Evaluation of CRA Performance in CCS Well Downhole Environments

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has become a critical focus in heavy industries aiming to reduce carbon emissions. Leveraging the oil and gas industry’s expertise in drilling and completing wells, authors’ company possess valuable insights into the challenges of CCS storage needs. Specifically, the drilling of injection wells for CO₂ storage in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs or saline aquifers requires robust materials capable of withstanding downhole service environments that may include high salinity water, elevated temperatures, and exposure to high pressure CO₂ and impurities such as NO₂, SO₂, H₂S and O₂. In this study, we evaluate several CRA materials including duplex 25Cr and super duplex 25Cr stainless steels, as well as precipitation-hardened nickel alloys, under various conditions. Our findings provide a qualitative and quantitative comparison of material performance across different grades for the CO₂ injection wells’ downhole applications. Additionally, we explore the impact of impurities (particularly O₂ and H₂S) on materials’ susceptibility to localized corrosion, shedding light on potential corrosion mechanisms.