GE developing better sensing for underground CO2 storage wells

General Electric has announced plans to develop better sensing capabilities for the underground CO2 storage wells. The aim of these new sensors will be to detect the pressure and temperature inside the well so that the potential leaks can be detected quickly. GE says that the sensors can perform under high temperature & pressure underground conditions and hopes that the technology they're developing will foster the adoption of <em>carbon sequestration </em>as a new green initiative. The company has signed a contract with the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) which is a part of the United States Department Of Energy. The federal government wants to inject carbon-dioxide into the geothermal containment wells as a solution to store CO2 for the long term.



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These storage wells could be a solution to the CO2 released by burning of fossil fuels, which comprises of 84% of all U.S greenhouse gases. Storing CO2 under very high pressure under the geothermal wells could be a promising alternative to releasing the gases to atmosphere. The high-performance sensors to monitor possible leaks of the gas would play a very critical role in the success of the project.

General Electric is already testing a fiber optic cable (FOC) connected to a sensor to measure the pressure and temperature inside the well and it's been calibrated to an accuracy of ±0.1%. However engineers are working on a follow-up project that will enable them to track the changes in temperature and pressure along with the flow of CO2 inside the well which is few kilometers long. The temperature inside the well could be about 250°C while the pressure would be about 10,000 psi (pounds per square inch), which makes the situation very challenging.



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