OSU and Texas A&M plan national research center to advance safe energy-related geologic storage
Monday, September 8, 2025
Media Contact: Desa James | Communications Coordinator | 405-744-2669 | desa.james@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University has joined forces with Texas A&M University to establish the National Science Foundation Industry-University Cooperative Research Center for Energy-Related Geologic Storage, a new national hub for research on subsurface storage of fluids used or produced for energy activities.
The center invites collaboration with industry partners to ensure research addresses real-world challenges and delivers practical solutions.
The center’s research agenda is intentionally designed to support federal energy priorities by strengthening energy security and advancing new energy technologies.
Effectively engaging stakeholders and communities local to energy storage projects and ensuring an affordable and reliable domestic energy supply are essential to national and economic security; ERGS aligns its mission accordingly.
Safe and reliable storage of fluids such as methane, hydrogen and compressed air is essential for energy security, as well as produced brine injection and extraction of critical minerals via dissolution.
ERGS is designed to address two core challenges: 1) accurately assessing global energy-related storage potential, both natural and engineered pore space; 2) evaluating risks associated with potential fluid leakage through rock formations and wellbores and seismic activities.
By integrating expertise in geoscience, engineering, materials science, advanced analytics and effective strategic communications with stakeholders, the center will create practical solutions that reduce risks, inform business and government decision making and strengthen public trust in geologic storage technologies, while contributing to developing the workforce of the future.
A central research focus will be understanding the ultimate fate of fluids injected into the subsurface and what basin characteristics are most effective for long-term storage integrity.
Methane will continue to be a primary source of fuel energy for decades, and expanded use requires identifying additional geologic storage with a better understanding of not only the storage capacity but also the impacts of injection and extraction over time. Assessments of subsurface geologic storage that would lead to secure underground hydrogen storage in various rock formations will support the potential growth of the hydrogen economy.
ERGS will leverage wellbore leakage data to strengthen knowledge of subsurface storage integrity, particularly in basins where extensive well histories already exist, addressing permanent plugging and abandonment of wellbores and restoring geological barriers. Integrating fundamental science and engineering, and testing of materials under subsurface pressures, temperatures and earth stresses, will enable a better understanding of geochemical and geomechanical changes involved in fluid-rock interactions that can affect wellbore integrity.
“The primary function of a wellbore is to provide a secure pathway for fluids to be produced or injected, giving access to subsurface pore space," said Dr. Mileva Radonjic, OSU principal investigator and chemical engineering professor. “Leaky wellbores, from orphaned to active ones, remain the greatest risk to geological storage. One of ERGS’s five research thrusts will focus on developing wellbore technologies and materials that can match natural barriers like shale, eliminating such risks. No effort of this scale has previously brought together federal agencies, industry expertise, and academic research from two energy-rich states and communities that supply the workforce for the energy sector.”
In addition to advancing technical research, the team prioritizes communication and stakeholder engagement as a core part of the ERGS mission. Researchers recognize that geologic storage can be a complex topic for the public, and that building confidence requires more than scientific results alone. Their approach centers on researching how people perceive risk, benefits and reliability.
“OSU is approaching stakeholder engagement through evidence-based research that focuses on building trust and transparency,” said Dr. Rachel Esther Lim, assistant professor of strategic communication and OSU co-PI. “Our team is committed to establishing two-way communication by listening to stakeholders, identifying communication challenges and working collaboratively to address concerns. By combining scientific expertise with open dialogue, we aim to ensure that subsurface storage solutions are developed in partnership with the communities they affect.”
Machine learning and advanced data analytics will also play a key role. Building on U.S. Geological Survey resource assessment methods, ERGS researchers will apply machine learning and data engineering tools to manage large datasets from both laboratory and field work. These tools will refine capacity estimates, improve risk assessments and accelerate the development of reliable models for fluid trapping mechanisms and basin-wide storage potential.
In the Boone Pickens School of Geology, OSU researchers are combining seismic imaging with artificial intelligence to create clearer, more reliable assessments of underground storage sites for energy-related fluids.
“Seismic surveys, often described as ‘ultrasound for the Earth,’ record echoes from deep rock layers,” said Dr. Camelia C. Knapp, associate dean of research for the College of Arts and Sciences and OSU co-PI. “By applying seismic inversion, we can turn those echoes into detailed images of rock properties such as porosity, which reveals how much space is available to safely store injected fluids. Machine learning helps us detect patterns in the data that humans might miss, reducing uncertainty and improving our ability to identify the best sites for carbon storage.”
The ERGS program is designed not only to advance research but also to train the next generation of experts.
“At OSU, the Energy-Related Geologic Storage (ERGS) research program is preparing students to lead the energy integration revolution,” Knapp said. “Through hands-on projects, students learn how to use advanced tools like seismic imaging, machine learning, rock property analysis, wellbore construction, materials science, and drone monitoring to evaluate underground formations for safe energy-related fluids storage — one of the most promising solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Working alongside faculty experts, they gain real-world experience at the intersection of geoscience and engineering, developing the skills needed to thrive in fast-growing fields such as carbon management and clean energy.”
OSU researchers in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology and the College of Arts and Sciences add critical knowledge in wellbore construction and stability, cementing and orphan well risks, caprock seal integrity and materials performance under extreme subsurface conditions, rock/fluid interaction, seismic inversion methods for rock properties, and materials science.
OSU will lead communications and stakeholder engagement efforts, fostering meaningful dialogue to ensure that ERGS incorporates local and global community perspectives into technical research. Texas A&M researchers bring deep expertise in exploration geoscience, basin-scale assessments and risk analysis, including seismicity and tectonic modeling.
Together, the two universities will deliver comprehensive approaches, from resource assessment to risk methodology, that are directly applicable to industry needs.
The successful competition for NSF-IUCRC is based on ERGS's ability to engage energy-producing and energy-demanding industries into paid membership. In return, the Industry Advisory Board will guide research topic selections on an annual basis. This ongoing recruitment and growth of center membership will also help to attract more investment, wider participation from faculty and job creation for graduates.
The center welcomes new industry members to join, helping guide research directions while gaining early access to cutting-edge findings.
The OSU team includes:
CEAT faculty members from petroleum engineering, chemical engineering and mechanical engineering:
Mileva Radonjic (PI), Ali Ettehadi, Mohammed Al Dushaishi, Hunjoo Lee, Seo-Jhin Kim and Jamey Jacob.
CAS faculty members from geology, communications, chemistry and physics:
Camelia Knapp, Rachel Lim, Yolanda Vasquez, James Knapp, Dave McLlroy, and Derek Meyers
The TAMU team includes:
TAMU faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences:
Sherilyn Williams-Stroud (PI), Cameron Manche, Mauro Becker, Peter Knappett, Xiaowei Chen, Juan Carlos Layla, Benchun Duan, Ehtan Grossman, Art Donovan and Nikolas Perez.
TAMU faculty members from the College of Engineering:
Zenon Medina-Cetina, Rami Younis, Kiseok Kim and Rita Okoroafor.
