Research Projects

India’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2070 requires the development of scalable, secure, and economically viable carbon sequestration technologies. The Cambay Basin oil fields, with their established infrastructure and abundant geological data, provide a suitable and cost-effective setting to test formate-based carbon storage. Conventional CO₂ injection, though established, faces significant challenges, including poor sweep efficiency, gravity override, and leakage risks due to low CO₂ density, viscosity, and limited solubility in brine. Typically, CO₂ must be injected in its supercritical state, and achieving miscibility between CO₂ and crude oil is essential for maximum efficiency. This may be unfeasible in many Indian reservoirs, particularly at shallow depths. These challenges highlight the need for alternative carbon storage methods. The proposed aqueous formate solutions offer a promising alternative for storing injected carbon in a dissolved ionic form rather than as a free gas, thus improving storage security. Recent advancements in electrochemical CO₂ reduction (ECR) have enabled the large-scale production of formate (HCOO⁻), paving the way for its use in geological carbon storage. Compared to supercritical CO₂, formate solutions exhibit higher density and viscosity, enhancing mobility control, reducing gravity override, and promoting more uniform oil displacement in heterogeneous reservoirs, where conventional CO₂ injection underperforms. Recent preliminary studies have also indicated that formate can alter rock wettability toward more water-wet conditions via mineral dissolution, further improving oil displacement and carbon storage potential. Despite its conceptual promise, formate-based carbon storage lacks experimental validation, and the technology remains poorly explored. The central hypothesis of this project is that optimized aqueous formate solutions, alone or with CO₂, surfactants, or in low-salinity water mode, can enhance oil recovery and securely store carbon in ionic form. By adjusting the composition of the formate solution, concentration, salinity, pH, or additives, the interaction with reservoir fluids (oil and water) and rocks can be influenced to maximize oil displacement, improve wettability, and enhance carbon retention in rock formations. Furthermore, the synergistic use of formate and surfactants is anticipated to lower the interfacial tension (IFT) and alter wettability, thereby drastically improving oil recovery and carbon storage capacity. To test these hypotheses, systematic laboratory experiments will be conducted, including solubility and stability testing of formate solutions in synthetic and formation brines, mineral dissolution studies on carbonate, sandstone, and shale samples, wettability alteration assessments through imbibition tests and contact angle measurements, and screening of high-salinity-tolerant surfactants for synergistic effects with formate. Phase behavior, IFT reduction, and microemulsion formation will also be evaluated to optimize oil displacement. Flow visualization using microfluidic devices and core flooding experiments will assess different injection schemes, including formate-only, formate-alternating-CO₂ (FAG), and surfactant-enhanced formate injection. Finally, numerical reservoir simulations using CMG-GEM will upscale the laboratory findings to predict field-scale oil recovery, carbon storage efficiency, and economic feasibility. The project outcomes will generate the first India-specific experimental insights into formate-based EOR and carbon storage, establish the mechanisms governing formate–rock–brine interactions, and demonstrate the technical potential and feasibility of this novel approach. This study will deliver a field-ready, scalable carbon sequestration method that offers improved storage efficiency and lower leakage risks compared to conventional CO₂ injection, supporting India’s decarbonization targets.