CCP Results – Carbon Dioxide Capture for Storage in Deep Geologic Formations

Overview

CCP has continued to be a leading participant in the response of the oil and gas industry to the challenge of de-carbonizing the energy system. During CCP Phase 4, emerging technologies have been tested and assessed that have great potential to lower the cost of post-combustion capture. A new initiative examined improved ways to deal with CO₂ separation and storage for offshore natural gas production. On the CO₂ storage side, novel monitoring technologies have been tested and assessed, and mitigation methods to de-risk possible leakage pathways have been field-trialled at the Swiss Mont Terri underground laboratory. All this work is aimed as assuring long-term storage security.

Publication Summary

A few highlights of CCP4 include:

• Demonstrated in two different pilot campaigns that the Piperazine with Advanced Stripper(PZASTM) capture process has a wide range of application–from NGCC to coal-fired flu gas.
• Used a series of Techno-Economic Assessments (TEA) to compare innovative capture technologies for NGCC and identified use of Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFC) as a low-cost option.
• Supported testing of structured adsorbents with potential for higher productivity (kg CO₂/m3hr) and lower pressure drop than conventional packed bed adsorbents. Applications include Sorbent Enhanced Water Gas Shift (SEWGS) to improve economics of low-carbon H2 production and post-combustion capture.
• Demonstrated Svante’s innovative adsorption-based CO₂ capture system at a pilot scale of 1 tonne per day (TPD) at Lafarge Canada’s Richmond cement plant, which has a CO₂ concentration similar to SMR flue gas.
• Supported testing of polymeric membranes for CO₂ separation at the harsh conditions necessary to implement subsea wellhead processing and CO₂ reinjection as part of the COMPMEM project.
• Conducted two modelling studies related to storage assurance–one examined operational management of stresses in an EOR reservoir to preserve caprock integrity for subsequent use CO₂ storage, and the second looked at the ability to detect leakage associated with a degraded plugged and abandoned well.
• Completed a study combining modelling with lab experiments assessed the ability of a silica gel agent injected into a storage formation to prevent or mitigate leakage.
• Compiled a database of the early operating experience of storage projects–ranging from pilots to demonstrations to commercial operation. Lessons learned were extracted from incidents and unanticipated variances between expected and actual performance.
• Conducted two field experiments at the Mont Terri Underground Laboratory–one to test various injected sealants injected to mitigate leakage in a purposely-damaged well, and the second to examine possible effects of fluid injection on fault slippage with
  implications for fluid leakage.
• Modelled novel technologies based on the ongoing Aquistore saline storage project to assess surveillance capabilities of (1) time lapse borehole gravity and (2) borehole to surface electromagnetics