Heriot-Watt University and OpenGoSim Limited KTP 24_25 R1

Carbon capture companies will soon be able to test whether their chosen underground reservoir can safely store CO₂ before they drill a single well. The problem is that storing captured carbon dioxide deep underground requires knowing exactly how the gas will behave once injected—whether it will stay put, leak, or react with surrounding rock. Current simulation software often lacks the precision needed to predict these outcomes reliably, forcing companies to make expensive guesses or abandon promising sites. Heriot-Watt University and OpenGoSim Limited are improving that software. They are refining the mathematical models that simulate how CO₂ moves through porous rock formations, accounting for pressure changes, chemical reactions, and long-term stability. Better simulations mean companies can identify safe storage sites faster and with greater confidence. If the project succeeds, carbon capture and storage could scale up more quickly. That directly affects the UK’s ability to meet net-zero targets, because many heavy industries—cement, steel, chemicals—cannot eliminate emissions entirely and must store what they produce. The software itself will remain invisible to the public, but the infrastructure it enables—pipelines, injection wells, monitoring networks—will quietly become part of the country’s energy landscape.