Alaa Alkhamis
Associate Engineer
Saudi Aramco
Alaa Alkhamis is an Associate Drilling Engineer in the Gas Drilling Engineering Department at Saudi Aramco. She holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Environmental Economics & Policy from UC Berkeley, where she conducted research on advanced materials and was active in the ChemE Car team. Alaa’s interests lie at the intersection of upstream, energy transition, and sustainability, with a focus on scalable solutions for decarbonization and resilient energy infrastructure.
Participates in
TECHNICAL PROGRAMME | Energy Infrastructure
CCS Hub Facilities
Forum 09 | Digital Poster Plaza 2
29
April
11:30
13:30
UTC+3
Decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries in Saudi Arabia will require CO₂ storage at hub scale, linking multiple emitters to shared subsurface complexes. This paper presents a comparative screening of candidate fields to identify which settings are best suited to near-term and scalable carbon storage. A multi-criteria decision framework integrates (i) subsurface potential—effective storage capacity, injectivity, pressure management options, caprock quality, structural simplicity, and legacy well density; (ii) risk and integrity—age/vintage of completions, well barrier condition, fault/fracture reactivation risk, and brine displacement pathways; and (iii) surface & system fit—proximity to major CO₂ sources, pipeline/power/water access, monitoring feasibility, land use, and permitting readiness.
Using representative datasets from mature onshore carbonates, regional aquifers, and offshore settings, each site is given a normalized “readiness score." A coupled flow–geomechanics model estimates plume footprint and pressure evolution under hub-scale injection scenarios, while a Bayesian integrity module quantifies wellbore leakage likelihood as a function of vintage and barrier diagnostics. Cost and schedule lenses—right-of-way, tie-in options, phased build-out, and MRV requirements—are layered to produce a storage advantage index that ranks sites by near-term viability and long-term scalability.
Results highlight trade-offs: high-injectivity mature reservoirs with dense legacy well stock may require upfront integrity retrofits but offer favorable infrastructure and learning curves; regionally extensive aquifers provide capacity and pressure buffering yet demand larger MRV footprints; offshore sites reduce onshore land conflict but increase CAPEX and logistics complexity. We outline a hub development playbook—pilot (≤1 Mt/yr), scale (5–10 Mt/yr), and network (>20 Mt/yr)—with decision gates tied to integrity KPIs and observed pressure behavior. The framework gives policymakers and operators a transparent, data-driven basis to prioritize CCS hubs that minimize risk, leverage existing drilling capabilities, and accelerate national carbon-management goals.
Using representative datasets from mature onshore carbonates, regional aquifers, and offshore settings, each site is given a normalized “readiness score." A coupled flow–geomechanics model estimates plume footprint and pressure evolution under hub-scale injection scenarios, while a Bayesian integrity module quantifies wellbore leakage likelihood as a function of vintage and barrier diagnostics. Cost and schedule lenses—right-of-way, tie-in options, phased build-out, and MRV requirements—are layered to produce a storage advantage index that ranks sites by near-term viability and long-term scalability.
Results highlight trade-offs: high-injectivity mature reservoirs with dense legacy well stock may require upfront integrity retrofits but offer favorable infrastructure and learning curves; regionally extensive aquifers provide capacity and pressure buffering yet demand larger MRV footprints; offshore sites reduce onshore land conflict but increase CAPEX and logistics complexity. We outline a hub development playbook—pilot (≤1 Mt/yr), scale (5–10 Mt/yr), and network (>20 Mt/yr)—with decision gates tied to integrity KPIs and observed pressure behavior. The framework gives policymakers and operators a transparent, data-driven basis to prioritize CCS hubs that minimize risk, leverage existing drilling capabilities, and accelerate national carbon-management goals.
