Yuri Leonenko

About

Professor Leonenko focuses on the development of Climate Control technologies with an emphasis on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).

Industrial scale CO2 storage projects, now operational or in the design phase, provide strong empirical support for the view that CO2 storage can be implemented safely. Nevertheless, significant uncertainties remain regarding the security of underground storage at the scales necessary for this technology to play a significant role in managing global emissions.

A critical issue for geological storage is to ensure that the stored CO2 does not escape from the underground formations. Current research interests are in the area of development of new approaches and technologies to mitigate the risks of CO2 leakage (along with other risks) to make CCS more feasible to implement. Modeling and numerical simulation of multiphase flow in porous media, fractures and faults; interactions between CO2 and reservoir fluids; novel technologies for in situ and ex situ dissolution of CO2, and risk assessments are among the topics of Professor Leonenko’s research.

He has played significant role in establishing the Carbon Management Canada (CMC) Center of Excellence with $50 million of government funding. He is also actively involved in the development and promotion of Carbon Capture and Storage technologies, including the Shell Sequestration Project and the Wabamun Lake CO2 Sequestration Project (Phase-I, preliminary research). This research has led to more than $1 billion in commercial developments.