Site Characterization for the New UK Geoenergy Test Bed Research Facility

Summary The UK GeoEnergy Test Bed (GTB) is a field laboratory founded by the University of Nottingham and The British Geological Survey (BGS) for subsurface research into fluid migration through natural pathways. The GTB was initiated with funding from the founding partners and has received capital investment from the UK Government’s Treasury as part of the Energy Research Accelerator (ERA) project. The GTB will act as a research hub to catalyse scientific collaboration between researchers from academic and industrial backgrounds. The aim of the GTB is to advance geoscientific research to support the global need for secure, sustainable and safe energy. Geophysical, geochemical, petrochemical and hydrogeological data have been collected during site characterization and used to build a conceptual geological model. Permission is being sought from the relevant authorities to inject a small amount of food-grade CO2. Surface and downhole technologies and techniques will be used to monitor site behaviour before, during and after fluid injection. The sensing capability at the GTB has been designed by the BGS to enable interrogation of the subsurface in 4D and to a level of detail commensurate with energy processes in the subsurface.