South West Hub CCS Project: Evolution of Storage Site Characterization through Targeted Research and its Impact on Uncertainty Reduction (original) (raw)
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Characterizations of the CCUS Attributes of a High-priority CO2 Storage Site in Wyoming, USA
Energy Procedia, 2013
Optimizing uncertainty reduction in evaluations of geological CO 2 storage site scenarios requires a robust database that allows an accurate reconstruction of the targeted storage rock/fluid volume, especially with respect to spatial heterogeneity. Previous numerical simulations of the Rock Springs Uplift site (southwest Wyoming, USA) relied on a generalized regional database to populate a homogenous rock/fluid volume based on average reservoir properties. The results from this approach yielded general insights into injection/storage characteristics but lacked specificity, resulting in performance assessments plagued by substantial uncertainty. To move from idealistic, highly generalized assessments to realistic, low-risk assessments of the Rock Springs Uplift, it was necessary to acquire high-resolution data specific to the storage site of interest (carbonate and sandstone reservoirs, and confining layers in an 8 km × 8 km area). The foundation of the new database is a 4,000-meter-deep stratigraphic test well, an 8 km × 8 km 3-D seismic survey, 290 meters of high-quality core, a specialized log suite, fluid samples, and a diverse set of analytical laboratory measurements. These data made it possible to correlate seismic attributes with observations from log suites, a VSP survey, core, fluid samples, and laboratory analyses, including continuous permeability scans. From seismic data, 3-D spatial distribution volumes of reservoir and confining layer properties were constructed that represent geological heterogeneity at the targeted CO 2 storage site. Consequently, the latest numerical simulations and performance assessments are characterized by substantially lower geological uncertainties. The new CO 2 plume migration simulations for a set of defined CO 2 injection rates and volumes occupy larger rock/fluid volumes and display pronounced marginal irregularities when compared to early simulations derived from homogenous reservoir parameter volumes. The spatial distributions of the injected CO 2 plumes in previous simulations are conical with few marginal irregularities, whereas in the new simulations, the CO 2 plumes occupy a larger up-dip volume and display pronounced marginal irregularities. These irregularities denote zones of higher porosity and permeability, such as collapsed breccias associated with karst zones and/or dolomitized grainstone zones in the Madison Limestone. Using the new numerical simulations which include heterogeneous rock/fluid parameter distributions, it is apparent that in all injection/storage scenarios of > 1 Mt/year CO 2 , substantial displaced fluid production/treatment is essential to manage pressure and maintain the integrity of confining layers. The total dissolved solids concentrations of the formation fluids retrieved from the Madison Limestone range from 80,000 to 90,000 ppm, and will necessitate customized water treatment strategies and facilities at the surface. The new data and upgraded evaluations demonstrate that the Rock Springs Uplift in southwestern Wyoming remains an outstanding large-scale geological
2009
ABSTRACT Risk assessment is likely to be an important part of future CO2 sequestration projects in New Zealand. Although the global CO2 sequestration risk assessment community may be moving towards a common best-practice, neither a standard approach nor consistent views have yet been reached for risk assessment of carbon, capture and storage projects. This diversity of opinion arises in part because for many storage projects presently under consideration the risk assessment is focussed on containment where the probability of catastrophic leakage has been determined to be extremely low. These low probabilities, together with a general acceptance that appropriate uncertainties are not always well constrained (particularly for reservoir and seal flow properties), has lead some to question the utility of risk assessment. The purpose of this report is to outline the risk assessment methods best suited to potential future CO2 sequestration projects in New Zealand and to recommend tasks that, if completed, would either reduce the risk or enable the likelihood of these risks to be constrained better. To achieve these primary objectives we assembled a team from multiple organisations (GNS Science, Monitor Scientific, CRL Energy and University of NSW) with expertise in risk assessment, CO2 sequestration, geology, engineering, social science and economics. This report is the culmination of a review of existing methods, two risk workshops and a series of meeting between members of the team. The report sets the foundation for risk assessment of potential future carbon, capture and storage projects in New Zealand, outlining a series of practical steps that we believe are necessary to maximise the utility of risk assessment. (auth/DG)
Oil & Gas Science and Technology – Revue de l’Institut Français du Pétrole, 2010
Injectivité du CO 2 dans les stockages géologiques : programme et principaux résultats du projet ANR GéoCarbone-Injectivité -L'objectif du projet GéoCarbone-Injectivité était de définir une méthodologie pour étudier les phénomènes complexes intervenant aux abords des puits lors de l'injection de CO 2 . La méthodologie proposée s'appuie sur des expérimentations interprétées numériquement à l'échelle de la carotte afin de comprendre (modélisation physique et lois de comportement) et de quantifier (paramétrisation des outils de simulation) les différents mécanismes susceptibles de modifier l'injectivité : les interactions roche/fluide, les mécanismes de transport aux abords du puits d'injection et les effets géomécaniques. Ces mécanismes et les paramètres associés devront ensuite être intégrés dans une modélisation à l'échelle métrique à décamétrique des abords du puits d'injection. Cette approche a été appliquée pour l'étude d'une injection potentielle de CO 2 dans la formation géologique du Dogger du Bassin Parisien, en relation avec les projets ANR GéoCarbone.
Demonstrating storage of CO2 in geological reservoirs: The Sleipner and SACS projects
Energy, 2004
At the Sleipner gas field in the North Sea, CO 2 has been stripped from the produced natural gas and injected into a sand layer called the Utsira formation. Injection started in October 1996, to date nearly 5 million tonnes of CO 2 have been injected without any significant operational problems observed in the capture plant or in the injection well. The Sleipner project is the first commercial application of CO 2 storage in deep saline aquifers in the world. To monitor the injected CO 2 a separate project called The Saline Aquifer CO 2 Storage (SACS) project was established in 1998.
Geological storage of CO 2 that has been captured at large, point source emitters represents a key potential method for reduction of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. However, this technology will only be viable if it can be guaranteed that injected CO 2 will remain trapped in the subsurface for thousands of years or more. A significant issue for storage security is the geomechanical response of the reservoir. Concerns have been raised that geomechanical deformation induced by CO 2 injection will create or reactivate fracture networks in the sealing caprocks, providing a pathway for CO 2 leakage. In this paper, we examine three large-scale sites where CO 2 is injected at rates of ∼1 megatonne/y or more: Sleipner, Weyburn, and In Salah. We compare and contrast the observed geomechanical behavior of each site, with particular focus on the risks to storage security posed by geomechanical deformation. At Sleipner, the large, high-permeability storage aquifer has experienced little pore pressure increase over 15 y of injection, implying little possibility of geomechanical deformation. At Weyburn, 45 y of oil production has depleted pore pressures before increases associated with CO 2 injection. The long history of the field has led to complicated, sometimes nonintuitive geomechanical deformation. At In Salah, injection into the water leg of a gas reservoir has increased pore pressures, leading to uplift and substantial microseismic activity. The differences in the geomechanical responses of these sites emphasize the need for systematic geomechanical appraisal before injection in any potential storage site. carbon sequestration | geomechanics | InSAR | microseismic monitoring C arbon capture and storage (CCS)-where CO 2 is captured at large point source emitters (such as coal-fired power stations) and stored in suitable geological repositories-has been touted as a technology with the potential to achieve dramatic reductions in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions (1, 2). However, its success is dependent on the ability of reservoirs to retain CO 2 over long timescales (a minimum of several thousand years). If CCS is to make a significant impact on global emissions, more than 3.5 billion tons of CO 2 per year must be stored (3), which at reservoir conditions will have a volume of ∼30 billion barrels (4).