The CO2CRC Otway Controlled CO2 Release Experiment in a Fault: Geomechanical Characterisation Pre-Injection

The CO2CRC Otway Research Facility is one of the world’s pre-eminent CO2 storage demonstration projects, focussed on carbon storage research and development. The latest injection test that is being planned is based around a small injection test into a shallow fault at depths less than 100 m. The main goal of the controlled CO2 release into the fault is to use a diverse array of geophysical and geochemical monitoring techniques to image the CO2 plume migrating into, around and ultimately up the fault toward the surface. In doing so, we expect to acquire significant learnings around fault permeability, the ease by which CO2 can migrate through minor faults and also gain some understanding about the portions of the fault that are most prone to allowing vertical gas migration. Preliminary geomechanical modelling presented here indicate that the Brumbys fault is a good candidate for a CO2 injection experiments, as it is expected to maintain its integrity and not introduce any geomechanical complications to the equation.