Material Feasibility & Survivability Testing for Carbon Capture and Storage Well Construction
Authors: Khasanova L. , Koishymanova S. , Neelalohith S. , Fornitz K. H. , Kashefi K. , Tea K. , Rogowska M. , Mathiesen T. , Rasmussen L. , Yusoff M. K. , Ismail I. 
Published: February 2025

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has emerged as a pivotal strategy in the global effort to reduce greenhouse gases. Building safe, long-term CCS wells is crucial and the thorough testing and selection of materials for applications in well construction is critical to a project's success. This paper identifies metals and elastomers that can withstand CO2 fluids and impurities throughout a well's life, with a focus on Metal Expandable Packer (MEP) technology.

The combination of impurities and formation fluid in a well often creates a corrosive environment for completion equipment, potentially resulting in CO2 leaking back into the atmosphere. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the survivability of a set of potential materials. During testing, materials were exposed for 30 days to a CCS environment inside of a full-scale flow loop, after which they were analyzed for degradation, corrosion, and changes to material properties. A detailed description of the test design, coupon preparation criteria, impurities used in the loop, and protocols are presented in this paper, including the specific testing of MEPs.

Well completions equipment for the CCS environment can be made of CRA or epoxy-lined materials. The high cost of CRA can render it prohibitively expensive, while epoxy-lined materials may experience mechanical degradation. Therefore, alternative materials with the potential for use in completion products were tested. The tests were performed by exposing the materials to certain CO2 concentrations and impurities to analyze the effect on metallic and non-metallic components. This was performed inside a flow loop facility, replicating a formation water flowback scenario during a long shut-in period. The targeted selection included seven different metals, a few selective welds, and nine types of sealing elements. A detailed explanation of failure scenarios and a review of corrosion types, such as stress corrosion cracking (SCC), provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by these different materials. In addition, any instances of corrosion of weld joints received an Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) analysis. Moreover, this paper reviews a field case where MEPs were considered. The case study examines the potential implications of using MEPs in real-world CCS conditions, providing valuable insights into their effectiveness and reliability in mitigating CO2 leakage and ensuring integrity for the well's entire lifespan. A full-scale CO2 flow loop testing method was configured to recreate CCS downhole well conditions, which would help to select suitable materials for CCS well and mitigate potential equipment failures due to CO2 exposure. This paper strengthens the knowledge of existing publications regarding the impact of CO2 on materials used in well completion solutions, with a specific focus on the application and performance of MEPs.