The CSSR annual conference was a success. Held at the Clarion Hotel, Bergen Airport, from September 18th to 19th, the event brought together nearly 100 participants, including leading international experts in sustainable subsurface research. Deputy Chair Ketil Djurhuus welcomed everyone, followed by opening remarks from recorded videos featuring Camilla Stoltenberg (CEO of NORCE), who couldn’t attend in person, Gunn Mangerud (Dean, UIB), and Kristin Margrethe Flornes (Executive Director, Energy and Technology).
(Photos: Rune Rolvsjord, NORCE )
Research Director Sarah Gasda showcased CSSR’s achievements and future potential, highlighting the centre’s impact. Geir Terje Eigestad, Chair of CSSR’s Executive Board, emphasized the critical role of academic-industry research partnerships. Ingrid Anne Munz from the Research Council of Norway discussed policies supporting energy transition and security.
A panel moderated by Ketil Djurhuus focused on the metrics of research success. Stressing the importance of making a tangible impact, Martin Blunt from Imperial College highlighted, “Collaboration with industry forces you to look at real problems. It keeps you grounded as a researcher.” Fredrik Varpe from Equinor and Tom Jonsthovel from SLB shared strategies for navigating the energy transition and leveraging digital technologies to de-risk CCUS.
Deputy Director Martin Fernø led an engaging session on poster presentations and fluid flow, featuring a live demonstration of the Fluid Flower by Jan Martin Nordbotten. PhD students excelled in pitching their research, including Hasan Gürsel (WP1), Antoine Lechevallier (WP4 Post-Doc), Eda Önal (Associated PhD), Mathias Nilsen(WP3), Raymond Mushabe(WP1); Kirabo Mugwanya Erismas(WP1), Tongtong yu(WP1). It was nice to see students from imperial college and CSSR presenting their work at the poster session. See below table for more information.
The conference featured an array of notable speakers who enriched the event with their expertise in various fields. Dorthe Wildenschild from Oregon State University delved into the intricacies of pore-scale flow characterization, offering attendees a deep dive into this complex area of research. Philip Ringrose from NTNU captivated the audience with his insights on CO2 flow and migration, shedding light on critical processes that impact both environmental and industrial applications. Dean Oliver from NORCE presented compelling strategies for optimizing CO2 emissions reduction, showcasing innovative solutions to one of today’s most pressing environmental challenges. Lastly, Gion Strobel from Uniper, Germany, shared valuable findings from hydrogen field tests, highlighting the potential and challenges of hydrogen as a clean energy source.
(Photos: Rune Rolvsjord, NORCE )
The second day of the conference was packed with insightful presentations. Mahad-Nadeem Janjua from Harbour Energy kicked off with a discussion on the role of AI in the energy sector. Guttorm Vigeland and Eric Toogood from the Norwegian Offshore Directorate discussed DISKOS 2.0 NDR, focusing on the availability and usability of offshore data. Dr. Rodolfo Oliviera and Dr. Eduardo Barros introduced the EVEREST open-source optimization tool, while Dr. Sergey Alyaev and Dr. Per Pettersson from NORCE explored geosteering and CO2 injection strategies. Further enriching the day, Professor Vahid Niasar from the University of Manchester presented on gas mixing in porous media. Dr. Ketil Djurhuus shared his expertise on particle-laden flows. Professor Ahmed H. Elsheikh from Heriot-Watt University discussed AI solutions for computational geosciences, and Yuri Zabegaev (PhD student at UoB) along with Tor Harald Sandve concluded with advanced simulation models.
(Photos: Rune Rolvsjord, NORCE )
Centre Director Sarah Gasda wrapped up the conference with an optimistic view of the future, underscoring the valuable discussions and collaborations that emerged. The event set the stage for another year of groundbreaking research and impactful discoveries. A big thank you to all participants for the important and engaging discussions!
Keynote speakers
Fredrik Varpe, Mahad-Nadeem Janjua, Tom Jönsthövel, Guttorm Vigeland /Eric Toogood, Philip Ringrose, Gion Strobel, Dean Oliver, Ahmed H. ElSheikh,Vahid Niasar; Rodolfo Oliveira,Eduardo Barros, Dorthe Wildenschild
The poster session, featuring students from Imperial College and CSSR among others, was an incredibly engaging event.
Poster session
| Presenter | Title | Institution |
| Alexey Khrulenko (Researcher at NORCE, WP6) | Screening CO2 storage potential of petroleum reservoirs on the NCS using openly available data | CSSR |
| Antoine Lechevallier(PostDoc) | Data-driven non-linear preconditioning for the acceleration of well events handling in the numerical simulation of CO2 storage | CSSR |
| Eda Önal | Coupling strategies in large-scale simulations of CO2 storage | CSSR |
| Hasan Gürsel | Phenomenological Modeling of Produced Water Transport in Porous Media | CSSR |
| Kirabo Erismas Mugwanya | Triassic sedimentary geometries and reservoir heterogeneity of the Horda Platform, northern North Sea | CSSR |
| Mathias Nilsen | Wind-powered Reservoir Management | CSSR |
| Peter Schultzendroff | Adaptive homotopy continuation method to recover robustness of hybrid models | CSSR |
| Raymond Mushabe | Combining traditional methods and the state-of-the-art MRI-PET imaging to extract the kinetics of microbial hydrogen consumption in porous media at a core scale. | CSSR |
| Tongtong Yu | Intermittent Multiphase Fluid Flow in Porous Media and the Effect on Injectivity and Reservoir Performance | CSSR |
| Ademola Adebimpe | Percolation without Trapping: How Ostwald Ripening during Two-Phase Displacement in Porous Media Alters Capillary Pressure and Relative Permeability | Imperial College |
| Ahmed AlZaabi | Pore Occupancy, Connectivity and Ostwald Ripening of Nitrogen, Carbon Dioxide, and Hydrogen in Carbonate Rocks: A comparative study | Imperial College |
| Ibrahim Alobaidan | Numerical Simulation of Hysteresis Effects on Underground Hydrogen Storage in Aquifers | Imperial College |
| Olatunbosun Adedipe | Impact of Mineral Spatial Distribution on CO2 Dissolution Rates in Multimineral Carbonate Rocks | Imperial College |
| Sajjad Foroughi | Multi-Scale Pore Network Modeling of Multiphase Flow in Micro-Porous Complex Rocks | Imperial College |
| Si Suo | Numerical modelling of Non-Newtonian fluid flows in porous media | Imperial College |