Welltec has begun extensive testing to identify optimal materials for Project Greensand, an initiative that will store CO2 in the subsurface of the North Sea.

The project is the most mature project of its kind in Denmark, with the potential of storing up to 1.5 million tons of CO2 per year by the end of 2025, and up to 8 million tons of CO2 per year by 2030.

The consortium behind Project Greensand consists of 23 different Danish and international partners who all work to deliver a significant contribution to the green transition in Denmark.

The launch of Welltec’s newly developed Test Flow Loop – a test installation of 18 x 5 m – provides the setting for essential corrosion testing, where the performance of five different materials will be compared in a controlled environment.

"We recreate the subsea environment of the North Sea and expose the materials to that environment for a long period, so we find out which materials are best suited to function over time," says Linda Nolting Kristensen, Technology Innovation Lead at Welltec.

To identify the final materials, Welltec has designed two test phases. In the first phase, five different materials are tested, and the results will form the basis for further qualification later in the project.

Ultimately, these tests will be decisive in the recommendation of which materials Project Greensand should proceed with for the crucial casing pipes, which run all the way down to the reservoir of sandstone 1,800 m below the seabed.

Project Greensand expects to test the first storage of CO2 around the yearend.