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Review of Offshore Monitoring for CCS Projects

1 July 2015
Storage

This report reviews offshore monitoring practice for CO₂ storage projects in terms of tool capabilities, logistical practicalities and costs. The focus is on large-scale ‘commercial’ storage monitoring and draws together published experience from existing large offshore CO₂ storage sites as well as monitoring research at experimental test sites and in areas of natural CO₂ seepages. The strengths and limitations of monitoring techniques, strategies and methodologies are discussed, and relevant experience from onshore sites are also included. Monitoring over the full life-cycle from pre-injection (baseline) through injection and post-injection phases to transfer of responsibility to the competent authority is considered. The review draws on selected examples of current or planned monitoring practice.

Technical Report

Criteria of Fault Geomechanical Stability

1 April 2015
Storage

Faults typically consist of two sub-structures: a fault core; and a wider fault damage zone. Faults in low porosity rocks tend to have a fine-grained fault core whereas faults in coarse-grained, high porosity rocks, usually have low porosity deformation bands that can develop into high permeable slip surfaces. Fault zone permeability increases with increasing fluid pressure but permeability varies both across and along faults. Hydraulic properties also vary between the damage zone and the core where gouge material is concentrated. This concentration of fine grained minerals also reduces the mechanical strength of faults. Mechanical failure or reactivation occurs either when shear stress exceeds normal strength or when hydraulic fracturing is induced. Fault deformation can be either brittle or ductile. The former leads to the formation of cataclastite (fine grained granular) and shear fractures which dilate under low effective normal stress that can cause permeability enhancement. With increasing shear deformation, fracture asperities are sheared off leading to gouge production and a reduction in permeability. Thus, in brittle deformation permeability will generally increase under low effective stresses and small displacements but decreases with increasing effective stress and magnitude of displacement. Shear fractures created in ductile deformation contract during shearing and tend not to lead to an increase in permeability. Reactivation of faults can be assessed using both analytical and numerical approaches, but assessment is usually based on the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion. This method can be used to determine the critical injection pressure. Numerical modelling can provide predictions of fault stability at different scales and incorporate different parameters such as the geometry of different faults. Numerical methods can be effective for identifying leakage potential and seal failure especially where dilatancy and stress dependent permeability changes occur. Experimental tests on minerals and rock samples exposed to CO₂ tentatively indicate that the coefficient of friction is not radically changed, however, this conclusion is based on limited exposure to CO₂. There is limited observational data on stress regimes and direct pore pressure measurements from core samples from cap rocks and fault zones. Acquisition of key data would enhance stress regime modelling and fault behaviour.

Technical Review

Carbon Storage FY2015 Peer Review

1 April 2015
Storage

Between March 2nd and 6th, IEAGHG convened a panel of five leading academic and industry experts to conduct a five-day peer review of 12 research projects supported by the NETL Carbon Storage Program. At the conclusion of each project review, these recognized technical experts provided recommendations on how to improve the management, performance, and overall results of each individual research project. The panel was supported by Tim Dixon (Facilitator), James Craig and Samantha Neades, IEAGHG. The Carbon Storage program is focused on developing and advancing technologies to enable safe, cost-effective, permanent geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO₂) both onshore and offshore in different depositional systems. The technologies being developed will benefit both industrial and power sector facilities that will need to mitigate future CO₂ emissions. The program also serves to increase understanding of the effectiveness of these advanced technologies and management approaches in different geologic reservoirs appropriate for CO₂ storage, and improve the ability to understand the behavior of CO₂ in the subsurface.

Technical Report

Carbon capture and storage cluster projects: review and future opportunities

1 March 2015
Capture
Storage

The study was based largely on literature in the public domain and a few enquiries to ascertain current status. Some valuable additional material was also obtained from expert reviewers of the study. Sufficient information was found to review 12 clusters in depth and a number of other less developed clusters at a more general level. Based on the results the gaps, risks and challenges faced by those developing CCS cluster projects are described. Some criteria for selecting additional cluster locations are developed and recommendations for increasing the likelihood of success are put forwards. The data and references were gathered in a working database to facilitate comparisons. A CCS cluster is taken to mean a location where the opportunity to cluster sources and/or sinks for CCS has been identified in published literature.

Technical Report

Monitoring Network and Modelling Network – Combined Meeting

1 February 2015
Event Proceedings
Storage

The objective of this project is to test near surface monitoring of CO₂ during a controlled release experiment. By monitoring released CO₂ the sensitivity of monitoring systems could be determined. Data could then be used to test and calibrate migration models under controlled conditions enabling results to be up-scaled to full-scale storage sites. The results can also be used to develop a monitoring protocol. Although this is a near-surface (<20m controlled release) deeper (100m – 300m) releases are planned.

Technical Report

CO₂ Storage Efficiency in Deep Saline Formations: A Comparison of Volumetric and Dynamic Storage resource Estimation Methods

1 October 2014
Storage

The goal of this study was to compare the volumetric and dynamic CO₂ storage resource estimation methodologies used to evaluate the storage potential of deep saline formations (DSFs). This comparison was carried out to investigate the applicability of using volumetric methods, which typically require less data and time to apply, to estimate the CO₂ storage resource potential of a given saline formation or saline system. The project goals were accomplished by applying both the volumetric and dynamic CO₂ storage resource estimation methodologies to the open-system upper Minnelusa Formation in the Powder River Basin, United States, and a closed-system comprising the Qingshankou and Yaojia Formations in the Songliao Basin, China

Technical Review

IEAGHG 2013 RCSP Peer Review Summary

1 May 2014
Storage

The 2013 international independent expert review of the RCSP had the following aims: 1. To follow up progress in addressing the recommendations of the second review in 2011 of the RCSP Initiative and their Phase III projects. 2. To assess the progress on the individual Phase III projects and consider whether the proposed technical work program for each project achieves the individual projects goals and those of the overall RCSPs. Inherent in this assessment will be the identification of any gaps or modifications that are necessary to the individual work program to address both the projects and the overall RCSP goals. 3. To assess results and key findings from the Phase III tests across the RCSP Initiative as they relate to the DOE/NETL Program goals. 4. To assess the overall technical integration of the RCSP Initiative, address the synergies between the eight Phase III projects and how they complement each other and how collectively they will provide a technical basis for future commercial scale projects in the USA. 5. To assess how the RCSP compares/compliments/contrasts with similar projects underway worldwide and how the information from these projects contributes to an international knowledge base on CO₂ capture and storage

Technical Report

Comparing Different Approaches to Managing CO₂ Storage Resources in Mature CCS Futures

1 April 2014
Storage

This report develops scenarios for CO₂ storage development in the Southern North Sea Basin to compare first-come, first-served and managed approaches to CO₂ storage site licensing. The report describes the benefits and consequences of these broad strategies for the pore space owner and the operator, and considers current approached to managing offshore and onshore storage resources (in a range of jurisdictions). A workshop was held in the early stages of the report process, which helped to evaluate approaches to the management of pore space in different jurisdictions. The following general issues were discussed at the workshop and are looked at further in the report: - The availability of storage capacity - Other uses and users of the pore space - Priorities on different uses in different jurisdictions - Potential routes to wider storage deployment - Technical regulatory challenges for storage in areas of multiple stacked storage opportunities - Risks that may arise from site interactions - Examples of pore space conflict resolution - Strategic initiatives for storage deployment. The report details potential subsurface interactions, UK policy for CO₂ storage development (including a UK Southern North Sea case study), potential interactions between two case studies in the Southern North Sea, CO₂ storage permitting in the Netherlands, CO₂ storage in Australia, the role of CO₂ enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in Texas, USA and managing the pore space in Alberta, Canada.

Technical Report

Methodologies and Technologies for Mitigation of Undesired CO₂ Migration in the Subsurface

1 December 2013
Storage

The driver behind this study is to develop a report built on the on the previous IEAGHG report on methods of leakage mitigation (2007/11). The proposed study should focus on current mitigation and remediation methods that may be applied or considered in site specific conditions in the event of unpredicted CO₂ migration. Each geological storage site will have an adaptive site specific monitoring plan, based on a risk assessment. Detection of a significant irregularity may involve supplementing the monitoring program, in order to detect a possible leak and if necessary engaging mitigation measures

Technical Report

Summary report of the IEAGHG Modelling Network and the Risk Management Network Meeting

1 November 2013
Event Proceedings
Storage

The three day event consisted of a day dedicated to modelling applications; a second day covering a variety of risk management issues and a final day where topics involving both topics were discussed. The meeting was preceded by visits to the SINTEF research facility in Trondheim and the CO2 pipeline test facility at the Statoil Rotvoll site. During the visit to SINTEFF delegates were shown lab-scale development of new solvents for CO2 capture and an oxy-fuel combustion test rig.

Technical Report

Monitoring Network and Environmental Research Network – Combined Meeting

1 November 2013
Event Proceedings
Storage

From the 27th to 30th August CO₂CRC hosted this meeting of two of IEAGHG’s Networks, the 8th meeting of the Monitoring Network and the 4th meeting of the Environmental Research Network. The theme of the meeting was ‘Realistic monitoring of CO₂ migration – from the reservoir to the surface’, and was attended by 80 delegates from 12 countries. The latest developments and research were presented in sessions covering the regulatory environment, monitoring migration from the reservoir, migration of fluids through the overburden, detection of leakage into shallow groundwater, terrestrial detection monitoring and environmental impacts, marine detection monitoring and environmental impacts, andthe complexity of the natural system and implications for quantification.

Technical Report

The Process of Developing a CO₂ Test Injection Experience

1 October 2013
Storage

This study does not intend to redo work already carried out, but to produce an over-arching document, which follows the process of setting up a test injection. This document would identify gaps in best practice guides as well as point readers towards available information. The document produced would order the steps and processes that the user would need to go through during the management of the test injection; from scoping of the project (including success criteria), site selection, planning, injection and closure. Many of the steps will happen simultaneously, but an order can still be established along with an expected timeline. This would be broad enough to allow for different permitting and legal processes in different countries as well as different site specific technical issues.

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