Tech company qWave, supported by Norway’s national program for research, development, and demonstration of CO2 capture and storage technology (CCS) called CLIMIT, introduced an innovative method for measuring horizontal stresses in the caprock during CO2 storage projects.
Inspired by Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL), a medical technology used to break kidney stones using acoustic shockwaves without surgical intervention, the new technology developed by qWave can contribute towards safety and cost reductions in the process of storing carbon dioxide.
The novel technology uses concentrated shockwaves to create a weak point in the rock formation, enabling a more accurate measurement of horizontal stresses, a metric necessary to assess carbon dioxide storage capacity.
Powered by a shockwave generator with a capacity of up to 30,000 volts, the technology focuses shockwaves in one area, creating a several centimeter-deep perforation in the borehole wall.
Using a custom pump and equipment, this system fractures the formation where the perforation is made, closing it back gradually until the minimum horizontal stress is measured.
This technology, developed in collaboration with Harald Eizenhöfer, former Research Director at Dornier MedTech Systems GmbH, and Hartlauer Präzisions Elektronik GmbH, enables a more precise measurement done in less time than the one required by conventional measurement methods.
The project, led by Jan Ove Nesvik, CEO at qWave, was developed with financial support from CLIMIT, who provided just under NOK 4.8 million (nearly half a million US dollars).
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qWave has also established a Joint Industry Project with Equinor, Vår Energi, DNO, and OMV. As part of this collaboration, the leading companies will provide expertise and financial backing for qWave’s work, as well as insights on technology needs and goals, holding the possibility of becoming clients of qWave in the future.
The first prototype of this innovative technology was successfully demonstrated at NORCE/Ullrigg in Stavanger in September 2023, followed by a second successful demonstration in November 2023.
In the future, qWave plans to create a commercial 2.0 version of this mechanism, offering even more sophisticated solutions for measuring horizontal stresses in wells.
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