MSc Subsurface Energy Systems

Year 1

The MSc in Subsurface Energy Systems contains lectures and project work, encompassing a wide range of subsurface geoscience and engineering fundamentals, relevant to the current petroleum, subsurface storage or geothermal industry.

Project work provides an opportunity for ideas and methods, assimilated through lectures and tutorials, to be applied to real field evaluation and development design problems. The courses on this MSc are applied in nature and have been specifically designed so that our students are technically well prepared for, and have a sound knowledge of, the industry. The MSc programme involves 10 compulsory courses.

Semester 1

Mandatory

• Subsurface Gas Storage
• Transitional Gas
• Reservoir Characterisation
• Geothermal Energy

Semester 2

Mandatory

• Reservoir Geomechanics
• Fluid Mechanics, Reactive Transport and Heat Flow
• Economics, Policy and Risks
• Reservoir Geophysics and Monitoring

Semester 3

• Individual Project
• Group Project

1. Subsurface gas storage

• Understand the concepts and principles of renewable energy production and how they fit in the global energy market
• Obtain a solid understanding of carbon emissions from industrial sources in the context of climate change subsurface 
• Understand the concept of intermittent gas storage (natural gas, hydrogen, compressed air) to compensate for temporary energy overproduction from either renewables or transitional gas
• Understand the concept of carbon capture and storage: capacities, seal/wellbore integrity, fluid transport and projects worldwide

2. Transitional Gas

• Understand the principles of petroleum systems, from source rock maturation to gas migration and accumulation
• Obtain a solid understanding of the petrophysics, reservoir engineering and geochemical processes in conventional and unconventional (shale, coal) reservoirs
• Understand environmental risks related to unconventional reservoir production with respect to groundwater contamination, and induced seismicity

3. Reservoir Characterisation

• Understand geological controls on reservoir properties and performance
• Be able to assess key reservoir parameters
• Understand how geological reservoirs develop in a basin setting, how reservoir properties are characterised and how these change with diagenesis

4. Geothermal Energy

• Understand the principles of low and high enthalpy geothermal, their geological frameworks and potential for exploitation
• Understand the challenges of producing geothermal reservoirs, heat transfer, flow processes, geomechanics and potential earthquake risks
• Understand geochemical principles when producing such reservoirs and how to manage coupled thermal-hydro-chemical-mechanical processes
• Obtain a high level understanding of the economics of such reservoirs in the context of decarbonisation the energy sector

5. Reservoir Geomechanics

• understand how the fundamental principles of geomechanics predicts compaction, folding, faulting and fracturing as well as induced seismicity on the basin to the reservoir scale

6. Fluid Mechanics, Reactive Transport and Heat Flow

• Understand and quantify the movement of fluids (brine, oil, gas) in the subsurface over timescales ranging from geological to human
• Understand how fluid interact chemically with the rock and impact reservoir behaviour
• Understand how heat is transported in the subsurface
• Understand how processes can be modelled to impact reservoir management decisions

7. Economics, Policy and Risks

• Detail the economic context of CCS, renewable and geothermal energy, as well as transitional gas
• Provide an understanding of policy making in the context of IPCC, Paris Agreement and national regulations
• Provide an overview and basis for discussion about public perception of these new energies and energy concepts
• Help understanding the technical, economic, operational and political risks associated with each of the technologies discussed

8. Reservoir Geophysics and Monitoring

• Introduce Geophysical methods for reservoir exploration and production
• Focus on reflection seismic methods (2D and 3D)
• Review reflection seismic interpretation techniques and applications
• Understand reservoir monitoring tools for the long term observation of reservoir leakage 

9. Group project 
Groups of about 10 students are provided with real data from a field (CO₂/energy storage or geothermal energy/natural gas production), similar to that which would be available to an Operator prior to a development decision. Analysis of this data results in an assessment of the reservoir and leads to the design of an appropriate production or storage strategy. Through this exercise, students gain valuable insight into the use of imperfect and incomplete data, to the integration of the various taught components of the course and to problems of group interaction. It will also provide the basis for in-depth discussion of the regulatory, economic and societal challenges related to these technologies and will allow to teach a range of transferable skills such as teamwork, presentation and negotiation.

During the project students have access to state-of-the-art computer technology and industry standard software. Assessment is by means of a written report and by group presentation.

10. Individual project 
Students are required to carry out a detailed investigation of some topic related to subsurface geoscience or engineering. Projects are offered both by the Institute and by the industry, and normally include a wide choice of experimental research, computer modelling and real-world problems. Assessment is by means of both thesis and oral presentation.