Department of Energy Grant for Transformational Sensing Capabilities in Subsurface Monitoring

The Department of Energy (DOE) intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) seeking applications for financial assistance awards that would support the Office of Fossil Energy (FE), Carbon Storage Program. The FOA is anticipated to be issued in the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2019.

The objective of the planned FOA is to develop transformational sensing capabilities for measuring and monitoring various parameters associated with CO2 injection at locations throughout the storage complex, including: overburden, reservoir, and underburden.

New sensor systems are sought to overcome limitations of current sensors while also being amenable for integration with autonomous intelligent monitoring systems for real time decision making. This includes sensors and methods for detecting and measuring conditions within the storage complex. A storage complex consists of: (1) one or more storage reservoirs, with permeability and porosity that allow injection and storage of CO2; and (2) one or more low-permeability seals, which enclose the reservoir(s) and serve as barriers to migration of CO2 out of the reservoir, and the area immediately above the seals, i.e. Above-Zone Monitoring Intervals (AZMIs). Of interest are transformational sensing systems that will provide real-time data that improves the ability to monitor movement of fluids in the subsurface and/or measure critical subsurface properties. The sensors should have an extended life expectancy, be able to be deployed within the well annulus and not require perforating or umbilicals in the well annulus to install, power, or transmit data.