode if you are interested in this topic. Listen to the full archive at https://seg.org/podcast. RELATED LINKS * Learn more about Philip's course and see the latest schedule (https://seg.org/education/courses/upcoming-disc/) * Buy the e-book (https://library.seg.org/doi/10.1190/1.9781560803959) * Buy the Print Edition (https://seg.org/shop/product/?id=809b9313-4e3c-ee11-bdf4-0022482b6d2f) * Discover SEG on Demand (https://seg.org/Education/SEG-on-Demand) CELEBRATING 200 EPISODES! The podcast will celebrate 200 episodes on 5 October, and we want to hear from our listeners on this special milestone. * What's the most valuable thing you've learned from the show? * What surprised you? * What episode do you most share with others? Record your message today at https://www.speakpipe.com/SeismicSoundoff if you have answers to these questions and want to be showcased. Everyone who leaves a message will be automatically entered to win a free online subscription to the SEG Library (everything except e-books) for one year. BIOGRAPHY Philip S. Ringrose is a Specialist in reservoir geoscience at Equinor and an Adjunct Professor in CO2 Storage at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. He has been engaged with many CCS project developments over the last 15 years. He has published widely on reservoir geoscience and fluid flow in rock media, including the textbooks Reservoir Model Design and How to Store CO2 Underground. Ringrose holds a BSc in geology from the University of Edinburgh and a Ph.D. in applied geology from the University of Strathclyde in Scotland. He is a member of SEG, EAGE, and the Geological Society (London) and was the 2014-2015 President of the EAGE. In 2018, he was appointed as an Honorary Professor at the University of Edinburgh, and in 2020, he was elected as a member of The Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters (DKNVS). CREDITS Seismic Soundoff explores the depth and usefulness of geophysics for the scientific community and the public. If you want to be the first to know about the next episode, please follow or subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. Two of our favorites are Apple Podcasts and "Spotify. If you have episode ideas, feedback for the show, or want to sponsor a future episode, find the "Contact Seismic Soundoff" box at https://seg.org/podcast. Zach Bridges created original music for this show. Andrew Geary hosted, edited, and produced this episode at TreasureMint. The SEG podcast team is Jennifer Cobb, Kathy Gamble, and Ally McGinnis.