Three Quintessa employees attended the conference. Steve Benbow presented key learnings from the DECOVALEX-2023 (DEvelopment of COupled models and their VALidation against EXperiments) international research programme on the topic of coupled modelling of brine availability in salt-based disposal facilities. On the topic of geological disposal in porous rocks, Richard Metcalfe presented research concerning the incorporation of Rock Matrix Diffusion (RMD) in safety assessment models and its contribution to contaminant retardation. Quintessa’s involvement in both these studies has been funded by Nuclear Waste Services (NWS). Richard also contributed to a presentation by Prof H Yoshida of Nagoya University and a consortium of Japanese companies and research institutes on a new technology for rapidly sealing bed rock flow-paths, including damaged zones around boreholes and underground excavations. Richard also Co-Chaired the ‘Containment’ session on the role of seals to ensure the security of CO2 storage. Renato Zagorscak presented a methodology for deciding on well seal options for abandonment, consisting of a set of complementary tools that will enable an informed, structured, transparent and traceable process for designing a well decommissioning sealing solution in a given geological environment. Renato also acted as a Co-Chair of the ‘Leakage – Recognition and Solution’ session, which discussed novel approaches to mitigate against potential fluid leakage from the subsurface.

The conference was a key forum for sharing research concerning geoscientific aspects of energy supply, as earth scientists address the challenges of transitioning the world’s energy systems. Quintessa’s participation in the conference was aimed at showcasing our existing expertise and knowledge in the sustainable utilisation of the subsurface, and demonstrating our continuing commitment to providing leading-edge scientific input and consultancy to facilitate a low-carbon future.