Monday, September 8, 2025
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Desa James | Communications Coordinator | 405-744-2669 | [email protected]
Oklahoma State University has joined forces with Texas A&M University to set up
the National Science Foundation Industry-University Cooperative Research Center for
Energy-Related Geologic Storage, a brand new national hub for research on subsurface storage
of fluids used or produced for power actions.
The center invitations collaboration with trade companions to guarantee research addresses
real-world challenges and delivers sensible options.
The center’s research agenda is deliberately designed to assist federal power priorities
by strengthening power safety and advancing new power applied sciences.
Effectively participating stakeholders and communities native to power storage initiatives
and guaranteeing an reasonably priced and dependable home power provide are important to national
and financial safety; ERGS aligns its mission accordingly.
Safe and dependable storage of fluids resembling methane, hydrogen and compressed air is
important for power safety, in addition to produced brine injection and extraction
of crucial minerals through dissolution.
ERGS is designed to tackle two core challenges: 1) precisely assessing international energy-related
storage potential, each pure and engineered pore area; 2) evaluating dangers related
with potential fluid leakage by way of rock formations and wellbores and seismic actions.
By integrating experience in geoscience, engineering, supplies science, superior analytics
and efficient strategic communications with stakeholders, the center will create sensible
options that cut back dangers, inform enterprise and authorities determination making and strengthen
public belief in geologic storage applied sciences, whereas contributing to creating the
workforce of the longer term.
A central research focus might be understanding the final word destiny of fluids injected
into the subsurface and what basin traits are handiest for long-term
storage integrity.
Methane will proceed to be a main supply of gasoline power for many years, and expanded
use requires figuring out further geologic storage with a greater understanding of
not solely the storage capability but additionally the impacts of injection and extraction over
time. Assessments of subsurface geologic storage that might lead to safe underground
hydrogen storage in varied rock formations will assist the potential progress of the
hydrogen financial system.
ERGS will leverage wellbore leakage knowledge to strengthen data of subsurface storage
integrity, significantly in basins the place intensive nicely histories exist already, addressing
everlasting plugging and abandonment of wellbores and restoring geological obstacles. Integrating
elementary science and engineering, and testing of supplies underneath subsurface pressures,
temperatures and earth stresses, will allow a greater understanding of geochemical
and geomechanical modifications concerned in fluid-rock interactions that may have an effect on wellbore
integrity.
“The main operate of a wellbore is to present a safe pathway for fluids to be
produced or injected, giving entry to subsurface pore area,” mentioned Dr. Mileva Radonjic,
OSU principal investigator and chemical engineering professor. “Leaky wellbores, from
orphaned to lively ones, stay the best danger to geological storage. One of ERGS’s
5 research thrusts will give attention to creating wellbore applied sciences and supplies
that may match pure obstacles like shale, eliminating such dangers. No effort of this
scale has beforehand introduced collectively federal businesses, trade experience, and tutorial
research from two energy-rich states and communities that offer the workforce for
the power sector.”
In addition to advancing technical research, the group prioritizes communication and
stakeholder engagement as a core a part of the ERGS mission. Researchers acknowledge that
geologic storage could be a complicated matter for the general public, and that constructing confidence
requires greater than scientific outcomes alone. Their method facilities on researching
how folks understand danger, advantages and reliability.
“OSU is approaching stakeholder engagement by way of evidence-based research that focuses
on constructing belief and transparency,” mentioned Dr. Rachel Esther Lim, assistant professor
of strategic communication and OSU co-PI. “Our group is dedicated to establishing two-way
communication by listening to stakeholders, figuring out communication challenges and
working collaboratively to tackle considerations. By combining scientific experience with
open dialogue, we intention to be certain that subsurface storage options are developed in
partnership with the communities they have an effect on.”
Machine studying and superior knowledge analytics will even play a key function. Building on
U.S. Geological Survey useful resource evaluation strategies, ERGS researchers will apply machine
studying and knowledge engineering instruments to handle massive datasets from each laboratory
and discipline work. These instruments will refine capability estimates, enhance danger assessments
and speed up the event of dependable fashions for fluid trapping mechanisms and
basin-wide storage potential.
In the Boone Pickens School of Geology, OSU researchers are combining seismic imaging with synthetic intelligence to create
clearer, extra dependable assessments of underground storage websites for energy-related
fluids.
“Seismic surveys, typically described as ‘ultrasound for the Earth,’ report echoes from
deep rock layers,” mentioned Dr. Camelia C. Knapp, affiliate dean of research for the College
of Arts and Sciences and OSU co-PI. “By making use of seismic inversion, we will flip these
echoes into detailed photos of rock properties resembling porosity, which reveals how
a lot area is on the market to safely retailer injected fluids. Machine studying helps us
detect patterns within the knowledge that people may miss, lowering uncertainty and enhancing
our skill to establish the most effective websites for carbon storage.”
The ERGS program is designed not solely to advance research but additionally to practice the following
technology of specialists.
“At OSU, the Energy-Related Geologic Storage (ERGS) research program is getting ready
college students to lead the power integration revolution,” Knapp mentioned. “Through hands-on
initiatives, college students learn the way to use superior instruments like seismic imaging, machine studying,
rock property evaluation, wellbore building, supplies science, and drone monitoring
to consider underground formations for safe energy-related fluids storage — certainly one of
probably the most promising options for lowering greenhouse fuel emissions. Working alongside
college specialists, they achieve real-world expertise on the intersection of geoscience
and engineering, creating the talents wanted to thrive in fast-growing fields such
as carbon administration and clear power.”
OSU researchers within the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology and the College of Arts and Sciences add crucial data in wellbore building and stability, cementing and orphan
nicely dangers, caprock seal integrity and supplies efficiency underneath excessive subsurface
situations, rock/fluid interplay, seismic inversion strategies for rock properties,
and supplies science.
OSU will lead communications and stakeholder engagement efforts, fostering significant
dialogue to be certain that ERGS incorporates native and international neighborhood views
into technical research. Texas A&M researchers carry deep experience in exploration
geoscience, basin-scale assessments and danger evaluation, together with seismicity and tectonic
modeling.
Together, the 2 universities will ship complete approaches, from useful resource
evaluation to danger methodology, which can be instantly relevant to trade wants.
The profitable competitors for NSF-IUCRC relies on ERGS’s skill to have interaction energy-producing
and energy-demanding industries into paid membership. In return, the Industry Advisory
Board will information research matter picks on an annual foundation. This ongoing recruitment
and progress of center membership will even assist to appeal to extra funding, wider participation
from college and job creation for graduates.
The center welcomes new trade members to be part of, serving to information research instructions
whereas gaining early entry to cutting-edge findings.
The OSU group contains:
CEAT college members from petroleum engineering, chemical engineering and mechanical
engineering:
Mileva Radonjic (PI), Ali Ettehadi, Mohammed Al Dushaishi, Hunjoo Lee, Seo-Jhin Kim
and Jamey Jacob.
CAS college members from geology, communications, chemistry and physics:
Camelia Knapp, Rachel Lim, Yolanda Vasquez, James Knapp, Dave McLlroy, and Derek Meyers
The TAMU group contains:
TAMU college members from the College of Arts and Sciences:
Sherilyn Williams-Stroud (PI), Cameron Manche, Mauro Becker, Peter Knappett, Xiaowei
Chen, Juan Carlos Layla, Benchun Duan, Ehtan Grossman, Art Donovan and Nikolas Perez.
TAMU college members from the College of Engineering:
Zenon Medina-Cetina, Rami Younis, Kiseok Kim and Rita Okoroafor.
