Aquistore

The largest Active Field Lab in the World for CO₂ Measurement and Monitoring

PTRC’s Aquistore Project is the most comprehensive full-scale geological field laboratory for CO₂ storage in the world.

With leading-edge technology, the Aquistore Project is demonstrating the safe, reliable and economic advantages of injecting captured CO₂ into a 3400m deep saltwater-infused sandstone.

By optimizing CO₂ storage, the Aquistore Project has the ingenuity to significantly advance clean technology and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

It’s a big deal.  In Canada and abroad. 

Global Leader in CCUS Intelligence

Aquistore is globally sought for its knowledge, innovation, and its accumulation of unique and extensive data. 

Industry and government partners in Japan, Korea, Australia, the United States, South Africa and the United Kingdom have each been participating in the project to develop their homegrown CO₂ storage projects.  Many of these partners and potential partners have visited the Aquistore and Boundary Dam CCS site in person.

While a Canadian project, Aquistore has significant international impact. The Project provides opportunities in capacity building through innovative research, training and education to global partners.

“The continued success of this Project will have incredible implications for reducing CO₂ emissions throughout the world.”

- John Gale, Former General Manager,
  IEAGHG R&D program, London, England

In Canada, Aquistore is developing highly qualified personnel in CO₂ storage, with knowledge exported around the world.

Supporting Canada’s Initiatives on Clean Energy & Climate Change

With Canada’s international commitment to a low-carbon economy, decarbonizing non-renewables by storing CO₂ is becoming an important component of GHG reduction.

Aquistore is helping to achieve Canada’s Mission Innovation goals with the trilateral agreement between Canada, USA and Mexico via the North American Climate, Clean Energy, and Environment Partnership.

While renewable energy is the future, there are immediate benefits of CO₂ storage for industries with limited options to reduce carbon emissions.

Aquistore has stored +535,000 tonnes of CO₂, comparable to planting 3.8 million seedlings over ten years.

CO₂ Storage Solutions - Across Industrial Heartland

Through the Aquistore Project, CO₂ storage is being proven as essential to help industries that have few other options manage compliance-quality offsets of their GHG emissions.

CO₂ storage is a viable option for steel manufacturing used to build wind turbines, the petroleum products utilized in solar panels, the plants producing cement for hydroelectric dams and nuclear power plants that in turn fuel electric vehicles, and from fertilizer plants that support the growth of food.

In addition to the energy sector, other CO₂ industrial point sources such as cement and steel production, chemical manufacturing, and fertilizer production are also being called upon to be climate smart.

Advances in Technology

The Aquistore Project boasts an impressive Monitoring Measurement and Verification (MMV) Program.  Click on the graph below to see the full list of monitoring technologies being tested at the site.

With over 50+ publications in International journals, Aquistore is offering independent analysis and research, and the monitoring program is continuously peer-reviewed.

Aquistore is a commercial-scale project tied to real injection considerations - taking industrial CO₂ at variable and intermittent rates from SaskPower’s Carbon Capture Facility at Boundary Dam near Estevan, Saskatchewan.

Aquistore’s knowledge provides fundamental understanding of the reality of CO₂ injection for commercial-scale operations, regardless of the CO₂ point source.

“The work at Aquistore is relevant to many industries and policy makers because we are accelerating our understanding and verifying the safety of CO₂ storage.”

- Dr. Don White of the Geological Survey of Canada and Chair of Aquistore’s Scientific and Engineering Research Committee (SERC).

Aquistore is providing an opportunity to test emerging technology such as the electromagenetic sensor, right.

For the first time, distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) fibre is being used to image CO₂ at such extreme depths, revolutionizing seismic technology, how geological data is obtained, and significantly reducing costs. 

Opportunities for Data Access

PTRC has compiled comprehensive datasets to advance CCUS knowledge and provides opportunities for capacity building through innovative research, training and education.

Through its CCUS Data Network (which includes Aquistore and IEAGHG Weburn-Midale CO₂ Monitoring and Storage Project), PTRC offers investing partners access to its datasets. These range from the initial design to operation of a commercial CO₂ storage site to comprehensive datasets for all aspects of MMV techniques and technologies.

Datasets range from raw sets of 3D/3C seismic surveys, time-lapsed pulsed neutron and sonic well logs, injection volumes, reservoir pressures and temperatures from multiple downhole gauges, reservoir fluid samples, caprock and reservoir cores, and geological and reservoir simulation models.

The investing partners receive access to data through utilization of PTRC’s established Scientific and Engineering Research Committee, comprised of global experts with hands-on experience in areas such as: geomechanics, geophysics, and geologic and hydrogeologic cells.

Impact

Science tells us that the only true way to understand something is to take research to demonstration and validate it.  Aquistore does that.

Through the demonstration of conformance of CO₂ underground, analyzing how it reacts, assessing its predictability, and verifying it, scientists and engineers are adapting modelling to increase accuracy of predictions and understanding.

Striving to continually advance innovation in clean technology with science-based facts, Aquistore is uniquely positioned to assist governments and regulators to reduce liabilities and meet targets for safer, cleaner, sustainable industries.

To learn more about Aquistore or participate as an investing partner, contact the PTRC at info@ptrc.ca.