SVELVIK CO2 FIELD LAB (NO3.12)

Svelvik CO₂ Field Lab is a small-scale laboratory in an easily accessible geological environment, which fills the gap between bench laboratory experiments and pilots. Due to its size, the controlled environment, and the potential of repeatable experiments, the field laboratory provides excellent possibilities to perform rapid and cost-efficient development and testing of CO₂ monitoring methods and equipment.

The laboratory is established in the glaciofluvial-glaciomarine Holocene deposits of the Svelvik ridge and occupies a non-active part of a sand and gravel quarry in the outer part of Drammensfjorden, about 50 km south-west of Oslo in Norway. Down to approximately 30 m, the test site consists of unconsolidated to weakly consolidated sand. Below, rather heterogeneous, and interlayered sand, silt and clay layers in varying proportions exist, displaying a large span of porosity and permeability.

The field laboratory consists of an injection well and four monitoring wells. The injection well is designed for injecting water and/or CO₂ at 64-65 meters depth. Tracers may be added to the CO₂ stream. The four monitoring wells are 100 m deep and positioned at the corners of a rhombus with the injection well (#2) in the centre. The monitoring wells are located 9.9 m (M3 and M4) and 16.5 m (M1 and M2) from the injection well. 

Skilled scientists and technicians are available to assist visiting researchers, both on-site and remotely. One experienced person from SINTEF will be on-site as the on-site HMS manager during the project execution. Only trained SINTEF personnel are allowed to operate the injection infrastructure.

SINTEF has implemented and maintains a quality management system that fulfils the requirements of the standard NS-EN ISO 9001:2008 within research and development in materials technology, advanced materials and nanotechnology, applied chemistry and biotechnology, oil and gas, and green energy and process industry.

Svelvik CO₂ Field Lab enables cost-efficient studies of quantitative CO₂ monitoring methods and technology where high-quality data can be acquired under controlled conditions; where pressure and CO₂ saturation can be varied independently; where a cross-well setup yields clean data undisturbed by "outside" or surface effects; and where experiments are repeatable as CO₂ is not stored permanently in the subsurface. Svelvik CO₂ Field Lab is unique as no other test sites can offer this combination.