Research Case Study - Qatar Carbonates & Carbon Storage Research Centre (QCCSRC)
QCCSRC is a ten-year, US$70m, interdisciplinary research programme funded by Shell, Qatar Petroleum and the Qatar Science & Technology Park. Within QCCSRC, the Physical Properties and Analytics Laboratory is focused on fundamental science and engineering related to the injection of CO2 into saline aquifers and/or oilfields for the purposes of carbon storage and/or enhanced hydrocarbon recovery.
These topics underpin our understanding of fluid flow and reactivity over the extended ranges of space and time relevant to the injection and long-term fate of CO2, especially the in carbonate reservoir formations prevalent in the middle east.
The project involves a suite of experimental facilities for studying phase behaviour and properties, rheology and flow, interfacial phenomena and chemical interactions between reservoir fluids and minerals.
The experimental studies are integrated with and extended by molecular theory and modelling, and the output from the whole programme is fundamental to the design of reservoir processes in carbonate formations.