Digital Twins Make CO₂ Storage Safer

Figures of how carbon storage works
The top figure shows a geologic area and the seismic survey over that area. Red symbols represent sources, and yellow symbols represent receivers needed to conduct that survey. There are two wells: the left well is injecting CO2 in this area and the right well is monitoring the underground CO2 flow. The bottom figures show the CO2 plume overlaid over two different permeability models. Since permeability is the parameter which defines the ease of flow of any fluid in the subsurface, we can see shape of CO2 plumes are different in the bottom left and right figures. This figure also signifies the importance of monitoring CO2 storage projects because in the bottom right figure we can see that CO2 plume is almost breaching the storage complex which is undesirable for the regulators.


 

As greenhouse gases accumulate in the Earth’s atmosphere, scientists are developing technologies to pull billions of tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and inject it deep underground. 

The idea isn’t new. In the 1970s, Italian physicist Cesare Marchetti suggested that the carbon dioxide polluting the air and warming the planet could be stored underground. The reality of how to do it cost-effectively and safely has challenged scientists for decades. 

Geologic carbon storage — the subterranean storage of CO2 — comes with significant challenges, most importantly, how to avoid fracturing underground rock layers and letting gas escape into the atmosphere. Carbon, a gas, can behave erratically or leak whenever it’s stored in a compressed space, making areas geologically unstable and potentially causing legal headaches for corporations that invest in it. This uncertainty, coupled with the expense of the carbon capture process and its infrastructure, means the industry needs reliable predictions to justify it. 

Georgia Tech researcher and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar Felix J. Herrmann has an answer. His lab, Seismic Laboratory for Imaging and Modeling (SLIM), uses advanced artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to create algorithms that monitor and optimize carbon storage. The algorithms work as “digital twins,” or digital replicas of underground systems, facilitating the safe, efficient storage of CO2 underground.

“The trick is you want the carbon to stay put — to avoid the risk of, say, triggering an earthquake or the carbon leaking out,” said Herrmann, professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “We’re developing a digital twin that allows us to monitor and control what is happening underground.”

Predicting the Best Place

Waveform Variational Inference via Subsurface Extensions with Refinements (WISER) is an algorithm that uses sound waves to analyze underground structures. WISER runs on AI, enabling it to work more efficiently than most algorithms while remaining computationally feasible. To improve accuracy, WISER makes small adjustments using sound wave physics to show how fast sound travels through different materials and where there’s variation in underground layers. This helps to create detailed, reliable images of underground areas for better predictions of carbon storage. 

WISER allows researchers to work with uncertainties, which is vital for understanding the risk of these underground storage projects.

Scaling the Algorithm

While Herrmann’s lab has been working to apply neural networks to seismic imaging for years now, WISER required them to increase the networks’ scale. Making multiple predictions is a much larger problem that requires a bigger, more potent network, but these types of neural networks only run on graphics processing units (GPUs), which are known for speed but are limited in memory.

To optimize the GPU, Rafael Orozco, a computational science and engineering Ph.D. student, created a new type of neural network that can train with very little memory. This open-source package, InvertibleNetworks, enables the network to train on very large inputs and create multiple output images conditioned on the observed seismic data.

WISER’s fundamental innovation is for the lab’s next concept: creating digital twins for carbon storage. These twins can act as monitoring systems to optimize and mitigate risks of carbon storage projects. 

Devising the Digital Twin

Digital twins are dynamic virtual models of objects in the real world, capable of replicating their behavior and performance. They rely on real-time data to evolve and have been used to replicate factories, cities, spacecraft, and bodies, to make informed decisions about healthcare, maintenance, production, supply chains, and — in Herrmann’s case — geologic carbon storage.

Herrmann and his team have developed an “uncertainty-aware” digital twin. That means the tool can manage risks and make decisions in an uncertain, unseen environment — because it’s been designed to recognize, quantify, and incorporate uncertainties in CO2 storage.

Probing the Unseen

Subsurface conditions are diverse and complex, making the management of greenhouse gas storage a delicate process. Without careful monitoring, the injection of CO2 can increase pressure in rock formations, potentially fracturing the cap rock that is supposed to keep the gas underground.

“The digital twin addresses this through simulations in tandem with observations,” said Herrmann, whose team linked two different scientific fields — geophysics and reservoir engineering — for a more comprehensive understanding of the subsurface environment. Specifically, they combined geophysical well observations with seismic imaging.

Geophysical well observation involves drilling a hole in the subsurface in a geological area of interest and collecting data by lowering a probe into the borehole to take measurements. Seismic imaging, on the other hand,  uses acoustic waves to create images based on the analysis of wave vibrations.

“Bridging the gap between different fields of research and combining various data sources allows our digital twin to provide a more accurate and detailed picture of what’s happening underground,” Herrmann said. 

To integrate and leverage these diverse datasets built from observations and simulations, the team used advanced AI techniques like simulation-based inference and sequential Bayesian inference, a method of updating information as more data becomes available. The ongoing learning allows researchers to quantify uncertainties in the subsurface environment and predict how that system will respond to CO2 injection. The digital twin updates its understanding as new data becomes available.

Making Informed Decisions

Herrmann’s team tested the digital twin, simulating different states of an underground reservoir, including permeability, which is the measure of how easily fluids flow through rock. The goal was to find the maximum injection rate of CO2 without causing fractures in the cap rock.

“The work highlights how dynamic digital twins can play a key role in mitigating the risks associated with geologic carbon storage,” said Herrmann, whose research group is supported in part by large oil and gas companies, including Chevron and  ExxonMobil. “Companies are now in the process of starting large offshore projects for which the digital twin is being developed.”

But there is still plenty of work to be done, he added. For instance, the digital twin can monitor the subsurface and provide critical information about that uncertain environment. It can inform. But it still needs adjustments by humans for each new CO2 injection site, and Herrmann and his team are working on further developing the technology — giving the digital twins the ability to quickly replicate themselves so they can be deployed massively and quickly to meet the demands of mitigating climate change.

“Our aim is to make them smarter,” Herrmann said. “To make them more adaptable, so they can control CO2 injections, become more responsive to risks, and adapt to a wide range of complex situations in real time.”

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Writers: Jerry Grillo and Tess Malone

Media Contact: Tess Malone | tess.malone@gatech.edu

Energy Club EnergyHack@GT

EnergyHack @GT is a hackathon designed to bring together passionate students to develop solutions addressing the critical challenges in the energy industry. Over the course of 36 hours, participants will collaborate in teams to brainstorm, design, and prototype projects (for example, AI/ML projects, web-based tools, mobile applications, etc.) that promote sustainable practices based on diverse problem statements. The projects will be evaluated by an esteemed panel of judges.

2024 Science and Engineering Day at Georgia Tech | Atlanta Science Festival Kickoff - Cloned

Members of the Georgia Tech community are opening their doors once again as part of the 11th annual Atlanta Science Festival. This year, Science and Engineering Day at Georgia Tech will serve as the kickoff event for the entire festival!

National Science Foundation Awards $15M to Georgia Tech-Led Consortium of Universities for Societal-Oriented Innovation and Commercialization Effort

Three Georgia Tech researchers headshots

From left, Georgia Tech's Nakia Melecio, Keith McGreggor, and Raghupathy "Siva" Sivakumar, are the NSF I-Corps Southeast Hub director, faculty lead, and principal investigator, respectively.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a syndicate of eight Southeast universities — with Georgia Tech as the lead — a $15 million grant to support the development of a regional innovation ecosystem that addresses underrepresentation and increases entrepreneurship and technology-oriented workforce development. 

The NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Southeast Hub is a five-year project based on the I-Corps model, which assists academics in moving their research from the lab to the market. 

Led by Georgia Tech’s Office of Commercialization and Enterprise Innovation Institute, the NSF I-Corps Southeast Hub encompasses four states — Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Alabama. 

Its member schools include:

  • Clemson University 
  • Morehouse College 
  • University of Alabama 
  • University of Central Florida 
  • University of Florida 
  • University of Miami 
  • University of South Florida 

In January 2025, when the NSF I-Corps Southeast Hub officially launches, the consortium of schools will expand to include the University of Puerto Rico. Additionally, through Morehouse College’s activation, Spelman College and the Morehouse School of Medicine will also participate in supporting the project. 

With a combined economic output of more than $3.2 trillion, the NSF I-Corps Southeast Hub region represents more than 11% of the entire U.S. economy. As a region, those states and Puerto Rico have a larger economic output than France, Italy, or Canada. 

“This is a great opportunity for us to engage in regional collaboration to drive innovation across the Southeast to strengthen our regional economy and that of Puerto Rico,” said the Enterprise Innovation Institute’s Nakia Melecio, director of the NSF I-Corps Southeast Hub. As director, Melecio will oversee strategic management, data collection, and overall operations​. 

Additionally, Melecio serves as a national faculty instructor for the NSF I-Corps program. 

“This also allows us to collectively tackle some of the common challenges all four of our states face, especially when it comes to being intentionally inclusive in reaching out to communities that historically haven’t always been invited to participate,” he said. 

That means bringing solutions to market that not only solve problems but are intentional about including researchers from Black and Hispanic-serving institutions, Melecio said. 

Keith McGreggor, director of Georgia Tech’s VentureLab, is the faculty lead charged with designing the curriculum and instruction for the NSF I-Corps Southeast Hub’s partners. 

McGreggor has extensive I-Corps experience. In 2012, Georgia Tech was among the first institutions in the country selected to teach the I-Corps curriculum, which aims to further research commercialization. McGreggor served as the lead instructor for I-Corps-related efforts and led training efforts across the Southeast, as well as for teams in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Republic of Ireland. 

Raghupathy “Siva” Sivakumar, Georgia Tech’s vice president of Commercialization and chief commercialization officer, is the project’s principal investigator. 

The NSF I-Corps Southeast Hub is one of three announced by the NSF. The others are in the Northwest and New England regions, led by the University of California, Berkeley, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, respectively. The three I-Corps Hubs are part of the NSF’s planned expansion of its National Innovation Network, which now includes 128 colleges and universities across 48 states. 

As designed, the NSF I-Corps Southeast Hub will leverage its partner institutions’ strengths to break down barriers to researchers’ pace of lab-to-market commercialization. 

"Our Hub member institutions have successfully commercialized transformative technologies across critical sectors, including advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, cybersecurity, and biomedical fields,” said Sivakumar. “We aim to achieve two key objectives: first, to establish and expand a scalable model that effectively translates research into viable commercial ventures; and second, to address pressing societal needs.

"This includes not only delivering innovative solutions but also cultivating a diverse pipeline of researchers and innovators, thereby enhancing interest in STEM fields — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.”

U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, is a proponent of the Hub’s STEM component. 

“As a biology major-turned-congresswoman, I know firsthand that STEM education and research open doors far beyond the lab or classroom.,” Williams said. “This National Science Foundation grant means Georgia Tech will be leading the way in equipping researchers and grad students to turn their discoveries into real-world impact — as innovators, entrepreneurs, and business leaders. 

“I’m especially excited about the partnership with Morehouse College and other minority-serving institutions through this Hub, expanding pathways to innovation and entrepreneurship for historically marginalized communities and creating one more tool to close the racial wealth gap.” 

That STEM aspect, coupled with supporting the growth of a regional ecosystem, will speed commercialization, increase higher education-industry collaborations, and boost the network of diverse entrepreneurs and startup founders, said David Bridges, vice president of the Enterprise Innovation Institute. 

“This multi-university, regional approach is a successful model because it has been proven that bringing a diversity of stakeholders together leads to unique solutions to very difficult problems,” he said. “And while the Southeast faces different challenges that vary from state to state and Puerto Rico has its own needs, they call for a more comprehensive approach to solving them. Adopting a region-oriented focus allows us to understand what these needs are, customize tailored solutions, and keep not just our hub but our nation economically competitive.” 

News Contact

Péralte C. Paul
peralte@gatech.edu
404.316.1210

Georgia Tech Cybersecurity Goes Green with $4.6 Million DOE Grant

Saman Zonouz is a Georgia Tech associate professor and lead researcher for the DerGuard project.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded Georgia Tech researchers a $4.6 million grant to develop improved cybersecurity protection for renewable energy technologies. 

Associate Professor Saman Zonouz will lead the project and leverage the latest artificial technology (AI) to create Phorensics. The new tool will anticipate cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and provide analysts with an accurate reading of what vulnerabilities were exploited. 

“This grant enables us to tackle one of the crucial challenges facing national security today: our critical infrastructure resilience and post-incident diagnostics to restore normal operations in a timely manner,” said Zonouz.

“Together with our amazing team, we will focus on cyber-physical data recovery and post-mortem forensics analysis after cybersecurity incidents in emerging renewable energy systems.”

As the integration of renewable energy technology into national power grids increases, so does their vulnerability to cyberattacks. These threats put energy infrastructure at risk and pose a significant danger to public safety and economic stability. The AI behind Phorensics will allow analysts and technicians to scale security efforts to keep up with a growing power grid that is becoming more complex.

This effort is part of the Security of Engineering Systems (SES) initiative at Georgia Tech’s School of Cybersecurity and Privacy (SCP). SES has three pillars: research, education, and testbeds, with multiple ongoing large, sponsored efforts. 

“We had a successful hiring season for SES last year and will continue filling several open tenure-track faculty positions this upcoming cycle,” said Zonouz.

“With top-notch cybersecurity and engineering schools at Georgia Tech, we have begun the SES journey with a dedicated passion to pursue building real-world solutions to protect our critical infrastructures, national security, and public safety.”

Zonouz is the director of the Cyber-Physical Systems Security Laboratory (CPSec) and is jointly appointed by Georgia Tech’s School of Cybersecurity and Privacy (SCP) and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE).

The three Georgia Tech researchers joining him on this project are Brendan Saltaformaggio, associate professor in SCP and ECE; Taesoo Kim, jointly appointed professor in SCP and the School of Computer Science; and Animesh Chhotaray, research scientist in SCP.

Katherine Davis, associate professor at the Texas A&M University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has partnered with the team to develop Phorensics. The team will also collaborate with the NREL National Lab, and industry partners for technology transfer and commercialization initiatives. 

The Energy Department defines renewable energy as energy from unlimited, naturally replenished resources, such as the sun, tides, and wind. Renewable energy can be used for electricity generation, space and water heating and cooling, and transportation.

News Contact

John Popham

Communications Officer II

College of Computing | School of Cybersecurity and Privacy

Divan Appointed to Department of Energy Electrical Advisory Committee

Deepakraj Divan

Deepakraj Divan has been appointed to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Electricity Advisory Committee (EAC) by U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. Divan is a professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and the Center for Distributed Energy.The EAC was established to enhance leadership in electricity delivery modernization and provide senior-level counsel to the DOE on ways in which the nation can meet many of the challenges associated with the rapidly unfolding energy transition.

The group reports to the DOE’s Assistant Secretary for Electricity and consists of 40 members representing a cross-section of energy stakeholders, including from utilities, industry, regional entities, industry, cyber security experts, natural gas sector and others.

Divan is the sole representative from academia and advanced research on the EAC.

“I am honored by this appointment to the EAC and look forward to providing inputs to ensure that the U.S.takes a holistic view on the highly disruptive energy transition, one that provides abundant, economical and equitable energy to meet our near-term and long-term energy needs, but where our sustainability and climate goals are also met,” Divan said. “Rapid development, deployment and scaling of globally competitive new technologies are a key element of this. I look forward to working with the DOE and other EAC members on these critical issues over the next two years.”

During his two-year term, Divan will advise the DOE on key issues related to current and future electric grid resilience, security, reliability, sector interdependence, and policy issues of concern.

The EAC periodically reviews and makes recommendations on DOE electric grid-related programs and initiatives, including electricity-related research and development programs and modeling efforts. The committee also helps to identify emerging issues, address the growing interdependence of and risk to critical and defense critical electric infrastructure, and help ensure national policy and programs are aligned to manage and prosper from the ongoing energy transition.

Divan is highly-respected for his expertise, having been active in grid related research and entrepreneurship for over 40 years. He is well-recognized in the field, including as a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Engineering’s Transformative Science & Technology Committee, a past member of the NASEM Board on Energy and Environmental Systems, the 2021 NASEM Committee on the Future of Electric Power in the US, and is the recipient of the 2024 IEEE Power Engineering Medal.

His research focuses on advanced power electronics and grid related research, and the acceleration of deep-tech to market, especially in grid related areas.

He is also the coauthor of a new book – ‘Energy 2040: Aligning Innovation, Economics and Decarbonization’ by Divan and Sharma, that provides a holistic view of the energy transition, identifies major challenges (especially with the grid), and shows a path forward. 

News Contact

Zachary Winiecki

Soil-Powered Fuel Cell Makes List of Best Sustainability Designs

An Adobe stock conceptual image of a lighted bulb in the dirt illustrating new technology that draws energy from dirt.

An Adobe stock conceptual image of a lighted bulb in the dirt illustrating new technology that draws energy from dirt.

A newly designed soil-powered fuel cell that could provide a sustainable alternative to batteries was recognized as an honorable mention in the annual Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards.

Terracell is roughly the size of a paperback book and uses microbes found in soil to generate energy for low-power applications. 

Previous designs for soil microbial fuel cells required water submergence or saturated soil. Terracell can function in soil with a volumetric water content of 42%

Terracell placed in Fast Company’s list of the best sustainability-focused designs of 2024.

Researchers at Northwestern University lead the multi-institution research team that designed Terracell.

Josiah Hester, an associate professor in Georgia Tech's School of Interactive Computing who previously worked at Northwestern, directs the Ka Moamoa Lab, where the project was conceived. 

The team includes researchers from Northwestern, Georgia Tech, Stanford, the University of California-San Diego, and the University of California-Santa Cruz.

Their research was published in January in the Proceedings of the Association for Computing Machinery on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable, and Ubiquitous Technologies. The researchers will also present this work at the ACM international joint conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (Ubicomp), Oct. 5-9.

According to the Fast Company website, the Innovation by Design Awards recognize “designers and businesses solving the most crucial problems of today and anticipating the pressing issues of tomorrow.” Winners are published in Fast Company Magazine and are honored at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in the fall.

“Terracell could reduce e-waste and extend the useful lifetime of electronics deployed for agriculture, environmental monitoring, and smart cities,” Hester said. “We were honored to be recognized for the design innovation award. It is a testament to the promise of sustainable computing and our hope for a more sustainable world.”

For more information about Terracell, see the story featured on Northwestern Now, or visit the project’s website.

Georgia Tech Associate Professor of Interactive Computing Josiah Hester
News Contact

Nathan Deen, Communications Officer
Georgia Tech School of Interactive Computing
nathan.deen@cc.gatech.edu

New Smart Charger May Pave the Way for More EVs

A gold and white charger box in front of a car

The EV smart charger allows users to customize their charging, with the ability to weight preferences for carbon-free energy, cost, charge speed, and battery health. Credit: Allison Carter

 

In 2024, more than one in five cars sold is an electric vehicle (EV). Intergovernmental agencies estimate that by 2035, half of all new cars sold globally will be EVs

While more EVs on the road sounds like great news for the environment, it could lead to complications. The electric grid is not yet ready to support the EV influx, and unaddressed capacity limitations could threaten the future of the EV industry. 

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a device to help avoid grid overload: a revolutionary EV smart-charging system. 

Read the story here

News Contact

Catherine Barzler, Senior Research Writer/Editor

catherine.barzler@gatech.edu