As the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) industry continues to grow, ensuring the integrity and longevity of injection wells has become a critical priority.
In June 2024, the United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 issued a notice to all Underground Injection Control (UIC) Class VI CO2 Injection applicants. The notice was to ensure that well construction material exposed to CO2 and water that’s lower than 22 Chrome duplex steel would require detailed lab work and/or corrosion modeling to ensure suitability for potentially low-pH environments. The analysis must consider the injectate composition, reservoir conditions, possible stress cases, and other relevant factors. This update highlights the need and urgency of careful consideration of metallurgies for CCS wells, since higher grades of corrosion resistant alloys come with significant cost and lead times.
