Enhanced gas recovery methods involve injecting a fluid into a gas condensate reservoir to increase the recovery factor. An increase in the recovery factor may result from the repressuriSation of the gas reservoir or displacement of the remaining gas to the production wells. The injected carbon dioxide (CO2) is most effective when in its supercritical state. This usually occurs at depths beyond 800 meters (2624 ft) in the reservoir. In this state, CO2 possesses a density close to that of a liquid and a viscosity close to a gas. The expectation is that this physical difference would result in the gravity separation of the injected CO2 and the reservoir fluids.

Trinidad and Tobago has partially depleted gas fields with the potential of higher gas recovery coupled with carbon storage. A 2015 CO2 emissions report showed that the petrochemical sector accounted for 56% (25.2 million tonnes) of the country's anthropogenic CO2. This figure illustrates why Trinidad and Tobago should implement carbon sequestration and enhanced gas recovery (CSEGR) projects; however, these projects often fail to reach the execution stage since the co-production of the injected CO2 with the natural gas may result in increased surface production costs and also affect the heating properties of the gas.

Several studies have focused on strategies for delaying the mixing of the injected CO2 with the remaining natural gas. These include optimisation of timing of injection, distance between injector and producer, and injector wells placement; however, the idea of integrating machine learning algorithms to design a production and injection reservoir management plan that considers various CO2 storage scenarios has not been fully studied.  Therefore, the main objective of this research is to close this gap by developing an optimisation methodology for carbon sequestration and enhanced gas recovery.

Tuesday 1st November 2023 at 1:00 p.m.

Mr. Adrian Ross  has worked in both the upstream and downstream segments of the energy sector for the last thirteen years. Mr. Ross began working as Instrument and Control Technician, and transitioned into a senior consultancy role within recent years. He was one of the lead commissioning technicians for BPTT’s first offshore subsea gas field in Trinidad and Tobago, and also, the company’s first offshore gas compression facility.

Mr. Ross has a National Engineering Technician’s Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from The University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT). Having met the requirements for the Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.Sc.) in Petroleum Engineering, he went on to complete the Masters of Engineering in Petroleum Engineering with a specialisation in Renewable Energy, all at UTT. Mr. Ross also has professional certification in Data Science and Machine Learning from IBM. During his time in the industry Mr. Ross has received specialised training in Well Control Automation and Fiscal Metering Systems.

Currently, Mr. Ross is a Research Assistant at UTT where he is also pursuing a Research Masters in Energy Studies, with a focus on strategies for safely sequestrating carbon dioxide in geological sinks.