Well injection, as a human activity, involves the deliberate subsurface emplacement of fluids through engineered wells for purposes such as enhanced oil recovery, geothermal energy extraction, groundwater management, or waste disposal. It requires controlled pumping of liquids (e.g., water, brines, CO₂-rich streams, or treated wastewaters) into specific geological formations with suitable porosity, permeability, and confining layers to ensure containment. Operational design accounts for injection pressure, rate, and fluid chemistry to minimize risks such as induced seismicity, caprock breach, or aquifer contamination. Monitoring typically integrates downhole sensors, pressure transients, tracers, and seismic data to verify injection performance and regulatory compliance.
The extraction of gas and oil by fracking—large-scale fracturing of underground rocks by injecting water, sand and additives—is generating growing concern in Argentine Patagonia. Neuquén province—home to the country's largest ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 23, 2026
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18
The world is looking for more clean water. Intense storms and warmer weather have worsened droughts and reduced the amount of clean water underground and in rivers and lakes on the surface.
Environment
Feb 4, 2026
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14
In an unlikely collaboration between Skoltech's Petroleum Center and the drug delivery team from the Institute's Neuro Center, researchers have proposed new surfactants that enhance oil recovery when pumped into a well, along ...
Bio & Medicine
Jan 27, 2026
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17
Drawing on nature, researchers have developed a method to pump CO2 captured from industrial processes into volcanic rocks for safe and permanent underground storage.
Environment
Sep 4, 2025
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30
For the first time, a study maps safe areas that can practically be used for underground carbon storage, and estimates that using them all would only cut warming by 0.7°C. The result is almost ten times lower than previous ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 3, 2025
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